Now that makes this whole thread worthwhile. Thank you!
Folks, it’s half the price and, even better, see how the edges are missing the glue? That will let you get a finger nail unter there and start the peeling process gently, fingernails away from Precious Princess’ skin.
Also, the ether suggestion was awesome, too. And where would your average joe procure ether?
Thank you all!
You explained it great! And that’s a great idea. I might get brave and try it.
Great question, and also I like the “over-lapping strips” idea of ShotenStar’s very much.
Yes, Marehead will tolerate bandage scissors. In fact, I studied the problem intensely and I can recommend Trauma Shears rather than bandage scissors for our application:
Check it out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_shears
I went to a medical supply store to get these (no one else, not even my pretty-well-stocked farm/feed store had 'em). They are sharper and longer than bandage scissors. They did a much, much better job than the bandage scissors did. And the price is the same: about $9 for a pair. Also, the medical supply store was the only place to have really big telfa strips. “Big” at the farm store or pharmacy was 3"x4" only. 3" x 8" was to be had at the medical supply store. But they did not have Elastikon, nor know what it was. Perhaps we don’t need to stick bandages to people quite so hard…
In any case, cutting off a ring of Elastikon around a leg will get you only so far with a horse who has a time limit on her. And you still have to pull off some bits… after having poked next to her skin a few times rather than once.
The mare really is quite, quite broke on the ground and if I can get another person to help me, good handling plus my helper perhaps lifting up the other foot for crucial parts has worked. I bring a humane twitch with me into the stall as part of my kit, but we have yet to need it.
@Texarkana Excellent pro-tip about the under bandage.
I will keep at most one roll at the barn, and then a roll or two at home where it doesn’t get baked. Now that I am no longer in the program of the trainer whose vet wanted her to use it on everything, I may have one roll total at most. I use a lot more vet rap than I did in the previous program. My old trainer would even use it to wrap feet.
My pro tip is that if it’s so sticky that it’s hard to simultaneously pull it off the roll and do an even wrapping job, you can hold the inner thing and have a friend grab the end of the elastikon and walk away so it all gets unrolled. Then you roll it back and it’s a bit easier to handle.
The generic is not as sticky, IMHO. Not always a bad thing. I’ve even know people who used a mixture of the real and the generic, using more of the latter, but keeping some of the former for the top and bottom.
If there is fly spray or something similarly greasy on the horse, neither the real nor the generic will stick well.
it is definitely somewhat evil, like Saran Wrap.
Great pro tips, Peggy. Thanks! So many options for just toning down the preternatual stickiness of Elastikon.
My boy needed daily extensive bandaging for an extended period of time that included e-kon. I found some knock off stuff that was pretty high-quality but SO MUCH CHEAPER. Sure can’t remember what/where, maybe the same stuff above. I kept mine in plastic ziplock with those little silica packs from vitamins (I always keep them and toss them into my bridle bag or whatever)
Half price? No, it’s half price of 4" Elastikon, but it’s only about $1 off/roll for 3" (the generic linked above is 3"). I have used both 3M (I think they make the no-brand tape) and J&J’s Elastikon and I don’t really notice a difference as far as adhesive goes on the hair, except perhaps the brand name stuff sticks to itself slightly better.
Oh, btw, Smartpak has the best price on 4" Elastikon that I’ve found. They also sell the 3M 3"
Second the unrolling / rerolling trick with elastikon - it makes a huge difference.
But the real reason I chimed in - since all of my e-kon tricks are already covered - is about the effect of temp on vetrap. Haven’t ever noticed a difference with heat, but don’t let it freeze or it will lose its stick. It might be able to take some freezing, but a solid New England winter will knock it dead.
Good luck with maresy. You have my sympathy.
Holy crap, that’s brilliant. :eek: Noting for next time I have a wrap job…
I’d get everything cut and ready to peel, then hold up the opposite leg while I removed the elastikon.
I’ve been buying it from SmartPak and Amazon (double check the description for height and length of rolls from Amazon) to wrap a fetlock sore for over a year. I put it on with or without a gauze pad depending on how scabbed the sore is and leave it until it falls off (if it’s wet, 1-2 days, if it’s dry, I can get almost a week). So an option would be to leave it for 1.5 or 2 days if the bandage doesn’t necessarily need to be changed every day.
If you put it on slightly damp hair, it sticks less and is easy to remove. I also find peeling down with the direction of the hair easier than peeling off around the leg.
From an 18th century pharmacy… 
However in lieu of that, Teh Google is ever helpful:
(I did note that regular ol’ goo gone does the same thing, but presumably this might be a wee bit safer if it got in a wound)
I donknow… read the Amazon reviews of that stuff. It might not work as well as the 18th century version… not that I have ever seen those reviews, lol.
i love elastikon for wrapping a hoof that has freshly lost a shoe or one that needs packing which you don’t want stuck to your horse’s chest. Full disclosure, my farrier did once curse my name after coming to tack a shoe back on the packed, elastikoned hoof.
eBay apparently. Which I find fairly frightening. Ether - https://www.ebay.com/i/292492245071?chn=ps
Probably a good idea to read its SDS as it’s highly flammable and tends to form explosive peroxides on standing - https://beta-static.fishersci.com/co…s-e/S25903.pdf
One of my favorite quotes of all times concerns ether. It’s from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.
“The trunk of the car looked like a mobile police narcotics lab. We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers . . . and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls . . . Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. And I knew we’d get into that rotten stuff pretty soon.”
That’s what I love about COTH, we can still work in some Hunter Thompson at the drop of a hat. (and that inevitably makes me think about Uncle Duke and my favorite strip)
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
