Caslick's without cutting?

[PapaFrita]

I've often wondered how mares that have caslick's ops done and undone year after year actually have enough tissue to cope. Anyway, vet came to do PF today and she said that it was common practice these days NOT to cut but to just stitch up. "What, like laces?" I asked. She said yes. Then I asked if the stitches would stay in and she said yes. PF has only had it done 3 times I think and she was tutting away at the state of her 'lips'...
Needless to say I'm a bit confuzzled. This was not my usual vet (in whom I have absolute faith) but someone working with her. Anyone heard of this before?

 

[Tia]

I'm not too sure I am completely understanding what you are saying so forgive me if I have the wrong end of the stick.

You are saying that they do not cut, as in making fresh tissue available for a knitting of tissue, but that they are simply sewing the dry skin together to hold it in place, with no intention of it knitting together? I have never heard of this, but then I am not totally familiar with caslicks. Logically, I can see that it could work perfectly providing there are no injuries where open tissue is around. The moment open tissue comes on the scene, it will bond together.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

I know there is a finite number of times that a Caslick's operation can be performed, as the vulvae lips become more fibrosis each time, thus harder to cut and resuture. I guess how many times depends on how bad the mares perineal conformation is and if she's had any injuries/tears.

 

[lucretia]

some mares with very 'open' vulva's are stitched to help avoid the possibility of contamination from urine and faeces and in bad cases air which gets sucked in. in the states caslick's was almost standard procedure regardless of genital conformation.
if there is no previous cut to stitch back up, the vet usually slices a thin wafer off each lip so the vulva heals 'bonded' . the trouble with caslicks is that once it has been done you have to do it every time there after and then there is always the risk that the mare willl foal unattended and make a real mess of herself. personally i prefer not if there isnt a good medical reason. '

 

[piebaldsparkle]

[ QUOTE ]
In the states caslick's was almost standard procedure regardless of genital conformation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really....that's crazy.

Mind you I wonder if its even right to breed from a mare if it has such poor conformation, that it wouldn't conceive due to infections without having had a Caslick. TB mares (especially) really do seem to have paid the price for being breed primarily for performance.

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
You are saying that they do not cut, as in making fresh tissue available for a knitting of tissue, but that they are simply sewing the dry skin together to hold it in place, with no intention of it knitting together?

[/ QUOTE ]
Yep.
[ QUOTE ]
Logically, I can see that it could work perfectly providing there are no injuries where open tissue is around. The moment open tissue comes on the scene, it will bond together.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yep

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
I know there is a finite number of times that a Caslick's operation can be performed, as the vulvae lips become more fibrosis each time, thus harder to cut and resuture.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, that's what the vet said and that's what I asked another vet a while back. I also wondered once whether it wasn't possible to just stitch up and leave the stitches in, but I'd never actually heard or read of it being done.

 

[PapaFrita]

[ QUOTE ]
If there is no previous cut to stitch back up, the vet usually slices a thin wafer off each lip so the vulva heals 'bonded' . the trouble with caslicks is that once it has been done you have to do it every time there after and then there is always the risk that the mare willl foal unattended and make a real mess of herself. personally i prefer not if there isnt a good medical reason. '

[/ QUOTE ]
That's what I was saying; they DIDN'T cut any skin/tissue away (which is what they've done on previous occasions). Just stitched the lips together. Stitches will stay in until I put PF in foal again.

 

[Maggie2]

My experienced equine vet, and one I used for a very tricky mare for a few seasons never ever cut a raw edge. They just stitched two edges together and in all cases made a perfect seal.

I have always had the mares opened at least 2 weeks before foaling

 

[lucretia]

seems quite an odd thing to do as the mare would still neeed to be opened prior to foaling (or even covering if stitched tight), the stitches wont just pull out after several months (at least) in situ so they may well be some tearing etc even doing it that way.
as i understand it, the american theory is that t is better to perform the 'barely there' caslick's because then you do to an extent control the amount of tearing (and therefor scaring) and they arent often caught out because on thie daily visits during foaling season the vet usually opens any mare who looks like she might be close to foaling. by doing it that way they can do perform the operation more efficiently for longer because scar tissue is kept to a minimum.
how is Junior doing anyway PF? isnt it time for more pictures?