Tip for Wrapping a Foot Wound
- April 25, 2023
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- Jan Swan Wood
Posted in: Featured, Horse Care
If you’ve had horses for more than a week, you know how accident prone they are. So, having a little tip to make bandaging a difficult area easier might be welcome at some point. A very good vet showed me this simple way of doing it and I’ve used it many times.
When a horse gets a wound requiring bandaging on the pastern, or worse, the heel bulb, the bandages tend to roll up when the horse moves. Though taping the bandaging to the hoof is a solution, it also makes it harder to remove when the bandage needs changed. This way is easier, by far.
All you’ll need is a small carpet tack and a hammer for this. Gently drive the carpet tack with the head at a slightly downward angle on the front of the hoof. When starting your bandage wrap, hook the end of the material on the nail head, go around the heel or pastern and back down around the nail head, snug but not tight. As each layer is put on, hook the starting end on that nail head, plus the first wrap. If you are using multiple wrap layers, you can put every other wrap around the nail head for stability.
This little tack doesn’t damage the hoof wall and is on the front and covered by the bandaging so won’t hurt the other leg. I’ve never had it fail to work and by keeping that bandage in place, it keeps it at the right pressure and maintains the covering on the wound. The little tack pops right out when it’s no longer needed.
When I wrap a wound on a limb, I use a non-stick pad on the wound, then the gauze wrap and finish with vet wrap. If it’s hot weather, I will only use enough vet wrap to keep the gauze wrap covered so the wound doesn’t stay too hot.
I’ve used this method on many horses and it has always worked for me. I hope this tip can save others the trouble it has me.
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Posted in: Featured, Horse Care
About Jan Swan Wood
Jan was raised on a ranch in far western South Dakota. She grew up horseback working all descriptions of cattle, plus sheep and horses. After leaving home she pursued a post-graduate study of cowboying and dayworking in Nebraska, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota....