As soon as it is safe, check your horse for burns and other injuries to see if veterinary attention is required.
Horses commonly suffer only facial burns, presumably because they turn and run through the fire front. Other possible injuries include burns to other areas of the body, smoke inhalation, damage to eyes, and burnt, swollen eyelids. It is also important to check for other injuries sustained during the fire such as lacerations from running into fences.
The nature and extent of burns can vary widely between animals of different species, depending on the nature of the fire and degree of exposure. Some may be more severely burned than others in the same herd. Situations which may warrant emergency destruction on humane grounds include:
- severe burns to greater than 50% of the body surface with severe charring of the limbs, muscles or facial tissues
- suffering from severe smoke inhalation resulting in acute respiratory distress, as shown by facial burns, laboured breathing, frothing or discharge at the mouth and nose, and coughing.
- horses which are down and unable to rise due to injuries or burns sustained during a fire
If an insured horse has to be destroyed, make sure the insurance company is notified as soon as practicable.
Veterinarians will most likely be working under emergency circumstances and communications may be disrupted, so expect some delay before help arrives. You must therefore be prepared to monitor the progress of your horses and to administer appropriate first aid while you are waiting for professional assistance.
Skin burns produce severe inflammation, indicated by heat, pain and swelling. Thus first aid must be anti-inflammatory i.e. cold water delivered by a hose or gentle sponging if you still have access to a water supply. It is also important that horses have access to feed and water, shad and to soft, even ground if their feet are burnt.
Severe smoke inhalation can cause delayed lung damage, which may not be immediately obvious. Horses may appear normal after the fire but in 3-4 hrs can become anxious with rapid, sometimes laboured, breathing and an elevated heart rate. These horses need urgent veterinary treatment.
Care must be taken introducing horses to burned areas. There may be hotspots that could flare up without warning. Particularly burned structures and trees may be unstable and suddenly fall over. make sure the fencing is secure. Check for ash pits - areas where root systems have burned underground, downed power lines and dangerous debris before turning horses out into a burned paddock.
Ideally, horses can be kept in yards until consideration has been given to a land management property plan which will prevent dust, mud and erosion and ensure good pasture growth in the following rains. Weeds, which may be toxic, are often the first plants to emerge in a horse paddock post fire.
The distress of having a horse burnt in a bushfire can be magnified by the lack of readily available first aid measures. This can be compounded if the fire destroys facilities and prevents any form of communication to seek help.
Good forward planning will protect the safety and well-being of your horses if you live in a high bushfire risk area. Carefully consider the needs of your animals when preparing your Bushfire Survival Plan and practice it regularly.
As part of a coordinated government response, there will be services provided to support humans which may include food, housing, health, councelling and coordinated sections supporting livestock, pets and native animals. This does not happen with every fire (or flood) but with those which are a "Declared Emergency" under the Act.
Tasks will include location and assessment of injuries to livestock, coordination of destruction & disposal, veterinary treatment, emergency fodder & water supplies and containment of stock." PIRSA will be assisted by other agencies such as RSPCA, Australian Veterinary Association and SA Farmers Federation to undertake these tasks
PIRSA will determine the need for a control centre based on the scale of the event, coordinate veterinary treatment and emergency fodder and water supplies
Along with the RSPCA there are powers under legislation which enable livestock or RSPCA inspectors to enter properties when the owner is not present, if the welfare of animals on site are considered at risk. This is most likely to occur after a fire event.
The key roles of Horse SA will be similar to those undertaken during the Horse Flu response, and include:
The media will provide information on what government support is being made available, in partnership with other non-government agencies. For information specifically relating to horse owners, Horse SA will post notices on this website on the Communications page.
This page you are viewing will not be updated during an emergency response.
Under the Resource Centre and Links pages on this website you will find information which may be of assistance to support recovery.