Dressings for wounds - help needed

[MrsElle]

My new horse is a bit bony as a result of losing weight following an injury. She has a sore on her withers which we are finding it hard to get to heal. On mild days she is going rugless, either out or in her stable to try to dry it out, but once her rugs are on we are back to square one.

What I was wondering is has anyone tried granuflex on a sore on horses? I have used it on elderly patients with ulcers and wounds and it works really well, especially given that due to their age they don’t heal as quickly. I think this is the problem we are having too as Ellie is 25 years old.

So should I give it a go? And also, how do I get dressings to stay in place given where the wound is. Granuflex is very sticky but I am thinking I might have to shave the area to get a get good adhesion to the skin.

Any other suggestions gratefully received!

 

[Genesis]

Hi - have not tried Granuflex but Allevyn adhesive is quite good for ulcerated wounds. Anything that will promote granuation must be good. If its infected try Silver dressings by Smith & Nephew (can't remember the name) I have had some great results with those in the past, Good luck.

 

[angie1]

How about granugel? You could just put a good "blob" of it & melolin or something over the top. That will help keep it moist & warm & so encourage healing. Skin cells need to be warm & moist rather than dry to heal. Ask a pharmacist for a hydrocolloid gel- there are several on the market.
Rugs are obviously going to be a problem - have you thought of doing a thick foam "cut out" which you could fix to the rug rather than her? That will help keep the pressure off & unless you can do that there is little chance of getting it to heal.

 

[dieseldog]

Be careful using adhesive bandages. The vet applied some on my horse last year and she reacted to the glue, it was an absolute nightmare to get it off her skin. Soaking it in Baby oil and then scrapping it off with a blade was the only way to remove it.

 

[dexterpat]

have used granuflex on my old mares knee - problem with bending and bandages etc. we used two rolls of cotton wool each side of the withers for a wither sore to hold the rug off them with a surcingle to keep them inplace.