Do it take him to work with me and risk upsetting things?

McNally

McNally

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As some may know my TB has a nasty cut (healing well) that became infected over his knee. He's been on box rest which is going ok but i do have to keep his little friend in also. Friend is a shettie who's now getting fat- he's usually VERY active but stuck in eating for 2 weeks is taking its toll!
Tb has EXTREME seperation problems and is very attached to the pony.
My reason behind taking him to work are now that the bandages are rubbing and he is getting infection in the rubs (or so it looks to me). The vet recommended leaving it open as long as i could keep the flies off. I really cant within 2 minutes of it being uncovered the wound was covered in flies. Im it a very bad area for flies being marsh land around.
At work there are less flies anyway by miles and the stables are in a huge barn so its cool and ive never noticed flies in there.
He used to be a ver difficult to manage horse but since he's been at my new yard with this pony (since Feb this year) he's been a completely different horse- I dont want to go back to how he used to be.
I dont know if a week or so uncovered and then bring him back to my yard where he could go back out is worth the potential disruption to him and his brain or if i need to just keep bandaging until the main wound is healed even though its rubbing (ive been doing it exactally as directed by the vet to avoid rubs! he has very sensitive skin)
Taking him also means Shettie can get back out cantering and bucking as he does best ;-D
Opinions please?!
 
I would prob risk it as i would say the risk of infection is worse than the risk of the brain disruption. If it doesn't work u can always bring him back if he is that bad.
 
Would using somthing like cut heal help? It's supposed to act as a bandage and keep fllies off, might be worth asking your vet? I'd prefer the shettie out too, so would probably go with that option. :)
 
If cut heal won't work to avoid rubs, would covering the surrounding area with vaseline help? Or would that spread infection? Im also with the option to take them to the other yard.
 
Do you have any netting/muslin cloth that you could use to keep flies off? I'm thinking strapping above and below the knee (maybe use a bandage, but don't go over the front of the knee, or wherever the cut is).

A bit 'out there', but an idea. :)
 
If it were me I'd try and make something up using a fly mask, as they are stiffer and designed to keep their shape away from the face. Maybe tape it above and below the wound so that it bulges out around the knee allowing movement but not contact.
Some cutting and botching is likely to be needed, but worth a try..?
 
When my old mare split her knee open we had it stitched but obviously within a few hours she'd split the stitches (it was right on the joint). We left the wound open as opposed to bandaging it and to keep the flies off we used cow udder salve. You can get it from most countryside stores and it's like vaseline with fly repellent in it. That did the trick and the wound healed in its own time and now you can't even tell she had the injury!
 
LittleBlackMule said:
If it were me I'd try and make something up using a fly mask, as they are stiffer and designed to keep their shape away from the face. Maybe tape it above and below the wound so that it bulges out around the knee allowing movement but not contact.
Some cutting and botching is likely to be needed, but worth a try..?
Click to expand...

+1

It will leave the wound uncovered enough to breath but keep the flies out. I'd go for this option
 
If it were me I would try and fashion something to cover it as suggested above. If not then I would talk to the vet about the option of keeping him on light sedation and moving him to your work for a week or so - that way he could be somewhere away from the flies where you could keep an eye on him, but he hopefully wouldn't get so stressed. If there are other horses about he could see hopefully he wouldn't be too bad, especially with a low dose of sedalin or similar?
 
Cant you cover it with summer fly ointment, if not spread as close to the area as you can and fashion a cover my mauling a fly mask which was a really good suggestion further up :D
 
If it were me & taking him to work was an option (even for a daft booger) then I'd swallow the extra cost of prob having to sedate a bit for a few days & take him.

If it makes life easier till he has healed enough to be out again or step into his usual old routine, then go for it :)
 
Just shows how vets have different views to such injuries.
My filly recently had deep gashes right across her hocks, the kind you'd normally stitch but vet decided not to due to risk of bursting the stitches.
I expected him to advise box rest but no, he said get her out, yellow fly cream and lots of it several times a day, let her body do the healing and the strongest antibiotic possible to avoid infection. 7 days in I sprayed with savalon wash 3 times a day.
I was dubious but he was right, 3 weeks on she's not fully healed but has gone beyond the high risk of infection and I now only spray with savalon twice per day.

I don't know what the answer is to your problems but all his arguments to turn out and let nature do it's thing was to avoid all the problems you are now facing.

I do think you need to change something if what you are currently doing isn't working.
 
I would try the fly mask too - should be really easy to adapt for a knee...

ps. My vet also advised keeping them moving around when mine had a bad cut, but i would still trust your own vet, as they're the one that has seen her..
 
Welshie Squisher said:
Just shows how vets have different views to such injuries.
My filly recently had deep gashes right across her hocks, the kind you'd normally stitch but vet decided not to due to risk of bursting the stitches.
I expected him to advise box rest but no, he said get her out, yellow fly cream and lots of it several times a day, let her body do the healing and the strongest antibiotic possible to avoid infection. 7 days in I sprayed with savalon wash 3 times a day.
I was dubious but he was right, 3 weeks on she's not fully healed but has gone beyond the high risk of infection and I now only spray with savalon twice per day.

I don't know what the answer is to your problems but all his arguments to turn out and let nature do it's thing was to avoid all the problems you are now facing.

I do think you need to change something if what you are currently doing isn't working.
Click to expand...

I love the yellow fly ointment, i had a horse whose shoulder had a 2" cut from a shoe, that we couldnt stitch, vet told me to give it a good clean every day and smother it in the stuff, pushing it i to the hole that was there. He also had covering antibis for infection risk.
You wouldnt even know he'd had a kick, the shoulder healed up as clean as a whistle
 
He was out and moving for the first week however the flies are horrendeous where he's kept. I go to several other yards and nowhere is nearly as bad.
I had tried taping something light over it- just using vetrap top and bottom but without fail it slipped or he tore it off- This way of bandaging the vet showed me is the only thing to have stayed on so far!
Im worried about him being difficult there as it will only be til he's better and im perfectly used to handling his strops, but im worried he may revert back to being a loon and stay like it even once he's home! (He really wasnt a nice horse to be around when its constant)
Ive just removed last nights bandage and there is now puss coming from both front and back. I also notice when i leave him loose to leg stretch on the yard he just stands and isnt interested in anything- even when i brought my other horse onto the yard to tack up he didnt come over.
I think probably my only option is to take him and just keep him there the bare minimum with it uncovered. Oh and turn the little rugrat out for a hoolie ;-D

Thanks for the advice and opinions- much appriciated as always xx
 
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