PADDOCK WOUNDS

As horse owners it is inevitable that at some point you will head out to the paddock to visit your horse only to be confronted by a grisly paddock wound, whether a few days old or new, or be watching on as a seemingly innocent situation suddenly ends in injury. Whilst wounds and lacerations can be alarming and tend to create distress for owners, it is important to remember that with a calm and level-headed approach you can greatly improve the success of any treatment that may be required.

• Assess the injury and gather information,

• Involve your vet early with a text or phone call,

• Prevent blood loss as required, and

• Clean the wound and manage until treatment is decided.

It can be difficult but take a deep breath, put aside emotion and approach the injury with a clear strategy:

Some basic knowledge around how to make an assessment, a good working relationship with your vet, and a well-stocked but simple first aid kit is really all that is needed to ensure the best outcome for your horse. By staying calm and being organised you can likely have the situation under control quickly and effectively.

First and foremost, decide if the injury is an emergency. Emergencies are based on the animal’s immediate welfare and a simple decision can be made on whether blood loss is extreme (it is flowing faster than a garden hose, or at a great distance), the animal is in unbearable pain and deteriorating rapidly, or the injury involves an eye, tendon or joint. In these instances, it is reasonable to request emergency assistance from your vet.

However, the overwhelming percentage of paddock wounds fall into the category of same day or next day treatment. Some basic guidelines to help you determine if the wound needs to be seen that day:

• Eyes, joints and tendons are considered urgent and should at least be assessed the same day. Left unattended these injuries can deteriorate quickly.

• Leg wounds are the most common, but in the case of legs, injuries sustained to the front of the leg are often less serious than those to the back of the leg. The back of the leg involves tendons and structures that may present difficulties if untreated.

• Wounds to the body are not as serious as leg wounds, however they typically respond better to being sutured in which case should be seen to by the vet the same day.

The reality is that whilst they can be unsightly and alarming, lacerations and paddock injuries are rarely true emergencies. There are exceptions to this of course as a catastrophic wound can cause fatal haemorrhage before help arrives, however in most cases same day or next day treatment is perfectly adequate so your role following the discovery of an injury becomes focused on triage and assessing the wound, stopping any major blood loss and cleaning it up in preparation for the vet’s assessment and/or treatment.

If the wound is bleeding with any significance, then it is important to stop the blood flow. This doesn’t require a full bandaging if the location of the wound does not allow and often applying pressure with clean towels will suffice and slow the blood enough for you to begin cleaning the area.

Your vet will appreciate your information gathering, including clear and close photographs of the injury and they will use it to guide you on the next stages of cleaning and dressing the wound, deciding the best course of action throughout the hours and days that follow, including what products are recommended (if you’re treating yourself) and which to avoid. The point is simple, together you can decide what is best for your horse, if you’re able to provide factual, clear information and the best way to do this is to stay as calm as possible.

It is very likely that you will be required to administer initial first aid at this point and a basic first aid kit for lacerations is vital. Keep it stocked and keep it handy, which includes taking it with you whilst travelling with your horse. You do not need every lotion and potion, but for simple triage purposes it should contain:

• Clean towels or pressure bandage to stop blood flow

• A bucket or container to transport clean water and/or mix cleaning solution

• Plenty of cotton wool or gauze for cleaning the wound

• Betadine/povidone iodine for cleaning

• Cotton dressing roll to apply before bandaging

• Several cohesive and adhesive bandages

• Scissors

If the wound is bleeding with any significance, then it is important to stop the blood flow. This doesn’t require a full bandaging if the location of the wound does not allow and often applying pressure with clean towels will suffice and slow the blood enough for you to begin cleaning the area.

It’s a good reminder now to take another breath. If you’re not good with blood, just remember that often when you begin to clean a wound it may in fact bleed more and look worse than it actually is. Using plenty of clean water, or saline, flush the wound thoroughly and clean any contamination or debris from the injury. Do not rub or pull too harshly and don’t be tempted to cut away any tissue –it may be needed to stitch the wound closed. Follow with an antiseptic cleanse of diluted betadine/povidone iodine. Be liberal with the cleansing process - it is better to be thorough. Pat the entire wound site dry with a clean towel.

If the vet is attending later that day or the next, a simple dressing of cotton padding secured with bandages is sufficient and you can monitor your horse for any signs of change until he or she arrives. Sometimes the location of the injury prevents bandaging or there is a trick to getting the dressing to stay in place comfortably. Given the variables and many injury types, your vet can advise you what is appropriate in your situation.

A note on treatment options and the importance of choosing an experienced vet.

When it comes to wounds there is a lack of evidence-based data to guide treatment. Put simply there are no hard and fast rules that dictate treatment because no two wounds are the same. Many factors come into play when deciding on the correct treatment approach: the site of the wound, the tissue and structures that have been damaged, the health and age of the horse, the desired outcome of treatment. These complexities and how they come together highlight the importance of choosing an experienced vet capable of determining the best treatment.

Often well intentioned owners, armed with an abundance of products and advice from peers, can set about treating the injury themselves without the initial consultation with their vet. While it isn’t always necessary for your vet to attend or even administer treatment, we always recommend at least a simple exchange to decide on the best course of action. While it makes us feel better by applying a range of products to a wound, or fussing over it multiple times a day, we can often over complicate treatment and prolong healing.

Dr Bruno Ros, Senior Veterinarian at North East Equine Vets, runs regular webinars covering a range of common health issues, treatments and general advice for horse owners. Be sure to follow North East Equine Veterinary Services on Facebook for information on the next webinar.

Dr Bruno D Ros BVetBio BVSc Hons Veterinarian, North East Equine Veterinary Services

I’ve been a vet for 11 years, graduating with first class honours from Charles Sturt University and have worked in the Snowy Mountains and Northern Rivers of NSW. I am predominantly an equine vet (surgery, medicine, reproduction) but also do plenty of cattle work and other farm animals (sheep, goats, alpacas).

www.neequinevets.com.au