The case of Dee's Scratches #2
August 13, 2009 - I revisit this date only to provide some specific information about the treatment prescribed by the visiting vet. The vet came from the Equine Sports Medicine center in Sunland Park NM. (A little under 2hrs from here). He occasionally made local calls and I was able to get on his list for this day. This particular clinic always provides extensive documentation, something new for me – here is a piece from his diagnosis:
“(1)Pododermatitis (aka “scratches”) – exfoliative, hypersensitive, painful (caused by combination of bacteria and fungal organisms). (2)Infectious pododermatitis caused by Dermatophilus congolensis (aka “rain rot”)”
The reference to rain rot surprised me – seriously? We get 2 inches per year if we are lucky…how does that cause rot? It dries before she ever even gets wet. Anyway, here’s what he provided for a treatment.
“(1) Wash the affected areas twice daily with betadine shampoo. (2) Apply SSD ointment with dexamethasone to affected areas twice daily. (3) You should see rapid improvement over the next 2-3 weeks. (4) If you do not see rapid improvement, a stronger paste is available but is more expensive”
So, he left me with a jar of Thermazene Silver Sulfadianzine Cream (400g) infused with DMSO (5cc) and Dexamethasone (10cc). Said I could treat the pain with Bute, and give him a call if I needed the stronger mix. (A thought – is 2-3 weeks “rapid”? Really?)
This was a Wednesday – on Friday I received a letter from the main office of the Equine Sports Medicine Clinic (in Weatherford TX) explaining that as of Friday (yup…same day) the Sunland Park office would be closed indefinitely! The vet who I’d been dealing with had not ever shared a cell number; it was blocked when he called me. So…there I was, no vet, again. BUT he had at least come by and given me what I needed…so I was sure we would be okay.
August 27, 2009 – Well…now we are a month plus a couple days into this “scratches” issue. I’m starting to notice weight loss, and the Bute is helping a LITTLE. I have stopped scrubbing the affected area twice daily, and started just soaking with warm water and mild antibiotic soap in the evening…no scrubbing. I’m pretty sure the scrubbing has caused the situation to get worse, as the affected area has stretched up the white part of her socks on all four legs. I have now lost contact with the vet, so I call my local vet again and run things by him. He doesn’t really know what the “stronger” medication may be, but agrees to mix me up another batch of the Silver Sulfadiazine cream. He sends me off with instructions to continue what I’ve been doing. I convince myself that the new cleaning method will stop the spread, and allow the cream to work better. I have been spending alot of time online and am beginning to be concerned about a possible liver problem. To be continued…..
“(1)Pododermatitis (aka “scratches”) – exfoliative, hypersensitive, painful (caused by combination of bacteria and fungal organisms). (2)Infectious pododermatitis caused by Dermatophilus congolensis (aka “rain rot”)”
The reference to rain rot surprised me – seriously? We get 2 inches per year if we are lucky…how does that cause rot? It dries before she ever even gets wet. Anyway, here’s what he provided for a treatment.
“(1) Wash the affected areas twice daily with betadine shampoo. (2) Apply SSD ointment with dexamethasone to affected areas twice daily. (3) You should see rapid improvement over the next 2-3 weeks. (4) If you do not see rapid improvement, a stronger paste is available but is more expensive”
So, he left me with a jar of Thermazene Silver Sulfadianzine Cream (400g) infused with DMSO (5cc) and Dexamethasone (10cc). Said I could treat the pain with Bute, and give him a call if I needed the stronger mix. (A thought – is 2-3 weeks “rapid”? Really?)
This was a Wednesday – on Friday I received a letter from the main office of the Equine Sports Medicine Clinic (in Weatherford TX) explaining that as of Friday (yup…same day) the Sunland Park office would be closed indefinitely! The vet who I’d been dealing with had not ever shared a cell number; it was blocked when he called me. So…there I was, no vet, again. BUT he had at least come by and given me what I needed…so I was sure we would be okay.
August 27, 2009 – Well…now we are a month plus a couple days into this “scratches” issue. I’m starting to notice weight loss, and the Bute is helping a LITTLE. I have stopped scrubbing the affected area twice daily, and started just soaking with warm water and mild antibiotic soap in the evening…no scrubbing. I’m pretty sure the scrubbing has caused the situation to get worse, as the affected area has stretched up the white part of her socks on all four legs. I have now lost contact with the vet, so I call my local vet again and run things by him. He doesn’t really know what the “stronger” medication may be, but agrees to mix me up another batch of the Silver Sulfadiazine cream. He sends me off with instructions to continue what I’ve been doing. I convince myself that the new cleaning method will stop the spread, and allow the cream to work better. I have been spending alot of time online and am beginning to be concerned about a possible liver problem. To be continued…..
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