If you have animals then you will have an emergency that will require intervention at some point. Notice that I didn’t say you might, I said you will. Those emergencies can range from simple wounds all the way, unfortunately, to death. Unless you have the money to run to the vet and pay for an office visit and treatment, then you will need to stock up on some essentials for treating your animals. I don’t claim to have an all inclusive set-up here and I frequently add other items. I am writing this post just to give you an idea of how I organize my emergency supplies and some of the items I keep on hand.
I have a 4 stall kennel with concrete floors that was on the property prior to our moving there. I decided to make one of the stalls my own little vet clinic and I built a cabinet to hold all my stuff. The kennel can be used as an isolation area for a sick or injured animal (with bedding placed in it). You can see the white pipe coming out of the concrete which will give me the ability to install a sink with water in the near future (I have the materials on hand but I just haven’t found the time to start this project, but rest assured I will share it when I do). The cabinet was built out of a couple pallets, some old barn wood, and some scrap pieces of tin. I also have some scrap shelving from a refrigerator that I had gutted for another project that I used inside the cabinet.
On the right hand side of the cabinet I have two slide out baskets. The top is currently empty but the bottom basket holds a sharps container for any needles I might need to dispose of from giving shots or sewing wounds. It also contains an old popcorn can that I use as a trash can.
The left side of the cabinet holds two sliding glass shelves and a drawer. The top left shelf is empty and holds an extra can for storage. The second shelf holds a can containing large syringes, needles, and alcohol preps for administering shots as well as a small divided container with additional various size syringes.
The next shelf down has a can with suture materials, staples, a staple remover, and scalpels, as well as my hoof trimmers, pick, and additional various tools. (Note: I do not recommend stapling or suturing your animals unless you have been trained and are properly equipped to do so. There are many problems that could arise as a result of improperly doing so. I do not regularly suture either, despite my training. I have these only as a last ditch effort in the event of uncontrollable hemorrhage that can only be stemmed with sutures).
Finally, my bottom drawer contains various bandaging supplies, with Coban (the roll of brown stuff) being one of the most important. Coban, or vet wrap as some call it, can be purchased at feed stores, TSC, some sporting good stores, as well as online. The great thing about Coban is that it sticks to itself without sticking to anything else. No tape required and it sticks even with blood or other fluids. If you don’t have any, I highly recommend you have some on hand. It comes in various widths (I have found 2″ to be the most versatile for my uses) and also comes in a wide range of colors.
You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned anything about medications yet. That’s because I don’t keep them in my vet cabinet. Because it isn’t climate controlled I keep all of my medications in a carrier and keep it stored in the house. I can carry it out as needed and I don’t have to worry about things being ruined in the high or low temps. As for medications to keep on hand, I have found that for most things peroxide, alcohol, and a few antibiotics will get the job done.
As I said in the beginning, this post isn’t meant to be all inclusive and I am sure there are things that many of you keep on hand that are important to have stocked up. I hope that you will shoot me a line and let me know about it. I’ll be sure to post it here for others benefit. Have a great day and God bless!