WARNING GRAPHIC PICS - RICKY!!! plz help!!

[Kizza07]

Okay everyone,
For the last 2 weeks we have owned a new horse named Ricky (real name is Rickochet)

My mum has wished for her own horse for a loooong time (about30 years) and she finally got her own horse. She has been learning the basics of riding on my horse for the last 8 months (still only trotting), Dad finally let mum have one of her own.

We picked him up around two weeks ago only to unload him from the float and notice a chunk taken out of his pastern so havent been able to ride him.

There was nothing on the float to injure him, so we figure that he had done it during the day before we had picked him up (it was fresh)

He is a 15hh, 5 year old bay Quarter Horse x Australian Stock Horse Gelding.

He was raised and broken by a stockman in the area who is great with horses. Mum says that she wouldnt even consider a 5yo but since this stockman has really done heaps of work with him - you can crack two stock whips off him, throw a raincoat over him and ride, ride him with a plastic bag over his head, tie a tarp to his tail and ride away, bring in the garbage on him and a whole lot of other things all whilst on his back and he doesnt flinch.

If anyone has any ideas of a quick healing method please let me know!!!

We are currently using two different sprays -

Debrisol
http://www.troylab.com.au/eng/animal.../debrisol.html

and Chloromide
http://www.troylab.com.au/eng/animal...hloromide.html

Since it is summer here, we are using the chloromide during the day (it has insect repellant as well and the flies are bad during the daylight hours) and Debrisol at night - so we can try to get it healing faster.\

Here are some photos of his wound






and two of Ricky before we got him!!




We figure that the wound is from the fencing wire, the man did say that he was irrigating that day and Ricky was rolling in the mud - so i guess he got caught rolling?

[Jessica23]

Ouch!! That looks nasty!

Have you had the vet out to see him?? Im notgreat with injuries, so unless its just a scratch i can clean and putsome wound powder on i get the vet asap..

[Dinsarsio]

Does look like a typical wire injury.The problem is that because its on the joint and he is always using it it will take time to heal.My pony had a pretty bad flesh wound a few years ago and i used pure aloe vera gel from a huge plant i have.The results were amazing.I would probably keep it clean with tea tree oil and aloe vera gel both will keep the wound from drying and cracking.Vaseline too to keep the flies off.

[Palomino Mare]

i'm afraid if you want it to heal quickly i would put him on box rest or at least put vet wrap on it for support as Dinsarsio said as its at the joint it will take a while to heal as he keeps moving on it.

nik n kias horse had a similar injury to the front and my horse got a puncture wound at the front of his fetlock joint, different injuries but they both off work for a good while

[Cheeky]

Er .. get the vet out ASAP????

Get the vet to give you some bute .. get the horse off pain if possible (but not completely numb or he may forget and knock it).

Wash it with cold water each day (NOT freezing), and spray anticeptic. I found betadine works wonders, aswell as what ever else you wanna use.

I'd get the vet out for that .. eek. I'd also be annoyed that the horse was injured prior being picked up.

[Soot]

Libby's currently got a pastern injury from fencing. She's been on box rest for three weeks now on vet's orders and is finally looking fully healed and sound. It's a dodgy area because of the joints and various other supporting bits and bobs so we were told she really should not walk on it and should avoid bending as far as possible (so heavy bandaging).

Good luck to your boy!

[Wally]

Do you have antiseptic iodine scrub called Pevidine? It's the stuff they wash parts down eith before an operation.

Ask the vet for some Pevidine, mix it with sugar or honey to a sticky paste , whap it onto a dressing and bandage it and leave for 24 horse. Do this 3 times, not longer as it has strong cleansing properties and will strip away new cells in the end.

I use this on a lot of nasty injuries where you need a lot of granulated tissue to fill in big gaps.

It's almost like waxing the part, it strips away al the gunk and nasty guck, and the honey and sugart act with the pevidine as an antiseptic. It works a treat.

[Wally]

BTW I don't beleive in box rest for sof tissue injuries like that, a clean, non muddy paddock and clean dressings are the answer.

This is an injury from a mare running over a cattle grid.


This is the leg after 3 days of Pevidine and honey poultices, then dry dressings and turnout every day for a week-maybe 10 days, I cannot remember the exact length of time.

[XmeganX]

that looks like ropeburn my horse has the same thing in the same place, the wound is too thick to be wire! get the vet he,ll need pain killers and the area will need to be cleaned!!

[8-legged-pony]

If he's out during the day make sure you put fly repellant round the wound (not actually on it!) as there's some nasty flies (blowflies for example) which could cause problems by laying their eggs in the wound. No idea about what to put on it, but hope he feels better soon!

[Bebe]

My mare had almost exactly the same injury several years ago, she got it attempting to climb over a wall that was wrapped in wire.

The vet didn't stitch it, couldn't because there's too much movement in that area. I didn't box rest her at all, though I did keep her quiet for a couple of weeks which meant moving her away to a smaller field with just an older pony for company (she was running too much with the other mares and kept reopening the wound).

The only ointment I used was one designed to prevent flystrike in sheep. I can't remember the name but it was bright yellow, like custard, and stained my hands. It did work to prevent infection from the flies but I don't think it did anything to promote healing.

From start to finish I think it took about 3 months for the wound to heal fully, and she does have proud flesh on the scar now which is a bit annoying. I was able to ride her after a month though, I was just careful not to do anything too strenuous with her and used an over-reach boot to keep it covered when we were out hacking, just in case.

[LawlessMissyD]

Reminds me of a very serious over reach injury my TB had a couple of years back...
The nearest vet was miles away, so I phoned for advice and was told essentially to keep it clean (used iodine, and some antispectic gel - will get the name for you), make sure we had purple spray on it (for the flies) and to just let him get on with his business...

I've never had horses that do well in box rest, they box walk and do more damage than letting them out in the paddock and keeping and eye on the wound!
It took a about 6weeks to heal and start closing up... to this day I defy anyone to see scarring - just patience and love

[Portia]

Ouchy! Poor boy!

If that were mine I'd wash the whole leg with povidine iodine (I agree with Wally on this - best stuff going, anti-everything: microbial/fungicidal/viral), shave off hair around the wound edges, slap some betadine ointment (basically the same type of stuff as Wally's but bought over the counter) on it and have the vet out for possible antibiotic cover. I'd dress it twice a day and keep him in a smallish dry paddock.

Too late for suturing, too oedematous, needs to slough off - don't be too horrified to see maggots in there, they'll destroy the necrotic tissue .
It will take a while but you'll get there.

[little lauz]

ewwww looks like proud flesh we have a horsse at work with a similar looking injury on his leg. We are washing it with warm water then putting honey on it . Its special honey activate sumat or other it works tho .

[jUmPingIsLifE]

We also dont put our horses on box rest for injuries like this. I would perhaps give ricky some banamine or bute to help with pain/inflatmation. Then just keep it as clean as possible. Clean it out with water, clean with betadine and then use some sort of cream or spray. What my mom did for her mare when she had a similure gash was Dermagel. It works wonders and reduces scarring. Wrap it with vetwrap, put gauze over it. Try to change the dressing 2-3 times a day. Maybe also keep tabs on his temp too and watch for infection.

[goeslikestink]

that needs addressing with animal lintex and vetinary care
needs antibiotics - and tenus jabs if not up to date
you also need to go here
www.horseshoes.com its a farrier site they can help you with the foot side more so
wallys recipe also works
but as it so near the coronet band then post on farriers site above
they can and will help you

[horse__obsessed]

deff call the vet but i wouldnt say box rest unless hes mega lame or vet advises it or you have very wet paddocks, as fields are generally cleaner thatn stables unless you are constantly mucking out

[Kizza07]

WHOA!!! You guys really do pitch in when a horse is hurt don't you!?!?

Those who said box rest - we don't have a box, so he is in a fresh clean paddock.

For those that suggested bute or painkillers - He is not in any pain, he doesnt flinch and isnt lame, we were told that he doesnt need it.

We will try anything so all your suggestions will be tried - we will try:
- Aloe Vera
- Tea Tree Oil
- Betadine (we already were putting it on when we were told that these sprays were better)
- We are washing it twice a day (cant get there more than twice)
- We were wrapping it up, (with the purple spray and a custard yellow cream- but then we were told that it didnt need wrapping anymore)
- We were using honey, but we will try to get some pevidine to mix with it!
- He was getting a needle once a day (i think it was an antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory healing treatment)
We were wrapping it up in a bandage but the bandage kept slipping up and irritating it so we have left it off and it has stopped re-opening and scabbed up.
we also had a plastic wrap thing under his bandage, not sure what it was (from vet) it was white with plastic over the top - i think it was to keep it clean.

[pengapenga]

Honey! more specifically manuka honey will work wonders on that injury.

Kizza has the vet seen the injury? As it us on the joint it is best checked to see that it is just superficial as it looks. My vet prescribed me this fantastic stuff that you paint on, really very good but costs $$$.

Keep it clean and get some centrigen, you will find this in the stockfeeders it is a purple spray this stuff is great as it is a fly repellent and I am sure there are 10million flies around your place being this time of the year.

Do not use debrisol on that injury it will sting like crazy poor boy.

Bute is also an antiinflammatory as well as a painkiller, for your info.

With Paris I have become quite used to nursing wounds and it is going to take a few months to heal properly. As well as the honey I wash the wound a couple of time a week to remove all dead cells, vet told me to do this and to scrub it with soft brush (I bought a face brush from Priceline) pink is healthy. Of course keep an eye on how Ricky responds.

[Wally]

My stallion had a similar wire injury like that, no antibiotics were used, just honey and Pevidine. Clean dressings and turn out in a clean paddock.

Antibiotics are used far, fr too much these days, they should only be used where an infection would casude major damage or where there is a diagnosed infection