# Diary of a wound, treated with Underwoods medicine



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I thought this may be interesting for others to see.

On April 28th I went out in the morning to find Ace looking like this










I was horrified, and called the vet out, I was then even more horrified to get a bill for over $200 just to have her drive out take one look at it, announce that she couldn't stitch it, because it was to old, advise treating with unpasteurized honey, and then she left. Now to be fair it was the weekend, because horses only ever get injured out of hours, anyone else scared this long weekend! It was also so wet and flooded around here that I couldn't trailer her into the vet.

I didn't have any honey to hand, but did have some Underwoods left, so I started with that, hosed the wound thoroughly to start with, even though you don't have to with Underwoods, and have treated her twice a day from then.

I don't know how her healing is compared to not doing anything, or using a different product, but so far I'm happy with the progress.

At one week, it looked gunky so I hosed it again, not as reccomended, but I felt it needed it, only the second washing it got.










At two weeks from injury it was looking a lot better, apart from some straw stuck in it, but I left it alone.










Today 3 weeks from the original injury, looking pretty good.











I have never dealt with a cut like this before, so can't say if the Underwoods is a magic potion, but I am really please with the progress.


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## SaddleStrings (May 15, 2012)

Looks like your treatment regimen has worked. Keep up the good work!


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

OUCH, poor Ace! Looks like you're treating it well though, its looking good!


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

There is absolutely nothing better for healing up a flesh wound. We have used it for years. 

Buddy Underwood lives just a few miles from us. We have used it before he was labeling it and selling it commercially. He used to sell it at the local sale-barn and 2 or 3 of the local feed stores.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I have read other reports saying that it does nothing, and that there are substances in it harmful to the wound, but I am a firm fan. I bought it a while ago when dealing with an injury on a hind leg. I had tried a lot of different things, but I couldn't get it to heal, partly because it was such a horrible battle every time I tried to doctor it.

Underwoods was my last resort, and I wasted a lot of the first bottle as she would cow kick every time I tried to spray it. After a 10 days or so I could just spray and dust her as she was eating, never moved a muscle. I know that it saved our relationship in that case, so much easier than having to have a battle the whole time. That injury was in a bad way when I started, so although the results were great it wasn't the best test.

This is the first injury that I have treated from day 1, and I'm impressed, but I was hoping that someone may be able to tell me if this is a quick healing time for a cut like that or not?


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Wow! What on earth did Ace get herself into..

That is a fast healing time for a wound of that size and depth, in my experience.

It took 2 weeks for a puncture the size and length of my pinky to begin to heal on Sky, with stitches of course.. but over 4 weeks before he could be ridden. His other injury is a mess so I won't mention that, but it began to close up within 3 weeks whereas yours is almost completely scabbed over!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

She is pastured with Fancy and Flight, because she is a great babysitter, but Fancy can be a ***** sometimes. We found a sheet of tin had torn away from a nail in the gales we have been having, and we think that Fancy probably made a face at Ace, who is the biggest coward out, and she spooked into the tin.

What was even more frustrating is that was the first night she was out without her blanket, if she had been wearing it she would of probably been OK


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## Ripper (Apr 1, 2012)

Something eles that will work is cooled bacon grease.

I heard that from an old guy years ago and tried it.

It worked!!!

Not my first choice....but, in a pinch.....


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

I have been treating wounds for over 50 years. I have found nothing better than Underwoods' for flesh wounds -- anything above the knee or the hock (and that includes Vetricin -- I just had to try it).

I have found better ways to treat large wounds below the knee or hock but nothing beats it above them.

If the OPs horse was mine, I would now switch to either bacon fat, lard, Corona or a white people creme in a jar called 'Uderly Smooth' (this is my favorite). I would not use any of these things until after it was completely closed and only a hed scab showing.

Then, after it softens, I watch for proud flesh and switch back to 'Underwoods' or 'Prouds Off' until the proud flesh is gone and I go back to the creme. The creme encourages regrowth of regular colored hair and leaves less scar -- at least that is how it has worked for me.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Cherie said:


> If the OPs horse was mine, *I would not* switch to either bacon fat, lard, Corona or a white people creme in a jar called 'Uderly Smooth' (this is my favorite).


You would or would not?

My current plan is one more week on the Underwoods, and then onto bag balm, or udderly smooth, love that stuff.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

It was supposed to say 'now'. So, I fixed it. Having Mod tools comes in handy. Thanks. Cherie


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

It does indeed, wish I had your tool kit:wink:


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## mysticalhorse (Apr 27, 2011)

I really love Underwood too....but my 2 yr old Mystic loves to eat it if it is in a place she can flex to get to it.... Crazy mare! 
Love seeing how well Ace has healed on what I'm sure was a shocking find that morning along with the shocking vet bill...ugh!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

If a horse tried to chew on a healing wound (it itches as it heals), put a 'bib' on it. They can eat with one but it is pretty hard for them to chew a wound.

A more restrictive measure to take on horses that still manage to chew a wound, is to put a pole ((3-4 foot piece of a broom handle) from a halter to between their front legs to the bottom of a surcingle. [This works good for an old nurse cow that has learned to suck herself, too.]


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I LOVE Underwood's! Awesome stuff. And just because it was mentioned, Honey works wonders too. I was out of Underwoods, it was after hours, the cut was too old when I found it and deep enough it needed SOMETHING so I went in the house and grabbed a jar of plain old Walmart Honey, pasturized and all. Slapped it on a Maxi Pad and wrapped it up with vet wrap. We hosed and changed the bandage every 2 days and within 3 weeks the cut was completely healed and never once looked infected. I was AMAZED.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

That's good to know, Dream Catcher, I'll make sure I always have honey on hand then, but I have also just ordered another couple of bottles of Underwoods


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Week 4.

I stopped using the Underwoods, and changed to Feibings Udder cream massaged in twice a day this week.


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

Glad it healed so nicely, I love Underwoods too!


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## outnabout (Jul 23, 2010)

Cherie said:


> I have been treating wounds for over 50 years. I have found nothing better than Underwoods' for flesh wounds -- anything above the knee or the hock (and that includes Vetricin -- I just had to try it).
> 
> I have found better ways to treat large wounds below the knee or hock but nothing beats it above them.
> 
> ...


Cherie, what do you do for wounds below the hock? My colt managed to gauge out a big hole the back side of his right front leg just above the coronet band. Vet stitched it up but after the initial healing stages it would be good to have some options from someone more experienced.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

First of all, have the stitches held? If they are holding and the wound does not break open, I would leave it alone and wrap or bandage it according to what the Vet the sewed it up instructed. I would keep ALL topicals off of it as long as the stitches are holding.

That said, my experience with sewing up wounds below the knee or hock is that the stitches hold for a few days and then the wound breaks open and you have a bigger open wound to heal up that you would have had if you did not sew it up in the first place. It took me several years and several failed Vet stitching jobs to figure this out. I think I just wanted, so badly, for it to work. In reality, almost none of them did.

Wounds below the knee or hock tend to get a lot more proud flesh in them. You have to have some proud flesh to close up the gap in the skin on an open wound. Proud flesh is nature's band-aid. You have to have a little of it to fill in the gaps and to cover the exposed bones and tendons in a deep would.

So, in the beginning, I will thoroughly clean the wound ONE TIME an one time only. Then, I NEVER put water on it again -- ever.

When it is clean, I dry it with a paper towel and I put on some DMSO with a daubber and then I put Furacin Salve on the fresh wound and keep it wrapped. I will keep it wrapped, changing it daily for 2 or 3 days and then going to every 3 days. 

When the gaps are filled in, I do not use Furacin any more. It promotes proud flesh and once there is enough of it to close the gaps and cover the underlying tissue, I work on getting it actually heal.

If it is summer and the flys are bad, I will use Underwoods' and baking powder because the flies stay off of it. Whenever I see any proud flesh protruding beyond the level of the skin I put 'Prouds Off' on it and let it 'eat' it back down to the skin level.

When it is dry and scabby, i put an unmedicated salve on it to keep it soft. I will alternate between the 2 or 3 things until the wound almost disappears and then I just keep a salve like 'Udderly Smooth' on it to help it hair back up.

When I started using DMSO on fresh wounds, I quit having any problems with infection. It also reduces the inflammation and swelling that can be so severe. Underwoods on a flesh wound also stops really huge wounds from getting infected. I do not know why, but bacteria cannot seem to be a toe-hold with either DMSO or Underwoods.

Deep wounds and puncture wounds always call for a Tetanus shot (anti-toxin). I keep a big bottle of it in the fridge.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Cherie said:


> Deep wounds and puncture wounds always call for a Tetanus shot (anti-toxin). I keep a big bottle of it in the fridge.


I didn't know that! What's the 'rules' on that? Give them to it the same day or if they got their yearly shots they're good?

Really interested..


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Horses that get annual vaccinations that include Tetanus Toxoid are usually OK, but The Vet I used for 25 years said an anti-toxin shot was cheap insurance (about $2.00), so we do it just in case they still do not have a good antibody level for Tetanus.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Alright I will keep that in mind, thank you!


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## outnabout (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks, Cherie. The accident just happened this morning, around 11:30, so it is wait and see what happens as far as further treatment. He is up on vacs, tetanus included, and there was no doubt he needed sutures as there was a clean v-cut forming a flap. I've pirated this thread enough, so will start new thread here when I have time in the next day or two, with pics when I replace bandaging on Monday, per vet directions. I will ask her about DMSO.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Don't use DMSO or any topical if your Vet stitched it.


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## outnabout (Jul 23, 2010)

OK. Thanks.


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