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  Discussion on Question about heat in deep wound
Author Message
Member:
bullmom

Posted on Sunday, Jul 4, 2010 - 12:51 pm:

Filly has plum sized round cut on back/top of ankle. Center of cut was deep. Cut is two weeks old. At first it was infected. Gave her penicillin. In the past two weeks she's had three pen shots. Most recent was two days ago as I was concerned with heat. Cut has drained well and went from yellow to mostly clear. The wound/flesh looks really good and clean. Now, there is not much drainage. I irrigate 2/3 times a day with hose/nozzle.No proud flesh issues and edges are healing nicely. My question is: Does heat always mean infection? Ankle is swollen, but has not gotten any worse. Lameness has not gotten any worse. Does not appear lame when I walk to hose ankle. When she eats she always put injured leg forward. I'm just trying to figure out if heat also means healing or strictly infection. Thanks
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Sunday, Jul 4, 2010 - 3:26 pm:

Three penicillin shots given randomly over a 2-week period doesn't sound like a good plan to me as this could encourage the growth of a potentially resistant strain of infection. If you give the drug at all, the level of it should be maintained for the proper number of days and in the appropriate amount according to body weight.

Presence of heat and swelling sounds to me like there is remaining infection but Dr. O will have to answer that.

I would think you need a proper and continued course of antibiotics.

You also need to determine whether the joint itself is infected and whether anything that drained out was the synovial fluid.

I would have had the Veterinarian out on this case.

Watch out with the penicillin.

My Vet was very late for his last routine appointment with me on account of attending to an emergency that happened when a woman accidentally injected the Procaine Penicillin into a vein resulting in the horse flipping over backwards and going into shock. The horse could not be saved in spite of best efforts.
Member:
bullmom

Posted on Sunday, Jul 4, 2010 - 11:27 pm:

Thank you. Here are picture taken today after hosing wound. Area is warm, not hot. I think I'll get tucoprim from my vet tomorrow. He's been gone 4 days. Yes, depending on medication, I always make sure it's in muscle/subcutaneous, not vein, before plunging. Anything that must go in the vein I leave to my husband.

https://www.wilfongbuckingbulls.com/foal.html
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Monday, Jul 5, 2010 - 12:22 pm:

Dr. O will be able to tell you more after looking at these photos.

It is good to see them as I am now realizing (as you had stated but I hadn't quite processed) the location of this wound is on the back side, and now thinking that the joint and synovial fluid should not be an issue but it is a little hard to determine from the photos whether the wound is low enough to possibly involve part of the tendon sheath.

I've given lots of penicillin shots myself and it is stressful! Not good if they suddenly move during the procedure.

Given the size and depth of the wound this could be a whole lot worse with regard to the swelling but if you keep on top of the situation it seems you ought to have a good outcome.
Member:
bullmom

Posted on Monday, Jul 5, 2010 - 4:55 pm:

Thanks Vicki! It looks slightly better today.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Monday, Jul 5, 2010 - 5:02 pm:

That's good news, Melanie.

It will take a while to get that to granulate in and I hope that you will have no setbacks.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jul 8, 2010 - 7:36 am:

Hello Melanie,
An increase in temperature in an injured area means that there is a increase in circulation which accompanies inflammation. Inflammation always accompanies clinically significant infection but not all infections are significant clinically and not all inflammation is caused by infection. We have a rather involved discussion on inflammation, infectious and noninfectious at HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Skin Diseases, Wounds, and Swellings » Swellings / Localized Infection / Abscesses » Diagnosing and Assessing Swellings in Horses which should help you get a better hold on this.
DrO
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