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Using A Spray When Using a Antibiotic spray hold the can upright 12-19 in. from the skin and spray briefly. Some horses dislike the noise, so spray in the air first to assess the horse's reaction. It will probably get used to it. Cotton plugs in the ears may help if there is a big problem.

First Aid is not an alternative to calling the vet. It is what you do first of all if you find a wound or other problem. Whether you then need to call a vet depends on the result of your efforts. Although there are situations were you should always call a vet.

Cleaning A Wound When cleaning a wound you first start cleaning at the center of a wound, no matter what size it is. Use clean cottin with a weak saline or antiseptic solution. Then work outward, so that you do not bring dirt into the wound from the surrounding skin. Do not pugh dirt under any skin flaps. Finally, clean the skin surrounding the wound. Never go back to the wound with the same swab, even if the wound is still bleeding.

Dressing A Wound On A Leg First apply a non-stick dressing first. This will not disturb the blood clot when you change it. Then you wrap padding around the leg. Don't worry if the wound is bleeding-it can take up to 30 minutes to stop. Then you bandage over the padding. Start at the top, to secure the dressing, then move down to the wound area. Finally use all the bandage, leaving an edge of padding at top and bottom. Take time to do it well.

Applying A Fomentation A hot Fomentation involves the application of warmth to an Injured area to reduce pain or swelling. It is useful for areas on which a poultice cannot be strapped-the stifle, for example. Soak a cloth in warm water. (if it is too hot for you, then it is too hot to go on the horse.)Squeeze out some of the water, then hold the cloth in position on the injured area. When it losees heat, replace it with another one, continuing for at least 15-20 minutes. This is tiring, but unless you apply a hot fomentation for this lengh of time, it isnot worth doing.

Bandaging A Knee First dress the wound, then wrap padding around the leg. Anchor the padding at the top with two or three turns of bandage. Bring the bandage diagonally down across the knee, and make a compliete turn around the leg at the bottom of the padding. Then take the bandage diagonally up across theknee again to produce a cross of bandage on the front of the knee and will not be disturbed when the horse moves its leg. Then bandage around the leg at the top and the then work downward in the normal way. Overlap at least half of the previous layer of bandage with each new turn until you reach the bottom of the padding. If the bandage is long enough, make a second figure eight before finishing.

Bandagin A Hock First make a figure eight, crossing the bandage over the point of the hock. The first rounds must be tight enough to secure the dressing, but not too tight on the achilles tendon, which runs up the back of the leg above the hock. Finish the bandage securely. This is especially important with a Hock bandage because if it starts to unravel the horse may kick out and re-open the wound.

Applying A Robert Jones Bandage First you wil need at least four wide rolls of sheet cotton and two or three self-adhesive bandages. Wrap the whole leg in two layers of sheet cotton, then bandage tightly around them. This stabilizes the whole bandage, and ensures that it fits securely around the joints. Then apply two more layers of sheet cotton. Next, tightly wrap the whole leg again with a cohesive bandage that wil not come loose. The sheet cotton must be tightly compressed. The finished bandage must extend from the top of the leg down to the hoof to be effective. The horse should be unable to move its leg in a Robert Jones bandage.

Ice Packs First, protect the leg with a layer of gauze (half a thckness of sheet cotton is fine), so that the icepack is not in direct contact with the skin. Place the pack diresctly over and around the swollen area. Then apply a layer of sheet cotton as insulation to keep the cold in, then bandage the pack in place. The pack may be heavy, so the bandage must be quite tight to stop it from moving about on the leg.

Cold Hosing Simple hosing Hosing with cold water cools the leg, although not as much aas ice. Make sure you stand the horse neat a drain. Hosing boot A hosing boot holds water fed in from a hose. fix it to a flexible hose, so it does not restrict movement of the leg too much.

Hot Soaking Hot soaking increases the circulation, bringing more blood cells to the area to fight infection. Clean the horse's foot thoroughly before soaking it in a tub of hot water for 10-15 minutes. Add epsom salts to the water to prevent the horn and skin from softening and becoming prone to secondary infection.

Applying A Poultice First cut the pultice dressing to the approximate size of the foot, allowing an overlap all around. Then soak the dressing in warm water-not boiling, which would scald you and the horse. Allow it to drain. Place the dressing over the foot. Fold the edges over the hoof to secure it. It is vital that the poultie does not come off. Then use a self-adhesive bandage to keep the dressing in place. Start by wrapping the bandage around the wall of the foot, with about a third of the width projecting below the foot. Make two or three turns around to make sure the bandage is firm. Bring the roll of bandage across the sole, and make a further turn around the wall of the foot to secure this length. Then cross over the sole in the other direction, to produce an "X" of bandage over the sole. Anchor it with another turn around the wall of the foot. Then make as many crosses over the lengh of bandage will allow. Smooth the edges to stick them firmly to the layer underneath. You have now made a bandage boot.