Turnout with Sutured Wound?

[Amy3996]

So… my horse appears to have a knack for inexplicably injuring himself. Went to bring him in from turnout last night and found him with a 3-4" laceration just above the coronary band on his RF. It was ugly, gushing blood. Vet came out and treated it - it was a fairly clean slice straight across so she closed it with 10 staples. Bandaged it with gauze and vet wrap. She recommended stall rest for 5 days and then resuming normal turnout. Staples to be removed in 2 weeks if all heals as expected.

I’ve never personally had to care for a wound that required sutures or staples before. I guess I’ve been a little lucky that all of the bumps and scrapes along the way have been superficial. So I’m just wondering if the motion of turnout might put too much strain on those staples and potentially compromise them? Should I wrap it for turnout or leave it open?

Any tips or tricks for caring for a sutured wound would also be appreciated…

[4LeafCloverFarm]

As far as treating it after bandaging comes off, many vets (mine included) think that less is more now adays - so no topicals/ointment on the wound. Clean if gently, removing any oozy/crusty bits with warm water and bit of bedadine on a clean (new) sponge. Allow to dry before bandaging. Until the skin knits, you just want to keep the area clean and dry.

If your horse is gentle in turn out, he should be fine with the staples. If he’s a bucking bronco, maybe not. If it’s comfortable (not laying right on the stitched area), a bell boot would be a good idea (keep his hind hoof from striking the wound and give a little extra protection).

I’ve had this exact wound on my big guy. I did small paddock turn out for a week because I knew he’d be a nut with his brothers. He wasn’t happy about it, but he healed nicely. Once I took out the stitches, he was permitted to go back out with his brothers.

Good luck!

[Mallard]

After his 5 days of stall rest the wound ‘should’ be starting to stay closed.
I would assume that you were instructed on how and when to change the bandaging during these 5 days.

You should ask your vet the protocol for turnout.
So much will depend on what you consider ‘normal’ turnout!
I would keep it well wrapped…cover the vet wrap with duct tape!

It will also depend on the footing …is it muddy? sandy? grass? Frozen?
Will it be snowing? raining?
Is the horse turned out alone? Will he be quiet or run the fence line?
Is he turned out with companions that may get him wound up and galloping?

[joiedevie99]

I would not turn a horse out with stitches/staples anywhere near a joint. If it is in an area that doesn’t bend/flex as he moves, I will turnout with it well wrapped. Depending on the area, sometimes that’s gauze pads, folded sheet cotton, stretch gauze, vet wrap, and a standing wrap, bell boot, or other boot over it for bump protection. Sometimes I throw duct tape in the mix too.

Beyond that, you just have to use common sense because your vet doesn’t necessarily know your horse well. If the horse is a pill in turnout, maybe he’d do better with some extra hand walks, a quick lounge, and a tack walk. On the other hand, I’ve got one who literally sleeps in a pile of hay no matter what goes on around him. He almost never has to stay in.

[Amy3996]

Thanks, everyone! The wound is right across the front of the coronary band, so I’m thinking bell boots might not be the best idea. We have quite a bit of snow, so keeping a bandage dry is going to be a little challenging. Now that I think about it, his bad habit of pawing at the gate when it’s time to come in might present an issue. We think that’s how he did it in the first place, so if he got to pawing again there’s a good chance that he could reinjure it. So maybe it’s just hand walking and supervised arena turnout until those staples come out…

[Palm_Beach]

[QUOTE=Amy3996;n10323827]
Bandaged it with gauze and vet wrap. She recommended stall rest for 5 days and then resuming normal turnout. Staples to be removed in 2 weeks if all heals as expected.

So I’m just wondering if the motion of turnout might put too much strain on those staples and potentially compromise them? Should I wrap it for turnout or leave it open?
QUOTE]

Looks like you answered your own question. Why not ask your vet? She is the one who stapled the wound, and probably charged you $$.

I would wonder if the bell boots or whatever would constantly rub rub rub on the staples and maybe you are better off just turning the horse out as is.

[Montanas_Girl]

That location is a tough one for turnout. I wouldn’t feel comfortable turning the horse out in anything other than dry footing (I know, I know, good luck with that this time of year!) until the skin is completely closed. After that, you should be fine.

If it makes you feel any better, my 2018 filly managed to slice her forehead open in late November, requiring 8 staples. She lives out 24/7 and healed beautifully - but it is considerably easier to keep a head clean and dry than a leg. I didn’t put any ointment at all on the wound until after the staples were removed, at which point I just applied an aloe cream daily to keep the skin moist in an effort to minimize scarring. The only reason I can still see the wound location is that we had to clip her face to clean and staple it.

[skyon]

I had to deal with something similar and found using a fly boot similar to this worked extremely welll to give some protection and still allow the area to drain and dry https://www.statelinetack.com/item/c…boots/E016360/

I still used it after healing, just to give some kind of protection and to prevent me from curring it in a muddy season.

That said, I probalbly would hand walk until the stapes are removed, esp if the weather is bad.

[beowulf]

@Montanas_Girl

That location is a tough one for turnout. I wouldn’t feel comfortable turning the horse out in anything other than dry footing (I know, I know, good luck with that this time of year!) until the skin is completely closed. After that, you should be fine.

If it makes you feel any better, my 2018 filly managed to slice her forehead open in late November, requiring 8 staples. She lives out 24/7 and healed beautifully - but it is considerably easier to keep a head clean and dry than a leg. I didn’t put any ointment at all on the wound until after the staples were removed, at which point I just applied an aloe cream daily to keep the skin moist in an effort to minimize scarring. The only reason I can still see the wound location is that we had to clip her face to clean and staple it.

Hey! One of my TBs once did that too. We jokingly called him Harry Potter for a bit, because it was a BIG zig-zag wound that went from tip of forelock to center of his forehead. Nice flap, with a skull reveal - it’s crazy how “thin” the skin is over the forehead, but it healed very well and he was also on 24/7 T/O.

I suppose for OP it’s about pros/cons. One thing you could do is wrap it - if you think it could stay dry. I am not above turning out with sutures/staples so long as the horse is a good turnout citizen and it can be kept clean. I’ve used SMB knock-offs in the past to cover up a suture wound. You could also use a diaper or some other nonstick gauze, and then vetwrap from top of fetlock to bulb of heel.