Large open wound on unhandled yearling FINAL UPDATE POST 145!

[redcowpony]

Graphic Image Warning, long post it’s at the bottom, hopefully fixed link

Short story long, was picking up some yearlings and one filly got hung up on a trailer latch. Careless mistake on my part and everyone else involved, and a completely preventable accident. She tore her hip open about three inches deep and more than a foot long, a really big and ugly wound.

Fortunately we had facilities there to get a halter on her, get her loaded correctly, and start heading home where I was able to get her knocked out with some medication, and flush it so the vet could get a look at it in the morning.

Ultimately, I decided it would be best not to attempt to suture the injury because this filly hadn’t been touched by a human until we allowed her to cut herself up and will probably tear the sutures out before we even unload her from the trailer. The program will be cleaning the wound twice daily, with a regimen of pain medication and antibiotics. She is not halter broke but is being a really, really good sport about it, and with an extra pair of hands I can get her flushed with cool water twice a day, and get her meds into her.

My BIG question is this: given the length of the recovery time (we’re looking at 4-6 MONTHS) how do I support her opposite hind leg through the first few weeks where she will be leaning heavily on the opposite side to spare her sore hip? I might be able to get a standing wrap on her eventually, but is there any other way to help her until I get her gentle enough to let me wrap her leg? I don’t even have standing wraps to fit her, what size do you use for a yearling???

Has anyone else had a young horse on a similar situation? Any advice or tips would be helpful.

[RhythmNCruise]

I can’t see the image and my computer doesn’t support the file type when I tried to download.

Is she already favoring the injured side and leaning more on the opposite leg? Can you start her on Equioxx to help with the pain on the injured side so that hopefully she’ll begin using it more and not putting so much strain on the other leg?

Definitely don’t put any kind of wrap on her if she’s not going to be cooperative. The last thing you want is the wrap getting loose or coming undone and getting caught on something and scaring her and causing more injury.

I’d try to manage her pain so that she’ll use her injured side enough to not stress out the other side. I had a horse that degloved his leg from just below the hock to the fetlock and severed the extensor tendon. He had months of recovery too, but thankfully he used the leg enough that he never caused issues with the opposite leg. I never wrapped his other leg and he did fine. He was a 2yo when he hurt himself, but he was well-handled and a good patient.

Best of luck to you. I hope others have better advice than I do.

[Bluey]

That would heal best if a vet checks it out and sutures it.
She may tear some of it back open, but at least it will have a chance to heal without a very ugly scar if left as it is.
The edges need cutting back clean, etc.

Not a vet, so send picture to your vet and ask them.
We would have taken horse to vet clinic right away, if it meant leaving horse there, vets can handle unhandled yearlings fine and go back for horse when is in traveling shape.

Sorry that happened, good luck.

[redcowpony]

I had her to a vet within 12 hours of the incident, which was the best we could do given the timing (sunday late in the evening on a holiday weekend). Our vet does not have a clinic at all, or facilities at his home to handle a horse like her but did clean up the wound (trimmed quite a bit) and went over possible options and best/worst case scenarios.

Unfortunately the margins would have been really tight after he trimmed away what needed to go, and most likely it would have come open. This was the best option for the horse we had to work with. I realize it will scar worse than if we were able to suture it but if it may not even last the trailer ride home before pulling apart there wouldn’t be much point in adding that stress to her.

[redcowpony]

She is currently on Bute and after two weeks I’ll be going over a longer term pain management plan with the vet, it depends on how sore she is after the bruising goes down somewhat. I have used Equioxx before with success but somehow forgot it existed, thank you!

Good point on the wraps coming loose and scaring her, even with all the electrical tape in the world horses will be horses…

[Bluey]

@redcowpony

I had her to a vet within 12 hours of the incident, which was the best we could do given the timing (sunday late in the evening on a holiday weekend). Our vet does not have a clinic at all, or facilities at his home to handle a horse like her but did clean up the wound (trimmed quite a bit) and went over possible options and best/worst case scenarios.

Unfortunately the margins would have been really tight after he trimmed away what needed to go, and most likely it would have come open. This was the best option for the horse we had to work with. I realize it will scar worse than if we were able to suture it but if it may not even last the trailer ride home before pulling apart there wouldn’t be much point in adding that stress to her.

I missed you already were under a vet’s care.

Tetanus vaccine would be important here, maybe antibiotics, but mostly watch and see where this goes from here.
Some heal practically on their own, others you get in trouble and need more serious vet attention, but you won’t know that until you are there.
At least it is the kind of wound that should drain easily being vertical, that helps.

Guess yearling is going to get a quick education, by necessity.

[candyappy]

That is ghastly and I so wish you could have gotten it sutured. Can’t do much about that now and I have seen some ghastly wounds heal up really well.

I am worried that you won’t be able to keep it clean and it would need to be well cleaned and topicals applied to it morning and evening ( would be my protocol) as well as fly deterrent on an as needed basis.
I personally wouldn’t try to cover it ( if you even could) but pain meds, antibiotics and tetanus for sure.

Good luck. That poor filly. Keep us posted on her progress.

[Bluey]

@candyappy

That is ghastly and I so wish you could have gotten it sutured. Can’t do much about that now and I have seen some ghastly wounds heal up really well.

I am worried that you won’t be able to keep it clean and it would need to be well cleaned and topicals applied to it morning and evening ( would be my protocol) as well as fly deterrent on an as needed basis.
I personally wouldn’t try to cover it ( if you even could) but pain meds, antibiotics and tetanus for sure.

Good luck. That poor filly. Keep us posted on her progress.

… adding a thin coating of vaseline or such below it as necessary, not so thick it holds too much dirt.
The fluids draining from that wound may scald the skin below.

[candyappy]

@Bluey

… adding a thin coating of vaseline or such below it as necessary, not so thick it holds too much dirt.
The fluids draining from that wound may scald the skin below.

You would want something that keeps the edges soft as well. It will heal from within right @Bluey? Will proud flesh be something to keep an eye on as it really starts to heal?

Several good topical for that when the time comes.

[Bluey]

@candyappy

You would want something that keeps the edges soft as well. It will heal from within right @Bluey? Will proud flesh be something to keep an eye on as it really starts to heal?

Several good topical for that when the time comes.

I don’t know, the edges may die a bit more before they start covering as far as they can.
That may be a big hole to cover.
Proud flesh should not be a problem that high, on such a larger mass?

Normally proud flesh can become a problem where there is mostly skin and bone, on the lower leg and yes, that would be later, when granulation tissue starts to take off.

Those are questions for vets, they get to see all kinds of those, treated all ways and know what the odds are how they will come along.

[endlessclimb]

Good god, that’s a doozie. Can you put a fly sheet on her, or maybe it would stick to the wound?

Flush flush flush that thing. It will heal from the inside out. I wouldn’t be doing much to mess with her otherwise. 5-10 minutes of flushing, morning and night. I’d give her a sedative if she gets fractious, something along the lines of reserpine.

Best of luck.

[Angela_Freda]

@RhythmNCruise

I can’t see the image and my computer doesn’t support the file type when I tried to download.

Be grateful, it’s worse than imagined.

OP, how unfortunate you couldn’t get a vet out to where you were/where this happened.

[erinmeri]

That is brutal. I’m so sorry you’re going through this and have nothing to offer other than jingles.

[Kyrabee]

It isn’t as deep as I imagined. Keep it clean. Would something like Dr. Underwood’s horse medicine work? It kind of looks like the kind of wound it is made for and is mostly hand’s off.
Just be sure to get a supply of baking soda to go over the top.

Underwood Horse Medicine | Horse Wounds | Wynnewood, OK

Susan

[starhorse]

Poor thing. And you!

Just came by to send good wishes and to tell you not to beat yourself up. There’s probably a million and one situations every day where something could happen around horses, and we are all just lucky that they don’t.

Hoping she heals well. Send photo progress!

[2DogsFarm]

I can’t see the pic either & download won’t open for me
Would this type of laceration benefit from something like Alumaspray?

& Here come my curbchains for a positive outcome for your filly

[endlessclimb]

WAY too big for alumaspray. It really needed stitches, and about 80 of them, to get it closed. Too late for that now, so “dilution is the solution to pollution.”

[redcowpony]

Thank you all so much for the advice and good wishes. Little girl is being an absolute champ about it, she lets me give her oral bute and antibiotics, flush it out with a hose for 15 minutes, and fly spay her without much fuss at all. I am blown away by her good mind. I believe she might even let me put topical medications on it soon. She is much more comfortable and the bruising/discoloration is going down already.

She is retaining a lot of fluid on the injured leg below the wound (not surprising). Would a little bit of light walking help to push some of that swelling and retained fluid out of that bad leg, or would the extra movement at this time slow down the healing process?

[endlessclimb]

I’d move her around on it. You don’t want any scar tissue to end up too “bunched”. I would not wrap it, if she does the standard “WTF is that” when it’s first applied, she may damage any healing so far.

You can cold hose it some, or put diluted liniment on it.

[PamnReba]

I haven’t looked at the pic (the .heic extension is an iPhone proprietary format, but it can be converted by free online tools if you’re really wanting to see it (I don’t)), but was going to suggest Underwood’s as well. I’ve never had to use it, but have heard great things about it, and that’s the first thing that came to mind.