PANARITIUM—FELON—WHITLOW.
Any injury in the interdigital space or flexure of the pastern may, under unfavourable circumstances, be complicated by death of the skin, necrosis of the interdigital ligament, of the fibro-fatty cushion in the flexure of the pastern, and of the terminal portions of the tendons.
These lesions are sometimes regarded as panaritium. In reality, they correspond exactly to what, in the horse, are known as “cracked heels” and “quittor.” The primary injury becomes infected with organisms which rapidly cause death of the skin or the formation of a deep-seated abscess and necrosis of the invaded tissues.
Causation. Neglect of sanitary precautions and filthy stables constitute favouring conditions, the feet being continually soiled and irritated by the manure and urine. Animals reared on plains, and having broad, flat, widely-separated claws, are more predisposed than animals from mountainous regions, in which the interdigital ligament is stronger and the separation of the claws less marked. Any injury, abrasion, or cut may serve as a point of origin for such complications.
Panaritium may even occur as an enzootic with all the characters noted in isolated cases. In Germany it has received the name of “contagious foot disease.” These enzootic outbreaks of panaritium follow epizootics of foot-and-mouth disease, with lesions about the claws. Through the superficial aphthous lesions the parts become inoculated with bacteria, and the severity of the resulting injury is in some measure an indication of the virulence of the infecting organism.
Symptoms. The first important symptom consists in intense local pain, rapidly followed by marked lameness. The affected region soon becomes swollen; the coronary band appears congested; the skin of the interdigital space projects both in front and behind; the claws are separated, and all the lower portion of the limb appears congested and œdematous. The engorgement usually extends as high as the fetlock, and the parts are hard and extremely sensitive. The patient is feverish, loses appetite, and commences to waste. After five to ten days sloughing occurs at some point—if the ligament is affected, in the interdigital space; if the tendons, or the fibro-fatty cushions, the slough appears in the flexure of the pastern. The dead tissue may separate and fall away, or remain in position macerated in pus. Separation is generally slow, requiring from twelve to fifteen days, and, unless precautions are taken, complications occur. If only the interdigital ligament or fibro-fatty cushion be necrotic, recovery may be hoped for; but, on the other hand, if the tendons, tendon sheaths, ligaments, or bones are affected, complications like suppurating synovitis, suppurating ostitis, arthritis, etc., supervene, with fatal results. Death may occur from purulent infection, unless the animal is slaughtered early.
The diagnosis is easy. The intensity of the lameness, separation of the claws, swelling of the pastern region, sensitiveness of the swollen parts, and absence of lesions in the ungual region sufficiently indicate the nature of the condition.
The prognosis is grave, for complications may result, in spite of proper treatment.
Treatment. Treatment consists, first of all, in thoroughly cleansing the affected limb and placing the animal on a very clean bed. The parts are next subjected to antiseptic baths containing carbolic acid, creolin, sulphate of zinc, or sulphate of copper. It is often more convenient, and quite as efficacious, to apply antiseptic poultices to the foot and pastern, and to allow them to remain for some days, being moistened several times daily with one of the solutions indicated. The effects are: rapid diminution of the pain, delimitation of the necrotic tissues is hastened, and the abscess is more readily opened.
Many practitioners recommend early intervention in the form of deep scarification in the interdigital space or pastern region. The local bleeding, and the drainage which takes place through the wounds so made, is said to hasten recovery or to prevent complications.