Medicine Bags

[gentlemanfarmer]

Anybody know where I can get a pattern for medicine bags? I mean the old type saddle bags made to hold a couple of medicine bottles in an inverted position so you could draw a shot out of the bottle without having to dig the bottle out of a normal saddle bag.

[dirtclod]

I had a customer that wanted the same thing but we never got togeather on a price. What we came up with was making the bag what ever size you want. On the outside of the bag we had a place for two bottles that were inverted so you could draw the medicine without having to dig in the bag for them. The outside pockets need to be made to fit the bottle you want to use and have a flap over if your regular bag flap won't cover the bottle. You have a bag to use and your bottles on the outside. Make what ever size works for you. Here's a poor drawing of what i was going to make.

Edited March 14, 2010 by dirtclod

[bruce johnson]

Biggest PIA orders I deal with. I don't put a makers stamp on mine anymore because I don't want anyone to know I occasionally cave in and do them. Basically get an idea of the bottle sizes they are carrying and use those for a pattern. Most of the time mine have the bottles and syringe carried on the left and a normal saddle pocket on the right.

It never fails, they swear they only pack two 250 ml bottles of whatever. They carry a 30 cc syringe. You make them up and all is right with the world. For a week. Then they decide to pack a 100 ml Banamine, a 100 ml Baytril, and a 250 NuFlor. They expect you to just change out pockets and make them fit. Oh yeah, they are using some 12 cc syinges now too, add a pocket for that. I did a set for a guy who had 2 100s, a 250, and a 500, plus a 30 ml and 60ml syringe, and a balling gun on the left side. On the right was a pocket for boluses and tags, tagging pliers holder, fence plier holder, and a holder for two colors of chalk. When I was done it looked the garage pegboard with tool outlines like old guys do. He went to a different tag system a month later and the pliers pocket was too small. TDB.

A few warnings. Make the bottle pockets so they can turn the bottles right side up when they are not doctoring. Once the rubber stoppers get hard and they shove a few 16 ga needles through them, a lot of expensive medicine can be lost a drip at a time hanging there. Those little needle pockets look nice, but don't last very long, they get hard and the needle covers get stuck inside. Elastic "bullet loops" for boluses hold the elasticity for about a month. Then the boluses all fall out on the ground. Make the pockets slightly oversized so they can tape the bottle with duct tape and newspaper before they stick it in. That makes it easier and safer to get the broken bottle out when the horse slams the bag against the door jumping in or out of the trailer or squeezing through a gate. Best piece of advice - sell them on the virtues of a cantle bag.

[jdalberta1]

Here's a link to a doctoring bag sold in Alberta from Frontier Western Saddlery. Maybe you can glean a few details from it. Sure sounds as though Bruce has been around this block a few times.

http://www.westernshop.com/store/product/40924/Cowboy--Dr.-Bag/

[gentlemanfarmer]

The bags will be for my own use. Bruce has the right idea about what I want. Bottle holders on the near side and a normal bag on the off side. I wouldn't have much of a problem building a set from scratch but a pattern makes it a little easier. I like the idea of wrapping the bottles in paper and duct tape.

[theherje]

hahaha... bruce you made me laugh! That is EXACTLY what happens!! But I am the one with the bags! I have learned that those bags are not user friendly, I have found that when I am doctoring and I have a $400 bottle of Drax, I wrap that sucker up in bubble wrap and and put it in a banana bag with my needles and pray...

[Dink]

Hello Gentlemman farmer

I do not have a pattern but I am attaching some pictures of some Dr. Bags that may help you

Dink