First Aid Kit Essentials – For Your Barn

A few weeks ago, I shared a video of how I turned a Husky Tool Box into a massive First Aid Station. And while I was editing the video, I thought about talking about all of the things I have in said first aid kit.

But if I did that, my video would have been very long. So instead of making another video explaining the most essential items that I have in my first aid kit. I thought it might be helpful for me to share my first aid kit essentials – for your barn here, on my blog.

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First Aid Kit Essentials – For Your Barn

Before I get carried away with all of the supplies I think are important to have in my first aid kit, I thought I would share how I made my first aid station. It was VERY easy, and it’s really nice to have everything for an emergency in one place.

First things first, it’s a good idea to have a place to keep all of your supplies. This is mainly why I made the video. I have a lot of first aid items, but they were in little kits or drawers around my barn, in my garage, and even in my house. And I wanted to have all of my supplies in ONE kit. So I took my Husky Rolling Tool Box that I bought originally to use as a grooming station

And I repurposed it into a first aid station. I used Rustoleum high gloss white paint (2 cans) and painted everything white.

Then I painted a big red plus sign, and added the words First Aid Kit. This way there is no mistaking what this is for.

Then I gathered everything first aid related, and put these items into my new kit. It holds everything that I have, even the tall bottles.

I found this roiling tool box at Home Depot a few years ago for around $64.00. I think it was on sale when I bought it. Now it’s gone up a little bit. Right now it costs $79.97. But you can find it on Amazon too.

Ok, now that we have a place to store everything, lets talk about the essentials for our first aid kits.

Vet Wrap

You can never have enough vet wrap in my opinion. Not only does it work great for injuries, but there are a lot of other uses for it around the barn.

And vet wrap is an affordable addition to your kit. You can get 12 rolls of vet wrap (self adhesive bandage) for around $16.00. Or you can do what I do and every time I go to the feed store, or buy something online I buy a roll of it. You would be amazed at how fast you can amass a stockpile of vet wrap!

Medical Scissors

These are called EMT shears. I think they call them that because of how strong they are, and they can cut through a lot of different materials. The carabiner clip is a new addition, and it’s really helpful to have.

These scissors are really affordable too. You can get 2 pair for less than $10.00! They are very handy to have on the barn too. The larger holes for your fingers will accommodate hands, even if you are wearing gloves.

Rechargeable Head Lamp

I recently bought this headlamp, and it’s awesome. And having the ability to recharge the battery is perfect. You simply plug it in with a USB port, and you can recharge the battery, keeping it full and ready to be used in case you need it. And I have found many times that having a head lamp is so important.

If an emergency comes up, it’s nice to be able to have two hands, and still have light. And this is helpful even if your emergency doesn’t happen in the middle of the night. If you are looking at a gaping laceration, or a healing wound, it’s important to be able to really ‘see’ everything. And adding the light from a head lamp really helps. This is why I feel having a head lamp is essential for everyone’s first aid kit.

Rolled Cotton

It seems that one of the most common injuries that horses have happen on their legs. When that does happen, being able to wrap said leg, well, it makes things a lot easier.

Having a roll of cotton (or two) is good to have in the barn, just in case. And if you have a large first aid station (like I do) you can keep this large roll of material close by, in case you need it.

Nitrile Gloves

Gloves are definitely a necessity in the barn. For emergencies, as well as general cleaning. It’s very nice to have a box or two in your first aid kit. I prefer to have large sized gloves. Yes, they are a little baggie on me, but I can still get the job done. And if my husband needs a pair, or anyone with large hands for that matter, my gloves will fit them.

Typically you can find a box of 100, or 250 for around $15.00 a box. But with supply and demand rules, right now a box of 100 will cost you around $28.00. Yep, thanks to Covid, even gloves are more expensive. But these are something that are too important to have. So spend the extra $10.00 and buy a box of gloves.

For most people, a box will last a really long time. And when you are faced with daily dressing changes, you will be very happy to have them around.

Woven 4 x 4 Gauze (Clean not Sterile)

4 x 4 gauze is definitely a staple of my first aid kit. But not all 4 x 4 gauze is created equally.

Personally, I prefer the woven type of 4 x 4 gauze. And getting 2 large packages for less than $15.00? Well, that is a good deal! Why do I prefer woven gauze you might ask? Well, absorbency is the biggest reason. And the second reason is breathability.

When you have to use gauze for a dressing, breathability and absorbency can be very important. I use the woven type of gauze on a daily basis. And as long as you put the dressing on correctly, there is no danger of the woven fibers getting caught in a wound. With the absorbency part of the dressing, being able to hold a lot of moisture, and allowing the injury to heal is the most important thing. And I find with the non-woven style of gauze, it traps the moisture on the area of concern. So being able to absorb excess moisture is a very important piece of a successful dressing. This is why my preference is for the woven type of gauze. It just works better, in my opinion.

Mepilex Foam Dressing

Ok, this one is a little expensive. BUT it is definitely worth the expense. When you think of a non-stick dressing, these foam pads truly are non-stick. I have seen these used on heavily bleeding surgical incisions, and when they are taken off a week later, the dressing just pops off. No sticking.

They also work great on horse wounds too. I have used these over heavily draining or oozing wounds and they help the wounds to heal. Yes, it is expensive at $49.00 for a box of 5 dressings. But the uses are endless. So for me, Mepilex is the only foam I have in my horse, as well as human first aid kit.

First Aid Kit Essentials – For Your Barn

Ok, so these are what I feel are essential for a barn first aid kit. And well honestly, for my home first aid kit as well. These supplies are the ones that I seem to need the most frequently when something happens. And I would much rather have this stuff and not need it, instead of needing it and not having it. This is why I make sure that I have these items at all times.

Now there are a lot of other things that I have too. But these 7 items are definitely essential, in my opinion. And with my experience, and my chosen career as a wound care orthopedic nurse I use most of these items on a daily basis.

So take my advice for what it is, merely advice. More important is the fact that you have a first aid kit in your barn. And if you have horses, you really should have a first aid kit. If you have been meaning to make one why not make one right now? Getting started is the hardest part. Finding what to put in it is the second hardest. But if you do choose to get these 7 different items, you will be far better prepared for when an emergency does come up.