21/09/2026
⚠️⚠️⚠️GRAPHIC CONTENT⚠️⚠️
Sunday morning special🤦♀️— horses sure do love keeping us busy and finding ways to hurt themselves, even in the safest of paddocks 🐴
This poor guy was very lucky to be found by his owners quickly, while the wound was still extremely fresh. Some brilliantly innovative first-aid wound dressing kept the area protected until Dr Bec arrived.
At first glance, the injury appeared reasonably superficial. However, further exploration once sedated revealed that the wound extended very deep, passing through multiple layers of muscle over the shoulder blade.
Thankfully, despite its depth, there was very little contamination — a huge advantage when dealing with a wound like this.
After thorough assessment and cleaning, the wound required three separate internal layers of closure before the skin could finally be brought together. The final closure involved nearly two staple guns, along with several tension sutures to help reduce strain on the wound edges and reduce further subcutaneous emphysema (air under the skin).
Despite an entire hour of suturing, this lovely patient was an absolute saint and barely moved a muscle throughout the whole procedure. ❤️
Deep wounds like this are a good reminder that what you see on the surface does not always reflect the true extent of an injury underneath. Early veterinary assessment is especially important when wounds occur over areas containing significant muscle, joints, bone, tendon sheaths or other important structures.
For now, 🤞 for uncomplicated healing and a rapid recovery for this poor boy. 🤞🐴
