Wound with seroma (seeping fluid) any experiences?

AnShanDan

AnShanDan

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My mare had a fragment of bone removed from upper hind leg on 8th Dec. The staples came out nearly 2 weeks ago and the wound has been draining a seroma from the place the bone came out. The fluid is (I think) slowly subsiding, but still runs down her leg quite a bit. The wound has healed ok except for the middle 2cm which is open and I have to clean all this twice a day with saline. She isn't too happy with the cleaning either.
The vets don't seem too concerned, I have been updating them by emailed photos, but I am just wondering if anyone else's horse has had similar?
I'd love to speed up the healing, she has been through a lot since being kicked nearly 4 months ago.
 
The only wound I came across which didn't heal had a bit of infection in the underlying tissues which caused it to stay open for ages, heal over very tenunously then burst open as the infection built up and exploded open again in a very satisfying and classic abscess fashion.

Got flushed out under sedation and then healed in a matter of days. Needed more AB's though.
 
When the staples came out the vet gave me a course of ABs for her as he could see it was not fully closed. He said that as long as the fluid is clear (yellow), it's not infected and to just clean etc.
She has this pool of fluid under the skin in the place the bone frag. came out, and it has to drain away i.e. through the incision.
It's a nightmare tho'!
 
I have a similar wound that is draining, mine too is the result of a nasty kick.

Can you ask them to come out and have a look at it, rather than just looking at pics? If it been draining a long time, it may need opened a little more, or may need more anti-b's.

The only thing I was told was to put some vaseline below it to stop it 'burning' the leg. I have also use a little Wonder Gel. I totally understand the not being allowed to touch it thing. Mine has started biting, and thats only after 5 days!
 
Hello! Im certainly no vet - but there is a product out there (which of course right now I cant recall the name of!). Its bascially a granular sheet (looks like tiny honeycombs) is sterile & can be placed directly on a seeping wound *which has been proven free of infection*. It encourages new tissue growth, provides a dissolving "lattice" for said tissue to grow over & can be cut into really wee bits & is flexible (biggest problem horses have is that - they move - *smiles*). I'll google it & see if I can get back to you on it - might just be that what's oozing is simply caused by excess whitecells fighting low grade infection - (they can get a wee bit too overactive sometimes).

Also, check diet? - mixes high in vit B2 can also contribute I believe, since the body rids itself of excess through urine (which becomes really quite bright orange at times! ) & supuration (scabs, sores, spots & cuts) - any opening I suppose?...

Good luck & I hope this heals quick!
scotia
 
Thanks for all that. Any more info. I'd be grateful.
The wound, having looked worse on Monday this week, is actually (touch wood) looking better now. It is scabbing across the top, but still seeping slightly at the bottom end.
I think it is the fact I can't dress it that I hate so much, open wound + stable = bugs in wound??
The vets have told me it will have to heal by secondary intention now, i.e. from the inside to the outside.
I will check her diet out too.
 
I wish I had a pic of ben's leg (massively pre digital - about 1990), but it was basically a 3" straight cut on the outside of his hind leg about 9" ish above the hock. Def wasn't a kick (far too clean and straight), and was stitched, but they burst v quickly and told by vet it would have to heal by secondary intention.

I had owned him only a couple of weeks, and he was a self opinionated/bargy welsh sec D.

I think I prob made every mistake in the book with this injury. FIrst of all stood him in so that his leg got massively filled (ended up with a capped hock that took years to disappear), then he was so hard to handle I very rarely managed to get my hand on it never mind clean it. It was basically a fist sized hole in his thigh nearly down to the thigh bone.

Eventually got him turned out and managed to lob a handful of fly repellent wound cream into or near the cut every day....

and eventually after about 4 months it was completely healed.

In its worst moments it oozed all sorts of absolute gunk, which even burned the hair off further down his leg, but I still got a fab result, never mind that fact that it never got cleaned, and he went from a dirty stable to a dusty field.

Fingers crossed you will look at your mare in the spring, and have to search for the scar
smile.gif


Fiona
 
Thanks Fiona, that all does make me feel better.
I'm sure she'd be better to be moving about more, but of course we are gripped by this weather just now, so no chance of getting her out any day soon.
I'm just working towards turning her out in the spring full time and letting the summer do it's best for her. Her prognosis for broodmare soundness is good, but to be in work again is guarded. Still you never know.
 
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I'm sure she'd be better to be moving about more, but of course we are gripped by this weather just now, so no chance of getting her out any day soon.


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I didn't even have the wit to lead him up and down the yard every day though, so it wasn't any wonder that leg got filled.

I know in your girl's case the bone was involved (so it might drain for a bit longer to keep infection at bay), but I just wanted to say good luck, and that a deep dirty wound can eventually heal up completely.

Fiona
 
Our vet has recently been advising us to use Manuka honey on open wounds (and some dressed ones too). It is honey from the pollen of the tea tree plant, and has worked wonders on a hock wound that would not heal because every time the mare moved too much the scab came off. Three days after putting Manuka honey on (we only got it on once as we had to do it while the vet had her sedated) and it has almost completely healed. (was 4cm by 2cm). Might be worth asking your vet if this would be suitable for the type of wound she has? You have to get the special medical sterile stuff, but apparently it is also used in hospitals for all sorts of wounds. There is a post on here about it with some amazing pics of an open wound healing.
 
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