ridecamp@endurance.net: cholla cactus/leg injury

cholla cactus/leg injury

Cheryl Newbanks (horsetrails@inficad.com)
Thu, 29 May 1997 15:53:23 -0700 (MST)

Hi All! Has anyone had any experience with their horse having a big
reaction to getting a cholla cactus in their leg? Here's the story, and
please don't respond with call the vet because I already have that planned
if I don't see improvement.

We rode Tucson's Suajaro Monument on a weds and all the horses got cholla in
their legs at some points. We pulled them out and kept on going, no big
deal. He came out very sound on that ride and the next 3 rides after that.
So a week later we come off an easy 2 hour ride with about 30 minutes of it
trotting and he was good then too. The next day he is dragging the leg, I
checked him out no swelling, or heat of any kind. Kept an eye on him for
the next two days and he seemed to get better then on the third day I go out
to do my daily check on him and the leg is filled. It had a bump right
about where I pulled a big cholla out, the filling was low around the ankle
and down in the pasturn and bulb of heels. So I panic and think Oh blown
suspensory. Now he has heat, but he didn't have any heat or swelling in the
previous 4 days I'd been keeping an eye on him. Only shows soreness at the
sight where the cholla was. Plus if he blew a suspensory I know it would of
shown swelling right away having seen thousands of them on the STB tracks.
Not swelling 4 days later. So I am currently giving him bute and I have a
furacin sweat on the leg which has reduced the swelling and eliminated the
heat along with the bute.

I've got bit by a cholla and it hurt like h_ll! My dog once got a cholla in
its leg and it too got infected. I was just wondering if anyone else has
had similiar incidences with cactus spikes infecting their horse's leg? I
DO PLAN ON CALLING THE VET if he dosen't improve in the next couple days,
but since he is showing improvement I am in waiting mode. Also I wonder if
I should put a poltice on instead of the furacin sweat? It may draw more
infection out. I haven't seen any pus at the wound site either, but then
you can't really see the wound site except for the little bump.

Meanwhile I am soooooooo bummed! We were getting ready for Land of
Enchantment Ride in August and it would of been our first ride. Plus Kidd
was just getting really sharp, I finally taught him how to settle into a
gait and maintain it for longer distances and he is almost totally done
spooking! I was just getting to the point where this week we were going to
start riding alone! DARN!

Also I am now thinking protective boots! Especially in the areas with a lot
of cactus. I know we've had this discussion before and I've always been an
advocate of the no boots rule, but now I am wondering if I should change
that opinion depending on the terrain we are riding in? Do any of you use
boots to just protect them from this sore of thing, or do you all use them
for support?

So I am looking forward to hearing from other ridecampers who have had a run
in with cactus' and what they did!

Cheryl Newbanks
~~^** Just In Time Ranch
~~}_ _~~ /\| Buckeye, AZ
( )__, ) ~ horsetrails@inficad.com
// \\
\\ //
** **

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