Proud Flesh

[nefferdun]

My daughter bought a horse at auction with a huge mass on the side of his fetlock covered in something as hard as horn. He was sound but covered in scars so it was obviously from an old injury. The first vet had us rub hydrocortisone on it. A year later another vet told my daughter to cover it with Desitine (the stuff for baby rash) and wrap it, which she did. The horny stuff came off leaving a horrible bloody mess underneath.

The third vet pushed panic bottoms suggesting it might be a sarcoid, and if it was, we would have to take him to the nearest vet hospital , 300 miles away. He did a biopsy to make sure. It was proud flesh.

We waited about two months chasing him for his “treatment protocol”. He said to do nothing.

After the vet cut it off, the growth quickly grew to about the size of an orange and really ugly. Currently it is scabbing over.

I just got a new farrier who told me, “proud flesh is treatable”. He sent a picture to a vet he knows in CA and suggested I get Wonder Salve, which is on its way.

What I read about PF Wonder Salve is that you do not cut the proud flesh off - you just apply. Has anyone had any experience with treating something this far along?

[Jo]

I haven’t had experience with something that far along, but I can speak to PF Wonder Salve. That stuff is seriously the most amazing product I’ve used for wound treatment. I had a mare who tried to deglove her leg and we used PF Wonder Salve after her “cast” came off. The scar is minimal and I’ve used it successfully on other injuries as well. If you PM me your E-mail address I can send you some before and afters.

I recommended this product to a friend who had a leg injury on her donkey that had persisted after a year. The PF Wonder Salve turned the injury around and healed it up.

My treatment protocol was to hose the area and reapply every 3-4 days. I never had to cut open the proud flesh. I cannot say enough great things about this product.

[tipzythegreat]

Sorry to hear about the proud flesh!

While gross, as far as I know it’s pretty benign. The trouble with proud flesh is that it is granular tissue with all the blood supply that regular tissue has. But is useless. If you cut it, you’re certain to get loads of blood and probably stimulate more growth unless you stop it from returning

My horse busted his knee open. Proud flesh was a huge concern. He hated it, but I put scarlet oil on it every day. We have no proud flesh. It stung and I know it was painful and I felt bad but it worked!

You could try scarlet oil IF wonder salve doesn’t work. Again not SUPER relevant as I got on mine before it formed… but… just wanted to offer the little experience I had with it.

[Simkie]

I’ve had just beautiful results with Adolf’s Meat Tenderizer on proud flesh. I mix with something gooey–last time I used KY, because I had it nearby for cleaning sheaths–and slather on under a wrap. Rewrap daily/every other until the tissue bed is healthy and at the skin level, then stop with the tenderizer. Wrap for healing at that point. It does have to be the unflavored, plain stuff.

I had a horse that grew some proud flesh right as we moved several states, and by the time I was able to take a breath, it had gotten pretty large. Large enough I figured it would have to be cut off by the vet. I didn’t have one at the time, so did the above, figuring it would at least be ready to remove once I tracked down someone and got an appt. I never did need to call the vet on that–it was down to healthy tissue that quickly.

The ingredient in the PF salve that’s acting to dissolve the proud flesh is bromeline. Meat tenderizer is that same stuff, just a lot cheaper

[kmwines]

Where are you located? Could also be part summer sore. For proud flesh I always cut it back as much as possible to try and be flush then put a steroid or other medication that inhibits healing on it while wrapping. If its on a fetlock it needs to be wrapped to prevent movement so I would do a heavy bandage from hoof to knee. No riding, in a stall. Bandage changes daily or every other day.

if it’s a summer sore it needs to be covered 24/7.

[Marla_100]

Wonder Dust, that old, old remedy that’s blue really works for proudflesh. Used to be cheap and recommended for many

type wounds.

[candyappy]

I have always used Wonder Dust. Wash the wound and when it is wet then apply it all over the affected area.

I would wash and reapply it daily. It will take a while for something that size, but it will work. I have also never bandaged over it. All that does is keep it from drying and it will most likely rub the growth and cause irritation and limit healing.

As it starts to shrink, scrub it good when washing it( it may bleed a bit in spots)before reapplying the WD to the exposed tissue.

[Ghazzu]

Best thing for proud flesh is a #10 blade followed by good bandaging.

[nefferdun]

Thanks for all of your replies. Jo, I am happy to hear the PF Wonder salve worked well for you. I have seen pictures on their site of bad wounds that healed but none of them compare to what this horse looks like. Imagine proud flesh the size of an orange sticking off the side of his fetlock. It is horrible but at lease it does not hurt.

That is interesting about meat tenderizer being the same thing. I have the Wonder ordered and it should be here tomorrow. I also ordered the wash so I will give it a try.

It seems like the excess should be cut off first but I will see what happens without doing that, and if it does not shrink quickly, will consult another vet.

I believe the vet is pretty worthless telling my daughter to soak it with the wrong meds, not knowing the difference between proud flesh and a sarcoid, and telling me not to do anything Thank goodness the farrier knew. Someone told me about a really good vet I am going to try. She is supposed to be expensive but I have paid these vets thousands for wrong diagnosis several times. They said another horse was lame because of arthritis when she had an abscess - in fact, they said that twice because the infection never cleared up and it blew out her entire hoof wall.

Thanks again.

[EmilyM]

i use wonder dust, but I usually am proactively curtailing it as opposed to having to start from it being well developed.

[mack88]

I would love to know if this ended up working?! I just bought a horse with some old proud flesh and was looking at the PF wonder salve