When to leave a wound open??

ImmyS

ImmyS

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I'm a nurse so I feel I should know the answer but I struggle when it comes to horses as they're out in a 'dirty' environment!

Horse cut the outside of it's off fore 4 days ago. Taken a nice chunk about the size of a £2 coin out of her leg with a chunk of skin flapping off. Leg very hot and swollen when found but not lame at all. Cold hosed, cleaned, poulticed, bandaged and turned out.

Day 2 - still very swollen and hot. Horse not lame. Repeated previous treatment.

Day 3 - swelling gone done a small amount, small amount of heat. Previous treatment again.

Day 4 - today swelling mostly subsided, no heat and horse not lame at all. Wound looks clean but still getting quite a lot of ooze in the poultice. Have done previous treatment and turned out again.

When would you start to leave it open to the air? Would you wait until there is little being drawn onto the poultice? Have been lucky to not have many previous injuries.

Obviously will call vet if any deterioration.

Thank you x
 
What colour is the gunk, does it smell, and what are you poulticing with?

If it's Animalintex, it will create it's own ooze, which can easily be mistaken for exudate from the wound. Sounds like things are heading in the right direction, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Personally, I'd have cleaned it up and used hydrogel to keep the wound bed moist, rather than poulticing in the first place, but it won't have done any harm to do it your way! I'd be inclined to stick a dry dressing on it, and see how it looks the next day. If fields are dry, I'd probably leave it uncovered, but be tempted to keep it under wraps if it's wet/muddy
 
Auslander said:
What colour is the gunk, does it smell, and what are you poulticing with?

If it's Animalintex, it will create it's own ooze, which can easily be mistaken for exudate from the wound. Sounds like things are heading in the right direction, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Personally, I'd have cleaned it up and used hydrogel to keep the wound bed moist, rather than poulticing in the first place, but it won't have done any harm to do it your way! I'd be inclined to stick a dry dressing on it, and see how it looks the next day. If fields are dry, I'd probably leave it uncovered, but be tempted to keep it under wraps if it's wet/muddy
Click to expand...

I agree pretty much with the above. If the wound has been flushed and there is no dirt hydrogel or some duoderm, I cut up the sheets and cover a dry dressing with some come cohesive bandage to hold in place and to keep out the mud.
 
Only poultice if there's an abscess- I'd never routinely poultice a leg wound. Pad and bandage to keep it clean, sure, once it has scabbed over it's best left open
 
Depends on the wound really. Once dry and scabbed with no oozing it should be ok. Again as above unless vet told me to poultice a leg I wouldn't. I have bandaged with manuka honey as a dressing with success.
 
Im another who would never poultice a normal leg wound. The first day I would clean with hibiscrub to make sure it's clean and bandage with a melolin pad and intrcite gel. Day 2 woould be cleaning with salt water and depending on how it looked it would either be intracite gel or manuka honey on the melolin. Day 3 onwards would be salt water and manuka honey until the leg stopped swelling. Once the swelling is gone I wouldnt bandage but would clean daily with salt water and apply some manuka honey. I would also make sure the wound was uncovered for at least an hour or two a day to let the air get at it.
 
my boy was tied up on our yard on Monday evening and a helicopter went over very low. he spun round and slipped. he has scrapped the fur off a patch on his off hind hock about the size of a two pound coin. I washed it off and put some purple spray, msm cream and aloe vera gel on it. I checked it the next morning to make sure no shavings in it. just washed it off and put more msm cream on, put him out to keep walking - he actually had very little swelling and the way he went off across the field he was sound. I put a bit more gel on it that night. since then nothing - I want the air at it . it has completely dried up . I have ridden quietly every day and he has been out to keep walking. healing well. I won't want to be putting anything on it that would keep it wet, I want it dry and healing
 
Keep it covered!

https://www.advancedtissue.com/debunking-wound-cares-biggest-myth/

A study published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery aimed to determine the effects of moist wound care. Researchers used a porcine wound model, to compare wet conditions using saline, moist conditions using hydrocolloid dressings and dry conditions using sterile gauze. The scientists found an increase in the presence of liquids led to faster healing (wet wounds healed after six days, while moist ones took seven days and dry wounds took eight). Additionally, moist and wet wound care led to less necrosis and inflammation as well as higher quality in the newly regenerated epidermis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8109679
 
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