Head Collar injury :(

J

jessandthegirls

Member
Joined
25 October 2010
Messages
29
Location
Suffolk
Visit site
Pathetic i know :( im a bit down in the dumps as it is.... but they say it comes in three's and this week i've had:
1. Fractured Splint bone on my ex-eventer.
2. Yearling with a really nasty leg injury- vet advised will leave a lump.
3. and now a 2yr old that has managed to gash her face open with her headcollar!!

She is a slightly wild beast to say the least 2 yr old TBx. Bringing her in from the field for a little playing session.... Tying up, brushing, rug change, feet picked out la la la. She absolutely stank of fish... that horrible rotten smell that abscesses have. So i checked her feet- nothing. I went to give her a scratch under her chin and noticed her the throat lash of her headcollar was sticky and grose.... i guess she'd caught it on something and has given herself a rope burn. It was pretty messy. Have checked her legs and theres nothing there, so i doubt shes caught her foot in it.

I've cleaned it up as best i can... warm salt water, purple spray and sudocream. But its still pretty matted up. Short of clipping the area and seeing exactly whats going on i dont know what else i can. this i do not fancy as she certainly isnt ready for clipers. Vet is coming on tuesday so i can ask her to take a look then.

Anyone have any suggestions? Unfortunately turning her out without a headcollar is not an option. shes out with my youngsters and has a 20 acre to play in- i would not stand a chance of catching her without it.

any help greatly appreciated :) including offers of magic wands... rehoming etc etc. damn damn horses and there expensive ways :)

x x
 
Clean it again, it shouldn't be matted still if you have cleaned it properly, snip the feather off with a pair of scissors so you can see what you're dealing with properly, it's no use guessing. Is she up to date with her tetenus, that's a priority?
Are you sure it's not a strangles abcess too, are her glands up at all, is she under the weather as if so, it could be contagious to your others; it does need ruling out by the vet asap?
If it's a nylon headcollar then you are lucky she hasn't broken her neck if it was caused by her getting hung up somewhere.

Typical horses though, my sympathies.
 
Sorry to hear about your week! what a nightmare... I'd echo the advice already given .. prerhaps used a large syringe to wrinnse it out with salt water... I'd think you'd need to do it at least once daily if not twice until it starts to heal...but i do question why you feel she would be uncatchable without a headcollar on... has she not been handled?

If she is wearing a nylon heacollar, I would urge you to swap it for a plain little leather one... they break rather than the horse if they should get tangled up...
 
Agree -remove the headcollar especially if nylon.

You could use a leather cavesson noseband as a temporary turn out handle so avoiding the wound.
 
Please please do not turn out in nylon headcollars.A freind's horse broke its neck in the field some years ago when it caught it's nylon headcollar on the water trough.
Hope the infection clears soon
 
kicking myself for not thinking of strangles. im pretty certain its not as the laceration marrys up with the head collar. Vet en route now.

v.v.v glad i posted... too bust feeling sorry for myself to think with a clear head.
 
elizabeth1 said:
Please please do not turn out in nylon headcollars.A freind's horse broke its neck in the field some years ago when it caught it's nylon headcollar on the water trough.
Hope the infection clears soon
Click to expand...

Ditto this - I use field-safe headcollars on both of mine - they have little rubber rings where the metal rings normally go. They break in an emergency.

I will also ditto the clipping and cleaning out the wound. If she smells that bad then would imagine the wound has been there for some time.
 
As others have said, to turn any horse out in a webbing head collar is asking for injury. I know of a 3 month old foal that hanged itself because its stupid owners put a webbing head collar on and it got tangled up in derelict farm machinery. Found dead and bloated the next day with its poor mother going frantic trying to make it stand up. For god's sake get a field safe one or a leather one. I'd sooner a proper field safe. If you can't get to the shops to get a field safe one, you can make an ordinary webbing one safe by cutting away one of the pieces and replacing it with twine that will break.
 
I have found that the Fieldsafe ones break too easily when youngsters are playing around. My 2 yr old wears a headcollar because she very occasionally gets out of the field. She doesn't really go anywhere but it makes it easier for other people to put her back in. I have cut the buckle off the headpiece and instead tied it with a piece of THIN twine (the blue stuff that breaks easily).
 
Hello, both yougster are in feidsafe headcollars. The rings are a plastic/rubber so they would break should they need to. Vet suggested that the lecision has been caused by her rubbing the headcollar as oppose to getting it caught. She couldnt cut much more away than i already had but hibiscrubbed it and swabbed for strangles. The horse has been quartentined as a precaution.

She was brought in the previous day to be handled, and there was nothing noticable then.

I would like to thank everyone for there responses, it prompted me to call a vet. i will get the results in one week, but have shut the farm down/disenfected etc for the time being.

Should it be strangles, im fortunate in that its a private yard at home, with just my own horses. the vet is hopeful- so we'll go from there.

Thanks again
 
Thanks for the update and do hope everything is clear when you get the results.

Yes, I had one here once wearing a leather headcollar and she got a bee sting on her knee. She rubbed her face across it so much that she rubbed her cheek almost raw; looked like her headcollar had caused it but it was actually the bee sting that started it all and because we were having a very wet spell, the skin was more prone to a rub.
 
Youngsters - find every possible way to try to kill themselves off!

Try youor best to get the wound really clean with salt water - hand hot with salt seeems to remove gunked up stuff more easily. Then use 'Active Manuka Honey' on the wound - it is marvelous at healing and helps keep proud flesh down. May also be good on your other youngsters leg too.
 
I agree, use scissors on it and just keep bathing, I would also check her temp, if it's strangles it will be raised. Your vet will be here today so hopefully if needed he can sedate her for a proper cleaning up.
I do despair when people make comments such as why hasn't the filly been handled, many young horses don't get day to day handling for many reasons, and yes, we have sometimes left headcollars on like you. We find the ones from Libby's the best, they have a natural breaking point and the worst are the Cottage Craft, which won't break before your horse does..
It sounds as if with time you will of course be able to turn her out without one but do check the make, and yes, leather is safer...
 
Hello,

i will post more of her background when i have a moment, as to why she needs to be turned out with a headcollar. But it was a judgement call as oppose to me being a "stupid owner putting a webbing head collar on" Thank you for that.

Her temperature was raised to 39 this morning :( No swelling, gobbled her breakfast, no runny nose, no wheezing.

Vet has advised 2 sachets of bute a day, whilst we wait for the swap results.

Would anyone recommend Epsom salts in her feed as a flush out? or has that ship sailed?

Just to stress, she is quarentined and the farm is using every precaution.
 
henryhorn said:
I agree, use scissors on it and just keep bathing, I would also check her temp, if it's strangles it will be raised. Your vet will be here today so hopefully if needed he can sedate her for a proper cleaning up.
I do despair when people make comments such as why hasn't the filly been handled, many young horses don't get day to day handling for many reasons, and yes, we have sometimes left headcollars on like you. We find the ones from Libby's the best, they have a natural breaking point and the worst are the Cottage Craft, which won't break before your horse does..
It sounds as if with time you will of course be able to turn her out without one but do check the make, and yes, leather is safer...
Click to expand...

I cant bear headcollars left on horses, either in the stable, their field or the walker. I have had my horses in leather headcollars for years as the previous yard I was at insisted on leaving headcollars on horses when turned out. My horse NEVER has his headcollar left on, its just not worth the risk. Even though its leather I don't mind that it is hung on the gate by the staff and left out for hours in the rain and mud. Rather give it a quick oil once a week than risk a nylon headcollar. Sometimes I have to put my horse on the walker with his bridle on and hate doing it so I tend to lead him to the walker in it and take it off and hang it up on the hook so he just goes round wiht his saddle on. The one day he got his bit (full cheek) stuck in one of the holes in the 'fencing' around the walker, luckily it was when the walker had stopped the horse in front and I managed to spot it. I dread to think what would have happened had I not, I think he could well have had his jaw torn apart.

i will never forget reading an article in the horsey press about a mare turned out with her foal, the foal did a rear, got its leg stuck in the mares headcollar broke its leg and the mare broke her neck, the mare died instantly the foal had to be cut free from the mare and was put down.
 
jessandthegirls said:
kicking myself for not thinking of strangles. im pretty certain its not as the laceration marrys up with the head collar. Vet en route now.
Click to expand...

There is another cause for abcesses EXACTLY where Strangles abcesses appear - we've had a couple in the last few years. Basically, horse scratches chin on top of wooden fence post - and gets splinter! It sets up an infection - you often struggle to find the point at which the splinter went in because the hole has healed over! A horse wearing a headcollar would be even more likely to do this - as the headcollar might cause slight irritation and itchyness!

Hot foments are the way to go - needs 5-10 minutes with hot salty water 3-4 times a day. I'm afraid, IF this is the problem.
 
Don't feel guilty about turning out in a headcollar - our school horses & ponies all wear them 24/7 - also the racehorses are turned out in them too. There is no problem so long as there is nothing in the field they can catch them on - eg low tree branches, outriggers.

If on for long periods of time on a growing youngster they need to be kept an eye on for altering as they grow.
 
Oh no, I certainly hope your misfortune is not strangles. But since she's eating well, her nose is dry, etc., maybe a slight infection is what raised her temperature.

It is perfectly common for people to let horses loose with head collars, though I would only suggest doing so if it is a breakaway. But it sounds like you've already made all the precautions.

Have you seen or heard of "free head collars" or "neck straps?" They are a great alternative and exceptionally safe. Most of them are nylon, but again, I would only go for leather as it breaks under stress. That way if the horse gets loose, anyone can easily grab hold of her and most horses lead surprisingly well with them. Neck straps are on loose enough to be comfortable but tight enough that when a horse lowers her head to graze, there is no possibility of getting a hoof caught. I love them!
 
Re Strangles.

1 swab may be "lucky" and get a positive result on Strep equi equi (strangles bug) but often it takes the full 3 swabs within two weeks from the nasopharynx to diagnose (or more reliably a scope IMO). The chance of picking up strangles on a one off NP swab is about 30% if no snot. But in this case I assume the vet swabbed the abscess itself so that should carry a better chance, especially if the vet runs the PCR test for bacterial DNA then even better!!

I often see horses without temperatures, they usually have had one at some point, but it could be missed already.

On the down side the horse would be unlucky to have a temperature and an abscess on the chin from two different problems at the same time :rolleyes:...and you don't often get a temperature from a thorn/rub style wound.

On the up side you do usually see other signs of illness with strangles, but not always. I have had a few present like this this year and NOT be strangles but caused from a cousin bug strep equi zooepidemicus. This looks very similar. Head scratching from me as the two often grow hand in hand, but despite repeated cultures from abscess and guttural pouches washes in these cases I could not get even a positive PCR!

keep fingers crossed it's not the lurgy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top