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Discussion on Back of hock laceration
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New Member:
daca0401
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 20, 2011 - 8:35 am:
Hi,
I'm on day 10 of my horse's laceration. Vet came out and cleaned wound, stiched and wrapped the leg. I have been re wrapping every 3rd day and applying silver cream. He is in a stall to help keep the wrap tight. I'm not sure where to go from here? Any suggestions? The first pic is the cut before the vet, second is at day 6. The stiches have broke and the wound is open now. I dont have an updated pic, but will take one tomorrow. Thanks! 
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New Member:
daca0401
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 - 9:05 am:
Here is a picture of the wound yesterday. It's draining a lot so I'm thinking that I should keep it wrapped. It's quite large so I think I should keep him in the stall for a while longer...any ideas? Please let me know what you think. Any help is greatly appreciated!
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Member:
rein
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 - 10:13 am:
Wow, that is a good one. I have never had a back hock cut like that. Many with severed tendons though. Which can also be very hard to deal with as their foot is also an issue when the tendon is cut if flops under.
My vet wanted to cast it, I decided no as I wanted to keep the wound dressings changing up. Then we talked about one with a window/hinged door type thing...I did think this would work but eventually just went with wrapping every day with silver spray and green wound cream. Diapers work excellent as you have the elastic to snug it up a bit to that area. Or pull the elastic too, they also absorb all the wetness and keep it away.
Yes stitches were not an option that worked for us either. And I did stall rest and would slowly walk them so as it healed it would not rip open.
Best of luck with you on this adventure.
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New Member:
daca0401
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 - 10:29 am:
How long do you hose the wound?
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Member:
juliem
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 - 12:46 pm:
Welcome Candace, and sorry to see such an awful looking wound! Hopefully Dr. O will respond soon. In the meantime you can read his article on long term deep wound care and it will answer a lot of your questions if you haven't already read it. I usually hose wounds for at 15 to 20 minutes. Horses have amazing healing power, so take heart. How did this happen?
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New Member:
daca0401
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 - 1:48 pm:
This horse actually cut his leg in the same spot a couple months ago and I couldn't find where he did it. Then he did it again only worse, still can't figure it out. I feel terrible, but I'm thinking he was trying to scratch the old cut and found a nail. Who knows??
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Member:
rein
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 - 8:07 pm:
I hosed daily till any swelling went down. Then after that I would just rinse with spray water as I liked to keep it dry before I rewrapped.
Ya, that is a weird spot for sure. We have around 80 head here and, knock on wood, I have yet to ever see one there???
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Member:
rein
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 - 8:57 pm:
I thought of something else I tried too, had some luck with nylons over the wrap and another time I used a knee brace. It had a hole in the knee area the fit over the hock and then two velcros did up on either side. Worked if in, but not in bigger pen were they could really get moving.
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New Member:
daca0401
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 23, 2011 - 8:02 pm:
Thank you for the responses. I'm afraid that I won't be able to hose for too much longer. I'm in MN and the weather is turning. With other cuts my vet had me scrub with a betadine solution until the cut would bleed, any thoughts? This is day 14 picture.
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Member:
juliem
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 23, 2011 - 11:44 pm:
I don't know where Do. O is?? I'm afraid it's hard for me to tell as I haven't had to deal with a wound like this, but it looks as if you have some proud flesh developing. I'm so sorry Dr. O hasn't responded as I really think you need his advice. I know you joined this site for his help, not the rest of us, but at least we can offer you a sympathetic ear. I'd sure make an effort to find out how this happened to prevent it happening again. Is the horse showing lameness?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Oct 24, 2011 - 8:21 am:
Welcome Candace,
I would like to direct you again to our article on Long Term Wound Care, it will address most of your questions on how we would recommend taking care of a deep wound. I would continue to hose as directed in the article even when the weather gets cold, just pick times of the day it is not freezing and a location that freezing water is not a problem.
There are some things about your wound specifically that are worth discussing. It is granulating in very rapidly, which is normally a good think early on, but in your case has formed a unusual form of proud flesh. I want to direct your attention to the upper left corner of the wound where the flap of skin is sticking way out. I believe this is because the granulation tissue is forming on the inside surface of the flap but is not attaching the flap down to the underlying tissue. The reason is the mobility of this area is slowing down the natural way this happens from the inside edge of the wound out. It will eventually achieve this but I think we can help it out to a more functional and attractive end result.
I believe your veterinarian needs to consider surgically removing this excessive granulation tissue so the skin better conforms to the leg then you need to start daily to every other day heavy bandaging of the hock that will:
1) Keep the flap tight against the leg.
2) Limit mobility of the hock.
I will not pretend this will be easy in this area as you do not want the bandage to run right over the point of the hock, but it is not impossible. You might find a hock boot with a hole at the point helpful with this. To perform the surgery properly he may need to lay the horse down.
Julie, we spent a long weekend in the mountains on horseback and did not have internet access.
DrO
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Member:
daca0401
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Posted on Monday, Oct 24, 2011 - 8:52 am:
Thank you for the responses. The upper left corner is sticking out because that is where the scar tissue is from the previous wound that occurred in the same area. Does that change anything? Thanks!
Candace
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Member:
daca0401
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 25, 2011 - 9:17 am:
Anybody have any remedies for the wound being so itchy? I'm afraid he's going to try to scratch it himself and affect the wound. Thanks!
Candace
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 25, 2011 - 8:06 pm:
It appears to me that the granulation tissue is thick under the flap but being able to examine the wound might change my opinion. If the wound is so pruritic that the horse is damaging it you might try a wound treatment that contains a steroid. This will also slow down the rate of granulation tissue formation.
DrO
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Member:
rein
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 8, 2011 - 8:11 pm:
I find lanacane works a bit, but the best is the green wound cream our vet makes up. A penicillin and cortisone cream.
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Member:
spryte
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011 - 8:30 am:
Hi Candace.
I have a horse who did an awful injury to the front of the hock (down to bone and tendon)..After 2 weeks the wound started granulating rapidly. a friend had recommended Equaide so I put that on the wound and covered with the usual non stick dressing. I was absolutely stunned by the result 3 days after.. basically the proud flesh was gone!! (i was told to leave dressings on for as long as possible to not disturb the wound site as it healed.. (i never hosed it nor was this ever recommended)..
Anyway ill try to post the pics and let them speak for themselves. I am in Scotland,Uk and there is only one distributor for Equiaide who i have not found very efficient or helpful but There are loads of distributors in the US and its a lot cheaper over there. Later i also used Manuka Honey on the wound.. Anyway Loads of luck.. Rosie
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Member:
spryte
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011 - 9:40 am:
Ok .. here.. trying to down load Millis leg. this 2 weeks after initial injury..
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Member:
spryte
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011 - 9:49 am:
So that was 14th March when I applied the Equaide and redressed the leg.
This photo was taken immediately after removing the dressing on 17th March (no hosing or cleaning)
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Member:
gramsey1
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011 - 2:12 pm:
We had similar results with Equaide on a wound at the heel bulb that was producing proud flesh. We first had it surgically removed. It came back, we treated with Equaide, problem solved. But we did hose the wound clean every three days when we replaced he Equaide and wrap.
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Member:
rein
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011 - 9:47 pm:
Wow, I will have to check that Equaide out and see if we have it up here!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 12, 2011 - 12:47 pm:
Hello Rosie,
Can we see a picture of what the wound looks like today?
DrO
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Member:
spryte
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2011 - 1:17 pm:
hi Dr.O. here is a pic of the injury on day 3 and one taken about 6 months after the proud flesh photo. It happened last year and I did go and take a photo of what it looks like today but cant find the lead for the camera to download it.(when I find it Ill post the pic)
The injury would have healed quicker but it got infected and that set Milli back a bit. Because of her temperament I had to leave her out and just keep dressing the leg every 3 or 4 days for 28 weeks!
Will post todays photo as soon as I sort the technology.
Rosie 
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