The Birth of Equiderma Calendula Wound Ointment

While running Telesis Animal Rescue I’ve had many occasions where wound care became an issue. We only take in severe medical , neglect and abuse cases so I have lots of opportunity and experience in handling wounds of the worst kind.

In the beginning I used the traditional wash with betadine or chlorhexadine scrub, apply Corona or Furasin, and hope for the best. This approach was not the best. I think it was just a little bit better than nothing. Didn’t seem to hurt the wound… didn’t seem to help much either. Large wounds took a long time to heal, there was always the issue of flies to deal with especially in a summertime heat wave and a really bad wound, and proud flesh was always a worry. Still I continued to use this approach until Tink came along.

TINK

Tink, a huge paint gelding with a disposition every horse owner dreams of, was in trouble. He had run into a long piece of rebar that was sticking out from a fence and had ripped a hole in his chest so large you could literally stick your arm in, as I did many times while cleaning and debriding the wound. Our vets instruction was to wash the wound twice a day and apply furisan or Corona to it. Stitching the wound was not recommended as it was too deep and large, needed to drain, and because of movement to the area the stitches would have pulled out anyway. The only course of action was to keep it as clean as possible and wait for it to granulate in. Estimated time to heal - three months. After a week of using the traditional approach and not seeing any real results I became frustrated. Flies were swarming around and inside the wound. Every morning when I came to tend it there was a slimy two foot long rope of serum and blood hanging from Tinks chest. The smell was awful. I had already gone through two fly sheets because the itching and irritation of the site caused Tink to bite at the wound and rip the fly sheets off. Homeade bandages made of ripped sheets to cover the wound were a joke and usually ended up draped over Tinks head or lying on the ground.. I decided to take matters into my own hands.

CALENDULA TO THE RESCUE

For years I had used calendula for wound care in my home. My mother had taught me the use of this herb in wound healing, her mother before her, and so on. So what the heck… Why wasn’t I using it in the barn? I decided on a new course of action. I flushed the wound with chlorhexadine 2% solution and then I slathered calendula ointment inside and out, said goodnight to the eternally patient Tink and headed to bed. The next morning to my astonishment his wound had dramatically improved. There was no rope of serum/blood hanging from it and it was dry, with no noxious odor as before. No flies buzzing in and out. The entire split in the middle of his chest seemed to have tightened up and into itself. I was on to something here. Thank you Mother Nature! Tink and I continued our twice daily routine. Everyday the wound got better and better and within two weeks the wound was completely closed . I continued the daily applications of calendula to lessen the scar and the chance of proud flesh. Six weeks after Tinks injury there was no scar, no proud flesh… no evidence of the horrible injury he had sustained.

Too good to be true, but it is. The truth. This episode began a totally new approach to wound care at TELESIS ANIMAL RESCUE. Calendula ointment was used exclusively with great success.

JIM

And then there was Jim the young and spunky Quarter horse who had gotten tangled in a downed clothes line. The line had gotten wrapped around his right hind pastern joint and had cut through the tendons and down to the bone. He was unable to use it at all. The only options were to put him down or to give him a chance and see how he did. We opted for the latter.

Thanks to the expertise of Dr. LeAnne Kubelbeck D.V.M. of the Surgicare Center for Horses, in Brandon Florida, and the amazing skill of farrier Bernard Pelletier (one of the best farriers in the world… he can fix anything… the mans a genius) a special shoe was made that wrapped around Jim’s hoof, up his leg and around the lower half of his cannon bone. Special padding was placed under the metal to prevent cutting and chafing of the leg. This immobilized the pastern joint so that healing could take place. A daily regimen began. Several volunteers and I would take off the shoe twice a day, wash and debride the wound, and apply our special calendula ointment. No easy task. Jim couldn’t walk on his injured leg, but he could sure kick. The goal was to clean it without it moving very much. Jim wasn’t always cooperative and often had to be tranquilized in order to prevent injury to the site, but a miracle was taking place. Jim’s wound was healing! In record time it had gone from a horrible ragged gash to a closed, nicely healing wound with no proud flesh that is so common in this area.

Jim was stall confined at night, but during the day we set up a 10’ x 10” portable paddock for him, so he wouldn’t lose his spirit being stall confined. In record time Jim’s leg healed and he was ready for adoption. He was adopted by a young vet. tech who worked for the Surgicare Horse Center and so began the love affair between Michelle and Jim. She renamed him Majestic. Our Little Jim, backyard quarter horse with an injury that could end his life had become MAJESTIC! We were so proud of how far he had come. Majestic went on to have a happy riding career with Michelle and the two are living happily ever after. Jim’s injury very easily could have ended his life except for the expertise of Bernard Pelletier and Equiderma Wound Ointment… and oh yeah’…. a little bit of help from his friends. Thank God for natural cures and Equiderma Calendula Wound Ointment!

SWEETIE

The story of Sweetie began on a late summer afternoon when two local farriers stopped by the rescue to tell us of a horse that was in trouble. Apparently this horse had been seen lying down in her pasture for many days with several dogs attacking her. A call to the sheriffs agricultural crimes unit was made and we were given instructions to go check on the horse and bring her back to the rescue. If her situation was as dire as reported she would need to be taken to Telesis Animal Rescue right away. With trailer in tow I headed out. Upon arrival I discovered little Sweetie.

Emaciated, and with the hollow eyes of a horse whose spirit has been broken. She was in bad shape indeed. She had sores all over her body , and her left hind leg, croup and flank area was hot, and swollen so badly it looked as if it would burst. Several big dogs came out from under the house to see what we were doing with the horse they had so enjoyed making sport of. Bite marks on her haunches face and ears made it apparent what they had been up to. Her negligent owners had abandoned all care and left Sweetie with no shelter to the hot Florida sun and at the mercy of the dogs. We had to get her out of there. No one was home at the old worn out trailer in the middle of nowhere. It was decided to load Sweetie, if we could, and leave a note for the owners to call the Sheriffs Dept. and Humane Society for more information. After some fervent coaxing we were able to get Sweetie to her feet and into the trailer. Hers was a life or death situation and I think she knew we were there to help her. After a few days of good food and stall rest Sweetie was able to make the trip to the Brandon Surgi-Care Center for Horses to evaluate the extent of her wounds. Sweetie had 21 severe bed sores. The worst was on her left hip on the side where her leg was so swollen. As we were debriding that particular wound it burst open and gallons of pus came gushing out. After it was completely debrided and cleaned up, the top of her pelvic bone was completely exposed about 4 inches. Just bare raw bone. The wound was 4 inches deep and 10 inches across. We could manually manipulate the bone so we knew it was broken even before nuclear scintoghraphy confirmed that indeed it was. Estimated time for the wound to granulate in and the bone to be covered… 1year. Sweetie and I had a long road ahead of us.

What Happened to Sweetie?

As the story unfolded we found out what happened to her. On the land where Sweetie was kept was a pond. The owners had filled this pond over the years with concrete and other debris from cleaning up construction sites, which was their business. One day Sweetie had decided to go for a swim and couldn’t get out of the pond because of all the broken concrete and rubble. The owners solution? To pull her out of the pond with a tractor and chain attached to her left hind leg, breaking her pelvic bone in the process. No subsequent medical care, or care at all is what brought her to the horrible state in which we found her. She had lain in that yard for three months before help arrived. We had lots of work ahead of us if we were going to help this little mare heal. Stall confinement and daily treatment of her wounds was in order. Once again the magical Equiderma Calendula Wound Ointment came to the rescue. In three months the worst of her bedsores had granulated in with no proud flesh and only a thinning of the hair in those areas left evidence of what had happened to her. Sweetie wasn’t sweet. Sweetie was a spit fire, she didn’t like having her wounds treated every day, but it had to be done. It was a love hate relationship - meaning she loved to hate me, in the beginning at least. With lots of love, patience and carrots her bedsores and her pelvis healed. Her veterinarians and I were amazed at how fast this was accomplished and my faith in healing power of calendula and it’s use in treating wounds was as strong as ever.

These are just a few examples of how Equiderma Calendula Wound Ointment helped the horses who found their way to Telesis Animal Rescue.

Want to know more about this amazing herb?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Calendula?

Calendula is an annual plant that thrives in almost any soil but can typically be found in Europe, Western Asia, and the United States. It belongs to the same family as daisies, chrysanthemums, and ragweed. Its branching stems grow to a height of 30 - 60 cm, and it blooms from early spring until frost. The orange-yellow petals of the flower heads are used medicinally. Calendula has a long history of use as a wound-healing and skin-soothing botanical. This lovely marigold-like flower (although called pot marigold, it is not a true marigold) is considered a vulnerary agent, a substance that promotes healing. Calendula also has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activity. It is most often used topically for lacerations, abrasions, and skin infections. Calendula oil is classed as a macerated or infused oil, where the plant material is infused in oil. The botanical material is later removed, leaving the oil with the properties of the botanical material.

Why Is Calendula so Good For Wounds?