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  Discussion on Edema in Neck
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Member:
Sctamaus

Posted on Saturday, Oct 12, 2002 - 1:31 pm:

My gelding attacked my mare in their pasture. He had her on the ground, biting at her neck. Luckily some people saw what was happening and chased him away from her. When I got there she had blood covering the side of her face and neck. I immediately called the vet and started cleaning her up. She had a punture wound on her neck from his teeth and lumpy swelling all over her neck. The vet said he had torn the flesh loose from the muscle and that the swelling was edema. She gave her a shot of banamine and a long acting penicillin. She said if she still had a pocket of fluid in 4 to 5 days to call her because she would have to lance it. She got a pocket of fluid at the base of her neck and then down between her front legs, but they went away on their own. The puncture hole in her neck has been draining but on the 7th day it was a nasty milky color and smelled real bad. I called the vet and she said to flush it twice daily with a mix of betadine and distilled water. Is there anything else that needs to be done. I'm just really concerned.
Thank you,
Cheryl
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Oct 13, 2002 - 10:47 am:

She really needs to still be on antibiotics if there is new signs of infection and bruised tissues. Long acting penicilin should not be used in horses, see the medication, antibiotic, penicillin topic for more on this.

For more on caring for this wound see, Equine Diseases » Skin Diseases » Wounds: First Aid, Care, and Proud Flesh. You should review all these articles, but particularly the deep wound care article.
DrO
Member:
Sctamaus

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 16, 2002 - 12:45 am:

Dr. O,
Thanks for the quick response. I'm going to have the vet back out. The milky fluid went from liquid squirting out, to real thick milky fluid running down her neck with some chunks of dead tissue in it. The skin around the puncture wound is coming off, leaving a good size hole in her neck. Do you recommend any certain antibiotic? She may be pregnant too, so I'm worried about what she should or shouldn't have medicine wise.
I'll read the articles as soon as I can. Not much free time between work and taking care of her.
Thank you so much,
Cheryl
Member:
Sctamaus

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 16, 2002 - 2:03 am:

DR O,
I did already read those articles and reread again. I'm confused on which antibiotic she should have. Maybe because I'm tired. Sorry! I have been debriding with hose and continue to flush with betadine and distilled water mixture. I also squirt betadine on the hole area afterwards. I will get the furazone spray to use. Please let me know which antibiotic she should be on and anything else I might be missing. He really messed her neck up bad. Extensive damage to tissue! I'm very worried about the infection. My vet is coming back out, but I want your opinion too.
Thanks again,
Cheryl
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 16, 2002 - 7:26 am:

There is no one "best" antibiotic Cheryl. The best first choice of antibiotic will depend on evaluating the wound, the patient, what you as the care giver are comfortable with, and what is available to you locally. The final decision should be based on culture and sensitivity.

My thoughts on an initial choice are with all the muscle damage present I am concerned about anerobes and procaine penicillin is a good choice for these but may need to be combined with something for gram negatives, perhaps gentamycin.
DrO
Member:
Sctamaus

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 16, 2002 - 11:58 pm:

Thank you Dr. O,
The skin fell off today, leaving a good size hole in her neck. I got more antibiotics for her and it's easier to flush her neck with the bigger hole. There is less oozing out now too.
Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Cheryl
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Oct 17, 2002 - 11:47 am:

Very good, you sound calmer too. What antibiotic did you finally decide on?
DrO
Member:
Sctamaus

Posted on Thursday, Oct 17, 2002 - 8:46 pm:

Dr. O,
My vet gave me a tube of Tribrissen 400 oral paste yesterday and came to see her again today. She gave me antibiotic pills to give her twice daily (MP 85), I didn't ask what they were, and a much bigger syringe with extension tips so I can get in there better. We were busy looking at her neck and flushing it. She said the damage is much more extensive than she thought it would be and said I was doing a real good job taking care of it. Yes, I am calmer now and more confident that I'm taking care of it correctly. It's a gross looking wound that is going to take quite a while to heal but we'll get there slowly.
Thank you so much. I tell everyone what a wonderful web site this is with information on everything, and you and others to help answer questions when people are not sure about something. My horses mean the world to me and I always want to do what's right for them.
God Bless you and thanks again.
Cheryl
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