HELP! Puncture above my horse's eye....?

Question

I pulled my horse out his pasture yesterday and found a puncture/tear a little under a half inch above his right eye. It's pretty deep, and when I found it, it wasn't bleeding, the area around it isn't swollen and he isn't overly protective of it. I don't know if he got bit by other horses or ran into a tree or something, but I'm wondering what I should do. My trainer said it's not something they can stitch, but I'm not so sure. I cleaned it out and we're putting topical ointment on it but I didn't know if I should call out a vet or see if it heals. I'm keeping a fly mask on to keep the dirt and flies out of it. I'm going out again today to check on it. Has anyone's horse done this or had something similar. It's right by the soft part above his eye.

Answer 1

Any time a horse has an injury on or near the eye, it's really best to call a vet out to look at it, just to be safe. I am not saying this to scare you, or because I am freaking out, but because this is what I was taught- and I have been in this business professionally for over 20 years. I have seen injuries in the orbit of the eye before, and left untreated, they can be very serious. That area is very vulnerable to infection, and since this is a puncture wound you are talking about, how do you know that whatever did it isn't still inside the wound, Jess? For all you know, there could still be a piece of whatever it was that caused this way down inside, where it's impossible to get to or see, and if this is not removed, the result could be an infection which could leave your horse with some serious scars on his face. Another point to remember is that your horse needs to have a tetanus shot, if he's not current, and the vet also needs to make sure that the eye itself has not been injured in any way- you sure as h**l don't want your horse to lose his sight in that eye.

So I would get off the computer and go call your vet, and in the meantime, you need to bring your horse into the barn and keep him in a stall until that injury heals up. He's going to need to wear a fly mask too, since it's bug season- flies getting into that injury are only going to make it worse, and they can cause an infection by themselves.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.

Answer 2

CALL THE VET! Puncture wounds are one of the most dangerous because some do not bleed much, therefore it does not get flushed out and bacteria can infect it, and you have a whole ordeal. If you get the vet out, you pay some money, they flush it, and you don't have the added stress of "OMG am I doing the right thing?".

Answer 3

If your trainer says it's OK you should trust her.

It is hard to tell without seeing it, but it is very difficult for vets to do stitches near eyes and it doesn't sound like something that needs to be stitched.  Since it was already done bleeding when you found it that means it may be to late to stitch it anyways.  And the fact that it's not swollen is good.

Clean it 2-3 times daily and apply neosporin to it.  Keep the flymask on.  You shoudl start to see significant healing within 2-3 days.  If it does not begin to heal quickly, or if it shows any signs of infection (pus, odor, gets larger, becomes swollen) you can call your vet then.  

He will most likely heal fine on his own - just keep an eye on him and be sure to keep it clean.

Answer 4

About 5 years ago my old Azteca gelding slipped in the round pen and basically cut himself deeply above his left eye.  So I cleaned it out with hydrogen peroxide, betadine scrub and then hit it with of all things, Wonder Dust!  I was VERY careful NOT to get any of it in his eye and used a paper towel to pick up the excess.  It healed VERY nicely and you have to know where the wound was to even find a scar.

Answer 5

actually yes it is something you can stitch just call the vet,it happened to my horse and yeah you just need to call the vet

Answer 6

I'm sorry that the answers you are getting aren't consistent, but if you ask 10 different horse people a question, you will get 11 opinions.

At the end of the day, no one on this site can see your horse's wound, so they are not equipped to diagnose anything. I doubt that anyone here is a vet, so they are also not qualified to diagnose anything. So, if you want a real, expert opinion, you will need to call your vet. Keeping it clean is probably good, but I would never waste time before calling the vet on anything to do with an eye. If it were to get infected, he could potentially lose his vision. It may be nothing. It may be something. Only your vet can examine the wound and tell for sure. Even if it can't be stitched, it may need to be cleaned out with tools that you do not have.

Answer 7

Vet.  Now.  Puncture wounds, especially puncture wounds that are near the eye, are nothing to mess around with.  Please call the vet.  They will tell you over the phone what you need to do, if they decide they don't need to come out.

EDIT:  If you can't decide, then let your vet decide.  Like I said, ask them over the phone if they think they need to come out, or if you should just continue the treatment you're giving right now.  A phone call is free and well worth the peace of mind.

Puncture wounds are very tricky because they have a lot less surface area to drain (and let bacteria out and air in) than, say, a 2" long cut.  They are much more prone to infection, and depending on whether your horse is current on shots or not, the vet may want to give him a tetanus booster.  Tetanus is nothing you want to risk, especially because it's so preventable!

Answer 8

Puncture wounds can get infected easily. The eye area is very sensitive and not a good place for an infection. The very best thing you can do is to call the vet. Period. You can talk to the vet and he/she will make the call as to what should be done. What you are doing may be just fine, but it's really a good idea to get the vet into the picture just in case. I always call for an injury in this area. It's so near the brain, not to mention how valuable a horse's sight is and how easy it is to lose without proper care.

Answer 9

Continue as is as long as the wound is dry.  There is no need to freak out as long as the area is not swollen or oozing puss.  If it begins oozing or looking like it is moist then switch from ointment to a wound powder.  Wound powders act as an astringent to dry up the wound and inhibit bacterial growth that are unaffected by ointments.

And Rosi M is correct as well.  It would be good to clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide.  Especially if it is showing any signs of infection such as puss.

There really is no need to call a vet as long as there is no infection.  The area can not be stitched now simply because it has been to long.  Stitching would also stitch in any bacteria and hold moisture in,  It would also prevent medicine from penetrating.  Therefore stitching must be done within a very short time after the injury.

Answer 10

I would go ahead and call your vet but he'll probably tell you to just keep it clean and watch it. my horse cuts himself a lot and has never required stitches. a lot of times its better to keep a smaller cut open to prevent infection and often if you wait too long you wont be able to stitch it. the way i tell whether i think it should be stitched is to pull on the skin around the cut. if the whole cut moves and doesn't get bigger or change shape, then it doesn't need to be stitched. if when you pull on it and the cut opens more and gets bigger then it needs to be stitched. if you're still unsure it cant hurt to call the vet and get his opinion.

Answer 11

If it isn't swollen it might be able to be stitched.  If the horse shows no sign of tenderness I see no reason to panic.  Keep it clean and apply antibiotic/antifungal ointment until the vet can get there, and keep the mask on.

If it is a cosmetic concern, then you also need to consult your vet for options.

The problem with a deep wound is that anaerobic bacteria may flourish inside.  Also, if your horse hasn't had a recent tetanus booster it should be given.

EDIT:  Misconceptions on Wonder Dust...it is not a disinfectant, and the only time it should be used on a fresh wound is for it's coagulant effect to slow or stop excess bleeding.  It can be used on old wounds that are healing slowly to prevent proud flesh, or to dry an area of lingering infection.  It should not be used on a fresh puncture wound.  I've been a registered nurse for near 40 years if that helps you to decide whether or not to use it.

Answer 12

I've had a horse with a puncture above his eye, but it swelled up really bad. keep a fly mask on it and away from bugs and dirt, keep it from getting infected or swollen. if that happens the vet will give you some meds, one will dilate the pupil the other will work as an antibiotic. as weird as it sounds, our vet told us to put a bag of frozen peas on the swollen part of the wound instead of just ice. but unless it swells up you should be ok, sounds like you are doing everything right :-]