06/11/2026
We want to highlight a recent success story here at Bend Equine! Mercy, a promising 6 year old reining gelding, just starting his career had a freak accident in a warm up arena, causing a very serious heel bulb injury. Initially, based on the location of the injury, there was serious concern that the laceration had damaged the digital flexor tendon sheath or the coffin joint. Careful aseptic sampling and distension of these important structures was performed and revealed that these structures had remained uninjured. (Lucky boy!) We recommended a suturing and a bandage cast for two weeks, which his owners agreed to. When the cast was removed, the wound was completely sealed and the skin almost closed. See the last picture for the "after" picture. He is already back in training just 4 weeks after the injury!
Although unconventional, bandage casts are excellent tools for bandaging heel bulb wounds because they greatly reduce the amount of motion in the foot. This, in turn, greatly reduces the healing time and prevents the excessive scar tissue that can form in this area. (Heel bulb lacerations often take 6-8 weeks to heal if bandaged routinely.) Bandage casts do have a higher up-front cost, but they are often cheaper in the long run because bandage material costs can add up quickly over 6-8 weeks. Drs Jensen, Ward, and Smith are very happy with the outcome and we wish Mercy lots of success during his upcoming show season.
As always, Bend Equine Medical Center is available 24/7 to provide thoughtful and thorough equine emergency care! 541-388-4006
