In our first article we covered cleaning a recent flesh wound. Having cleaned the wound and surrounding area, the vet or you can now bandage the injured leg.
In this case a cotton wool wrap was made with 3 layers of sterile cotton wool and antiseptic cream applied to the cotton wool. Over this a layer of gauze was laid soaked in Lotagen so that the cotton wool does not come into direct contact with the open wound. This was wrapped around the horse’s injured leg then bandaged into place with Elastoplast dressing.
To bandage, start below the cotton wool so that the Elastoplast bandage adheres to the skin to hold the dressing in place.. When finishing, extend the bandage again above the dressing.
Hints for bandaging;
- Do not begin or end over joints, start below or above
- Wrap the leg from front to back, outside to inside (counter clockwise in left legs, clockwise in right legs)
- Wrap in a spiral pattern, working down the leg and up again, overlapping the preceding layer by 50 percent.
- Use smooth, uniform pressure on the support bandage to compress the padding. Make sure no lumps or ridges form beneath the bandage.
- Be careful not to wrap the legs too tightly, creating pressure points
- Avoid applying bandages too loosely. If loose bandages slip, they will not provide proper support and may endanger the horse
- Extend the bandages to within one half inch of the padding at the top and bottom.
- Instead of cotton wool you could use sterile Gamgee pads
As this horse was sedated (see previous article) the bandaging process was pretty easy, especially for an experienced vet. However, if you have not had much experience of bandaging a wound, it may not be quite so easy when it’s your turn!
Ask your vet for advice about bandaging while he is there and watch carefully how he applies the dressing to the particular area of the wound on your horse so you can follow the procedure. It is expensive to have a vet visiting to re-bandage so here are some hints for you to apply new bandages yourself.
- Always have someone to assist and hold the horse; if tied up he may pull back and cause more damage
- Allocate plenty of time for the task
- If unfamiliar with bandaging, practise bandaging the same area on an uninjured quiet horse with polo bandages or other wraps (not Elastoplast!). This will give you a better idea of how to approach it and more confidence about the job (let’s face it, vets get lots of practise; that’s why they are good at it!)
- Prepare your bandaging requirements in advance – lay out everything you need on a towel in one area; scissors, bandages, cotton wool (or wraps), cleansing solution etc
- Removing the old bandage can be tricky! Well applied bandages are meant to stay and sometimes take a while to remove. There are special bandage scissors which have rounded ends or your vet may leave a small scalpel blade for you to use which needs very careful handling so as to only slice through the outer bandage and not your horse’s leg or your finger (yes, I’m speaking from experience here!)
- Having removed the old bandage, examine the wound and surrounding area for any signs of heat, swelling or irritation then clean the wound and surrounding area (see previous article)
- Before using the Elastoplast bandage, unwrap and stretch out then rewrap onto the holder. This removes the tension of the bandage and makes it much easier to use when wrapping the leg.
- Apply the sterile dressing as instructed by your vet, apply to leg (by now hopefully your horse is getting used to having his leg and wound handled and is reasonably accepting) and bandage into place
- If you are bandaging a hind leg and the horse tends to move around, have someone hold up the front leg on the same side (as if you were picking out the hoof) to prevent them moving as easily
- When treating hind legs, tie up the horse’s tail so it doesn’t get in the way
There you go – a brand new bandage applied and your horse is on the road to recovery!
Please Note: this article is provided as general information only. Each situation and wound is unique and you should seek guidance from your vet as to the best treatment for your horse
