Wound Assessment

                             

Wound assessment is very important, and will provide useful information to your vet when you call them. Bellow are questions your vet will usually ask you about your horse's wound: 

#1. Where is the wound located? Is it near a joint or important tendious structure? 

#2. Is it a puncture, laceration or abrasion? 

#3. How recent is it? (E.g. actively bleeding= recent. Dry, crusted, thickened or infected= days old.)

#4. How badly is it bleeding? Does it stop with firm pressure? 

#5. How lame is the horse? Or, is the horse lame at all?

#6. Does it involve penetration to the eyeball or the sole of the hoof? 

You will need to answer these questions when your vet asks you, so before a vet call, examining your horse and taking notes about his/her wound is a reasonably good idea. If you don't know what each wound I mentioned above was, (abrasion, lacerations and punctures etc.) here is a brief description of each bellow: 

1. Minor cuts and abrasions: 

They do not overlie an important structure of your horse's body. (like a joint, or tendon) And there will not be any punctures, and your horse would not be particularly lame. You would treat these injuries with either a sterile saline or weak antiseptic. (Such as Betadine or Chlorhexidine.) If a wound is located on the lower leg/legs of your horse, bandaging that lower leg (cannon bone) is necessary to keep clean and prevent infection. 

2. Lacerations: 

These wounds can be of all shapes, depths, and sizes. You wouldn't usually need a vet. But if you are waiting for a vet to arrive, lacerations can be cleaned as per abrasions, and distal limb wounds can be bandaged temporarily. If a wound is bleeding heavily, use padding inside the bandage. If wound continues to bleed through the bandage, continue to apply layers to achieve compression, rather than removing and replacing bandages over and over again. 

3. Punctures and penetrating injuries:

Although these wounds can look fairly benign, there may be significant damage under the skin. Contamination could be introduced deep into the tissues, complicating healing through infection. Penetrating injuries to the eye are very painful for the horse. Bacteria and fungi can be seeded into the eye and create devastating ulcers that progress very rapidly. If there is a penetrating injury to the sole of the hoof, it is ideally better to leave the object in place until your vet arrives, so it's depth and angle may be assessed. If the object must be removed, it's important to clean the hoof prior to it's removal and promptly bandage the area to avoid the wound tract becoming packed with debris and dirt. Usually, these types of wounds need to be repaired surgically. (Primary healing.) 

"If your horse is destressed, or it is unsafe to manage the wound yourself, it is OK to wait for the vet to arrive." 

First aid kit essentials for wounds: 

#1. Scissors

#2. 1L bottle of sterile saline and Betadine or Chlorhexidine

#3. Topical antiseptic and/or manuka honey

#4. Gauze swabs, poultices, a nappy. 

#5. Cotton wool or Gamgee. 

#6. Vet wrap, Elastoplast and duct tape

#7. Bandages

#8. Thermometer 

#9. Tweezers

If your horse is suspected with a health issue, consult your vet straight away.  

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