|
|
Discussion on Healing Large Wound
|
| Author |
Message |
Member:
Chohler
|
Posted on Monday, Feb 21, 2005 - 1:08 pm:
Hi DrO,
I just wanted to share some pics of a wound that I have been working on since november.
History - I have been dealing with what was a small wound on my rescue horses hip since June. It was the size of a quarter and I would get it healed and it would re-open. In November the wound reappeared and was festered. I took the horse in to the vet and we had to have a large chunk of flesh cut out about the size of a medium saucer plate, vet said there was proud flesh inside but there was also many pieces of bone. He must have had a fall or was kicked, when we rescued him he was having what we thought were neurologic symptoms, spastic muscles inability to control back legs, after anti-inflammatories and a couple of adjustments from a chiropractor he was fine. We believe that this was from whatever caused the fragments of bone from his pelvis ie. a fall or kick.
From November to January the wound healed very little and was always painful, when the hair started growing back he started scratching it on cable fencing wich started the proud flesh growing again.
This horse has been severely abused and is hysterically afraid of water treating the wound has been very difficult and bordering on the ridiculous but we refuse to give up. I think the vet called the wound a dicubitous ulcer? something of the sort. Anways its like a bed sore. The horse is arthritic wich we treat with supplements and bute when needed. He lays only on one side which makes the sore very hard to take care of.
Anyways at the end of January I took the horse back to the vet to have the proudflesh cut out again. It took us an hour and half to stop the bleeding.
I finally had the idea of putting a blanket on the horse and using duct tape (industrial strength) to tape a large square depends bed liner to the inside to cover the wound. The vet felt bad for me and lets me come in a couple times a week, after hours to use his stock to clean the wound out. I spray granulex on the wound when he's in the stocks, we can use water on him now but only at a trickle I tried more but he will try to flip over in the stocks, and I can't afford to sedate him every time.
The diaper keeps the wound moist and free of scabbing and dirt. I know this is not the way to deal with large wound care but this is the only way this horse will allow us to take care of it. I have been using the diaper and granulex for three weeks now and I have had miraculous amounts of healing than the three months before the diaper. I do not have a pic from before but let me tell you it was nasty.............
The vet told me he never though we would have anywhere near the healing that we have had. So that says something for my diaper.
The wound started off being about eight inches around, and now is about 3-4 inches around.
|
Member:
Chohler
|
Posted on Monday, Feb 21, 2005 - 2:55 pm:
I tried to do a zip file but it won't work any help?
Here is a pic of the horse. he is 17 hands and 17 years old. He was a race horse at one time and then passed from person to person. He is linebred to prince plaudit and has some very nice horses in his pedigree. Someday soon he will make a good horse if we can heal the wound on his hip. I think he will always have to wear a blanket as he always lays on the side of the wound.
|
Member:
Hwood
|
Posted on Monday, Feb 21, 2005 - 3:36 pm:
I had opportunity to use the following quote earlier today as I read another wonderful story of a horse rescue.
"Necessity, powered by compassion, is the mother of invention."
A wonderful story, Cheryl. Please keep up abreast of the healing. Very interesting and heart warming.
|
Member:
Chohler
|
Posted on Monday, Feb 21, 2005 - 3:57 pm:
sorry for the double posts I cant figure the picture thing out.
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 22, 2005 - 7:30 am:
Hello Cheryl,
I addressed your image questions in your other post. As long as there is pressure there it will not heal. Would it be possible to put a rubber donut around it? Maybe even stitching it into the blanket? How about putting something in the blanket to make laying down on this side uncomfortable? I would still get the blanket up off the wound however.
DrO
|
Member:
Chohler
|
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 22, 2005 - 11:56 am:
What kind of rubber donut?
I don't know if he can lay down on the other side he's never done it.
The diaper padding under the blanket is about 1.5" thick.
I just thought it was neat i was finally getting somewhere using the diapers under the blanket. I wish I had pic from before to compare to, it was a nasty big whole that would just scabb over ooze and not really heal.
|
Member:
Chohler
|
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 22, 2005 - 12:17 pm:
Apparently I cannot spell either.
I'd like to try the donut but when you say rubber donut I have a hard time thinking of anything, that would work. It would need to be atleast 6"-8" around. At that size wouldn't it be a little hard and put irritating pressure around the outside of the wound?
I layer three diapers on the hip section of the blanket. I also leave the blanket loose so there is no real pressure. He is supervised continually so he doesn't get into trouble with the blanket. It's just on him to keep the wound clean, and moist.
The cell migration has been absolutely amazing.
I was also wondering if you see wounds like this on other older horses that have fallen or be kicked?
Thanks
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Wednesday, Feb 23, 2005 - 6:37 am:
Perhaps styrofoam pipe insulation, bent in a circle. It will conform nicely to the horse, cheap, can be replaced when it tears up? Stitch it into the blanket so that it lies around the wound. As to whether it will cause troubles depends on how much pressure the horse puts on it but perhaps you can get this healed before you get significant irritation.
Yes you see such wounds on horses that lie down chronically and until you can get the presure off the wound they just don't heal. Usually addressing the reason they lay down and moving them to a good soft pasture is enough.
DrO
|
Member:
Chohler
|
Posted on Tuesday, Mar 1, 2005 - 3:02 pm:
Hi DrO, got an update for you. I took the horse to the vet to see if we needed to have some proudflesh cut out and he said that there is just a minor piece and put proudsof on it, to be cleaned off tomorrow but the horse has already done a good job of removing it in dirt..................
He liked your idea of using pipe insulation but said he actually had 4" thick foam(appolstery foam) at his house we could use. Today we will cut out a large circle and attatch it to his blanket. They were able to shave the scabby part with all the new hair this time so it stops irritating him.
Other than that he said from what the wound was like before, we are over 50% healed. I've known the vet for some time and he said he didn't ever want to say anything around my mom,but he thought given the circumstance and difficulty treating the wound like it needs to be, that we'd end up putting the horse down. (the horse is actually my moms she found him on deaths door)Now he is really impressed and thinks we will get it healed.
He also checked his weight and said I've put 30 more pounds on him. I've been trying to get him to put even more weight on so he can have some meat around his hips to help prevent sore's later. this horse was a 1 on the condition scale. I've Put a little over 400 pounds on him but what you can see from the pic up top is he is still a slender horse.
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Wednesday, Mar 2, 2005 - 7:13 am:
Sounds encouraging!
DrO
|
Member:
Chohler
|
Posted on Thursday, Apr 28, 2005 - 1:59 pm:
DrO I wanted to let you know that I got another thumbs up from my vet on this wound. The blanket and foam allowed the wound to build up meat(muscle) behind it around the bone. After I noticed his muscle filling in I took the blanket off.
I made my own proudflesh concoction,(iodine,a little scarlet oil, and camphor-(has some numbing ability) and couple of other things) and have been putting it on him since. The healing is getting amazing. The wound is now a little bigger than a 50 cent piece.
I had to take him in yesterday as he cut his leg and hit an artery now we have stiches and another wound to heal but My vet said he is absolutely amazed at how the wound on his hip is coming along.
I think the horse got wind of me wanting to put a saddle on him and decided to curtail my ideas............
|
Member:
Warwick
|
Posted on Thursday, Apr 28, 2005 - 2:28 pm:
Cheryl, your ingenuity amazes me. He is one incredibly lucky horse to have you as a nurse. Please keep us updated with photos if possible.
|
Moderator:
DrO
|
Posted on Friday, Apr 29, 2005 - 7:41 am:
I am concern that despite your good response, it could be a little better without a caustic concoccotion like you have come up with: it is slowing the reepitheiation of the granulation bed. You will do better with the medications we recommend for wound care.
DrO
|
|
|
