Stitches

My filly has 10 stitches in her neck that the vet said we should have no problem removing.?

What is the best way to do so? She has never been snubbed and whenever we get close to the cut, she tries to bite. I am looking for the quickest and least stressful for her.

Public Comments

1. The vet lied LOL j\k If your thinking you might have a problem, I would just haul her to the vet and have sedation done to be easier on you and the horse. Then work on desensitizing her to her neck afterwards, once she is healed up.
2. What??????????? is this a joke?you vet says you can remove the stiches from your young filly?I would get another vet out to do it for you-if your filly is biting you when you get close imagine what she will do when You remove them-lol I'd call a diffrent vet out and tell your old one bye-bye
3. He did? It's a filly. Of course she'll be a little trouble. Sedation would help immensely. Have him come out and do this, it will be the quickest and least stressful way for her.
4. Removing stitches are easy. They use a coated type of thread that does not stick to the wound. Cut them with scissors once they have healed and they should pull out easily. I have removed many from humans! Oh, and besides getting bit, stay clear of the horses hooves as well, no need to get kicked too!!!
5. I would twitch her and pull them out because it will just take a minute to do if she stands still. If you aren't able to do that, you are either going to have the vet come back or haul her over there for them to do it.
6. I usually remove stitches myself also. No need to sedate the horse unless it is completely necessary. I even removed stitches from my mare's eyelid without even having to halter her. If she is trying to bite and someone can't control her with just a halter and lead rope, try twitching her and make sure the handler has a good hold of both a lead rope and the twitch. I would rather twitch my horse if I can get the job done quickly than sedate them if I don't have to...sedation always carries risks and twitches have no lasting effects if used properly. Having stocks to confine the horse in can be a huge help, if available. If she proves to be more than a couple experienced horse people can handle, then get the vet to sedate her to remove them, but it really shouldn't be that big of a deal to remove stitches. And like someone else pointed out, do A LOT of desensitization to the horse(especially the areas that make her aggressive) and make sure she learns that biting is NOT allowed, ever. Be sure she is disciplined every time she tries to bite.
7. I'd get the vet to remove the stiches, unless you've done that kind of thing before...
8. if you put her in a set of cross ties she literally cant bite you. just make sure the ties are short enough that she doesnt have any extra slack to turn her head very far to the side. we have all of our problem horses vetted, shod, etc in crossties if we know we cant trust them on a lead rope. once you get her in the crossties simply cut the knots and slide the stitches right out
9. If they're ready to pull then I'd suggest putting a sweatshirt around her head and blinding her while you quickly snip and pull them out. Dont forget to comfort her with your voice.
10. I would use a twitch on her. If she tries to bite with the twitch on you could get one person to hold the lead rope and the other to hold the twitch while you take the stitches out for better control. Sedation always carries possible risks like someone above said and it costs more money that way too. If you use a twitch,the effects don't last, it costs less money, and they'll have the experience.
11. quickest and least stressfull for her would be for the vet to do it, but then you're gonna have to pay a barn call fee.... if you've never removed stiches b4 ask around and see if anyone you know has for animals or people and ask them to help.... it's easy but your filly might like it better if you hold her and give her treats while the other person does it... after the 10 to 14 days of healing time (or what your vet reccomended) she shouldn't be sore or in pain so she shouldn't be as nippy when you remove them. just take a pair of BANDAGE sicssors (so you don't stab her with them if she moves) and snip on one side below the knot and then pull the stich out but make sure you leave enough stich to pull on (don't cut to skin level) hope i could be of help.
12. I had wild dogs attack one of my fillies as they were born. She had to get 50 of them on one side. We had the hardest time removing them!!!!! It hurts to get kicked!!! We had to put her to the ground & sit on her to have the vet take them out!!! Then after she didn't want anyone near her neck. Touch her neck alot so she will not have a hard time later. Good luck!!!
13. Like every one said find a way to restrain her. Nail clippers work well with no risk of poking your horse if you don't have bandage scissors. Snip next to the knot and pull gently on the knot and they will slide rigt out, no pain and shouldn't make any fuss. If you cut the knot off you'll have a hard time getting a grip on the thread and if you pull the other end it will pull against her skin because the knot won't go through the hole. I would suggest a twitch and as soon as they're out release and lots of praise and calming. Try to let her know it wasn't a punishment, just a learning experience. It should hardly take a minute and can't be messed up so don't worry yourself. She'll be calmer with a little fuss than with a trailer trip or the "evil" vet injecting her and all the extra recovery of the sedation. Good luck and try to keep it as relaxed as possible.