Tips on how to hold a horse for wound treatment?

[missdixie]

I am having such a difficult time trying to keep Dixie still to treat her wound. She will let me hose it but that's about it. If I even act like I'm going towards her leg she starts flipping out. I really need to clean all that crusted drainage off her cannon bone and apply some Equaide to her wound. Any tips that I could try to get her to cooperate? She is really fearful of having it messed with at all....she will either stomp and run around her stall or threaten to kick ( hasn't actually kicked ) and swing her butt around or she will hike her leg up like she has stringhalt to try to get away, which causes her to fall down. It is such a mess trying to get her taken care of. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[WashingtonBay]

Sometimes, you can have success if you can get someone to hold the opposite leg up. She can't lift them both at the same time.

I wouldn't do it in a stall, personally. I'd do it in the open. If she's going to kick or rock and roll, you need to be able to get away, not be smashed against a wall.

[alittleoffkey]

Do you have a twitch? If not, you can just have someone hold her nose as though their hand was a twitch - it'll keep her attention elsewhere (at least for a short while). If she moves, then they should hold tighter. I have to do that with Legacy for the vet to give him shots... or else his head shoots up so far my feet wind up in the air. :doh:

On edit: I agree with WB, don't do it in a stall, that's asking for issues. You can get cornered really easily in a stall. :(

[vicklynn]

Do you clean her feet? If you can, hose her, then ignore her, then after a bit, walk up to her with brushes and a hoof pick, act like your gonna clean feet, ie..do one before you go to the problem leg.

And I agree, do not do this in a stall with your horse.

If that dont work, try the idea about having someone hold up the opposite leg.

[WashingtonBay]

Just make sure whoever is assisting is both strong and fairly savvy. It's got it's share of risks.

Given the difficulty, I might prioritize... hose it... best you can, forget about the crusty stuff, it'll fall off on it's own, get a spray type medicine to put on it so you aren't needing to touch it.

[missdixie]

Spraying seems to go over a little easier with her, I wonder if I can dilute the Equaide a little more and spray it on? Anyone know? It's water based and they say if it dries out to add more water, it just looks like liquid clay. Maybe I can try that?

[WashingtonBay]

What is it a cream? It'd be worth a shot.

[missdixie]

It's like a cream, yes. Moreso like a paste maybe, but it is pretty thin. It looks like creamy charcoal. But it dries into a clay like crust over the wound.... maybe I should try it? I will just try it with a little because I bought this tiny little jar of the stuff and it was $35 so I don't want to waste it if it won't work that way!

[cyb]

What about Scarlett oil, you could spray it on.

[JackieB]

That's a tough situation and can get extremely dangerous in an instant. If someone knows how to twitch her, that could work as ALOK said. But even applying a twitch can be very difficult. And I'll never touch one of those short-handled metal ones again. I will only consider a twitch that has a long wooden handle. I saw a friend get hurt with the other kind.

I am able to calm Buster down by walking him. Could you walk along beside her and apply a little as you go along? Moving his feet helps him relieve stress.

The spray bottle is a great idea. That might be your best one yet. I know you can spray DermaGel and that stuff is fantastic. You need a vet to prescribe it, but it's great stuff for the kind of wound she has.

Otherwise, I might just try to let it heal. She may not let you near.

[lovesfortune]

when reggie got injured we used wonder dust on him and that really worked. it's a powder so you can just sqeeze the bottle and it comes out and you don't have to touch the wound at all.

good luck. good advice from everyone else. i never thought about holding and opposite leg up with reggie.

[missdixie]

Thanks guys, I might just have to leave it alone for awhile like JackieB said.... I did put some Wonderdust on it this morning and she threw a fit, I think it really burns. I might try it a couple more times though because the wound is still really wet and I need it to start drying out so it can heal. I can always use the Equaide when it's more healed up. It is definitely safer to puff or spray something because you can do it from a little more of a distance.

[Tiz]

Get some Ace. If you don't know how to give it IV, you can put it in the muscle. If you don't know how to give shots, you can give it orally. IM and orally take longer to work, but are nearly as effective as IV.

[missdixie]

I would totally try some ACE, but my vet would NEVER give it to me even though I could easily administer it. She would be like "I need to come out for a farm call".... Then she'd charge me $250.

[RipSpark]

Most vets will let you pick that up in their office. On a few occasions I have asked for same ace or other medicine and they just have it at the front so the vet doesn't have to come out.

[Palogal]

Do you have a twitch? If not, you can just have someone hold her nose as though their hand was a twitch - it'll keep her attention elsewhere (at least for a short while). If she moves, then they should hold tighter. I have to do that with Legacy for the vet to give him shots... or else his head shoots up so far my feet wind up in the air. :doh:

On edit: I agree with WB, don't do it in a stall, that's asking for issues. You can get cornered really easily in a stall. :(


I agree, a twitch works well for horses that don't like needles and need shots and such, I'd try that.

[Palogal]

I would totally try some ACE, but my vet would NEVER give it to me even though I could easily administer it. She would be like "I need to come out for a farm call".... Then she'd charge me $250.

What? A vet that won't give it to you? ACE doesn't always work either. It sometimes has a reverse effect and I would think that's more trouble than you want to go through every time you clean it.

[elevenelevenxo]

At my old barn the mare I leased injured her coronet/pastern and was bad about letting us change the wrap. A twitch is what it took to calm her down. All it does is relase endorphins in the brain that calms the horse down. :) It's not as bad as it looks.

[elevenelevenxo]

I would totally try some ACE, but my vet would NEVER give it to me even though I could easily administer it. She would be like "I need to come out for a farm call".... Then she'd charge me $250.

Yeesh....vets....heck ANYONE of any sort of profession that does that just annoys the crap out of me. :( Like, don't they understand they'll get so much more business if people know they're honest and then recommend them to everyone they know? I certainly wouldn't recommend a vet to someone who tries to suck every last penny out of ya.....

[AppyLady]

If it was my horse, I wouldn't mess with it. Wounds will heal faster if we just leave them alone.

[Tiz]

Don't give her the Ace after you get her wound up. Give it to her when she's still relaxed, and wait for it to take effect before you start working on her. It will be more likely to work.
To be honest, this wound doesn't look that bad. Scarlet oil would be a good wound dressing, and you should be able to get at least one well aimed spray on it before she knocks you over.

[Joey A]

Tiz, don't take this as me picking at you because I'm arrogant. But you should not use scarlet oil on the legs.

Scarlet oil is actually used to stimulate granulation tissue. (proud flesh) It's highly reccomended you don't use it on the legs due to the increased risk. It's great for large wounds that you need to close up quick on the body, but can casue problems otherwise. (I was very good friends with my vet, and used to ride with him, most of what we talked about was hoof pathologhy, and wound treatment.

But don't just take my word for it.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2294&S=0&SourceID=69

[westmanfarrier]

MissDixie, I have a product I really like for these instances. It is called Modipher EQ. The product I have left is expired, but the rep told me they had to put an expiration date on the product by law and it seems to still work pretty effectively for me. It is a synthetic pheremone that calms the horse. It makes situations like this a bit better for me. If you want a bottle, I can send one up to you or you are welcome to pick one up.

http://www.smartpakequine.com/productclass.aspx?productclassid=4077

ACE can be a pain in the butt if your horse reacts negatively to it. You also risk infection with a shot.

Does the product you are putting on the wound possibly sting? I know herbal topicals like Schreibers sure stings on an open wound. I am a big fan of Nolvasan for something like this.

[Remali]

I'm not sure about using Wonder Dust.... isn't that more for proud flesh type injuries or am I getting confused with something else? I usually hose it off and clean it out that way, and apply a mild antiseptic from the vet (like Nolvasan), and then let it be. Sometimes too much moisture and water can turn it into proud flesh...... Equaide is mainly to treat proud flesh, is that what she has? Maybe that is too caustic for her and a more mild antiseptic would be better....I'd discuss it with your vet.
Maybe a more mild form of treatment would work better, something that is more soothing....my vet had me use this on my horse....Nolvasan ointment.

http://www.healthypets.com/noloin7oz.html

[Kowgirlkate]

What i saw in a horsemans book was have somebody back your horse against a sturdy ( not wire!) fence and apply the med from the other side.
Being that i usually work alone with my horses and have had an experience like you describe, what i did was fake the horse out like I was grooming it, and then in my tote I had a new sponge toilet scrubber, dab the cream on the sponge and then dab it on the wound, and go back to grooming like nothing happened. It's over before they realize what happened and eventually they stop making a big deal of it if you dont. I hope that helps, good luck!

[Tiz]

I didn't know that, wf. Thanks.

Just a note about proud flesh. It's not a bad thing. It's nature's way of closing wounds quickly. It's the overgrowth of it that is a concern. If that happens, and topicals don't get a handle on it, a vet can take care of it for you.

[offgridgirl]

Lots of great advise!! I use 10%saline solution in spray bottle to rinse away any debris. I will also groom and then 3 spritzes and then back to grooming.;)

[Lynn_70]

Try clicker training to reward her for standing still when you move near the wound, then gradually progress until you touch it. She may not pick it up fast enough to be effective in treating this wound quickly but will know it for next time. Also there is the "Stabilizer" mechanism that also releases endorphins and helps calm horses down similar to a twitch but with a significantly lower amount of pain.

[westmanfarrier]

I didn't know that, wf. Thanks.

Just a note about proud flesh. It's not a bad thing. It's nature's way of closing wounds quickly. It's the overgrowth of it that is a concern. If that happens, and topicals don't get a handle on it, a vet can take care of it for you.

There is a difference between granulation tissue and proud flesh. Granulation tissue is what we want in healing, proud flesh is the unwanted extra. The cause of proud flesh is foreign material from the initial injury that may be still in the wound, contaminants from the environment and wounds becoming infected with bacteria and fungi. Some disinfectants may inhibit wound healing and promote proud flesh. If wounds become infected, they will not heal properly and will respond by the growth of excessive granulation tissue.

[miatapony]

do you have a gate that opens both ways if so you can try to use it like a chute but easier to let go if needed . i had to use use it on a mare i had years ago with my mom she wraped her hind leg in barb wire fenceing the new next door neighbor put up . she would rather kick my head off then to let me touch it let alone clean it. i used bagbalm and scarlett oil on it and it was a beautifull heal i wish i had the pics to show ill try to get them from mom. just be safe.

[missdixie]

Okay thanks for all the advice guys. I left it alone for 3 days, and now it just looks super disgusting. I absolutely have to clean it. I bought a twitch today ( scissor style with rubber coating ) and I am going for it tonight. I have 2 strong men that can help me with her, but I am hoping the twitch will help alot- I've never used one. This is what I plan on doing to it: cleaning with a big sponge and warm water, remove stitches if possible, then apply thin layer of Equaide and a non stick pad, then wrap it with gauze to soak up the exudate and vet wrap it. I don't know if I can actually get it done... we'll see. I think it will be hard to wrap it but if I can clean it out and get the Equaide on that's the most important. The other thing I'm worried about is the stress that all this messing with her will have on our bond. I figure I can go out and just hang out with her every other day, and go out and change the wrap ( God willing ) every other day. I was thinking about polo wrapping that leg below the bandage to try and keep the bandage from slipping, anyone have an opinion on that? I just really need to clean it well and get the Equaide on it so it can heal. It's got nasty chunky scabs all over the place, but the wound is still dripping because she is constantly bending her leg, even on stall rest, and she lays down to sleep which reopens it.

BTW Shane- I'll see how things go tonight, if she is still a maniac I will call you and see if I can pick up some of that Modipher on my way down to the base tomorrow.... Thanks :)

[Joey A]

Eeek, don't try pulling stitches, that will most likely not turn out well. Not so much because it will effect healing so much as it's gonna hurt, probably all four of you, but especially her. I'd leave them until shes not sensitive to the touch before trying to pull them. They most likely wouldn't hurt anything staying in.

[alittleoffkey]

Ditto WF on the stitches. I hope everything works out tonight. :)

[IrisGreen]

I have no idea if it's a good idea to pull stitches or not but they don't hurt when you pull them. I pulled my own when I was a teen. It felt better with them out actually, no more pulling. They were on my knee and kept opening so I pulled them, stuck a band-aid on and went about my business. It healed up but it did leave a little scare, most likely because I never put any ointment on it or fussed over it make sure it stayed clean.

I hope all goes well and you can distract her. I sure hope it works and no one gets hurt.

Muffin pulled this kind of thing on me when he got thrush. He didn't want me cleaning it out or treating it. He would pull his back hoof or step over so I couldn't ask for it. As soon as I would go to bend down he would side step or If I was lucky to pick it up he would pull it away after a second or two.

I got sick of that real fast so every time he avoided me or pulled his foot I held my arm up and sent him away to lunge around me on a 14 foot lead line. After a few laps, asked for a stop and tryed again. Then repeated if he wouldn't cooperate. After about 3 times he figured out the only reason I was lunging him is because he wouldn't let me have his leg. He didn't try it again and was fine from that day on to just stand there and let me do what I needed too.

ETA: Muffin is lazy and hates getting in trouble that's why lunging him worked. If your horse is already hyper then this might not be the right thing to try. Plus, it depends on if its safe to lunge them with there injury or not.