Stocking Up

Izzy's never-healing heel has put a big dent in my medical supplies kit. This particular wound, while a royal pain in the butt, isn't requiring anything particularly unusual which means it's depleting my everyday types of bandaging material, namely, vet wrap, brown gauze, hydrophilic foam pads, and saline. These are materials you can use for just about any wound type including abscesses, punctures, and scrapes. Also used for I was an idiot and tried to amputate my foot injuries. 

Over the weekend I took stock of my materials and determined that an order was due. The last time I ordered self-adhesive bandages, I inadvertently ordered the 3" rolls instead of the 4". As it turned out, the 3" rolls are the perfect length for wrapping a foot, so I ordered them again.

I thought I could get a better deal on duct tape at Lowe's, but when I stopped by, they only carried duct tape in single rolls and despite being a name brand, it was of terrible quality. It was super thin and didn't unroll cleanly. Fortunately I only bought one roll which I am already partway through. The 5 roll multi-pack that I bought last time was truly heavy duty, so I ordered it again. While duct tape has a million uses around the barn, the stuff I buy for my med kit is reserved for abscesses and other foot injuries. Like the kind where my horse was idiot and tried to amputate his foot. Not that I am bitter or annoyed ... (I am.)

Saline is just one of those things that is great to have around. You can flush out an eye or any other kind of wound in a sensitive or not-so-sensitive area. For this application, I am soaking hydrophilic foam pads that I lay over the wound to keep it moist under the bandage as it heals. Hydrophilic foam pads don't generally stick to a wound when they're moist, and when soaked in saline, they create a slightly acidic environment which is better for wound healing.

A medical kit stocked for any kind of emergency might seem expensive. In the long run, I have found it to actually be cheaper as I don't have to run to the vet every time one of my horses either has an accident or acts like an idiot. Keeping every possible bandage, ointment, or salve also seems to keep most accidents from happening. The more prepared you are, the less you seem to need your emergency kit.

Unless of course your horse acts like an idiot and tries to amputate his foot, then all bets are off!