Correct Wound Management Secures Young Horse’s Future

 

 

Event rider Louisa Milne Home was thankful to have a first aid kit bursting with wound care products thanks to her sponsor Robinson Animal Healthcare when one of her promising youngsters suffered a nasty injury.

Louisa had only purchased Arty, along with one of her owners, Sara Brown, at the start of 2021 and has high hopes that he will have a big future in either Eventing or Showjumping.

Whilst out in the field enjoying life on Louisa’s yard in Kinross, Scotland, Arty managed to get a very deep and long wound along the back of the pastern. Although Louisa and her team didn’t know exactly how the injury had happened, it appeared to have occurred as a result of Arty putting his foot through a fence and then pulling back.

Louisa immediately consulted her vet as she was concerned that the wound was deep and also worried about the risk of infection or damage to the tendons and ligaments.

The position of the wound meant that stitching wasn’t going to be an option, so open wound management would be required.

A wound that is not able to be closed surgically will need to be left to heal by second intention and managed as an open wound, using appropriate treatment involving bandaging techniques. Healing by second intention is when the edges of the wound are far apart and cannot be surgically brought together.

Arty was put on box rest for around a month with the wound bandaged to keep it clean and as stable as possible. The first 24 hours were crucial to spot any signs of infection or complications.

Louisa cleaned the wound and applied a Skintact® wound dressing which was held in place with Orthopaedic padding and an Equiwarp® cohesive bandage, with a little bit of duct tape at the bottom to prevent any dirt travelling up from the bedding.

The dressing was changed every two days to start with and then every four days to try not to disturb the wound and allow it to knit together.

Said Louisa: “All the Robinson Animal Healthcare products did a fantastic job. The Skintact® didn’t stick to the wound and was easy to change, which was definitely a bonus with a young horse as it would have been much more difficult if he had been in discomfort. All the products stayed in position which helped reduce the frequency of dressing changes.

“Within 17 days the wound was fully granulated with no proud flesh but we kept the bandages on and Arty on box rest for a few more days just to be on the safe side. The wound had completely healed and looked amazing in just 24 days which is a great outcome.”

Skintact®, from Robinson Animal Healthcare is a low-adherent wound dressing that is ideal for minor wounds with low to medium exudate. It is also double-sided and therefore impossible to use the wrong side down. Two layers of perforated film, with an inner absorbent layer provide superior wicking.

 

Safe bandaging is an art that gets better with practice. In this video, Robinson Animal Healthcare offers some simple steps to follow to improve your technique.

Check out this great video to help you hone your skills.

 

Robinson Animal Healthcare has a wide range of products for all your first aid requirements including the market-leading Animalintex® and the legendary Veterinary Gamgee®.

For more information contact Robinson Animal Healthcare on 01909 735000 or visit www.robinsonhealthcare.com