TLC on prescription

Horses may be admitted to an equine hospital for a variety of reasons, which could be anything from routine surgical procedures to medical emergencies. But, one thing you can be sure of if your horse has surgery, whether planned or unexpected, is that during his hospital stay, he will be looked after to the highest standards while being closely monitored to ensure his recovery is progressing well. 

The postoperative care your horse receives and how long he remains in hospital will largely depend on the type of surgery carried out and how well he responds to treatment. Then, once the veterinary team is happy for him to be discharged, you’ll be given guidance on how to continue caring for him in his own home so you can get him back on his feet as soon as possible.

On waking up

Once your horse’s surgery has been completed, he will be carefully transferred using a winch into a padded recovery box near the operating theatre. Depending on your horse’s size and temperament, he may require some help to get safely to his feet as the anaesthetic gases wear off and this may come in the form of a rope-assisted recovery system. For this, ropes are attached to the horse’s head and tail and pulley guides support his weight, helping him get to his feet gradually while he’s still unco-ordinated from the anaesthetic. 

Once your horse is up and fully awake, he’ll be taken back to his stable and started on a feeding chart, being fed little and often to avoid choke or colic. He’ll be monitored regularly over the next few hours to make sure he’s recovering well and not experiencing any complications.

Did you know?

Once your horse is awake, your vet team will call you to let you know how the surgery has gone and what to expect. You may be given a timeline on recovery, and when your horse is expected go home.

Close monitoring

After surgery, your horse will be taken to a stable for recovery, although if he’s very ill and in need of around-the-clock care – for example, if he has colic – he’ll be stabled in the intensive care unit (ICU). 

Horses in ICU are monitored closely by veterinary nurses and checked at least six times a day, with all the relevant information recorded in their hospital charts. ICU checks include…

• temperature
• heart rate
• respiratory rate
• mucous membranes and capillary refill time (checking the colour of the gums or around the eyes, and pressing on the gums so they turn white, then recording the time it takes for blood to return, to check blood pressure)
• listening to gut sounds at the top and bottom on both sides of the horse – gut sounds are graded 0–4, and overactive sounds or quiet ones are noted
• digital pulses in the feet
• urination
• defecation
• food intake if food hasn’t been restricted or removed
• drinking levels and hydration if not having fluids administered intravenously – hydration levels are checked regularly to determine how much fluid the horse needs

Did you know?

If your horse has a catheter in his neck for administering medication or anaesthetic drugs, a grille will be placed over his stable door to prevent him rubbing the catheter out and causing an injury.

Did you know?

When listening to a horse’s gut sounds, you should hear a caecal flush two or three times a minute in a healthy horse. This can be heard on the horse’s right-hand side and it sounds like the flushing of a toilet. 

Over to you

Depending on the type of surgery your horse has had, he could be ready for discharge from hospital after two to three days. Some surgeries require a horse to stay a little longer, but all horses will need care when returning home. 

Your horse will be sent home with an extensive set of discharge instructions, detailing the postoperative plan for him, medication to be given and any bandage changes needed before the removal of sutures. 

Sometimes, when your horse is ready to go home, the hospital team will show you how to perform a bandage change and this is a good opportunity to ask lots of questions, as you’ll find this information helpful when you’ve returned home.

Top tip

When doing the bandage changes, check the surgical sites and look for any sore areas. If there’s a foul-smelling discharge or a large amount of discharge coming from the incision, call your vet straight away.

Top tip

If you want to record how a wound is healing between vet visits, or if you’re unsure about it, take a photo and send it to your vet. Even if you’re not worried, it can be a good way of keeping them up to date with your horse’s progress post-surgery. 

Even pressure

Pressage bandages are often used to cover surgical sites and these are made from a three-way stretch fabric that contours to the limb being dressed and allows for an even pressure. They can be washed and are less fiddly than traditional bandages. 

The surgical dressing is placed over the wound first, before being secured by padded bandages, and then the pressage goes over the top. This has a zip and is easy to fit. Finally, an adhesive bandage (such as Elastoplast) is used to stop the pressage from slipping.

A pressage for the knee has a small hole at the back to help avoid pressure sores and rubs on the bony part at the back of the joint, while a hock pressage has a spongy area where it sits on the hock, again to prevent damage to the area. 

Our expert: Emily Buckley RVN is a qualified equine veterinary nurse based at Liphook Equine Hospital in Hampshire.