[Rhythm 'n Blues]

Originally Posted by runningcows

Verdict: Torn muscle.

We have found something uncomplicated that works (depending upon the size of the wound, if there is one for your horse). If you stack wrap (wrap lower leg, then knee), then wrap the top with Elastikon (sticky gauze tape), then another wrap on the upper (we're using two wraps on the upper, so three layers; elastikon, wrap 1, wrap 2). It's been staying up pretty nicely. I rewrap every day just to make sure everything is going well, but if I didn't have to, I wouldn't need to.

Runningcouws -- elastikon is SUPER expensive! (about $10 a roll for most to buy) My goodness! When I had a horse in my care who had opened up the front of the hock joint, I was wrapping from heel to stiffle. The Ontario Vet College (where this horses' surgery was done) had told me to use elastikon, but hte price on it was just ridiculous! When my vet came out to do his 1st follow-up since being home, I asked if I could use vet wrap and he said yes, just make sure it doesn't slide down, and that it holds up well. So here is what my wrap consided of:

• 2pkgs of 4 each laboratomy sponges put at the front of the hock to absorb any & ann discharge (this was done in a figure 8 pattern with cling bandage)
• Regular stabble wrap done on the bottom of the leg, that had to meet up with the bottom 1/2 of the Lab Sponges.
• One entire cotton roll wraped around the top of the leg from mid hock to stiffle using cling bandage.
• Wrap another stabgle wrap on the bottom leg.
• Wrap another entire cotton roll around the top of the leg from mid hock to stiffle using cling bandage.
• Wrap over the last cotton roll with vet wrap (took me 1.5rolls) and do 1 round onto the stabble wrap to keep everything closed up.
• Go around the very top of the wrap (up by the stiffle) with hockey tape! Yup, hockey tape was what saved the day, as it moves & allows for some stretch just like a regular wrap.

I had to re-do it every single day & it stayed on for about 2months! I was very very lucky that I worked in a vet hospital, as that allowed me to take all my wraps & Lab Sponges & cling bandages home, wash them in the washer, roll or fold them back up and take them into work and put them thru the autoclave to sterilze them. If I didn't have that option and I had to throw everything out each day, each wrap would have cost me $10.95! And that is with me purchasing everything thru work at COST! So if an avergae person had gone thru this, it would have cost them about $20 a day to wrap that horse! My cost, because I could re-use everything was about $2-3 a day.

Perhaps layering wraps like I did will help you?!? Having everything so *thick* also eliminates some movement from the horse, and I'm not sure you want that in your case, but it was not certainly a good thing in my case

Also get some vet wrap & hockey tape, it REALLY works well, and the hockey tape is much cheaper than bandage tape