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Imogen Bertin
| | Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 1999 - 3:25 pm: |   |
Hi all
This is what I do when I get back from hunting - I'd be interested in feedback. I suppose it would also apply to adventurous "trail rides". My mare being a bit on the light/blood side, she wears boots for hunting but often gets slightly skinned above the boots (briars and stone ditches, wire). Obviously this routine is for minor scrapes and scratches, not for anything that needs the vet.
I wash down her legs with warm, salty water and a very clean sponge to remove any mud from wounds. If there's any broken skin or raw areas I spray these with "purple spray" which is not iodine - it has a bit of chlorhexidine in but doesn't sting as much as iodine so you don't have to chase the horse around the stable...
I dry off anything I'm allowed touch with a clean towel. I pick out her feet and check the soles, then paint hooves and soles with a hoof grease that has stockholm tar in it. Then I leave her in peace as she's tired.
Next morning I check everything in daylight, looking for any heat or thorns and groom off the dried mud. If the tides are right I hack down to the sea and let her stand in the cold salt water. If she's just being turned out I put cut-heal (antiseptic jelly stuff) over any raw areas as a barrier to her rolling on them in the mud. Sudofed zinc ointment is also good for this.
This seems to work well over two years but I'd be interested in any tips because I'm always surprised that so little gets infected (fingers crossed...). Also I've found that although most people keep horses in next day that turning her out for three or four hours so she gets a good feed of grass actually helps her to recover from being tucked up (dehydrated and narrow in the abdomen behind the ribs) more quickly.
All the best
Imogen |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
| | Posted on Thursday, Dec 30, 1999 - 6:35 am: | |
Hello Imogen,
I think the proof is in the pudding. I might add a little chlorhexidine to the wash so that it is antiseptic. Most purple sprays are methyl violet, and as long as you are putting it on intact skin or mild scrapes you are doing no harm, it is not a good choice for open full skin thickness wounds however. Check the contents to see if I am right.
Do you make adjustments in feed, water, and electrolytes around the day of the hunt? If you are coming home visibly dehydrated consider ways to get alittle more water and electrolytes in the horse. We have several articles on recent findings on ways to keep endurance horses better hydrated and in electrolyte balance.
Considering your sucess I would be slow to make changes however.
DrO |
Imogen Bertin
| | Posted on Monday, Jan 10, 2000 - 5:32 pm: | |
Hi Dr O, sorry I've been busy so haven't visited the forum for a while.
What do you put on open full skin thickness wounds? (If they don't look too horrible and aren't bleeding enough to warrant calling the vet...)? Usually people here use stuff called "veterinary wound powder" but this seems to have as many ingredients and brands as you like so I'm never quite sure about it.
Thanks for the endurance/electrolytes tip. I usually just keep checking she has water during the evening and she sorts herself out but perhaps I should be a bit more scientific about it... I do put a bit of extra salt in her feed after a hunt.
All the best
Imogen |
