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A rural homestead with animals is never dull. There’s usually one critter that’s “accident prone” or tends to get into things that may cause harm either to property or to the animal itself. It’s often that way in families too, with the boldest, most adventurous child getting the lion’s share of bruises, scrapes and injuries. No matter how hard we try to mitigate the risk, someone is going to be getting hurt or sick on the homestead.
Another fact is, farm life is inherently dangerous for both animals and humans. There are sharp tools, nails, fencing wire, mechanical apparatus and all manner of power tools, tractors and other machinery as well as large animals. All of which have the potential to cause injury to humans and other animals. You can be as diligent as anyone and still accidents will happen.
Most illnesses and injuries can be treated without the intervention of a doctor or veterinarian, but every once in a while, they cannot, and you are going to have to ask a professional for help.
In this article, we’re going to discuss how to recognize when something is potentially life-threatening; how to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack, a stroke or a life-threatening allergy or injury in humans and what steps to take to stabilize someone until medical care can be given.
With animals, we’ll discuss how to gauge the severity of an illness or injury and what you need to know about animals in order to determine if you need to call a vet. We’re also going to help you collect first aid supplies and tools for both medical and veterinary purposes. Having these items on -hand can literally mean the difference between death and survival on the homestead.
First Aid – Humans
The first thing you’ll probably want to do is get a basic first aid kit with assorted bandages and first aid tools like this one which is a mini-EMT first aid kit that will set you back about $130. Well worth it, if you ever need to use it.
Fully Stocked Small EMT First Responder Bag w/ Standard Fill Kit (gearbags.com)
Things to add if not included:
- Burn Cream
- Antibacterial Ointment
- Hydrocortisone or other anti-itch cream
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Betadine solution or scrub
- Wound Spray such as Dermaplast or other antiseptic spray
- Aspirin
- Benadryl
- Fever Reducer (acetaminophen)
- EpiPen
- Pain medication
- Eye Wash
- Covid Tests
- Tweezers
- Suture Kit
- Sharp Scissors (dedicated to First Aid)
- 5 -10 rolls of self-adhering bandages (a.k.a. Vet Wrap)
- Assorted sizes of non-stick pads and bandages (The heavy-duty cloth, sticky kind)
- 2×2 and 4×4 gauze squares
- Roll of gauze bandage
- Clean Rags and Towels
- Panty Liners or Maxi Pads with adhesive backing
- Ice Pack -keep in freezer
- Manuka Honey (a natural antiseptic and reduces scarring)
- Assorted Splints – knee and back braces, wrist and ankle supports
- Tourniquet
Always have your doctor’s phone number handy, be prepared to take pictures and text if needed. Save the hospital’s number in your contacts as well as the ambulance service and/or life flight or air ambulance service. Depending upon what the emergency is, the doctor may be able to advise you of what to do temporarily while you have the person transported to the ED or wait for the ambulance.
We advise you to join your local rural ambulance company, and get a subscription to Life Flight or whatever air ambulance service is available to you where you live. You may be so far out of the city away from the hospital, that even if you never use the services, they are there if you need them. They could save a life in an emergency simply by getting the person to the hospital quickly. If you have to drive them, valuable time may be lost and this can mean the difference between life and death in extreme cases.
How do I know when to go to the ED?
It’s crucial to be able to recognize the symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, anaphylaxis or dehydration/heat stroke. These are situations where your quick intervention can save a life. We also recommend that you stay up to date on your tetanus vaccines
Stroke
Recognizing the symptoms of a stroke quickly is crucial. Here are some common signs to watch for:
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
- Confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech.
- Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.
- Severe headache without known cause
A helpful way to remember the signs is the acronym FAST:
- Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
- Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
- Time: Get the person to the nearest medical facility for assistance
Heart Attack
The symptoms of a heart attack can vary from person to person.
They can also vary by gender. Women experience cardiac issues differently than men, so keep that in mind when you’re facing this issue.
Radiating pain, localized chest pain, indigestion, shortness of breath, dizziness, tightness of the chest and nausea can all be signs of a heart attack.
Women can also experience fatigue, sweating and anxiety in addition to all of the above symptoms.
What to do:
- Sit the person down against a wall in case they lose consciousness. Sitting takes strain off the heart
- Call 911 or your local ambulance service
- Administer Aspirin (300mg) as soon as possible, or nitroglycerin, if prescribed
- Administer CPR if the person has stopped breathing and get them transported ASAP
Anaphylaxis: An allergic reaction to a bee sting, or food item causing the throat to swell and airways to be blocked. This can also be accompanied by swelling of hands and face, and itchy rash.
What to do:
- Administer Epi pen if prescribed
- Give Benadryl or other antihistamine
- Call 911 or local ambulance service
- Timing is crucial because of the potential for oxygen deprivation when the airway is blocked.
Heat Stroke: Heat stroke and dehydration are common ailments for homesteaders. Be sure to keep water on hand when working outdoors. Take breaks and cool down to avoid heat stroke.
Symptoms include hot, dry skin, elevated temperature (around 102-103), dizziness, headache, nausea and confusion. Look for a fast strong pulse. In severe cases, the person may faint. It’s not usually life threatening if you can take the following steps to cool the person down quickly.
What to do:
- Remove excess clothing, jackets, shirt, socks
- Cool the person with wet cloths or cold packs in armpits
- Give water or sports drinks with electrolytes
- Run inside of wrists under cold water. This cools the blood as it flows through the body and will speed up the cooling down.
Illness: Most illnesses will run their course, but if you are sick for more than a few days with high fever, nausea or other persistent symptoms, you will want to see a medical professional. A prolonged fever is something that should be addressed with a fever reducer such as acetaminophen and /or alternating with ibuprofen and aspirin. Make sure that you encourage consumption of fluids to avoid dehydration and monitor temperature often.
If a Covid test comes back positive, there are antivirals available by prescription. You will want to isolate the patient for 3-5 days and retest. The current strains of the Covid virus are not as debilitating as previous strains, but are more contagious.
Injury: The homestead can be a dangerous place, even when you are careful. Any time you’re dealing with large animals, machinery, power tools or chainsaws, the risk of injury is great. You can do your best to mitigate the risk by wearing protective gear, goggles and gloves, but accidents still happen.
Whether it’s a strain or sprain, a cut, or major injury such as a broken bone or concussion, you should at least have a basic knowledge of how to handle it.
The first thing to do for strains, sprains, bumps and bruises is to rest, ice and elevate the injury if possible.
Concussions, even mild ones, should be monitored for even pupil dilation, slurred speech or confusion. If there are signs of any of this, get the person to the hospital ASAP, because a brain bleed is serious and could be life threatening.
Open wounds require compression to stop the bleeding and a level-headed assessment of the severity of the injury. You need to be able to recognize when a wound is so severe as to need stitches, and what can be managed with a compression bandage. If the cut is deep and/or bleeding heavily, you will want to get the person to the hospital as soon as possible.
In any case, clean the wound as well as you can and bind it up until you can get professional medical intervention.
Most of the time, common sense will tell you when something needs more than just a bandage. We hope you never have to make a call like this, but if you do, please err on the side of caution to make sure your loved ones are able to recover safely.
Skills:
CPR and Lifesaving: Classes are offered regularly through community programs or through your local hospital. We highly recommend that you become certified in CPR. You never know when you might save someone’s life.
Bandaging: Bandaging and wound care are vital skills to have on the homestead. Learn how to do basic wraps for sprains and strains, as well as how to apply a compression bandage on a wound.
Suturing: While we understand that this is not for everyone, it’s still a great skill to have if you live in a remote area, and life saving medical care is far away. Medarchitect sells this great practice kit for about $26 on Amazon. Amazon.com: Medarchitect Suture Practice Complete Kit (30 Pieces) for Medical Student Suture Training, Include Upgrade Suture Pad with 14 Pre-Cut Wounds, Suture Tools, Suture Thread & Needle : Industrial & Scientific
Veterinary First Aid
Veterinary first aid is not that different from human first aid, except that the animals cannot tell you when they are in pain and, of course, the anatomy is different.
Large animals can get cuts and lacerations, suffer from colic (horses), bloat (sheep) as well as complications in giving birth. When you establish your relationship with your large animal veterinarian, it’s a good idea to talk about when you should “let Nature take its course” or when you should intervene and call the vet.
Baselines:
You should know the heart rate, base temperature and respirations for each species of animal that you have on the homestead, and be able to recognize when an animal is acting strangely or is in physical distress .
This also requires you to keep a few additional veterinary first aid items on hand for the animals in addition to the human first aid items listed above.
Veterinary First Aid Items:
- Pain relief by species
- Polo wraps
- Colic remedies (banamine)
- Needles
- Syringes
- Thermometer
- Bolus syringe
- Tube feeding set up
- Blood stop powder
It’s a great idea to have your vet on your favorite phone number list, and have enough knowledge to explain what it is that’s happening with your animal to determine if it’s a routine issue or an emergency. Have the vital statistics ready to convey on the phone call; heart rate, temperature and respiration and any unusual behavior being exhibited by the animal.
Sometimes, there’s nothing that you or the vet can do, and an animal will need to be humanely euthanized. If the vet can’t get there, and your animal is intensely suffering, you may need to release it from its misery. Most homesteaders keep a firearm in case of such an emergency, or have a friend on standby just in case. No one wants to take this step, but our animals deserve to be released from suffering when there’s no other option. We have to make terrible, heartbreaking decisions for the good of the animal. Their quality of life should always be the deciding factor.
With each animal species you have on the homestead, there is a separate need for feed, housing and veterinary care. Educate yourself on the difference between the species, and what their individual needs are. This will not only help ensure that your animals get the healthiest feed, housing and care, but also allows you to recognize what their unique veterinary needs are.
We hope you take this seriously and build your first aid station and stock it well. Keep in mind that some items expire and you need to replenish them periodically. You must also make sure that you keep the items dedicated to first aid in that central location, and return them after use to ensure they are where they belong for the next time they’re needed.
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