When it comes to suturing a horse’s wound closed, timing is everything. You’ve probably heard that a veterinarian can’t stitch up an “old” wound, and generally that’s true. But determining when that threshold is crossed isn’t always straightforward.

How old is the wound?

To be successfully sutured, a wound needs to have fresh, healthy edges that can be pulled together. In the hours after an injury, however, bacteria may colonize the wound and swelling may occur. In addition, the body’s own healing mechanism will kick in after about 24 hours and disrupting the resulting granulation tissue can impair healing. For all those reasons, your veterinarian may opt to leave an older wound open, rather than stitching it up.

Is the wound contaminated

On the other hand, a veterinarian may debride the wound—a process in which contaminated or non-vital tissues are removed—and then apply sutures. Or, if a wound is swollen or contaminated, a veterinarian may decide to cleanse the area and administer antibiotics and anti-inflammatories for a day before stitching it up.

Given all these variables, you probably don’t want to determine on your own whether a wound is “too old” to suture. Instead, consult your veterinarian. In the meantime, resist the urge to apply any thick wound creams or sprays containing particulates on the area. Those make it impossible to suture the area, even if it needs it.

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