News
Monday, 8th May 2011
Equine Emergency Rescue
A horse owner's guide to Large Animal Rescue
Most people who own a horse have been through a traumatic experience with them, either at home in the paddock or out on the road while transporting them. It's the split second response that makes a difference between a successful outcome and a tragedy that could have been avoided. Oakey Vet Hospital is very happy to endorse "Equine Emergency Rescue" – a horse owner's guide to Large Animal Rescue – written by MaryAnne Leighton and Michelle Staples.
Every horse, no matter how quiet or well educated, has the potential to become involved in an emergency incident and has a need to be rescued. Two of the most common rescues are of horses trapped in mud and incidents involving horse trailers but horses also fall down cliffs and into ditches and gullies. They stumble into sinkholes and septic tanks, get stuck in quicksand and can become caught in fire and trapped or washed away by floodwater.
Tragically, if a horse is involved in an emergency situation they could sustain serious injuries or be killed, not necessarily from the original incident but from the rescue attempts of well-meaning but untrained personnel. This includes the owner as well as veterinarians and emergency responders, few of whom are aware that specialised rescue techniques for large animals exist and that the human rescue techniques of primary triage, first aid and medical support can be applied to horses.
Injured humans are never removed from an accident scene by being dragged out with ropes tied around their necks, wrists or ankles but that is exactly how horses are manhandled, often with devastating consequences. Horses are routinely strangled, drowned and dropped and rescuers themselves are often severely injured or killed because they don't understand how potentially explosive and dangerous a trapped horse can be.
Because of their volatile nature, the dangers inherent in rescuing horses cannot be overemphasised and emergency responders must treat each rescue exactly as if it contained a Hazardous Material – a dangerous object that will explode without warning.
Equine Emergency Rescue is the first book to address the subject of technical large animal emergency rescue in a way that makes sense to horse owners and that is specifically designed to help emergency responders rescue the horse safely, even if they are not trained in these techniques. It shows how to safely use the large surface area and skeletal strength of the horse's torso to reduce tissue damage and trauma to his delicate structures, thus increasing the chance of a successful rescue. Step-by-step instructions are given on how to use simple nylon webbing straps, ropes and slings to secure, lift, shift or assist a mobile or immobile horse, how to evacuate horses from stable fires and floodwater and how to approach, handle and temporarily contain loose horses.
Chapters in the book cover: rescuer safety; the danger and difficulty of sedating and anaesthetising trapped horses (with recommendations for veterinarians); tips for horse owners on how to call for help and assist emergency responders when they arrive on scene; step-by-step instructions for emergency responders on how to remove a horse that has gone down in a horse trailer or from a trailer that has overturned; vertical extrication from a hole, swimming pool, septic tank or steep gully using an appropriate harness or slings; diagonal extrication of a horse that is cast in his stable or trapped in a ditch or gully and is unable to stand and walk out; rescue from mud, sand or quicksand, sludge, peat bog, open water and flowing water as well as hobbled lifts and helicopter lifts. The book also tells rescuers where to obtain the tools of the trade and, most important of all, who offers training in this specialised field.
These techniques work. Twenty years ago, only a tiny four to ten percent of the one thousand large animal rescues carried out in the UK each year were deemed to be successful – that is, they did not maim, severely injure or kill the animals involved. However, when advisers who were trained in technical large animal rescue techniques joined rescue teams, the percentage of successful rescues was raised to 96% (P. Baker 2006).
With a foreword written by world-renowned equine veterinarian, Reg Pascoe, Equine Emergency Rescue is a must-have guide for horse owners, emergency responders and equine and large animal vets.
'The breadth and depth of this book means it should be read and understood by all emergency responders, equine veterinarians and horse owners.'
Reg R Pascoe AM., BVSc. DVSc. FACVSc. FRCVS., Equine Veterinarian
'Every horse owner needs the information in this book for their own safety and that of their horse. When you have to call fire/rescue/police you need to know how to help them – this book shows you how.'
Dr Rebecca Gimenez, Primary Instructor/President, Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue, USA
'This book is a valuable resource for anyone involved in an emergency horse rescue. It is also a great guide for establishing a safe scene before the arrival of the emergency services. Keep one in your truck or towing vehicle at all times.'
Anthony Hatch, NSW Fire and Rescue and SES
'Thank you for bringing this book into our lives. So many people in the Inspectorate have gone over the copy you left me and can't wait to get a copy of their own.'
Debbie Roden, Inspector, RSPCA NSW
Equine Emergency Rescue - a horse owner's guide to Large Animal Rescue - on sale at Oakey Vet Hospital $29.95 RRP also at available from www.equineER.com
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