What would you do with this? Warning.. bit gory

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Toast

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Spotty horse looks to have got cast.. and has done this to his off fore. My thoughts are to cold hose, give a couple of danilon, silver spray and stick a dressing on. Its not stitchable and i dont think it needs it personally. I'll take the dressing off once its started to heal a little and let it dry out.
What do others think?
harveyleg.jpg
 
Thats my concern petalpoos, theres no mud for him to get it dirty in but he's quite a mucky bugger in the stable. If it was higher up i just wouldnt cover it. Or do you think i should still leave it open?
 
Personally I wwoundn't cold hose it unless there is heat and swelling. I would HiBi scrub at least twice a day to keep it clean and try and let the air get to it and keep it as dry as possible. I would also apply some dermasole (sp) cream to encourage healing. If he is lame on it and swelling and heat persist I would get vet out as it is on a joint and although it doesn't look deep I have always been a bit weary of cuts or wounds on joints.
:):)
 
Depends if he tends to go septic or not - if not I always prefer to ket the air get at it. If you give it a good hosing it should get everything out and I am assuming he has had his tetanus shots and that it is only the top layer of skin that is damaged. You'll just have to do extra poo picking runs on his stable while it heals!
 
Toast said:
Thats my concern petalpoos, theres no mud for him to get it dirty in but he's quite a mucky bugger in the stable. If it was higher up i just wouldnt cover it. Or do you think i should still leave it open?
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you could either lightly bandage the leg with vet wrap and other wound dressings (can't remember the names lol) or at night while he is in the stable use the dermisole cream as a barrier :)
 
I wouldn't use Hibiscrub as it's known to kill new cells if used to often and without being incredibly diluted.
I'm not sure if Intrasite is still available but if it is I would get some of that on it and gently bandage to keep clean.
 
I would hose it, clean with hibiscrub and spray with terramycyn. I would prefer to leave open, but if he is, as you say very mucky in the stable then I would dress it and bandage. I would not do anything more for several days as too much bathing just stops a scab forming. Unless it gets dirty, I would leave well alone except for respraying with terramycyn.
 
If it was Nits I'd have the vet for anti b's but then, as we all know, Nitty is an utter drama queen and blows up from the slightest scratch.

On BH I would probably try and hose it a couple of times a day and just leave it to do it's own thing as much as possible. Possibly get some Flamazine from the vet for it but other wise leave well alone.
 
For first aid measures, If he'll stand to let you clip it, i'd clip it out around the wound and give it a good clean with hibiscrub, morrisons do really sticky non adherant wound dressings in all sizes that stick well to the clipped out area as ive used them before to keep an area covered.
I'd only cold hose it twice a day for 15 mins if hot and swollen, as it'll only disturb the wound and prevent the tissue granulating.it is right around the joint area, so i prob would get the vet out to see it in the morning as where it is you'll struggle to keep it clean and if he were mine i'd prob want some antibiotics if hes not to sore looking i'd give some danilon to help with inflammation, wounds round a joint that look inocuous can be dodgy, because the areas so active as well, granulation may take a bit longer which is why he might need a/b cover.
Good luck with it
 
Clean it & then for overnight for the next 2 or 3 nights I'd put a Pampers (or similar) over it, secured with vet wrap as they fit beautifully round joints.

Be on standby tomorrow morning to get vet for anti-B's if it blows up.
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I wouldn't use Hibiscrub as it's known to kill new cells if used to often and without being incredibly diluted.
I'm not sure if Intrasite is still available but if it is I would get some of that on it and gently bandage to keep clean.
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^^ these. poor boy, looks sore! :(

once it has scabbed over, keep it supple with Palmer's cocoa butter ointment (or the shea butter one if you can find it) great for stopping nasty big scabby bits from cracking and getting sore again.
 
Wouldn't cold hose unless it swells. Wouldn't hibiscrub either. I'd lightly wash it with saline, then slap some manuka honey on it and cover with a dry dressing.
 
Hibi scrub is great as an initial cleanser, so is ok to use, it only acts in a detrimental way of you continue to wash with it, if you dont get the vet to check it out, i'd use a saline wash when cleansing it.
 
I would bandage (short) with an intracite gel pad over the wound. Then when healing starts allow it to dry with more time left uncovered. Don't give him bute though, as then you don't know how sore it is! And keep him in, have you a yard he could be put in loose during the day?
IF sound I would also continue to work him, although probably hack on roads only, to keep the area mobile.
If wanting to work in an arena I would use a dry bandage as moisture attracts sand :p
It is in a awkward area but appears only superficial. Best bet is to contact vet to see if he needs ABs - maybe a 5 day course of neopen could help stave anything off :)

Try to get to the beach as well, wonderful thing the sea is :)
 
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The variety of answers is interesting.

I had one do something very similar to this on a hind fetlock.

Vet gave injections, washed out with betadine, put some furacin on and bandaged, after that we treated it as we do everything else (all being well with no complications of course) in that we leave bandages in place for 24 hours and if possible turn the horse out as normal even if only in the round pen with a buddy.
 
If it were mine wash it out and stick some flamazine (used in hospitals for burns etc, my horse had it for deep cuts that couldn't be stitched) and then if puffy or lame
 
To start I would gently bath it with very dilute hibiscrub to make sure it is as clean as possible.
The once dry I would apply copious amounts of either Fucidin or Flamazine and then cover with a dry melanin dressing/coform/cotton wool and vet wrap. For a few days at least to get the tissue to start closing over.
I would also get anti biotics as the moment you don't bother is when you get a raging infection.
I would at all costs keep it dry and covered until it closes up a bit.
I would NOT cold hose at all as constantly getting it wet will cause you more probs.
This is an area that I know quite a lot about as I had 18 months of horrendous (some not so horrendous) lower leg wounds with my late horse.
 
Do NOT spray on it. Stupid thing to do. Cold hose it initially yes. Then put a moist dressing on (veterinary type-allevyn or similar). You do not want it to dry out. Dryign out increases healing time.
Please actually get your vet out. It's on a fetlock joint which means that there is a lot of motion going on-it may well need bandaged in a robert jones type bandage to prevent movement constantly re opening it. He probably could do with a covering course of antibiotics.
There is a significant defect there ini terms of tissue, it might take longer than you think to heal.
don't touch it with hibiscrub. Hibiscrub kills good cells. Vet advice is your best bet. As you can see from the answers on here-horse people are full of 'good' ideas-lotions, potions, washes. Half of which totally kill any good cells taht are trying to make the wound heal..
 
Another one here who'd get the vet to take a look. Warning: a friend of mine had an injury on hers, near the fetlock joint, which was far less than this, and the whole joint got infected right down to the bone - horse had to be taken into equine "hospital" for an emergency op to clean out the wound and joint surrounding. The initial wound didn't look much, BUT infection got in very quickly.

Sorry not trying to frighten you OP but getting vet out now, PDQ, might just save you money and heartache in the long run.
 
SusieT said:
Do NOT spray on it. Stupid thing to do. Cold hose it initially yes. Then put a moist dressing on (veterinary type-allevyn or similar). You do not want it to dry out. Dryign out increases healing time.
Please actually get your vet out. It's on a fetlock joint which means that there is a lot of motion going on-it may well need bandaged in a robert jones type bandage to prevent movement constantly re opening it. He probably could do with a covering course of antibiotics.
There is a significant defect there ini terms of tissue, it might take longer than you think to heal.
don't touch it with hibiscrub. Hibiscrub kills good cells. Vet advice is your best bet. As you can see from the answers on here-horse people are full of 'good' ideas-lotions, potions, washes. Half of which totally kill any good cells taht are trying to make the wound heal..
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Am curious to know, which ideas do you not like? I just want to learn really, as we use intracite as have it to hand and have had good results on a deep slice which was full skin thickness on the pastern using the intracite gel pads over the area & bandaging (can post a pic of the cut the day after happening and then approx. 4 weeks later). We had vet out as horse was very sore & not sure if wound needed stitching or not :)
Do you not think it is superficial? Obviously hard to tell from the picture but to me looks as though has had first layer of skin (possibly a bit of second) off.
Will state again, not trying to start a fight just generally interested in how other people deal with these types of wounds!
 
I think I'd have the vet out. Better safe than sorry with it being on a joint.

For now, I'd wash it with saline, and cover it with a moist dressing/bandage.
 
My advice, trim/shave the hair away from the wound, clean with a very dilute antiseptic solution, dry, then cover with the largest hydrocolloid dressing you can obtain from your vet/friendly pharmacist/local chemist. Hydrocolloid is the stuff compeed/blisteeze plasters are made out of (they stick better if you warm them up first; I stick them down my bra). They`re designed to be left in situ for up to a week, enabling the wound to heal from the bottom up. They also allow the wound to breathe and keep it warm and moist - properties that are needed for healing.

Just to bear in mind, every time a wound is disturbed by removing a dressing, you are removing the cells that are needed to heal the wound plus introducing the risk of infection. The longer hydrocolloid dressings stay in situ, the better they work. They will bubble up in the middle and convince you there is a load of pus but if there is no smell and no swelling then resist the temptation to remove - the bubble will be a mixture of dead cells, moisture etc. The dressing can be covered with vetwrap to keep it in situ. This can be removed once a day to check on the wound.

If the horse is other wise well and not exhibiting signs of sepsis, I would avoid antibiotics for now. Infection, if it occurs, is likely to be localised anyway rather than systemic in which case intrasite gel is a belter for use in conjunction with hydrocolloid dressing
 
'Am curious to know, which ideas do you not like? I just want to learn really, as we use intracite as have it to hand and have had good results on a deep slice which was full skin thickness on the pastern using the intracite gel pads over the area & bandaging (can post a pic of the cut the day after happening and then approx. 4 weeks later). We had vet out as horse was very sore & not sure if wound needed stitching or not '

Perfect thing to do-the wound was kept moist, protected and bandaging helps the wound environment and restricts motion to some extent. So that's ideal.
Warm water washing is fine- cold water will damage regrowing cells.
The thing is this wound may be superficial but because it looks like it could be moving a lot when the horse is moving, and has to heal outwards in because the layer of tissue has been lost, it could end up with poor healing, a scar that re-opens or excess tissue.
Leaving it open to air causes the cells that need to be moist to dry out which is bad for them.
Hibiscrub kills the good cells as well as the bad. Iodine is better, dilute of course.
Sprays/powders just clog up the wound and act as a foreign body unless very very lightly applied..
The idea of scrubbing this twice a day with hibiscrub fills me with horror..
It's quite an innocuous wound that could be mostly resolved in a week, but could take a month if healing is inhibited. I'm also not convinced it wasn't stitchable tbh. How is it now?
 
Hedgewitch13 said:
I wouldn't use Hibiscrub as it's known to kill new cells if used to often and without being incredibly diluted.
I'm not sure if Intrasite is still available but if it is I would get some of that on it and gently bandage to keep clean.
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agree with this :)

i'd give it a really good clean with salt water and put some intrasite gel (still available on amizon) on it and wrap it up with a nice big dressing ,some gamgee then i'd vet wrap from just below the knee to the floor

although i "might" have had a vet out to look at that as it is on the joint and not worth taking a chance ,but hard to tell from a photo :)
 
Manuka honey really seems to work wonders. If I hadn't seen it I would not have believed it. It even seems to prevent infection and proud flesh. Fast healing too.
 
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