The first sight of blood can prompt a frantic call to the veterinarian, but a second examination of the wound with a cool head might prove it to be less of an emergency. To help horse owners distinguish between emergencies and a wound that doesn’t require a midnight visit, Erin Denney-Jones, DVM, of Florida Equine Veterinary Service, described scenarios when an emergency call is warranted, and what the owner could do while waiting on the veterinarian to arrive, during the 51st Annual AAEP Convention, in Seattle, Wash., Dec. 3-7, 2005.

When to Call the Vet

When faced with an injury, Denney-Jones said an owner should call a veterinarian even if he/she is unsure how severe the wound is. “I’d rather get a heads-up so I can know how my day is going to go,” said Denney-Jones.
She offered questions horse owners should ask themselves to determine the degree of the emergency:

Does the bleeding stop with direct pressure? “Excessive bleeding will be different for the horse owner than it will be to me,” Denney-Jones said. As a general rule, if the bleeding doesn’t stop after applying pressure to the wound for 10 minutes, a veterinarian should be called immediately.

Is the horse lame and is there bone involved? Is it a puncture wound? “A simple puncture wound can be very drastic,” Denney-Jones said. “A puncture wound can go into a joint, or a piece of debris could remain in the cavity. It doesn’t matter where the puncture is located, call your vet and have him look at it