Cut leg with swelling advice-update please read

[dodib]

I got home yesterday and went and checked on the horses and noticed Sweetie(our pally mare) had a cut on her back lower leg and her leg was quite swollen. cut was not too bad --it had obviously bled but not badly. I hosed it for about 10 minutes then put some antibiotic ointment on it and put gauze over the cut then wrapped it. Also gave her some bute. She was not favoring it at a walk but she did trot away from me and did favor it then. I put her in her stall for a while but it was so hot she was sweating badly so I let her out. She is not one that runs around(at all!!) so thought she would be ok out.
Do you think I treated it correctly? How long should I leave it wrapped? I planned on upwrapping and hosing it again tonight but should I wrap it back up?? I have delt with cuts and stuff but none have ever gotten swollen like this before-- and it isn't just around the cut but her entire lower leg--she really must have wacked it hard on something. Poor girl she is the one with bursitis in her front shoulder this is all she needs another limb out of commission(although her shoulder seems to be doing well)

[Carri]

Is it more of a scrape, or a gash? If you can get by without wrapping it, I would leave it open. Just put a good wound ointment on it, and some Swat to keep the flies away. Wrapping with swelling is a tough thing, you don't want to wrap it tightly at all. As much as we want to keep it clean, air is really the best thing for most cuts and scrapes.

[dodib]

I thought wrapping it would help with the swelling??
Its a cut--not super deep but more than a scrape....

[pasopony]

Cold hosing several times a day is good. Do not wrap unless it is a gaping wound. Apply furacin (or your favorite wound ointment). Then coat the entire area that is swollen with DMSO (can go right over the wound ointment) to help take the swelling down. It's better if you can leave the horse to move freely as locking her up in the stall will just contribute to the swelling. Good luck.

[lbequ4002]

if the cut is minor and the entire leg is swollen she probably has some soft tissue damage and I'd wrap it for support. You can use a teflon pad or something on the cut. You might want to try wrapping for 12 hours and leaving it unwrapped for 12 and see how she does. But if it were me and she's a little off and your a competent wrapper I'd give her some support like a standing wrap and do leave her out so she can move a around. depending on the depth of the cut and how it is healing watch for an infection. but it sounds like you're on the right path.

[Texas Paints N Arabs]

Where exactly on the leg is the cut?

[dodib]

Its on the outside leg--cannon bone area. The cut doesn't seem deep and is about 2". but its swollen from about hmm 4" above it and down to about her ankle--and the swelling is just on the side with the cut....... She had some dried blood that had streaked down the leg--not a lot --it was done bleeding when I saw her but the wound was clean just had dried blood on it. I cold hosed it and it did bleed slightly again but stopped before I was done hosing it
She actually has a cut on the other leg too--higher and on the inside but no swelling and more of a big scrape than a cut. i just cleaned it and put antibiotic ointment on it.
Not sure what she cut/hit it on

[Texas Paints N Arabs]

She might have caused some internal bruising depending on how hard she hit whatever she scraped it on. I would just keep it clean, cold hose a couple times a day, then some sort of wound ointment, just plain old neosporin would even do the trick. Main thing is to keep clean and keep the flies out of it.

[vetjeanne]

Wrap with sarsnwrap followed by cotton towel then a ace bandage finally a couple rounds of vet wrap to hold it. Depending on the size of the cut excessive scar tissue is common in this area. Water hose and change daily for 4 to 7 days, then you may be able to leave it on for a few days between changes.After about 2 weeks may be able to use wonder dust and leave open.

[dodib]

thank you

[dodib]

man Sweetie isn't doing so good. I am hoping prayer she is not getting infection. Its so hard to keep the area clean --even the day I wrapped it I got home and the wrap was around her ankle. And I put antibiotic ointment on it but then she lays down so the dirt sticks to it!!! The swelling has gone down some but yesterday it poured out--I brought her in and started hosing her leg and her whole body was shivering. It was not cold out maybe 60 degrees and yes she was wet but I didn't think enough fo rher to shiver. So I cleaned it all good gave her some more bute and a dose of antibiotics put a blanket on her about a half hour(then took it off she was done shivering) and left her in for the night. i took her temp it was about 101.5 which isn't really high maybe just barely.
She seemed fine and her old self this am wanted out bad. so I let her out
Always something isn't it???
Oh and I unwrapped it cause it rained so hard I thought the towel would just get wet I will wrap it up again tonight

[MOOSE1]

Dorothy-
Ourr guys were shivering last night too. It was the cold and the rain. I am sure she will be fine! You are doing what you should be with the cut.

[dodib]

Well I am kinda relieved to know she wasn;'t the only one shivering....
I wondered if it could be the rain the quick drop in temp and wind....
The other two weren't but they both seem to be getting heavier coats-- and ones a pony and ones half draft so.....
Thanks

[gbarmranch]

dobib, can you fit a cut piece of panty hose on her leg to hold in the wrap.. it does help..

[dodib]

I will try that tonight--
Thanks

[gbarmranch]

Thank the muttduck.. she is the one who told me about it.. it works well by itself as the only cover too when it gets to the healing stage where it doesn't need a pad..

[dodib]

Just wanted to say Thanks for the nylon idea--works great

[Tippy]

I hope your mare is doing better. Horses don't need an excuse to swell that's for sure The smallest cut or rub will do it. As long as it's not an infection the swelling is not such a big deal. Your doing everything right, keeping track of her temp, cold hosing. Since you are wrapping the only reason should be to keep dirt out and dressing(ointment) on. If you are wrapping to keep swelling down you need to wrap the other leg too. Horses tend to favor the wrapped leg and put all the stress on the opposite one. Nothing at all wrong with wrapping for swelling I do it quite often, but we need to remember to always wrap the other leg
Sounds like your doing it but just in case, wraps need to be changed every 24 hrs.

[dodib]

Thanks--I have stopped wrapping it--just covering the wound with gauze and now a nylon--its staying on and keeping the dirt off. If its scabbed over today when I take it off I will leave it open--may put the nylon on just to keep clean
Leg swelling is down now just a bump by the cut