The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: PipKelpy on January 14, 2022, 02:05:07 pm

Title: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: PipKelpy on January 14, 2022, 02:05:07 pm
And my stars said good things about money!

First lambs had to be born by c-section a week ago. Excellent vet, I was very good, I didn't look (have brilliant peripheral vision!) whilst I held down ewe. I don't know what hurt the most, my knees or my back! On TV they must speed things up!

Right, lambs out, stitched up, sprayed etc (ewe been going out since Tuesday and currently out in Sun with them).

The vet uses Vetquinol Aluspray (breathable/waterproof)

Mum says get some "just in case" (that's what we're like, you never know!) I have got couple of cans coming at just over £15 a can. Have looked, CANT find them any cheaper!

My question is this - Have any of you used anything similar but cheaper, that works or is this the stuff to buy because its the best?

Dechra do their version but it doesn't have WATERPROOF on it and the Aluspray DOES, also stating suitable for UNHOUSED animals.
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: Rupert the bear on January 14, 2022, 03:36:32 pm
£15 is about the ballpark price, its brilliant stuff I have used it from disbudding wounds , minor injuries when the billys have a session and on myself to the horror of nurse, on my leg ulcers and large deeper than usual grazing
( thus cementing my reputation of eccentricity ).
Just one thing , once you have started using the spray can it will loose its pressure over a couple of months .
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: twizzel on January 14, 2022, 03:46:46 pm
Blue spray would probably be fine, that’s all we’ve used post c section on both cows and sheep. The vet has always used aluspray after stitching up, then we’ve carried on with blue spray.
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: Anke on January 14, 2022, 04:26:52 pm
As said above for initial wound treatment (here mainly disbudding of goat kids) the silver spray is brilliant, much better than the blue AB spray. I have found that the scab stays on much longer with the silver spray, so I only need the blue stuff once the wound is almost healed. So I would have some blue Terramycin spray at hand but otherwise let it heal as is. I assume she is on lomg acting AB's as well?
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: Fleecewife on January 14, 2022, 04:57:53 pm
£15 is about the ballpark price, its brilliant stuff I have used it from disbudding wounds , minor injuries when the billys have a session and on myself to the horror of nurse, on my leg ulcers and large deeper than usual grazing
( thus cementing my reputation of eccentricity ).
Just one thing , once you have started using the spray can it will loose its pressure over a couple of months .

Off the record [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] , how successful is the aluminium spray on leg ulcers?  Does it speed up healing, assist healing, or just maintain them from getting worse? Or did they get worse with your treatment?  Not that I have leg ulcers, but I was a nurse for many years, so professional curiosity  8)

Our vet used it on a shearling tup which had torn off a section of skull attached to a side horn (caught up with another tup's horn and they each twisted one off) He had to reach in to pinch shut the pulsing artery then packed the whole open wound and sprayed with aluminium spray over the whole site.  That tup is still with us, 3 horned, but the other tup didn't fare so well.  I don't know if the fact that the second vet didn't use aluminium spray had anything to do with it.....
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: PipKelpy on January 14, 2022, 05:36:03 pm
As said above for initial wound treatment (here mainly disbudding of goat kids) the silver spray is brilliant, much better than the blue AB spray. I have found that the scab stays on much longer with the silver spray, so I only need the blue stuff once the wound is almost healed. So I would have some blue Terramycin spray at hand but otherwise let it heal as is. I assume she is on lomg acting AB's as well?

Bottle of synulox handed over, 4ml for 4 days. She had it for 5. I don't have AB in stock as I'm homeopathic. The other ewe who lambed a whopper 2 days later (dead of course, though the midget twin is thriving) had the usual brandy remedies!

Blue spray? I haven't had terramycin spray for years. Every can I've had always bungs up which is annoying as you can hear half a can supply inside. Needles poking or trying to change the spray head, don't work! I keep the nettex sprays, foot master and septicleanse in stock as they are fairly interchangeable and barrier antibacterial spray. But to be honest, NEVER actually needed these until now.
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: Rupert the bear on January 14, 2022, 06:19:39 pm
£15 is about the ballpark price, its brilliant stuff I have used it from disbudding wounds , minor injuries when the billys have a session and on myself to the horror of nurse, on my leg ulcers and large deeper than usual grazing
( thus cementing my reputation of eccentricity ).
Just one thing , once you have started using the spray can it will loose its pressure over a couple of months .

Off the record [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] , how successful is the aluminium spray on leg ulcers?  Does it speed up healing, assist healing, or just maintain them from getting worse? Or did they get worse with your treatment?  Not that I have leg ulcers, but I was a nurse for many years, so professional curiosity  8)

Our vet used it on a shearling tup which had torn off a section of skull attached to a side horn (caught up with another tup's horn and they each twisted one off) He had to reach in to pinch shut the pulsing artery then packed the whole open wound and sprayed with aluminium spray over the whole site.  That tup is still with us, 3 horned, but the other tup didn't fare so well.  I don't know if the fact that the second vet didn't use aluminium spray had anything to do with it.....
The spray sealed up the exposed ulcers  I had run out of dressings and the ulcer was flowing very fast and the exudite was causing maceration to the skin below it. Usually I use sanitary towels in an emergency but these were not coping with the flow, medical (proper) help was unavailable and I was not mobile enough to travel, so spray it was , and quite effective.
Ps it stings a bit when applied !
The only thing that seems to help the ulcers is the manuka honey dressings and compression, I cant quite get them to heal, so close yet so far away. Infections are my bugbear , and a knackered immune system !!
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: twizzel on January 14, 2022, 06:56:06 pm
As said above for initial wound treatment (here mainly disbudding of goat kids) the silver spray is brilliant, much better than the blue AB spray. I have found that the scab stays on much longer with the silver spray, so I only need the blue stuff once the wound is almost healed. So I would have some blue Terramycin spray at hand but otherwise let it heal as is. I assume she is on lomg acting AB's as well?

Bottle of synulox handed over, 4ml for 4 days. She had it for 5. I don't have AB in stock as I'm homeopathic. The other ewe who lambed a whopper 2 days later (dead of course, though the midget twin is thriving) had the usual brandy remedies!

Blue spray? I haven't had terramycin spray for years. Every can I've had always bungs up which is annoying as you can hear half a can supply inside. Needles poking or trying to change the spray head, don't work! I keep the nettex sprays, foot master and septicleanse in stock as they are fairly interchangeable and barrier antibacterial spray. But to be honest, NEVER actually needed these until now.


We’ve never had a problem with blue spray bunging up, and it’s 100 times more effective at sorting scale than the purple sprays (which we don’t even bother with now). But horses for courses and all that.
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: Fleecewife on January 15, 2022, 12:49:09 am
£15 is about the ballpark price, its brilliant stuff I have used it from disbudding wounds , minor injuries when the billys have a session and on myself to the horror of nurse, on my leg ulcers and large deeper than usual grazing
( thus cementing my reputation of eccentricity ).
Just one thing , once you have started using the spray can it will loose its pressure over a couple of months .

Off the record [member=136323]Rupert the bear[/member] , how successful is the aluminium spray on leg ulcers?  Does it speed up healing, assist healing, or just maintain them from getting worse? Or did they get worse with your treatment?  Not that I have leg ulcers, but I was a nurse for many years, so professional curiosity  8)

Our vet used it on a shearling tup which had torn off a section of skull attached to a side horn (caught up with another tup's horn and they each twisted one off) He had to reach in to pinch shut the pulsing artery then packed the whole open wound and sprayed with aluminium spray over the whole site.  That tup is still with us, 3 horned, but the other tup didn't fare so well.  I don't know if the fact that the second vet didn't use aluminium spray had anything to do with it.....
The spray sealed up the exposed ulcers  I had run out of dressings and the ulcer was flowing very fast and the exudite was causing maceration to the skin below it. Usually I use sanitary towels in an emergency but these were not coping with the flow, medical (proper) help was unavailable and I was not mobile enough to travel, so spray it was , and quite effective.
Ps it stings a bit when applied !
The only thing that seems to help the ulcers is the manuka honey dressings and compression, I cant quite get them to heal, so close yet so far away. Infections are my bugbear , and a knackered immune system !!

Thanks for that RTB.  Your legs sound in a bit of a mess.  So difficult to heal leg ulcers.  My favourite dressing is seaweed (as a dressing, not straight from the sea, although that actually might work  :) or fresh comfrey leaves  :idea:)  with nice thick padding. 
I'm hearing about so many friends with horrible things wrong with them just now, I just want to be able to make you all better.  :fc:
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: naturelovingfarmer on January 15, 2022, 01:37:22 am
What's the difference between this and saline spray?
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: PipKelpy on January 15, 2022, 04:52:39 am
What's the difference between this and saline spray?

I used to keep cans of saline in stock, hangover from my contact lens days. Ideal for washing lenses, dabbing my eyes if gritty down yard (was taught never use tap water if wear lenses) used when Timmy got eaten by flies and left with gaping holes in 2006 (he was my 1st 4 legged yeti. What is it with hairy wethers?). Saline being gentle enough to wash these deep holes.

Vet at that time never mentioned aluminium spray but did advise terramycin spray. Between him and the dartmoors it was what prompted us to buy a 12v shearing machine! I hate maggots!!
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: naturelovingfarmer on January 15, 2022, 12:36:15 pm
I even use saline on myself. It's used in hospitals to clean wounds. I had a head wound as a child and the surgeon flushed the dirt out with saline. And other than a bandage, that's all he put on it. Still have a scar on top of my head. But it's hidden by my hair.
Title: Re: Aluminium Wound Spray
Post by: Fleecewife on January 15, 2022, 01:24:35 pm
What's the difference between this and saline spray?

Saline is simply distilled water with 0.9% sodium chloride ie salt.  It's called 'normal saline' because 0.9% is the concentration of salts in the mammalian body.  It is used to wash eyes and dirty wounds to remove dirt and blood. It has no 'active' ingredients, just a rinsing action.  You can make it up yourself using boiled tap water and a teaspoonful of table salt per pint.

Aluminium spray of course has aluminium as an active ingredient, possibly as a physical barrier to dirt and infection.  I don't know enough about it to know if it also has a chemical action.