My poor colt

[rodawn]

So I have my weanling colt at a neighbor's house while he weans off mamma - he is with 3 other colts his own age. 2 weeks ago, he managed to splice his hind cannon on something. Anyway, I've been treating it with Betadine wash and just letting it dry over.

So last night, I go over to see my babe, and I met up with the neighbour's son, who mentioned that he noticed the wound and put a halter on my horse and splashed some turpentine mixed with vaseline on it. Yeoowie! :eek: Then my next thought was, WTF? It's MY horse, not yours! I am surprised my little colt even stood for that. Not surprisingly, as soon as the guy showed up, my colt trotted away as quick as he could. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy.

The wound is getting a little infected because he keeps getting dirt in it, but I really think turpentine isn't the answer to that. Today it is supposed to be a warm day, so I'll zip over there with my trailer and whisk him home for a pressure water-hosing down and try to clear off some of the dirt. I haven't seen any proud flesh, so I'm hoping this will just heal over with a little scar. I have some ointment that my old vet made up herself - basically it is betadine in a gel base. Lovely stuff. I would prefer to leave the wound open to the air as they always heal better;however, if I can avoid my poor boy getting dosed with more turpentine, I think I'll wrap it instead with vet wrap. Yikes.

[fivehorses]

Does the colt need to be at your neighbor's?
I weaned my guy by putting him in an adjoining paddock to mom. Could see but not touch. It worked like a charm, and was very stressless.
Do you know that the most stressful and most effective on how the horse will develop is at weaning. It is then that they learn about humans.
I would want my colt at my place at the very least. Maybe move mom if you have to, but not the colt.

As far as the wound. If this is at the point of infection, I certainly would have the vet out.
Antibiotics, etc.
As far as exposed to the air...use to be wound management protocol, now, protocol is to wrap.
In other words, use some scarlett oil, or other anticeptic, clean the wound, use saline solution, apply some gauze with anticeptic, wrap loosely with vet wrap.
If this infection gets into the bone, you will have some serious problems.

[rodawn]

Yes, my colt needs to be at my neighbour's. This colt has been weaned now for 6 weeks and as of this week, but has only been at the neighbour's for 2 weeks. Mare would NOT settle down, kept running the fenceline, barging through fences and worrying herself to rags and bones. She only stopped running when I removed him. Second, he needs companionship with babes his own age and gender, if anything to develop good herd behaviour. My other mare lost her foal with premature delivery.

If anything, the colt gets just as much, if not more human attention at the neighbour's and is strongly bonded to me. This is a 6 month old colt who, when I call his name, comes galloping up to me, leaving all of his buddies behind in the pasture, willingly shoves his head into the halter, and impatiently happy to see what new thing we get to do today. He has been extremely well handled right from birth (as are all of my foals) and is remarkably just as easy to handle as most adult horses are - something my neighbour marvels at. Slight infections do not necessarily call for antibiotics. Topical dressings such as what my vet gave me with the betadine in it are powerful bactericidal and fungicidal agents and are not irritating to the skin. This colt has been exceptional to treat in that he leaves it alone and doesn't pick at it, but it does get dirty when he lays down. Nothing that a good splash of medium pressure water doesn't fix and reapplication of his ointment. It's healing well and has started to close in remarkably well. He seems to be a fast healer.

He is teaching all of the other colts to come when called too as the other three are still very timid of people, having not been handled at all.

My comment here was all about the turpentine and the fact someone treated my horse with this instead of discussing it with me. This sort of treatment is from the dark ages and I'm so completely surprised that people are still thinking this is good treatment. Yikes. Seriously, has anyone else even heard of doing this?

(PS: I should also note for an update on his thinness which I posted elsewhere at another time - - he is starting to catch up on some weight now in relation to his steady growth, so the quick-interval deworming is doing the trick. He seems to have gotten "caught up" practically overnight and I consider myself quite alert to small details. He remains being his usual, extremely intelligent, bright, cheerful, and happy-go-lucky little self, well not so little as he already stands 13.3 hands (pappa is tall, so this is not unexpected). He continues to have a great appetite and dives right into his daily mash like there is no tomorrow. :) He shows no signs of epiphysitis/physitis at all for which I'm very thankful for. It also appears that his P1/2 joint injury is self-fusing which is making for the best and ultimate outcome for him that we could have ever dreamt possible. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have my dressage prospect after all!)

[Mozart]

I'm glad to hear the weight is picking up. I thought it might after the most recent deworming.

I had never heard of the turpentine method until about five years ago, I had a gelding that that opened up his hock kicking through a metal gate. I was very diligent about treating it but it was not healing fast enough for my liking. I called the vet a few times and he suggested I was being too diligent? "Others would throw turpentine on it and call it a day!" So I guess it is not that rare....

I recently bought a wound spray (the name of which escapes me at the moment), small pump spray bottle, has an American flag on it) and I have been using it on a filly with a leg injury. It forms a protective barrier over the wound, keeps it from getting infected, dirt won't stick to the wound, etc. I have been impressed with it. If you are interested I can check the name of it.

[rodawn]

Hi Mozart,
I would be very interested in the name of that ... it sounds like it is like a liquid bandaid, like they use for kids.

[JB]

Mozart, are you talking about Underwoods? I haven't heard of it but have heard really good things about it.

Rodawn - I would FLIP if someone else grabbed my horse, foal or not, and just threw some turpentine/vaseline on a wound! :eek: I cannot believe it was not noticable that it was not new and was being treated. I mean, a 2 week old wound doesn't look like it was done yesterday (well, mostly, I doubt it here ;)).

It sounds like you have a new handle on the wound treatment :)

I'm VERY happy to read that his weight is picking up :)

[rodawn]

Well, I'm trying very hard to be diplomatic, JB. I'm not always successful in that department, but I'm trying really, really hard here. The son of my neighbour has not been around until the past few days looking after things while his dad is away. He just saw the cut on the cannon and I guess was thinking he was being helpful. Um..... hmmm. I don't know what to say except my eyes were spinning in my head.

Good thing I have this afternoon off work - - because now I have to scrub this wound in a way I was kinda hoping to avoid, because it makes the wound take a (temporary) big step backwards in the healing process.

Because there is this addition of vaseline and turpentine which actually attracts and holds dirt to a wound, and the fact that turpentine causes a chemical burn .... I will now have to take a surgical scrub brush with betadine surgical soap and really work at getting the wound clean again, literally scrubbing off the burnt skin back to a bleeding base. Since that will be a very painful process to complete, I'll have to apply local anesthetic block because there is absolutely no way he'll be able to tolerate it otherwise.

My poor little baby.

A long time ago, I used to have an antiseptic spray that was blue in color. Loved the stuff. Sprayed it on and it really seemed to help wounds from getting infected and stay clean. No doubt it is no longer popular because people did not like having blue spots on their horses.

[Trevelyan96]

For scrapes that I want to protect and dry out, I think Wonder Dust is an excellent product. I'll usually clean the wound up really good... put some Furazone on it, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then wipe of the excess and puff on some Wonder Dust. Works like a charm.

[sdlbredfan]

Move the baby back home and either send the mare to the neighbor to be an Auntie to the other younglings, or get a 'pet' for the mare such a a goat or mini.

[stoicfish]

Yep, Rodawn I have, unfortunately.
Also to add - transmission fluid, lye, copper sulfate.
I had a pony that had seizures when I was a wee child. These were just some of the suggestions for the resulting cuts, good thing my mother was a nurse and did not take the advice.
I think the kid actually though he was helping….but dam eh! Glad your baby is doing better, so it was worms?
About the wrapping protocol, have not heard that, for any animal. Wounds always heal/drain better when open. Few exceptions.

Blue stuff - Gentian Violet???

[fivehorses]

your poor colt.

[fourmares]

The blue stuff is Blue Kote. It is still available. It's good stuff. The bonus is that because of the blue dye anyone can tell that you are treating the wound.

[Mozart]

Hi Mozart,
I would be very interested in the name of that ... it sounds like it is like a liquid bandaid, like they use for kids.

It is by Equine America and is called Skin Renovator Spray. Comes in a handy little 1.5 ounce pump spray bottle that you can nicely hide in the palm of your hand and quickly spray onto the wound.

I read the ingredient list last night. First ingredients are water and alcohol, which does not sound promising, but the stuff seems to work. Further down the ingredient list are some herbal extracts (marjoram and sage???) including centella asiatica. That last one is interesting as it is an ingredient in some high end skin care products, meant to promote healing and reduce inflammation.

Here is link to their website: http://www.equineamerica.com/products.html?catid=topicalcare&pageid=7556

[rodawn]

He's just starting to get to that stage where he has the tiniest bit of proud flesh, so am wondering if the Skin Renovator will help stunt that? Strong steady stream of water also helps break down the proud flesh, but can also hurt in the process. I got in there with my brush and scrubbed him down to bleeding again. He actually took it marvelously well. He is just an amazing little colt - he just kinda held the foot up and let me hold it in my hand while I scrubbed down his cannon bone. He just stood there nice and quiet. I didn't have anyone helping me so nobody was holding him. What a good boy!!! Sometimes I feel like I have to step back and look closely to make sure he's really a baby and not an experienced adult! He seems to be young in body but old in soul. We went for a little walk not quite to the road (he's not nearly ready for traffic yet) and a big Greyhound bus went by the front gate in clear view. He stopped and looked but never moved and never made like a spook. Good BRAVE BOY!

[JB]

For proud flesh you can't beat Wonder Dust or Caustic Powder, or whatever the equivalent is up yonder ;) I've heard meat tenderizer is great, just haven't personally tried it.

[Mozart]

IIRC the bottle said it retards proud flesh, but for my particular three year old filly, who managed to put her hind leg through a metal gate at the breeding farm (three weeks before her inspection and two days before I picked her up, I might add :rolleyes:) I scrubbed down the proud flesh that was starting up and did Wonder Dust until the proud flesh was safely under control, then followed up with the Skin Renovator.

[rodawn]

Where's a thumbs up icon? :) Thanks!

[JMurray]

I use triple anitibiotic on any horse wound. Works for people works for horses and prevents scaring. Expensive I know to buy at drugstore, but it has saved my butt so many times with cuts and wounds that I can't bring myself to use anything else.

The blue stuff is BluKote and they still sell it around here. Love that too.

[Treasmare2]

Wonder Dust is mostly barn lime....I use the barn lime on all kinds of cuts. It is great for the babies because you don't wrap and it prevents proud flesh. It also breaks down what may have formed. It doesn't hurt, which amazed me, so application doesn't make the babies think you are a mean old person. I toss a handful on everytime I go into the stall, paddock or field. I was oringially told about this by a vet when I had a mare get a horrendous leg injury and one vet advised me to put her down. The lime allowed us to go without wraps and the mare was very well healed is six weeks and was sound too. Can't say enough good about this very simple approach.....its a staple in my barn now.

[Tangerine Farmer]

About 25 years ago the "thing" was a bottle of I think, turpentine with castor oil. It was called Cut Heal. I threw it out after reading more about wound care.. clean them and let them dry. Not the chemical and goo that the Cut Heal provided.

Best wishes for you and your little fellow.