My baby's first owie . .(Updated 4 wks. & final pic.)

Horselessnomore · 08-17-2008, 11:41 AM

Got a call from the place I board my horses last night . . . . you know the dreaded message on the answering machine -- your horse has a gash on it's chest

. We have no idea what the little guy did. He has a 4 -5 inch gash on his chest, right in the front, running horizontally, it's not bleeding, just oozing blood here & there. It is down through his skin and down to the darker muscle in 1 spot. Yikes!! I'm not good with blood and stuff. He doesn't seem to be in pain, he's eating & drinking.
Called the vet -- because of the location of the cut, they "could" stitch it, but she figured the stitches wouldn't hold because this area gets a lot of motion. Her advice was to cold hose it, keep it clean and call her back if it starts to look worse. She also suggested bute, but he doesn't seem to be needing it right now and a shot of penicillin. He was gelded 8 days ago & was given antibiotics at that time, so she thought antibiotics weren't absolutely necessary right now.
My poor, poor, poor baby -- I feel so bad for the little guy. I just want to sit down and

Their pen was checked and checked again and we can't find anything anywhere that he might have cut himself on

. . . . . .

I have ordered some Underwoods on-line and hope that they will be able to ship it in to Canada . . . . For today will be putting some aloe vera cream around the edges and hope that it doesn't sting. I have other stuff to use, but am not sure if I should go ahead and spray it directly on the wound or around the edges. I am dealing with my first horsie boo boo on a horse that I actually own.

Any suggestions on what else I could be doing for the little guy?? I would love to be able to cover the wound with something because of the flies, but don't know how anything will stay on?
Will add pictures later -- I need to go out and clean the wound & see how he is doing and will take a picture or two.

horsey-gal · 08-17-2008, 11:48 AM

Poor baby

The only thing I can suggest for the flies is Swat. Put it on around the wound and it will keep the flies away.
Good luck and keep us updated.

Sassy · 08-17-2008, 11:48 AM

Oh no definalty not the call you wan to get. I sure hope he is ok and will heal up ok! But, young horses have amazing healing power. With good care adn cleansing he should heal fine!! Of course i haven't seen the wound yet so I shoudl not be presuming. Just being possitive I guess

Best of luck!

**seerfarm** · 08-17-2008, 12:55 PM

Sorry to hear about your little guy....yes depending on placement it is sometime hard to keep it stiched, although if it is deep I like to have them stitch and put a drain tube in even if it only holds for week.

At any rate, the biggest thing is keeping it flushed clean....a good pulse flush of disinfecting wash afterwards and keep away the proud flesh. The good thing is that he is young and they always heal the best.

Depending on the area of the wound, some are easy to make covers for and can help with the reduction of debrie getting in and the flys.

Sending healing thought and prayers for you little one.

ThorArb · 08-17-2008, 02:29 PM

Aww poor baby. Hopefully he will get through it with no complications.

My two year old filly split open her chest last year too. It was so bad she had a huge flap of skin just hanging there. Vet couldnt stitch it either so we did the best we could with sticking the flap back on ourselves. Kept it cleaned, lubed up with ointments, etc. She healed perfectly and unless you actually hose her down you wouldnt even have known it happened. When wet you can see a small, paper thin line where her skin attached back and scarred a little. Really a minor thing thank goodness.

Best of luck with your guy!

Brittany

Horselessnomore · 08-17-2008, 03:22 PM

O.K. here's the 2 pictures I took this morning. It looks better, but worse. Everytime I see it, I feel like crying . . . . poor little guy. He was O.K. with it being washed out and the flies don't seem to be bothering him. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

What do you all think?? Should I have it stitched up or should I just let it heal. Hubby and I went out today and washed it out. The barn owner washed it out earlier today and I will be going out again this evening.

Appsrcool · 08-17-2008, 03:34 PM

May I suggest to use a sharp pair of siccisors and trim as much hair from the edge of the wound as you can,especially on the top,just to keep the hair ends from getting into the edge,it will take a while to heal,and needs to heal from the inside out,it could be washed with iodine soap,and water,my vet always tells me that washing a wound and seeing some blood seeping from it is good,that means you have fresh skin and cells,and not have proud flesh starting.It looks like a nice clean cut and not jagered,so should heal up nice with time,I wish i had taken pictures of some of ours which I didn't think would heal but now you don't even see a mark.Good luck with him,.

Sassy · 08-17-2008, 04:16 PM

It is deep but I don't think he is too bad off. I think he is going to heal fine! I am not sure if you vet will want to stitch it ot not. We had a filly with a huge chunck bitten off her front leg and it had a good bit of muscle missing yet she healed up with in 3 mths and now as a two year old she has the slightest scar. Healing oil works like a charm. Promotes new growth keeps the flies out and cleanses the wound at the same time! Awesome stuff...

Horselessnomore · 08-17-2008, 04:20 PM

The vet said that they would rather not stitch it because that area gets a lot of movement and the stitches probably wouldn't stay in anyway. I "know" it will heal up, but I just feel so-o-o bad for him. He doesn't seem to be in any pain, but it looks so bad

.
Sassy -- where can I get "healing oil" and what brand name is it sold under??

jtfer1968 · 08-17-2008, 04:23 PM

My horse had a gash on her chest and her wound was stitched up and now you can't even tell she was ever injured. My vet told me to use furall while she was healing up. Hopefully your baby will heal up just fine.

**seerfarm** · 08-17-2008, 07:21 PM

He sure did that good....ouch!

Am I reading you correctly in that your vet didn't come out and look at it?

I will say though that that is in a spot that making a cover bandage to help keep it clean and debrie out is quite easy actually.

Gids_mama · 08-17-2008, 07:45 PM

umm am i reading corrctly that no vet was called??? OMG
im not trying to be rude but that is a pretty significant owie... or booboo..y wasnt a vet called???
im surprised the B.O didnt call???
just curious..
but id get a vet out there asap...you def. dont want infection to set in or flies to get in there...

Gids_mama · 08-17-2008, 07:46 PM

i just read again and saw where you called vet part..still very very very confused as to y vet wouldnt be concerned enough to at least come down and see it..

**gbarmranch** · 08-17-2008, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gids_mama

umm am i reading corrctly that no vet was called??? OMG
im not trying to be rude but that is a pretty significant owie... or booboo..y wasnt a vet called???
im surprised the B.O didnt call???
just curious..
but id get a vet out there asap...you def. dont want infection to set in or flies to get in there...

Here is what she said.. a vet WAS called.. but didn't want to stitch it up..

Quote:

The vet said that they would rather not stitch it because that area gets a lot of movement and the stitches probably wouldn't stay in anyway.

I can tell you what we did with Dillon's wound.. and it was a pretty deep and long abcess that we had to lance and keep the pus cleaned out of.. we cleaned it with a saline and bentadine solution daily... and packed it with sugardine.. covered with swat.. I could not keep a patch on it as he would pull them off.. and you may have as much trouble with this one.. although if you could put a guaze on it and somehow vet wrap it it might keep it cleaner..

The sugardine I applied ever day.. I packed it in there until it wouldn't fit any more - once in the morning and once at night.. if you look at this photo, this is the side the 2 inch deep, 4 inch wide, and six inch long abcess and lance was on.. right by the hip area.. there is no mark that it was ever there at all..

cameo05 · 08-17-2008, 08:16 PM

OMG I think that stitches could have worked, but I am not a vet. Oh poor baby. That sugardine does work. I saw Mr. Dillion (Gbars baby) and that abcess was gone. I hope your poor baby heals well.

FANNIESMOM · 08-17-2008, 08:36 PM

Gracie had a bad cut on her hip and we used Super Green and betadine mixed together then put baking powder on it to make a scab and would hose it out every evening. and repeat . It healed up nice after about 3 months. I would get the hair clipped back from the wound and becareful cause drainage can chap the skin below the wound. The hair will hold bacteria and keep the wound from staying clean.

this is before we went to the vets office. He clipped off the flap of skin and shaved about a 12 inch pie plate around the cut.

this is 5 months later

morgan · 08-17-2008, 09:31 PM

That is a bad wound in a bad spot. My Vet would have stitched that and put a drain in and the horse would ahve been confined to a stall for a few weeks. Hard to believe she or he left that open. Boy. I would put him on Antibioitcs and bute to keep the swelling down. I hope he gets better. Maybe a different Vet? Sorry.

Horselessnomore · 08-17-2008, 10:48 PM

The vet advised that if she put stitches in, they would most likely come out. It is a bad spot to stitch because that area gets a lot of motion. He will be given antibiotics and we have washed the wound at least 4 times today and will continue to wash it several times/day. I was actually surprised at how clean it looked tonight when we went to wash it out. If it starts to look worse, the vet has advised us to call and she will come. It looks better today than it did yesterday night. He is tolerating the washing out quite well (considering prior to me purchasing him, he was unhandled) and we have managed to keep the wound clean and fly-free.
Seerfarm -- how would I go about covering this - I have access to all sorts of sizes of gauze but am a little confused as to how to attach it to keep it on. I would think he would also be able to rip it off. Am thinking this area would be a little hard to vet wrap and tape wouldn't hold for long -- any other suggestions?

Gotta Love Duns · 08-17-2008, 11:20 PM

Wow that is a bad wound, good luck to you. I know swat does work very well to keep the flys away from the wound. Also a bentadine solution the color of weak tea to rinse it out will help a lot.

Wolfie · 08-18-2008, 01:20 AM

Youch! That looks painful.

I would keep a close eye on it for swelling or white discharge, which could signal infection. Keep it clean, wash it out every day. Some antibiotic ointmen in addition to the regular antibiotics would be a good idea. Maybe some iotine ointment? Good luck!

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08-17-2008, 11:41 AM
Horselessnomore Long Yearling Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,343	My baby's first owie . .(Updated 4 wks. & final pic.) Got a call from the place I board my horses last night . . . . you know the dreaded message on the answering machine -- your horse has a gash on it's chest . We have no idea what the little guy did. He has a 4 -5 inch gash on his chest, right in the front, running horizontally, it's not bleeding, just oozing blood here & there. It is down through his skin and down to the darker muscle in 1 spot. Yikes!! I'm not good with blood and stuff. He doesn't seem to be in pain, he's eating & drinking. Called the vet -- because of the location of the cut, they "could" stitch it, but she figured the stitches wouldn't hold because this area gets a lot of motion. Her advice was to cold hose it, keep it clean and call her back if it starts to look worse. She also suggested bute, but he doesn't seem to be needing it right now and a shot of penicillin. He was gelded 8 days ago & was given antibiotics at that time, so she thought antibiotics weren't absolutely necessary right now. My poor, poor, poor baby -- I feel so bad for the little guy. I just want to sit down and Their pen was checked and checked again and we can't find anything anywhere that he might have cut himself on . . . . . . I have ordered some Underwoods on-line and hope that they will be able to ship it in to Canada . . . . For today will be putting some aloe vera cream around the edges and hope that it doesn't sting. I have other stuff to use, but am not sure if I should go ahead and spray it directly on the wound or around the edges. I am dealing with my first horsie boo boo on a horse that I actually own. Any suggestions on what else I could be doing for the little guy?? I would love to be able to cover the wound with something because of the flies, but don't know how anything will stay on? Will add pictures later -- I need to go out and clean the wound & see how he is doing and will take a picture or two. Last edited by Horselessnomore : 09-13-2008 at 09:56 PM.

08-17-2008, 11:48 AM
horsey-gal Coming two Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Valley, N.S Posts: 1,624	Poor baby The only thing I can suggest for the flies is Swat. Put it on around the wound and it will keep the flies away. Good luck and keep us updated. __________________ " If God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself. "

08-17-2008, 11:48 AM
Sassy Started Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern Alberta, Canada Posts: 2,331	Oh no definalty not the call you wan to get. I sure hope he is ok and will heal up ok! But, young horses have amazing healing power. With good care adn cleansing he should heal fine!! Of course i haven't seen the wound yet so I shoudl not be presuming. Just being possitive I guess Best of luck! __________________ A horse which stops dead just before a jump and thus propels its rider into a graceful arc provides a splendid excuse for general merriment. ~ DUKE OF ENDINBURGH ~

08-17-2008, 12:55 PM
seerfarm Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Portal, Ga Posts: 7,732	Sorry to hear about your little guy....yes depending on placement it is sometime hard to keep it stiched, although if it is deep I like to have them stitch and put a drain tube in even if it only holds for week. At any rate, the biggest thing is keeping it flushed clean....a good pulse flush of disinfecting wash afterwards and keep away the proud flesh. The good thing is that he is young and they always heal the best. Depending on the area of the wound, some are easy to make covers for and can help with the reduction of debrie getting in and the flys. Sending healing thought and prayers for you little one. __________________ "To know the road ahead, ask those coming back".

08-17-2008, 02:29 PM
ThorArb Kid Safe Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Conyers, GA Posts: 5,443	Aww poor baby. Hopefully he will get through it with no complications. My two year old filly split open her chest last year too. It was so bad she had a huge flap of skin just hanging there. Vet couldnt stitch it either so we did the best we could with sticking the flap back on ourselves. Kept it cleaned, lubed up with ointments, etc. She healed perfectly and unless you actually hose her down you wouldnt even have known it happened. When wet you can see a small, paper thin line where her skin attached back and scarred a little. Really a minor thing thank goodness. Best of luck with your guy! Brittany

08-17-2008, 03:22 PM
Horselessnomore Long Yearling Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,343	O.K. here's the 2 pictures I took this morning. It looks better, but worse. Everytime I see it, I feel like crying . . . . poor little guy. He was O.K. with it being washed out and the flies don't seem to be bothering him. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. What do you all think?? Should I have it stitched up or should I just let it heal. Hubby and I went out today and washed it out. The barn owner washed it out earlier today and I will be going out again this evening.

08-17-2008, 03:34 PM
Appsrcool Halter broke Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Monon,Indiana Posts: 50	May I suggest to use a sharp pair of siccisors and trim as much hair from the edge of the wound as you can,especially on the top,just to keep the hair ends from getting into the edge,it will take a while to heal,and needs to heal from the inside out,it could be washed with iodine soap,and water,my vet always tells me that washing a wound and seeing some blood seeping from it is good,that means you have fresh skin and cells,and not have proud flesh starting.It looks like a nice clean cut and not jagered,so should heal up nice with time,I wish i had taken pictures of some of ours which I didn't think would heal but now you don't even see a mark.Good luck with him,.

08-17-2008, 04:16 PM
Sassy Started Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern Alberta, Canada Posts: 2,331	It is deep but I don't think he is too bad off. I think he is going to heal fine! I am not sure if you vet will want to stitch it ot not. We had a filly with a huge chunck bitten off her front leg and it had a good bit of muscle missing yet she healed up with in 3 mths and now as a two year old she has the slightest scar. Healing oil works like a charm. Promotes new growth keeps the flies out and cleanses the wound at the same time! Awesome stuff... __________________ A horse which stops dead just before a jump and thus propels its rider into a graceful arc provides a splendid excuse for general merriment. ~ DUKE OF ENDINBURGH ~

08-17-2008, 04:20 PM
Horselessnomore Long Yearling Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,343	The vet said that they would rather not stitch it because that area gets a lot of movement and the stitches probably wouldn't stay in anyway. I "know" it will heal up, but I just feel so-o-o bad for him. He doesn't seem to be in any pain, but it looks so bad . Sassy -- where can I get "healing oil" and what brand name is it sold under??

08-17-2008, 04:23 PM
jtfer1968 Yearling Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Central Florida Posts: 976	My horse had a gash on her chest and her wound was stitched up and now you can't even tell she was ever injured. My vet told me to use furall while she was healing up. Hopefully your baby will heal up just fine. __________________

08-17-2008, 07:21 PM
seerfarm Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Portal, Ga Posts: 7,732	He sure did that good....ouch! Am I reading you correctly in that your vet didn't come out and look at it? I will say though that that is in a spot that making a cover bandage to help keep it clean and debrie out is quite easy actually. __________________ "To know the road ahead, ask those coming back".

08-17-2008, 07:45 PM
Gids_mama Yearling Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ramsey, Indiana Posts: 625	umm am i reading corrctly that no vet was called??? OMG im not trying to be rude but that is a pretty significant owie... or booboo..y wasnt a vet called??? im surprised the B.O didnt call??? just curious.. but id get a vet out there asap...you def. dont want infection to set in or flies to get in there... __________________ Be gentle in manner, Strong in deed - Latin Proverb

08-17-2008, 07:46 PM
Gids_mama Yearling Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ramsey, Indiana Posts: 625	i just read again and saw where you called vet part..still very very very confused as to y vet wouldnt be concerned enough to at least come down and see it.. __________________ Be gentle in manner, Strong in deed - Latin Proverb

08-17-2008, 08:16 PM
cameo05 Bombproof Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Georgia Posts: 8,694	OMG I think that stitches could have worked, but I am not a vet. Oh poor baby. That sugardine does work. I saw Mr. Dillion (Gbars baby) and that abcess was gone. I hope your poor baby heals well. __________________

08-17-2008, 08:36 PM
FANNIESMOM Halter broke Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Stonewall, Louisiana Posts: 182	Gracie had a bad cut on her hip and we used Super Green and betadine mixed together then put baking powder on it to make a scab and would hose it out every evening. and repeat . It healed up nice after about 3 months. I would get the hair clipped back from the wound and becareful cause drainage can chap the skin below the wound. The hair will hold bacteria and keep the wound from staying clean. this is before we went to the vets office. He clipped off the flap of skin and shaved about a 12 inch pie plate around the cut. this is 5 months later Last edited by FANNIESMOM : 08-17-2008 at 08:41 PM.

08-17-2008, 09:31 PM
morgan Weanling Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tampa, Fl Posts: 261	That is a bad wound in a bad spot. My Vet would have stitched that and put a drain in and the horse would ahve been confined to a stall for a few weeks. Hard to believe she or he left that open. Boy. I would put him on Antibioitcs and bute to keep the swelling down. I hope he gets better. Maybe a different Vet? Sorry.

08-17-2008, 10:48 PM
Horselessnomore Long Yearling Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,343	The vet advised that if she put stitches in, they would most likely come out. It is a bad spot to stitch because that area gets a lot of motion. He will be given antibiotics and we have washed the wound at least 4 times today and will continue to wash it several times/day. I was actually surprised at how clean it looked tonight when we went to wash it out. If it starts to look worse, the vet has advised us to call and she will come. It looks better today than it did yesterday night. He is tolerating the washing out quite well (considering prior to me purchasing him, he was unhandled) and we have managed to keep the wound clean and fly-free. Seerfarm -- how would I go about covering this - I have access to all sorts of sizes of gauze but am a little confused as to how to attach it to keep it on. I would think he would also be able to rip it off. Am thinking this area would be a little hard to vet wrap and tape wouldn't hold for long -- any other suggestions?

08-17-2008, 11:20 PM
Gotta Love Duns Bombproof Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Dixonville, Alberta Posts: 7,806	Wow that is a bad wound, good luck to you. I know swat does work very well to keep the flys away from the wound. Also a bentadine solution the color of weak tea to rinse it out will help a lot. __________________ A penny saved is a penny you can spend on your next horse.

08-18-2008, 01:20 AM
Wolfie Coming two Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: US Posts: 1,547	Youch! That looks painful. I would keep a close eye on it for swelling or white discharge, which could signal infection. Keep it clean, wash it out every day. Some antibiotic ointmen in addition to the regular antibiotics would be a good idea. Maybe some iotine ointment? Good luck!