# Rope Burn on His Fetlock



## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

My gelding got a rope burn on his back fetlock about a year ago. I left it open and cleaned it a couple times a day, I used some spray called alushield it made a nice barrier against the dirt and let it breath. Once it was mostly healed I used vitamin E oil and rubbed that on to keep the area soft and minimize scarring. I do remember it getting pretty swollen, and he was sore walking on it for a while. The vet told me it would take time to heal because of the area the injury was in, it was probably a good six weeks for it to heal.

I may have given him bute I don't remember though.


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## mslady254 (May 21, 2013)

am I understanding correctly that the original rope burn left a hairless white area but didnt cause a break in the skin, cut, tear, etc? 

next day when the bandage came off it was hot,swollen and bandage was bright yellow with bleeding in spots ? If the skin was intact the day of the injury (which I'm not sure of), but was bleeding the next day--sounds like the bandage was stuck (dried fluids) to the wound and pulled a layer of skin off when removed. It happens. I'm mostly worried about the hot & swollen detail. The bright yellow--was it thick pus looking or just yellow thin liquid or dried liquid. A wound can seep plasma -a part of the blood--and it can look very yellow. 
I'm no vet, but I'm glad you left it uncovered and started the vetericyn.

I'm suspecting the rope injury tore a ligament or muscle and that is the cause of the heat/swelling and now favoring of the leg. If he pulled against it hard enough to cause a burn, it couldve cause other internal injuries.

Hopefully the vet will get out there soon ! or google ligament/muscle injuries to see what you can find in the meantime,,,and home treatments until the vet comes out. For people, ice the first 24 hours, then heat, but dont know how you'd do that or if it's reccommended for horses, either.

Good luck ! and keep us updated
Fay


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## roverdisc98 (Oct 8, 2013)

dealing with the same issue now. when it happened it was just kinda raw (a rope burn). it was on the back of the foot in the crease where it flexes as they walk. mine started swelling as well. To reduce the swelling turn him out so he can exercise it (mine is in a 50ft roundpen). Do not wrap because that intensifies the heat and swelling. as mentioned alushield is recommended and what I've been using. I've tried several kinds of medicine and what I'd do is: clean it with a sponge and water everytime you apply medicine, which is 2-3 times a day. keep as clean as possible. it's been almost 2 months since it happened and I suspect another month before I can turn him out to full pasture. 

Moral of the story and hundreds of $$$ later: Never tie a horse with enough slack he could get caught in!!!!


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

I have always treated rope burns this way:

Clean it ONCE and once only.

Put on 99% DMSO mixed with liquid Furacin. I keep some mixed in a 4 oz. dauber bottle.

Leave it unwrapped and leave the horse out unless the only place for him is in wet grass or he has to drink from a pond. Then, I put him in a lot -- biggest one I have.

Then, I put the DMSO mixture on until it starts to scab up.

After it scabs up, I put Lanolin or gall salve on it until it hairs over.

If it gets proud flesh in it, I use 'Proudsoff' until the proud fless is eaten down to the level of the surrounding skin. 

Then I go back to the softening salve. 

If it is deep, I will have to alternate back and forth with proud flesh medicine and the salve. It will keep getting smaller and smaller because it will heal from the edges into the center until it is gone. They usually hair right back up and leave no scar at all.


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## The Greener Side (Jun 28, 2011)

Yes the rope burn seemed like just a surface injury, the skin wasn't even red or irritated at first, just looked hairless. As the day went on it did get pinker i suspect from the dirt and sand he'd been walking on. The yellow stuff in the bandage didn't smell or anything, and was well saturated in the cotton, it didn't seem thick but honestly i didn't study it close enough to be sure. 

This evening having left it open, it did seem less irritated, and the swelling had gone down a bit, but i did give him bute which is an anti inflammatory so i'm sure that had part to do with it. I didn't clean it today hoping that nature would take it's course and didn't want to destroy anything that his body had built by cleaning it again and again. The vet still hasn't gotten back to me, so i'll have to try again tomorrow. 

Crossing my fingers here, but I don't think I'll have to call him out just yet. Thanks for the suggestions  
It's not something I know a lot about, which I'm thankful for in a way, but glad to now have an idea what to do. I remember last time I got a bad rope burn it was miserable, so I feel bad. 
<- Paranoid horse mom here.


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