Help! Proud flesh scarring

[Cielo Azure]

We have a Hanoverian with EXTREMELY thin skin.

His four acre pasture had some brambles start to grow in one corner on a hilly area, and he got some light scratches on his left front fetlock two weeks ago. Nothing big. We mowed the patch, so he couldn't do it again. We treated with swat, they seemed to heal in a week +/-. He got a slight injury to his back and then we have had rain, so hasn't been ridden for the two weeks. We didn't notice anything amiss and is handled every day. My husband went to lunge him last night, just to keep him active and less nervous and afterwards, he found that he had a half golf ball sized blob of proud flesh that has grown up on his lateral side of his fetlock from the mild bramble scratch. One day it wasn't there and the next it was! I swear, it has come up that fast! Then he has clipped it when he was being lunged (or maybe before -we only just found it)! rrr.

I am assuming that maybe there was/is a thorn that aggravated the skin/dermal layer. Tomorrow I have the vet out anyway and I will try to get him to look at it. The site is a hard swelling, and is definitely tissue. But what are my options? Should I put a bell boot on, which I think is going to rub the sore spot more?

This is a horse that came to us with an almost "killer" reputation about being in stalls. Generally, he is out 24/7 except in extreme weather. I don't want to put him on stall rest. And in fact, in a stall, he paces, has tempers, etc and so is less quiet than when outside.

What options do I have to make sure that 1) it doesn't get any bigger and 2) to get it to be smaller? Help!

[BuddyRoo]

Your vet can talk to you about options.

If it really is proud flesh, your vet may want to surgically remove it, then treat and use special bandaging to discourage further growth.

I would not resort to using anything OTC until you've had an opportunity to discuss w/ your vet.

Good luck!

[ZoZo]

Wonder Dust eats proud flesh away. I don't have experience with anything as large as yours appears to be, but I have had success using it on cuts that produce proud flesh.

[ChocoMare]

Ditto the possible surgical removal of the mass and then ask the vet about Preparation H under wraps. Heard tell it's quite effective.

[SquishTheBunny]

Ditto on both the Wonder Dust and surgical resection. If funds are limited, try the wonder dust first. Worked great with my guy and a 2x1" area of proud flesh, and yes it popped up FAST, especially if they are around a joint which is constantly moving. Your vet may also cauterize it to "burn" it off. Surgical resection is also usually very successful if you bandage and put appropriate creams/dressings on. Try the wonder dust first, its super cheap and if you are patient you will notice results within a weeks-2 weeks time.

[Simkie]

Adolf's meat tenderizer. Really.

[Ghazzu]

A #10 blade in the right hands is quick and relatively inexpensive.
Followup with wound care recommended by the wielder of said #10 blade.

[BuddyRoo]

A #10 blade in the right hands is quick and relatively inexpensive.
Followup with wound care recommended by the wielder of said #10 blade.

Exactly.

I know everyone gets all excited about using caustic substances, but seriously...removing it surgically then utilizing appropriate bandaging/wound care usually does the trick w/o any harsh substances.

[Dirty Little Secret]

Usually proud flesh has to be surgically removed then once the surgical site begins to heal/close up wonder dust or preparation H will prevent proud flesh from forming. I use Preparation H on most wounds actually.

[Oakstable]

I am using a meat tenderizer on a proud flesh and it appears to be getting smaller within 48 hours.

Temps are high into the 90s again so the flies are super active.

I took a paint brush and painted Swat around the wound and lightly over the top.

I take photos daily so I can document progress.

With another horse, I used generic Prep H under a wrap and it worked beautifully.

[Hip]

I just bought a rescue mare with the mother of all proud flesh things going on. Someone told me to use plain old Lime, the white powder stuff that marks football fields, on it. If the injury is moist, that's fine but if it's dry, you have to wet it with water for the Lime to adhere. Wet the scab and then throw the Lime at it and let it stick where it will as long as it's covering the wound. Of course, some will fall down the leg but it won't hurt anything. :D

Anyway, long story short, it has worked a charm and doesn't cost much. I still spray fly spray to keep the flies off. This person told him that a vet said Lime is what Wonder Dust is. I don't know, I never got around to buying Wonder Dust to check the ingredients. :confused:

Also, just to be sure, I gave a course of penecillan (sp?) for any infection going on inside the leg. Just to be on the safe side. :yes:

[ponylover2008]

PM me

[JB]

A #10 blade in the right hands is quick and relatively inexpensive.
Followup with wound care recommended by the wielder of said #10 blade.

Yep, particularly when the issue is 1/2 a golfball size. It's not likely Wonder Dust or anything of that nature would take it down in a reasonable amount of time.

Get the stuff gone, treat the new wound accordingly. Do not use furacin - slows healing and promotes pf on lower leg wounds.

[Melelio]

For the proud flesh try the 50/50 mixture of Preparation H and Sulfur powder (get powdered sulfur at the pharmacy, might have to ask for it at the counter).....slap it on and bandage it. I changed my dressings every day or two, depending on how fragile the wound still was. Works great....

[aaussie_gal]

http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2008/12/horse-wounds-and-proud-flesh-treatment-with-some-good-veterinary-advice/

OTC Hydrocortisone worked within a week on my 2 mo old colt's fetlock. Wound was kept bandaged.

[Black Points]

Ditto on all the suggestions and I'll add one more.

Whenever my horses get any sort of minor (not deep) cut below the knee or hock, I clean it and put on my Furacin-meat tenderizer mixture. Just buy meat tenderizer at the grocery store and mix it in with Furacin until it feels gritty. Always works for me and it was recommended to me by a groom for an Olympic rider.

Mary in western NY

[cssutton]

If it grew that fast and he was hurt in a brier patch, it probably is due to a piece of the brier (thorn) embedded in his flesh causing puss to form.

If it appears to be soft, look for a small hole. If you can't find it, make one.

Go to the local feed store and get a few syringes of the stuff dairy people use to flush out cow teats. I forget the name, but any feed store that supplies dairy farmers will know exactly what it is.

Insert the end of the syringe into the hole and press down quickly and hard on the plunger.

It will keep the hole open, keep it flushed out and in no time the infection will be gone.

This also works great for a gravel if the gravel progresses to the point that it gets to the coronet.

It is also good for dog bites or any puncture wound.

If it is proud flesh, get some Granulate. It is expensive but the best.

CSSJR

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[midwestrocket]

surgical excison of the area than wonder dust is really wonderdul ;)

[Crosswinds Rescue]

we use an AMAZING herbal called Yunan Bayaiao (also spelled several other ways). our vet does chinese herbals as wlel as western medicine, and this is the first and best he ever introducedt o us.

We had a board member's horse cut both hind legs to the bone. Spent time at U of I, then sent home with expensive antibiotics etc. Scheduled for a debridement surgery 2 weeks later, saying it will "have to be done". Instead, our vet had us alternate her bandages -- one day with U of I's western medicine to kill infection; the second day with Yunan Bayiao and only enough baby oil gel to hold the YB aka YP in place on the bandage.

We took the mare to her 2 week appiontment, and they could not believe the lack of proud flesh! We continued that traetment with her through the whole process, and she never had any debridement and now unless you noticed the darker hair on her grey legs you cannot finda ny scar!

we buy it online or off of ebay, its inexpensive, a fine dust, u use very little and it works VERY VERY well. I can't suggest it highly enough.

PS: the mare also had a bone chip come out of the leg. the YP on the skin break as soon as it appeared kept any proud flesh from getting in the way of its clear and easy release out the leg. The vet simply pulled the fragment with his fingers (freaky!), and we treated the spot for 3 more days until it healed back closed.

As long as the skin hasn't lcosed over the wound, we've been able to treat older proud flesh as well in this manner. Drop me an email if you'd like help finding where to buy it or have any other questions....

AMC

[JAD]

My friends mare came with a golf ball sized proud flesh area at the coronary band on her right rear foot. They had it cut off, kept it wrapped and it still grew back. Another vet had them use a mixture of DMSO and meat tenderizer and that proud flesh is now GONE! In two weeks time it was half original size and in a month it was completely gone. I couldn't and still can't believe it but I have seen it with my own two eyes and know that it worked.

[Ghazzu]

Yunan Paiyao is more of an antihemmorhagic agent than a granulation tissue inhibitor.
Good stuff.

[g8dgirls]

I've had amazing success with equaide. You paint it on with a paint brush and it doesn't seem to sting or burn like some of the other treatments. We used this on a one and half month old who had taken a 2x4 section out down to the cannon bone and there isn't a trace of proud flesh. Very, very minimal scarring considering the GAPING hole I found her with. A little bit goes a long way so don't let the price scare you off. Vet and farrier were both amazed with my results. And no I'm not a paid sales rep : )

[Oakstable]

I have one in the later healing stages.

I tried meat tenderizer and it did help, but finally got some Prep H and that really speeded things up.

I am expecting a thickened scar covered with hair to be the final outcome.

I'm going to start using Dynamite's Wound Balm tomorrow which is a good product to minimize scarring.

I must have about 30 photos of this wound as it progressed.

The gelding has never been lame on this leg but the leg is still swollen. Will the swelling eventually go away? It's been over a month.