Injuries to horses are no new thing. Be in a barn or field, your magnificent riding partner is always at risk of getting wounded. The wound isn’t the same every time. You need to assess if it’s a minor scrape or a major wound.
It is important to manage a minor wound primarily by washing it with some antiseptic solution. It is to be followed by the application of wound cream and spray to allow the wound to heal faster.
Don’t rush over everything that’s put up for sale. We have curated veterinarians’ recommended best wound cream and spray for horses.
Equine Wound Management Steps
Each horse keeper and rider needs to know about the primary wound management procedure and what to include in the first aid kit.
Before skipping to the best wound cream for horses, let’s get an idea of wound management steps:
1. Wound Assessment
You must start by evaluating the severity of the wound. It is desirable that you know the different wound types and proceed accordingly. Once you inspect the wound on horses, you may start the treatment or call your veterinarian to seek immediate help.
2. Clean the Wound and Adjoining Area
After gently washing the wound with saline or cold water, pour an antiseptic solution to disinfect. Use a gauge to remove the excess debris from the wound and adjoining areas.
3. Debriding the Dead Tissue
Shave the hairs from adjoining areas of the wound to increase the visibility. Remove any dead tissue from the wound surface or edges. Debride with care to prevent the healthy tissue and excess bleeding.
4. Put Antiseptic Cream or Spray on the Wound
Using appropriate wound ointments is necessary to promote the overall healing of the tissue way quickly. While treating small abrasions and cuts, wound repair spray also works wonders. We have talked about the wound cream and spray for horses later in the text.
5. Dressing the Wound
Dressing helps control the bleeding and prevent excess damage to the open wounds by preventing infection through direct contact with the environment. But dressing should be perfect with the right compression and dressing material to work appropriately. Use sterile and non-stick bandage material.
6. Monitoring the Recovery
The prognosis of the recovery depends on the severity of the injury and the treatment being given. It is important to contact a vet if you suspect a doubtful situation while managing a wound. Don’t ignore the yellow pus formation and discharge from the wound. Also, keep a check on other signs of infection.
Best Wound Cream and Spray for Horses
1. Absorbine Silver Honey- Veterinarian’s Tested Antimicrobial Spray Gel
As the name suggests, Absorbine Silver Honey® is a blend of qualities of natural honey and MicroSilver BG™. It is a veterinarian-tested revolutionary formula that claims to kill 99.9% of the growing bacteria on wounds which promotes healing.
- MicroSilver BG™ is an active antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent in Absorbine’s Silver Honey Spray, providing long-lasting antimicrobial action.
- Medical grade Manuka Honey makes the combination ultra-potent antibacterial which helps in healing the wound faster.
- It provides a natural debridement of dead tissue and promotes new tissue growth.
- Most wound healing spray uses hypochlorous acid as a key ingredient, but Silver Honey lacks it, which makes it pH-balanced to be used topically.
- It protects the skin’s natural microbiome, which helps heal a wound faster by keeping a balanced skin microbiome in place.
2. Corona Ointment for Horses- Lanolin-Based Emollient Action Formula
With over 100 years of trust among horse keepers, Corona Ointment is an amazing antibacterial emollient formula. It keeps the skin area smooth and promotes the natural healing of minor cuts, scrapes, sores, burns, dry skin, and more.
- Corona Ointment for horses counters the widening cracks and irritation often accompanied by the discontinuity of the skin.
- Lanolin makes its consistency thick and adherent to the surface, which helps protect the open wound from excess moisture, insects, and dirt.
- The lanolin-based formula also promotes faster healing of the hoof wall and overreaches injuries to the coronary band. It preserves the moisture in the hoof region protecting against cracking and drying.
- It works on multiple species. You can use this wound ointment on cattle, dogs, and cats.
- This product is nitrofurazone-free, making it safe for horses and the horse keeper to apply it without wearing gloves.
3. Vetericyn Plus®- All Animal Wound Care Hydrogel Spray
Vetericyn Plus Spray is suitable for all animals and works well on cuts, wounds, sores, itchy skin, and irritated skin. Vetericyn is a leading USA company in manufacturing at-home animal health products.
- This antimicrobial hydrogel adheres well to the wound surface, helping to keep it cool and preventing the setting of infection.
- The gel formula makes it easy to apply without interrupting the antisepsis zone.
- Vetericyn Plus Hydrogel doesn’t contain any steroids, making it safe for long-term use.
- We can also use it effectively in post-operative surgical sites and for moistening wound dressings.
- It covers a broad range of microorganisms, including yeast, MRSA, and more.
4. Bickmore Gall Salve Wound Cream For Horses - For Quick Relief From Sores, Cuts, and Galls
This medication has been a tried and tested remedy for horse cuts, sores, abrasions, and galls since 1892. This topical emollient soothes the injured skin and helps in recovery by restoring healthy tissue.
- Bickmore Gall Salve wound cream for horses is a tried and tested formula from years of work on horses and hence holds immense credibility.
- This wound ointment provides quick relief and is effective on galled necks, shoulders, backs, and more.
- The product doesn’t melt away on a sunny day and is adherent in working horses.
- We can easily remove the scab with the use of Gall Salve wound Cream which fights the infection present beneath the wound scab.
- Application of this wound ointment for the horses’ helps in the post-scab-falling stage of the wound to keep excess water away and hair regrowth.
5. Farnam Aloe Heal Aloe Vera Veterinary Cream- With the Healing Properties of Aloe vera, Vitamins, and Oils
Farnam’s first aid horse's wound cream comprises healing properties of natural ingredients, like Aloe Vera, to heal minor cuts, abrasions, proud flesh, and more.
- Farnam’s Aloe Heal has a soothing effect on the wound, promoting the quick formation of healthy tissue.
- Along with Aloe Vera, it combines vitamins A, D, and E to speed up the healing process.
- It contains natural safflower and sunflower oils to reduce irritation and maintain the required moisture.
- It cures the problem of the formation of proud flesh and cracking heals in horses.
- Vitamin E, the ointment's antioxidant property helps in reducing free radical formation, which delays wound healing.
What Role Do Wound Ointments and Sprays Play in Horses?
Once we are done with the process of cleaning the wound, shaving the hairs around the wound area, and washing with the antiseptics, we can start with the application of antimicrobial ointments or sprays.
Wait! How can you select the best wound cream for horses?
It looks difficult from the multiple choices available in the advertising hub. We have already listed the top choices of best creams and sprays recommended by the veterinarian for horses’ wounds. But what properties make them best?
Let’s discuss the role of these antimicrobial ointments in healing the wounds on your horses.
1. Keeping the Wound Moist-
During the initial wound healing phase, the WBCs of the body come to combat the infection at the injury site and start the debridement process. White blood cells actively remove the foreign particles and the dead tissue.
WBCs trigger the cleaning process into the healing process and need a moist environment to act. If these cells don’t get enough moisture to set their movement around, they can’t work. Hence, it hampers the healing process.
So, next time you see a wound oozing after one or two days of injury, don’t let it dry completely.
Use wound ointments like Farnam Aloe Heal Aloe Vera Veterinary Cream to lock the moisture and produce a soothing environment for the natural fighting cells of the body to do their work.
The choice is clear: You can use hydrogel spray Vetericyn Plus® and Absorbine Silver Honey Spray in the early stages of wound healing. Hydrogel products usually come with the description as ‘ water-based.’
2. Preventing the Formation of Proud Flesh
Proud Flesh formation is a major problem after granulation on the wound starts. This excess granulation needs immediate medication.
Horse wound ointments like Farnam Aloe Heal Aloe Vera Veterinary Cream help in preventing the proud flesh formation and curing it.
Contact your veterinarian for the final diagnosis of severity and treatment.
3. Promote Rebuilding of Healthy Tissue
Once epithelization is complete, the scar formation will start as the replacement tissue will take its place.
An emollient ointment will help in keeping the skin surface moist and reduce the flakiness of the skin. It also reduces the irritation and itching incidences which are sometimes associated with scar formation in horses.
Corona Ointment for Horses- Lanolin-Based Emollient Action Formula is the best wound cream for horses undergoing the regeneration phase of wound healing.
FAQs
Q 1. What can I use for a horse's wound?
Ans- After general cleaning with cold water or saline, you may flush the wound with an antiseptic solution. Debride the dead tissue from the edges and cover it with some antimicrobial wound ointment or spray.
Q 2. Is it okay to apply creams on the wound?
Ans- You can use the wound ointments to promote healing in minor cuts, abrasions, scrapes, and more. These creams would help to keep the skin moist and prevent the irritation. Use the antibiotic ointments only after consulting with your vet.
Q 3. Is Betadine good for the horse’s open wound?
Ans- You can use the diluted Betadine solution (dilution recommended by the manufacturer or your veterinarian) for cleaning the wound and disinfecting the area.
Q 4. Do horse wound ointments help in quick healing?
Ans- Horse wound creams help in fastening the granulation and regeneration of healthy tissue. The moisture lock property of emollient ointments helps keep WBCs active to wipe out the dead tissues and stack new cells to fill the wound-created cavity.
Conclusion:
Treating the horse's wounds needs prompt action. Every horse owner must plan a first-aid kit for an emergency. Wound cream and spray are essential components in making your first-aid kit complete.
Undoubtedly, these wound ointments can help your horse’s wound to heal faster. Many factors need balance when the body is up for healing minor cuts or abrasions.
Veterinarians have tested and verified the ointments for the horse's wound, which produces quick healing.
The above-mentioned wound ointments would help your horse to get relief from minor injuries.
It is always better to go with trusted products instead of applying any new commercially available medication.