Week 8 of wrapping a leg injury - skin now sloughing off?

[Cynical25]

Somehow I made it 18 years without an equine leg injury - talk me through this one, please.

My mare sliced open a large skin flap of hind cannon-to-fetlock August 19. Vet was unable to stitch the swollen soft tissue, but it has been healing nicely with bandaging. Remaining wound is down to about 3/4" W x 4" L and I thought all involved tissue had re-adhered and survived.

At today’s bandage change, the skin down the front of her cannon bone was wrinkly with a few raised bumps and looks like it’s covered in greasy black “cannon crud.” Pushing on the bumps made finger-tip sized pieces of skin come off with a bit of gross smell, no pus, minimal blood. Is it normal for it to take this long for skin to die off? It has been raining for nearly 2 weeks so maybe the bandage is just holding too much moisture against her skin?

Now I’m nervous that if I stop wrapping, all this skin is going to get rubbed off when she does one of her usual intense rolls and she’ll end up with a fully raw leg. But if I keep wrapping, is the moisture is going to eat away at the skin more? Horse is in a loafing shed with halfway dry footing (opening to a muddy sacrifice paddock while the pasture is literally under water,) and there is no end to the rain in the forecast.

[poltroon]

If this were me with my horse, what I would do is photograph it really well with a phone and text or email the pictures to my vet. Then I would call the vet so that she knows to look for them. IME with my particular vet this works really well for her to decide if she can just give me additional instructions over the phone or if we need to schedule a call.

Every vet has their own preference as to how they like to interact with clients. IME the phone call first is never wrong, with pictures at the ready. Email is good for questions that aren’t time urgent, but I don’t rely on it unless a vet and I already have a expected communication that way. And I don’t text unless I know the vet will welcome my text. But once the phone communication is established, the others are super helpful for the vet to get a visual instead of just my words.

[Jo]

I had an episode last spring in which I, too, was scared to stop wrapping. My vet started us using PF Wonder Salve and it was AMAZING.

https://pfwondersalve.com/

[JB]

I agree that is sounds like there was enough blood supply until there wasn’t. Is the flap attached at the top or bottom? I’m guessing bottom, and those almost always die.

I definitely agree your vet needs to see at least pictures (and video is even better!), but it sounds like all that needs to be debrided so you can start fresh (again).

[Marla_100]

There comes a point in healing where 2 things really help. 1) Daily hosing(5-10 min) with a mild stream of water, it naturally debrides the dead skin, cleans the wound of the excremate that drains off and allows fresh skin to develop and
2) Leave bandage off to get air and naturally dry. You are probably at the point that this wound help.

Now, horse must be kept in a clean, dry area so as not to re-infect wound with bacteria. Do you have a small, clean
paddock or can you rope off a small grassy area? A clean round pen?

I’ve taken care of several serious leg wounds that this method worked very well on. And after the farm vet saw
the original wound and the healed wound, commended me on the healing.

[merrygoround]

Your vet needs to have a look at it. I have found though that with raw wounds such as the one you have now, silver sulfadiazine ointment works well. I slather it on.

[Downthefence]

The skin is going to die, it forms eschar , and it will fall off. Then new skin will slowly grow over the wound. I

[Cynical25]

Sorry to have posted and run. Looked better Saturday but texted pics to my Vet and another vet-assistant friend after getting most of the black greasy crud off with blue Dawn dish soap. Both agree to continue bandaging to keep it as clean & dry as possible. I’m using the salve provided by my Vet, with Gamgee cotton, Vetwrap, and Elastikon edging.

I don’t know how to resize my pics in order to post them here, but all the swelling has condensed into the very front center of her cannon bone - kinda looks like a misplaced popped splint. Not much more skin/hair came off with the Dawn scrubbing, but the initial spots from the other day are a bit angry looking and sensitive to the touch. Edges of original wound are almost completely healed closed, and I could discontinue wrapping if this secondary issue wasn’t there!