My vet and I have different eyes. What he thinks looks very good, I think looked very good. Before it split open and bled everywhere.
So here's the healing update:
Whereupon we go, "Oh shit."
An hour later.
The vet came out on 12/17 and did a recheck. I was at work and couldn't make it. Fuck this flu going around. He pulled the useless stitches and told me to keep on trucking. Still have our recheck scheduled for January 1st.
So, we've let go of the hopes for pretty healing. I'm just crossing my fingers that the damn thing heals in a timely manner. Everyone I've lamented to has been super supportive and understanding, making me feel a little over-dramatic about the giant oozing, bloody hole in my horse's leg. I can't help it, though. I scrutinize this thing every time I change the bandage. I made the hubs come out and look at it. I have bandaging and wrapping down to a fine art. My life is revolving around my horse's injury.
My BM and C have offered to help, but I get filled with so much anxiety: what if the one time I ask someone else to change his standing wraps, he's bled through his bandaging? It's not that I don't think either of them could handle changing the bandage, it's that I don't want anyone else to. I want to see everything. Know everything.
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17 comments
OUCH. Heal fast Archie!
ReplyDeleteOh crap, I hope it starts healing up soon. I used ground up tylenol in vaseline as a proud flesh deterrent and it worked like a son of a bitch on an injury very similar to that.
ReplyDeleteI would be equally obsessive I'm sure. Ugh, sorry you're having to deal with this but I hope he continues to improve.
ReplyDeleteOh man. This reminds me of when Fiction had his stifle split open by another horse in the field. It was so gross. Saline solution worked absolute wonders for me to get it flushed out/healing properly. Betadine actually hindered the healing process ><;; I hope it looks better soon!
ReplyDeleteHang in there. That proud flesh is ugly, but the more you scrub it off the better it will heal. I've seen horses with large (ok, super large) holes in their leg like that heal juuuuuuust fine and they returned to their life as fancy jumper ponies. Archie will too - I have faith!
ReplyDeleteAgree with the Betadine. I wasn't a fan.
ReplyDeleteDon't stress, this is the same process that occured with my mares lower leg injury last year.
Once it split, the vet came, flushed it saline and told me to wonderdust it every day and then stick a feminine pad, absorbing side in, and then vet wrap.
I was curious as to why the split happened so I asked for details. Apparently the interior of the wound heals first and will build little 'islands' of flesh to fill in the wound. Eventually the interior flesh busts the stitches and the little islands start to build close to the surface, once filled in the wound will start to contract.
This actually is healing quickly and well. Good for you for good care.
The progression of pics from 12-14 through 12-16 as the inner goop exploded through the stitches was amazing and disgusting at the same time. But just like Lauren said, it will heal and it will look a bit gross but Archie will be back on track before you know it.
ReplyDeleteIt is, truly, looking good. I would be obsessive about bandage changes as well and not let anyone else touch my Precious. Plus blood and guts are cool.
ReplyDeleteBlurgh
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I always want to be there for every visit, every bandage change, every foot soak... That way if something goes wrong it's no one else's fault and they don't need the stress. It's a pain in the ass but I don't blame you for it at all.
ReplyDeleteI've been stalking your FB and the blog this week and was going to PM you on FB but your post popped up on my feed today! I've been thinking about you and Archie tons. And ummm I'd be freaking out too with a woud dehiscence like that. And I'm the same way about wound care/issues with any of my animals. I WANT to be able to see how it's healing and make sure that everything is being done to my standards. So do know that you are not alone in the way you act and think about these things. I'm glad your vet thinks it looks better. And I do agree: looking at it from an outsider's perspective based on how many wounds we see in my sector of vet med, it *is* looking really good in that last photo. But I also know that if that was my horse's leg, I'd still be second-guessing everything and worrying and losing sleep! I don't think you're being over-dramatic at all. Continuing to send healing thoughts for the handsome Archman. *Big hugs*
ReplyDelete*wouNd dehiscence* dumb phone!
Deletesending positive vibes!
ReplyDeletetotally normal to obsess i think :)
ReplyDeletehugs and speedy healing!!!
poor guy! it's easy for people to be all scientific and clinical about other people's horses... but when it's our own horse all bets are off. at least you know he's in good hands with you!!!
ReplyDeleteYuck! But I see granulation tissue in there, he's heading in the right direction!! It sucks that healing is so slow, but I've come to prefer the injuries I can at least SEE instead of the really annoying ones you can't, like Encore's current healing ass muscle (yeah, who's horse tears their actual ass, like seriously, it's his gluteus muscle). Hang in there, though, cleaning & air do wonders, it's got to heal from the inside out. Remember Betadine is a tissue-fixer, so it kills cells, you want to keep it away from the open parts, just let it scrub off the nasty bits. Dang suicidal pets, I don't know why we're all crazy...
ReplyDeletePoor guy! I hope he heals up soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks!