Bad fencing accident :( advice please

toulouse1

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 March 2013
Messages
131
Visit site
Left Thursday my gelding has had a piece of wire wrapped round his heel and literally split it in two ring to the bottom of the foot
He is on usual medication, he is meant to be on box rest but he would end up hurting his self more, he is meant to be on very small paddock rest but that only lasted two days, he is safer out in the field
But I'm really not sure what to do, the vet was shocked when he saw it but was very surprised he wasn't lame
It's being kept clean and sprayed and showing no sign of infection or heat BUT I'm so worried because it's so deep, it's on the way to hanging off, you can see right inside his heal!
Has any one got any advice to help the healing process or had a similar accident where the horse has recovered???
Can't put pic up?
 
Sounds like it needs to be kept still tbh - this type of injury normally needs to be still not out - in the field it islikely to heal poorly. Hard as it is.
 
I agree he needs to be in if he was to catch it on something again it could be really serious, get some sedalin from your vet to keep him calm after about a week they tend to just accept they are in, and you may find it only takes a few weeks to get it to heal enough so he can go out.
 
What exactly does he do when he is in? That type of injury will never heal if the horse has the ability to move. I would be getting him in and sedated!
 
My late TB (the one that couldn't be stabled) had an accident where electric tape wrapped around her pastern and it had cut very deeply. I didn't know her then, but she had a big scar and was completely sound on it by the time I met her. I was told that it took a long time to heal.

MelodyandCarrie.jpg


You can see the scar on the OH pastern.
 
As others have said, he needs to be in really - otherwise you are leaving yourself wide open for infection etc ... has he got a stable buddy to keep him company?
 
Put him on box rest but hang up lots of small hay nets to keep him occupied. Buy, beg or borrow a treat ball and fill it for him with pony nuts. Cut up pieces of carott and apple and leave them in his hay net (double bag the nets to make them last longer). Hang a swede on a piece of string in his stable, put some apples floating in his water, give him lots of small feeds split during the day, cut a big clod of grass and leave it for him to nibble on, pick a big branch of gorse (horses love gorse), tie a piece of rag to the stable door and he can pull on that with his teeth, find a nice piece of bark from a tree or a small branch for him to grind his teeth on (make sure its nothing poisonous), leave a radio on during the day on a classical music station, keep something stabled next to him to keep him company. The time will soon pass.

He really shouldn't be out OP, if he gets a bad enough infection you could end up losing him. He needs to be in a clean and sterile as possible environment. The tips above should make the time pass really quickly for him.
 
If the OP's horse is as bad as mine was, then keeping him in just isn't an option, however much you (the owner) wish that it was. When she did her tendon while I owned her, she wouldn't eat or drink while in, so was put out in a small, flat area. She had a calm companion in with her to keep her happy and recovered fully. How long would she have lived without drinking? Three days maybe? I basically had the choice of PTS there and then, or giving her the chance to recover.
 
My mare was left hanging on the door after trying to jump out of the stable on box rest. Personally I would say the initial couple of weeks if you can keep them in and dry then it makes all the difference but if the horse will harm itself or anyone around it then it's better off out.

You just have to be prepared to take any consequences on the nose should anything negative come of your decision.
 
Tendon injuries are differnet to hoof wire injuries where quite often they need a cast or bandag e- op what does your vet say?
 
Tendon injuries are differnet to hoof wire injuries

This is true, but if you read my first post you will see that the same mare had had a very, very deep cut due to electric fence tape getting wrapped around her pastern when she was younger. Although I didn't own her then, I would be shocked if she was box rested at all for that injury due to her hatred of stables. My second post about the tendon injury was really just to demonstrate how negatively she reacted to being stabled.
 
Top