Horse wounds?

Question

I am getting my first horse at the end of the summer, and although I am going to be at a very nice barn where I can get as much help as I need, I would like to compile a list of comman horse wounds and cures. For example, what should I put on a bee sting, small cut on the legs, swelling of the legs ect. So if you would please list a few of the most comman wounds your horse gets and how to cure them I'm sure I can compile a nice list and be that much more prepared for my first horse!! Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

I like the "SWAT" ointment for wounds...It's a flourescent pink color, so you can tell where you've rubbed it and the best part is that it repels flys from swarming the wound.

The very first thing you should do with a deep cut (if the horse will tolerate it) is flush the wound with cool water right from a hose.  The coolness will help numb the pain, reduce swelling and the water pressure from the hose will remove more debris than a plain old rag would ever do.

Horses can get pretty bad cuts without needing to see the vet.  My horse had a deep gash on his leg and the vet told me it really wouldn't benefit the horse to have stitches- just wash it out thoroughly and apply an antibiotic ointment to it a couple times of day.  Don't go to the vet and buy some expensive medicine for that either...I use the Walmart brand Triple Antibiotic ointment on my horses and it works swell.

Here's what my Horse First Aid consists of:

Vetrap

Betadine

Triple Antibiotic Ointment

Swat

Clean old rags (keep them in a zip loc bag)

Bandages- (I usually don't use them because "most" wounds heal better when exposed to air, but I do keep them on hand.)  Again, I just buy generic ones from Walmart or the Dollar Store.)

A paste made of baking soda and water works well on bee stings...on horses OR humans..it takes the pain right out.

You can also soak sore legs/feet in water with epsom salts.  You may want warm water or you may want cool...it would depend on the injury.

One more tip...when cleaning a wound with betadine, I've found that the easiest and least painful to the animal is to put the betadine in a spray bottle.  You can saturate the wound that way and it is less painful than taking a rag and rubbing it around the wound.   As long as you've gotten the betadine into every nook and cranny you've done the job and you've done it without inflicting more pain to the horse.

Answer 2

Most horses will get cuts and scrapes from just being out in the paddock.  Sometimes you will get the odd bite mark too.  Most of them can be picked (pick off the scab) to let air get to them and flushed with cold water.  It is when you get into puncture wounds that you have to be more careful.  If it's not that deep, sometimes cleaning it out with warm water/epsom salts (you will find that this will become almost your best friend at times) is the best and then to spray some betadine on it to keep it from getting infected.  Polysporin might become a good friend at times too!  :)  If the puncture wound becomes quite deep, it could be time to call a vet.  My horse just got punctured in the chest and according to the vet was 3 millimeters away from hitting a major artery.  His chest was ballooned up along with his entire leg.  Another issue I've dealt with just recently was a mare getting kicked in the fetlock.  The kick was so deep it went almost up behind her deep flexor tendon on the right hind leg.  For both horses, antibiotics and in the case of the first gelding, a little bit of bute has been the solution.  These are some of the more serious issues I've dealt with.

Swelling will sometimes go away with exercise.  Some horses may also balloon up from a simple bug bite and others are a bit tougher in which nothing will happen.

Most of the time picking scabs off and letting air get to a wound will heal it the best.  Most aren't of any worry.

You will at some point in time encounter lameness in a horse.  It could be years down the road, but it can still happen.  Usually stall rest for a couple days can cure it or, sometimes your horse's foot really needs to be looked at.  If your horse tends to be "off" a lot and is barefoot, he may need shoes.  Some horses have softer feet than others and tend to bruise easier.

During the rainy/wintery months, have some thrushbuster available on hand because most horses will get this fungal on their feet.  Be careful not to use too much because it will dry the hoof right out since thrush thrives in watery/muddy/icky conditions.

Always good to have on hand:

-betadine

-polysporin

-a couple of syringes for flushing wounds

-gauze

-clean no bows/standing/stall bandages (and know how to wrap properly...tendon facing inwards, even tension, etc.).  No bows are much better than simple pillow wraps!

-epsom salts

-mtg

-sponges (clean)

-towels/cloths (clean)

-vet wrap

-peroxide

-thrushbuster (a LITTLE bit of dissolved bleach can do the same thing as thrushbuster)

-excalibur (if you have a gelding for sheath cleanings)

-bute

-vaseline

-clear white gloves (you know the plasticky kind?)

-poultice

-hooflex (to maintain the hoof)

-thermometer (make sure to tie a string to it or it could be an embarassing call to the vet)

Answer 3

bee sting...put cool clay like mud on it. It will help swelling and pain. littrally take a handfull and slap it on there. always remember if your horse get a cut or laceration and its above the knees dont wrap it. elow the knees you can wrap it. you shouldnt have much to worry about...common thing are small cuts and scrapes. mesqitoe bites, fly bites...most of them just leave them alone.oh and i jst keeo a first aide kit around just incase. I keep vasiline, bactine, VetRap, gauze, tape, instant cold pack, towel and always bring duct tape!!! i have seen a horse crack a hoof to where it was bleeding and we were 5 miles from nowhere and we ductaped his hoof and it held up until he could be seen by a vet.

Answer 4

Most horse's cuts and scrapes require no further treatment other than to make sure that they are clean (wash with plain old soap and water) and healing well/not showing any signs of infection.

Anything that falls under the realm of needing treatment, will actually require a vet visit.  When do you call the vet? Here's a great article that gives good clues and advice http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/he...

If you insist on "doctoring" every boo-boo your horse gets, get a good horse first aid kit, which will come complete with directions on how to treat various owies.  http://www.horse.com/Horse-Health-First-...

Good luck!

Answer 5

Really the most common are cracked hooves(which signifies that the horse is impatient or distraut) You'd be better off having someone train your horse for this

Another is common cuts and open wounds, clean it best you can with a wet rag (NO hydrogen peroxide, this will most likely make the horse become agitated) apply normal neosporn to it daily

Answer 6

Okay,

Rain Rot/ Rain Scald-- This is a fungal disease and is typically very hard to get rid of. It occurs when moisture builds up under the hair and provides a suitable enviornment for fungal growth.  This occurs mostly during rainy seasons.

To rid your horse of rain rot, there are many sprays that you can buy at your local feed/tack store.

For cuts and scrapes--- Furisone cream or apple cider vinegar are both very good at healing and soothing wounds.

Cracked hooves--- This occurs when the hooves are not recieving enough moisture. With a visit to your local feed/tack store you can find many hoof moisturizures.

Thrush-- this is a fungal disease occuring when the hooves recieve too much moisture. The moisture becomes a bacteria breeding ground.

Common symptomes of this are :

                           Foul smell.

                           Hoof is soft and may have black areas.

Thrush is very difficult to cure if not caught early enough. Iodine and peroxide work well if poured and scrubbed into  the infected area with a tooth brush, or you could try thrush buster.

Lameness-- When a horse is lame it could be for many reasons. Usually all they need is rest.

There is an endless list of issues that can occur with horses, and most of the time it happens quickly. What I would do is get a good vet and call him/her if anything happens.