The Smallholder's Medicine Cabinet: What to Keep on Hand

Why Being Prepared Matters

When an animal is sick or injured, time matters. Having the right supplies on hand means you can act immediately rather than waiting for a delivery or a trip to the merchant. A well-stocked medicine cabinet won't replace your vet — but it will mean you can provide first-line care, stabilise an animal, and treat common conditions without delay.

This guide covers the essentials for smallholders keeping a mix of sheep, cattle, pigs, and poultry. Not everything here is needed from day one — build your kit based on the species you keep and expand it as your experience grows.

Important: Many veterinary medicines are prescription-only (POM-V or POM-VPS) and can only be supplied by a vet or SQP. Establish a relationship with a local farm vet early — they can supply medicines under a written prescription and advise on what to keep in stock for your specific situation.

Essential Equipment (All Species)

• Thermometer — digital rectal thermometer. Normal ranges: cattle 38.5–39.5°C, sheep 38.5–40°C, pigs 38.5–40°C, poultry 40.6–41.7°C
• Syringes and needles — a range of sizes (2ml, 5ml, 20ml); 18g and 21g needles for most livestock injections
• Drenching gun — for administering oral wormers and electrolytes accurately
• Stomach tube and pump — essential for administering colostrum or fluids to weak newborns
• Gloves — disposable examination gloves (box of 100) and longer obstetric gloves for lambing/calving
• Torch — a head torch is invaluable for night checks and lambing
• Halter and lead rope — for restraining cattle
• Lamb/calf feeding bottle and teats
• Colostrum supplement — powdered colostrum for emergencies when maternal colostrum is unavailable
• Medicine record book — a legal requirement; record every treatment given

Wound Care & First Aid

• Wound spray / purple spray — antiseptic aerosol for cuts, wounds, and post-tagging. Also useful for foot rot in sheep.
• Iodine solution (10%) — for navel dipping in newborn lambs and calves. Dilute to 0.5% for teat dipping.
• Veterinary wound powder — for dressing wounds and preventing fly strike on injuries
• Bandaging materials — cohesive bandage (Vetrap or similar), gauze swabs, adhesive tape
• Scissors — blunt-ended for cutting bandages and fleece around wounds

Sheep-Specific Supplies

• Wormer — keep at least one product from two different drug groups. Discuss choice with your vet based on local resistance patterns. See our wormer guide for detail.
• Flukicide — triclabendazole for autumn treatment of early immature fluke; an adult-active product for winter/spring. See our liver fluke guide.
• Electrolytes — oral rehydration sachets for scouring lambs. Mix with warm water and administer by stomach tube if the lamb won't suck.
• Propylene glycol — for treating twin lamb disease (pregnancy toxaemia) in ewes. Administer orally at the first sign of a ewe going off her legs in late pregnancy.
• Calcium borogluconate — for hypocalcaemia (milk fever) in ewes. Subcutaneous injection; discuss technique with your vet before you need it.
• Fly strike preventative — pour-on or spot-on product applied before peak fly season (May–September). See our fly strike guide.
• Foot rot antibiotic spray — for treating early foot rot. Severe cases need injectable antibiotics from your vet.
• Ear tags and applicator — legal requirement for identification
• Castration rings and applicator — if castrating male lambs (must be done within 7 days of birth using rubber rings)
• Tail docking rings — if docking (within 7 days of birth)

Cattle-Specific Supplies

• Electrolytes — oral rehydration sachets for scouring calves. Scour is the leading cause of calf mortality — act fast.
• Colostrum feeder / stomach tube — for weak calves that won't suck
• Wormer — pour-on macrocyclic lactone for youngstock at housing
• Flukicide — as per sheep above
• Calcium borogluconate — for milk fever in cows post-calving
• Magnesium sulphate — for hypomagnesaemia (grass staggers) — a rapid-onset emergency in spring-grazing cattle
• Teat dip and post-dip — if milking. See our dairy hygiene guide.

Poultry-Specific Supplies

• Flubenvet (flubendazole) — licensed wormer for poultry, mixed into feed. Treat every 3–6 months for free-range birds.
• Red mite treatment — house treatment spray or powder (not applied to birds). Check regularly by running a white cloth along perch ends.
• Poultry louse/mite powder — applied directly to birds for lice and northern fowl mite
• Vitamin supplement — water-soluble vitamins for stressed, sick, or newly arrived birds
• Electrolytes — for birds in hot weather or recovering from illness
• Wound spray — for pecking injuries; also acts as a deterrent due to the dark colour

Pig-Specific Supplies

• Wormer — flubendazole in feed or ivermectin injection for roundworms and mange
• Iron injection — for piglets at 3 days old to prevent iron-deficiency anaemia (if not on soil)
• Electrolytes — for scouring piglets
• Wound spray — for tail biting injuries

Storage & Record Keeping

• Store medicines in a locked, cool, dry cabinet away from direct sunlight
• Check expiry dates regularly and dispose of out-of-date products correctly
• Keep a written medicine record for every treatment: date, animal ID, product name, batch number, dose, route, withdrawal period, and who administered it. This is a legal requirement for all food-producing animals.
• Keep your vet's number, an emergency out-of-hours number, and your CPH number clearly posted in the medicine cabinet

Browse our Animal Health Products & Wormers range to stock up on the essentials for your smallholding.

Animal Health Information: This guide provides general information only and is not a substitute for veterinary or SQP advice. Always follow product labels and seek professional advice when selecting or administering animal medicines.