Chronic infected wounds are challenging for veterinarians to manage, not to mention distressing and costly for the horse owner. With the increase in multiple antibiotic resistance, treating these infected wounds isn’t as cut-and-dried as it used to be. Today veterinarians can’t just reach for the nearest antibiotic; they must consider the wound’s entire ecology, the patient’s immune health, and the pathogens involved.

At the 2015 American Association of Equine Practitioner’s Convention, held Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas, James Orsini, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center, described how veterinarians can tackle infected wounds with this in mind.

“Horses seem to find the dirtiest places to get injured, which results in contamination,” Orsini began.

He said the most common modes of contamination include contact with fecal matter, particularly in stalled horses; sustaining a penetrating wound to the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, or upper airway, which have an extensive resident microflora population; and exposure to dirt, plant debris, and flies