MERS RESPONDS ON 3rd CALL THIS WEEK on THURSDAY, AUGUST 04, 2011

Updated at August 04, 2011 12:35

MERS received a call on Thursday, August 4th @ 7:04am for a horse trapped in a stall in Wildwood, Mo. Upon our arrival, our initial observation was the horse was laying on it’s side, had it’s back left leg sticking through the lower wall of the stall, and it’s back right leg was hyper-extended upward, and was stuck inbetween the bars of the stall. The horses front legs were jammed against the stall door, and had the bottom of the stall door jammed, making the door impossible to open.  A veterinarian was immediately dispatched. The first 3 MERS members that arrived were able to work the door loose, and gain access to the horse. Our concern was that this mission had to be 100% correct to eliminate serious damage to either leg. Simply taking the leg out of the stall bars without a plan, would easily cause damage to the opposite leg that was through the wall. Some MERS members arrived prior to the MERS  Rescue Truck/Trailer, and were able to comfort the horse, and lay wet towels on the horses head and neck while waiting for the MERS truck and the veterinarian. Prior to MERS getting inside the stall with the horse, the horse was flailing it’s head up and down violently in an attempt to free itself. The MERS members that gained access to the horse, were able to get to the horse and comfort the horse with wet towels, and were able to constrict the horse from raising it’s head. We were also able to place a saddle pad under the horses’s head. Once the horse was sedated, we immediately placed the MERS Head Protector on the horse, and then  worked our long webbings underneath the horse. We then were able to easily remove one bar to remove the right rear leg, and then immediately pulled the horse away from the wall using our webbing. Prior to this procedure, the veterinarian put some lube on the leg that was through the wall. After several minutes of letting the horse rest, we then moved the horse into a sternal position. After several more minutes, using our webbing, we manually lifted the horse up into an upright standing position. Because the horse was still under sedation, we had to physically hold the horse up for a few minutes. After some additional evaluations by the veterinarian, we then slowly walked the horse over to the wash station, where we were able to get cold water onto the legs. After approximately 20 more minutes, the horse was walked out, and appeared to be well on the way to a full recovery.

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