A Horse Injury That Means Business

So, what is proud flesh and how do you know its happening to your horse? What horse supplies do you need to treat it?

Proud flesh is granulated tissue formed as a wound heals.

As your horse’s wound beings to heal, a pinkish tissue begins to fill the gaps between soft tissues. Normally the tissue stops forming as the skin grows together to close the wound. With proud flesh, the tissue continues to grow until it bulges above skin level making it so newly formed skin can’t grow over the wound, forming a painful skin condition.

Proud flesh is most commonly formed below your horse’s knees and hocks, mainly in a horse’s joints, because there is little soft tissue between skin and bone. It is also likely to form in place with lots of movements, such as joints.

To prevent proud flesh, minimizing movement and preventing infection of the wound are essential. If the wound can be sutured, have your veterinarian do so as soon as possible. Bandaging the wound with a pressure wrap can also help minimize movement as well as hold the wound’s edges together.

Farnam has a product called Wonder Dust (price: $8.95) that is used as a dressing powder and blood coagulant for use on wounds, abrasions, and capillary bleeding. This drying agent contains activated charcoal to aid in the prevention of proud flesh by controlling tissue granulations. It’s a must-have for barn supplies.

If your horse’s wound has already taken on proud flesh symptoms, one option your vet may suggest is to trim the tissue to skin level. This will allow your horse’s skin to begin growing across the wound.

The other option for treatment is to medicate. Proudsoff Proud Flesh Ointment (price: $8.35) from Creative Science helps in the control and removal of proud flesh. To use this product you simply cover the area affected with a thin coating of Proudsoff once daily.

Hopefully, this overview gave you a better idea of what proud flesh is, how it can be prevented, and what products work best in treating your horse’s wounds. Attentiveness is key in the prevention of all injuries and illnesses, so make sure to be on top of the condition of your horse.

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