Help with Wound Care

[maci_yech]

Hi! I’m in need of some advice for my horse. Recently in November he had broken a piece of his wither bone, after some rest he is back sound and happy. I’ve been dealing with some pretty bad blanket rubs ever since. He randomly got a bad rub/cut right on the top of his wither. I’ve been trying my hardest to wrap the wound and pad it up with gauze. I’ve been switching between Wonder Dust and Blue Wound Kote. It has been a week and a half and it still doesn’t seem to be healing and actually looks worse. Any recommendations for a high wither blanket, or anything to help heal him!! It is winter in Pa and not blanketing him isn’t an option currently.

Also, if anyone has experience with dealing with a broken wither, I would love to know your experiences.

Vet is aware and there is no bone movement!

Thanks!

*Updated Pics- Starting to look better and heal with daily cleaning and padding up gauze! No swelling, discharge/infection signs, still sound and isn’t uncomfortable. Getting more imaging done soon, but it looks like it’s healing

[Arlomine]

You need to get your vet on this pronto. There could be bone chips migrating, there could be an orifice into his bursa. There could be infected bone dying off in there. This could lead to some thing known as a wither fistula. This needs professional attendance.
In terms of dealing with the blanket situation, I would get some thing that is a Hynek blanket that comes to in front of the Withers at the very least. And I would also sew a fabric donut inside the blanket very carefully placed to keep every bit of pressure far away from that area of concern.

[Simkie]

Has fistulous withers been well and truly ruled out here?

Bursitis in Large Animals - Musculoskeletal System - Merck Veterinary Manual

[2DogsFarm]

Ask vet about using a karaya(sp?) gel pad over the wound.
It’s the material used for ostomies.
You s/b able to find them at Walgreens, CVS, any place with a wound care section.

[Jump314]

This definitely needs vet attention. My horse broke his withers this January. My vet recommended conservative management instead of surgery but said he would need surgery if the loose fragments lose blood supply and start coming up out of the skin.

[Ghazzu]

I’d be suspicious of a bony sequestrum from the original injury.
That’s a miserable location for drainage, as well, being dorsal.
I’d suggest getting the horse seen by a DVM, +/- radiographs and/or ultrasound, a culture+sensitivity, and likely a good thorough irrigation of the tract along with a prolonged course of antibiotics based ot the C+S.
If you can’t ditch the blanket, baste some padding on either side of the center in the withers area to lift it away from the skin.

[GraceLikeRain]

Yikes. Definitely not something Internet strangers can advise on. I agree you need good vet involvement. That’s not just a blanket rub as noted by the very very experienced equestrians above. Keep us updated. This could be a great learning opportunity for the group

[StormyDay]

@Simkie

Has fistulous withers been well and truly ruled out here?

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/musculoskeletal-system/bursitis-in-large-animals/bursitis-in-large-animals

Every day I learn of another way horses try to make exorbitant vet bills for their owners

[Pico_Banana]

Agree with having vet examine it.

Another option for relieving pressure from the withers:

UltraWool™ WitherShield™

[Calvincrowe]

And Ghazzu is a vet…so I’d go with their advice!!

[maci_yech]

Thank you, my vet is already aware of this and there is no bone movement.

[Arlomine]

Exactly

[luvmyhackney]

I’d have the vet out to pack the wound and general guidance is it looks deep from the picture.

As for blankets, I’d try a cut back blanket vs a high neck and would cover with medical sheepskin using a shoulder guard.

[ThreeWishes]

I’m sorry but I would get a second opinion. As soon as you can. That looks textbook fistulous wither. Which can be a nightmare if left untreated.

[colorfan]

re blanket, I wonder if one of those padded neck supports, like you would use on an airplane, hand stitched to a blanket, maybe pulled a bit wider would keep the blanket off the wound?

[GraceLikeRain]

Totally agree

[Xanthoria]

I’d sew a couple lengths of pool noodle to the blanket liner in a V surrounding the wound to hold the blanket off this wound.

[Ghazzu]

@maci_yech

Thank you, my vet is already aware of this and there is no bone movement.

Has any imaging been done since the draining tract developed?
I ask because I’ve had cases where there were bony sequestra that developed after the initial injury that were not present on the initial radiographs.