Horse has cut his leg open, what should I do now? Pics

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Quartz

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I can't believe it!! The other day I posted as my horse has what appears to be thrush on one frog. This is being treated.

However, got home yesterday to find horse had cut his leg open. I went to get my neighbour who runs/owns a race stables and asked him to have a look as he is a lot more experienced than me. He washed it and disenfected it and bandaged it. He told me his horses have done much worse and I don't need to worry and call the vet out it will heal. But to take off bandage if it begins to swell.

Well it is swollen, so have taken off bandage and packed wound with antiseptic cream which also seals the wound. I am just worried about the swelling and don't won't him to get a bad infection. Is this normal or would you all be calling out a vet? What can I do to take the swelling down, I would hose it to massage it but don't want to open up the wound again.

He seems ok, is eating and walking around, just seems slightly more subdued than usual. But has had my girls brushing and fussing over him and he isn't being worried about the leg being touched.

Oh, neighbour also said I could continue riding him, I feel this maybe slightly excessive as I don't want to cause further damage or make him lame.

Thanks for any advice.

ETA: Its the front left leg if looking at photo. So his front right leg

http://s895.photobucket.com/albums/ac160/quartz85/cut leg/
 
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I would give him some bute if you have any and not ride him until any swelling has completely gone. Cold hosing the leg would definitely help bring the swelling down, I don't think there is too much point in calling vet out now as it's probably too late to stitch (if deep enough), but please someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Also keep the cut as clean and dry if possible (after cold hosing).
 
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Has your horse had his vaccination against tetanus?
If so, I'd just wait and see how it progresses without calling the vet. If he's sound, you could ride him (as exercise will increase blood flow and hence speed healing).
Monitor it - the swelling should start to go down, and the cut should stay dry and clean - any sign of discharge or pus, any increase in swelling or lameness means it may be infected and you need a vet.
Also, I'm not too keen on filling cuts with antiseptic cream; they heal much better if they are allowed to form a scab from the blood, or by using a hydrating gel like Vetlintex (sp).
S :D
 
If he were mine he'd be on antibiotics and bute straight off. Hard to tell from the pics but it doesnt look like it needs anything more. If you dont have antibs/ bute already then I would think a vet will be necessary
 
Looks like you have managed to pack a fair bit of cream in and it looks v swollen. I would have the vet out myself given that it looks to be pretty deep and the swelling is more than I would be comfortable with. There is the possibility that the wound is deep, maybe has a foreign body in or dirt, and could be infected. Def a vet job to give a thorough clean, decide if a stitch or two would be necessary and to judge if antibiotics should be given as a precaution.

I'm sure some very experienced people would happily handle this themselves, but I tend to err on the side of caution so it would def be a vet call for me.

Re. riding him or not. If he is sound on it and it the movement doesn't keep opening the wound then it might be helpful to keep the swelling down, but I wouldn't go nuts though.
 
What you will find in racing yards is that that is a VERY minor injury and the horse would continue to work, albeit have a quiet few days. It will keep the swelling down. Unless he has broken the bone you will not make him any lamer by riding him. To be honest I would still ride him, just walking, keep the circulation going and to bring the welling down. I wouldn't bother bandaging it but I would keep it as clean as possible and let it heal itself.
 
Can't see how deep the wound is. If it is deep I would get the vet out as it may need stiches.

If it isn't deep, I would cold hose the leg to get the swelling down. I would then disolve sea salt in warm water and leave to cool. Once cool clean the wound with cotton wool. Spray on purple spray and leave. Repeat the next day. Once it has started to scab I would stop cleaning it as you don't want to knock the scabs off. Keep using antiseptic though. Keep a close eye on it, if it starts weeping or leg swells again, get the vet as it may have an infection.
 
Its a bit difficult to see how bad the actual wound is because of all the cream. It does seem quite deep and large. Swelling would be normal on a injury like that.

I would make sure that you keep the wound covered to avoid any invasion by flies etc. I find that the gel like ' skin' you can get is better than too much cream. It might take a couple of weeks or so to heal but the main thing is to make sure it doesn't become infected.
 
Its very difficult to tell without a photo of the cut before you put the cream in. I woudl be concerned about flies getting to the wound though I am not sure that the cream is the best way to go as it will keep the wound wet.

The swelling wouldn't worry me.
 
I'd be cold hosing and keeping it clean. Bute for a day or two and hand walking to keep circulation going. An antiseptic spray (probably not the cream because of flies as above).

My horse is a walking time bomb as far as injury goes - I think she does it because she likes the attention - so I've become somewhat blase about wounds.
 
My two pennorth: Occlude the wound with a hydrocolloid dressing to keep muck, bugs and debris out and to encourage healing through warmth and moisture (the properties needed for healing). Keep an eye on it but don`t disturb the dressing unnecessarily. Allow the dressing to remain in situ for as long as possible (which is usually several days at least) to reduce disturbance to the healing tissue. Keep riding to increase circulation which will reduce swelling. Cover with antibugs. Job done!
 
Thanks everyone. The racing man did say that if the vet came he would stitch it as it was deep enough. But as I said he firmly believes it will heal naturally and he has not called a vet out for bigger cuts than that. He also said exactly what a few of you have said, that exercise will keep the circulation going and keep swelling down. Will give him a plod around tomorrow.

I packed it with cream, partly to keep the flies from touching the actual wound. and partly to keep it disinfected.

I will hose the swelling, and clean the wound again to make sure there are no foreign bodies. He is very good and has not flinched when I touch it, I haven't even needed to tie him up to do anything with it.

How can I keep the flies away without a bandage or cream? Would essential oils help, obviously not in the wound but around it? What products would you recommend? And no I don't have any bute to hand, but do have this purple lotion (can't think of the name of by hand now, but it was given to me by the vet when my dog was badly attacked by another dog. Think it is the same as you have all mentioned).

If swelling continues or he ouzes will call out vet.

Thanks, any other advice greatly appreciated.
 
Brandy said:
Its very difficult to tell without a photo of the cut before you put the cream in. I woudl be concerned about flies getting to the wound though I am not sure that the cream is the best way to go as it will keep the wound wet.

The swelling wouldn't worry me.
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Cant see the pics close up. Agree with the flies being a problem

Mine got a nasty gash from a kick and his leg was very stiff next day it filled out quite a bit but I wanted to keep him moving to shift the stiffness and fluid build up however I cleaned it with saline solution and sprayed it with betadine/iodine ( not hibibscrub or providine iodine as these do sting). I did put sudocreme due to its tackyness(bugger to wash off) I was tempted to bandage due to flies and it did leak serous fluid(it was quite deep and we kept an eye on his temperature). Every day I flushed it with a syringe of saline and very GENTLY cleaned with guaze to keep it clean and applied more cream. You want to keep the wound moist. You do not want to keep the wound scrupulosly washed and rubbed. Otherwise you wash the new cells/mesh scab forming off. The iodine can turn a bit blue and yes if the wound leaks fluid that is the serous stuff carrying the white cells to help the mesh form over the wound and its better that a wound drains too(heals from inside out). Hope this makes sense. This is what I would do anyway. If your horse is ok to come in during the day time just to keep flies off and out at night?? But mine took quite a few weeks to heal up.
 
I think I would have got it stitched as it looks quite large - you going to have a lovely scar there. Probably too late now to stitch
 
Quartz said:
Thanks everyone. The racing man did say that if the vet came he would stitch it as it was deep enough. But as I said he firmly believes it will heal naturally and he has not called a vet out for bigger cuts than that. He also said exactly what a few of you have said, that exercise will keep the circulation going and keep swelling down. Will give him a plod around tomorrow.

I packed it with cream, partly to keep the flies from touching the actual wound. and partly to keep it disinfected.

I will hose the swelling, and clean the wound again to make sure there are no foreign bodies. He is very good and has not flinched when I touch it, I haven't even needed to tie him up to do anything with it.

How can I keep the flies away without a bandage or cream? Would essential oils help, obviously not in the wound but around it? What products would you recommend? And no I don't have any bute to hand, but do have this purple lotion (can't think of the name of by hand now, but it was given to me by the vet when my dog was badly attacked by another dog. Think it is the same as you have all mentioned).

If swelling continues or he ouzes will call out vet.

Thanks, any other advice greatly appreciated.
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Gentian violet is the purple stuff

Good advice and if you can get a little bit of FLYPOR just to dab along your horses back its a fly drench used in cattle. It was at this time of year mine got a kick flies were a bugger and the flypor is brilliant but it burns skin so use it very carefully and no where near the wound. You have to wear gloves and put it on gauze and dab it. I put it on my horses leg away from the wound. Its very expensive. But very good
 
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Advice from your neighbour is sound. Keep doing what you're doing, including exercise and cold hosing. Sudocreme is good for protecting against flies and won't hinder healing.
If the leg becomes hot or painful, or the wound shows signs of a smelly discharge, then get vet out asp, for antibiotics.
Any swelling may come out and work its way down the leg, but if your horse is comfortable, it should be ok and just part of the healing process.
 
The purple stuff I have is betadine. Just read the label.

Have also just hosed around the leg with cold water. And applied betadine. Then dabbed some flyspray on cotton wool around the wound.

Is this mad or can I try and butterfly stitch is with medical tape? It really is quite wide and he does let me attach the two bits of skin together.

Honestly I am so panicked but my racing man said oh its nothing, what are you worried about!!

Attaching a new link as I have taken photos with out the cream in.

http://s895.photobucket.com/albums/ac160/quartz85/cut leg/
 
It doesn't look very bad to me. I'd just keep it clean and it should heal up without any problems. I can't see it myself, but if for some reason it does get infected then call the vet and get some antibiotics, but I think it will be fine.
 
Hydrocolloid occlusion dressing and leave to do its thing. Don`t worry too much; easier said than done, I know. I`ve seen far, far worse on horse and human.
 
Gosh, I read the replies and then looked at the photo- was expecting something much worse!

I would give it a dab of dermoline and just keep an eye on it- mine are in during the day anyway so flies aren't an issue but I would be wary of putting an repellent around the wound for the next few days while it is still so fresh.
 
Betadine is a skin disinfectant not suitable to be used on open wounds.

Purple spray is suitable for minor scratches and abrasions only...it's usually composed of either Betadine or Chlorhexidine and has gentian violet added (that's was what it used to be made from as it has antibacterial properties)

To give the wound the best chance of healing you should use a wound gel such as Instillagel (Preferably) or dermagel and cover it with a pad and bandage to keep it moist...if you let it dry before it's well healed it will scar.

Don't be tempted to clean it unless it looks contaminated with dirt..leave it alone as much as possible.

As someone else has said make sure the horse is up to date with tetanus jabs ;)
 
millitiger said:
Gosh, I read the replies and then looked at the photo- was expecting something much worse!

I would give it a dab of dermoline and just keep an eye on it- mine are in during the day anyway so flies aren't an issue but I would be wary of putting an repellent around the wound for the next few days while it is still so fresh.
Click to expand...

Same here although I would be tempted to use Intrasite gel as it will keep wound moist while it heals from the inside. By the end of a fortnight you should hardly know it was there.
 
If it was one of mine, I'd apply germolene, brill stuff, slightly numbs it as contains a local anaesthetic, it's antiseptic so fights off germs and prevents infections and is also good for keeping off flies. Apply twice daily for a couple of days then allow it to dry up on it's own. If it doesn't seem to be improving after a couple of days I'd get the vet out! My two are very accident prone and germolene has saved me no end in vets bills!! :)
 
If it was infected, there would be alot more swelling, and I would expect swelling to be lower down as the fluids flow down. It does look minor, and if the horse is sound, keep riding. The exercise will help reduce the swelling. Its in just about the best location for a leg wound. High up, fleshy and with a good blood supply. Probably not a vet job, unless the swelling becomes extensive widespread, which would indicate an infection.
 
Nah It's not too bad, give it a good scrub clean and I would either put terramycin spray on it ( the blue or purple dye always makes the owners feel better because you can see it!! ) trouble is the dye lasts alot longer than the effect of the antibiotic.... or just keep puffing it with wound powder! Not sure if you can buy Negasunt powder over the counter?? but thats what we use on open wounds with flystrike, (its just a powder).

As regards it being too late to suture, its never too late to suture, all the vet will do is get a scalpel blade and debride it, basically scratch it around and make it bleed and cut the edges off so they are fresh. But I really wouldn't be calling a vet unless you get an infection... just keep it clean and dry! XX

To check for infection, check for swelling and heat down the leg, lameness.. temp etc XX
 
Its a through the skin cut so is suturable, but it has been open a bit to long and had so much gunk in it now so wouldnt be advisable to stitch it.
Tbh where it is im not sure stitches would hold .
If you dont get antibiotic cover especially in this hot weather with all the flies around id think its a prime candidate to get infected.
It doesnt look onfected in the photo, but infection is secondary and may not show up for a couple of days.
Will it heal ? Yes if it doesnt get infected, you just need to make your mind up if you want to wait and see if thatll happen or get antibi cover and anti inflammatory meds to help prevent it
 
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