FIELD GUIDE · SAVE BEFORE YOU NEED IT
Keep this short list near the barn phone. Take notes as you speak.
These are owner recognition notes, not diagnoses. Each card links directly to a veterinary association or university source; discuss treatment with your own veterinarian.
Watch for
Pawing, flank-watching, repeated lying down or rolling, sweating, refusing food or less manure.
First priority
Call your veterinarian promptly. Note the onset, pain pattern, feed, manure and vital signs if safe. Follow their instructions about feed, movement and medication.
Watch for
Squinting, tearing, cloudiness, swelling, eyelid injury or a newly abnormal eye.
First priority
Arrange an urgent veterinary eye examination. Prevent rubbing and further trauma. Do not use leftover eye medication before veterinary advice.
Watch for
Sudden foot soreness, shifting weight, reluctance to turn, strong digital pulses or a rocked-back posture.
First priority
Call a veterinarian promptly. Minimize movement and provide a comfortable surface while you follow their guidance; the cause and hoof support need assessment.
Watch for
Feed or saliva from the nostrils, drooling, repeated swallowing, coughing or distress while eating.
First priority
Remove access to feed and water and call your veterinarian. Do not force anything by mouth or try to flush the blockage yourself.
Watch for
Labored breathing, fever, cough, nasal discharge or more than one affected horse.
First priority
Breathing distress needs urgent veterinary attention. For possible infectious disease, limit contact and shared equipment, pause movement and ask your veterinarian about isolation.
Watch for
Stumbling or incoordination, weakness, facial changes, seizures or difficulty rising.
First priority
Keep people clear of a horse that may fall. Avoid unnecessary movement, separate from other horses when safe and call your veterinarian urgently. Causes differ; signs alone do not identify one disease.
Watch for
Sudden salivation, tremors, weakness, colic or unexplained illness after a change in pasture or feed.
First priority
Stop access to a suspected source, save a photo or sample without putting yourself at risk and call your veterinarian. Tell them what, when and how much might have been eaten.
Watch for
An advancing hazard, lost routes or an order to move horses.
First priority
Use your written evacuation plan early. Confirm a safe destination, trailer and route; take identification, medications and essential records. Follow local emergency directions.
Write the plan, keep a copy in the barn and review it with whoever may care for your horses.
The AAEP emergency preparation guide and University of Minnesota first aid guide explain equipment, observation and planning in more depth.
AAEP · Prepare for an Equine Health Emergency University of Minnesota · Basic Horse First Aid Back to the Horse Care Guide