Beauty just got a cut on the inside of her mouth..

[Dakota Sunrise]

Update, post #23


Well Beauty just cut the inside of her mouth, below her bottom teeth, like on the gum line. Not sure how to describe it. I had her at the hitching post and was saddling her up to ride, when she heard these two guys talking (they were out of sight, walking down the dirt road), and it freaked her out (for some reasons strangers that are just in hearing or seeing distance scare her ALOT- long story). She leaped sideways and reared up, pulling backwards against the lead rope, then came back down. I didn't actually see her do it, but I think she must have hit her nose against the hitching post during the freak out. I got her calmed down and took her out to the arena. I didn't notice the cut until I went to put the bit in her mouth (I just had her halter on because she was still spooked, so I lunged her first) and noticed something reddish brown on her lips. I opened her mouth and saw the cut.

It is bleeding, but not like gushing blood. It's hard to see how bad the actual cut, but she is still eating, so that's good, right? But the question is... what do I do now? I can't really think of anything I can do because it's inside her mouth.:(

I had a really hard time holding her, holding her lip up, and taking pics of the injury, so I turned it to video instead because it was a little easier. Turn down your vollume because I'm talking to her and my voice sounds retarded on video for some reason.:rolleyes:

WARNING: the video and pic are a little bit graphic.
Here's the link to the one pic I got. I'm just posting the link in case anyone is sensitive to blood and doesn't want to see it. http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/mouthinjury004.jpg



Video of mouth injury - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

[Arrow]

Ouch! I doubt there's anything you CAN do--but I'll let the more knowledgeable answer. Poor girl! If she's eating, she can't be too bad off!

[Dakota Sunrise]

Yeah, I couldn't think of anything to do for her either, unfortunately.:( I don't even think there's anything a vet can do, and I don't think it's that bad anyway. Does look painful though!:( But she was grabbing big mouthfulls of grass on the way back to the pasture so that's good.

[Arrow]

I'd let her be my guide! Other than stitching, what could be done? That's not feasible there, I wouldn't think. It is ugly though, don't blame you for worrying!

[WashingtonBay]

Yowch. It's hard to see but I know you were doin' the best you can!

I think the amount of blood is perhaps making it look worse than it is, but it's hard from here to tell how big the cut is. Let me ask you this, since you've seen it. If it was anywhere else or on you, a cut that size, would you be concerned enough to call a doctor? Is there any chance it needs to be stitched or is it just a cut that you'd think would heal on it's own?

Will she tolerate a cold hose in her mouth, even on real low? or a turkey baster? That might help get a better look at it if she'd let you. If it's continuing to bleed, I'd stuff something like gauze or even a clean towel or washcloth in there and hold it to stop the bleeding.

The good news is mouth sores tend to have a good blood supply and heal pretty quickly.

[Dakota Sunrise]

I'd let her be my guide! Other than stitching, what could be done? That's not feasible there, I wouldn't think. It is ugly though, don't blame you for worrying!

I feel bad, especially since I didn't realize she's gotten the cut until I went to put her bridle on. I never saw her hit her mouth when she freaked out (but I know she did- I must have just missed that part), so I still took her to the arena and lunged her for a few minutes to see if she had any really bad spooks left, then got her bridle. I just about freaked when I pulled my hand away with blood on it!:eek: Poor Beauty!:(

[Dakota Sunrise]

Yowch. It's hard to see but I know you were doin' the best you can!

Sorry about that. She wasn't real thrilled with the situation and didn't appriciate me holding her lips back.:( Not that I can really blame her. I hate having the orthodontist messing around in my mouth, and the oral surgeon was even worse because it REALLY hurt. So I know how she feels. :(

I think the amount of blood is perhaps making it look worse than it is, but it's hard from here to tell how big the cut is. Let me ask you this, since you've seen it. If it was anywhere else or on you, a cut that size, would you be concerned enough to call a doctor? Is there any chance it needs to be stitched or is it just a cut that you'd think would heal on it's own?

If it was my cut, I'd rinse my mouth out so I could actually tell how bad it was, then probably just pop a tylenol and maybe try to put an ice cube on it. I definately do not think I'd be heading to the ER for sticthes. But I could be wrong..

Will she tolerate a cold hose in her mouth, even on real low? or a turkey baster? That might help get a better look at it if she'd let you. If it's continuing to bleed, I'd stuff something like gauze or even a clean towel or washcloth in there and hold it to stop the bleeding.

Good question. The chances are slim to none, but I'll give it a shot. *runs upstairs to steal mom's turkey baster*:innocent:

The good news is mouth sores tend to have a good blood supply and heal pretty quickly.

Well I'm glad to hear that!

[WashingtonBay]

Don't tell your mother I told you to put her turkey baster in the horse's mouth :innocent:

[vicklynn]

LOL WB.
I sure hope Beauty heals up soon. I have no clue either, other than to use a baster with warm water to wash it out.

[Dakota Sunrise]

Mission accomplished, muhahaha!:cool: I ended up heading out to the pasture with her halter, a syringe (sp?) and a canning jar fill of warm water. Mom said no to the turkey baster- she took one look at my face and said, "what for?" Me: "uhhhhhh....":innocent:

For a brief moment it was hand to hoof combat, but she actually did pretty good. The bleeding had stopped and when I rinsed it out I was able to see the cut better. Looks painful, but not too terrible, IMO.

The pics make it look worse then it is, because the water made a little more blood start running. But the actual cut is fairly small, about the size of my fingernail (and my nails are short;)).

Links to pics:

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/mouthcut003.jpg

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc148/dakota_92_2007/mouthcut002.jpg

ETA: the good news is she was out grazing with Dakota, so she definately isn't having too much trouble eating. :)

[WashingtonBay]

Well, it's a pretty good split there, but she'll probably live. I'd look for it to look a lot better tomorrow, then see.


Mom said no to the turkey baster- she took one look at my face and said, "what for?" Me: "uhhhhhh....":innocent:

D'Oh - the plan is foiled by mom being in the kitchen. :doh:

[OwnedByOurHorses]

it doesn't look all that bad.. if she is grazing and that is not irritating and making it bleed i would just keep a close eye on it......A few years ago another boarder where I was boarding fed my mare some alfalfa cubes and she ended up cutting up her gum line pretty good vet just had us flush her mouth with a hose and keep a close eye on it.

[WashingtonBay]

Is she up to date on tetanus? That would be the only thing I'd worry about, not knowing how deep it is...

[laredo454]

Wow. Looks ouchy. Call your vet, email him the video or something and see what he says. He knows your horsey a lot better than me xD

[HeartofSteel]

Ouchy, poor Beauty. I think I would just keep rinsing it... actually if you mixed up some warm salt water and squirted in on there that should help alot. I know salt helps in healing I my orthodontis used to tell me to rinse with salt wate when my braces would cut my cheeks and lips.

[Miracle Whip]

I would not worry about it. Cuts or anything around the mouth, or head tend to be messy. They look worse than they really are.

When we trimmed the horse's hooves I put Whip back in the pen. He still had his halter on, and got caught somehow on the round pen gate. He really pulled it back because his hoof was caught between the rails. It was my fault for leaving his halter on and his for pawing in the mud and losing his footing.

Anyway, he bumped his eye in the process and it started bleeding. Not the eye itself, but the lid. Dumb things happen, horses are like children. I don't know why she'd freak out though, if she has been to as many horse shows as the previous owners say she has. Were they making a lot of noise, like rustling? Maybe that is what scared her and not their voices. The flight versus fight thing.

I had to wash out Shay's mouth with a garden hose when he was sick. Amazingly enough he tolerated it very well. You could try, if you wanted to, but I wouldn't unless you bathe her a lot with a hose. How about a couple of nice juicy apples?

[Dakota Sunrise]

Well I checked on her again after I had rinsed her mouth and posted the second pictures. It isn't bleeding anymore and looks like it's clotting up, and she's eating like normal. So I'm not *too* overly worried. The time she got that cut above her eye scared me more.:rolleyes: My poor accident prone baby.:(

The vet's office was closed by the time this happened, and I don't think this could be considered an emergency so I didn't try to contact the on-call vet.... if there is an on-call vet.:huh: I've never had to call a vet out for an emergency during none-business hours, so I'm just guessing. *knocks on wood*
So for now I'm just going to keep a close eye on it, and continue to rinse it with warm water. I thought about the salt thing but I didn't know if that would be good for her, or how she'd react to salt water.

I'll keep you guys posted.:)

[laredo454]

Well I checked on her again after I had rinsed her mouth and posted the second pictures. It isn't bleeding anymore and looks like it's clotting up, and she's eating like normal. So I'm not *too* overly worried. The time she got that cut above her eye scared me more.:rolleyes: My poor accident prone baby.:(

The vet's office was closed by the time this happened, and I don't think this could be considered an emergency so I didn't try to contact the on-call vet.... if there is an on-call vet.:huh: I've never had to call a vet out for an emergency during none-business hours, so I'm just guessing. *knocks on wood*
So for now I'm just going to keep a close eye on it, and continue to rinse it with warm water. I thought about the salt thing but I didn't know if that would be good for her, or how she'd react to salt water.

I'll keep you guys posted.:)

That's gooood. It's always good to be safe than sorry. Right when Laredo showed signs of pain in his eye, we immediately called the vet and explained the situation and she decided that it'd be best to check it out asap, and came out within an hour, and thus got the news it was just a cornea ulcer, but still, it left me a lot more in ease knowing that I have medicine to treat it. That was during hours though. Maybe tomorrow call her/him just to get her opinon?

[Equine_Woman]

I wouldn't worry too much. The mouth heals quickly. Just check on it every day and try and keep it as clean as possible. . (ie check to make sure she's not storing her nuts there for winter) and she should be fine in no time!

[AUEquine]

You did the right thing, just rinse it out! I wouldn't rinse it anymore after this thought, you don't want to impead the healing that is begining. All wounds on the head heal really fast and really well, especially in the mouth. We have young horses knock teeth out all the time, lots of blood, really ugly. But they're usually just fine the next day.

Best thing to do now, is just keep and eye on her. If you start noticing her not wanting to eat, or a foul infected smell coming from her mouth (trust me it will knock you down), that's when you need to call a vet. But for now, just let her heal herself!

Don't beat yourself up, as most of the vets here say "All horses are born looking for a way to hurt themselves!"

[Dakota Sunrise]

You did the right thing, just rinse it out! I wouldn't rinse it anymore after this thought, you don't want to impead the healing that is begining.

Good tip!:) Why didn't I think of that? *smack self in head*


Best thing to do now, is just keep and eye on her. If you start noticing her not wanting to eat, or a foul infected smell coming from her mouth (trust me it will knock you down), that's when you need to call a vet. But for now, just let her heal herself!

That's my plan! :) I'm pretty sure she'll be fine, but I'll definately keep checking her. I was planning on riding her tomorrow, but now I don't know if I should; maybe her mouth is sore. I'll have to see how it looks tomorrow.

Don't beat yourself up, as most of the vets here say "All horses are born looking for a way to hurt themselves!"

Thanks.:) I have to admit that Beauty is an expert on hurting herself.:rolleyes:

[cloedoll]

Is she up to date on tetanus? That would be the only thing I'd worry about, not knowing how deep it is...

Good question, WB.

[Dakota Sunrise]

Update:

I looked at her cut this morning and it looks pretty good. No blood at all, doesn't look infected. She did have a little bit of grain stuck in it.. should I rinse that out with the syringe if she doesn't get it out herself?
Also, she ate her feed with no problem at all, wolfed down her Flex Wafer cookie, and when I left her she was munching away on hay. So she definately isn't have any trouble eating!:cool: She is very serious about her food, lol.:rolleyes::p xD

[WashingtonBay]

Yeah - I'd probably rinse or wipe that out... I mean... she doesn't exactly have fingers to pick her teeth with. :)

[Arrow]

Thanks for the update, glad she's doing o.k.:)

[jeezitsjacki]

ouch! glad she is eating.. I would continue to rinse it out.. kinda like when we got our wisdom teeth out and we had to rinse out the cuts to prevent infection. I would rinse it out like 2-3 times per day until it starts scabbing over.

WB had a good question.. is she up to date on her tetnus?

[Dakota Sunrise]

I would continue to rinse it out.. kinda like when we got our wisdom teeth out and we had to rinse out the cuts to prevent infection. I would rinse it out like 2-3 times per day until it starts scabbing over.

Good point, except I never rinsed out my the cuts very much when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. It hurt too much.:o
I tried to rinse it out today and she figured out that if she put her head way up in the air, I'm too short to reach it.:rolleyes: I'm going to go out with my water and syringe in a little bit and try again. Last time she let me do it when we were in the pasture so I'll try it there again.

[JackieB]

Mom said no to the turkey baster- she took one look at my face and said, "what for?"

"Because WashingtonBay told me to! Got a problem with that? Huh?! Well if you do, you can just take it up with her because I don't have time right now."

Tee! Hee! Just kidding. :):):):) We wouldn't want to cause any problems on the home front.

[JackieB]

It doesn't look too bad. However, I would want to know that she is up to date on her tetanus vaccine. Do you get a tetanus vaccine with her yearly shots?

There is another safety reminder in this, though. Never tie a horse to anything that isn't super-sturdy. If she wasn't on a hitching post, she could have pulled whatever she was tied to right out of the ground and into her face. Or, when it broke, she could have gone over backwards from the pulling force before she could stop herself and landed on who knows what, or even you if you happened to be behind her. Good job for having her tied to a strong post.

[laredo454]

Glad to here she's doing ok. But I gotta be a pest and ask too, is she up to date on her tetanus?

[laredo454]

I'm taking it that its a no? Cause you haven't replied yet;)

[Arrow]

I'm taking it that its a no? Cause you haven't replied yet;)

You know, it's time for you to give up on this thread and go post somewhere else, laredo. It's gettin' old.

[jeezitsjacki]

well isnt it a valid question? We have asked several time.. if beauty gets an infection it could turn into something serious. I think we all just care about beauties health

[Ryle]

A wound in the mouth is less likely to be a place where the bacteria that causes tetanus could enter the body. A puncture wound on the foot or low on the leg is more of a risk for tetanus.

I would definitely be rinsing her mouth out daily after feeding her to help minimize contamination of the wound and remove large food debris from it.