Whats best treatment for electric tape wound on rear pastern?

phantomhorse

phantomhorse

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Poor ponio and his companions escaped from their field earlier on. In process he's obviously caught his rear pastern on some of the electric fencing tape. Result is a sore chaffed area right across the back of his heel/lower pastern (right in the crease). It's not terribly deep thankfully, but is yellow and crusty on the surface now its dried. And it's obviously pretty sore. He's just a yearling, so it's tricky to get him to tolerate having his hind foot wound fiddled with too much. I haven't hosed it off as the mud was already dry and the wound visible, but did manage to apply some Net Tex Muddy Marvel across the surface of the wound. That was all I had handy. I've left him in and the wound uncovered.

What's the best treatment for a wound like this? Should I keep him in and continue apply a salve daily? I assume it will be best to keep the wound dry and free from mud until it starts to heel?

Thanks :)
 
One of the best equine vets I know says that after initial cleaning of the wound, leave well alone and let mother nature heal. Avoid repeated cleaning as this will just keep reopening the wound and affect healing.

If it was me, I would try and leave off lotions and potions once it's cleaned up, and let the air get to it to heal properly.
 
manuka honey for at least 1 week daily application or honeyheal from equine podiatry supplies, cheaper than manuka honey as it isnt just manuka honey but just as good, anyway both of these will take away any infection which might be sitting there and assist with healing.
 
I'd want to check that there isn't any evidence of any puncture wounds anywhere near the joint - don't like the sound of the dried yellow crusty stuff. I may be being over the top but infection near to joints can be extremely serious.
 
putasocinit said:
manuka honey for at least 1 week daily application or honeyheal from equine podiatry supplies, cheaper than manuka honey as it isnt just manuka honey but just as good, anyway both of these will take away any infection which might be sitting there and assist with healing.
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This - it's in effect a burn. I would however get the vet to check it out if I were you. My TB had serious leg injuries from rolling onto electric fence and getting caught up, panicking etc and manuka honey dressings were amazing and he has no proud flesh despite the injuries being down to the bone.
 
I've never tried honey but a tame vet recommended salt water (adding "don't tell anybody!").

Apply using a water pistol or rose sprayer adjusted to a fine jet while someone feeds carrots into the other end (unless your yearling is a lot more accommodating than mine).
 
Moomin1 said:
One of the best equine vets I know says that after initial cleaning of the wound, leave well alone and let mother nature heal. Avoid repeated cleaning as this will just keep reopening the wound and affect healing.

If it was me, I would try and leave off lotions and potions once it's cleaned up, and let the air get to it to heal properly.
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I tend to agree, constantly cleaning and messing can cause more problems, some creams can also irritate.
 
The most effective thing I find for scrapes and scratches like this is a jam jar with half epsom salt and half water, shake well and then keep near the horse with a piece of cotton wool handy and just wipe it on quickly as many times a day as you can. Things heal beautifully and because you are not constantly scrubbing at the wound it is able to heal in its own way.
 
Salty water is in a sense sterile solution, much better than hibi scrub which is far more damaging to the ph and new tissue growth. If you go down the nanuka honey route, when you bring the horse in or whatever time you are going to treat the wound, wash wound with salty water, dry off excess water and apply manuka honey, job done
 
Dry Rot said:
I've never tried honey but a tame vet recommended salt water (adding "don't tell anybody!").

Apply using a water pistol or rose sprayer adjusted to a fine jet while someone feeds carrots into the other end (unless your yearling is a lot more accommodating than mine).
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Nuture your vet - not many these days that suggest the most sensible form of treatment. They normally like to spend your money.

Its effectively similar to a rope burn and the yellow crusty stuff - sueonmull - is just the normal serum you get flow from any wound - its just dried.

Wash with saline, gently remove the crusty stuff and apply Activated Manuka Honey. Keep the wound moist, the pastern is not the easiest area to heal because of the movement.
 
Thanks Tnavas, you are right, probably serum, but wasn't clear how long after the injury the yellow crust had formed could easily have been leaking joint fluid. Having had second hand experience of a horse with an infected joint following a seemingly innocuous and apparently superficial skin wound, it's something that I am quite sensitive to - the outcome of that injury were not good. As I said I was probably being over the top.
 
Joint fluid is thick and oily, serum from a wound will be thinner and sticky but not oily.

I lost a yearling once when even the vet didn't recognise that what was oozing from the wound was joint fluid, filly had been kicked by a shod horse and a nail head from the shoe had penetrated her hock
 
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