Treating horse's wounds
Toolbox
Published: April 16, 2007
I've been involved with horses all my life, yet I'm continually amazed at how little I know about them. And, I'm not alone; it seems like everyone's just stumbling around trying to figure out the best way to re-invent the wheel for an animal that has us beat by millions of years.
I mean, you'd think an industry that has an impact of $101.5 billion on the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, with a hefty chunk of that going into new technologies on everything from cloning to stirrups, would have someone in it who could come up with a "one-size-fits-all" handbook; something we would actually follow, or at least not argue about. Ah, but when it comes right down to it, we're searching for answers in a world that's steeped in folklore, so it's no wonder we find it hard to come to terms on even the smallest point. But, sometimes I wonder, with all our good intentions, do we do more harm than good?
Take the other day, for instance; my friend noticed that her horse had an open wound above his tail when she brought him in from the pasture (we all know how that goes; put a horse in a 1,000-acre field with a sharp stick at the farthest corner, and not only will he find it, he will most certainly impale himself). Anyway, the wound didn't seem serious enough to call the vet, so she did what she's always done; she cleaned it by pouring on povidone iodine antiseptic solution. Hmmm, I'd heard that wasn't such a good idea, but since there are as many opinions as there are ways to ride a horse, I decided to check with Dr. Patricia Provost of the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine to be sure, and for futures, unfortunately.
Wounds described:
Caused by a sharp or jagged object
Do not penetrate through all layers of the skin
Cut edges stay close together
Bleeding is usually controlled easily
Object cuts through all layers of the skin and may also penetrate the deeper underlying tissue
The skin edges will often gape open
Bleeding is often quite substantial
Commonly caused by a stake or nail
Generally do not create much blood flow, unless a major blood vessel is punctured
Typically caused by friction i.e., a rope burn
Treatment:
Contact your veterinarian if the situation involves eyes, muscles, bone, or is located over a tendon sheath or joint, or, the horse is lame on the injured limb, has a fever, or if the wound is likely to have penetrated the chest or abdomen.
If blood is spurting from the wound before pressure is applied, or if after several minutes the blood is soaking through the pressure bandage, call your veterinarian.
Do not remove the bandage to clean if the bleeding is severe enough for you to have called your veterinarian – just wait for his/her arrival.
There it is in black and white; another judgment rendered. Am I going to tell my friend about my findings — sure, but is she going to change her ways? Now, that's a question … and a story for another day.
Toby Raymond of Peru writes on all things equestrian for a number of periodicals. Contact her at horse.talk@yahoo.com
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