Health & Care · #emergency

Health & Care guides tagged “emergency” from the Apex Equine resource center.

• Colic: what to watch for and what to do before the vet arrives — Colic is the leading natural killer of horses, and the minutes between noticing it and calling for help matter. Here's how to read the signs and what to do while you wait.
• When it's an emergency: knowing when to call the vet now — Some problems can wait until morning. Some can't, and a few hours' delay changes the outcome. Here's how to tell the difference and stop second-guessing the late-night call.
• What actually belongs in a horse first-aid kit — Most barn first-aid kits are a tangle of expired ointment and one roll of crusty vetwrap. Here's how to build one you can actually grab in an emergency.
• How to take your horse's vital signs (and what's normal) — When you call your vet in an emergency, the first thing they'll ask is for numbers. Here's how to take your horse's temperature, pulse, and respiration, and what the readings mean.
• Call, monitor, or wait: an emergency decision playbook — The hardest part of a horse emergency isn't the crisis itself. It's deciding, in the moment, whether to call now, watch closely, or relax. This playbook gives you a clear-headed framework before you need it.
• Foaling complications: when minutes matter — Most mares foal cleanly in twenty minutes. The rare ones that don't can lose a foal or themselves in the time it takes to second-guess yourself. Know the few that can't wait.