How to poultice a horse's foot

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Posted: 25/11/2008

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Poulticing a horse's foot is a job most horse owners are faced with at some time or other, if their horse bruises or pierces its frog or the sole of its foot. Getting it right is a tricky business. How wet should the poultice be, which side up does it go, how best to secure it, how tight should you wrap it? All your questions are answered in this video and we're confident you'll be left in no doubt as to the best way of poulticing a foot! Sally Watts, Willesley Equine Clinic's practice nurse, shows us how.

How to poultice a horse's foot

Preferably wear plastic gloves to do this job.

Soak an appropriately sized piece of poultice (usually square for the foot) in a clean container of warm water (it doesn't have to be hot).

The poultice should be face down (ie. with the shiny layer on top).

Allow it to fully absorb water then remove from container, fold in half and gently squeeze to remove excess water (be careful not to touch the inside of the poultice which is going to touch the horse's foot).

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Comments

Alex Franklin 3 Feb 2010 Peaches you are right, vetwrap/co-flex, the elasticated bandaged material that sticks to itself can be dangerous when used at full stretch and can cut off proper blood supply. This is not a worry over the hoof and as Sally says it is important to check it isn't too tight at the top after you have placed it. You should not used this material on legs etc if you stretch it more than half of it's elastic stretch. You will quickly find this out if you put it around your finger! Another useful trick I have used in animals that are nervous at the sound of the waterproof, hardwearing tape being wrapped around their foot, is too pre-prepare a large square of the tape by placing strips along side each other and then another layer at 90 degrees to the first to strengthen the layer, and then cut slits in from the 4 corners, place this over the sole of the foot and fold the edges over. (I'm not sure if I have explained this very well, but it works brilliantly). It stops the horse jumping and pulling around as the tape unwraps which can be a little noisy.

peaches 26 Jan 2010 Thank you for the informative video. But surely you would scrub the bottom of the horses foot out first before applying the poultice with some kind of solution like, diluted hibiscrub, diluted iodine and water or even maybe salt water to ensure that you have got most of the muck of the bottom of the foot. Plus, it is better to put a non-absorbent pad over the poultice before applying the sticky bandage to ensure poultice remains in close contact with the would. But you don't want the pad too thick so it causes unecesssary pressure on the botton on the foot, just enough to ensure poultice is firmly against the wound. Be careful when applying a sticky bandage directly over a horse's leg, there really should be a pad in between as if applied too tight these type of bandages can cause pressure problems.

Charlotte 3 Dec 2008 Thank you - a very useful technique to know!

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