DefinitelyDressage.com

Maia tore off a chunk of hoof wall today — not up to the cornet. She's sound. It bled, copiously. I rinsed well, washed with chlorhexidine surgical scrub, packed with sterile gauze, and covered in vet wrap and duct tape.

Neither BO nor I have dealt with a wound like this in a long while. Beyond infection and heat, is there anything we should be looking out for?

I hope it heals well.

Oh no! I have not dealt with that, but depending on the wound, I wonder if honey dressings might be a good option? I can't remember the poster here who had a horse with a nasty heel bulb injury that she healed with honey, but it works well. I think there are prepared dressings you can buy, or you can get manuka honey from the health food store. I used it when Rosette sliced her pastern and the vet was really impressed with how minimal the scar was.

Depending on the location, you may need to get xrays to make sure it didn't do any damage to the coffin bone.

For the hoof injuries I've seen that penetrated far enough to bleed, the vets said it had to stay clean and dry, so possibly stall rest may be required. Preventing infection is really important for these injuries.

Eek. Good point, tlk. Made a vet appointment. She's sound ... but not keeping the duct tape boot on. I'm going to go pick up several hoof boots (guessing what size will fit), and over sized bell boots to make bandaging a bit easier. I'll ask the vet about makuna honey.

Stall rest is not an option unless we sedate her.

Honestly, Bloody horses!

I think I'd get the vet to take a peek at it, myself, but I think they are naming a new wing after me at the clinic this year...

What a complete pain when you are laid up yourself. How are you doing? I hope you are healing, too.

Xrays are good — no foreign bodies, and no damage to the coffin bone. And Maia's still perfectly sound (Can you imagine walking on a really bad hangnail? All I can think is OUCH!!)

The vet said to keep doing as I have been — all the gorilla tape + epsom salt poultice + gauze — for a few weeks. She's wearing a bell boot over top, in hopes of not ripping the duct tape off within the first few moments.

Moutaineer wrote:How are you doing? I hope you are healing, too.

My leg is a shadow of it's former self I still have about 2 baseballs worth of blood clot and an open wound. It's the perfect breeding ground for infection — which I've been through a few times now.

Ideally, I wouldn't be out at the barn until the wound is closed ... but Maia is a great big butt about having that particular back foot handled. So, I'm double-wrapping, then washing/re-bandaging when I get home. Between the two of us, I should buy stock in 3M. I'm going through a roll of vet wrap a day

PT-wise it's doing great, and I'm actually far ahead of where the ortho predicted. Maia and I should both be ready to go mid-June

Have they threatened you with a Woundvac yet? If they do, talk to me. There are things that can make it easy (er)

Not yet! I will if that becomes a thing. The big threat right now is opening it up and putting in a drain if I get another infection. But, the three weeks of four different antibiotics seem to finally be working (knock on wood), and the ortho has me using a drawing poultice.

Moutaineer wrote:Have they threatened you with a Woundvac yet? If they do, talk to me. There are things that can make it easy (er)

Oh God, wound vac. Weeks and weeks of that misery with the last series of foot surgeries. I hope you are spared!

Abby Kogler wrote:

Moutaineer wrote:Have they threatened you with a Woundvac yet? If they do, talk to me. There are things that can make it easy (er)

Oh God, wound vac. Weeks and weeks of that misery with the last series of foot surgeries. I hope you are spared!

The poultice bandages did the trick, so I avoided the wound vac. Fortunately! I recall my then 11yo neibling with a wound vac after developing a post-op infection. No fun at all. Didn't even feel up to playing video games with the siblings. (Our children's hospital's rooms are decked out!)