A Well-Stocked “Vet Shelf”
When we got our first goat, Paige, she came with 2 kids on her - Garby and Merry. It’s crazy because I didn’t do my due diligence to make sure I knew what goats needed - it was a complete rookie move, but I just assumed I’d feed them and all would go well. Turns out, ruminants require significantly more specific care to keep alive than animals with just one stomach.
Anyway, just before we brought them home, it occurred to me that I might need some things on hand - both for basic care and for emergencies. So I ran to the feed store and grabbed what looked good. I can’t remember exactly what I got but, in addition to feed, it went something like this - a salt block, a thermometer, blue kote, wonder dust, some vet wrap, and a couple of syringes with attached needles, and a bottle of Vitamin B Complex. In fact, as I’m looking back, I don’t know how I decided on those things, in particular, but I’m pretty sure that’s all I got. I’m not even sure why I got the B complex, other than maybe I’d read that it is good to have on hand for goats. I certainly hoped I’d never have to deal with the needles.
As it happened, one day, when I was on my way home from out of town, Nathan texted me and said he noticed Merry stumbling around. He had noticed her seem to trip that morning on his way to work but, as she was a kid, he didn’t think a lot about it - but he got home, she really seemed to be having trouble.
I’ll spare all the details, but Merry ended up having what’s known as goat polio and, though it was touch-and-go for a bit, she pulled through. I learned two things from this experience: 1) it was a good thing I’d randomly picked up B Complex and 2) I was REALLY going to need to get more comfortable with needles.
And a third thing — really, the most valuable thing: there’s no substitute for a well-stocked vet shelf.
It doesn’t have to be fancy - nor does it need to be stocked overnight (some of the items are not cheap and may require saving over time). But the fact of the matter is that it is often difficult to get a large animal vet out. They are worked hard and spread thin…and in some places, relatively non-existent. So, sometimes life and death can depend on what you’ve got on hand - and, if you’ve got what you need, you can be walked through emergency care over the phone by a vet or a friend.
I’m still stocking my own vet shelf, but what you see is a couple years in the making. I’m loathe to tell you what’s actually on it, because 1) I have several things spread out around our homestead so it’s not all actually ON this shelf, 2) I’m not an expert, and 3) my list is not exhaustive. But I will tell you what I’ve found to be incredibly helpful…and maybe this is a good place to start:
Thermometer
Syringes (3 & 6ml are a good place to start)
Needles (18G & 20G x 1” are a good place to start)
Vitamin B Complex (especially if you have goats)
Reverence Farms tinctures are good for almost all animals (use caution and gather advice about using with dogs and cats)…even humans!
Probios (probiotic powder and/or paste)
Electrolytes
Colostrum (if you’re expecting any babies)
Vetericyn or Silver Honey for wound care
Vet wraps
Drench syringe/gun for administering liquid medicine
Bolus gun for administering pills to cows (be aware that different boluses are different sizes)
Bananas and fig newtons for administering pills to goats (this wouldn’t go on your vet shelf, obviously, but I’ve found both of these things to be very helpful for administering meds to goats!)
Copper bolus for goats
Vet lube (or coconut oil works in a pinch for taking temperatures)
I really could go on and on…and if you have a dairy cow or goat, there are very specific things you’d want to have on hand before calving or kidding (OB gloves, OB lube, pulling straps, calcium and ketosis supplements, mastitis treatment, etc.)….but that’s another post for another time.
Things like blood collection tubes and heat detect patches (for cows) are often bought in large quantity, so you wouldn’t necessarily need to buy that, especially if you have a friend close by (me! ;)) who bought them because - at the time these things were needed - they didn’t have any connections who could give them one or two. If you do have someone nearby, just ask them if you’re able to buy a couple of whatever you need from them (or if you find yourself needing something you haven’t stocked yet). Chances are, they’ll be happy to share because they were likely once where you are now.
If you’ve already got your livestock, and don’t have a simple vet shelf, I encourage you to get on it and at least gather some basic supplies - if you haven’t got livestock in place, yet, go ahead and begin building your vet shelf in small increments. Maybe you’ll never have an emergency, which would be wonderful! But it’s far more likely that you will at some point and when you do, you will thank yourself profusely for having those basic supplies on hand!