| Abstract: | A 3-year-old thoroughbred colt presented with canker on its left hind foot. Subsequent
development of cottage cheese-like horns and dermatitis disturbed healing, despite the use
of miscellaneous orthodox treatment approaches to the lesions. Histological examination
revealed exudative and suppurative dermatitis, and proliferatively suppurative epidermitis
infected with helically coiled treponemes. Total debridement under general anesthesia led
to a temporary improvement, but the ground surface regenerated abnormal epidermis similar
to that observed initially after surgery. Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) was attempted,
which removed all the abnormal tissue. After MDT, general farriery trimming helped to
correct the distorted ground surface, and the horse returned to constant training and
eventually raced. This case shows that MDT was successfully used for treatment of an
intractable and treponemes-infected canker. |
