Page 104 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

Excessive soft tissue swelling should be prevented where possible as it:

• impedes the circulation of blood through the damaged tissues
VetBooks.ir • makes the tissues more difficult to suture

•
puts strain on the suture line which can cause the wound to split open and break down.

After cleaning and treatment, the swelling can be prevented or reduced by:

• bandaging

• light walking exercise in hand

• administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, e.g. phenylbutazone which is
also an analgesic; reducing the pain encourages the horse to use the injured leg.

Your vet will make recommendations taking into account the site and nature of the wound

and the individual horse’s reaction to the injury.

WOUND HEALING

The stages of healing

Any damage to living tissue – whether a cut, a bruise or a sprain – results in inflammation.

Inflammation is a vital part of the repair process and it starts immediately an injury has been
sustained. The blood supply to the area is increased and white blood cells migrate from the

blood into the tissue. They ingest dead tissue, bacteria and foreign material. With open
wounds, a scab forms on the surface and this protects the healing tissues underneath.

After a few days, the inflammatory exudate is replaced by proliferating granulation
tissue which fills in any tissue defects (Figures 3.7a and 3.7b). It consists of collagen fibres

and capillaries. The dividing epithelial cells at the skin edges migrate across this bed of
healthy tissue to close the wound.