How to care for a horse's infected belly wound with pus and flies?

Hello there. Unfortunately, Lottie's foot lesion appears to have some necrotic (dead) tissue that is likely going to prevent it from healing. Since it has been open so long, it's unlikely that stitches could be put in safely without a drain as there is probably too much bacteria and debris inside to close it up without causing an abscess. I highly recommend contacting a large animal or equine vet to come take a look at it as it may need to be debrided under anesthesia (the necrotic tissue may need to be removed in order for it to heal well). This is very important for your horse's health. I'm glad that you've been cleaning it with iodine, but with how deep the cut is, I also worry about bacteria deep inside the wound that could potentially cause septicemia (an infection of the blood), which could be deadly. Good luck, and I hope that Lottie's foot gets better soon!

Hello, sorry to hear about Hunter. You're right that some of that may just be dried up blood. What needs to be addressed is the the size of the wound where that blood came from. The biggest concern is for an infection. The wound needs to be cleaned and thoroughly examined by your veterinarian and decide what the next step in treatment should be. I would recommend calling your vet out so that they can clean the wound and evaluate it. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It does look OK overall but the part that’s not healing is due to proud flesh growth (excessive granulation tissue). Usually the proud flesh needs to be trimmed off to get it to heal and the vet can give you something to put on it to keep the proud flesh down until it heals completely. So, I suggest a vet take a look at it. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102907&id=4952518 )

Poor little Marlow! This wound could have been caused by another animal or an injury, and it does appear there is a fair amount of pus from your picture. He has to see a vet for it, as he will need antibiotics to treat the infection. You can clean it tonight with warm water and antiseptic soap, but he has to see a vet in the morning for it. If you cannot afford a vet for Marlow, then I recommend giving him to the SPCA in the morning. They can get him the veterinary treatment he needs, as well as his shots, flea medications, deworming treatments, heartworm treatment, and neutered. After that, they can find him a home. Good luck, I hope this helps!

This is a very badly infected ear and will definitely require more intensive treatment. I highly recommend you have a veterinarian help you with this. The ear will need to be flushed regularly and covered to ensure that flies and other environmental elements don't continually irritate and infect the wound. I also worry about skin cancer causing such a bad wound, so it would be best to have a local equine vet check it out. If you can, just try to keep it clean by flushing with clean water and keeping it covered. If this is not possible, then the veterinarian will be able to help with restraint and cleaning. They may need to also prescribe other medication to control the infection.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). The area should be shaved first and washed profusely with clean water. Disinfection can be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths twice daily. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching. Sudocream or zinc oxide cream can be applied on the wound after cleaning and drying it up. Keep him indoors and keep in touch for updates. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

That looks like a little hot spot or area of infection on his foot. With there being a lot of flies around I worry that they will further irritate the wound. Sometimes flies can even lay eggs in an open wound and then the wound becomes infested with maggots (fly larva). I would recommend cleaning the wound thoroughly and trying to keep your dog inside until it heals (or at least keeping the flies away from him). If the wound does not seem to be healing quickly I would recommend taking him to be checked out by your vet. Sometimes these wounds need to be clipped and flushed clean and Blue may need antibiotics to help it heal.