Horse First Aid Question..?

Question

I would like to know how to clean out a horse wound, and what products I should use. Recently my horse keeps on cutting herself in the field, we found what she was cutting herself on and took it away, but when she did get cut it was my friends who cleaned it out for me as I didn't know how and didn't have any of the equpment..

So what do I need and what do I do with it.. :S

Answer 1

I keep antibacterial soap, fura-zone, iodine and swat on hand for cuts. I also keep duct tape, bute (paste form), vet wrap and sheet cotton on hand to deal with any random accidents.

For minor cuts I usually clean it with water and put swat on it. I put enough to cover the area without rubbing it in any. I like the pink swat because you can see exactly what is covered. The white loses its color as you put it on.

For bigger cuts, I wash with water and antibacterial soap then put fura-zone on it. Same way as above.

EDIT: You have to get the bute from the vet but most of the other stuff is way cheaper to buy from walmart or a drug store.

http://www.horsetackinternational.com/fu...

http://www.horse.com/Horse-Lovers-Gifts/...

I don't reccomend wrapping because so many people s***w it up. A bad wrap will casue a bowed tendon which takes forever to heal. I can wrap correctly but choose not to simply because cuts dont heal any faster or cleaner. Working to keep the area clean is sufficient for me and my horse (who just took a big chunk out of his leg).

Answer 2

All you need is bottled normal saline solution, and try to keep it sterile by pouring it without touching the pour spout.  Having 30 cc. or so syringes (no needles needed) handy helps, so you can just squirt it onto a wound.  These should be kept sterile, and disposed of after use ideally.  Most wounds heal best if left alone, and cleaned correctly.  Just rinse with saline and if insects are a problem, use a salve that repells them, like swat.  You want the normal inflammatory response to occur, so don't give antiinflammatory medication (such as bute).  Beyond saline and insect repellant salve, most wounds are typically overtreated.  More serious wounds should be treated with vet advice. The wounds you are describing are minor cuts, without hemorrhage or embedded objects.

ADD...iodine is an irritant and is not appropriate for most wounds...just use the saline.  And a wound that needs bandaging requires advice from a veterinarian.

Ba sic equipment would include....bandaging materials, including sterile gauze pads,  cotton sheeting, combine dressings, vetwrap (several roles), gauze wrap, newborn disposable diapers, duct tape.

Betadine scrub, betadine shampoo, triple antiinfective ointment are good to have on hand....not needed until the vet advises you to use them.  

Sterile syringes, sterile saline, swat ointment are good for most wounds.  If you can't get syringes, you can pour saline on a wound.

Surgical tape, and a variety of adhesive tapes are handy, but deteriorate over time, so don't buy too much until you need it.

Rectal thermometer is good to have, plus learn how to count pulse and respirations to relate information to the vet.

Answer 3

if the wounds are surface scratches, or not very deep, spray the wound with the water hose and make sure theres no dirt in or around it. then use Furall over it. very cheap, effective, and easy.

http://www.kyhorse.com/store/health/woun...

if there is alot of dirt and gunk in the wound, fill a suringe with peroxide and clean it with that. each wound is different and may require more serious attention like vet wrap or other things. but pasture nicks? this product is great.

Answer 4

Agree with everything Katie said. And the reason you shouldn't wrap wounds is that they need oxygen to heal. An open wound will heal much faster than a wrapped one. Just keep it clean. Another item I always keep on hand is Cut Heal. It cuts healing time in half, prevents scarring, and promote hair regrowth. It works on tiny cuts and huge gashes. http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?...

Answer 5

Ask your vet for a bottle of Beta dine or Iodine scrub (this can be diluted in warm water to sanitize wounds, treat "Rain Rot" and various other ailments. Also ask for some antiseptic cream (like Derma Gel...works wonders!), poultice pads, and a general anti-inflammatory (like Bute) in case your horse gets seriously injured & the vet recommends a dose if they cannot respond immediately.

Also get a few couple rolls of Vet Wrap, in various sizes, some absorbent cotton, gauze rolls, A stethoscope, a rectal thermometer, ice cells (for swollen legs) , bandage wraps (like stretchy polo wraps) Quilted wraps, etc.

Look it up on the internet....there should be a few sites that state the essentials...

Answer 6

Well, you'll need some vet wrap , and a type of horse ointment called corona original Lanolin-Rich Pet ointment. (They should sell both of those at a local feed store) Just dab on the ointment and bandage it up.

(this is leg treatment )