Equine wound care updates sharpen focus on topical therapy choices

Equine wound care remains a high-friction area of practice, and two recent educational pieces are reinforcing a familiar message: there’s no single topical product that works for every horse wound. A VETgirl webinar led by Holly A. Roessner, DACVS-LA, reviewed the phases of wound healing, how to assess whether a wound is progressing appropriately, and how to choose among available topical therapies. Vet Times, in an overview by Dave Rendle, similarly emphasized that equine wounds are unusually challenging because presentation varies widely, distal limb wounds often heal slowly, and treatment decisions need to reflect wound type, depth, contamination, and involvement of deeper structures. (vetgirlontherun.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the bigger takeaway isn’t a new drug or product launch, but a reminder that topical selection is only one part of wound management. Current guidance and commentary suggest clinicians should be cautious about routine use of some products in acute wounds, particularly silver sulfadiazine, and should focus on lavage, debridement, moisture balance, bandaging, and repeat assessment. BEVA’s wound management guidance says tap water can be considered for lavage, povidone iodine lavage may be useful for contaminated wounds, topical silver sulfadiazine may not be suitable for acute wounds, and honey may shorten some phases of healing. Newer research also shows that even a treatment vehicle can affect outcomes: in a 2023 experimental equine wound model, an 80% propylene glycol gel slowed healing compared with controls. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: Expect more attention on biofilm-focused wound care, since AAEP highlighted chronic non-healing wounds and biofilm-based strategies in a 2025 educational roundtable for equine practitioners. (aaep.org)