How could this injury have happened - WARNING pictures included

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vennessa

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This injury is now 1 week old. It is on the hind leg. Three injuries to the bone cuttting round to the inside of the leg. The field has been scoured since the injury was done and nothing found.
We have had a suggestion but wondered if anyone had seen a similar injury. How did it turn out? Did it heal? How long did it take? How did you care for it?
It happened in the evening two hours after i left. I would not normally have returned but thankfully i did. The vet was called imediately called.
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What has been suggested sickens me. I don't wish to jump to conclusions thow.
The pics have come up big and blurred, i hope you can make them out. The edges are clean cut but a chunk of flesh is missing.
Suggestions on how it could have been caused apreciated. All injuries are to the front going to the inside of the hind leg
 
What sort of fencing surrounds the field?

Was it clean when the vet cleaned it out- ie did he find anything in there to suggest what type of material caused it?

Photos arent very cear, how straight are the edges of the wounds?
 
It is post and rail fencing with electric around the top to keep them off. All fenceing was untouched. The edges are clean cut not jagged etc. No debri was in the wound.
Sorry about the quality of pics they realy do not help. I have been trying to change them to make them smaller.
 
A horse of ours had a very similar injury to the front leg right on the knee, it was done charging round the field believe it or not!
we pressure bandaged it for three months, changing the bandage four times a day and kept her in for six months, eventualy letting her out into a small pen for a few hours a day to stop her splitting it.
It really was an horrific injury, but she has virtualy no scar at all it was really hard work tho, for a year or two after it healed we applied tea tree oil to the scar area every time both before and after she was ridden.
I wouldnt like to say for certain but you really need to bandage it to stop any proud flesh from forming and to keep the wound closed, we had ours on antibiotics for about three months ( it cost a fortune!) but she got no infection. Plus very liberal application of dermobian! We layed fucidin tulle over the wound, then gauze,then cotton wool, then some stuff like vetwrap but thinner and more flexible, then stable bandages. later we just used an epson salts and glycerine poultice to keep it clean and supple, however if you dont know what you are doing 100% with pressure bandaging you can cause serious problems so always take advice
even with this injury she went on to compete sucessfully eventing up to intermediate, ten years on she is now a smashing brood mare living happily at home!
 
I have heard of very nasty injuries with the thin electric rope type of fencing but I would think that if she had got tangled in this you would see an after effect on the fence. Must have been a bit of a shock to find her. Healing vibes for her.
 
No real suggestions as to how it may have happened but I would strongly recommend a hydrotherapy spa as treatment. It helps to prevent proud flesh, promotes healing and also helps to keep infection at bay.

Plus if you are insured then insurance companies will generally cover the cost.
 
i have seen something that looks just like it before, and if its the same then that was caused something similar to a craft knife, extremely sharp and able to cut to the bone in one "swipe".
i am really sorry, but thats what it looks like, and if the blade was held at an angle it would explain the missing flesh.
if this IS whats happened i hope to god you catch the scummy *insert choice of word* and inflict the same on their faces.
recovery took months but the scarring was minimal (amazing considering...) it was more the mental trauma, the horse was terrified of people for a long time after
 
Hi,

I,m sorry but I would tend to agree with Joeanne. It is difficult to tell from the pictures but if they are clean straight edged cuts with flesh missing then this would suggest to me an implement was used.

I think you need to be pushing your vet or getting an expert to look at the injuries and tell you what could have caused them.

I know you probably dont want to think about this, but if it is suggested that someone is responsible for causing this to your horse you should be thinking about reporting it to the police.
 
I first thought barbed wire but obviously it can't be that if there isn't any in the field. I don't know about a stanley knife attack. Would they be able to slash so low on a horse's leg? Wouldn't they just slash the chest/face/neck that was easier to reach and wouldn't be likely to get them a savage kick too? Is the horse edgy round people? Is the field near a road or easy to get to? Kids been hanging around recently? It coudn't be a snare or trap put down for rabbits or badgers could it? Not sure if the field backs onto land where this might be a regular thing. There are some brutal nutters about. It's certainly horrendous and a warning to all horse owners. You can ask your vets for copper sulphate to apply to the wound to stop proud flesh - worked a treat for my friend's TB after a nasty hock injury. Please let us know how the horse gets on x
 
i dont know if you have ever caught yourself on something as fine as a craft knife, or surgical blade but often you dont realise what you have done until you see the blood.
that is the reason most stab victims are unaware they have been injured, they merely think they have been thumped.
 
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