Just so ya know, proud flesh and below the knee injuries.

bit · Just so ya know, proud flesh and below the knee injuries.

sigh. It's been forever since my new horse, Gunner has been sound. I broke him, my fault, or freak accident, whatever, he cut his heel bulb. I thought he was healing up real nice, so I brought him home and he began his new life with my herd. That heel bulb did pretty good, the tea tree boo boo juice was doing it's job and then bam, he grew a red ballon.
Had the vet out today and he said, "Proud flesh grows fast and big below the knee because of the lack of muscle and it's more vascular. You have to keep a compression bandage on it all the time, untill it's healed, or no matter what, you are going to get big proud flesh."
Might have to take him in, have it cut off, and start again. We are going to give it a week of tea tree, compression bandages, before we cut and start over.
Just so ya know.

bit

compression bandage, day two. Gunner's ballon is 1/2 it's size today. I can tell there wasn't enough pressure on the top, so I adjusted the bandage. I'm also using one of Tony's thigh high compresson socks he was given after he broke his leg. It holds everything in place, plus a little vet wrap and duct tape. Looks like we won't have to do surgery and start over. That's a relief.
I needed a lot of 4 x 4 gauze pads to use to help with pressure, but did you know they don't sell those huge packages anymore? Nope. Oh you can still buy them, at 3 bucks for a few gause pads. I found myself walking down the femine hygene isle again, for the first time in 5 years. The Isle of Femine Hygene, oh the memories. They don't make those big, fat pads I endured anymore either. I thought they might make a great substitute. I'm using a big roll of padding I had to pad a horses legs. Its about 2 feet wide, and even comes with that blue stripe down the center like those big, fat pads I used to wear has.
You have to get creative when it comes to horses, injuries, and such. I'm learning a lot, and I hope this helps you. Maybe not today, but you'll remember reading this, watching the ballon on your horses foot grow, and think, "hey, compression bandage!" Pushes from the back but nice and lose on the front. Give that vet wrap a twist on the front and continue on around. Works great, conforms to the foot, and allows for circulation.

appellativo

this sounds brutal, but I read up on it and apparently it works. I used a ped-egg (metal file for exfoliating thick dead skin on your feet) to abrade/scrape off the proud flesh, and poulticed it with a homemade anti-inflammatory goo. the proud flesh doesn't have nerve endings so it doesnt hurt the horse to do this. of course on a very big wound, you'd want a vet to do it. but if a vet has done it, and it starts to come back, maybe you could keep it down in this way yourself. disclaimer: it worked for me, but it might not work for you. your vet's word trumps mine

xenophon

There is a product called Equaide (www.equaide.com) that worked wonders on my horse, whom I bought with a gash on the front of his cannon bone on the back leg. After months of vet treatments, wraps, etc. the wound just would not heal and the battle with proud flesh was constant. An internet search caused us to try Equaide and it is now a permanent part of our doctoring kit. I am not affiliated with this product in any way, but I am sold on it for dealing with all minor wounds, below the knee or not.