treating horse kick injuries

Topics include Nutrition, Soundness & Lameness, Equine Behavior, Farm & Barn, Older Horse … Recently, Karen's 38 year old QH, Clancy had a run-in with a tree branch and we had the opportunity to photograph his wound and its progress as it healed. Chances are you’re dealing with a hematoma, an accumulation of blood in tissue spaces. Injuries—anything from bumps and bruises to torn tendons and damaged joints—can put him on the sidelines. Horse wound care requires a little attention than the typical equine injury. Good luck and go kick the horse-LOL Others require casting. The most important thing to do when treating wounds is to keep them clean and dry; this is where horse first aid kits come in so handy. While a broken leg of a horse may have been impossible to treat a long time … It occurs as a result of an infection, as the white blood cells assemble to fight off a foreign antigen, then subsequently die, becoming walled … a horse trailer while being shipped. An injury to the hamstrings affects the horse's gait, its ability to move laterally and causes discomfort. The 5 Most Common Kicking Injuries and How to Prevent, Recognize & Heal! There is something called Arnica gel- you can get it from health food stores and it helps with the pain and the inflammation. 1. Hematomas typically form after a trauma, such as a kick from a pasturemate. Treat the … If the surface of the eye was scratched, environmental bacteria can be quick to set up infection. Let me preface this series of articles by saying I am NOT a Doctor and the following information does not in any way constitute a recommendation or advice by me for your individual and specific situation. A horse kick can be pretty serious. Internal fixation (the use of plates and screws), for example, enables an injured horse to stand on a fracture while it heals, making previously life-threatening breaks treatable. What you will see (and feel) is a hard swelling at the point of the hock. Carpal Osteoarthritis (OA) A few weeks before my 16th birthday, I was out collecting horses at the end of the day at the farm where I worked. Diagnosis of brain trauma varies from case to case and depends on the clinical signs the horse is exhibiting. Breeding injuries also rarely occur, and kick wounds are also relatively common in this area. Found in the hindquarters of the horse, the stifle is a large, complex joint that comprises four bones, one being the patella. A nine-year-old girl has died after being kicked by a horse while riding her pony. A horse's hamstrings are a group of muscles that extend the horse's hip, let the horse kick and help the horse move to the side. Put your horse in a paddock, if possible, with a guaranteed good "friend" that will not encourage, force or do anything to generate a severe movement in the injured horse. Assess the overall health, condition, and stability of the horse. These large swellings can look alarming, but are generally of no consequence if handled properly. The horse with a fracture repair needs strict confinement for 12-16 weeks to allow healing. If you find your horse has a splint, be sure to consult with your veterinarian to have the injury properly diagnosed. Again, most of these heal well on their own. The horse will likely squint and tear profusely and may be … This is the best method to ensure the handler’s safety, as pulling the head toward themselves sends the hindquarters of the horse away, thus protecting them from kick injuries. #1 Hip Flexor. A horse's carpus is made up of a lot of soft tissue parts, all of which can be damaged through trauma. Kick to the head; Diagnosis. TRIBUTES have poured in for a veterinary surgeon who died after sustaining fatal injuries while treating an injured horse. The present retrospective study investigated this risk, including the frequency and severity of kick injuries, by submitting questionnaires to 700 veterinary practitioners in Switzerland. If a horse becomes frightened, the handler should always pull the horse’s head TOWARD their body until the horse is calmed and restrained. Severe and disfiguring injuries to the vulva and vagina can also occur during foaling and can have serious long-term consequences to fertility and health. How to Recognize and Treat Colic in Horses. Many people associate colic with babies, but horses of any age can also get the condition. The carpus is a common site for direct trauma, most commonly a kick from another horse. Methods Retrospective data were collected from all equine-related accidents at a German Level I Trauma Centre between 2004 and 2014. Common causes of traumatic injuries to the stifle of the horse include kicks from a field companion or collision with an obstacle, especially when attempting to clear fixed fences during cross country events. When this area sustains direct trauma, it tends to swell severely. The risk of injury to veterinarians treating horses is high, particularly when performing painful procedures. A treatment plan can then be tailored to your horse, depending on the diagnosis. Treatment 11-1-2001 through 8-26-2002 Treatment: Farrier might trim and rasp the offending hoof to cause less damage. Let the horse out more so it calms down. Our Expert – Rachel Read DVM MRCVS is an orthopaedic assistant at Rossdales Diagnostic Centre, Newmarket. The tendon usually sits taught over the pint of the hock, but if there’s any damage to the attachment of the tendon to the calcaneus (point of hock), then the tendon becomes unstable and can luxate (dislocate) to the outside or inside aspect of the hock. 2. Injuries of this severity require an extraordinary amount of patience and care by the horse caretaker. In many instances, diagnosis only occurs when the horse is brought to the veterinarian after an accident. Focus on balance when riding. The force of the blow separates tissues, creating a space, and ruptures vessels that allow blood to spill into that space. While any horse can get hurt, the demands of eventing, dressage and hunter/jumper competition increase the risk of suspensory ligament injuries, deep digital flexor tendon tears, sore muscles and more. The tendons were damaged, but the horse was never extremely lame. You may want to go to your doctor to get a prescription for a muscle relaxer. These are painful injuries, and initial assessment may not reveal the true extent of damage. The superficial flexor tendon was sheared, and the deep flexor tendon was traumatized. Stay up-to-date on the latest news about your horse's health with FREE newsletters from TheHorse.com. An abscess is an accumulation of pus (dead white blood cells) that forms a lump internally or externally on your horse’s body. Be it a cut from a stray, sharp stone or branch during a vigorous roll, a run-in with the fencing, or a kick from a field-mate, the sight of a nasty gash is enough to get most horse owners´hearts racing! Logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for major injures. Properly Dealing with Equine Wounds and Scratches. Many other times it may take a symptom or a host of symptoms for the brain trauma to be noticed. An injured horse may be suffering from hemorrhagic (hypovolemic) shock, head injuries or long bone fractures. Make plans on how to safely confine the horse to achieve the best outcome. Likely horse scenarios that create this trauma include a bang to the hock (fence, trailer, other horse) or even a kick inside a stall. The granulation bed was 5 inches wide and 13 inches long. Soft Tissue Injuries. These injuries to the horse may be the result of direct trauma, such as a kick or a concussion type trauma resulting from jumping, running or working. Active bleeding may be controlled by direct pressure. This is best done by I took radiographs to make sure there wasn’t any damage to the associated bones or hock joints. She grew up showjumping in Calgary, Canada, and carried this interest in the sport forward in her career, specialising in sport horse medicine and orthopaedics, and working with various teams as an FEI treating veterinarian. Treatment * If possible cold hosing for 15 - 20 minutes, several times a day, to the area will help reduce inflammation. Horses can develop an eye infection after having a foreign object lodged in there. A kick or blow from another horse while playing in the paddock, catching himself or bruising to the sole due to stony ground, are all common causes of bruising. Horse-related traumas are common in children and can cause severe injuries resulting in death and long-term disability (6). The easiest way to prevent this is to fit your horse with brushing boots when riding or turning out. Horses Body are Common Injuries from Regular Horse Activity ... As unusual as this may sound, many horses will hit or try to kick themselves because of annoying flies. Injuries that lead to brain swelling most often occur when a horse flips over backward while rearing and strikes his head with great force on a concrete aisleway. Horse riding is a dangerous sport with horses weighing up to 500 kg, traveling as fast as 65 km/hr, and with the saddle roughly 2 m from the ground (5). Treating a wound on a horse is different than treating a wound on you or me. It also helps it heal faster. No one wants to find their horse with an open wound, but we all know how good they are at getting themselves into trouble. Background/aim Horse riding is a popular sport, which bears the risk of serious injuries. From a fully upright rearing position, his head, which probably weighs close to 40 pounds, accelerates during the 10- … This study aims to assess whether individual factors influence the risk to sustain major injuries. Bone splints are quite common, and if they are mild and no lameness is present, they often go unnoticed until your horse’s annual health check. Restrain and calm the horse. Horses will utilize their animal instinct, only worrying about getting the fly away. If a vet suspects a horse has suffered a soft tissue injury to their knee, they would be able to establish their diagnosis by taking a diagnostic ultrasound of the affected joint. Horse-related injuries If you work with horses, you need to be aware of the risks and plan ahead to keep workers and others safe. Download the code of practice for managing risks when new and inexperienced persons interact with horses . 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