Wounds
Four types of wound may be defined: bruises, or contused wounds; incised wounds, such as a cut; lacerated wounds, involving torn tissues; and puncture wounds, involving deeper penetration, usually with a small surface area.
Bruising: most bruises heal quickly and may not even be noticed. The skin is unbroken, although there may be local heat or swelling. In some cases, a haematoma may develop.
Bruising is best treated with cold water or ice packs. Cold constricts the blood vessels, thus reducing the flow of blood into the injured area, therefore minimising inflammation and swelling. Ice and deep-frozen materials must never be applied directly to the skin, but over a bandage or in a specially designed pack, to avoid cold burns.
Puncture wounds: these occur most often in the feet, when some foreign object such as a nail enters the sole, causing a deep but often barely visible wound. Punctures through the centre of the foot are more dangerous than those at the edges, since there is a risk of the pedal bone being involved, resulting in long-term, chronic, or possibly permanent lameness. More common are simple punctures, which can be treated initially by opening up the tract and poulticing to draw out any dirt and debris. It is important that puncture wounds are kept open and allowed to drain and heal from the inside, and also that the horse is vaccinated against tetanus, which notoriously enters through this type of wound.
Incised wounds: small cuts under 1in long will usually heal quite quickly, with no further treatment other than cleaning with an antiseptic solution to remove any dirt and debris, and to disinfect the wound. Longer cuts which penetrate through the thickness of the skin require stitching when the edges of the wound are close and can easily knit together.
Lacerated wounds: small lacerations such as grazes and scratches can simply be cleaned, anointed with antiseptic and left to heal naturally. If the scratches are extensive, a course of antibiotics is recommended to prevent infection.
Larger lacerations such as badly broken knees and deeper tissue damage require careful cleaning to remove dirt and foreign bodies. Plain water, or antiseptic solution for bathing is all that required at this stage. Ointments and creams should not be applied as they are difficult to remove should the vet decide to stitch the wound when he arrives. With deeper wounds, the vetīs first objective is to stop any further bleeding by clamping torn blood vessels. The area is then thoroughly cleaned and any dead or damaged tissue removed. Deeper layers of tissue are sutured first, finishing with the skin.
Some wounds such as for example where areas of skin have been lost, cannot be repaired by stitching and will take much longer to heal.
