Advice needed with a leg/puncture wound

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Shiraz

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On 26.11 my mare came in with a small scratch/cut on the inside of her near fore. I cleaned/flushed it all out and put cream on it and was cold hosing it. It was healed up (or so I though) by 28.11

However on 30.11 I had this Lame Horse

Her leg was swollen but had no heat at all and the top of the old cut was slightly open. I got the vet out straight away and he said it was an infected puncture wound. So I know I'm the worse owner ever for letting this happen so please don't have a go
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She was in on 7 days box rest, polticed and was getting a big dose of anti biotics (and some bute). Gunk stopped coming out of the poltice on day 6. She was turned out on day 8 all booted up as advised but the boots were rubbing the wound (had put padding under it).

I've been advised to wash the leg with hibiscrub at night and put vaseline on to keep it moist so that it heals gradually. However someone else just told me I should be trying to dry it up?

She's in at nights and every morning her leg is swollen and warm and that is really worrying me.

This is the wound ten days ago. It's not as raised or big any more and it's healing round the outside and is pink in the middle but not red/raw.

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The vet is back out on Thursday but if anyone can set me straight before then with some help I'd be grateful. Thank you
 
Vaseline acts as a barrier and keeps water out etc, so is good for mudfever etc.... I'd wash with hibiscrub and then dry off and put on some derma gel, which acts as a second skin but with all the right ingredients compared to vaseline....

Can you get your hands on some magnetic wraps? we have an elderly gelding whose legs blow like tree trunks everynight and since wearing the wraps we've not had one single filling of the legs.... worth a shot....

Must admit, have never seen a horse walk like that before!
 
Never seen a horse walk like that either, thought she'd done a tendon!!

I was putting FAL silver stable boots on her and just putting cream on the wound but was told to wash with hibiscrub and put vaseline on to keep it moist. Now someone else has said I shouldn't wash with hibi as it's cleaning away all teh good flora

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The vet is back out on Thursday but I'd rather be doing something now for her

Thanks
 
mmmmmm good point about the hibiscrub.... warm salt water??? but thoroughly dry the leg off with a towel.... Is it where she can catch it at all? If not I'd leave it to air.... you can always purple spray it (oooh I love that stuff, seems to get me everytime and I end up covered in it!)
I thought from the vid she'd hurt her shoulder!!!! Very odd walk!!! Dishing with a difference!!!
wound looks pretty clean and so far, she's had the anti b's and bute, so if not in a place where it can be caught by another leg etc, leave it to air..... Am wracking brains trying to think of cream another livery used on her horse, will ask her later!
 
Remember not to put magnets anywhere near this until its healed completely, you're never meant to put them over / near wounds...

Personally, I would be putting on Cut Heal. My vet has advised it for pretty much anything which needs healing! Its doesnt let proud flesh form (which can cause scarring) and lets it heal quite quickly whilst letting it breathe and protecting it. Amazing stuff IMO!
 
Where do I get cutheal? Is it like that second skin stuff?

Not had any magnets near her.

Thank you!

I'll go back to how it was - naked in field and FAL boots on in stable and hopefully it won't be swollen tomorrow.

Her leg is dried with a towel after washing. Should I keep it dry then with no washing at all?

I have tonnes of purple spray, my arab is a self harmer!

I know, I was in floods of tears when she walked like that. I thought she'd be getting the bullet!!
 
do you have access to yard for day time??? as to me, wound needs fresh air to get to it without getting dirt near it - best option. Otherwise If me i would defo put on box rest with inhand exercise (twice a day) to reduce puffness in legs and to help at night i would apply DRY animalix and then bandage legs and in daytime, bank bed (allowing wee spot) and remove bandages, so fresh air gets to wound.
To me the wound looks too moist, but clean, defo need to keep wound dry and then it up will heel, if you keep to moist your not allowing scab to form
 
Thats the stuff!!!! well done mincepie!

The equilibrium stable chaps have moveable magnets, so if they were used, they could be placed to the side..... instead of being front or back etc....
 
I've not seen it around for a while!

Bath leg with salt water then dry with towel.... and use the good old purple spray!!! [love the note about the arab - have never heard anyone refer to their horse as a self harmer before - did make me giggle!]

I think I'd have cried too seeing one of mine like that..... did look a lot more serious than it was!!! hope it heals soon!
 
you can get cutheal from saddlery shops, i'm sure that's where i got mine. i agree with kick_on, it needs to have the air on it without mud getting in. if pos just let her wander around a concrete yard for a while, maybe?
and you're not a bad owner, i think most of us would have done what you did, it is just very unlucky that it was a puncture wound and got infected.
 
I've seen a horse like that- stringhalt! But its not that if its come on suddenly, I say call your vet and ask for help, they will know whats best for your horse, and they would rather help you now than fix it later
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I'd say that walk is coz she finds bending her knee painful coz the leg is so swollen, so she swings it out to keep it straight. The correct thinking these days is to keep a wound moist as it enables the skin's own cells to properly close up the wound.
 
Thank you everyone

It's not stringhalt; that's just how she was walking due to how badly swollen her leg was that morning.

I'm up the yard 2x a day and nearly all day at weekends. I can't get up at lunch times because it's too far from my work and I don't have a concrete yard for turnout. I shudder to think what she'd do let loose on concrete! lol

She was on 7 days box rest when it happened and the vet said for her to start going back out then on day 8. I've had the vet out day 1 and day 4. It's now day 18...

She's had wet then dry animalintex on and no more gunk is coming out. She was bandaged with animalintex under her turnout boots but it was rubbing (she runs about like a loon!) so I took them off.

The wound has reduced in size and is drier with scab around the outside of it now and the middle is dry. She's turned out with just barrier (nappy) cream on it and it's cleaned when she comes in.

I'm just worrying about it being swollen in the mornings?

Vet is back out on Thursday so will pick his brain then. The advice I've been given from friends is the same as given by Sunnymum but then some people I know have told me their horses have had similar injuries and to bandage/stable and dry up?

Although I've had horses since I was 6 apart from a foaling, a colic, vaccs and having a pony pts I've never needed a vet or had any injuries etc. I think karma is catching up with me this year since the newest 2 arrived!! I know the theory but now I have to put it into practice I don't trust what I know and keep asking other people and getting conflicting information.

Thank you again for your help!
 
My chap had a tiny (kick) wound which got infected and it healed over once before a huge abscess developed after a month of soundness! Once the abscess burst, the vet syringed the tracts out with povidine and it healed up fine. Took over two months from start to finish, and two courses of AB's Oozed for days then slowly closed up, but never looked 'right' til after it abscessed and then it cleared right up. Oh, he was very lame, too and had a massively swollen leg. It wasn't anywhere you could poultice/bandage either. Fortunately, it was nowhere near a joint! From your pic, I'd say there might well be stuff still in there waiting to come out? AB's are not good at letting pus develop so bit of a double-edged sword from that POV.
 
to be honest sounds if you trying your best for gg, i only other thing i can suggest to stop the young lady pee-ing round in field is to make a small electric tape area so she can't pee around in
and as for swelling in morning i personnel wouldn't worry so long as it goes down after being put out, it sounds just like the the lymp systems is working hard with the infection.
finger crossed hope vet helps
 
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Personally, I would be putting on Cut Heal

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Absolutely agree - and agree about using warm salt water rather than hibiscrub. Although try to avoid washing it daily - only if it's really dirty.

Amy had a puncture very similar to that a few winters ago - and the swelling around the area actually took about 4 months to disappear in total. Personally I wouldn't boot her at all, and just let nature take it's course.

The idea of covering it with vasaline is a good one. However, I used to put a little pad over Amy's wound, wrapped with vet wrap, when she went out. And took it off in the evening to let the air get at it.
 
Vet came out today and gave her a clean bill of health
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He's really happy with the wound and I've just to put stable bandages on her fronts at night and to wait until after xmas before starting doing anything with her.

Thanks for your help!

Jill x
 
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