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Equus Cover Article by Joy Silha
Equus Cover Article by Joy Silha
Equus Cover Article by Joy Silha
P A G E1 6
SEPTEMBER2OO5
ISSUE335
FIRST
UD
FOR
NGTUR
OUNDS
Here'swhatto do to prevent
a seeminglyminorinjury
your
fromendangering
horse'slife.
Byloy Sttha
he problemwith puncturewoundsis that
mostof them look innocuous.There'soften
a smallround hole and a minimal amount
of blood-certainlv sufficientevidenceof
injury but not the sort of signsthat triggeralarm.
Yetdependingon its locationand the extentof
damagebeneaththe skin, a puncturewoundcan
be lifs-threateningforyourhorse.
Severalcharacteristics makepuncturewounds
dangerousand difficult to treat:
O Theyareinflictedbyitems capableof carry-
ing dangerousbacteriadeepinto bodytissue.
O Deeperthan theyarewide,theydo not readi-
ly drain,creatingan environmentwhereinvading
bacteriacanflourish.
O Healingstartsfrom the skin inward,so
that the bacteriacanbecometrappedandproduce
localabscesses or deepseatedinfectionsthat may
spreadto other parts of the body.
O Any pieceof a puncturingitem that remains
in the woundthwartshealingand rehabilitation;
deadtissuehasno exit.
S E P T E MB ER 2OO5 Eq u u s 33s 67
synovial sacwithin it may causethe clearto deep- and any subsequentinfection can be especially
yellow lubricating fluid to leak out.An infected serious,consideringthe vital organslocatedthere:
joint may developarthritis or osteomyelitis,a the liver, spleen,kidneys, large colon, stomach,
destructivebone infection.Both conditions are small intestine,duodenumand cecum.
painful, difficult to treat and often result in perma- Eyes.A punctured eye is extremely painful. The
nent lameness. iris protrudes and the eye may appear to be pop-
Tendon sheaths.A puncture to the thin tissue ping out. In actuality the inner contentsmay be
that covers tendons and ligaments may introduce bulging through the wound. Surgeryis required,
bacteria;the resultant infection will be quite and although the eye sometimes can be saved,a
painful and can lead to permanentlameness.par- horse'svision often is permanentlyaffected.
ticularlyvulnerableare the digital tendon sheath Feet. Punctures to the foot-which includes
and the carpal canal.The digital tendon sheath the bones,joints, tendonsand ligamentsencased
runs from the navicularboneto the coronaryband, within the hoofwall-are quite common,yet many
over the pastern and fetlock to abovethe fetlock escapedetectionuntil a horse is in pain and lame.
joint. The carpal canal runs just aboveto just below Becauseof the particularly destructivenature of
the backofthe knee (carpus). an infection or abscessin any synovialspace,the
The chest. A large puncture to the chest can most seriousfoot punctures go through the frog to
collapsethe lungs and causeasphyxiation. the navicularboneand navicularbursa.the deep
The abdomen.An abdominal-cavitypuncture digital flexor tendon and the coffin ioint.
Eyes
Puncture is
extremely
painful.
S ur gic al
r epartrs
required.
Chest
A punctured
lung
ma yc o l l a p s ec,a u s i n g
the horseto asphyxiate.
Potential for shock
is great.
Abdomen
Manyvitalorgansareat risk
Joints of life-threatening
damage.
Essentia
I Potential for shockis great.
lubricating
fluid
ma ye scapethrough Tendon
sheaths Feet
a puncture. lnfection Resultant
infectionis Themostserious
is likely;mayleadto quitepainful
andcan puncturesg0
p e rm a nent
l ameness. l eadto permanent throughthefrog
intotheinner
structures
of
I the hoof.
Veterinarytreatment
Whenyourveterinarianarrives,
he'll administeran antibiotic and
tetanusbooster(see"GuardAgainst
Tetanus,"page69). He'll clean the
wound if you haven'talreadyand look
for additionalpunctures.Then he'll
palpatethe area.If a metal item is be-
lievedto be in the puncture,he'll likely
x-ray the site to determine its path. At{ EYGTOWARDFItEYEXTlO}lt
Becausean X raywon't detecta Periodicallycheckyourhorse's
woodenor nonmetallicobject,yourvet- surroundings to eliminatepuncture
erinarian may anesthetizethe area and risks,suchasnailsor screws
inject contrastmaterialinto the track protrudingfromfences(top),Also
to outline the wound cavity and any avoidusingbarbed wire.
remnantsof foreien material.
S E P T E MB ER 2OO5 Eq u u s 33s 73