HEALING POWERS Simon

Healing Powers

SIMON HENNESSY, SPECIALIST SURGEON AT ANGLESEY LODGE EQUINE HOSPITAL, TELLS US ABOUT THE PRACTICE AND TALKS US THROUGH SOME HANDY DO’S AND DON’TS OF FIRST AID

Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital was established in 1976 by Ned Gowing, serving the Kildare and West Wicklow area and providing 24-hour service, 365 days of the year. Noreen Madden works in the laboratory and the veterinary team is made up of partners Thomas Austin, Mark MacRedmond and Juan Francisco Perez Olmos, with Ana Moreira specialising in internal medicine and associates Bena Hickey, Helen Webster, Helena Burns, Miguel Rodrigues, Una Boyle and Maria Joao Rosa also providing expert aid. Overseeing the state-of-the-art practice is Manager Catherine McAvinney.

Offering a wide range of routine and highly specialised veterinary care, the ambulatory veterinary surgeons have the equipment and facilities at the clinic to offer specialised medical and surgical care when needed, serving both pleasure and performance horses.

Sports medicine encompasses the structural, physiological, medical and surgical needs of the equine athlete and at Anglesey Lodge we are proud to provide the most up to date diagnostic equipment, allowing us to detect subtle musculoskeletal, upper/lower respiratory tract and cardiac performance-limiting abnormalities. Services include advanced lameness investigation, gastroscopy, digital radiography, digital musculoskeletal ultrasound including 3D, extra corporeal shock wave therapy, over-ground dynamic endoscopy, cardiac ultrasound, exercising and 24-hour telemetric ECG monitoring and cell-based therapies including stem cells, PRP and IRAP.

Obviously, when your horse is out of training and at home in your care you would hope never to have to use our services, but a very common issue you will probably have to face at some point is a wound. The type of wound, and importantly where the wound is, varies, so treatment isn’t clear-cut. The first question is whether to apply first aid or call your vet and if you are at all concerned, you should speak to your vet.

If the wound is full thickness or over a vital structure, your vet is needed. Even a tiny prick in a vulnerable place requires veterinary intervention. If dealt with and stitched, the healing process could be up to two weeks. If not, repeat treatment will be needed and healing could take up to six weeks. A quick stitch is the most economical option.

If the wound is dirty, lightly wash the area with a weak saline solution. I wouldn’t advise hosing down the wound, as tap water is hypotonic, leeching away the natural healing process. Live cells absorb the water and swell, rather like when we stay in the bath too long and go wrinkly.

I wouldn’t be a fan of iodine, at best it should be a very weak solution of 0.05% and if it looks darker than weak tea, it’s too strong. While it does kill bacteria, it can’t determine harmful bacteria and takes away the good with the bad.

The stages of healing run in sequence and each must complete before the next. The first stage is the clotting process which stops the bleeding. Next comes the inflammatory phase, which clears out the debris and infected tissue. Finally, the regeneration and repair of the skin tissue occurs. In a normal situation, this leads to the formation of scar tissue.

Successful wound management can improve the outcome by reducing the length of inflammation, increasing the intensity of the inflammatory response and ensuring that adequate cleansing occurs to reduce bacteria, allowing the final phase to complete.

Honey may be useful for some, but not all wounds. It isn’t sterile, so it will bring in bacteria. Layering on large amounts is not a good idea; it’s best to apply a very light film two or three times a day. It’s one of those situations where more is not better. Manuka honey, and Irish and Scottish Heather honey, have been identified as an excellent source of antimicrobial and antioxidants.

The best tip is to retain the wound surface layer of moisture and allow it to do what it’s meant to; another good reason not to wash the wound. Let the surface layer of the wound heal as nature intends.