Help your Vet Help your Horse

As you’ll know, at Remus Horse Sanctuary we rescue many elderly and sick animals, so our vet is a regular, and very welcome, visitor.

But when your horse is injured or ill, sometimes we are tempted to treat it ourselves – especially if we are worried about the vet’s bills. Of course, most experienced owners have their own tips and tricks for minor issues – but if you think that your animal will need a visit from the vet, here’s three things to avoid:

• Applying anything to a wound – if you know it’s severe enough to call out the vet, avoid applying purple spray or wound powder – it makes it hard for them to properly assess discharge or the colour of the tissue, which can be vital in diagnosis.
• Removing a penetrating object – our first instinct might be to pull it out – but without a qualified examination, and possibly an x-ray – you could do more harm to your animal.
• Not vaccinating your horse – even if your horse never leaves the yard, they could pick up tetanus from a puncture wound – and the survival rate from this common disease is particularly poor in horses. Don’t take the risk and ask your vet for advice.

For more information on this subject head to: www.yourhorse.co.uk/horse-care/vet-advice/5-things-your-equine-vet-wishes-you-wouldnt-do/.

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