Skip to content

Malton hospital in fish skin surgery for acid attack pony

Rainbow Equine Hospital Cinders the ponyRainbow Equine Hospital
Cinders has seemed untroubled by her ordeal and is happiest when eating, staff at the hospital said

A pony badly burnt in a suspected acid attack has had pioneering surgery using fish skin after a plea for donations raised more £14,000.

The animal, called Cinders, was found dumped in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, before being taken to the Rainbow Equine Hospital in North Yorkshire.

A Californian vet who used fish-skin grafts to treat animals burnt in wildfires came to perform the surgery.

Vets said treating a pony with burns in this way was "a world first".

Read more stories from across Yorkshire

The surgery took place on Tuesday when a dressing made from the skin of a Tilapia fish was applied to Cinders' face to aid the growth of fresh tissue.

Rainbow Equine Hospital Fish skin been applied to CindersRainbow Equine Hospital
A team of vets worked on Cinders wounds, cleaning them before applying a fish skin dressing to her face
Veterinary staff performing the surgery
An hour after the surgery was finished, staff said Cinders was back in her box eating

Vet David Rendle from the equine hospital said fish skin was used because it is a good source of collagen and retains moisture well.

He said because of the lack of information about the best way to treat chemical burns in horses, staff had been exploring options since she was brought in last Wednesday.

Mr Rendle worked with US vet Jamie Peyton, who flew over from the University of California in Davis, and Ryckie Wade, a plastic surgeon at the burns unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

Rainbow Equine Hospital The injured horseRainbow Equine Hospital
Cinders has been receiving round the clock care since being found with severe burns running from her eyes to the tip of her nose

Mr Rendle said: "Animals that have been treated with fish skin dressings before seem to be far more comfortable after these dressings have been applied.

"We want to change Cinders' dressings as infrequently as possible to spare her the pain of doing so and these dressings are likely to last longer than anything else.

"Extraordinary injuries called for extraordinary treatments."

The pony's treatment has been helped after more than £14,000 was raised on a Justgiving page - smashing the original target of £3,000.

Mr Rendle said he was confident the pony would not be left with any long-term ill effects.

"She has a long road ahead but she seems untroubled by her ordeal.

"We take one day at a time but the more days that pass the brighter the outlook becomes."