I got Fineley off a slaughter place 20 years ago. After about 10 years I needed a better horse for jumping, Fineley just didn't do well at it. I got the 2nd horse in the photo Second Chance, so funny how much they look like each other except she was 16 hands and he was almost 17 hands. I quit jumping and do dressage and trail riding a lot. Fun, and I don't know what I would do without it.
Fineley lived to be around 30, we never knew her real age. She was a feisty mare, and I learned to ride on a bucking horse.
Here is the story that Candee wrote about Fineley that was featured in Equus Magazine a few years ago.
Wound woes
When a long cut across a mare’s knee won’t heal, skin grafts jump-start the process.
By Candee Aaraon
All my life I wanted to own a horse. As a little girl, I rode stick horses in the woods behind our house on Cape Code and I dreamed of finding a halter and lead rope under the Christmas tree. But it was not to be.
The years sped by, and my equestrian ambitions fell by the wayside. Then, when I was 44, married, and living in Southern California, the dream of owning a horse rose like Lazarus from the grave. Through a series of calls, I found a Thoroughbred rescue service with a mare that sounded promising. I went out to see her, paid the meat market price of $900 and became the owner of the aptly named “Fineley Mine.”
Of course, one horse leads to another, and soon my Appendix Quarter Horse, Chance, was in the stall next to Fineley. My childhood dream was fulfilled, but I couldn’t have known about the nightmare that lay ahead.
On April 23, 2002, taking a break from preparing Chance for a show, I began tacking up Fineley for a ride. Upset about being separated from her buddy, Fineley spun anxiously in the stall as I attempted to put on her boots. I reacted badly and smacked her, causing her to bolt towards the door leading to her small attached paddock.
In her haste, Fineley slipped and fell to her knees at the stall door, landing on the metal door jam with both knees. She leapt up and continued into the paddock. I immediately noticed blood on the door jam and stepped outside to investigate. One knee was fine with just a little dent and scrape. The other knee, however, was torn open across the entire face of the joint, with a very large u-shaped flap of skin hanging down. The metal was not sharp, but apparently she had hit it at such an angle with enough force to split her skin wide open.
I called the barn owner down from the house, and she made an emergency call to my veterinarian, Charley Liskey, DVM. As we waited for him to arrive, I held a clean towel to Fineley’s wound, but blood still pooled at her feet in the wash rack. I was very relieved when Liskey pulled into the driveway.
Fineley was fairly calm, but Liskey administered a small dose of sedative to ensure she’d remain still. He also gave her a shot of Banamine for pain control. Then he carefully examined the injured knee. Even a small wound near a joint is cause for alarm because of the risk that an infection might set in and migrate to the joint capsule, with potentially crippling results. He gave her an injection of antibiotics to get a head start on the pathogens.
Liskey rinsed and scrubbed the knee several times with an antiseptic wash. Once the wound was as clean as he could get it, he began stitching it closed. Nearly one hour and 80 stitches later, Fineley’s knee was closed.
But the job of caring for her wound had just begun. Liskey explained that, to heal effectively, the skin around the stitches had to be kept as immobile as possible until the edges had knit--something that can be difficult to achieve on the face of a horse’s knee. She would have to remain in her stall for at least a month, and she’d have to wear a “stack” wrap--a covering that would not only protect the wound but would also be bulky enough to keep the joint from bending.
Liskey demonstrated for me how to make a stack wrap, which was applied in two phases. First, the lower leg was covered with a conventional standing bandage, then the knee was wrapped in a figure-8 bandage. The idea was the standing banadage would keep the knee bandage from slipping down. The entire leg was then covered in another layer of gauze and bandages. The stack wrap seemed to take miles of gauze and adhesive wrap, but I watched closely. I’d need to replace it every day myself.
Two setbacks
For the next two weeks, we settled into a new routine. Fineley stayed in her stall, as immobile as I could keep her--this required sedating her when I turned Chance out. The wrap held her knee fairly straight, yet she still managed to lie down and get up. I never saw how, but occasionally I’d find shavings on her back in the morning. Still, the stitches seemed to be holding and the wound looked like it was healing well each time I rewrapped.
When Liskey returned to reexamine the wound, he agreed it was healing well. He decided, however, that the stitches ought to stay in a bit longer. He told me I could stop the stack wraps and simply keep her knee covered with gauze. After another weekm he returned and removed the stitches. The edges of the wound were holding together well on their own, but Liskey cautioned me that we weren’t out of the woods yet--the new skin over the area remained fragile and was still vulnerable to tearing. He recommended another week of stall rest.
Still confined but with more mobility than she’d had, Fineley was too active for her own good. A week later I received a call from the barn owner. The wound had torn open again, and was nearly as big as it had been originally. A call had already been placed to Liskey’s office.
The on-call veterinarian who came out determined the skin flap couldn’t hold more stitches. She carefully cleaned the wound, arranged the skin in place and applied a stack wrap. The plan was to again keep Fineley still so the skin could mend on its own.
This new tactic worked for about a month. With each wrap change, I saw more and more new tissue and no proud flesh, and I was becoming increasingly hopeful that the healing skin would hold. Then one day I unwrapped her bandage to find that the entire wound had opened up again.
Change of plans
It was clear we needed more help. Liskey referred me to Kent Sullivan, VMD, a surgeon with West Coast Equine in Somis, California, 60 miles away. We trailered Fineley up there the next day.
After examining Fineley, Sullivan decided that the best course would be to trim the edges of the wound to create “clean” edges that would be better able to hold sutures. Then he would put her in a stiff fiberglass cast that would prevent her from bending her knee while it healed. He would also keep her at his clinic for a few weeks so her progress could be closely monitored.
The procedure went smoothly, although it was very difficult for me to watch. Watching Fineley hobble back to her stall in a stiff cast would have been comical had it not been my first love I was watching limp around. She was given antibiotics and started on a regimen of bute to control her pain and swelling for a few days. Then there was nothing more to do but wait and hope that underneath the cast, the skin was healing.
Three weeks later, Sullivan took the cast off, and when he called to tell me that the wound had opened again, my heart sank. The center of the wound was filling with healthy granulation tissue—the moist, pink layer of new cells that forms the base for the new skin--but the surface layer was simply not closing over it (see sidebar “The Healing Process”).
It has now been nearly four months since Fineley had fallen, and nothing seemed to be working. For the first time, I began to consider the possibility that she might never heal properly—and that we might have to put her down.
Last chance
As we discussed the situation, Sullivan offered another possibility. He suggested taking skin grafts from the underside of her belly and implanting them into her knee. If the grafts took—that is, the implanted skin attached itself to the knee without infection or other complications—the wound would heal without further stitches. I readily agreed, and Fineley was prepped for the procedure.
Sullivan started by removing eight strips of skin—each 10 centimeters long by five millimeters wide—from the underside of Fineley’s belly. Then he readied her knee by cutting away all the dead tissue and exposing the bed of granulation tissue.
Next, he used a special tool to create eight “tunnels” that extended through the granulation tissue across the entire face of the wound. The tunnels were each about six millimeters deep--enough to leave a buffer zone of healthy granulation both above and below them. Sullivan then threaded a strip of the belly skin, hair and all, through each tunnel. The technique, he explained, allows the granulation tissue itself to hold, feed and protect the grafts, eliminating the need for stitches.
Once the grafts were in place, Sullivan splinted Fineley’s knee and applied another stack wrap. The cuts on her belly were narrow enough to heal without stitches so they were treated with topical antibiotics and left to heal on their own. Then we waited, again.
A week later, Sullivan moved on to the next step. One, by one, he carefully “deroofed” each tunnel, gently cutting away the overlying layer of granulation tissue to expose the graft. It was delicate work, removing only the thin tissue without disturbing the new skin beneath. Two of the grafts fell away as he uncovered them--they had failed to knit with the tissue on the knee. Sullivan explained that this is normal; you don’t expect every one to succeed. But six of the grafts had taken hold--a sign that maybe things were finally going our way.
We weren’t ready to celebrate yet, though. Fineley spent another five weeks at the clinic, in yet another a stack wrap and confined to a stall to ensure the grafts had every opportunity flourish. She saw a lot of horses come and go and was free in offering her opinions of the various staff tending to her.
Every day for those five weeks I added the additional miles to my commute from work. I spent a lot of time in my car, but wasn’t going to let a day go by without visiting her. I knew Fineley enjoyed seeing me, but she was even happier on the weekends when, with permission from the clinic, I took her buddy Chance up to visit her.
Finally the big day came—the ultimate unveiling of the grafts that would reveal whether Fineley had healed enough to be released. My anticipation was mixed with dread as the wrap slowly came off. If this hadn’t worked we might have to consider…
It worked! Underneath the last bit of bandage Fineley’s knee showed a small scar and a few white hairs, but otherwise looked perfectly normal. If you examined it closely, you might also discover that some of the hair from the grafted skin is oriented in the wrong direction. Not that it mattered to me in the slightest.
I was thrilled when Sullivan announced I could take her home, turn her out and start riding her. I was even happier when I paid the bill. Fineley’s entire eight-week stay at the clinic was covered by the insurance I had paid faithfully for years. I owed only a $150 deductible.
This year will mark my 60th birthday and my 16th year with Fineley. Four years after her injury, her knee is in terrific shape. And she still enjoys roaming the hills with me in my work as a mounted volunteer in area parks. Ultimately, though, Fineley, Chance and I are simply enjoying our time together as “family.”
The healing process
An equine wound heals through two distinct processes, each beginning in different layers of the skin:
• Granulation fills in the deepest portion of the gap with new cells originating from the dermis, the nerve- and capillary-rich “living” portion of the skin, and deeper tissues. Because wounds are typically narrowest at their deepest point, this area closes first and healing progresses upward to the widest portion of the defect.
• Epithelialization starts with the production of new cells in the epidermis, the thin, protective surface of the skin. These begin to form at the edges of the wound and grow across the bed of granulation tissue as it develops beneath them.
When to call the vet
Minor cuts and scrapes are an unfortunate reality for most horses, and most can be treated without veterinary assistance. In some cases, however, even wounds that appear inconsequential may threaten the life or the soundness of the horse, and a veterinarian’s immediate attention is crucial.
It is a Red Alert--and you need to call for help right away--when you are dealing with a wound accompanied by any of these conditions:
• Gushing or spurting blood. Cover the wound with a pressure bandage, or keep a dressing pressed hard against it, until the veterinarian arrives.
• Clear, yellowish fluid, perhaps mixed with blood, oozing from a cut or puncture near a joint or tendon.
• Any injury more than skin deep in or near the eye or jaw.
• Severe lameness or a deformation or distortion in or around the injury.
• A deeply embedded foreign object.
• Signs of shock, such as irregular breathing, a shallow pulse, an unfocused expression and cold ears and feet. Do not attempt to move or treat a horse who appears to be in shock; keep him covered with light blankets until the veterinarian arrives.
Even if none of these threatening situations are present, don’t hesitate to call the veterinarian if you are unsure about the best way to treat a wound. For example, only a veterinarian can determine whether a questionable wound would benefit more from being closed with stitches or left open to heal. Also, deep or contaminated wounds may require a systemic antibiotic. Your veterinarian may also administer a tetanus booster if it’s needed.
In focus:
Wound treatment
Once you’ve determined that a horse’s wound does not require veterinary attention (see sidebar “When to Call the Vet”), some basic first aid techniques will help the healing process proceed on its own:
• Remove small pieces of foreign material. Tiny splinters, gravel or other objects embedded in a wound introduce bacteria and impede healing.
• Wash the wound with tap water or, better yet, physiologic saline solution. Administer the water or saline by garden hose, spray bottle or syringe using the minimum amount of pressure necessary to fully rinse the wound surface. Too strong a flow risks aggravating the injury.
• Scrub the wound gently but determinedly with moistened gauze squares. To keep the wash solution clean, pour water or saline onto the square rather than dipping it into a bucket. Discard each square as it becomes soiled with dirt and blood. Continue scrubbing until the gauze remains clean of visible dirt and is stained by only a little fresh blood. This may take as long as 15 to 20 minutes.
• Medicate a superficial wound with an over-the-counter antibiotic paste or other ointment such as ichthammol. The greasy coating will help prevent infection and keep insects and dirt off the surface of the healing tissues. Reapply the medication daily or more frequently until a protective scab has formed.
• Bandage, if necessary. Most cuts and abrasions do not need to be covered, but there are situations where a properly applied dressing can help protect the fragile new skin. Wounds above the elbow and stifle are likely to scab and heal well on their own. Superficial scrapes, which remove only the outermost layers of skin, quickly form strong scabs and can be left uncovered. In contrast, a wound that penetrates all skin layers—so the edges separate or can be pulled apart—will not form a strong scab and can become infected if not bandaged. Also, any wounds on the legs are more likely to be contaminated with dirt and hampered by motion. Bandaging minimizes these complications.
• Monitor the wound’s progress. Inspect it daily for the first few days, looking for signs of trouble: gray- or greenish-tinged tissues, a foul odor or excessive fluid drainage. After a couple of weeks, be on the lookout for proud flesh, a pink, cauliflowerlike mass of granulation tissue bulging from the wound that delays or halts healing. Call your veterinarian if any of these signs appear.
Fineley lived to be around 30, we never knew her real age. She was a feisty mare, and I learned to ride on a bucking horse.
Here is the story that Candee wrote about Fineley that was featured in Equus Magazine a few years ago.
Wound woes
When a long cut across a mare’s knee won’t heal, skin grafts jump-start the process.
By Candee Aaraon
All my life I wanted to own a horse. As a little girl, I rode stick horses in the woods behind our house on Cape Code and I dreamed of finding a halter and lead rope under the Christmas tree. But it was not to be.
The years sped by, and my equestrian ambitions fell by the wayside. Then, when I was 44, married, and living in Southern California, the dream of owning a horse rose like Lazarus from the grave. Through a series of calls, I found a Thoroughbred rescue service with a mare that sounded promising. I went out to see her, paid the meat market price of $900 and became the owner of the aptly named “Fineley Mine.”
Of course, one horse leads to another, and soon my Appendix Quarter Horse, Chance, was in the stall next to Fineley. My childhood dream was fulfilled, but I couldn’t have known about the nightmare that lay ahead.
On April 23, 2002, taking a break from preparing Chance for a show, I began tacking up Fineley for a ride. Upset about being separated from her buddy, Fineley spun anxiously in the stall as I attempted to put on her boots. I reacted badly and smacked her, causing her to bolt towards the door leading to her small attached paddock.
In her haste, Fineley slipped and fell to her knees at the stall door, landing on the metal door jam with both knees. She leapt up and continued into the paddock. I immediately noticed blood on the door jam and stepped outside to investigate. One knee was fine with just a little dent and scrape. The other knee, however, was torn open across the entire face of the joint, with a very large u-shaped flap of skin hanging down. The metal was not sharp, but apparently she had hit it at such an angle with enough force to split her skin wide open.
I called the barn owner down from the house, and she made an emergency call to my veterinarian, Charley Liskey, DVM. As we waited for him to arrive, I held a clean towel to Fineley’s wound, but blood still pooled at her feet in the wash rack. I was very relieved when Liskey pulled into the driveway.
Fineley was fairly calm, but Liskey administered a small dose of sedative to ensure she’d remain still. He also gave her a shot of Banamine for pain control. Then he carefully examined the injured knee. Even a small wound near a joint is cause for alarm because of the risk that an infection might set in and migrate to the joint capsule, with potentially crippling results. He gave her an injection of antibiotics to get a head start on the pathogens.
Liskey rinsed and scrubbed the knee several times with an antiseptic wash. Once the wound was as clean as he could get it, he began stitching it closed. Nearly one hour and 80 stitches later, Fineley’s knee was closed.
But the job of caring for her wound had just begun. Liskey explained that, to heal effectively, the skin around the stitches had to be kept as immobile as possible until the edges had knit--something that can be difficult to achieve on the face of a horse’s knee. She would have to remain in her stall for at least a month, and she’d have to wear a “stack” wrap--a covering that would not only protect the wound but would also be bulky enough to keep the joint from bending.
Liskey demonstrated for me how to make a stack wrap, which was applied in two phases. First, the lower leg was covered with a conventional standing bandage, then the knee was wrapped in a figure-8 bandage. The idea was the standing banadage would keep the knee bandage from slipping down. The entire leg was then covered in another layer of gauze and bandages. The stack wrap seemed to take miles of gauze and adhesive wrap, but I watched closely. I’d need to replace it every day myself.
Two setbacks
For the next two weeks, we settled into a new routine. Fineley stayed in her stall, as immobile as I could keep her--this required sedating her when I turned Chance out. The wrap held her knee fairly straight, yet she still managed to lie down and get up. I never saw how, but occasionally I’d find shavings on her back in the morning. Still, the stitches seemed to be holding and the wound looked like it was healing well each time I rewrapped.
When Liskey returned to reexamine the wound, he agreed it was healing well. He decided, however, that the stitches ought to stay in a bit longer. He told me I could stop the stack wraps and simply keep her knee covered with gauze. After another weekm he returned and removed the stitches. The edges of the wound were holding together well on their own, but Liskey cautioned me that we weren’t out of the woods yet--the new skin over the area remained fragile and was still vulnerable to tearing. He recommended another week of stall rest.
Still confined but with more mobility than she’d had, Fineley was too active for her own good. A week later I received a call from the barn owner. The wound had torn open again, and was nearly as big as it had been originally. A call had already been placed to Liskey’s office.
The on-call veterinarian who came out determined the skin flap couldn’t hold more stitches. She carefully cleaned the wound, arranged the skin in place and applied a stack wrap. The plan was to again keep Fineley still so the skin could mend on its own.
This new tactic worked for about a month. With each wrap change, I saw more and more new tissue and no proud flesh, and I was becoming increasingly hopeful that the healing skin would hold. Then one day I unwrapped her bandage to find that the entire wound had opened up again.
Change of plans
It was clear we needed more help. Liskey referred me to Kent Sullivan, VMD, a surgeon with West Coast Equine in Somis, California, 60 miles away. We trailered Fineley up there the next day.
After examining Fineley, Sullivan decided that the best course would be to trim the edges of the wound to create “clean” edges that would be better able to hold sutures. Then he would put her in a stiff fiberglass cast that would prevent her from bending her knee while it healed. He would also keep her at his clinic for a few weeks so her progress could be closely monitored.
The procedure went smoothly, although it was very difficult for me to watch. Watching Fineley hobble back to her stall in a stiff cast would have been comical had it not been my first love I was watching limp around. She was given antibiotics and started on a regimen of bute to control her pain and swelling for a few days. Then there was nothing more to do but wait and hope that underneath the cast, the skin was healing.
Three weeks later, Sullivan took the cast off, and when he called to tell me that the wound had opened again, my heart sank. The center of the wound was filling with healthy granulation tissue—the moist, pink layer of new cells that forms the base for the new skin--but the surface layer was simply not closing over it (see sidebar “The Healing Process”).
It has now been nearly four months since Fineley had fallen, and nothing seemed to be working. For the first time, I began to consider the possibility that she might never heal properly—and that we might have to put her down.
Last chance
As we discussed the situation, Sullivan offered another possibility. He suggested taking skin grafts from the underside of her belly and implanting them into her knee. If the grafts took—that is, the implanted skin attached itself to the knee without infection or other complications—the wound would heal without further stitches. I readily agreed, and Fineley was prepped for the procedure.
Sullivan started by removing eight strips of skin—each 10 centimeters long by five millimeters wide—from the underside of Fineley’s belly. Then he readied her knee by cutting away all the dead tissue and exposing the bed of granulation tissue.
Next, he used a special tool to create eight “tunnels” that extended through the granulation tissue across the entire face of the wound. The tunnels were each about six millimeters deep--enough to leave a buffer zone of healthy granulation both above and below them. Sullivan then threaded a strip of the belly skin, hair and all, through each tunnel. The technique, he explained, allows the granulation tissue itself to hold, feed and protect the grafts, eliminating the need for stitches.
Once the grafts were in place, Sullivan splinted Fineley’s knee and applied another stack wrap. The cuts on her belly were narrow enough to heal without stitches so they were treated with topical antibiotics and left to heal on their own. Then we waited, again.
A week later, Sullivan moved on to the next step. One, by one, he carefully “deroofed” each tunnel, gently cutting away the overlying layer of granulation tissue to expose the graft. It was delicate work, removing only the thin tissue without disturbing the new skin beneath. Two of the grafts fell away as he uncovered them--they had failed to knit with the tissue on the knee. Sullivan explained that this is normal; you don’t expect every one to succeed. But six of the grafts had taken hold--a sign that maybe things were finally going our way.
We weren’t ready to celebrate yet, though. Fineley spent another five weeks at the clinic, in yet another a stack wrap and confined to a stall to ensure the grafts had every opportunity flourish. She saw a lot of horses come and go and was free in offering her opinions of the various staff tending to her.
Every day for those five weeks I added the additional miles to my commute from work. I spent a lot of time in my car, but wasn’t going to let a day go by without visiting her. I knew Fineley enjoyed seeing me, but she was even happier on the weekends when, with permission from the clinic, I took her buddy Chance up to visit her.
Finally the big day came—the ultimate unveiling of the grafts that would reveal whether Fineley had healed enough to be released. My anticipation was mixed with dread as the wrap slowly came off. If this hadn’t worked we might have to consider…
It worked! Underneath the last bit of bandage Fineley’s knee showed a small scar and a few white hairs, but otherwise looked perfectly normal. If you examined it closely, you might also discover that some of the hair from the grafted skin is oriented in the wrong direction. Not that it mattered to me in the slightest.
I was thrilled when Sullivan announced I could take her home, turn her out and start riding her. I was even happier when I paid the bill. Fineley’s entire eight-week stay at the clinic was covered by the insurance I had paid faithfully for years. I owed only a $150 deductible.
This year will mark my 60th birthday and my 16th year with Fineley. Four years after her injury, her knee is in terrific shape. And she still enjoys roaming the hills with me in my work as a mounted volunteer in area parks. Ultimately, though, Fineley, Chance and I are simply enjoying our time together as “family.”
The healing process
An equine wound heals through two distinct processes, each beginning in different layers of the skin:
• Granulation fills in the deepest portion of the gap with new cells originating from the dermis, the nerve- and capillary-rich “living” portion of the skin, and deeper tissues. Because wounds are typically narrowest at their deepest point, this area closes first and healing progresses upward to the widest portion of the defect.
• Epithelialization starts with the production of new cells in the epidermis, the thin, protective surface of the skin. These begin to form at the edges of the wound and grow across the bed of granulation tissue as it develops beneath them.
When to call the vet
Minor cuts and scrapes are an unfortunate reality for most horses, and most can be treated without veterinary assistance. In some cases, however, even wounds that appear inconsequential may threaten the life or the soundness of the horse, and a veterinarian’s immediate attention is crucial.
It is a Red Alert--and you need to call for help right away--when you are dealing with a wound accompanied by any of these conditions:
• Gushing or spurting blood. Cover the wound with a pressure bandage, or keep a dressing pressed hard against it, until the veterinarian arrives.
• Clear, yellowish fluid, perhaps mixed with blood, oozing from a cut or puncture near a joint or tendon.
• Any injury more than skin deep in or near the eye or jaw.
• Severe lameness or a deformation or distortion in or around the injury.
• A deeply embedded foreign object.
• Signs of shock, such as irregular breathing, a shallow pulse, an unfocused expression and cold ears and feet. Do not attempt to move or treat a horse who appears to be in shock; keep him covered with light blankets until the veterinarian arrives.
Even if none of these threatening situations are present, don’t hesitate to call the veterinarian if you are unsure about the best way to treat a wound. For example, only a veterinarian can determine whether a questionable wound would benefit more from being closed with stitches or left open to heal. Also, deep or contaminated wounds may require a systemic antibiotic. Your veterinarian may also administer a tetanus booster if it’s needed.
In focus:
Wound treatment
Once you’ve determined that a horse’s wound does not require veterinary attention (see sidebar “When to Call the Vet”), some basic first aid techniques will help the healing process proceed on its own:
• Remove small pieces of foreign material. Tiny splinters, gravel or other objects embedded in a wound introduce bacteria and impede healing.
• Wash the wound with tap water or, better yet, physiologic saline solution. Administer the water or saline by garden hose, spray bottle or syringe using the minimum amount of pressure necessary to fully rinse the wound surface. Too strong a flow risks aggravating the injury.
• Scrub the wound gently but determinedly with moistened gauze squares. To keep the wash solution clean, pour water or saline onto the square rather than dipping it into a bucket. Discard each square as it becomes soiled with dirt and blood. Continue scrubbing until the gauze remains clean of visible dirt and is stained by only a little fresh blood. This may take as long as 15 to 20 minutes.
• Medicate a superficial wound with an over-the-counter antibiotic paste or other ointment such as ichthammol. The greasy coating will help prevent infection and keep insects and dirt off the surface of the healing tissues. Reapply the medication daily or more frequently until a protective scab has formed.
• Bandage, if necessary. Most cuts and abrasions do not need to be covered, but there are situations where a properly applied dressing can help protect the fragile new skin. Wounds above the elbow and stifle are likely to scab and heal well on their own. Superficial scrapes, which remove only the outermost layers of skin, quickly form strong scabs and can be left uncovered. In contrast, a wound that penetrates all skin layers—so the edges separate or can be pulled apart—will not form a strong scab and can become infected if not bandaged. Also, any wounds on the legs are more likely to be contaminated with dirt and hampered by motion. Bandaging minimizes these complications.
• Monitor the wound’s progress. Inspect it daily for the first few days, looking for signs of trouble: gray- or greenish-tinged tissues, a foul odor or excessive fluid drainage. After a couple of weeks, be on the lookout for proud flesh, a pink, cauliflowerlike mass of granulation tissue bulging from the wound that delays or halts healing. Call your veterinarian if any of these signs appear.
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