Equine Skin Disease Flashcards
describe chronic wounds
the wound healing process is stick in one of the 4 phases
- hemostasis: unlikely but possible
- inflammation: verry possible
- proliferation: very common: PROUD FLESH
- tissue remodeling: also common
why stuck in hemostasis?
- clot continually disrupted
- clotting disorder
what to do:
1. hemostasis
2. minimize motion
3. strengthen clot
why stuck in inflammation?
infection
-pocketing of fluid
-foreign body: wood, metal, bone sequestation, neoplasia
what to do:
1. drain
2. remove
why stuck in proliferation?
- motion and instability
- exuberant response
- infection
what to do:
1. keep in a firm wrap +/- splint
2. topical anti-inflammatories
3. debulk to fresh wound margins
if confused: biopsy to confirm is proud flesh!!
describe summer sore
- habronemiasis:
-found in mucocutaneous areas or areas where there was or still is a wound
-related to flies bring in habronemiasis - life cycle:
-flies on face, L3 larvae deposited near mouth and swallowed to stomach and life cycle continued (stomach bots)
-flies deposited elsewhere = confused and burrow into skin and make skin unhappy (eyes, wounds, genitalia) - result in granulomatous lesions (inflammation and proliferation = might look like proud flesh)
- difficult to diagnose without biopsy, so biopsy it!!
-granulomatous, pruritic reaction characterized by granulation tissue containing small, yellow, hard granules of eosinophils, nuclear remnants, and larvae - treatment: deworm and fly control
-local tissue treatment: anti-inflammatory to decrease granulation and inflammation, topical ivermectin
-if super bad, debulk down to an open wound
describe equine sarcoids
- most common tumor
- locally aggressive
- recurrence
- do NOT metastasize
- etiology:
-bovine papilloma virus- type 1 and 2 DNA (suggested, not proven) - 5 types:
-fibroblastic: looks like proud flesh, BIOPSY
-verrucous: crusty hard blob of fibroblastic tissue
-occult: flat area, maybe nodular area of alopecia; CAUTION with biopsy! can make it explode into a big tumor with biopsy (but treatment can also make explode so just warn owner)
-malevolent: nasty and gnarly
-mixed:
describe clinical presentation of sarcoids
- single or multiple
- anywhere on body: limbs, ventrum, and head most common
-periocular: tricky for surgical removal
-ear/aural plaques: not much skin = tricky for removal - histopathology:
-dermal fibroblasts in a picket fence patter
-deeper fibroblasts in a whorled pattern
describe treatment of sarcoids
- wide excision
-cut if off if you can but WILL come back so need to add something - +/- cryotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, laser
describe squamous cell carcinoma
- 2nd most common equine tumor
-head and genitalia - locally aggressive with metastasis
describe clinical presentation of SCC
- head, eye, genitalia
- non-pigmented muco-cutaneous junctions
- early lesions:
-epithelial plaques
-intact cobblestone, exudative epithelium - advanced lesions:
-proliferative or ulcerated areas of epithelium
-malodor
-examine closely!!
–weight loss = suspect metastasis
–check LNs
describe diagnosis of SCC
- clinical presentation
- impression smear
- histopathology:
-confirm diagnosis
-get mitotic index
describe treatment of SCC
similar to sarcoid
- wide excision
- FNA of lymph nodes
- +/- cyrotherapy, chemotherapy
- on prepuce: circumcision
describe melanoma
- in 80% of gray horses over 15 years of age
-95% are benign
-66% will eventually metastasize - clinical presentation:
-skin-covered multiple masses at base of tail and perineum
-hair-covered swelling in a gray horse
-always check for in pre-purchase exams of gray horses and DONT forget guttural pouches!! (ON EXAM)
describe diagnosis of melanoma
- clinical presentation
-if it’s BLACK it’s MELANOMA - histopathology
describe treatment of melanoma
- observe
- sharp dissection
- cimetidine (meh for preventing recurrence)
- laser excision
- intra-lesional cisplatin
- RT (EXPENSIVE)
- melanoma vaccine (EXPENSIVE)
