Wound in the paddock

Hello. Oh no, how upsetting that your horse has hurt itself. I hope it is not too serious. Before you treat a wound on your horse, there are a few things to check first.

1) If the wound is bleeding heavily, is deep, or it is hard to tell how deep it is, contact your vet.

2) If the wound is near a joint, contact your vet.

3) Bear in mind that puncture wounds are often deeper than you think, and there may be bits of stick or other debris left in them, so contact your vet.

To clean a wound, a good rule of thumb is not to do anything to it that you would not be willing to do to your own eye. Use warm water and soap if there is a lot of dirt in and around the wound. Otherwise, saline solution is by far the best option. Stronger products such as Jodopax are no longer recommended for wound care, as they hinder healing.

Good luck.