Owner-Reported Cohort Study of Causes, Management and Outcome of Traumatic Wounds in 219 Horses

Current evidence on traumatic equine wounds are predominantly from expert opinion reviews or referral hospital studies. This study aimed to describe the owner-reported causes, management and outcome of equine wounds. An owner-reported cohort approach was used. Owners of horses with recent traumatic wounds were recruited through snowball sampling. Data were collected from initial injury to final healing and outcome, including horse demographics, wound cause and location, owner- and veterinary-administered treatment, and outcome. Descriptive statistics included frequency percentages (%, x/y) and median and interquartile range. Data were obtained for 219 cases, with outcome data for 139 horses. The most common wound cause was a wire/fence injury (38%, 84/219), and the most common location was distal hindlimb (31%, 79/251). Owners administered initial first aid in 67% (147/219) of cases, and 75% (165/219) of horses received veterinary treatment. A total of 19% (38/201) of owners were not confident in deciding whether veterinary attention was needed. Wound healing time was a median of 60 days (IQR 30.3–157.0), time to return to work was a median of 6.5 weeks (IQR 2.0–16.0), and 3/139 horses were euthanised. Main study limitations were small sample size, self-selection, owner-reporting and attrition bias. Key areas for future resources to support owner preventative care and decision-making were identified.