Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Sarah Ettridge
How unique dressing made a "massive difference" to Henry's recovery
Event rider, Sarah Ettridge, was distraught when she found her 11-year-old ISH gelding, Henry, had struck into himself whilst in the field back in November and found him with blood pumping out of his fetlock.
The vet's initial diagnosis was that he had severed two arteries in his fetlock and damaged several ligaments which could jeopardise his eventing career.
Said Sarah: "The vet came out and stitched him up but really wasn't optimistic as it was extremely nasty and they said I'd be lucky if he would be ok to event again given the extent of the damage. He'd need bandaging and box rest for at least eight weeks but then once the swelling had subsided, a scan to determine the extent of the ligament damage followed by further periods of box rest. I was gutted! At best I was looking at him being on box rest for at least three months but probably six!
"I saw the Equi-Med Ag products advertised in an equestrian magazine, so I enquired about them and ordered a roll of the antibacterial wound dressing plus a pair of the antibacterial stable boots. I had started off with Manuka honey patches for the first week on the wound but then moved onto the dressing.
"At his two week check my vet could not believe the result. The wound had healed really well and was clean and dry. During her visits since she has continued to be amazed at the healing progress and lack of scarring. What she initially thought would take months to heal had taken weeks, days even, with the Equi-Med Ag wound dressing.
"After her examination at the start of December, the vet declared Henry sound with no need for a ligament scan or further visits. The wound looked amazing and I could start riding him again lightly. She couldn't believe it when we unwrapped it for the final time and took the bandages off. What had been a nasty, deep wound, was clean with no scarring or granulation and it looked really healthy and was mending well. She quizzed me about the Equi-Med Ag products and was totally in awe of what it had done in such a short time frame!
"Now, nine weeks on, the wound has totally healed and we are back hacking out and planning our competition schedule. I never thought I'd be back riding him until at least March but he'll be out competing by then!
"I am delighted with the result and the Equi-Med Ag products have made a massive difference to Henry's recovery. We are now looking forward to getting back onto the competitive scene at BE100 before moving up to Novice level later in the year."
The Equi-Med Ag Wound Dressing is designed with a layer of activated carbon and silver fabric which has proven to be very effective at killing bacteria associated with veterinary wounds and skin diseases such as mud fever and cracked heels.
The wound dressing promotes a healthy environment to help accelerate healing and reduce the risk of granulation tissue and it has also proven to reduce swelling.
This unique dressing is the only dressing that applies an activated carbon silver layer directly to the wound so the antibacterial properties are much stronger and it can work directly onto the wound.
The Equi-Med Ag Wound Dressing is available in 1m or 2m rolls is priced from £29.95.
For more information on all of the Equi-Med Ag products please visit www.EquiMedAg.co.uk or call on 0191 5118323 or 0777 5577165.