To adequately prepare for successful splints and bandages, Holly Stewart, VMD, PhD, Dipl. ACVS (LA), assistant professor of large animal surgery at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center, recommends having “a host” of options available, including cling gauze, brown gauze, cast padding, and Elastikon. She gave practitioners bandaging and splinting advice during a Burst presentation at the 2024 AAEP Convention.
Indications for Bandages
Indications for bandages are following injuries/accidents or postoperatively, such as after arthroscopy or other sterile procedures. If an incision is present, you should always wear gloves when bandaging at the level of the skin.
“Most postoperative infections are because people are handling incisions without gloves,” said Stewart.
Equine Bandaging Technique
Place brown gauze over the cotton layer for compression and structure—bandages without the brown gauze tend to wrinkle and fold. You can place Vetrap over the brown gauze layer. Applying Elastikon at the top and bottom of the bandage will stop foreign material from getting between the skin and the bandage.
“When bandaging around the carpus (knee) and tarsus (hock), apply a sufficient amount of Elastikon around these areas of flexion so that you don’t have a bandage ‘blow out,’” said Stewart.
Dressing Selection
Tailor the type of dressing you place over the wound toward the phase of wound healing. A wet-to-dry bandage with hypertonic saline and Manuka honey ointments and pads might facilitate debridement. Calcium alginate pads can encourage granulation tissue formation.
“Make sure to read wound dressings carefully as some products are a combination of dressing types. And when using calcium alginate, make sure to apply this dressing on the wound itself and not over the top of the skin,” Stewart advised.
Once a mature bed of granulation tissue is present, use foam and colloid dressings to promote epithelialization and wound contraction while promoting an ideal wound environment. In some cases, you can use collagen and extracellular membrane products during the later remodeling phase of wound healing. These dressings help provide a scaffold for cellular ingrowth.
Splinting
When it comes to splinting, Stewart recommended considering it carefully.
“A well-applied bandage is better than a poorly applied splint,” she said. “Have a roll of duct tape available for splinting to help secure your splint on top of your bandage.”
Finally, Stewart mentioned that casts beyond the foot can be technically difficult to apply and remove in the field, but a bandage cast is a great option if the horse needs additional distal limb support.
“When in doubt, contacting your local referral center can be a great way to share ideas and come up with a plan that works best for you, your client, and the horse,” Stewart said.
Related Reading
- Mastering Regional Limb Perfusions in Horses
- Antimicrobial Stewardship With Honey
- Administration of Medical-Grade Honey in Synovial Structures
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