Horse IQ

If you’re on a trail and your horse gets a cut that’s deeper than it is wide, he’s got a classic puncture wound. And regardless of how he got it, a puncture wound could represent a horse health problem for both of you. The good news is there’s a lot you can do while you’re still in the field to minimize this risk . All you need is a little know-how.

A puncture wound can happen at any time. And for any number of reasons. Perhaps your horse got too close to a barbed-wire fence. Or maybe he was poked by a sharp stick on the trail, or maybe a piece of broken glass.

Not only is a puncture wound painful for your horse, it’s also a haven for harmful bacteria. If left untreated, the skin around the wound area can seal the bacteria-ridden foreign matter inside.

This can cause an abscess - a hot, deep-seated, swollen infection. Loaded with pus and painful to touch. That is what you’re trying to avoid, if at all possible.

Stop The Bleeding

But if you know how to treat a puncture wound in the field, you can greatly reduce the chances of developing complications later on. The first thing you need to deal with is bleeding.

Bleeding isn’t always a bad thing. Some bleeding actually helps flush the wound of whatever is left that caused the puncture in the first place. You want to get that foreign matter out. But after that, you need to get the bleeding stopped.

Once you get the bleeding is under control, you want to clean the wound. That means you want to find a water source as soon as you can. A creek with a moderately strong current is ideal for this. Or perhaps a bottle of water, if you have one. Steer clear of stagnant water - it’s a breeding ground for bacteria and even insect eggs.

And please, DO NOT spit on a handkerchief and try to clean the wound that way. Yes, I saw John Wayne do it, too, but that was in the movies. Your spit has way more bacteria in it than even the nastiest Georgia swamp water.

How Much Damage Is There?

After you get it clean, you need to decide just how bad the wound really is. If you can see that something has been severed (i.e., cut) like a tendon or a ligament, then you need to call a vet immediately (you did bring your cellphone on the trail ride, didn’t you?). Depending on how bad the injury is, you may not be able to ride him home.

But if it’s the garden variety puncture that we see most often, your next step will be a field dressing (fancy name for a bandage). If you’re in the field and don’t have a horse first aid kit, you may have to get a little creative. I’ve heard of riders getting home with as little as a handkerchief and a rubber band.

Whatever you use, make sure the dressing is firm, but not overly tight. Once your horse starts moving again, the pressure of the dressing will curtail more bleeding so you’ll need to tie something around it to keep it in place. However, you don’t want it so tight that it cuts off your horse’s circulation.

Once you get the wound comfortably covered, you need to head for home.

What To Do Once You Get Him Home

Back at your own barn, you can undress the wound and do a little more damage control. If you weren’t able to clean the wound well in the field, you can now use some soap with water. Just make sure rinse all the residual soap out of the wound before you put a new dressing on it. Like all cleansers, soap is a caustic substance, and you don’t want to leave it in an open wound for a long period of time.

Call your equine vet and tell him what happened. He’ll most likely ask you to describe the wound in detail, so you’ll want to be on your cellphone and in your horse’s stall when you call. If it’s not too serious, he’ll send you to a tack shop for some over-the-counter topical ointment.

Puncture wounds can be a serious horse health threat. Harmful bacteria can invade the wound, causing an abscess or even tetanus. But your knowing how to handle a wound in the field will go a long way to keeping harmful bacteria out of your horse’s system. As always, the benefit to you will be better horse health!
Yours for Better Horse Health,

Sierra Lynch

Tags: Horse Health, Horse Injuries

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