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Discussion on How long for water therapy? How long for antimicrobials?
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New Member:
katman
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 3, 2012 - 1:56 pm:
Found our horse on Christmas day with an apparent wire cut on the left chest/shoulder. All skin missing over an area about 2 inches wide and 6 inches tall but not cut into muscle(a skin flap had just DrOpped off) but with a deeper cut on one side maybe 1/2 deep, angled in, with a thick/short flap on it that has held up. Assuming the wound was maybe 3 days old when found on 12/25. Started hyDrO therapy twice daily since (so ten days now), with nitrofurazone ointment twice daily for the first two days, then scarlet oil once daily for three, now only aloe vera twice daily. No apparent infection. Bed of reddish pink granulation has appeared, flap is apparently healing from inside. Scab forms over granulation, but breaks up and comes off. No lameness. No apparent proud flesh. Read the main wound article but was unsure about some things.
My questions are:
1) how long should hyDrO therapy continue? We're 10 days going now. And still twice a day?
2) should an antimicrobial ointment still be applied to the wound at this stage? If so, which one is most appropriate at this stage? And when to stop?
3) should the scab be allowed to do whatever it does on its own or try to keep it off?
Thanks!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012 - 5:18 pm:
Welcome Vicki,
1) I treat most open wounds with hyDrOtherapy until they are healed. But it is the evaluation of how the wound is doing rather than any time frame that determines this.
2) I like to use either a chlorhexidine creme or povidone (Betadine) ointment. See the article for more on this.
3) Healthy scabs that are tightly adhered with no purulence underneath can be left alone, otherwise I wash them off.
Vicki most of these questions are answered in the article associated with this discussion area so give it another careful going over. Often the right answer to your questions will be based on your evaluation of the wound and not set time frames. The article tries to explain what to look for.
DrO
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New Member:
katman
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 5, 2012 - 11:37 am:
Thanks Dr.
Maybe I did not locate the full article, as I was unsure how long the treatments should last. I'll review again.
What is your opinion on Scarlet Oil spray for wound treatment?
Thanks.
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Member:
paul303
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Posted on Friday, Jan 6, 2012 - 8:44 pm:
Scarlet Oil on an open wound, troubles me a bit. There are times when it can be a little caustic to delicate new tissue struggling to form. Betadine or Chlorhexidine are staples. You probably need them on hand anyway. I've had better results with antibiotic ointments than scarlet oil or Blu Kote. The hyDrOtherapy is the most important.
Dr.0's wound care article is comprehensive and has brought me through some difficult senarios.
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New Member:
katman
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Posted on Monday, Jan 9, 2012 - 5:25 pm:
Thank you for the advice. I read the article several times but just wanted to make sure that we were on the right path. He is healing nicely. The article and advice were both a big help!!
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