Equine integument

Question 1

Lice in horses signs and treatment

Answer 1

Densely stocked, winter
Pruritic
Rubbed out hair
Usually biting lice
Species specific
Treatment
-Pyrethrin based shampoo
-Pyrethrin powder (difficult to find)

Question 2

Chorioptic mange is caused by in horses

Answer 2

Chorioptic bovis mite
“Feather mites”

Question 3

Mange is most commonly found in what part of horses

Answer 3

Most commonly found in distal limbs of horses with heavy feathering
Hyperkeratotic skin
Stomping
Biting at legs

Question 4

Treatment of mange in horses

Answer 4

Systemic ivermectin
Clipping feathers
Pyrethrin shampoo

Question 5

Pastern dermatitis in equine is and looks like

Answer 5

AKA “Scratches”, “Greasy Heel”, Mud fever
Usually legs with white markings +/- in wet enclosure, sun exposure?
Thick, crusts with underlying purulent discharge
Combined bacterial and fungal infection

Question 6

Treatment of pastern dermatitis in horses

Answer 6

Topical antibacterial, antifungal, steroid cream

Question 7

Prevention of pastern dermatitis in equine

Answer 7

Clean, dry pens
Non-abrasive pasture (ex. Stubble fields)

Question 8

Dermatophytosis looks like and is caused by in equine

Answer 8

Fungal infection
Zoonotic!
Pruritic
Round areas of alopecia
Highly contagious

Question 9

Treatment of dermatophytosis in equine

Answer 9

Antifungal
Fluoride toothpaste
Benign neglect

Question 10

Papillomatosis in horses is caused by

Answer 10

Virus
Young horses
Muzzle, prepuce, vulva
May predispose to squamous cell carcinoma
Benign neglect

Question 11

Sarcoids are

Answer 11

Most common type of skin tumor in horses
Bovine papilloma virus (?)
Usually benign, but location usually requires removal
Eye
Prepuce
Limbs
Girth
Often recur
”The Great Pretender”
Often mimicks other skin disease

Question 12

Treatments of sarcoids in equine

Answer 12

Chemotherapy-Immunocidin®
Radiation
Surgical excision
Cryotherapy
Prognosis guarded

Question 13

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are most common in

Answer 13

Most common cancerous skin tumor
Adult horses
Unpigmented, unhaired skin
Prepuce
Vulva
Eye
Lips

Question 14

SCC in horses treatment and prognosis

Answer 14

Good prognosis if caught early
Chemotherapy-Immunocidin®
Radiation
Surgical excision
Cryotherapy

Question 15

Melanoma is what in equine and most common in

Answer 15

Benign skin tumor
Genetic
Grey horses

Question 16

What does melanoma look like in horses

Answer 16

Black nodular round tumors
Underside of tail
Anus
Genitals
Lymph nodes
Face

Question 17

Treatment of melanoma in horses

Answer 17

Benign neglect
De-bulking surgery

Question 18

Wounds in horses

Answer 18

Horses are capable of healing from many complex and large wounds if dealt with in a timely manner, outcome depends on location more than the size of the wound.
Wounds take time to heal. Takes about 1 year for a wound to be fully “consolidated”
Advise owners to be patient

Question 19

When is a wound an emergency for a horse

Answer 19

Any wound on the knee/hock and below
Synovial structures
Tendons and ligaments
Eyes
Very painful
Only have two!
Excessive hemorrhage
10% of blood volume
Non-weight bearing lameness
Possible penetration of body cavity

Question 20

Steps to wound management in horses

Answer 20

Clean
To close or not to close?
Bandage
Bandage changed frequently in early stages
Check tetanus vaccine status

Question 21

What to clean a horses wound with

Answer 21

if you wouldn’t put it in your own eye, don’t put it in a wound”
Saline*, dilute betadine solution (not scrub), Hose?
Careful with pressure

Question 22

Primary closure is

Answer 22

Time-“Golden period” ~4-6 hours post injury
Tissue damage? Location? (Is bandaging possible? Is there enough skin to pull across?)
Dirty?

Question 23

Second intention closure

Answer 23

–let it close on its own–contraction, epithelialization.

Question 24

Delayed closure

Answer 24

get it cleaned up, debrided-then suture

Question 25

Bandaging layers

Answer 25

Non adherent (Telfa pad) vs adherent (gauze-wet to dry for debridement)
Absorbent layer–lots of exudate in early debridement phase
Third layer to hold it all together.

Question 26

How to stop proud flesh from forming

Answer 26

Minimize motion–hard to do over a joint…cast?
Debride/topical steroids to reduce or edges can’t epithelialize across.