Advice needed please

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Pilib

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Hi all, I hope you can help. I took my boy 15 yr old TB on the Newmarket sponsored ride. On the last gallop for home he lost a shoe, (not unusual he has dropped soles and poor hoof quality.) I loaded him on to the trailer and took him home, When I got back to the yard and took his travel boots off I noticed blood on the outside of the leg that lost the shoe. I washed the wound and put some antiseptic gel on it, it looks like he has taken the skin off, not too deep and had stopped bleeding. Yesterday morning I went to check on him, he is sound but the leg around the tendon and the cuts has swollen and is hot to the touch. Farrier put shoe back on and he is still sound. I have cold hosed it and bandaged for support. I am thinking of soaking the gamgee in Witch Hazel and bandaging after cold hosing again tonight. Do you think that would benefit him? My question is as he is sound do you think it is the cut that has caused the swelling and heat? I can only think the shoe coming off cut his leg? If he had damaged the tendon he wouldn't be sound? any suggestions?
 
I would be wary of soaking your bandages in anything, not only as you have an open woulnd/graze but also there may be swelling waitng to show itself and this will be a very good indicator, should it happen, of the severity of any injury.

Swelling is natures way of immobilising and speeding healing to a site.

As your horse is sound I would stick to keeping the area clean with gentle hosing but avoid anything that will irritate the skin (witch hazel is a bit harsh on raw bits!)
 
I can't really describe the cut, it's not like a slash or a graze more like a burn I suppose.

I will continue with the cold hosing, It's just that he hates the hose and I know the WH is cooling.

Thanks for your advice.

X
 
If he doesn't like the hose can you not put his foot in a bucket of very cold water? Alternatively sponge it down with iced water.
 
Tried the bucket last night, the site of the swelling is a bit high. I am probably worrying over nothing, but he is very special and I hate the thought that he is sore!
 
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Tried the bucket last night, the site of the swelling is a bit high. I am probably worrying over nothing, but he is very special and I hate the thought that he is sore!

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Awwww, of course he is. Perhaps if you ran the hose with a very low flow he would be happier - I agree with Spaniel I would not put WH on his leg.
 
When we had the water shortage i froze ice cube bags and used them!They were absolutely perfect as they mould to the horses leg and stay cold for up to an hour!
Use a tea towel or something between the ice cube bag and the leg so that you dont make the leg too cold and burn it.
 
Thanks everyone! Got to the yard last night and took bandages off, All heat and swelling gone! Wound looks clean and dry. Gave leg another cold hose ( fed him pears as a distraction!) and put some antiseptic gel on the wound.
He is still sound. So I am sure the swelling and heat was from the cut rather than the tendon.

It's a real releif. Thanks for all your advice.

Pilib X
 
as the swelling has gone down, he is probably like my lad, too much TB so he swells with no reason. However just too point out that horses do not have to be lame to have caused damage to tendons. I was suprised when my vet told me this so i asked another one who visited the yard and eh agreed. If there is swelling in the tendon area for more than 48 to 72 hours you should still call the vet.

Just thougth I would mention it
 
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