“When I originally saw Sox For Horses in use I kept them in the back of my mind, but was skeptical, as I am about most things. I don’t believe jack until proven otherwise,” Erica Lacher, DVM, of Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Florida, told Sox For Horses, Inc. creator and president Raymond Petterson of Tallahassee. “But I can’t argue with the results I’ve seen using Sox For Horses Silver Whinnys.”
When Lacher responded to a farm call last August, she found Coby, a 20 year-old Paint horse who had fallen through the rotted wooden flooring of an old work trailer, shearing the flesh from his legs all the way to the bone. “We saw a horse who had sustained horrific wounds. Initially we treated him with sutures, splinting and bandaging.”
The first urgency, after freeing the stocky, 15.1-hand gelding, was getting his exposed bone covered. “Bone doesn’t take air well,” Lacher said. “Bone is designed to be covered. Otherwise it can dry out and die. If that happens then the wounds can’t heal across it.”
A Springhill Equine client who worked as a lab technician at the University of Florida-Gainesville, had previously mentioned the success he had using mare placenta (amnion) in eye and wound healing. Lacher reached out, presenting Coby’s case to UF as a potential candidate for their program.
“Five days later, we processed the amnion and did the process. We laid Coby down (you can do it standing) and wrapped the bone. Two days later, we removed the bandages and repeated the process. We did that three times in the first three weeks. By the third week, we saw new epithelial tissue. Once we had the legs at a point where we no longer had to use a splint, we switched to Sox For Horses Silver Whinnys,” Lacher said.
“This is medical science at its best,” added Petterson. “Dr. Lacher immediately contacted UF, obtained the placental tissue and wrapped Coby’s injured legs with it. The results only three days later were noticeable: the placenta had brought such fast tissue regeneration.
“Silver Whinnys were put in use about 60 days into the healing process, once the tissue was durable enough to sustain them as the bandage. If you think about how critical the leg wounds were,” he said, “this veterinarian and her use of placental tissue made astounding progress. I only wish she had known sooner that we also make a deconstructed Sox for use as protective ‘tubing,’ but the bottom line is, a horse was not only saved but is sound.”
Lacher concluded, “Honestly, I could have started using Sox a week earlier. I was amazed by how well the tissue responded. All I initially wanted was a sock, then I saw how well the legs responded to the silver yarn in these. From a scientific standpoint, I knew silver could work, I just didn’t expect it to work so fast. Coby’s epithelium loved Silver Whinnys!”
“Sox For Horses has a fantastic product that allows air to flow while protecting the healing process. It’s the right combination of ‘dry’ and ‘wet,’ and I’ve been amazed at how great wounds and tissue look. These were easy for his owner to use, cut down on bandaging costs and, most importantly, had Coby’s wounds looking fantastic,” she said. “We put a wound care ointment, Wound Wonder, on as well and it worked great underneath.”
As for Coby? Six months after his accident Lacher reported, “He’s ready to do more moving. He cut the extensor tendon on one hind leg so he’s working through some mechanical issues but headed in the right direction.”
Silver Whinnys are knitted to allow air to reach skin while offering all the attributes leading to successful leg protection. Embedded silver in the yarn inhibits growth of bacteria, fungi, and mold in the socks, providing a clean environment around each leg; the yarn wicks moisture from the skin, creating a dry tissue surface; and insects cannot penetrate its double layer to inflict more damage or infection. These qualities add up to a clean barrier that can protect the legs while they heal and prevent insects and dirt from reaching compromised tissue.
“Silver Whinnys,” said Petterson, “are designed to assist owners in resolving difficult injuries like Coby’s while utilizing the best there is to offer in a bandage or barrier.” Sox For Horses Inc. is an American-made product and company. Summer Whinnys and Silver Whinnys equine leg wear have been helping owners better help their equines since 2007. Visit www.soxforhorses.com or call 850-907-5724.