| Summer 2003
Spartacus
- Monster Laceration
Spartacus is a 5-year-old Spotted Saddle Horse gelding that sustained
a monster laceration by... believe it or not... simply walking into
a stall
The
Injury
Have you ever wondered if horses would be safer without man-made
structures getting in their way? Spartacus, a beautiful 5-year-old
Spotted Saddle Horse gelding, presented to The Atlanta Equine Clinic
for a laceration of his right thigh that was sustained (believe
it or not) by simply walking into a stall.
The stall latch was protruding out just enough
to snag a piece of skin while Spartacus was entering his stall.
As the skin remained
hooked on the latch, it
tore away from the underlying tissue, creating a large flap
that continued to peel back as Spartacus
walked on. By the time
Spartacus stopped walking, the latch had penetrated approximately
4 inches into the underlying biceps femoris
muscle.
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The
Treatment
Since
Spartacus is owned
by a husband and wife
team of medical physicians
(one of whom is an
emergency surgeon),
the wound was kept
fairly clean until
he was transported
to the hospital. Primary
closure was performed
at the clinic in 4
separate layers while
Spartacus was standing
and sedated. Care was
taken to line up Spartacus’ color
pattern and therefore
minimize any postoperative
blemish. Due to expected
necrosis (death) of
the tip of the skin
flap, that portion
was overlapped onto
normal tissue to accommodate
for wound contraction
during healing. A large
drain was also placed
within the wound to
enhance postoperative
evacuation of serum. |
The
Results
Due
to the high-motion
nature of the tissue
over the thigh area,
healing of the wound
took a couple of
months. A permanent
defect within the
biceps femoris muscle
was expected in lieu
of the degree of
trauma, although
it is now barely
detectable.
Spartacus
has currently
resumed his normal
activity and
is
performing well. No alteration
in gait or lameness is evident,
and the scar from the injury
is almost nonexistent.
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