Punctured joint (graphic pics)

I think this is the most insensitive, ridiculous statement someone could make. No, I don't have money set aside for an emergency. I have to save up for annual teeth floatings, I have to plan trimming so I have the money. But my horse's are all well fed, healthy, up to date, and happy. But since I don't have money in case of an emergency, I should sell them? Do you really expect every horse owner to have a million dollars lying around in a bank account? It's GREAT if some people can do that, but it just can't always happen like that.

I'm sure if the horse broke it's leg, a vet would have been brought out, and a payment plan would have been set up. But alas, the horse did not break it's leg. I wouldn't call a vet out for that either.

The next time the vet is out, I will ask him to show me how to wrap a leg...

My cousins just left and they seemed more open to getting a vet out if the vet thinks he should come see the horse. They're going to get some penicillan, bute, and a tetanus shot for the horse.

If the leg isn't infected, you don't want to overuse the antibiotics (Gentamicin, Penicillin) as you can make your horse tolerant to these and they won't work as well when he needs them although a little bit will help prevent the infection setting in. Main thing is to keep it cleaned out. As for a wrap, those slip-on elastic elbow protecters are great and you can get them for like $1 at the dollar store. Just put a non-stick pad underneath and slip that on. It won't keep it perfect but it will help until you learn how to wrap properly, and even after you do I would still slip one on to protect your wrap. Try to keep him moving around a little so it doen't become stiff, but not too much. If you notice proud flesh forming on the wound, rub allum (sp? What's used for pickling) on it. It will help reduce it and is cheap.

It's very possible that the joint has been punctured and opened...in which case you need a vet. The horse will probably never be sound again if it has affected the joint fluid.

Oh boy, that's a doozy!

I definitely agree with learning how to wrap - with a puncture wound like that, you NEED to keep it clean and covered to prevent debris from getting inside. I'd hold off on most medications unless you notice an infection, overuse of medications can make the situation worse.

If proud flesh develops, I swear by Cothivet. You can buy it at most vet place, and it's a little pricy, but you need very little of it. I only ended up using maybe 1/4 of a bottle through the entire duration of my mares injury. She went through a spiked fence with me on her, and a vet had to put 50 stitches into her chest. She advised we seperate her from the herd, which was the worst idea because she freaked out and tore open a few stitches on the fence. I had to go through several weeks of gouging the proud flesh off with my finger nail, and then spritzing it with Cothivet. By the time it was over, you couldn't even notice the scar.

Avoid using most ointments, as they actually promote proud flesh growth (things like Furazone). For wounds, I prefer to just keep them as clean as possible. Wash it out daily, and keep a fresh wrap on.

Good luck!

Riccilove-I used to think like you did. You don't really NEED to have the extra money aside...

Until my horse had to have an emergency surgery. The vet did take payments plans but there were strict conditions.

-50% upfront
-Credit Check
-The last two payments on 25% had to be paid every two weeks. So you had a month and a half.

My bill was $3000ish, so they needed $1500, before she could come home and then $750 two weeks later, and then the other $750 two weeks after that.

Thank goodness I had the money to pay for it, otherwise I would have been up **** creek without a paddle.

I'm not saying you are a bad horse owner, but it might be worth trying to put at least $2k aside for a just in case day. If you can't, that's okay too as long as you are caring for you horse and have a back up plan if something does come up!

EEEK! I agree with the pp's - try and cover it. I've never heard of the elbow supports from the drug store, but it sounds like a great idea! The Gent. Is not a bad idea, IMO. With how deep it is amd seeing as it's uncovered, it will most likely get infected.
If you have the resources, I'd call a vet, just to be sure there is no joint involvement. The Tetanus shot is a great idea, too.
GL with him and keep us posted!

I'll definitely keep you guys updated on him.

When my daughter bought her horses, the colt that came with the package had a badly torn up knee. He had run through a barb-wire fence and the knee was open to the bone. He had been on antibiotics, but the previous owners didn't call the vet out until it was much too late for stitches. Very aggravating. The colt kept re-opening the wound, and nothing we did seemed to help. Then the farrier came out to do hooves (of course) and recommended the strangest home remedy I had ever heard of... ground black pepper! My late sil was very much into herbs and advised that black pepper was definitely one of the healing herbs, and would also help keep the flies out (physical barrier). So, we packed the open wound with ground pepper. It wasn't nearly as deep by then, so the pepper wasn't going inside the knee joint. It was really strange - the wound began healing fairly rapidly after that. We packed it with pepper a couple more times, after cleaning it out of course. After that, the wound had healed to the point that the pepper had nothing to cling to.

Your horse has a puncture wound. You want to make sure that it heals from the inside out and does NOT close over too soon. It will take time, but it should heal. Your vet will need to check him for soundness, but IMO he should be okay...

Merck Veterinary Manual

Give this link and the contents a read.

It gives you incredibly basic knowledge, but I also recommend going to the nearest university and buying an equine manual on nursing/first aid.