Proud flesh

[Ash123]

Has anyone any experience od severe proud flesh? I have a 19 year old horse who got a nasty kick and the wound has developped a lot of proud flesh. Vet doesnt seem too worried about it but everything im reading suggests we have been doing things all wrong! Am i wasting my time?

 

[shortstuff99]

Woooah has the vet not talked about debriding that?

 

[bonny]

Has anyone any experience od severe proud flesh? I have a 19 year old horse who got a nasty kick and the wound has developped a lot of proud flesh. Vet doesnt seem too worried about it but everything im reading suggests we have been doing things all wrong! Am i wasting my time? View attachment 124492

I have experience with similar injuries and my vet would come out every few days and cutoff the proud flesh. Healed really well although gruesome at the time.

 

[nagblagger]

That needs serious intervention by the vet to heal. Proud flesh is normally (in my opinion/experience) quite easy to skim off if done regularly - I had to do it with a mule after a horrendous degloving injury to lower leg. Healed with minimal scarring. Get another opinion asap.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Same as the ladies above have said! Jeeez that needs serious debriding

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

When was the last time a vet saw it!?!?! Jeezo! If it's been in the last few days that is a serious negligence of duty of care!

 

[Ash123]

Vet last saw it 19th september in person but had pictures sent yesterday. They keep telling me to keep doing what im doing (basically keeping it clean). It was horrendously infected initially and he had 4 courses of oral antibiotics and 3 days of iv antibiotics.

The horse is at my dads yard and he isnt happy with me bringing another vet in. He has said he will beed to cut it back 'but not yet'.

Its causing serious issues between myself and my dad (who i think feels bad bacause one of his horses kicked my horse while i was on holiday).

Vet saw images yesterday and wants more taken in 10 days time. I have started to treat with Equaide and bandaged it tonight.

I just dont know if it is worth putting a 20 year old horse who refuses to wear a rug and is impossible to keep weight in through all of this!

It isnt even my horse!! I used to event him. He was out of work for a few years and i agreed to take him for a few weeks to get him going again (a year ago!) my own horse is insured!

This is a nightmare in so many ways!

 

[Barton Bounty]

All the images in the world will not help if the outer flesh is not debrided, it can cause serious infection

 

[twiggy2]

Can you send the pics to another vet, see what they say and go from there, or even another vet at the same practice if that will make it easier for your dad to accept

 

[Ash123]

All the images in the world will not help if the outer flesh is not debrided, it can cause serious infection

I swear it is bursting his entire leg open

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

No vet would have ever, ever, ever left a wound like that to be treated unsupervised without at least weekly check ins in person.

This is complete negligence and neglect by ALL parties involved!

 

[Ash123]

Can you send the pics to another vet, see what they say and go from there, or even another vet at the same practice if that will make it easier for your dad to accept

This guy is a one man band country vet. Id need another vet to come out. Id need to out the horse in livery so another horse can treat it. I really cant afford livery and vets bills

 

[Barton Bounty]

I swear it is bursting his entire leg open

That is literally what is happening

 

[twiggy2]

This guy is a one man band country vet. Id need another vet to come out. Id need to out the horse in livery so another horse can treat it. I really cant afford livery and vets bills

The horse is your responsibility and you need to get a second opinion so its looks like you will have to get another vet out ASAP and upset your dad. Then go from there...

 

[Ash123]

No vet would have ever, ever, ever left a wound like that to be treated unsupervised without at least weekly check ins in person.

This is complete negligence and neglect by ALL parties involved!

this happened 13th august and vet has been out 4 times. My dad with help from both my sister and myself have religiously cleaned it as instructed twice every day. I understand where u are coming from but if following veterinary advice (when initially another vet agreed with the plan to keep clean, not bandage and keep turned out) then i have to disagree that we have been negligent! Misguided, in hindsight not got a second opinion soon enough possibly ....

My parents yard is in a very remote area and there arent many other vets who would come out in an emergency. This vet was amazing when my dads horse had a horrendous injury years ago. My dad (rightly or wrongly) trusts him.

 

[irishdraft]

Wow that does look quite serious, I came on the thread to recommend Equaide as it's really good for proud flesh. I see you have started to use it, I have seen first hand how it healed an injury that the vets had been taking off the proud flesh but with out successful healing. However the wound was nothing like the size of yours but it's definitely worth a try x

 

[shortstuff99]

Just to add my horse had a serious leg wound across the front of the hock. Vet came out twice a week for 3 months to clean, debride and bandage the wound until it healed with hardly any scarring.

This definitely needs a new vet and a lot of work.

 

[Barton Bounty]

If this happened in august, id be expecting a lot better progress than you have now, time for more intervention for the poor thing

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

OP are you actually taking the piss? Have you found a random pic on the net and are passing it off as your own just for the entertainment value? That leg is an absolute joke and should have been treated properly long long long ago.

I'm walking away from this thread as it's making me very angry. That poor bloomin horse!

 

[Goldie's mum]

This horse needs someone to take responsibility for it.
Money needs to be spent on it.
If no one is willing/able to, spend the money the horse needs to be PTS.

I see from your other thread you say you have 30 years' experience with horses! So you are not a child who is afraid of her parents.
Stop distancing yourself from the poor thing ("not my horse, dad has a bad vet, horse is 20 & got other problems") , have the family row if necessary but do it quickly, then get urgent help for the horse.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

This guy is a one man band country vet. Id need another vet to come out. Id need to out the horse in livery so another horse can treat it. I really cant afford livery and vets bills

Can the owner not help?

 

[Reacher]

Agree with the others, that wound will not heal without being debrided and bandaged. You need a new (competent) vet ASAP.

PS has the owner seen these photos?

 

[Ash123]

The horse is your responsibility and you need to get a second opinion so its looks like you will have to get another vet out ASAP and upset your dad. Then go from

Agree with the others, that wound will not heal without being debrided and bandaged. You need a new (competent) vet ASAP.

PS had the owner seen these photos!

 

[Widgeon]

I see from your other thread you say you have 30 years' experience with horses! So you are not a child who is afraid of her parents.
Stop distancing yourself from the poor thing ("not my horse, dad has a bad vet, horse is 20 & got other problems") , have the family row if necessary but do it quickly, then get urgent help for the horse.

Likewise, I'd have put my foot down a while ago and carted horse off to see any other local vet. If you have any responsibility for the horse you need to get it under the care of another vet ASAP.

 

[Ash123]

Agree with the others, that wound will not heal without being debrided and bandaged. You need a new (competent) vet ASAP.

PS had the owner seen these photos!

The 'owner' did not look after this horse!

The picture on the right is how he looked 3 weeks after coming to me in October last year.
I usually keep my horses at my parent's yard with only a small contribution towards feed and bedding. I had to put my two horses into livery in order to be able to look after this horse.
The picture on the left is him in June this year!

I rang the owners to tell them he was injured (my own vet, not my dads vet who has been treating him) felt that it was likely the joint would be infected and given his age, he would likely be PTS).

This was 14th August and they have not asked me once how he is! They have no interest in him! They told me they didn't want him any more as it was interfering with them going away for weekends.


I know it looks really bad and that I haven't been looking after him. I have followed veterinary advice and my dad has asked the vet all the right questions. I know this proud flesh needs cut away. The vet agrees with this but said 'not yet'. I assumed initially he wanted to clear the infection, then he saw it again and still said 'not yet'. I wanted to be there when I called him out 2 weeks ago but my boss wouldn't let me work from home so I could be there.

I have stood in the sea in the middle of a storm getting sea water, i have got the best manukka honey and spent £85 on a tiny tub of Equaide cream.

I have doubted the vet on multiple occasions but been overruled by my dad (who is of the opinion he is a professional who knows more than us). I have now reached the point that I don't agree with what is happening hence my post on here!

If I didn't care about the horse I wouldn't be on here looking for more advice.

 

[rabatsa]

A friend had a brood mare that had an injury on its fetlock. The foal kept standing/knocking it when it suckled. It had proud flesh like this which the vet debrided, however it took off and turned into a sarcoid. The mare was pts when the foal was weaned.

 

[Widgeon]

I know it looks really bad and that I haven't been looking after him. I have followed veterinary advice

I think some of the answers on here are a little hard on you and that you've been let down by your vet (and your dad!). But at this point I would definitely trust your gut and get another vet involved. The response on here has confirmed that it does look as bad as you think.

You're the only one willing to take any responsibility for this horse so you're going to have to stick your neck out and object. But good luck with your dad, he sounds pretty difficult.

 

[Squeak]

I think some of the answers on here are a little hard on you and that you've been let down by your vet (and your dad!). But at this point I would definitely trust your gut and get another vet involved. The response on here has confirmed that it does look as bad as you think.

You're the only one willing to take any responsibility for this horse so you're going to have to stick your neck out and object. But good luck with your dad, he sounds pretty difficult.

This - please take the harsher comments with a pinch of salt, it is clear you've tried to look after the horse and not neglected it. It's usually not wrong to go with vets/ professionals advice as they are meant to know better than us but I think we're all agreeing with your gut instinct here. Good luck with your Dad. Please do keep us updated with how you get on. It would be really interesting to hear what another vet says and I hope he makes a quick recovery.

 

[Reacher]

The 'owner' did not look after this horse!

The picture on the right is how he looked 3 weeks after coming to me in October last year.
I usually keep my horses at my parent's yard with only a small contribution towards feed and bedding. I had to put my two horses into livery in order to be able to look after this horse.
The picture on the left is him in June this year!

I rang the owners to tell them he was injured (my own vet, not my dads vet who has been treating him) felt that it was likely the joint would be infected and given his age, he would likely be PTS).

This was 14th August and they have not asked me once how he is! They have no interest in him! They told me they didn't want him any more as it was interfering with them going away for weekends.
View attachment 124503

I know it looks really bad and that I haven't been looking after him. I have followed veterinary advice and my dad has asked the vet all the right questions. I know this proud flesh needs cut away. The vet agrees with this but said 'not yet'. I assumed initially he wanted to clear the infection, then he saw it again and still said 'not yet'. I wanted to be there when I called him out 2 weeks ago but my boss wouldn't let me work from home so I could be there.

I have stood in the sea in the middle of a storm getting sea water, i have got the best manukka honey and spent £85 on a tiny tub of Equaide cream.

I have doubted the vet on multiple occasions but been overruled by my dad (who is of the opinion he is a professional who knows more than us). I have now reached the point that I don't agree with what is happening hence my post on here!

If I didn't care about the horse I wouldn't be on here looking for more advice.

Sorry I made a typo, i meant “has the owner seen these photos?” - I was asking about the owner to establish what their involvement was. Obviously the answer is they are not interested from the photo of him looking very poor looking.

I understand you have the financial constraints and feel you don’t have free rein to make decisions as you keep him at your parents yard.

Has the vet explained why he doesn’t want to debride him yet? I would ask that question.

The thing is vets are human, they make mistakes - which is why I would be wanting a 2nd opinion. I would ring a different vet and send photos and they might be willing to confirm if it needs debriding. Then you might have a better argument to convince your dad.

I do wish you luck. I had (in comparison) a very small fetlock would which would not heal until it was debrided - and it did not have proud flesh- just a slightly rough surface. After I had it debrided it and kept it bandaged it then started healing.

 

[Ash123]

I think some of the answers on here are a little hard on you and that you've been let down by your vet (and your dad!). But at this point I would definitely trust your gut and get another vet involved. The response on here has confirmed that it does look as bad as you think.

You're the only one willing to take any responsibility for this horse so you're going to have to stick your neck out and object. But good luck with your dad, he sounds pretty difficult.

Thank you!

He actually isn't. It was his horse who kicked mine so I think he feels guilty! I get on quite well with my dad and it isn't like him to put his foot down. It's more that I have been stuck in the middle and dont want to cause issues. My actual gut feeling is that he is 20 with suspected cushings so I really don't know if it will ever heal. A few people have suggested just 'doing the right thing' but i want to give him a chance. What I don't want to do is spend a fortune on another vet (who is known for racking up a large bill) and be left with no horse and a huge bill for a horse that isn't even really mine! I myself am in the process of going through IVF so i could do with as little stress as possible! I posted here to try and see if I could get a better understanding of whether there is any chance of this healing and how other people have managed similar wounds. As I suspected, everyone else has followed the advice of their vet (as I have done) but their vets have given better advice!

I wish I had a bottomless bank account and field/stables of my own!