i managed to talk Al into comming down the yard with me tonight so i could take some pics ......i m hoping some of you will have experience of similar injuries & be able to offer me some advise & guidence ? not brilliant pics but gives you an idea of what i ve been trying to describe this is how its looking 11 days on ( note 1/2 the wound has been stitched & has held but was too wide to close completely

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thoughts grately appreciated

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life without horses & chocolate just wouldn t be worth living!
sarah x

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life without horses & chocolate just wouldn t be worth living!
sarah x

Yuk.........
A friend of mine had a similar injury to her TB.... She was given some thick Yellow Gunk that she had to keep putting on the wound. It burnt the injury off.... Sorry I cannot think of the name, I will ring her tomorrow....
It looks to me, like proud flesh, which will probably have to be cut off, one it has started to heal.
You will be amazed how it will heal though, once it starts to settle.
Healing vibes being sent to the poor horse...

Paul

thanks Paul ....i know the centre is exposed muscle itself as the vet had to cut away part of the muscle to get it back into the cavity but i agree i think the edges are looking like proud flesh thanks for being so encouraging ......i think i just need the reasurance that it will close up she moves well on it and the swelling is resticted to the actual muscle and the leg itself hasn t filled (walking out twice a day has helpped that i think i d really appreciate if you could ask your friend what they used .....i need to be careful as it d be directly onto exposed muscle

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life without horses & chocolate just wouldn t be worth living!
sarah x

I know this might sound silly, but last year I fell off on the road and Meg galloped home alone! By the time I got back - my mum had come to her rescue, she had several small innocent wounds on her thigh, hock and fetlock. Came to the theory that she slipped over at the junction (how she didn't hit any traffic was incredible) Anyway several weeks later all had healed well but the fetlock. It did get proud flesh dispite our best efforts to heal it with 'cut and heal'. Meg is a BIG vet hater, so we weren't that keen on getting it cut with the chance of it healing only a fraction better and possibly repeating the process - I hope you are with me here!!
In the meantime my cousin who is a BMX bike rider had a horrific fall and practally skinned himself raw - ouch. He is not horsey but after doctors said he would be out of action for upto 9 months, he tried various creams and potions with little sucess. Anyway, he then tried 'Maluca honey' - (may not have spelt that right). Within 2 weeks he was riding bikes and within the month he was competing again.
So, we tried it too. Everyday, twice a day - just honey, we didn't clean it we didn't pick it nothing, just honey. The vets were amazed at how quickly it healed and the proud flesh just vanished. Admit though, that Bea's cut is a bit bigger than what I had to contend with, but I'd recommend it now anyday. Yep, it is also fairly expensive, but not so in vet fees and call outs!!!
So, I wish you all the best with her. It sounds like she is being a good patient which also helps hugely!!

ps...the honey is also mild on cuts/grazes, so it shouldn't sting and it should not be harmful to the 'exposed leg'.

thanks R&M just read up on it and it sounds really good stuff & well worth a try especially as you had 1st hand experience ....so i ve just ordered a 500g pot (25+ strength)to give it a go ! .......not too bad ! £36 inc p&p ......but if it helps i ll buy a tonn of it ! i m open minded and it certainly doesn t sound like it will do any damage they say its being used in hospitals to help treat wounds infected with MRSA thanks for telling me about it as i d never heard of it before

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life without horses & chocolate just wouldn t be worth living!
sarah x

Hi Sarah

Stick with the treatment - you are starting to get some new tissue (3rd picture) on the edges of the hole - it just will take a long time to heal... keep on with the flushing...

Lou had a wire wound coming up two years ago now, and that wasn't stitched at all... Sasha tried allsorts on it - I will ask her what worked the best, although I do know she used honey as well



This is it when it was first done

Take photos - once a week or every few days - and then you have something to refer back to when you are trying to see if it is improving.... although as I say the 3rd picture clearly shows new tissue forming at the margins of the wound. Try to take your pics with zoom from further away - if you get too close the camera has trouble focussing...

We did get a bit of proud flesh with Lou's wound - she was very difficult to heal as the area where the wound was moved aoubt a lot, and she didn't want to stay still on box rest - you've got the same problem, but it's important to try and keep her quiet....

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Bloody hell Sar that wasn't what I was expecting at al. Poor Bea - and poor you - no wonder you're feeling so down about it all. But sounds like the others have had similar injuries and had positive outcomes. Louida's mare's leg was awful!

I thought it sounded similar to my filly Boni's leg last year - but if you look here http://groups.msn.com/rollestone/2007babies.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=166 her's was more a crater than a bulging wound... But even so you can see how a nasty looking wound improved dramatically and now there is not even a scar!

I've heard good things about honey also so definitely worth a try...

Got sidetracked with getting P showered and to nursery... have got some more piccies taken at time intervals for you:



23/07/06 - the line circles a nodule of proud flesh which was removed.




22/08/06

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Heidi what happened to the big flap of skin - was it cut away?

Sarah I agree with Heidi's suggestion of taking regular pics - it will hopefully be reassuring to you to see progress, however small each week... also it'll be useful in the future to look back on if you are a friend ever has a similar injury

So sorry to see these pics - you are doing a great job looking after the wound - just keep going - you will be amazed at the degree of healing that can be achieved.
I have also heard of honey being used to great effect.

Another pic:



13-09-06

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So please don't be disheartened - Lou had a foal at foot so was under a lot of stress and hers still healed OK. Bea is a youngster so her growth/repair rate will be quicker....

Lou's looked a lot better within 4 months (July - October):



18-10-06

Sarah - the sides of the wound were cleaned and trimmed regularly (vets call it debridement) to keep the wound clean - any dead necrotic skin leads to infection, so needs cleaning away... you need a base of healthy living cells to ensure that the new skin grows in from the edges of the wound, so it is important that this is done regularly......

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thanks soooooooooo much everyone i can t tell you how much this has helpped me MENTALLY ! ......I do my horses by myself & its only me on the yard so although i ve dragged Gary down a few times & Al last night its so nice to get experienced opinions
Heidi thanks so much the progressive pics of Lou s recovery help loads & are hugely encouraging .....i will start taking weekly pics & post them so you may pick up something i m missing .the vet was comming out every other day , but last came Monday and decided to leave it a week ,but spoke to him this morning and have said i m concerned about edges of the wound ....asked about MANUKA HONEY and he said its great stuff & he s seen alot of excellent results using it in his homeland Newzeland so thats something posative to try
Sar i think the way our babies sustained thier injuries was probably very similar ......unfortunately where Bea s is located directly over the bulk of muscle makes it so difficult i need to keep her mobile to stop her legs filling & her stiffening up but i don t want her over using that muscle as i don t want it all popping .....i ve got her restricted to fibre but shes such a live wire (which i ve always loved about her .......but its a nightmare when you want a gentle walk to just quitely keep things moving ......and Bea s like a shook up bottle of pop !

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life without horses & chocolate just wouldn t be worth living!
sarah x

Soo sorry to hear of Bea Sarah, the poor little sole, I have (and i'm touching wood whilst saying this) never had to deal with an injury like that but the shock and worry you are going through must be terrible. I panic (I know you shouldn't! ) but by the looks of thing you are doing a great job and Bea certainly must be feeling better if she's leaping about !

Keep up the good work and fingers crossed for Bea x x