Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with severe lameness after porcupine quill injury - treatment
By Magee, A A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1997·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of tenoscopy for management of septic tenosynovitis caused by a penetrating porcupine quill in the synovial sheath surrounding the digital flexor tendons of a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old Quarter Horse was brought in for severe lameness in the left front leg, which started 21 days after getting into a fight with a porcupine. The horse had already been treated with antibiotics and hydrotherapy, but it was still in pain and had swelling around the affected area. After examining the leg, the vet found a porcupine quill and signs of infection. They performed a procedure called tenoscopy to remove the quill and clean out the infection. Following the treatment, the horse showed significant improvement and was on the road to recovery.
People also search for: horse lameness after porcupine quill · septic tenosynovitis treatment in horses · horse leg swelling and pain
Abstract
A 6-year-old Quarter Horse gelding with acute onset of a grade-4/5 lameness of the left forelimb 21 days after an encounter with a porcupine was examined. Quills had been removed by the referring veterinarian, and the horse had been treated with antibiotics and hydrotherapy for 14 days. The horse was pyretic and had effusion in the digital synovial sheath. Signs of pain were elicited on palpation of the area. A tentative diagnosis of septic tenosynovitis caused by a porcupine quill was made. Exploratory tenoscopy revealed large amounts of fibrin in the sheath and a 1.2-cm quill. Bacteriologic culture of synovial fluid yielded a pure growth of Staphylococcus aureus. The horse improved dramatically after tenoscopic removal of the quill, debridement of fibrin, and lavage to dilute inflammatory mediators and bacteria, debridement of fibrin, discovery and removal of a quill, and complete evaluation of the sheath for prognostic purposes. Tenoscopy can provide a means for direct observation and enhance the ability of clinicians to debride a septic synovial sheath in a minimally invasive manner.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9187727/