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Discussion on Smelly wound
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New Member:
gtoupin
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Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 1:36 pm:
My horse was cut by her steel shelter. The people running the boarding stable called me at 9 am and said it was minor - no vet required. I got there after work, about 9 hours later, and the metal had cut him like a razor. There was a flap of skin about 1" wide and 1" high, full skin thickness. I called the vet but he said it was too late to put in stitches. I've been using gauze and vetwrap and some antibiotic cream on the gauze for the first 4 days. It seems to be healing well. No heat, no swelling, no lameness, he's happy. I replace the gauze and vetwrap every day. However, when I take off the gauze it smells. Is this normal? Does it indicate its starting to get infected? I don't really want to call out the vet unless there's good reason.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 12:13 pm:
Hello Gina T,
Since we cannot smell the wound it is hard to say. Odor normally develops but some are normal others not. Abnormal odors can simply mean you are not cleaning the wound thoroughly or cleaning often enough. It may also indicate serious tissue infection. For more on assessing and caring for wounds see Diseases of Horses » Skin Diseases, Wounds, and Swellings » Wounds / Burns » Long Term Deep Wound Care. If you remain uncertain as to the significance of the odor you should contact your veterinarian to help you with determining whether this is serious or not.
DrO
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