Livestock Emergency Kit: What Every Farm Needs On Hand

Why Your Emergency Kit Is Not Optional

Veterinary response times in rural areas average 30 to 90 minutes on a good day. In remote areas, you may wait 2 to 4 hours for a vet — longer in bad weather. During a difficult calving, a colic, or a traumatic injury, the interventions you can perform in the first 30 minutes frequently determine whether the animal survives, and in what condition.

This is not about replacing your vet. It is about doing the right things while you wait, and being able to manage routine situations — minor wounds, mild colic, normal calving assistance, basic injections — without a vet call every time.

Your kit should live in one place, be organized and labeled, and be checked and restocked at least twice a year. Spring before calving season and fall before cold weather are the natural checkpoints.

Category 1: Wound Care and First Aid

• Betadine (povidone-iodine) scrub and solution — for cleaning wounds. Dilute to a "weak tea" color for wound irrigation; full concentration is too harsh for open tissue.
• Chlorhexidine scrub and solution — an alternative to betadine; gentler on tissue, excellent broad-spectrum antiseptic.
• Sterile saline (0.9%) — for flushing wounds and eyes. Several liters. Do not use tap water on open wounds.
• Gauze sponges (4x4) — multiple boxes. Non-adherent (Telfa) pads for wound contact layers.
• Rolled gauze — 4-inch minimum for limb bandaging.
• Vet wrap / cohesive bandage — 4-inch width, multiple rolls. Holds bandages in place without tape.
• Elastikon or medical tape — for securing bandage layers.
• Wound spray (aerosol antiseptic) — for surface wounds and fly prevention. Blue Kote or similar products are widely used.
• Fly repellent — for wounds in warm seasons. Flies on an open wound compound the problem significantly.
• Cotton batting — for padding under leg wraps to prevent pressure sores.
• Staple gun and staples (veterinary) — for closing large skin lacerations as an emergency measure. Ask your vet about training for this.
• Bandage scissors — curved, blunt-tip for safe bandage removal.
• Sterile gloves — multiple pairs, various sizes.
• Eye wash solution — sterile, for flushing eye injuries and pinkeye-affected eyes.

Category 2: Injection and Medication Supplies

• Syringes — 3 cc, 6 cc, 12 cc, 20 cc, and 35 cc sizes. Stock multiples of each.
• Needles — 18 gauge x 1.5 inch (standard cattle IM/SQ), 16 gauge x 1.5 inch (thicker-bodied drugs), 20 gauge x 1 inch (calves and small ruminants). Have a large supply — change needles frequently.
• Alcohol swabs — for skin prep and cleaning vial tops.
• Multi-dose vials of medications — what you stock depends on what your vet has authorized and prescribed for your operation. Common on-farm medications include: broad-spectrum antibiotic (prescription), Banamine (flunixin meglumine, prescription), Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C, selenium/Vitamin E, Epinephrine (for anaphylaxis reactions to vaccines — prescription).
• Dexamethasone — prescription steroid. Some vets authorize this for on-farm use in specific situations (anaphylaxis, severe inflammation).
• Oral drenching gun — for oral medications, oral electrolytes, and anthelmintics.
• Propylene glycol — for pregnancy toxemia (goats, cattle). A standard treatment to have on hand in any multi-species operation.
• CMPK or oral calcium paste — for pre- and post-calving calcium support in cattle and dairy goats.

Category 3: Diagnostic Equipment

• Digital rectal thermometer — at least two, with a string attached to prevent loss. Normal cattle: 101–102.5°F. Normal horses: 99–101.5°F. Normal goats/sheep: 101.5–104°F.
• Stethoscope — essential for auscultating gut sounds, heart rate, and lung sounds. A basic unit is sufficient; you do not need a cardiology-grade instrument.
• Flashlight / headlamp — a good, hands-free headlamp. Conditions rarely require veterinary attention during daylight hours, it seems.
• Pulse oximeter (veterinary, if available) — for monitoring respiratory-compromised animals. Human units do not work reliably on livestock.
• Refractometer — for measuring colostrum quality (Brix reading) before feeding to neonates. Critical for any calving or kidding operation. A reading of 22% Brix or higher indicates good colostrum.
• Scale for neonates — a portable hanging scale for weighing newborn calves and kids. Birth weight is an important health indicator and helps calculate medication dosages.

Category 4: Obstetrical Supplies

• OB sleeves (50-count box)
• OB lubricant (liquid — minimum one quart)
• Calving/lambing chains — two
• Calf puller — stored and maintained properly
• Lamb/kid OB snare for repositioning
• Navel iodine cups and tincture of iodine (7%) — for navel dipping
• Esophageal tube feeder — 16 Fr for calves, 8–10 Fr for lambs and kids
• Colostrum or colostrum replacer (frozen or powdered) — stored and accessible
• Lamb/kid warmer box or instructions for building one with a cardboard box and heat lamp

Category 5: Tools and Hardware

• Halter, lead rope — in multiple sizes (cattle, horse, goat/sheep)
• Ear tag applicator and blank tags — for marking treated animals or newborns
• Permanent paint marker or livestock crayon — for marking animals that have been treated
• Twitch (for horses) — humane restraint for minor procedures
• Hoof pick and basic hoof knife — for early foot rot and hoof abscess inspection
• Portable electric fence supplies — for containing an injured animal in a safe area
• Wire cutters — for cutting fence wire in an entanglement emergency. Keep them somewhere accessible, not buried in a toolbox.
• Head lamp and backup flashlights with fresh batteries, stored in the kit

Category 6: Information and Records

• Posted veterinary contact information — primary vet, after-hours number, backup vet, nearest veterinary teaching hospital. Laminated and posted in the barn.
• Poison control for livestock — ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.
• Basic livestock first aid reference — a printed reference or binder, not just a phone app. Phones lose signal, run out of battery, and get dirty.
• Herd health records binder — current vaccination status, medication log, withdrawal time tracker.
• Drug withdrawal time chart — a laminated quick-reference card for withdrawal times of all drugs you have on the farm.

Maintaining Your Kit

A kit that is not maintained is worse than no kit, because you reach for it in an emergency and find expired medications, empty bottles, and depleted supplies. Set a calendar reminder for April and October. Check expiration dates on every medication. Replace anything used or expired. Replenish supplies that are running low. A well-maintained emergency kit is a fraction of the cost of a single preventable animal loss.