Page 89 - COVER_October2022.indd

“Caloric expenditure and protein breakdown are greater in burn injuries than in any other physiologic
stress state. In horses with burns
greater than 30% of the body
surface, energy expenditure doubles,” Hanson explains.
EQUINE HEALTH
SPEEDHORSE October 2022 87
To keep the horse from losing weight, gradually increase his grain and add fat to his diet in the form of vegetable oil, such as
physiologic stress state. In horses with burns greater than 30% of the body surface, energy expenditure doubles,” he explains.
“Some of the typical things we’ll do to keep the horse from losing weight is to gradually increase the grain and add fat to the diet in the form of vegetable oil, such as 4 to 8 ounces of vegetable oil, and we offer free-choice alfalfa hay to increase the caloric intake. Occasionally we’ll use an anabolic steroid to increase the horse’s anabolic status,” says Hanson.
“If smoke inhalation has occurred, or there are burns around the face or scalding of the skin, this means the horse probably has damage to the mucosa in the mouth and the upper airways. In these instances, we will soak the hay with water and feed the horse on the ground to encourage drainage from the airways.”
COMPLICATIONS
“Horses may get various types of skin infections following a burn injury. This is
why we use silver sulfadiazine to cover the
raw areas because it is affective against gram negative organisms such as pseudomonas,
and has an antifungal activity as well. People often ask about using Aloe Vera, but it is
more effective after an immediate burn. It
has antiprostaglandin and antithromboxane properties, which relieves the pain and decreases inflammation. It also has some antibacterial and antifungal activity,” says Hanson.
Often the veterinarian’s and owner’s efforts can get the horse through the most immediate dangers—shock, smoke inhalation, initial wound care—and then a month or two down the road the horse becomes very itchy. He starts rubbing the healing areas or chewing on them, and can destroy any progress that’s been made.
“The owner needs to be aware of what’s happening. The horse may need to be cross-tied and sedated. Antihistamines may be affective
in some cases, and Reserpine may be helpful in decreasing the urge to scratch,” he says.
Once the skin heals it may be depigmented, and thus more susceptible to sunburn. If certain
areas suffered third-degree burns that had to be grafted, the new skin will also be thinner and more fragile - being just the top layers taken from a donor site, and won’t normally have oil glands, sweat glands or hair follicles.
THERAPY AND TREATMENT AFTER THE INJURY
Most of the work involved in the continuing recovery of a burned horse will fall upon
the owner. When the owner is doing the treatments, it is time consuming and requires
steady commitment, but will be less expensive than having the horse in a hospital facility or treated by a veterinarian. The owner needs to understand that many horses can survive and have a good life, or recover enough to go back to normal work. Not every seriously burned horse must be euthanized. But the decision to treat and work with that horse takes
major commitment.
“We can get a lot of horses through burn
injuries, but it takes time and dedication on the part of the owner,” says Hanson.
4 to 8 ounces of vegetable oil, and offer free-choice alfalfa hay to increase caloric intake.