Brown horse with a black mane and tail running across a grassy field under a clear blue sky.

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OUR SERVICES

First Aid

Before You Need to Administer First Aid

Keep Colorado Equine Clinic's phone number accessible and maintain a well-stocked first aid kit in a clean, dry location. Anyone who routinely cares for your horse should know where emergency supplies are stored.

Practice checking your horse's temperature, pulse, respiratory rate and capillary refill time before an emergency occurs. Knowing what is normal for your horse can make important changes easier to recognize.

Know Your Horse's Normal Vital Signs
Build and Maintain a First Aid Kit
Recognize When to Call a Veterinarian
Provide Safe, Basic Wound Care
Respond to Possible Colic
Check Temperature, Pulse and Respiration
A woman preparing medical supplies in a horse stable, with a brown horse nearby, inside a barn with metal and wood walls.
A woman preparing medical supplies in a horse stable, with a brown horse nearby, inside a barn with metal and wood walls.

First Aid Measures

In an urgent situation, the veterinary team focuses on quickly assessing your horse, stabilizing immediate concerns and determining the safest next step for care.

Rapid Assessment

Vital signs, circulation, breathing, pain, neurologic function and the severity of the illness or injury are evaluated.

Immediate Stabilization

Care may involve pain management, wound treatment, fluid therapy, hemorrhage control, diagnostic testing or other supportive measures.

Continued Monitoring

Your horse's response is monitored so treatment can be adjusted and additional care, hospitalization or referral arranged when needed.

Seek veterinary help immediately for severe colic, uncontrolled bleeding, difficulty breathing, sudden neurologic changes, serious wounds, collapse or inability to bear weight. Do not administer medication unless directed by a veterinarian.

Protect Yourself While Helping Your Horse

Horses that are injured, frightened or in pain may behave unpredictably. Stay calm, remain aware of your surroundings and never place yourself in danger while trying to assist your horse.

If safe handling is not possible, wait for veterinary assistance rather than risking injury to yourself or others.

A light-colored puppy with floppy ears leaning out of the window of a purple vehicle with signage for a veterinary clinic, with trees and a blue sky in the background.
A light-colored puppy with floppy ears leaning out of the window of a purple vehicle with signage for a veterinary clinic, with trees and a blue sky in the background.
Collection of medical supplies including gloves, syringes, bandages, adhesive tape, nasal spray, medication bottles, gauze, a thermoplastic splint, and a stethoscope.

Preparing a First Aid Kit

Preparation and early recognition can make an important difference during an equine emergency.

Learning your horse's normal vital signs, keeping appropriate first aid supplies available and knowing when to call your veterinarian can help you respond more confidently while veterinary care is on the way.