Street Nails – Call your vet immediately

No matter how safe their environment may be, horses will always manage to find trouble. Unfortunately, a not-so-uncommon equine emergency is a sharp object that has penetrated through the bottom of the hoof, also known as a street nail. Any penetrating injury to the bottom of your horse’s foot is an emergency, and timely assessment is essential for the best outcome.

The number one rule for the horse owner is NEVER REMOVE THE NAIL before talking with your veterinarian! The exact location of the nail is crucial for determining the best treatment for your horse. ALWAYS call your vet first! Sometimes a photo can help your vet offer the best advice before evaluation.

Nail prior to removal

In general, foreign objects to the back third of the foot present the highest risk because of the position of important structures and the consequences of infection.

Nail Prior to Removal

Your vet will take radiographs of your horse’s foot prior to removal of the nail to determine its exact location. If the nail has been removed or fallen out, special dye can be injected along its tract that will show up on the radiographs, but it is more informative to leave the nail in place if possible! If the nail falls out prior to evaluation, save it and mark the depth of its tract if possible.

Dye injected along nail tract

The next step is beginning treatment, depending on the location of the nail. If the nail is well embedded, temporary numbing of the horse’s foot enables non-painful removal. The nail tract will then be flushed to remove dirt and debris. A bandage, sometimes including a drawing poultice, is applied to ensure the tract remains clean during healing. Sometimes a hoof abscess can develop during healing. Depending on the nail location, a technique called a regional limb perfusion may also be used.

Performed on the sedated horse, a regional limb perfusion involves the placement of a tourniquet on the limb above the hoof, allowing for antibiotic injection into a vein below the tourniquet. The tourniquet is left in place for up to 30 minutes to allow a higher concentration of antibiotic in the limb below the tourniquet.

If the location of the nail is in a critical location, such as through the center of the frog or potentially involving the tendon sheath or navicular bursa, prompt surgical flushing at a referral hospital is the best treatment to minimize the risk of fatal or career-ending infection.

Timely treatment of any penetrating wound to the foot is imperative for the best outcome!

Disaster Preparedness: Are you ready?

With the recent fire in Evergreen, residents of the Colorado Front range have received a stark reminder of the reality of living in a fire zone.  Even those residents on the eastern plains of Colorado are under a possible fire threat this time of year.  When you live in an area which is under a fire threat, a disaster/evacuation plan can mean the difference between getting out safely, and not getting out at all.

Disaster plans, including fire evacuation plans, should be well- thought out, and practiced so that they can be smoothly executed under stress and fear of a real disaster.  Here are some thoughts and tips to keep in mind as you create a disaster plan. 

Trailer Loading:  Possibly the single most important aspect to any evacuation plan is trailer loading.  Assure that your horses will load easily and quickly in ANY trailer.  If you have been caught away from home and someone else is evacuating your animals for you, they may not be using your trailer.  If not, will your horse load into a stock trailer? a small dark 2 horse?  Practice is the only way to truly know the answers to these important questions.

Identification:  The ability to identify your horse is extremely important.  They will likely be housed at an evacuation facility with many other animals, and they may have been brought in and checked in by someone other than you or a family member.   Making sure that you have photos of you with your horse, photos of identifying marks, brands, scars or tattoos is extremely helpful in making sure they are identified correctly.  Also, in today’s digital age, be sure to have a photo of brand card, current coggins, and microchip paperwork. ( As a note, you should never keep these papers with your horse as it makes it easy for thieves to “claim” your animals!)   In an emergency, duct tape on their neck, with names and phone number in sharpie works well.  If your horse is being hauled with a halter, dog tags on the halter can help as well.  IF you have to leave your horse behind, NEVER turn them loose while they are wearing a halter!!

First Aid Kit:  Have a basic first aid kit that can be used in emergencies like colic, wound care, hoof/foot injuries in an easily accessible location that you can grab and go!  If you need help with building a first aid kit, please reach out to your veterinarian for advice and proper supplies.  Consult with your veterinarian to include basic medications such as Phenylbutazone (Bute) or Flunixin Meglumine (Banamine) pastes.

Tack:  Plan on which tack you will take in an emergency, including halters, leads and water buckets.  Redundancy may only cause clutter, frustration and confusion in a crisis.  If there is ANY chance that you may trailer horses past fire, do not use nylon tack as it can melt and burn in extreme heat. 

Have Redundant Back Up Plans:  Use the help of neighbors and/or friends to get your horse out in case you are at work, on vacation, or otherwise not around when a fire starts.  Have at least two other people who can come by with a trailer to load and evacuate your horses.  Post detailed instructions in the barn area regarding where everything is so that backup helpers or emergency workers can quickly grab and go!

Feed:  Keep a three-day supply of hay, feed, supplements, and medications ready to go.

Know your boarding stables’ emergency procedures:  Knowing this information will make you an asset during an evacuation procedure, rather than a problem.  

Shelter in Place:  We have all become way too familiar with this term!!!  This is a case where you are not able to get your horses out, and need to have a plan for them to shelter in place.  NEVER leave them in a barn.  They should shelter in a pasture where all vegetation has been removed with at least a 4-day supply of food and water.  All horses should be properly identified and should not wear any halter.   Halters on turned out horses can and do get caught and cause more problems than they solve. 

Wildfires start unexpectedly and can move astonishingly quickly.  The Elephant Butte Fire in Evergreen is a reminder of just how many people can be quickly affected by these catastrophes.  The faster you can get yourself, your family, and your animals out of the way of a fire, the more the fire fighters can focus on the fire instead of worrying over human, animal and live saving issues!

Lacerations- When do you need to call the veterinarian?

 

By Dr. Shane Baird

HorseWoundAs horse injuries go, cuts, scrapes, and bruises of all shapes and sizes are common – the challenge is learning when veterinary intervention is required.

Is There Joint Involvement?

One of the most critical factors for laceration severity is the location of the laceration.  A solid “rule” to keep in mind is that if the wound is over an area that “bends” and appears to be fully through the skin, it justifies at minimum a call, and likely a visit from a veterinarian.  Cuts that seem to be no big deal, but are located directly over a joint, can be disastrous for the horse, while something that looks horrible at first glance but only involves skin and muscle can heal without causing any problems.

The lower limbs of horses don’t have a lot of tissue between the skin and the joints or bones. This “lack of padding” makes it easy for a cut that looks simple to penetrate into the joint.  Joints open to the outside world are open to infections and if infected, can become debilitating for a horse due to the arthritis associated with the process.

Severe Wounds Without Joint Involvement

Severely traumatic wounds, where tissue (skin, muscle) have been damaged or are just missing, can greatly benefit from prompt veterinary attention.  Proper removal of tissue and thorough cleaning of these wounds will speed the healing process significantly.  Though some of the skin may be missing from a wound like this, with some creative suturing, what remains can be used as a natural bandage, even if only temporarily.  At times, if healing is taking a longer than expected, there is justification for skin grafting techniques, even in an ‘in the field’ situation.

Head Woundshorse-943771_1920

Though the head can heal quite well on its own, lacerations to the eyelid region and around the eyes often warrant closer examination.  If your horse has an injury like this and they have no desire for you to even look, much less touch and clean the wound (which a fairly common response!), please call your local veterinarian so that things can be tended to (likely with sedation).  Trying to fight with the horse can quickly lead to other issues or injuries.  With sedation these wounds can be treated without further injury to the horse or any humans.

Tips on Pre-Veterinary Visit Wound Care

bandage on the leg of horse
bandage on the leg of horse

If you do decide that a veterinarian should see the laceration, here are some basic rules to follow:

  • Do NOT wash the wound with the hose. This can force dirt and debris deeper into the wound.  Using a paper towel or gauze with dilute betadine, clean the wound of obvious dirt and debris.  If the wound has potential to get dirty again before the veterinarian arrives, place a light bandage over the wound.
  • If there is a chance that the wound will need suturing or stapling, DO NOT use anything “blue or purple in color.” While efficient at stopping bleeding, these dusts and powders can be very damaging to healthy tissue and create a larger mess than before.
  • If your vet is not going to see the wound, and it doesn’t need a full bandage, a little bit of ointment (triple antibiotic is good) will help to keep the wound clean and moist.
  • If bandaging, make sure there is “padding” between the skin and any “vetwrap” like product.

As always, if there is any question, give your veterinarian a call. After a conversation you can both make a decision of whether your horses’ laceration should be seen or not.

 

 

 

Choke – What is it?

Choke in humans is often an obstruction of the trachea leading to a restriction in the air passage into the lungs. In horses, “choke” is an esophageal obstruction that’s a serious condition but most of the time not an immediately life threatening one. That said, there are complications that can arise secondary to the choke, which can become life threatening.

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Is equine colic an emergency?

colicQUESTION:
After 12 hours of watching my horse colic, and two shots of Banamine later, not to mention walking my horse for what seemed like a million miles, we resorted to pumping in a gallon of mineral oil with no results. When we contacted our regular vet, he said this was not an emergency and could wait until morning. Is colic a real emergency or were we just panicking?

ANSWER:
Colic is not a disease, but rather a very general term for abdominal pain in your horse.  The most common signs of colic include but are not limited to:

  • Looking at the flank area
  • Pawing incessantly
  • Kicking or biting at the belly
  • Getting up and down
  • Restlessness
  • Repeated rolling
  • Decreased/lack of appetite
  • Stretching out and posturing as if to urinate
  • Yawning/stretching jaw

If your horse is presenting with these signs or other abnormal behavior for that particular horse, time is of the essence, and early intervention can really make the difference.  There are many different causes of equine colic, most of which are related to the gastrointestinal tract, and range greatly in their severity of pain.  The length of time that a horse is experiencing colic can also be important in the severity.  While some causes of colic can take up to a few days to resolve, the longer your horse goes without resolution, the more serious the colic episode can be too.
Many colic cases will resolve without medical attention and we, as horse owners, may never know that they occurred.   If signs worsen, or seem prolonged, it is time to give your veterinarian a call.  Once you have called, wait by the phone and when your veterinarian calls, they will begin with a few questions regarding your horse’s vital signs (temperature, pulse, respiration), general behavior, recent bowel movements, and history (How long has he been colicky? When was the last meal?).  Be prepared to answer these basic questions, and if the veterinarian deems it necessary, be prepared for a veterinary visit.