Christmas Comes Early for Frankenhorse

Did I mention she has big ears? Did I mention she has big ears?

Happy Thursday, EN! If I’m bringing you two updates on Frankenhorse in one week, you know it’s either very good news or very bad news. I’m relieved to report it’s all good news.

First off, Dr. Wade Wisner of Green Glen Equine Hospital was very happy with how the wound looked when he came out on Tuesday morning (Day 13). There’s a small puffy spot on the left side above the stitches, and he popped one stitch underneath to see if it would drain. It hasn’t done much aside from trickle a bit, so it’s likely just swelling caused by Mia being more mobile in her stall. He gave the OK for the stitches to come out this weekend.

So we’re officially entering the next stage of the wound care. Dr. Wisner is more of a traditionalist when it comes to treating wounds, but he gave the go ahead to try Equaide, which Dr. Jennifer Karl, another vet at Green Glen, has used with great results. Between Dr. Karl’s recommendation and the success stories many of you shared, I decided to give Equaide a shot.

For those who haven’t used it, it’s a thin, dark gray paste that comes in a little jar; you paint it on the wound with a tiny brush. It then hardens to form a protective layer, which is perfect for Mia’s wound since it proved impossible to get ointments like triple antibiotic to stick once that severed skin flap sloughed off.

I painted on the first application of Equaide on the morning of Day 13, and we left it alone for the rest of the day. What happened overnight is best explained in a comparison of the photos from Day 13 and Day 14:

progress

Is this even real life? This stuff is a miracle product. This morning’s progress was much the same — the tissue looks fantastic, and we’re seeing the wound visibly shrink already. You can see today’s photo (Day 15) in the gallery below.

But wait — there’s more! In giving Mia the best chance to make a full recovery and return to competing, I really wanted to use a laser to help heal the severe muscle damage she sustained. So I approached Molly Jenkins of EN’s awesome sponsor SpectraVET Therapeutic Lasers about borrowing a laser to treat Mia, and she said yes!

The laser is en route from North Carolina and arrives tomorrow. SpectraVet sent a PRO2 control unit with a visible red wound healing probe, as well as a 2000 mW Cluster probe for use on the muscles around the injury. Christmas has come early for Frankenhorse.

And for an update on our efforts to entertain Mia during the lengthy period of stall rest, we’ve tried a slow-feed hay net and a Jolly Ball thus far. She was extremely offended by the slow-feed hay net — no one should have to work that hard for food. She’s nommed on the Jolly Ball a bit, but has mostly ignored it so far.

Watching a lesson in the indoor arena.

Checking out the action on a busy morning at the barn

We’ve found the best cure for her boredom is to leave her door open with a stall guard in place while one of us is around to supervise her so she can check out what’s going on … and knock over everything around her in the process. I have a few toys on order per your recommendations that we’ll be putting to the test next week, so stay tuned!

I’m incredibly grateful to many people — a great vet in Dr. Wisner, who set us on the path for the success we’ve had so far; Holly Sands, owner and barn manager at Stonewood Farms, who has tag-teamed the wound care with me; the makers of this crazy miracle product Equaide; Peter and Molly Jenkins of SpectraVet for entrusting us with a laser; and the EN community for the kind and supportive comments from the very beginning. #teammia

Thanks, everybody!

Thanks, everybody!

The Frankenhorse Chronicles:

June 27: How My OTTB Decided to Spend the Summer as Frankenhorse

June 30: The Eventer’s Five Stages of Grief

June 30: Adventures in Catastrophic Wound Care

July 7: Frankenhorse Goes Commando and Other Wound Care Tales

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