A 22-year-old Arabian mare was seen by the Emergency Service of Littleton Equine Hospital for evaluation of a laceration to her left forelimb. On initial presentation she had no signs of systemic illness, but was severely lame on her left forelimb. A 3 cm laceration was observed on the caudolateral aspect of her antebrachium, about 5 cm distal to her elbow. The wound was grossly infected, but the client declined a complete workup due to financial concerns. The wound was thoroughly cleaned and left to heal by second intention. The mare was presented again 5 days later after the client called reporting that the wound was not healing well. Further discussion with the owner yielded evidence that compliance with wound care instructions was deficient. After a more thorough evaluation of the wound, it was decided to perform a delayed primary closure along with establishing dependent drainage of the wound through placement of a Penrose drain. This report will discuss the case in detail including the thought process behind the various decisions made for the patients care. It will further discuss factors that should be taken into account when assessing a wound, as well touching on the pathophysiology of wound healing and the various ways of managing wounds in the field.