Derma Gel - Reviews please for horrible healing?

lizijj

lizijj

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Hi, my show horse cut a slice of his pastern just before his county show appointment! Had it stitched, 5 days bandaged and box rested, going mad as he lives out, turned him out and it has turned horrible, flies and all sorts. Started using Manuca Honey, but that attracted the flies more, now using Derma Gel. Vet is back out tomorrow to take a stitch out that hasn't dissolved and have a look over. I have no option now to stable him, he has to be living out, my priority is a clean heal, but any advice on preventing a nasty scar would be helpful, otherwise showing days are over....

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...50393344178517.358781.535168516&type=1&ref=nf

Before it turned nasty - sides have healed but the 'V' flap came off.
 
Cant see the pic, but poor you! We used derma gel on a horse that faceplanted the ground and smashed up her face - it worked really well and she's not scarred anywhere. Good luck!
 
If I want good healing I use vitamin E capsules and pierce them so you get the oil out of the middle and alternate with Calendula which promotes healing. No bad review of Derma Gel I just don't believe it is all that great.
 
My vet told me not to use Derma gel on a cut on my horses leg as she said it really isn't the best and proud flesh could be a problem associated with the use of derma gel. I would ask your vet to recommend the best cream that will also reduce the risk of proud flesh xx
 
My xprience is derma gel is AMAZING stuff, first brought it after recommendation when my then foal cut his throat right down to being able to see the jugular vein....wound was stitched by vet but this was applied ontop (added bonus of keeping flis out too) the wound healed alot quicker than anyone expected :)
He does have a scar which is only noticable because the hairs grown in various directions so can be mistaken for a whirl but not a white hainr in site!
 
Thanks, would be asking the vet as well. Want to avoid proud flesh, but so many people have so many different (and well meaning) recommendations! :)
 
Dunno if our experience will help, but I'm at the tail end of dealing with rather 'interesting' lacerations on the inside of a foreleg, which required staples etc. So probably not too different from yours. I was advised to keep it bandaged and dry (although she was allowed to be turned out). I was taping a plastic bag over the bandage but my vet had a much better idea - clingfilm!!! Until the wound was dry and scabby/granulated properly, we had dressing, vetwrap, clingfilm (with a bag on top if very rainy day). Kept it nice and dry with sellotape around the top and bottom - changed morning and evening. Once the dressing came off, had flamazine on twice a day, and just clingfilm on its own - that's keeping the whole thing dry. Healing well with no proud flesh. No flies 'cause they can't reach it. We had the staples out a week ago and still keeping it covered unless it's a totally dry day.
 
Not used dermagel but used intracite (sp?) gel when the pony made a hole just above his eye :rolleyes:. I think its POM but I used the ends of some one elses so you would have to ask the vet but it works very well. Wound completly healed within a few days no scab just skin apeared where the gel was.
 
When my lad had his casting accident and effectively lost all the skin on one side of his body as well as a deep hole about the size of a 50p pence my vet advised green Clay for all his wounds.

It was effective, antibacterial, we had no proud flesh, scaring was minimal and the clay was brilliant at keeping the flys out of the wounds, it is also cooling and at the time a Kilo tub was only about 15 euros, you mixed up what you needed with mineral water, we were going through a tub a week (we had a lot of horse to cover!)

Pic of deep injury on his foot, which was impossible to stitch after approx 6 weeks
pasternf.jpg


2 months later (with a healthy dose of bedding attached to it!)
foot19thseptember.jpg


It is not something I had ever heard of before but it is widely used in Europe where I was living at the time. There is an article below which explains how it works and the HHO thread with the before and afters of my horses injurys.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=290851

http://www.australiannaturalhealing.com/natural-remedies-for-pets/clay/67-clay-applications
 
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We used Equiade on my sister's horse when she had some nasty wounds on her leg,
We also used it on my mare when she had a nasty infection in her leg a few years ago. The centre we took her to for x-rays (we were worried that the infection had got into the bone because it was taking forever to clear up and looked really nasty), was astonished when it all finally cleared up that we had had no need to have proud flesh cut away. My dad (vet) swears by it for anything like that and it's very easy to use, just paint it on.
 
Thanks for all your advice, vet came today, he was quite pleased how it was healing (it would heal a lot faster if I had a stable, but I don't, so not much I can do about that). He also said DermaGel was as good as anything, but horse will probably end up with a little cosmetic lump/bump, so showing days are over I think!
 
Hmmm... actually just doing a bit of research, his class is ridden hunter and 'apparently' they are not marked down for bumps and scars? Any idea if this is true? I also have a mare who came to me with an old wire scar around her hind cannon that just doesn't grow any hair. Other than that she's a fantastic jumper/hunter - I'd never thought of entering her in workers as I thought the scar would write us off straight away, but maybe we would have a chance?
 
I used Derma Gel on my old competition horse. He cut his leg badly (wide open and long, stitches job) and I never thought it would actually heal let alone not scar! I used Derma Gel and although at times I had my doubts I carried on with it. You would never of even known that he had ever cut his leg!!! There is no mark at all and the hair grew back its normal colour.
 
Activon Tulle is Manuka impregnated and worked really well when my boy caught himself in electric fencing and cut his near hind to the bone. It stopped all proud flesh formation and he could be turned out with a bandage and vetwrap over the tulle. It's not cheap but recommend it. Dermagel was used once the wounds had pretty much healed just to protect from flies etc.
Neither of the above stopped scarring however.
 
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