Wounds
by Karen Tharp on 08/07/11
Brad went out to check the mare and foal herd
yesterday and found Rocky lying in the barn.
Brad approached him slowly Rocky finally got up, but limped away. Brad
caught him and brought him up to the main barn.
It looks like Sister and him were playing and he kicked through the barbed wire fence and cut both of his back legs. Brad came in and got me. The two of us calmed him down and applied a spray on wound dressing.
We were planning on weaning him soon, because he has started trying to mount sister. We don’t want her bred to soon so it’s time for Rocky to run with his Daddy.
After doctoring his legs we left him in a stall with plenty of hay, grain and water. Today Brad turned him out into a run where he could nose his mom and nurse through the fence. He was limping badly so Brad put him back in a stall. We will let him out again later.
The purpose of first aid is to minimize the damage done by disease
or injury and prevent infection so that healing can proceed as rapidly as
possible. Sometimes first aid is all you need, other times it is a temporary
measure until further help arrives. First aid can remarkably affect the
outcome. Once principles are understood, common sense must be applied.
Remember, if you are in a panic, you will not be able to help anyone, so step
back from the situation and gather your wits before you tackle the problem. You
may not be the only animal who is excited. The injured horse will also be
confused and excited which makes him dangerous. If you cannot safely approach
him: do not.
The Rules are as important as the first aid.
- RULE ONE: Keep calm.
- RULE TWO: Do not let the horse hurt anyone.
- RULE THREE: Get the horse to a quiet familiar location
to work on him. Actively assess: "can this horse be worked on safely?”
What can I do to make it safer for the horse and me?
People tend to overestimate the severity of bleeding. Remember
that a 1000 lb. horse has over 7 gallons of blood in his system and he can lose
one gallon without serious effects. Of course, if a laceration has profuse
bleeding, steps should be taken to slow it down.
Bleeding can be markedly slowed by applying pressure over the source of the blood. This should be done with a clean cloth, if available. Fold the cloth several times on itself to create a thick pad and apply a stretchy tape, Vet Wrap like material is excellent, firmly over the bleeding wound. This type dressing must be dry to adhere to itself so you must keep pressure on the bleeder as you apply the first few layers of the wrap. You can slow down the bleeding considerably using this method.
Too much padding or too loose will prevent you from getting adequate pressure. For instance towels wrapped around the bleeder are not going to help, though I see this done frequently. If the tape is very tight around the leg, change it every 10 minutes to allow circulation to the rest of the leg. If the location of the bleeding is such that you cannot tape it, hold the bandage firmly in place until the bleeding stops.
Deep Cut in the Skin versus A Full Skin Thickness Cut
Many horse owners have trouble differentiating a deep cut in the
skin and a full skin thickness laceration. From a treatment standpoint they are
very different. Whereas deep cuts in the skin do not require stitches and
antibiotics, full skin thickness lacerations do. The deeper layers of the skin
can be white to pink resembling the tissue under the skin. One of the easiest
ways to tell is that cuts which do not penetrate the skin all the way cannot
have the edges of the wound separated. You cannot pull the edges of the wound apart
because at the bottom the skin is still connected. How deep can a partial
thickness wound be? In some areas where the skin is thick it may be 1/4 to
3/8's of an inch deep on the other hand in some areas the skin is as thin as
1/8 inch.
Clean with soap and water and twice daily apply a
nitrofurazone based spray. Antibacterial ointments are OK but do not last as
long. If the area will be subjected to dirt like the lower legs a clean bandage
kept dry is good. These wounds do not require suturing but a careful
examination is in order to be sure there are no punctures (see below).
Whether this type wound should be sutured or not depends on many
factors: age of the wound, location, contamination, blunt trauma, and even the
first aid care all factor into the equation. Many people misunderstand the
dynamics of serious infection thinking suturing insures this will not happen,
when the opposite is true. Contaminated or badly traumatized wounds are safer
left open and cared for properly than when sutured. The reason is drainage.
Proper drainage helps insure the prevention of ascending infection. Obviously a
sutured wound cannot drain. Before a wound is sutured it is imperative that it
be clean, free of contamination, and badly traumatized tissue.
- Open wounds that will not receive medical attention for
several hours
or more should be flushed out with clean water and bandaged, using an antibacterial ointment such as Neosporin. A garden hose with the nozzle set on a firm spray is ideal for flushing. - If a wound is to be stitched,
flushing and bandaging will help minimize infection until the wound can be sutured. Avoid applying medications to the wound, as they may interfere with healing. If medical help is more than two hours away ask the opinion of the vet as to what you might dress the wound with. I like petroleum based triple antibiotic ointments. A spray with diluted (somewhere between the appearance of strong tea or coffee) Betadine is good also. - If the wound is badly contaminated
with dirt, it should be gently cleaned with an antibacterial soap, thoroughly flushed, then bandaged with ointment. Seek professional help with contaminated wounds, as these may have life threatening complications like tetanus or gangrene. - Avoid peroxide or blue wound sprays,
as they will kill healthy tissue. The one exception would be contaminated sole wounds. Peroxide can be used to clean these out initially.
With all wounds and particularly with full skin thickness
lacerations you must consider what other structures are traumatized. With lower
limb injuries penetration into a joint capsule or tendon sheath can turn a
routine laceration into a lifetime performance compromising injury. Deep
injuries to these areas should always be examined by a veterinarian.
Punctures can really fool you. They frequently look like minor
wounds, but depending on the depth and contamination they can rapidly become
infected. The first signs of problems are usually pain and swelling 24 to 72
hours after the accident. The puncture seals up rapidly, so the infection has
no place to go and will spread to surrounding tissues. When in doubt about how
deep the puncture is or you doubt that it is draining well have it examined by
a vet. Punctures need to be open and explored for foreign bodies, thoroughly
cleaned and may be left open or sutured.
If your horse receives a hard blow that does not break the skin
consider ice compresses for a minimum of 30 minutes and oral butte (1 gm. per
thousand lbs. twice daily for 3 days) to limit swelling and pain. Bruised
tissues are far more susceptible to serious infection so penetrating wounds
with a lot of bruising are more serious. While hot and swelling is present cold
compresses or hosing will help.
And area where bruising is particularly serious is to the back of
the thigh. These large muscle masses are prone to forming scars from deep
bruises. These scars contract and will affect the gait of the horse for life.
These horses cannot reach forward as far with the effected limb and slap the ground
during the anterior phase. Special care to get the inflammation out as quick as
possible and keeping the horse moving with controlled exercise during the next
60 to 90 days is imperative.
I hope this was helpful! enjoy the rest of your weekend! GOD BLESS!!!!
