Medical Question: Blood Loss

Can't find a good answer on the web, so hoping one of our nurses or anyone knowledgeable on the subject can help.

How long would it take someone with mild to moderate blood loss to recuperate enough to get back on a horse?

Appreciate any help here. Thanks.

Based on my experience giving blood in the military, a fit and otherwise healthy young man or woman can lose up to a pint and be back in the saddle in 24 hours performing reasonably strenuous activities.

This, however, would also require lots of fluids and a nourishing meal or two.

Lose more blood than that and you are talking about a couple of days.

Thanks, Fort. This is helpful.

Love you new Avatar Forti....I am saluting vigorously

Hi Remuda

I'm not sure what you mean by mild to moderate blood loss. The body has about 8 pints of blood and it can lose about a third of it but then things are pretty serious. I am assuming you mean that the blood loss is a lot less than that. What's important then is fluid replacement so drinking is of primary importance for feeling better. Some donors give a pint of blood and suffer no real after-effects except perhaps mild dizziness at first which goes away as soon as they have had something to drink and perhaps a sugary biscuit. Most people don't even have that. If someone were forced to, then I'm sure they could make it back into the saddle fairly soon after losing about that much. I wouldn't recommend it unless absolutely necessary though (i.e. being chased by nasty bad-guys) since it is one thing to get up into the saddle, and quite another to stay there! A good shot of whiskey for a cowboy to get the system going would be a good idea. (They used to give Schnapps to blood doners in Germany but had to stop because of the drink-drive laws - I'm sure horses in the wild West don't count) A couple of hours and a tough guy could ride again but all the same he should try not to be too tough for few hours at least - easy in the saddle etc and keep up the fluids. And rest in between depending of whether he has a choice.

What concerns me is the cause of the blood loss which might affect the ability to get back into the saddle - Treatment for shock is definitely not got get up onto a horse!!!!!! Not ever! That would take time and care to deal with. That might need to be taken into account depending on how the damage (blood loss) was caused.

Hope that helps and is not too hazy.

Allegra

Thanks, Allegra! The injury in question, IMO, isn't too serious. Just wanted to be as realistic as possible. Love the whiskey possibilities!