Leg injury/proud flesh

[Cherryblossom]

As some of you know from other threads, I bought an unbroken, unhandled 3yo in May, who promptly decide to break herself; just not in the way I’d planned! She tried and failed to jump a wire fence and lacerated her fetlock.
The vet who initially came out wasn’t happy handling her, so we had to travel an hour to another vet who gave her a GA, washed and debrided the wound, double layer of sutures and then a Robert Jones pressure dressing. After 15 days of box rest she got the dressing off and the original vet came back the following day (Monday) and looked at it. She advised continuing box rest and cold hosing. Poor Poppy has been so good, and as long as I give her feed, she now stands to be hosed, which is pretty good progress.
Tonight I can see that she’s starting to develop proud flesh in the wound, which I expected, but it’s pretty gutting. Vet 1 has already said she’d need referral for GA to remove it if it develops, vet 2 has now left the country indefinitely. She’s uninsured, and while she’s come really far, there isn’t a mission of me being able to dress and bandage her leg just yet! I guess I’m just looking for tips and other people’s experiences. Has anyone else’s horse come through an injury like this? Anything I can be doing now- i think at a push a could get honey onto the wound, but is there any point when it can’t be dressed? I’ll send the pics to the vet in the morning and discuss with her as well, but I’d love to hear other people’s experiences.
pics of tonight- day 19 post injury

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I don't think they still make it but you could ask your vet if they still have Vulcatan in stock. It a gel that prevent proud flesh forming. Failing that a bit of copper sulphate normally does the trick ...

 

[Brownmare]

I always use Dermagel to prevent proud flesh and it hasn't failed me yet.
https://www.vetuk.co.uk/horse-suppl...656/veterinus-derma-gel-100ml-ointment-p-1822

 

[ycbm]

I don't understand why anyone is telling you it will need a GA to remove proud flesh from that. As Elf says, a copper sulphate solution will do it.

I don't understand box resting that, either, if it happened back in May. Is there damage to underlying structures?
.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I had a yearling gelding that managed to get a leg over a wire rope and try to saw his leg off. Horrible raw wound round the back of his pastern. Vet came out and treated it several times then as it was growing proud flesh he demonstrated what to do then left me armed with a scalpel blade and dressings with the instruction to redress, I think, once a week and to shave off the proud flesh, being careful not to cut into live flesh. Scary as the first cut made it bleed profusely so that you couldn't see what you were doing. Miraculously that healed with only a slight scar. Still makes me shudder thinking about doing it. I was so scared of hurting him and having him erupt while I was holding that mega sharp blade.
With another horse I was given copper sulphate crystals to treat it with.

 

[scats]

The amazing healing powers of the body. This was treated with Manuka honey.

 

[Nudibranch]

I had a very similar case and Vulketan gel worked well. It's a pom so you need to ask your vet.

 

[Cherryblossom]

I don't understand why anyone is telling you it will need a GA to remove proud flesh from that. As Elf says, a copper sulphate solution will do it.

I don't understand box resting that, either, if it happened back in May. Is there damage to underlying structures?
.

It happened 19 days ago. I mentioned getting her in May to give a framework for what we can hope to achieve in terms of handling!
She had a GA to explore the wound because we weren’t sure if it was into the joint- thankfully it wasn’t. Vet 1 is very cautious. She seems to think she wouldn’t be able to remove proud flesh with sedation. I’m not sure that I agree with that, but I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that.

 

[Cherryblossom]

I had a yearling gelding that managed to get a leg over a wire rope and try to saw his leg off. Horrible raw wound round the back of his pastern. Vet came out and treated it several times then as it was growing proud flesh he demonstrated what to do then left me armed with a scalpel blade and dressings with the instruction to redress, I think, once a week and to shave off the proud flesh, being careful not to cut into live flesh. Scary as the first cut made it bleed profusely so that you couldn't see what you were doing. Miraculously that healed with only a slight scar. Still makes me shudder thinking about doing it. I was so scared of hurting him and having him erupt while I was holding that mega sharp blade.
With another horse I was given copper sulphate crystals to treat it with.

Interesting! I’d be happy enough in theory to do that, but I need to be realistic about what I can safely achieve with a fairly unhandled youngster. I sent pics to the vet and she is looking to see if she has a cream she wants to try- waiting to hear what it’s called.

 

[Cherryblossom]

The amazing healing powers of the body. This was treated with Manuka honey.

That’s amazing! Her original wound was much smaller than that so it gives me some hope that it might look okay!

 

[scats]

That’s amazing! Her original wound was much smaller than that so it gives me some hope that it might look okay!

Yep, this one was huge and down to the bone. She had an altercation with a tractor...

 

[Cherryblossom]

Bloody horses! Why do we do this to ourselves?

 

[claret09]

seaweed is also increasingly being used on wounds

 

[irishdraft]

There is a product called equaide all natural ingredients which is brilliant for proud flesh you paint it on the wound .

 

[AandK]

Why does the proud flesh need removing at this point? My 7yo had an injury to his foot mid June, it had some proud flesh, but it has been left open for about 4 weeks now and has shrunk away nicely. These pics are 24th June and 17th July, I don't have a more recent one as it is so small now.

 

[Cherryblossom]

It doesn’t really, and actually it’s healing beautifully with vulketan gel (which I’m considering putting in a water pistol in order to get it on the right spot!)
I’ve just been tremendously lucky in my horse owning before this. I had my last mare for ten years and she never once injured herself- this one is making up for it, and seeing examples is very reassuring, so thanks for sharing! Plus given how good natured she is, I really want to minimise any bad experiences.

 

[AandK]

Just adding a pic from tonight, seems to look bigger in the pic than in real life! But mostly scab now.