If you're interested in wounds.... a proud flesh story. Lots of gruesome pics - BANDAGE OFF!

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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This is just a record of the progress (or lack of) on Mattie's leg injury, caused by tangling with fence wire. It's actually interesting for me to see it too, I am shocked in retrospect by how it looked so much worse before it started to look a bit better!

The original injury, 3 September this year. You would have thought the vet might have been able to sew it up but he said he couldn't do that because it would have had so much dirt in it: he had to be left open to drain. He said that proud flesh would undoubtedly result.

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After 3 days the vet came back and it was like this. He was pleased and said he had been afraid he would need to put Mattie down on his return, but he hoped now that it might be able to be treated with field rest and bandaging. It was going to be up to me to do the bandaging to keep costs down.

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Over the next few days the wound opening continued to stretch and proud flesh developed. 9 September :

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On 11 September the vet trimmed the proud flesh. There was lots of blood but he was still quite pleased

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This is how the wound changed over the next couple of weeks.

15 September:
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19 September, before cleaning - it's always pussy and oozy when I take the bandage off:

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24 September, proud flesh coming back but the wound is starting to look as if it wants to close. Obviously Mattie was sideways for this pic

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And yesterday, it's really starting to look better. But it is still huge compared to the original wound. The vet is coming back on Friday to trim back the proud flesh again, and I am using Manuka honey to help the healing and to retard regrowth.

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Mattie and I are definitely in this for the long haul! He is as good as gold to have it dressed, which is fantastic. Because he can't be stabled (ex racer) he is walking about on this wound, which will certainly slow up the healing but prevents his leg filling and keeps the rest of him happier and healthier. I'd rather that than have him stressing his socks off in a box: if it comes down to it, I would have him PTS rather than have to shut him in, but I hope I won't have to make that choice.
 
Ouch that certainly does look icky.

Its the same thing on my lamb. Theyve not stitch the holes up. Cleaned and left open to drain the fluid.
 
I can see why the vet was so worried, if anything had been in there and started an infection it was dangerously close to the hock joint.

While the wound looks huge it also looks healthy. I've held horse while proud flesh was trimmed and it really does look like a bloodbath - it took us far longer to clean up the area than the vet spent trimming and bandaging! Once it starts to heal properly rather than growing proud flesh it will probably come along quickly, and if he isn't being pestered to play that will help too :) . Does the vet think the hair will regrow?
 
I can see why the vet was so worried, if anything had been in there and started an infection it was dangerously close to the hock joint.

While the wound looks huge it also looks healthy. I've held horse while proud flesh was trimmed and it really does look like a bloodbath - it took us far longer to clean up the area than the vet spent trimming and bandaging! Once it starts to heal properly rather than growing proud flesh it will probably come along quickly, and if he isn't being pestered to play that will help too :) . Does the vet think the hair will regrow?
Vet thinks he will have a "monster scar" so I imagine not!
 
You'll have to make up a story about how he got it so he can impress the others with his war wound!
 
Vet came again on 2 October and retrimmed the proud flesh, removing about as much as half a small hamburger :eek:. It bled hugely and he bandaged the wound really tightly to help the bleeding stop. But he was absolutely delighted by the progress of the wound and thought that within a month or so I might have finished with the bandaging if it goes on healing at this rate.

Like a Muppet I forgot to take a picture as he worked (too busy handing bandages!) but I changed the bandage today on the vet's recommendation. I was expecting it to be completely caked in blood but it was surprisingly clean.

This was how it looked just before removing the last dressing:

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And this was the wound once I'd finished cleaning and was about to rebandage.

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I think you can really see how much it has reduced in size and how the skin has started to regrow.

My vet said he was pleased I was keeping a photographic record because it's unusual to try to treat this kind of wound without box resting or even hospitalising the horse, and he thinks people will be interested in the outcome. He also said that it would have been at least a £2,500 claim on the insurance if Mattie had it, and I should hire myself out as a professional bandage-changing nurse!

Personally I am sure I can only do it because Mattie is the calmest, best behaved, most biddable dear old racehorse that anyone ever had the privilege of looking after. His leg was clearly very sore today, particularly his fetlock - you can see it is swollen from the tight bandage and it was hot - but he was good as gold and just waved his foot in the air a little bit, like someone trying to get a limb to wake up that has gone to sleep.

Onward and upward!
 
What a horrible injury. To give you hope these are pics of my friends horse. Took 9 months, but healed and sound! Hopefully you also get a good result. Its looking better already.
 

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looks so much better, it's amazing what they will let you do, poor old sasa let me syringe peroxide into her stinking wound....every day, twice a day, no headcollar, just let me do it
 
OMG @Tir OMG OMG! That makes Mattie's wound look like a scratch!

Thanks @diplomaticandtactful ,It's still improving but the proud flesh is going to need to be trimmed at least once more. Perhaps I should have a go at it myself o_O
nope, don't fancy doing that, Sasa's had to be trimmed and fortunately when Fleur sliced her front legs we didn't get proud flesh as she would not have been happy to have much treatment.
 
Here's yesterday's picture. It really is smaller now, but the proud flesh is still coming back. I'm using Mauka honey to help healing: my vet was respectful of this but suggested that if I wanted a chemical alternative I could try derma-gel. I think I'll stick with the honey for now unless anyone has any other suggestions.

Poor old Mattie, he is starting to get a bit fed up. I had to scurry after him on all 4s in the middle of the bandaging this time!IMG_0692.JPG
 
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Yes they do get fed up. My poor sheep was getting fed up with needles being put in her twice a day. And me spraying her wounds. Catching her was becoming stressful and she's in a small shed. She was to the point she was jumping up the walls when I approached her. Doing more damage to the leg that was supposed to be resting and healing. Have had to leave her alone and only catch her every couple of days now.
 
If the honey is working I’d stick with it, if you’re not happy it’s progressing fast enough maybe consider a swap then.
 
Glad to report that it is still improving. On the last bandage change I gave the leg a good old wash all over, I am sure it felt better after. I am hopeful that we may only need one more proud flesh trim and that the vet will soon allow it to go unbandaged - by the beginning of November maybe, when the flies should all be gone.

Mattie continues to be a total star. He has got a little mud fever on his swollen white foot below the bandages, poor old chap, but I will treat that later.IMG_0703.JPG
 
And two months after the initial injury we are down to this
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I've been looking after it for some time because the vet has been away, but I'm now only putting on a horse-sized adhesive dressing and covering it with VetWrap. The vet is coming back on Monday and I hope he will give Mattie the all clear to go out unbandaged.

I'm quite proud, actually!
 
The vet came on Monday and trimmed the proud flesh again. There wasn't much to come off, about the size of my little finger. He said I should redress today, then do one more dressing, and then (assuming I didn't mind about scarring) leave the dressing off, apply silver spray and allow it to scab.

I changed the dressing today. The proud flesh was still really flat and it hardly bled. There wasn't much goo either! I hibiscrubbed and bandaged fairly lightly and there we were.

I can't believe there may be only one more bandage change....!IMG_0761 2.JPG
 
Oh wow!

From fearing he may not even make it if it got infected or didn't heal to this is incredible. I know it's been a couple of months and a lot of work for you, but he's made amazing progress.
 
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