My horse (TB gelding) cuts himself in the stable!?
My 16hh 6 year old thoroughbred gelding cuts himself in his stable. The cuts are all small, but deep and he doesn't form a scab properly so I'm worried they'll become infected. The cuts are mainly on his hind legs, below the hock and at the front. Although there is one on his rump and one above his hock on his near leg. I've checked the entire stable thoroughyla nd there's nothing he could be doing it on. He does wear shoes but we've never had problems like this in the past. One other thing is he windsucks, so we bought a collar to stop him. As far as I know that is the only thing that has changed in his lifestyle. He's also dropping weight. I'm going to call out the vet in a week or so, it's been happening about a week and he's been seriously lame once. I'm very worried, and would really appreciate any advice anyone can give. He's on a bed of shavings and has two licks to amuse himself with.
Answers:
try putting rubber matting in his stable on floor and walls. i personally think he is cutting himself trying to get the windsucking collar. get a weaving grill so he cant wind suck on the door.
the wait loss could be due to the stress of removing the collar.
try keeping him in the field for as long as possible as the grass will keep him amussed.
also putting extra hay in the stable so he has that to eat inateadof being stressed with the wind sucking collar.
when he has a cut clean it and put some otiment on it. also this time of year put fly repellant cream around the cuts too to keep the flies away.
hope that helps
That sucks i am sorry buti don't know whats causing the cuts..sorry!!!!!!!!!
do u use garlic in your feed. ? its a good thing, and u can buy veteze which is a powder u shake on grazes to help dry them up, i cut tyres in half and roped them round the stable so my sisters mule (lol) 18hh 5 yr old would stop hacking himself to bits. hope this helps
He may be trying to scratch or remove his cribbing collar and somehow injuring himself in the process but having a vet check this out is best. Have you been putting peroxide on the cuts? The peroxide and rinsing lightly with water is all that should be done for now until you know the cause.
Good Luck to you and your horse!
Is he outside at all.if so, have you checked his paddock? Apply some ointment to each cut when you see them. Something like Nolvasan Ointment, Corona Ointment, Horseman’s Dream Veterinary Cream, etc.
In terms of dropping weight - has he had any stress lately, or been working harder (even a little bit)? Check with the barn owner/manager, and see if his hay or grain rations have been changed in any way, or if they have gotten a different brand/type of grain/hay.
Your horse could be biting himself, that could be the reason for cuts.
This is a kind of self harming, horse only does this when its not happy with something. The weight loss might be caused by stress
he could look like he's losing weight cause when horses windsuck they will sometimes hold air in their stomach so that now you have a collar on him he will look like he's losing weight, when infact he's losing air, i don't know why he would keep cutting himself but if nothing else i would have the vet come out to see why he isn't really forming scabs. i hope you find the reason for the cuts good luck leave the cribbing collar on horses adjust to the fact that they can't crib there was a horse out at the barn that i work at and she colicked cause she had too much air in her so the best idea is to keep the collar on
is it possible that he's getting cast when he lays down that's what could be causing the cuts on his hind legs and rump try putting Menkar honey on the cuts and if you need to bandage them try paraffin gauze instead of the normal stuff it won't stick to the wound. as far as the weight loss goes try adding carrot or apple juice with a bit of hot bran and molasses mash it's expensive but they love it. also change his bedding to straw a lot of horses find it warmer and tend not to loose as much weight just be careful he doesn't try and eat it
good luck
try moving him to a deffernt stall, and try padding the stall. and with him losing weight a vet should be called asap. Put some anticeptic on the cuts and try to bandage his wounds,( remember to keep clean wraps on him) but when you call the vet you can ask him for further advice.
Losing weight? Feed em! My girlfriend loves losing weight but loves sweets too.
Check or remove the collar. Either leave em windsuck or find other ways to prevent it.
Hello ,reading your letter it sounds like he may have got cast .
whilst cast the hooves and shoe nails may have caught the lower legs and the rest of the cuts may have happened with wall and floor contact ,this is just a thought .
It common knowledge now that horses who crib are best left to crib as to stop them causes more stress than cribbing its self .
The stress the collar could be causing the horse to self harm by throwing himself around the box in the early hours this again is just a thought .When a horse cribs air is taken into the gut and this may affect the digestion of nutrients and food and gut discomfort or pain after or before feeding.
But i feel this horse is stressed try removing the collar for a week
and see if he inflicts injury on himself ,
Some times crib bitters get ulcers with in the gut which can cause gut pain he may be in pain and rolling to relieve the pain
and causing injuries to his legs whilst rolling .
Does he crib when he is out grazing .
T resolve the problem may be trial and error you could bandage his legs ,how long has he had the collar .
Do let me know what your vet has said i Hope the problem is resolved ,best wishes.
the only thin gi would suggest is to call a vet especially if the cuts arent healing well. he may have some kind of immune disease or cancer. have you noticed any lumps anywhere on him. ive had a horse that had melanoma on his anus. it didnt effect him to much but he did have to take some supplements. call a vet! good luck i hope he gets better.
Try taking the collar off for a week and see if that affects his physical form. Keep the cuts cleaned and bandaged if you can. Maybe you should try watching him. Spend a night just seeing what he does. You may need to be prepared to stay up all night. If he does decide to lay down or roll, you don't want to be in the way! Hope this helps a little bit. You really should get the vet. They will know what sort of thing is causing the cuts, if it is some form of disease, if it is a puncture wound or laceration. Ask the vet about the collar too, he/she may know some alternative methods. My pony used to wind suck and crib bite, we put mixtures of mustard, vinegar and chilli sauce on all the surfaces he could get hold of using a decorating paint brush. It kind of worked. I don't know if you would want to try this method. In summer, many animals do drop weight because they drink more and don't feel the need to eat. Also in the warmer weather they may be more energetic and move around more, again, get the vet to assess his condition. Use your head, does he still look healthy? Do his ribs stick out? Is his rump round/normal or are his bones beginning to show? It shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Your horse sounds like he's suffering from the stress of being stabled. It really doesn't suit all horses. There are a number of different things you can try.
If you own your own yard then build a corral outside his stable and leave the stable door open so that he can step in and out as he pleases. It needs to be at least 3 x his length in depth.
He should spend as much time as possible turned out, into a very small paddock with a 3 1/2 sided shelter if possible rather than stabled. Even though this will increase the amount of work for you and he'll need more feed.
Crib biting and windsucking are stereotypical behaviours. These are behaviours that have gone well past the point of habit. Trying to 'cure' them with gadgets like collars doesn't work, they go to windsuck and cannot complete the set of movements they feel they must do. So they start the movements all over again and end up frustrated. Its like trying to cure someone of biting their nails by putting boxing gloves on them; they just end up poking themselves in the face every few minutes.
These bad habits start out of the frustration of boredom. Turn him out with a quiet companion. Vary his routine and give him more hacking.
The cuts could be from his front feet. If his front toes are worn down, is he scraping the ground? If he's doing that out of frustration then he could be doing it hard enough to cut himself.
I think you need to see an equine behaviour specialist to get some advice. Ask your vet if they can recommend anyone.
if they are mostly lower check the entire stable for sharp object or sharp edges and corners to walls. put away any sharp objects into a secured tack box. talk to your stable owner about covering sharp edges and corners. check the pature thouroughly including trees. he could have a disease that causes him to itch and rub off his fur. or it could be rain rot.
does he lack interest in his food? if so try adding a little honey in it. make sure he is getting all the appropriate vitamins and minerals from his feed.
good luck:)
u mite have to get his teeth filed down that couldcause the wait lose
He could be getting cast in his box, when he lies down, so you could try an "anti-cast roller" - kinda like a sursingle. that's the only thing i could see to causing the cuts, is if he's down, and cant get back up again, have you noticed any strange marks on the walls - that could be caused by his feet hitting the wall.
as for the windsucking, well, not sure how you stable is designed, but there's a windsucker in the yard where i work, and we tried EVERYTHING, only thing that seems to work, is to have him in an electrified paddock during the day - so he cant suck on the fences - and if he has to stay in his box, we just have a good, solid chain that goes across the door, so he cant hang onto his door. At night the top half of the door is closed, or if its hot we just leave both doors open, and the chain up, just be sure your yard is secure, so if he escapes he cant go anywhere. (never happend yet though!)
As to treating the cuts, if they're on his legs, try using an antiseptic paste/gel/cream, cover them with some gauze, and plaster tape, and then just put some good stable bandages over all that. at the very least it will stop him from reopening them or creating new cuts in the same place.
the one on his rump sounds very strange, im sorry i cant help you there!!
Hope you get it sorted though, sounds like you AND the horse are having a bit of a rough time!! Luck to you!:)
you can buy peroxide water from the chemist, this is great for forming scabs, it's for human use too and only costs 90p a bottle, you should dilute it 1 to 3 it fizzes up and cleans the wound at the same time. about the stable can't you leave him out in the summer over night? Leaving out grazing woul dhelp him gain weight .
I worked in a stable some time ago and there was this mare who would come up with these wounds on her. They were mainly on her front legs, but you never know.
She would stand in her stall at night and fall asleep, fall into a DEEP sleep that is and fall down. A vet gave me that prognosis. He said it was common and later her son did the same thing. They were the only ones in the barn who did. I don't know about the weight loss so I can't advise on that.
try setting up a camera to see what happend.//////////////////
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Answers:
try putting rubber matting in his stable on floor and walls. i personally think he is cutting himself trying to get the windsucking collar. get a weaving grill so he cant wind suck on the door.
the wait loss could be due to the stress of removing the collar.
try keeping him in the field for as long as possible as the grass will keep him amussed.
also putting extra hay in the stable so he has that to eat inateadof being stressed with the wind sucking collar.
when he has a cut clean it and put some otiment on it. also this time of year put fly repellant cream around the cuts too to keep the flies away.
hope that helps
That sucks i am sorry buti don't know whats causing the cuts..sorry!!!!!!!!!
do u use garlic in your feed. ? its a good thing, and u can buy veteze which is a powder u shake on grazes to help dry them up, i cut tyres in half and roped them round the stable so my sisters mule (lol) 18hh 5 yr old would stop hacking himself to bits. hope this helps
He may be trying to scratch or remove his cribbing collar and somehow injuring himself in the process but having a vet check this out is best. Have you been putting peroxide on the cuts? The peroxide and rinsing lightly with water is all that should be done for now until you know the cause.
Good Luck to you and your horse!
Is he outside at all.if so, have you checked his paddock? Apply some ointment to each cut when you see them. Something like Nolvasan Ointment, Corona Ointment, Horseman’s Dream Veterinary Cream, etc.
In terms of dropping weight - has he had any stress lately, or been working harder (even a little bit)? Check with the barn owner/manager, and see if his hay or grain rations have been changed in any way, or if they have gotten a different brand/type of grain/hay.
Your horse could be biting himself, that could be the reason for cuts.
This is a kind of self harming, horse only does this when its not happy with something. The weight loss might be caused by stress
he could look like he's losing weight cause when horses windsuck they will sometimes hold air in their stomach so that now you have a collar on him he will look like he's losing weight, when infact he's losing air, i don't know why he would keep cutting himself but if nothing else i would have the vet come out to see why he isn't really forming scabs. i hope you find the reason for the cuts good luck leave the cribbing collar on horses adjust to the fact that they can't crib there was a horse out at the barn that i work at and she colicked cause she had too much air in her so the best idea is to keep the collar on
is it possible that he's getting cast when he lays down that's what could be causing the cuts on his hind legs and rump try putting Menkar honey on the cuts and if you need to bandage them try paraffin gauze instead of the normal stuff it won't stick to the wound. as far as the weight loss goes try adding carrot or apple juice with a bit of hot bran and molasses mash it's expensive but they love it. also change his bedding to straw a lot of horses find it warmer and tend not to loose as much weight just be careful he doesn't try and eat it
good luck
try moving him to a deffernt stall, and try padding the stall. and with him losing weight a vet should be called asap. Put some anticeptic on the cuts and try to bandage his wounds,( remember to keep clean wraps on him) but when you call the vet you can ask him for further advice.
Losing weight? Feed em! My girlfriend loves losing weight but loves sweets too.
Check or remove the collar. Either leave em windsuck or find other ways to prevent it.
Hello ,reading your letter it sounds like he may have got cast .
whilst cast the hooves and shoe nails may have caught the lower legs and the rest of the cuts may have happened with wall and floor contact ,this is just a thought .
It common knowledge now that horses who crib are best left to crib as to stop them causes more stress than cribbing its self .
The stress the collar could be causing the horse to self harm by throwing himself around the box in the early hours this again is just a thought .When a horse cribs air is taken into the gut and this may affect the digestion of nutrients and food and gut discomfort or pain after or before feeding.
But i feel this horse is stressed try removing the collar for a week
and see if he inflicts injury on himself ,
Some times crib bitters get ulcers with in the gut which can cause gut pain he may be in pain and rolling to relieve the pain
and causing injuries to his legs whilst rolling .
Does he crib when he is out grazing .
T resolve the problem may be trial and error you could bandage his legs ,how long has he had the collar .
Do let me know what your vet has said i Hope the problem is resolved ,best wishes.
the only thin gi would suggest is to call a vet especially if the cuts arent healing well. he may have some kind of immune disease or cancer. have you noticed any lumps anywhere on him. ive had a horse that had melanoma on his anus. it didnt effect him to much but he did have to take some supplements. call a vet! good luck i hope he gets better.
Try taking the collar off for a week and see if that affects his physical form. Keep the cuts cleaned and bandaged if you can. Maybe you should try watching him. Spend a night just seeing what he does. You may need to be prepared to stay up all night. If he does decide to lay down or roll, you don't want to be in the way! Hope this helps a little bit. You really should get the vet. They will know what sort of thing is causing the cuts, if it is some form of disease, if it is a puncture wound or laceration. Ask the vet about the collar too, he/she may know some alternative methods. My pony used to wind suck and crib bite, we put mixtures of mustard, vinegar and chilli sauce on all the surfaces he could get hold of using a decorating paint brush. It kind of worked. I don't know if you would want to try this method. In summer, many animals do drop weight because they drink more and don't feel the need to eat. Also in the warmer weather they may be more energetic and move around more, again, get the vet to assess his condition. Use your head, does he still look healthy? Do his ribs stick out? Is his rump round/normal or are his bones beginning to show? It shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Your horse sounds like he's suffering from the stress of being stabled. It really doesn't suit all horses. There are a number of different things you can try.
If you own your own yard then build a corral outside his stable and leave the stable door open so that he can step in and out as he pleases. It needs to be at least 3 x his length in depth.
He should spend as much time as possible turned out, into a very small paddock with a 3 1/2 sided shelter if possible rather than stabled. Even though this will increase the amount of work for you and he'll need more feed.
Crib biting and windsucking are stereotypical behaviours. These are behaviours that have gone well past the point of habit. Trying to 'cure' them with gadgets like collars doesn't work, they go to windsuck and cannot complete the set of movements they feel they must do. So they start the movements all over again and end up frustrated. Its like trying to cure someone of biting their nails by putting boxing gloves on them; they just end up poking themselves in the face every few minutes.
These bad habits start out of the frustration of boredom. Turn him out with a quiet companion. Vary his routine and give him more hacking.
The cuts could be from his front feet. If his front toes are worn down, is he scraping the ground? If he's doing that out of frustration then he could be doing it hard enough to cut himself.
I think you need to see an equine behaviour specialist to get some advice. Ask your vet if they can recommend anyone.
if they are mostly lower check the entire stable for sharp object or sharp edges and corners to walls. put away any sharp objects into a secured tack box. talk to your stable owner about covering sharp edges and corners. check the pature thouroughly including trees. he could have a disease that causes him to itch and rub off his fur. or it could be rain rot.
does he lack interest in his food? if so try adding a little honey in it. make sure he is getting all the appropriate vitamins and minerals from his feed.
good luck:)
u mite have to get his teeth filed down that couldcause the wait lose
He could be getting cast in his box, when he lies down, so you could try an "anti-cast roller" - kinda like a sursingle. that's the only thing i could see to causing the cuts, is if he's down, and cant get back up again, have you noticed any strange marks on the walls - that could be caused by his feet hitting the wall.
as for the windsucking, well, not sure how you stable is designed, but there's a windsucker in the yard where i work, and we tried EVERYTHING, only thing that seems to work, is to have him in an electrified paddock during the day - so he cant suck on the fences - and if he has to stay in his box, we just have a good, solid chain that goes across the door, so he cant hang onto his door. At night the top half of the door is closed, or if its hot we just leave both doors open, and the chain up, just be sure your yard is secure, so if he escapes he cant go anywhere. (never happend yet though!)
As to treating the cuts, if they're on his legs, try using an antiseptic paste/gel/cream, cover them with some gauze, and plaster tape, and then just put some good stable bandages over all that. at the very least it will stop him from reopening them or creating new cuts in the same place.
the one on his rump sounds very strange, im sorry i cant help you there!!
Hope you get it sorted though, sounds like you AND the horse are having a bit of a rough time!! Luck to you!:)
you can buy peroxide water from the chemist, this is great for forming scabs, it's for human use too and only costs 90p a bottle, you should dilute it 1 to 3 it fizzes up and cleans the wound at the same time. about the stable can't you leave him out in the summer over night? Leaving out grazing woul dhelp him gain weight .
I worked in a stable some time ago and there was this mare who would come up with these wounds on her. They were mainly on her front legs, but you never know.
She would stand in her stall at night and fall asleep, fall into a DEEP sleep that is and fall down. A vet gave me that prognosis. He said it was common and later her son did the same thing. They were the only ones in the barn who did. I don't know about the weight loss so I can't advise on that.
try setting up a camera to see what happend.//////////////////
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