Leg Wound
EE
sary, trim the hair away from the wound edges and carefully
pick out any loose hairs, grass, wood chips, etc. from
the wound area. If it is “attached”, do NOT remove it and
let the veterinarian take care of its placement or removal.
When you are sure that there are no foreign bodies in the
wound, cleansing can commence. Under the advice of
your veterinarian, you can use an antiseptic wash (e.g.
chlorhexidine or betadine). Do not apply sprays, powders,
glues, “second skin” products or other wound products until
the wound is thoroughly cleaned and examined. If applied
before the wound is thoroughly cleaned, the wound may
be sealed shut with contaminates still inside. Additionally,
do not hose it out with the garden hose. Water pressure
from the hose can force contaminates further into the
wound and complicate the healing process. Finally, look
the horse over carefully to make sure this is the only wound
area and that less obvious areas of injury have not been
missed. This is very important and is routinely skipped in the
confusion of the other wounds present. Remember, one
and done is not always the actuality.
Most wounds are fairly minor in nature; however certain areas
of injury always warrant a veterinary examination due
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to the anatomical locations.
Call the veterinarian when it:
• Involves the lower limb below the knee or hock
• Involves a puncture wound
• Penetrates or is near a joint
• It is severely contaminated with foreign matter
• Penetrates the hoof
• Is large enough to require stitches or staples
• Involves underlying tissues beneath the skin
Keep in mind that stitching, if needed, should be done
ASAP so that healing is optimal. Once air exposed for any
length of time, the outer skin edges dry out and die making
the edges unable to heal together. The veterinarian must
then freshen the edges by removing dead tissue thus it
may not have the same overall healing results.
Part 2 of this series explains on going wound care.
TO CALL OR NOT TO CALL
THE VETERINARIAN
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