# My donkey is hurt pretty bad



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

We had her out leading her, put her up and left. Dh called about 1 hour after we left and said he could see her guts... Well, it isn't that bad, but she does have a 2.5 in hole right in front of her hip bone, it is very deep, I can see at least 2 inches inside of her. I *think* I might be able to see her hip bone, but am not sure what it is. All our vets are closed and I don't know what to do. She is acting fine, she doesn't seem to be in too much pain, she brayed for me and took a treat. 

It is completely hollow and I don't know what I'm looking at or what to do for her. It's sickening to look at. Advice?


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

IF I didn't have a vet available, I would get my hands on some injectable pennicillian and start her on a BIG dose in the muscle.

Then, I would grab the saran wrap (plastic wrap) and very carefully wrap her round and round like a girdle; not too tight! But many, many layers (might have to buy 2 or three rolls of saran wrap. I would NOT WASH this wound!! it already probably has "stuff" in it, and washing would only drive the "stuff" down deeper!

Put her in a stall or very small area; and get a vet out ASAP! (I know this might mean Monday morning). Keep her on massive doses of pennicillian.


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

if I'm imagining the location of this wound right, you may need to break out the duct tape and fashion a crupper to keep her saran-wrap girdle in place..... be creative, but don't let anything be too tight; just snug.


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Is there any skin that can be sutured back in place? 

I know this isn't in everyone's skill arsenal, but I would clean the wound very well, infiltrate the wound with penicillin, and stitch it up. If necessary I would heat a sewing needle with a propane torch or a gas range and bend it into a curve. If proper suture material were not available I would use (sterilized) fishing line, waxed thread, whatever.


----------



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

Well I already rinsed it out, poured some iodine over it, and put some scarlet oil on it as directed by my neighbor with horses. That might have been bad. They said I should wash it out and repeat tomorrow then take her to the vet monday.

I considered putting a gauze pad over it and trying to close it some with duct tape. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get it back off without hurting her. 

She is just over a year old and I'd guess weighs about 300 lbs. She is a standard donkey (she wears a colt size halter on the smallest notch to give you an idea of her size). How much penn should I give her? I have banamine, baytril, and gentamicin in my fridge, but can get some penn from my inlaws if it would be much better. 

Found out how she did this, we have a well house with a metal roof that overhangs some. She got scraped by it and actually tore the metal roofing. Poor thing, don't know how she got out of her pen, either.


----------



## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

Well as costly as it can be I would call the vet. If there is no way you can.....
Now others may/ will probably disagree with me but I would use a sterile syringe with needle removed and clean it with sterile saline. Then if I am imagining this right, and it is a big open hole,I would soak sterile gauze in sterile saline and pack it loosely. This is what we did to people that had bedores and had ligaments and bones showing. It keeps the tissue moist..which you need for healing from the inside out, and helps keep it clean. Then somehow tape a pad on top. Antibiotics Yes. 
oh and when I had road rash and a hole in my elbow from crashing my motorcycle we used diluted betadine soak then saline..and packed it with the gauze..
geeze good luck..tis always something.


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

My concern with any type of packing or washing is IF she has punctured all the way THROUGH the abdominal cavity.....


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

we may need graphic pictures....


----------



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

tinknal said:


> Is there any skin that can be sutured back in place?
> 
> I know this isn't in everyone's skill arsenal, but I would clean the wound very well, infiltrate the wound with penicillin, and stitch it up. If necessary I would heat a sewing needle with a propane torch or a gas range and bend it into a curve. If proper suture material were not available I would use (sterilized) fishing line, waxed thread, whatever.



The skin is perfectly sliced, not ripped, I think nothing is missing, so sewing it might work.

I really don't know how I would hold her still for that. The layer of fat under the skin is cut through, and it's about 1.5in thick, would you just pick up the skin to sew it back together or would I go deeper into the fat layer? 

Does my putting scarlet oil and iodine on it effect your recommendation?


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Are you anywhere near a teaching animal hospital? I'm lucky being within an hour of Cornell. They will make a payment plan for you, at least Cornell will...

I *think* she'd be in more distress if she punctured any of her innards, but like Jill said I don't think I'd pack this wound. If she were shocky I don't think she'd take a treat. I'd be very careful with the Banamine or any other painkiller (in fact, I wouldn't give her any) because pain is a good way of keeping her inactive. Again as Jill said, give her an antibiotic today and tomorrow. Keep it moist and get her to a Vet Monday morning.

Let us know how she's doing, please.


----------



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

Corner to corner it's about as long as my hand, it's open about 2.5 inches and about 2 inches deep in the center. It looks worse irl. This was taken after washing it out, before iodine/scarlet oil.


----------



## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

never mind..got pictures now


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Also, has she had a tetanus shot? She'll need one, or perhaps even a dose of tetanus antitoxin if she has to wait until Monday.


----------



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

Irish Pixie said:


> Are you anywhere near a teaching animal hospital? I'm lucky being within an hour of Cornell. They will make a payment plan for you, at least Cornell will...
> 
> I *think* she'd be in more distress if she punctured any of her innards, but like Jill said I don't think I'd pack this wound. If she were shocky I don't think she'd take a treat. I'd be very careful with the Banamine or any other painkiller (in fact, I wouldn't give her any) because pain is a good way of keeping her inactive. Again as Jill said, give her an antibiotic today and tomorrow. Keep it moist and get her to a Vet Monday morning.
> 
> Let us know how she's doing, please.


No teaching hospital or anything near us. She acts completely fine, still annoyingly chewing on me constantly. I felt bad for smacking her nose for her mouthiness. She fought being tied. She jumped when I washed it and when I put the SO on, but that's the first indication it hurt.


----------



## CJBegins (Nov 20, 2009)

If she was mine and she would let me do it without too much stress, I would start clipping hair at least 6-8 inches away from the wound. I would definitely get it covered with something absorbant and consider the saran wrap to seal it up also. I imagine that has her abdominal wall open. This Jenny needs a vet and a tetanus antitoxin today.


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I would just suture the skin. FYI, a Vet usually will not suture after about 12 hours. 

Best if you have 3 people. One on the halter, one on the opposite side of the donkey holding it's rear leg up (can't kick with one leg up), and one suturing. Not sure of Pen dosage, read the bottle, but flush the wound liberally, it's cheap. Afterward, leave uncovered but cover the area with fly spray.


----------



## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

I'd be paying a big fat overtime vet bill.


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

This wound is hard to look at, but let me reassure you that it does not look serious and the donkey should recover with no ill effects.


----------



## Del Gue (Apr 5, 2010)

Ugh... that's not good.
If you have no vet till monday, flush that hole with a few gal of sterile saline mix, clip all the hair around the hole and pack it with sterile gauze.
If it's too deep, and breached the gut bag you're looking at peritonitis and septicemia if it got any dirt flushed in there.
All you can really do, is flush it, pack it, and try to keep it as clean as possible. You're looking at a ton of IV drugs and some surgery.

Most vets do emergency calls. Did you call them and see?


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Vets have somebody on call and if you don't know how to treat what you're treating, you may find that your desire to save a bit may end up costing you far more by delaying.


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

wr said:


> Vets have somebody on call and if you don't know how to treat what you're treating, you may find that your desire to save a bit may end up costing you far more by delaying.


I agree with this totally...get a vet. Fingers crossed for you and your donkey!


----------



## Cannon_Farms (Aug 28, 2008)

when dealing with wounds like this, its been correctly stated that after 12 hours most vets wont sew one up, 24 hours is the max but most tissue is dead around the edges.
I have done one horse on my own worse than this one, he had a grapefruit size hole in his neck you could see part of the spine and part of the jugular as he was only a couple days old, we would wash it out, pack it full of furazone and try to wrap it up, being in the position it was it was hard but we finally bought some of that hospital tape and taped gauze on the bare skin and that would hold for most of the day, he ended up having such a small scar it wasnt even noticeable. The key is if you cant sew it to keep it moist and stuff out, the furazone did both. 
It really doesnt look like its went into the body cavity however its very hard to tell by the picture.
Also, I will have to disagree with the hold one hoof so the other three stay on the ground, thats not 100% and they will still kick out even if they loose their balance if they get freaked out enough.. I will strongly encourage you to get assistance of a vet so she can be sedated enough to properly clean the wound and get things going.


----------



## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

Irish Pixie said:


> Also, has she had a tetanus shot? She'll need one, or perhaps even a dose of tetanus antitoxin if she has to wait until Monday.


What Pixie said.


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I'll second the furzone cream. That stuff is a miracle drug.


----------



## 1sttimemom (Mar 1, 2005)

I'm a nurse and previously worked with LOTS of nasty wounds in humans. I would really flush with sterile saline if possible asap. If no sterile saline then at least lots of clean water. Probably not going to be able to suture due to age of wound if vet can't come until next day. As others have said, gently pack wound with moist gauze (moist with saline if possible). Cover with telfa or even maxi pads. Then tape or wrap to hold in place. I don't think I'd use plastic wrap, esp in the heat. This will hold lots of moisture and heat in the wound- perfect for bacteria! You want something that will cover by still breath a little. Change your dressing daily or more if gets gross. It will most likely granulate from inside out and heal with possibly a bit of scar. I would do antibiotics for sure also.


----------



## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

if a person was gonna stitch that they had best put in a good drainage tube.
when I was a wound care nurse,,,,we did exactly as 1sttime said.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I've dealt with some pretty ugly messes over the years and you really have to deal with flies/maggots before you have a much bigger problem.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

wr said:


> I've dealt with some pretty ugly messes over the years and you really have to deal with flies/maggots before you have a much bigger problem.


I forgot all about maggots... with this heat it's going to be an issue quick too. You must keep the flies off the wound.


----------



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

I worked on her today. She still seems great, still chewing on me and being her annoying self. I cleaned it out, sprayed peroxide in it, and squirted 4cc of penn directly in it. I also gave her a shot of penn. 

How do you suggest keeping flies out of it? Is there a wound treatment to keep the flies out?


----------



## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

Packing it and then covering it like 1st time said would keep the flies out.


----------



## Del Gue (Apr 5, 2010)

Dont pit peroxide in an open wound or a puncture.
Use saline solution for irrigation. Peroxide will damage the tissue.

Betadine is great for keeping flies away, they hate it. Plus it's good for the wound.

Paint it on or spray it on liberally.


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

There is no wound treatment for that deep of a wound that would keep flies out. When bandaging is done you can use SWAT on it to keep flies off...but I wouldn't use it now...that wound is too deep. I wouldn't use any more peroxide on it...that slows down the healing process and ruins tissue. You really need a vet.


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Del Gue said:


> Dont pit peroxide in an open wound or a puncture.
> Use saline solution for irrigation. Peroxide will damage the tissue.
> 
> Betadine is great for keeping flies away, they hate it. Plus it's good for the wound.
> ...


Hmmm.. I didn't know that about Betadine. Can Betadine be used on such a deep wound I wonder?


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

I agree...please no more peroxide. Clean clean clean with a betadine flush, and keep the wound draining so it can heal from the inside out (even if this means "debriding" or pulling of the outer places that are trying to heal over the deep part of the wound) the deepest part needs to heal before anything else, or you will get a pocket that will turn into an abscess.


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

FYI, I was told that real granulation begins on the fourth day, so we clean clean clean wounds until day 4, then try to encourage healing after that. the soaked gause in plain saline gently packed into the wound is a good ieda at this point if we are all going to go under the assumption that she has NOT punctured into her abdominal cavity..... You can get plain saline irrigation at the pharmacy; either in the first-aid section or in the contact lens section...be SURE is is PLAIN saline, not leans cleaner solution...


----------



## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

TennesseeMama23 said:


> I worked on her today. She still seems great, still chewing on me and being her annoying self. I cleaned it out, sprayed peroxide in it, and squirted 4cc of penn directly in it. I also gave her a shot of penn.
> 
> How do you suggest keeping flies out of it? Is there a wound treatment to keep the flies out?


Fly spray, liberally and often. A bandage will not always keep flies out.


----------



## Del Gue (Apr 5, 2010)

Betadine in my experience with deep cuts is perfectly fine as a flush diluted in water and also does no harm full strength in the same wounds. 

Since its been open for so long, I'd mix a betadine sugar syrup (sugardine) and smear that in as deep as you can reach with sterilized fingers or better, a sterile glove.

I once had to treat a hoof abcess that looked like you shot the poor horses heel off with a .45 once it burst. We kept it packed with sugardine and covered with a maxi pad, it healed perfectly and was never infected. No sort of germs or bacteria will grow in sugardine and, the sugar feeds the damaged tissue.

If there is no internal breech of the gut bag, a sugardine pack probably will heal it shut form the inside out.
Which is what a vet is going to recommend after its been open for a few days.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I don't like to spray fly/insect repellant right on a wound because it can cause it's own set of problems and I don't find generaly fly sprays to be overly effective in warm weather. I prefer to spray KRS or Boraform around the wound but an inch or so away from the actual wound.


----------



## TwosCompany (Jul 17, 2009)

jill.costello said:


> I agree...please no more peroxide. Clean clean clean with a betadine flush, and keep the wound draining so it can heal from the inside out (even if this means "debriding" or pulling of the outer places that are trying to heal over the deep part of the wound) the deepest part needs to heal before anything else, or you will get a pocket that will turn into an abscess.


Yes to all of this. I had that happen to ME after abdominal surgery. Abscesses are much harder to deal with than the debriding of the tissue, so keep that top open. I'll tell you what the doc did with me, I don't see why that won't work for the jennet. The area was packet with sterile gause (damp with a tiny bit of sterile saline) and covered with a maxi pad. I changed the packing twice daily and cleaned the wound with sterile saline (definitely not peroxide as the doc told me it would damage fragile healing tissues) and then I was on a mega dose of abx for 14 days. Hopefully that will heal your jennet. Best of luck and give her a treat from me.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Has the vet seen her yet?


----------



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

We skipped the vet. We're at day 4 and she is still doing great. I've given her 2 shots of penn, clean it everyday and use betadine/SO/and every other day squirting in penn. Flies aren't bothering it any more. It's still open, I'm pretty confident it didn't puncture into the abdominal cavity. Another horse friend looked at it and said to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm thinking about mixing up the sugardine syrup for tomorrow. If I do, wash it out every day also? 

The snot got my wrist in her mouth today and clamped down hard, I've already got a bruise and it just happened. I had to squeeze the crap out of her nostrils and cut off her air supply before she would let me go. She wasn't being mean, but is always mouthing me, she actually sucks on me. I don't know why she likes me, I have to smack her the entire time I'm visiting with her.


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Salt lick? Does she have PLAIN salt available and not just mineral block?


----------



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

I'll get her one. She's with the goats, I need to check to be sure it's ok for them to have one, too. I would think it would be fine....

I have wondered if she is needing salt. She's not had any since we got her in November. She's got access to high quality loose goat mineral.


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Hmmm. Goat specific minerals are high in copper... don't know if they are TOO high for horses.... I have my goats on free-choice plain salt block with the horses, but the goats only access their goat loose mineral by scooting into their "house" where the horses can't go. My horses have their OWN mineral.

In this heat & it being summertime, I would get your horse a plain salt block asap!


----------



## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

The highest copper mineral in our area is a horse mineral. I think its 3500 ppm.

My goats horses and cattle all share the same high copper mineral.


----------



## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

Set out a plain white salt block. It won't hurt the goats. In fact, they'll probably ignore it altogether.


----------



## TennesseeMama23 (May 10, 2006)

Well, as an update, her wound is looking sooo much better. It's closing from the inside, and looking healthy. It's day 9. She still has a much smaller hole, which is getting smaller by the day.

My farrier was kind enough to look at her today and he said just to keep doing the cleaning and scarlet oil. He said she's going to have proud flesh pretty bad. (He said when it heals to put meat tenderizer on it????) Is proud flesh just cosmetic? Or is it something that will cause her problems? 

I'm pretty pleased with her progress and how she is doing. She seems to enjoy the daily extra attention and doesn't even need to be held or tied for when I hose it out. I love my donkey, lol.


----------



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Proud flesh is unsightly, and can keep growing for quite a long time if you don't stop it. It doesn't grow hair, so flies will swarm to it and leave it tender in summer. Managing it so it heals right is kindof an art form, but yes, plain meat tenderizer (I think it's generic name is papain?) can act as a mild caustic agent to kill the over-producing cells and keep the flesh at a normal level to the skin. Others will have the exact way to use it; I would personally keep up with the scarlet oil and wait and see....if proud flesh develops (it will look like a rounded lump of scar tissue bulging out of the wound, keeping the real edges apart), then I would lightly powder with meat tenderizer one morning and WAIT and see how much it reduces the proud part of the tissue. If I need to repeat, I would do so conservatively, trying to keep from sloghing away TOO MUCH tissue and leaving my horse with a "thin spot" on her skin.


----------



## Iceyowner (Jun 13, 2011)

tinknal said:


> I'll second the furzone cream. That stuff is a miracle drug.


Yikes, I don't recommend it. This was posted to FB by my vet about the stuff: Quick tip: you know that neon yellow Furazone ointment? It is not so great for wounds ( slows healing) BUT it makes an excellent swelling-reducer for horses with bumped, stung, or bug-bit eyes.....Just apply it around the eye and over the lid and swelling will come down within hours..Of course if your horse has severe swelling, eye pain, or won't open their eye, you need to see your vet


----------

