reveal two tiny blood spots about 1 ½ cm apart. By the afternoon the entire leg is usually swollen down to the coronet. The heartrate of the horse is elevated above 40 per minute, but its temperature is normal. A few blood spots( petechiae) can sometimes be seen in the mucous membranes of the mouth and conjunctiva. By the third day, if untreated, two small hairless patches can be seen at the site of the bite and serum starts to ooze through the skin of the swollen leg. Later. the skin can slough off and the horse may become permanently lame. Although the venom itself is not fatal, secondary complications like gangrene can kill the horse. If you see the bite wound early, you can poultice it with Epsom salts( two tablespoons put on to a flat piece of cotton wool, which is then folded and soaked in hot water and applied to the bite wound for about 15 minutes). Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs( NSAIDS) and antibiotics should be injected by a veterinarian and the horse needs to be walked as much as possible, as soon as possible, to distribute the venom away from the bite and reduce swelling.
Treatment with NSAIDS should continue for at least three days. It is a good idea to put a stable bandage on to the affected leg to prevent swelling and the horse should be walked at least twice a day for a week. It should also not be kept stabled but put out in a camp during the day to exercise. If the skin has sloughed, more antibiotics are needed and the wound can be washed daily with an Epsom salt or table salt
PETS
A cruel, unnecessary ~ and illegal ~ practice
We humans don ' t have the copyright on body language: dogs use their tails for communication. A tail that is
From page 35 wagging quickly indicates a happy, friendly dog, whilst a tail that is being wagged stiffly, slowly and deliberately indicates a warning that a dog is feeling threatened or unhappy, and that he may bite or attack. All of which calls into question the archaic, barbaric, and illegal but continuing practice of tail docking. Further research suggests that
Continued on page 39
SNAKES solution( a teaspoon per cup of boiled, warm water) and bandaged, after covering the wound area with paraffin gauze. Recovery can take up to six weeks and the leg can remain permanently swollen, although the horse is no longer lame. Information by Dr Cheryl McCrindle, Donkerhoek Veterinary Consulting Rooms & Vetshop. Tel 072 974-4914
37 www. sasmallholder. co. za