Treating Hoof and Leg Injuries

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Wrap a horse's leg in three easy steps.

By Andrea Looney, D.V.M.

We have 56 milling cows in our herd. They are well conditioned and being fed a ration balanced by a nutritionist. Fourteen cows have become lame in the past three weeks with swollen hocks. We use straw bedding. Our veterinarian isolated serum from the joints and diagnosed hygromas. What is the cause of this?

—Eddie Sequino
Carbondale, IL

To treat these, first try to increase the bedding. Straw bedding may become slippery and since trauma is the culprit, we don't want the animals to cause further damage when they fall. Sand bedding is extremely helpful. Three to five inches of clean, washed sand, free of dust and rocks, can be placed in each of the stalls using PVC piping across the back and boarding up front to keep it out of the drain and manger. Sand also helps eliminate laminitis from the herd and reduces environmental mastitis. The downside is the wear and tear on barn cleaners, and the fact that it may get into the teat cup, so be sure to clean milkers well.

You can also use rubber matting, but more secure bedding is usually necessary to help the animals. The big solution is to check out your environment to see where the trauma is coming from. Watch the pasture, walkways, and parlor to be sure the cows aren't slipping there as well. Some hygromas become infected if the trauma is heavy enough to cause open wounds. Be sure to keep the affected areas as clean and dry as possible, and check the skin frequently for scratches and deeper penetrating wounds.

We frequently end up with small cuts over the flex tendons of our pastured quarter horse mare. What's the best way to wrap a horse's leg?

—Damon Williams
Charlotte, NC

Wrapping a horse's leg may look pretty simple, but applying a secure, supportive bandage requires a practiced and sure hand. For most practical purposes, at least three layers are a must. First, the covering, usually a nonstick surgical pad, which keeps the medication or dressing in place. Second, the primary wrap which secures the covering and, more importantly, stabilizes and cushions the leg itself. Primary wraps are usually rolled cotton in cheese-cloth or folded gauze, or quilted leg wraps. The final wrap forms the outside covering, holding all layers in place and supporting the entire wrap. This layer is usually elastic wrap, cotton stable bandage, or some self-adhesive one-time-use stretch wrap.

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