Mysterious wound

[AngC]

People swear by Vetricyn, but I find it hard to believe a bleach derivative can be such an all around product for wound cleaning; and since it is a bleach derivative, why is it so expensive? I've only bought one bottle ever, and it wasn't as useful as other products I've tried.

Nothing wrong with bleach, I guess. I use it to disinfect our black rubber water dishes to get the algae out.

But this Vetricyn stuff is rather pricey... at such a small concentration (7 thousandth of a percent???!!!)

I had a 2 fl/oz bottle from last year; I just tossed it. Nicky had a lot of eye problems... what with his eye injury and his cataracts. He's better now. I wish I had of saved some of his eye medications so I could write something intelligent (...unfortunately, I threw them out when they went out of date.)

 

[amysue]

I know that there is a difference between the vertycin eye spray and wound care (it escapes me at the moment). I do remember reading somewhere that it's the balanced pH that's supposed to make it so special. I have only used the eye spray on cows so I cannot comment on it's wound cleaning properties. If anyone cares...I use saline for almost everything from eye flushing to wound flushing because it's cheap and it works. So many of those fancy products are out of my price range. Don't get me wrong...I won't refuse to buy something recommend by the vet if I NEED it, but it has never been recommended to me. Hope the bite heals soon and he feels better, poor guy.

 

[Miniv]

We also use human eye saline for flushing goopy eyes..... I believe that Vetricyn has liquid nolvasan in it. We have both. Iodine/Betadine isn't as gentle on healing skin and has drying properties, which is why we use the gentle iodine for newborn's navels, since we want the stub to dry and close up quickly. They all are good products for certain things.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Concerning Vetericyn's active ingredient: In biology, hypochlorous acid is generated in activated neutrophils by myeloperoxidase-mediated peroxidation of chloride ions, and contributes to the destruction of bacteria. In the cosmetics industry it is used as a skin cleansing agent, which benefits the body's skin rather than causing drying. It is also used in baby products, because baby skin is particularly sensitive and can be easily irritated.

He was rubbed raw this morning so I hydroed, applied some Neosproin, and put his fly sheet on. They are in the pasture at night and there are trees there to rub on. I will leave the fly sheet on him tonight. It is in a hard place to protect. He can even reach it with his teeth. Dang snake.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Just wondering if Cetrigen is available where you are? May actually be called something else there. Its a bright purple antibiotic spray that also has an insect repellent in the product. With the warm weather you are having , Im wondering if flys/insects are the cause for him continuing to rub the area ?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I'm back to hydroing every day and I got some Neosporin with the pain relief in it. Fly sheet at night when he is in the pasture with the scratchy trees. We'll see how that works.

I've seen folks use a bright purple spray here but don't know the name of it. I will check out Cetrigen.

 

[amysue]

The bright purple spray that we use is called wound cote by farnam. It has gentacin violet in it. It is an aerosol. I think something with hydrocortisone or anti itch meds or maybe aloe Vera would southe him.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

In my opinion, vetericyn is useless. Is sterile water and some chemicals. I don't believe it's harmful by any stretch - but 99.9% of all wounds will heal up correctly with NO intervention. Vetericyn just likes to claim the credit for it.

I had a cow deglove 1/4 of her udder. Severed veins; bled all over. Lost gallons of blood. She got 25 stitches. I sprayed it with alushield that night and again in the morning. Ran a hypertonic saline IV so she'd rehydrate herself. Dried her off that next day, tossed her on a pack that was clean and dry - my sum amount of medical care for her. No antibiotics, no scrubbing, no hosing. Just a 'hey you're not dying' check every morning. In 2 weeks I couldn't pick her out. In 2 mos when she freshened I couldn't see the scar even.

I'm a "horrible person" I know for doing next to nothing. But if I had sprayed vetericyn on it daily it would have been a vetericyn success story!

Sometimes we'd amputate a toe (also called a claw) on a cow. They'd get it wrapped immediately after and a single shot of excede (antibiotic). The next day the wrap would get cut off. She'd stay on a dry pack for a week or 2: if the milker thought about it he'd hose it off. Our success rate was over 80%. The failures often had the other remaining claw in worse shape than initially thought and couldn't walk on it. None had complications from infection. Once again, I'm a horrible person for doing next to nothing, but if I had sprayed vetericyn on it daily it would have been a success story!

I can go on for hours with stories like that.

My main point is though, people fuss wayyyyyyy too much with wounds on animals in my opinion. To the point where it slows up healing. It WILL heal. It won't stay open and ugly forever - a lot of people forget that and aren't patient.

Vetericyn is a $40 bottle of water. I do however like their eye gel. It's soothing. I've used it on myself even. But I don't think it CURES anything. I don't even keep blukote around. Just a cheap tattoo gel to help soothe the really ugly boo boos and burns.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

While I agree with you for the most part, I do think we need to be proactive sometimes. We never know when our animal's injury will be the 1% that doesn't heal well by itself.

 

[amysue]

While I agree that almost always they do a fine job of healing on their own....occasionally domesticated animals need our intervention. I had a holstein steer get a small puncture wound on his pastern. Vet said "no big deal" hose it, put neosporin on it and dose penicillin for 10 days. Well...after the 10 days he got a huge infection nothing would fix and he went dow. Down cows are almost always gonners if you cannot get them up quickly. We had to put him down for a "simple" wound. Now my colt Turbo, massacred his leg on a corral panel, he healed fine with hosing and debriment (had to get it to want to close up). Sometimes, less is more but they are our babies and we want to make them feel better.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

The sidebar article about rabies freaked me out. I'm 99% sure the wound is rattlesnake, but would raccoon teeth look the same as fangs? It's been a few years since Dapper Dan had a rabies vaccination. We've had some raccoon sign in the yard and corral lately. We could set the trap but I hate dealing with them after they're caught. At any rate, the wound is better. I think the Neosporin with the pain medication in it to minimize the itch, and using the fly sheet so he couldn't rub did the trick.

 

[Cayuse]

I'm just guessing, but I would think a raccoon's fangs would be further apart than a rattlesnake? Like I said, just a guess. Never been up close and personal with either one!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

The new hair is growing in white now. What is the reason for injury hair to sometimes grow in white, I wonder?

 

[Miniv]

It's an indication of how deep the wound actually was. When hair is damaged down to the root, it will grow back white.

 

[Cayuse]

That is what I have heard too, it the hair follicle is damaged it grows in white. All three of my guys coincidently have white spots on their backs from what looks like saddle sores from wearing an ill fitting harness at some point (they came that way, I did not do it!).

 

[Marsha Cassada]

It happened again. Went out to bring Dapper Dan in from the pasture and he had the tell tale fang marks on his neck, in the muscle area. One was a slight puncture, the other just a red dot. Large lump below the bite site. Hair rubbed off. I hydroed him and gave him equiox for pain. He ate supper fine and seems all right. Checked on him at midnight and he was fine. Called the vet this morning and got antibiotic. The lump had moved down. I mixed the antibiotic with oatmeal and karo and he gobbled it down. I will be patrolling for that sucker.
I've kept an eye on Dapper Dan all day and he seems fine. I'm glad it was the muscle area and not his face.
Hard to believe the earlier event was 6 years ago...

 

[HersheyMint]

Oh that's awful! I'm so glad DD is feeling ok. What could it be?

 

[Kelly]

Bigfoot? Chupacabra? Dragon? Moth man? Godzilla? Jersey Devil? Lizard Man? Yeti? Sasquatch?

 

[MaryFlora]

Poor DD! Glad to hear he is doing ok.

If DD was down in the grass could a weasel or an opposum grabbed on?

There are a few google sites that have bite mark images that may help?

Sorry, Kelly! No Chupacabra bite marks posted for comparison!

 

[Standards Equine]

This is why I live where the air hurts my face...
There have been oodles of times my horses have presented me with mystery injuries, some not so mysterious... We recently had a 2-year-old Fresian x filly decide that she needed to be INSIDE the bale ring feeder, and got a hind leg hung up while trying to exit. But never ever do I worry that someone's been bitten my a snake. Garter snakes just get the heck outa Dodge when the horses come by. We have skunks, newly raccoons seen in the area, worst I've dealt with were a few porcupine quills in the muzzle. I think rabies would be a more significant concern in the province. Occasionally we hear of a bat testing positive more south of where we are.
I'll take that and -40 over snake bites.

I sure hope Dapper Dan recovers quickly again. Is there a danger that he could develop an anaphylactic reaction to snake bites like people can do bee stings?