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> We rode Tucson's Suajaro Monument on a weds and all the horses got cholla in
You should have told me you were out in my neck of the woods I'd
have joined you. I live right near Saguaro National Park (used to be a
Monument and that's what everyone still calls it).
> their legs at some points. We pulled them out and kept on going, no big
> deal. He came out very sound on that ride and the next 3 rides after that.
> So a week later we come off an easy 2 hour ride with about 30 minutes of it
> trotting and he was good then too. The next day he is dragging the leg, I
> checked him out no swelling, or heat of any kind. Kept an eye on him for
> the next two days and he seemed to get better then on the third day I go out
> to do my daily check on him and the leg is filled. It had a bump right
> about where I pulled a big cholla out, the filling was low around the ankle
> Not swelling 4 days later. So I am currently giving him bute and I have a
> furacin sweat on the leg which has reduced the swelling and eliminated the
> heat along with the bute.
First let me explain what goes on when a horse or person gets cactus
needles in them: cactuses, all cactuses but some more than others, have
microscopic hooked barbs on the tips of their thorns, these barbs dig into
the flesh and hold on kind of like a fish hook, when you rip out the needles
these barbs do much more damage going out than they did going in, can't be
helped. Second, the needles are coated with a phytotoxin, or plant poison,
that is designed to irritate the tissues when an animal gets one in them,
the theory on this is that the more unpleasant the animal finds it the more
likely they are to avoid the cactus in the future. Between the barbs and
the phytotoxin the total affect is pretty unpleasant. Some people and animals
can have a strong allergic reaction to the phytotoxin on the needles, however
those reactions are usually immediate and recede over time whereas your
horse's reaction has come on slowly and is getting worse. There is one other
factor to consider, the needles of the cactus can and do break off sometimes
when you pull them out, particularly if they are deeply embedded, as you can
tell the force needed to withdraw the needles is quite a lot because the
barbs tend to resist that and draw the needle deeper in. If any portion
of the needle broke off under the skin your horse would then have a foreign
body embedded in his skin and that foreign body would be gradually working
its way deeper in. Most likely is that your horse has developed a septic
infection, treatment with antibiotics will probably be needed, your vet may
opt to do some minor surgery if on examination he or she thinks that she can
reach a foreign body easily without damaging underlying structures.
Otherwise your vet may decide to let the body work its way out. If a part
of the needle has broken off and it can't be reached with minor surgery it
can be a long recovery for your horse, I have heard up to six months in some
rare cases, however in most cases with treatment the horse recovers in a few
weeks.
> I've got bit by a cholla and it hurt like h_ll! My dog once got a cholla in
> its leg and it too got infected. I was just wondering if anyone else has
> had similiar incidences with cactus spikes infecting their horse's leg? I
A friend of mine had a similar situation with one of her horses.
> DO PLAN ON CALLING THE VET if he dosen't improve in the next couple days,
> but since he is showing improvement I am in waiting mode. Also I wonder if
> I should put a poltice on instead of the furacin sweat? It may draw more
> infection out. I haven't seen any pus at the wound site either, but then
> you can't really see the wound site except for the little bump.
I really wouldn't do anything for it until the vet looks at it as
what you do can compromise what the vet does later.
> Meanwhile I am soooooooo bummed! We were getting ready for Land of
> Enchantment Ride in August and it would of been our first ride. Plus Kidd
Sorry.
> Also I am now thinking protective boots! Especially in the areas with a lot
> of cactus. I know we've had this discussion before and I've always been an
> advocate of the no boots rule, but now I am wondering if I should change
> that opinion depending on the terrain we are riding in? Do any of you use
> boots to just protect them from this sore of thing, or do you all use them
> for support?
I ride in the Monument all the time and I don't use boots because
I found that the needles will get embedded in the boot and you can't get
them out, pretty quick you have to throw the boots out because you'll puncture
yourself or your horse just putting them on.
> So I am looking forward to hearing from other ridecampers who have had a run
> in with cactus' and what they did!
What I usually do is to pull out the big needles and as many of the
little ones as I can get to as soon as I notice them. If I find that any
are embedded deeply (so far I haven't) I plan to call the vet right away
because there is no telling what structures it would hit if it has gone deeper
than the skin. Finally to help the smaller hair needles release I will
sometimes put olive oil on the skin around the needle, it seems to help
the finer needles to release on their own. Most of the time the needles
are merely irritating not serious, rarely this kind of injury does happen
and needs to be seen to, as you are planning, by a vet.
Good luck.
Tracy and everybody
Tracy Scheinkman
Misty Mountain Arabian Sport Horses
Tucson, AZ
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