🩹 Vet Innovation 2025: Healing Equine Leg Wounds with Platelet Rich Fibrin 🐴🧬

Author: Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc

Healing wounds on a horse’s lower leg is never easy. Whether it’s due to proud flesh, infection, or just poor blood flow, these injuries can take weeks—or even months—to heal. But now, thanks to advances in regenerative therapy, Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF) is changing the game in equine wound care. 🐎🧪

🔍 Why Lower Leg Wounds Are So Challenging

Wounds on the lower legs are especially difficult to treat due to:

• 🩸 Poor blood circulation in the area
• 🧱 Increased risk of proud flesh (excess granulation tissue)
• 💥 Frequent movement that disrupts healing
• 🔬 Exposure to dirt and bacteria that increase infection risk

Most of these wounds cannot be sutured effectively, leaving an open site that requires constant wrapping and cleaning. In many cases, healing takes months. 🕒

💉 What Is Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF)?

Platelet Rich Fibrin is a solid, bioactive material made from a horse’s own blood. Unlike platelet rich plasma (PRP), which is a liquid, PRF is processed into a fibrin clot—a solid that can be:

• 🩹 Applied directly to the wound
• 🧵 Sutured onto the wound surface
• 🧬 Fully absorbed into the tissue as healing progresses

This structure allows consistent contact with the wound bed, overcoming the limitations of liquid PRP which can easily drain away. 🧬💪

🧬 How Does It Work?

PRF is created by drawing a small amount of the horse’s blood and centrifuging it to remove red blood cells. What remains is a dense fibrin matrix rich in platelets and white blood cells. When applied to a wound, it:

• 🔬 Releases growth factors that accelerate healing
• 📈 Promotes new tissue formation with minimal scarring
• 🧪 Provides natural immune defense through leukocytes
• 🧲 Encourages tissue regeneration and reduces inflammation

📈 Benefits of Platelet Rich Fibrin in 2025

• ✅ Speeds up healing time
• ✅ Reduces the formation of proud flesh
• ✅ Decreases need for daily wound management
• ✅ Biocompatible—no risk of rejection

Because PRF is derived from the horse’s own blood, it is fully natural and safe. This allows for frequent applications without adverse reactions. 🐴💉

🧪 PRF vs. PRP: What’s the Difference?

🧠 Vet Tip from Dr Duncan Houston

"PRF has transformed how we manage hard-to-heal wounds. It’s especially effective on leg injuries where sutures aren’t an option and proud flesh is common." 🐴🩺

🩺 When to Ask Your Vet About PRF

Consider PRF therapy if your horse has:

• 🩹 A wound that can’t be sutured
• ⏱️ A slow-healing lower leg injury
• 📉 Excessive granulation tissue (proud flesh)
• 🔁 Chronic or recurring infection

PRF is especially helpful in lameness cases tied to open wounds, where traditional care has not yielded full healing. 🧬🦵

🔚 Final Thoughts: Regenerative Healing Is Here

With the help of regenerative medicine like Platelet Rich Fibrin, equine wound care is evolving. This natural, effective therapy accelerates healing and helps avoid the complications that come with prolonged inflammation and scar tissue. Talk to your vet about whether PRF could help your horse’s next wound heal faster—and better. 🐎🧠

Want to learn more about PRF and advanced equine therapies? Visit AskAVet.com or download the Ask A Vet app for access to licensed vet advice anytime. 📱🩹