povidone-iodine and Wounds--Gunshot

Twenty-two horses were examined because of firearm injuries. Nine had been shot with .22-caliber bullets, 2 with BB pellets, 6 with buckshot, 1 with a .35-caliber bullet, and 1 with an airgun pellet. Injury was confined to the skin or skeletal muscles in 8 horses. Of these, 7 returned to their previous use. In 14 horses, injuries to additional structures were incurred, including the sinus and pharynx (n = 2), mandible (n = 1), tooth (n = 1), aorta (n = 1), eye (n = 3), tibia (n = 1), gastrointestinal tract (n = 3), joint (n = 1), and trachea (n = 1). The 3 horses that had only eye injuries were discharged to their owners. Of the other 11 horses with injuries to deep/vital structures, 3 died, 5 were euthanatized, and 3 survived.

Topics: Abdominal Injuries; Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Debridement; Drainage; Eye Injuries, Penetrating; Female; Horses; Male; Muscle, Skeletal; Povidone-Iodine; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Skin; Therapeutic Irrigation; Wounds, Gunshot