10 Items Every First Aid Kit Should Contain

An accident is an unexpected and unfortunate event that occurred as a result of a series of unforeseen negligence, lack of care and keenness to details and unmindfulness to consequences of actions. Of course, no one wants an accident to happen. No one admits to planning or even welcoming it. Something planned to cause hurt or accident is whole different story.Like it or not, accidents do happen to the best of people and if it occurs, the only thing a person can do is to lessen the damage done. In diseases, of course, an ounce of prevention has always been better than a cure. But since accidents are inevitable events in ones life, one should always be ready to minimize the hurt caused by it.Small but terrible, first aid kits are usually the saviors of people in pain if an accident struck them. These are compact kits that contain life- saving items from scissors, tweezers, bandages, gauzes, antibiotic creams, ointments to medications.Most conscious people keep first aid kits wherever they are – at home, in their cars and at their workplace. Moreover, in events that are accident prone like camping and backpacking trips, sponsored missions (like medical missions), hunting and kayaking or simple field trips.Of course, keeping first aid kits is not as easy as ABC. You have to know the rules and the essentials in keeping an effective first aid kit. The first you should bear in mind is the context of where and when you will use your first aid kit. If the kit will be based at your home, of course, you should be familiar with the kind of accidents that usually occur at home. If its for other purposes, the environment and activity will determine the contents of your kit and the number of people participating. In some other instances, improvising is very important in administering first aid because you just cannot have everything inside your kit.It is also helpful to learn the three mechanisms of injury for the effective application of first aid. These are – trauma, environmental and medical. Having all these in mind, you are ready to start putting together your first aid kit.The first in consideration is the kit itself. Again, environment plays an important role in identifying the kind of kit you need – its material and size. But the basics you should keep in mind are — Size – Is it roomy enough to carry all the items, keep it organized, not interchanging them?- Durability – Is it strong enough to carry all the contents? Can it stand through harsh conditions?- Handiness – Can it be carried anywhere without the hassles?- Accessibility – Can it easily be opened?Second to consider is the contents of the kit. Try to think of the most common accidents that may occur anywhere – at home, in night outs, roads and accident prone missions. The most common to occur is wounds and splinters. Your kits should include items that can attend to cuts, wounds and blisters of varying degrees — Wound care and cleansing materials – bandages, dressing (for traumas, those that would keep wound dry in wet environments), gauze pads, bandage strips, tapes and other kinds of tapes. Pre- soak pads should be well kept in appropriate containers. You also need to be familiar or review medical history before applying such first aid methods.- Blister care – this can be prevented by administering care immediately. At the first sign of a hot spot, items such as molefoam, moleskin, first aid tapes should be within reach as these can prevent blisters from forming.First aid kits also carry protection for those administering first aid like gloves, CPR masks and airways. Hardware too should be present such as — Thermometer- Stethoscope- Survival gear- Tweezers- Shears- Whistle- Mirrorsignal device- Pins- Plastic bags- Lighterwaterproof matches- Flashlight headlamp- Survival blanket- Heatcold packs- Parachute cord- Flagging tapesMedications, as well, should not leave the kits as these are important to help wounds subside or treat other conditions — Antihistamine- Glucose- Antidiarrheal- Antifungalyeast- Dental medications- Dental filing materials- Antibiotic creamsointments- Anticonstipation- Antacid- Other special needs and medicationsIf you are simply starting to organize your first aid kit at home, you will need the 10 basic or essential contents such as — First- aid manual- Gauze pads- Bandages- Butterfly bandages- Medical adhesive tape- Alcohol prep pads- Iodine or similar prep pads- Antibiotic ointment- Aspirin andor non- aspirin pain relievers- Tweezers and pinsAfter collecting all these items for your very own home- made first aid kit, organizing them in the container will be the next step. Ziplocks or other dividers that are waterproof will be a great help in organizing them. It would not hurt also if you can label them properly or color- code them so that they can be easily retrieved in case of emergency to lessen mistakes.If you have successfully done all these, here are some additional precautionary steps you should take- Review your medical history so that you will know what other items you can include in your kits.- Read thoroughly your first- aid manual to understand the functions of all the items inside your kit and how to use them.- First aid kits should be kept in an accessible place for adults to retrieve it as soon as an emergency arises but out of childrens reach.- Periodically check the kits and be cautious of missing items that need to be replaced or expired medicines that need to be changed and purchased.After learning all these, you are now ready to get started with your life- saving journey with the help of your first aid kit. You will see how you make life much easier and with a little less pain.

Author: Tim Lapkovski
Source: isnare.com

Horse Care : Some Points to Note

Author: sajith
Source: articlesbase.com

Next to dogs, horse care is more familiar to man than the care of any other animal. Horses have been a close companion to human beings since the times of some our oldest civilizations. If horses were used for transportation and battles then, now they are mainly for leisure and sports. But, whatever the use, breed and type of horse, proper care for these animals is always important. Basic horse care provides for essential needs like shelter from foul weather and rain, shade from the sun and flies, clean and fresh water, adequate forage and enough space to graze. It is advised to provide the horses with food that is 1.5% to 2.5% of its body weight in pounds. Since they eat less at a time but more often than we do, horses dont need large meals. Provide them with food that contains proper nutrients like protein, minerals and vitamins. Sufficient forage is essential for optimum health and growth. The place they graze should be properly fenced and kept devoid of poisonous plants and seeds. Also, the nutrients that you provide should be given at the right time and in the right proportions. It is also important for horse care how and where you store the horse food to prevent it from attack by pests or damp. Regular grooming is also essential in horse care. This has to be done before everyday and before the horse is bathed or ridden. Grooming removes any dirt, dust and mud and avoids chafing and rubbing of dirt and also helps you to discover hidden cuts, bites or bruises on the horses body. And, as you know, nothing brings a horse and its owner closer than frequent grooming. Proper brushes should be used to help blood circulation and massage that encourages a healthy conditioned coat. A mane comb should be used to avoid tangling of mane and tail. There are a variety of products in the market like detanglers and conditioners. Be sure to use shampoos and conditioners specially for horses to avoid any irritations. Horse care involves taking proper care of each and every part of the horses body. And, for a horse, the most important part is its hoof, which is essential to its well being and usefulness. Proper cleaning and trimming of the hooves are necessary for the safety of the horse as well as the rider. Hooves have to be trimmed/shod every 4 to 8 weeks. Keeping the hooves dry and clean prevents lameness as well as hoof diseases. Similarly, the legs and feet of the horse also should be checked routinely for lacerations and swelling. Regular cleaning and trimming of feet and timely treatments of foot diseases adds to proper horse care. Depending on how much work your horse will be doing during the winter, you need to decide on whether to do clipping. Clipping will aid the comfort and increase drying time of the horses coat. Also, it depends on the individual horse and their living environment to decide when and why to clip and what clip style to use. And once clipped, the horse will need a rug. This again is based on the kind of work the horse does. There are a variety of rugs available for different work purposes and living conditions. You need to know how to put on and take off the rugs for the horses safety. Horses are prone to get various diseases like colic, laminitis and internal parasites as well as other infectious diseases. A chief part of horse care is prevention of diseases by frequently checking for sickness, injury, germs and weight loss. A proper disease prevention program should be planned for your horse even at the time when you buy it. Annual dental check up is very important. Periodic worming is essential, which you can do after seeking the advice of a professional vet. It is a good idea to register the horse for local equine vaccination. A horse that is healthy and free of disease is active, lively and responsive and a pleasure to own and enjoy!

A chief part of horse care is prevention of diseases by frequently checking for sickness, injury, germs and weight loss. A proper disease prevention program should be planned for your horse even at the time when you buy it.