Stupid horse has ripped a chunk of heal off!

[Ginn]

Turn my back on her for 30 secs while mucking out and the stupid creature has climbed into the half full wheelbarrow - turned around to see her attempting to get foot number 4 in (other 3 already in)!! As the whole lot went flying!

Que butter wouldn't melt, "it wasn't me mum, honest!" look and trundle over to pic it all up again when I notice blood oozing from the back of her near fore heal! Take her in, hose it off and she has take a nice chunk/slice of heal off that is hanging on by about 1cm along the bottom and half a cm up either side leaving about 1cm square of heal exposed underneath!!!

Clean it all up and bellow across to Mickeys yard for mum to come over and help! Blood has now stopped and it appears to be a nice clean wound.

Then much deliberation as to how to treat it - its quite superficial, no more bleeding, tiniest bit of heat immediately over wound but none surrounding it, no swelling and madam is 100% sound and is more interested in trying to hop 3 legged (injured hoof in my hand!) across the yard to hoover up the remains of her tea that she'd thrown there earlier! Decide to clean it all up, smear on antispetic cream, following by honey stuff and a big smear of petroleum jelly across the top and pop her in an empty (no bed) stable while I finnish mucking out, filling water etc and see how she is after 30 mins.

Again, totally sound, no blood, barely any heat and a frustrated Tilly as she was not amused at being put in! Decide therefore that as she'll be quieter out and as she can get filled legs if she's kept in with a knock to a leg, to boot her out for the night and reassess in the am (vet has said that with her, unless she needs to rest due to a strain etc she's best out anyway!) Haven't bandaged as not had an injury like this before and I cannot see how to safely bandage it and keep the bandage in place, but again will review in the am - our fields are dry, flat, mud free (just flattened dry mud near gate) and has short grass so she should keep it quite clean - definately no worse than if on a straw bed. And mum was fairly adament that as it wasn't oozing anything it was best to let the air at it so it can dry up and crust over.

Farrier is up on wed so assuming no other problems will ask him to trim off dead skin for me so she doesn't catch it again!

Sorry for the ramble - just couldn't believe it!!! Bloody horse

Any suggestions of anything else I should be doing will be gratefully received!

 

[pagancluf]

Sudacream!!! - used for years - excellent for nappy rash and totally waterproof - use for injuries where mud may come into contact - but need to apply daily after washing and drying the area.
She sounds like a right little tinker bless her!!!

 

[RachelB]

Sounds a bit like the injury my friend's horse got yesterday. He's in at the moment due to an abcess in one front foot, and we think he fell over in the stable while pratting about and stressing as his friend was turned out, and took a chunk of heel off just below the coronary band on the other foot. Got vet out who said as it was below the coronary she couldn't stitch it so instead she cut the flap off, stuck some melolin dressing on it and gave him some antibiotics and anti-tet. YO (who usually advises us mere mortals on what to do with wounds etc) was out and said she was glad owner got the vet, as infection in that sort of place would be very troublesome. So maybe worth sticking some melolin/similar on it? Especially as Tilly is out?
Poor you though! We've got it all at our yard at the mo (out of eight horses only three have had no problems in the last week!) so I can sympathise!

 

[Ginn]

Yep, below the coronary band! Hows the best way to keep melonin on it in that place though? A bandage and duct tape? Will definately get the vet out if it swells or becomes warmer - I don't want to be dealing with a nasty infection if I can help it.

 

[RachelB]

My friend has been just sticking some vetwrap around a strip of melolin, then an over reach boot over the top. She has been using tape on the other foot so definately has some, just chooses not to put it on the cut foot and it stays on fine as far as I know, it gets changed every day when she re-poultices the abcess. He's not lame on it and hasn't had any heat or swelling on it (despite the extra pressure from being lame on the opposite leg) so as long as you keep an eye on it like you said and call vet if needed, I imagine it should be fine! Don't forget if you do use melolin, shiny side to the wound! (This really confused my friend who didn't have her glasses with her so couldn't read the packaging, but was totally thrown by the vet telling her to put it on this way, and now can't remember which one of melolin and animalintex goes up which way lol!)
Hope she gets better soon