Emergencies and accidents sometimes happen, and it’s freaking scary when they do. Sometimes you need a vet…pronto! But sometimes you can handle it on your own if you have the right stuff on hand and some know-how. There are a lot of great items that can be used across species that I always keep on hand. I’m not vet by any stretch, but experience and learning from other’s experiences has taught me what to go to first. Sometimes it’s just to help my animal survive until a vet can get here. Each animal injury or illness I’ve dealt with has taught me something important. Sometimes a lot of somethings!
One year I had a goat sick with pneumonia – my Nigerian Dwarf named Tank. It was rough on the poor dude. Several injectable medications, vitamins, and emergency vet calls later and he finally was getting back to good. It was a close call and I’m extremely grateful he is still with me…Tank is my buddy! I learned a lot from that experience both from my vet, and my “Goat Dealer,” and my own observations of his symptoms. I am hopeful that if it would happen again, to any of my herd, that I would catch it sooner and know how to treat it. I didn’t know until that episode that pneumonia is more common in summer than winter due to the higher humidity in our climate. Now, during hot and humid stretches of weather the goats get extra attention from me for this reason.
As you can see in my picture my animal medicine cabinet is…ahem….extensive. Hey, I have a lot of animals!! Some stuff is for “just in case,” and some stuff I use regularly (like my dog’s heartworm meds, and my llama’s worming shots). Unless it’s a prescription, which I get from my vet(s), the remainder of the products are things I get from Wal-Mart, Fleet Farm, or Amazon. None of it is hard to find.
This is by no means an all-encompassing list, but it’s the basics that I make sure I have.
So what’s all in there?
I always have Blue Kote and Vetricyn on hand- both antibacterial sprays. They are the first line of defense for preventing and fighting infection. Blue Kote is especially good for chickens. Chickens are cute and funny, but they turn into little beasts of evil on each other if there is even a drop of blood on one of them. Blood thirsty monsters I tell you ! Blue Kote covers the wound and also stains it bluish purple, hopefully throwing the vampire chickens off. Using gloves are my recommendation with this product. EVERYTHING turns purple when using this, and it stains your skin. Talking from experience here peeps.
The Vetricyn I like use on cats, dogs, goats, llamas for any wounds. My cats especially have a knack of coming in to dinner sometimes with war wounds from a disagreement with each other. Vetricyn is nice because the cats can lick it and not have any ill effects. It gets applied several times a day, and is a gel like substance. It’s expensive, but it works!
I keep Meloxicam on hand for my llamas; mostly for my old gal Peach. It gives her relief from arthritis. It’s like people tylenol. It’s a perscription from my vet, and thankfully a low cost medication. It’s given by weight, so a llama needs 12 pills per dosage due to their size! I toss them into her feed and she gobbles them right up. Meloxicam is also used with cats and dogs, sometimes in liquid form, for pain relief.
Vitamin B injectable has been a lifesaver for my goats. Tank had pneumonia last summer and was lethargic. The vitamin B shots seemed to help with his energy level and to get him eating again. **Side note- goats have 4 stomachs and keeping those up and running is of utmost importance in goats. If a goat stops eating too long it can die.
Extra syringes, vet wrap, and needles are standard in my cupboard.
Fun fact I learned from my vet – needles are good for when an animal has a sudden large bump on it’s body somewhere. If it’s hot to the touch it’s likely an abscess. One way to tell is using a needle quickly poke it into the mass and see what comes out. If it’s pus it’s an infection and needs to be drained (gross, I know!). If it’s something else, blood or clear liquid, and there are other issues going on with the animal, a call to the vet might be in order.
Nutradrench for llamas, and another version for goats in case someone is suddenly ill. This is a liquid that is administered by syringe and is like a shot of pedialyte. It helps with energy and nutrition, and is an emergency go to as well. If an animal is “off their food,” or refusing to eat this is a good go to for them while you wait for vet care.
I always have Iodine on hand. Sometimes for wounds, and also if I’m expecting any babies on the farm. Right now we are expecting a baby llama- called Cria- this fall. After the cria is born I will dip it’s navel into a bowl of iodine to kill any bacteria and keep it from infection. The navel is one area to protect as infection would have a direct way into the body through this opening.
Pepto Bismol for diarrhea, and baking soda for bloat. Pepto is one of those all purpose meds. Goats and dogs especially get good results from it if there is an issue with diarrhea. It’s not a cure-all, but if the symptoms need attention it’s a tool at the ready. Diarrhea can be life threatening, especially in babies.
Bloat is something that can happen with ruminants where stomach gases build up. Baking soda helps release that gas from the stomach (s).
A digital thermometer – most often used on my goats or llamas. It’s never fun to use for either party, but sure helps you narrow down what’s going on! The thermometer is my first go to if someone seems under the weather. A too high or too low temp usually means a call to the vet asap. A higher temperature also can tell you if you’re looking at infection/sickness, compared to dealing with symptoms like diarrhea that might be nothing more than an upset stomach when no fever exists.
Pro-bios paste has been helpful for my goats. Especially the babies. The babies have a lower tolerance to hot and humid temperatures, and the tube of Pro-bios helps to deter any diarrhea in the babies and keep their rumen (stomach system) running.
Packets of Save-a-chick electrolytes help give a boost to baby chicks, or even adult chickens in hot weather who need the extra nutritional boost. I also use this during chicken molting season – when the birds lose their old feathers and grow in new ones. It helps to keep them hydrated during this stressful event.
Finally, I have some stuff that I found is just super handy. A magnifying glass to check animal hair, or, because I’m just old and need to see better. Tweezers, staple suture remover (got that because of a foster dog several years back – long story), pain medications, rubbing alcohol, extra syringes for administering oral meds, scissors, and garden pruners for goat and llama feet.
The two MOST IMPORTANT things I feel that I have in my back pocket are 1. a good relationship with my vet(s), and 2. the ability to give shots.
I have a large animal vet that comes to my farm to treat my large animals. I’ve been able to pick his brain with different situations, and have learned a lot. The vet also has after hours services, which has helped me tons in the past. Everything to just needing advice via phone on how to treat something, to emergency euthanasia has been utilized with this service for our farm. I cannot stress enough the importance of establishing a good working relationship with a vet! My vet knows my animals, and is familiar with my farm. He knows how they are cared for and if there has been any past diseases I’ve dealt with. He also has been willing to find out information to help us with our animals. This has mostly been for our llamas, as not too many people in our area have them. Currently, we are preparing for a llama to give birth in the next few weeks. My vet has been out to check our girl during her pregnancy, and he is ready to help for the birth if needed.
I think it’s also important that that your vet gets to know YOU as well as your animals. I’m a pretty calm person, so if I call my vet with a panicked edge to me he knows I have a situation that needs help NOW. He also has worked with me to decide on treatment options for long term arthritis management for our llama Peach. So when I need a refill on Meloxicam he knows what I need it for and won’t feel the need to visit to OK it.
The other most useful thing has been learning how to give injections to my animals. Certain medications require the shots to be sub-q, sub-cutaneous (just under the skin), and some requires IM, or intra-muscular. The places on each animal to give shots is also important to know by species. What works on a llama might not work on a dog for a shot location. Each medication, and situation, is a little different and I’ve relied on my vet’s advice on where to best inject, using that information for future shots.
Before I had my own animals, I wouldn’t have thought that shots were such an important thing to know, but it’s become a regular thing with the animals I have. Llamas require sub-q injections of a dewormer called Ivermectin every 30 days. Goats and llamas both require annual vaccination shots suq-q of CDT (protects against several diseases), and every few years I vaccinate my outdoor cats for distemper sub-q. I’ve even had a dog that needed regular IM shots for arthritis in her hind legs. Knowing how to give injections has saved me money and time in the past instead of having to call the vet and wait on them to do the shots.
Building my animal medicine cabinet hasn’t happened overnight. It’s been many years of finding what works, and learning how to use different things. Learning from vets, breeders, animal rescues, other owners, and reading whatever I can. Many medications can be used “off-label” (not for intended species) if you know how to do it.
Now, twenty years after moving onto our farm and getting the animals I have, I have a much higher comfort level in my own skills in an emergency, or just in regular care of my animals. While sometimes through lessons painfully learned, it has become my most valuable resource.
What do you think is a good item to have on hand?