helping w/ using calming stuff for treating a wound

[mistee]

It seems my mare got her hind leg tangled in some wire a day or 2 ago... she has 2 lacerations on her left hind pastern that are a bit crusty and are going to need a good cleaning.. I did the best I could today but of course she wasn't happy w/ me... She is 13 and I have had her from birth but due to having kids she has pretty much been a large pet..

She is a bit unpredictable and I am worried about her kicking a hole in my head,,lol... Will some calming stuff help when I go to clean it tomorrow? I dont want to tranq her if I dont have to... She didn't try to kick me today when I cleaned some and sprayed blue kote but tomorrow I want to give a good cleaning and wrapping while I have someone here to help hold her..

Any suggestions would be great!!!!!

thanks

 

[patandchickens]

YOu can try it but IME it is unlikely to do much good, especially in that sort of situation.

Your best bet, short of sedation by a vet, would be to have a GOOD handler holding her so he can keep her distracted and in a position where she's unlikely to do much damage; and to work in a safe clear area with a wall you can put her against (not too tight); and possibly a twitch if the person holding the horse knows how to use one effectively. (Many people don't, alas). And then work fast

Good luck, hope she's on the mend soon,

Pat

 

[goodhors]

Cold hosing the leg for a while, 15-20 minutes before attempting to treat it, should help get her desensitized as well as softening any scabs to remove.

I would agree that you really need a Vet to sedate, and even then if horse is REALLY agitated, there can be problems. I can't see any of the over-the-counter calmers doing much if SHE does not wish to cooperate. She may not care, not give you a problem.

My advice would be that such a wound needs daily care. If you can't hold and medicate her by yourself, or don't have available help daily, then don't put bandages on her. ESPECIALLY if she is not stalled. Any kind of bandages, wrappings are not going to stand up to lots of movement in a paddock or pasture. They will fall down, come unwrapped, or twist to form a tourniquet on her leg, making things MUCH worse. You have to be able to remove and fix bandages DAILY, so she stays safe.

Not trying to be nasty here, but have you ever bandaged a leg? There are ways to do it well, and other ways that will hurt the leg. You don't run tape all the way around the leg like on people's arms. Any swelling will make tape band
into a tourniquet, injuring soft tissue below. We always make a spiral up the leg with tape, no closed circles to swell against. Then there are materials to use so you don't have to soak off the drainage bandages over the cuts or holes. MUCH easier to take off, no fighting horse with pain.

You may want to rethink how to care for this wound, sure don't want to get kicked. Hosing daily, keeping things clean and fly free, may be your only options if she won't stand to be handled and you can't keep her stalled with a bandage on. I have had excellent luck using people antibiotic ointment (not cream) for wound treatments. Also the Swat horse wound meds. I like the pink for pasture horses, so I can SEE it is on the holes. Seems to be less runny than the clear Swat. A jar lasts a long time. I am not much on the paint wound stuff, red or blue, very drying to skin and never seemed to do much. Lot of people like it though.

And lastly, has horse had a tetnus shot this year? If not you better get one from the Vet, so wound doesn't give it to her. Horses carry tetnus in their body, so almost no avoiding it's presence around them.

 

[w c]

What kind of 'calming stuff'? Like the tubes of herb paste they sell in the tack shop? Or a medication like Acepromazine or another sedative? The calming pastes won't be enough, I don't think.

Ditto the suggestion to hose it for a while and soften up the scabs before working. Cold water also numbs pain for a short while. I've cold hosed for 20 min, in and out quick as can be dress it and medicate it, and done before the numbness wears off.

Have you thought of keeping some Acepromazine on the farm? It can be awfully useful if a horse gets hurt or falls and needs to be rescued. It's also in the rare case, useful in a hauling accident. Sometimes the most important thing in a good outcome is to sedate a horse.

You might want to keep certain things on the farm - Acepromazine, Banamine, a few other medications. The vet can instruct in their use and even make recommendations as to what is needed for emergencies.

Acepromazine is very cheap, you can carefully measure and squirt it in the horse's mouth (the gel) and your vet can give you enough to last until the cut is healed. Can also advise you know much to give. As far as how long before your workign on the injuries, that varies horse to horse. The vet can advise you where to start. When it takes effect, the horse will act drowsy. You can probably pass by the vet's office and pick it up and even avoid a farm call charge.

Of course the other possibility is that an experienced person could help you. If necessary, a horse can be twitched or otherwise restrained. There are also just well tricks. Holding a horse's head up makes it harder for them to kick.

How you position yourself makes it less likely the horse will be able to kick you.

A horse can't get much 'oomph' into his kick if the person is standing very close to him(but often a horse will swing around or jump and there will suddenly be a distance and then he will kick). Sometimes just getting a horse's head into a big bucket of apples and carrots can distract them a little. For those who are skilled with restraints, hobbles or a line can be used. But restraints are especially dangerous and have to be used with a lot of experience and skill.

Of course you don't know if the horse will kick at all. I wouldn't relax or stand in teh wrong place, but it might not kick. Sometimes they just stand there, and you can be very surprised. Happened to me more than once. I had to dress a horrible wire wound for a friend when she had to go out of town. My friend holding the horse hit the floor passed out cold, that's how bad it was. Horse just stood there. Thank you, horse.

A bandage can be put on, but again, it depends. Goodhors is right, if the horse is running around, SOME types of bandage will come off easily. Some won't. Vetwrap, not put on tight but gently 'shaped' after wrapping lightly, can sometimes stay on pretty well. What type of bandage (or if any) is determined by the severity of the wound.

If the wound is severe, all bets are off. The horse will usually have to be confined, bandaged with a thick bandage, and not let out in pasture. Really severe cuts can need a whole lot of care.

SHOULD you try to avoid a farm call? I don't know. Debris in the wound or an infection can be hard to see, and you might not know til things get really bad. With wire cuts often it's better to have the vet get a close look at it in case a tendon sheath or tendon or other structure was damaged. Wire cuts can be really bad.

Ditto on the tetanus shot. Horses are very vulnerable to tetanus.

 

[mistee]

thanks for the advise..

I do know how to bandage,, worked years at Delaware Park and years at other training barns...... It has been a good 6 years though that I have done anything more then feed, brush and the occasional ride,,lol

This mare other then being a pet hasn't had anything asked of her so it will just be a learning process for her.... I got some tranq from the vet and was able to clean it real good and wrap it.. I gave her the shot and started cleaning before it took effect so she would get the idea of what was going on... She was really good but prob cause of the shot,,lol..... She isn't bad just needs some training Guess I will see tomorrow when i go to rebandage!

I also got some antibotic for her and tetnus to be on the safe side.. It does look pretty ugly and am worried about proud flesh but will give it through the weekend and see what happens before calling the vet.... There is only a bit of swelling and not lame..

thanks again all!!