Page 400 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

These wounds cannot be sutured as:

• there is skin loss
VetBooks.ir • they are usually contaminated

•
the injury is on the front of the knee which flexes with every stride the horse takes; any
sutures would simply pull through the tissue and the wound would break down.

The wound must heal by granulation. Damaged tendon sheaths usually heal and stop leaking
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within a few days. The wound should be covered with a non-stick dressing (e.g. Melolin or
®
®
Rondopad ) and a layer of Gamgee . The easiest way to keep the dressing in place is to use
either a wide crepe bandage (15 cm [6 in] for a horse) or a tubular bandage and fix this in
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place with Elastoplast . Alternatively, the dressing may be held in position with a Pressage ®
bandage. A support bandage is applied to the lower limb.

While the wound is healing, the horse should be kept on box rest. When healing is

progressing satisfactorily, in-hand walking exercise can begin. Under no circumstances
should the horse be turned out and allowed to get down onto unprotected knees and roll. If

proud flesh forms, the vet will remove it and make recommendations on how to manage any
further growth. Regular low intensity laser therapy can stimulate and speed up healing which
may take 4–6 weeks.

PROGNOSIS

Despite variable amounts of unsightly scar tissue, the prognosis is good for uncomplicated
cases.

PREVENTION

If the horse is known to slip or stumble, knee boots worn for road work will afford
considerable protection. Road nails can be very helpful in areas where the road surface is

abnormally slippery. Keeping the toes short and rolling the toes may also reduce the
likelihood of the horse stumbling.

THE STIFLE JOINT

Anatomy

The stifle joint of the horse is the equivalent of the human knee. It is made up of three bones
– the femur, the tibia and the patella (kneecap). The patella is attached to the tibia by the