Abstract
In horses, cutaneous wound healing is laborious, due to the particular physiology of the specie and the complexity of handling with dressings, which frequently result in chronicity and formation of exuberant granulation tissue. In addition, once wounds are located on the limbs, especially on the joints, an association of factors may compromise cicatrization, such as constant mobility and predisposition to contamination, slowing even more the healing process. Therefore, there is a constant search for effective therapeutic resources, considering that, currently, the use of medicinal plants presents itself as an alternative therapy to conventional treatment, avoiding the indiscriminate use of antimicrobial based products. The balsam (Sedum Dendroideum) is a plant popularly known for some of its therapeutic properties, such as analgesics, anti-inflammatory and healing, being traditionally used for wound healing by people in the countryside. This study aims to evaluate the healing process of skin wounds in horses by using macerated balsam leaves. Eight horses will be used, in which two wounds will be induced, one on each lateral region of the metacarpophalangeal joint, and treated with balsam ointment (left thoracic limb) or with liquid vaseline (right thoracic limb). Wounds will be evaluated using macroscopic and microscopic features. It is hypothesized that the balsam mays accelerate the healing process and reduce the formation of granulation tissue, stimulating its use in horses' skin wound treatment, as an alternative therapy, efficient and low cost.
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