The proud fleshed formed after six weeks of improper treatment and
before I started to work on it.
Close-up of the above.
The above just one day after the caustic powder application.
Close-up of the above.
This is what came off after the second day of using the powder.
The wound after the second application of caustic powder, and before
scrubbing.
After scrubbing and before the application of Furazone. The third
day of treatment.
The arrows point are the developing permanent scaring due to the
improper treatment done in the past six weeks.
In my
travels I have noticed that most folks around horses, especially
in the backyards and riding establishments, do not know how to
treat proud flesh in horses. I have also noticed that there is a
lot of misinformation published on the internet, either by
reputable websites or just in the information sharing among the
horse lovers and amateurs in various forums.
Unfortunately most of this information is plain hogwash, starting by
using meat tenderizer to Wonder Dust and other less effective or
ineffective treatments. Some present such nonsense as preventing the
growth of proud flesh by keeping a tight bandage, which is about the
worse thing one can do. If and when you are bandaging a wound, make sure
to use the bandage as loose as possible to insure sufficient blood
circulation, and tight enough so it stays in place. Standing cotton
bandages are preferred, as they also allow some air to the wound, unlike
the use of Vetraps, which will surely complicate the healing process in
all cases.
I am publishing
here the common treatment of proud flesh done by the professional
horsemen. This case has many educational aspects, where the progress is
documented, and final results will be added when the procedure is
finished. In this case the proud flesh was improperly treated for some
six weeks with very poor results, using the alternating method of one
day Furazone and the next day the Wonder Dust.
When I came and saw the
wound it not only had a quite a bid of proud flesh growing, but the
wound was also rotting and had a foul smell of decaying flesh. This
person taking care of this wound was the victim of all this nonsense
published on the internet, and so I took it on myself to take care of it
and document it. Please note, this is an old wound, about 6 weeks old
when I started to work on it. This wound already started to form a
permanent scar, which can be seen on some of the picture on the left
side of the wound. Unfortunately in this case there will be some
scarring left, however if treated properly most wounds should leave no
scars or blemishes. Since
it already formed a quite a bit amount of proud flesh I started
immediately with using the
caustic powder, which was applied to the
wound for two days. After the second application of the caustic powder,
the third day that is, the wound was scrubbed vigorously to remove not
only some of the dead tissue but also to remove any remnant of the
powder that may have been stuck to the wound. (See photo with the yellow
arrow, which is pointing out the powder stuck to the flesh. Also see the
video below which presents the scrubbing off the proud flesh before the
first application of Furazone, and also the removing of the powder
remnant). After cleaning
of the wound, a rich amount of
Furazone was applied, and that too for
two days. After the two days of using
Furazone, the remnant of the
dressing is washed off, not scrubbed off, as in the case of the powder,
and the caustic powder was applied to the wound that was previously
dried off. If and when I
treat a fresh wound I apply the Furazone as long as needed, which can be
only two days, or sometimes longer, until the deep laceration or lesion
of the wound is healed. We do not want to start to use the caustic
powder when the wound is still deep. Once the deep cut is healed from
the inside out, I start to use the caustic powder for two days, and then
again two days Furazone, in alternations, 2 days Furazone and then 2
days powder. However, before every first application of the Furazone the
wound has to be scrubbed vigorously as mentioned above.
Here is where
most folks make the mistake not scrubbing the wound enough, which will
in return retard the healing process, not to mention that the wound
forming proud flesh will leave a scar if improperly treated. In this
case you can already see the formation of permanent scar on the left
side of the wound, since the proud flesh was improperly treated for six
weeks. I am including a video of how the wound has to be scrubbed every
time after the second application of the Caustic powder, which means
before the first application of Furazone. Just in case you did not know what proud flesh is,
in layman's term it is simply a protruding flesh that rises above the
skin level and prevents the new skin growth, which grows from all sides
surrounding the wound. As long the proud flesh is left unattended, or is
handled improperly, the horse will end up with permanent exterior
damage, which can of course devaluate the horse, and needless to say is
unsightly. The horses tend to grow proud flesh on the lower extremities,
and most of the wounds when treated properly should completely heal
without leaving any scar.
Summation of the treatment of laceration wounds on lower limbs and proud
flesh. First the Furazone
is applied to the wound in rich amount, using gauze between the bandage
and the wound. The
Furazone is used as long as it takes to heal and seal the deep cut,
hence the wounds needs to heal from the inside out. Once the deep cut is healed, the proud flesh is
more likely already forming on the surface of the wound, hence the
caustic powder is applied to the wound, using gauze between the wound
and the bandage. The
entire treatment from the start to finish is pretty much the alternating
treatment with Furazone and the Caustic powder, two days Furazone and
two days the powder, and so on and such, until the skin closes over the
wound completely. Please keep in mind the very important factor of
scrubbing the proud flesh between the application of powder and the
Furazone, as described above, and as presented in the below video clip.
Warning: It is recommended, that you find another way of
dealing with the proud flesh, if and when you do not know what you are
doing, or are not experienced in how to handle your horse, especially
during the scrubbing of the wound, lest you will make matters worse or
even get injured in the process.
The below are the links to the
websites that provide fairly poor and insufficient information, or
better said misinformation, about how to deal with proud flesh.
The wound after second two-day treatment with powder, which was of course applied after the
two days of
Furazone.
The arrow points out the remnant of the powder,
which must be removed and is often fairly stubborn to get rid off (see
video).
The same day, which was actually the sixth day of
treatment, after the wound got scrubbed and all the remnant of the
powder was removed, as seen in the video.
Once the wound is scrubbed after the use of
powder, it should look like this, bleeding, in which case the
Furazone is applied for the next two days.
The horse was moved before the treatment was completely finished and so there
are no picture available after the treatment was finished.
Feedbacks:
Message: I would just like to say thank
you to the man who took the time to make the article and the video about the
proud flesh removal. My horse had proud flesh that had been there for a year and
we used the caustic powder and the furazone and did everything he said and it
worked great!! thank you very much!! D.K.
Message: I felt like I needed to thank you
and let you know the good you have done. I feel so lucky to have found your
video on cleaning a wound and preventing proud flesh. My horse got cut, somehow
this winter, below the pastern right at the bend. The cut was about 4-5 inches
long,1 inch deep and gapping. Needleless to say, all I could do was to bring her
in out of the foot of mud and clean it. I didn't think it could ever heal right
considering every time she picked up her foot it got bigger, I ran and got a
tetanus and some antibiotics. I felt like your info is what really helped her
and me know what do. Knowing the pressure of scrubbing and wound treatment. I
used (2)sanitary napkins for the bandage (also cheaper) and it helped having the
adhesive on the back to connect together and make a tight bell around before
using duck tape and then the outside wrapping. It took around two months of
continuing scrubbing, treatment, and not allowing a scab to form so it could
heal from the inside out. She is fine today and her hair covers the scar.
It
wasn't easy or fun, but did form a bond with this green broke horse that is
amazing. I truly thank God for you and your help! N.L
I would like to add to the above feedback, as the person
learned on her own, that the bonding with people or animals, in this case with a
horse, does not come through pleasures or fun, but rather during the struggles
of life, as in her case.
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