# Wound on chest. How to bandage?



## ThunderingHooves (Aug 10, 2013)

Jinxx has an open sore on his chest. I have been cleaning it with peroxide and putting corona ointment on it 2 times a day. However the flies are attracted to the area and are either keeping the wound open or causing him to bite at the wound. Either way the wound keeps opening and is seeping. I would like to somehow wrap it, but nothing will stay. I have used several different types of tapes and nothing is working. Another thing is I'm pretty sure he would just bite and rip off anything I could get to stay. Any opinions on what I should do for now? 

The only thing I can think at the moment is one of the lycra shoulder guards or something like that. Thank you in advance!


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

There are spray on adhesives that might work.Or, Wonderdust would work well. I would suggest not using peroxide to clean it as it is too harsh on wounds. Try using betadine or chlorhexidine instead to clean it. How big is the wound? What caused it ?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

I second ceasing use of the peroxide and would recommend betadine (a surgical soap) as well. If the wound is staying relatively clean, I would even reduce the amount of cleaning you are doing. I subscribe to the premise that at some point the wound needs to regenerate tissue and continual cleaning slows this process down by having new cells literally washed away.

Wonderdust would also be worth a try or you could try something called 'Swat'; its a wound cream designed to discourage flies.

You mentioned the wound was seeping. This could mean that it is draining from the inside (possible infection) and if that is the case, it is not such a bad thing if part of the wound can stay open to let stuff out otherwise you could end up with a more severe infection and/or abscess.

Finally I, also, would like to know how big it is, exact location and what caused it.

P.S. Is the horse on a tetanus vaccination scheme?


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## ThunderingHooves (Aug 10, 2013)

HombresArablegacy said:


> There are spray on adhesives that might work.Or, Wonderdust would work well. I would suggest not using peroxide to clean it as it is too harsh on wounds. Try using betadine or chlorhexidine instead to clean it. How big is the wound? What caused it ?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Honestly I'm not 100% sure what caused it. I think it might have been the buckle on the front of his blanket. I had bought it for him last year and he has grown, so it might have become a little snug and pinched him, creating the sore. He does have a new blanket on the way. The wound is about an inch and a half by about 2 inches. I do have some betadine that I can use. 



Chevaux said:


> I second ceasing use of the peroxide and would recommend betadine (a surgical soap) as well. If the wound is staying relatively clean, I would even reduce the amount of cleaning you are doing. I subscribe to the premise that at some point the wound needs to regenerate tissue and continual cleaning slows this process down by having new cells literally washed away.
> 
> Wonderdust would also be worth a try or you could try something called 'Swat'; its a wound cream designed to discourage flies.
> 
> ...


We do have some swat, but it tend to just melt in this heat. Plus I think Jinxx bites at the area and ends up rubbing off most of whatever I put on. It's been seeping for a day or so, but it's not like a clear or yellowish fluid it's more blood like. And yes both horses had a tetanus shot at the end of March.


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

scarlet oil spray.Has work well for me,easy to use & bugs don't like it


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## ThunderingHooves (Aug 10, 2013)

Tried to get a picture. It was dark and the pic is a bit blurry, but it should work for now. It looks bigger than it is, about 1 1/2 inch wide by about 2 inches long. The area around it is also a bit swollen.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

stop the peroxide, i use it as first wash debri remover. you can get betadine ointment, you can even use triple antibiotic ointment on it. If you have liquid betadine surgical scrub/wound cleanser, dilute it in clean water. 
scarlet oil , even though it is an older medicine, it really works well on clearing up wounds. Do not scrub on this wound, it looks irritated enough. 
There are a lot of good products out there. You just need to put them on daily. any goopy ointment etc should deter flies, and hopefully the horse from biting the wound.


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## Le007 (Jan 7, 2013)

I second the scarlet oil and let it drain/drip what it will ...


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

There is a spray called alushield it is like a spray on bandage, keeps dirt out, lets it breath. If the flys are a problem put swat around the outside of the wound.

I once used a non-stick gauze pad and duct tape to make a bandage for wound similar to that, it worked pretty well. I put some triple antibiotic ointment on the wound, stuck the pad on then made an X with the duct tape. I worked beautifully and did not take off to much hair. You could probably even shave the area to get the duct tape to stick better.

You can use plain old soap and water to clean it, peroxide is not good as it damages healthy tissue. Wonder dust will also ****** healing, as it is caustic and does not discriminate between healthy tissue and to much granulation tissue. Although that wound looks like there may be to much granulation tissue already that may benefit from some wonder dust, but used sparingly.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

How long has this wound not been healing? Have you spoken to a vet? Any wound that has not healed or showed significant improvement after a 5-7 days definitely needs a vet. There could be a foreign body (piece of stick) or other material that is causing it to remain open. It could also be a fungal/bacterial infection that would benefit from antibiotics.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

rookie said:


> How long has this wound not been healing? Have you spoken to a vet? Any wound that has not healed or showed significant improvement after a 5-7 days definitely needs a vet. There could be a foreign body (piece of stick) or other material that is causing it to remain open. It could also be a fungal/bacterial infection that would benefit from antibiotics.


Totally agree. Thinking it could have something inside also and may need antibiotics. Many horses die from bone infections for not treating simple wounds properly.


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

That's pretty nasty looking. Almost looks like a puncture wound, and I'd be concerned about the accompanying swelling. Might be time to put him on a course of antibiotics. SMZ usually works. Send that picture to your vet for their opinion on what to do.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

When "Ro Go Bar" (1982-2009, RIP) impaled himself on the fencepost the Vet had us use a large syringe with iodine & water to flush it out, and then used surgical gloves and a brand new jar of nitrofuricin and filled the wound with it. Several months later the wound had closed completely, no infection.


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## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

When one our horses skewered himself on a t-post in his chest, the vet flushed the wound, made sure everything felt ok in there and then just had us put a special fly ointment ( VPL Fly Repellent Ointment(really good stuff)) around the wound. She had us rinse it for a few days then to just watch and leave it alone.

Within month he was healed and back to working. He has a slit dimple and a few white hairs.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I would get a vet for that...

I am assuming you aren't putting anything on (blanket)?

Don't wrap it.


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## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

You dont say how the would occurred. Is it a cover wound? Looks a bit far round but if cover slips the buckle could be rubbing there.

The swelling indicates some infection. Betadine I think is iodine based, yes? would work well. Or you could try bathing it twice a day with saline (salt water) and putting a generous amount of Rawleigh's salve (plain or medicated). If caused by cover it needs refitting or better still replacing. Best leave it off for now anyway


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Yep, swelling that persists for days and days means that something more serious is going on. Also, I can't tell if it's wet in the picture or what but it almost looks like some hair loss going on there?

If so, that's also a big indicator of infection and/or abscess.

I will third (fourth?) the suggestion to stop using peroxide immediately as it kills healthy tissue along with unhealthy, and call the vet to have him check it over and maybe do a culture to find out why it's not healing and is swollen still.


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