Dr. Ray Randall, a semi-retired veterinarian in Bridger, Montana, said that whenever any type of injection is given, be aware of possible adverse reactions, such as clostridial myositis. He dealt with this situation more than 25 years ago and left a deep impression on people.

I have photos taken many years ago. I was vaccinated with Clostridium for a horse in 1989. He survived, and lived for another 15 years. He was disfigured by the infection, but he was still able to work normally and was used as a lesson horse for a long time.

This horse is not very good at injections, and the owner gave it to him in the hindquarters (but not in the best position). This horse has also had a history of reactions-did not handle vaccination well.

It was Friday when the host called. The horse was vaccinated earlier this week. The horse is always stiff and sore after being vaccinated, and the owner has been massaging the horse. When they called me, I thought it didn't sound very good. I packed the supplies and looked down at the horse. When I walked into that barn, I could smell the disgustingly sweet smell of Clostridium organisms. The horse stood on the field and raised its left hind leg. The whole leg was cold and swollen, with air bubbles under the skin.

I asked him to start taking antibiotics, cut off his entire hind legs from the hocks to the buttocks, and then figured out the main problem. We cleaned them up, made many cuts, opened them, released gas, and started draining water. The organization has died and decayed. We don't need to use any anaesthetic to make the incision, because he doesn't feel it at all. These are cuts that are 8 to 12 inches long.

We asked about possible euthanasia. This horse has been insured with a considerable amount of money. I told the owner that the survival rate of this infection is very low and it is completely reasonable to euthanize him, but we must call the insurance company first. The owner didn't want to do that; he told me to save the horse if I could. So we loaded the horse and took him to our clinic. He has started to feel better, just because of antibiotics and opening up these areas; you can tell from the way he behaves.

We raised him for about a month, and he eventually shed an area the size of half a large watermelon on his left thigh. He has a hole and all his muscles are gone. However, his sciatic nerve was working all the time, and his hip joint was fine, so he survived and was able to move on.

When a horse shows signs of colic, Banamine is usually the bottle the owner reaches for. However, if the injection is intramuscular, the cure may be worse than the disease.

If the needle or skin area is dirty during injection, intramuscular injection can occasionally cause a local abscess. Sometimes abscesses can occur even under very clean conditions. The most serious infection caused by injection is clostridial myositis or muscle necrosis after injection. The general term for this is gas gangrene.

According to Dr. Liz Boos, associate veterinarian at Belle Fourche Veterinary Clinic, this type of infection is caused by certain types of Clostridia that are present in the environment. Some of these bacteria usually live in the intestines of horses and do not cause problems under normal conditions. They exist in feces, form spores, and persist in the environment for a long time. Therefore, they are usually on the skin of horses and can be injected into the tissues. These bacteria can stay in a dormant state and then reproduce when conditions are right; they grow best in an environment without oxygen, such as bruises and damaged tissues, with little blood supply.

Dormant spores are easily "resurrected" and become dangerous when they encounter favorable conditions for reproduction and start to produce deadly toxins.

Different types of Clostridium can cause different diseases, such as tetanus, malignant edema, black leg disease, calf enterotoxemia, and life-threatening intestinal infections and diarrhea in the calves.

Certain types of injections seem to be more likely to cause clostridial infections. "The most common one is Banamine, if it is administered in the muscle rather than intravenously," Boos said. "It is also believed that this drug establishes an ideal pH in the tissues so that these bacteria can grow." Clostridium infection can occur with any type of injection, but flunixin is the most common culprit.

"Most people are familiar with Banamine, which is a trade name, but they need to be aware that there are also some generic flunixin products that are the same thing and are equally risky," Boos said.

Dr. Tia Nelson of DVM from Helena, Montana said that for many years, many horse owners have given Banamine and its generic equivalents intramuscularly to treat colic and other conditions. When horses need anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, With fever and swelling. “Not every horse will have problems with Banamine intramuscularly (many people don’t), but it’s not worth the risk,” Nelson said.

"It doesn't happen every time. Many injections do not have this problem, but it must be related to the administration of Banamine. This is always risky," Boos said.

Initially, flunixin meglumine was labeled as intramuscular injection or intravenous (IV) administration, but due to severe reactions and infections that occurred during intramuscular injection, it is now only labeled as intravenous injection. "The pharmaceutical company changed the label, so now it says'can only be administered by intravenous injection.' However, there are still many old bottles with labels indicating that they can be administered intravenously or by injection," Nelson said.

"This drug does cause some muscle damage when injected into the muscle. The oxygen supply of damaged tissue is lower than that of healthy tissue," Boos said. "This creates an ideal environment for the proliferation of Clostridium bacteria. The environment of horses often contains a lot of these clostridia, so even if you try to provide a clean area for injections, needles passing through the skin may inhale some of the bacteria. "she says.

"The stimulation of the drug caused part of the muscle to die," Booth said. "Usually this is not a big deal, but it can create an anaerobic environment so that Clostridium can thrive. It is not the bacteria themselves that cause the problem; it is the toxins they secrete. When they reproduce, they produce toxins. The surrounding tissues cause more damage and produce gas. You can feel bubbles under your skin. It feels wrinkled like a bubble wrap," Boos said.

All tissues around the area may die and fall off. If a horse receives an injection in the neck and then develops clostridial myositis, the entire neck may eventually be affected and fall off. The necrotic area may spread up to the head and down to the shoulders. "Bacteria in this airless environment will only continue to multiply and produce toxins, unless you can open these areas and expose them to oxygen in the air. That's why you will see those with multiple slashes and drainage Terrible pictures of horses in the area. Antibiotic treatment and anti-inflammatory drugs are essential for treatment, but exposing these necrotic tissues to the air is more important,” Boos said.

Boos recommends against intramuscular injections of flunixin products such as Banamine. They can be administered as an intravenous injection or oral paste. Oral paste is something Boos recommends to keep in case of colic. “In an emergency, the injectable form of Banamine can be taken orally (sprayed into the mouth) off-label,” she said.

Flunixin is easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and acts as fast as intramuscular injection, but intravenous injection can provide the fastest response-a major consideration for a colic horse, Nelson said.

In situations that require quick action and you have not been trained to administer intravenously, Nelson recommends spraying it into the horse’s mouth instead of taking the risk of intramuscular injection.

The liquid form is easily absorbed through the oral mucosal tissues and may be more effective than oral pastes. However, it does irritate mucosal tissues, so it may cause ulcers if taken orally very frequently. "Intravenous injection by someone who knows how to do it is the best way," Boos said. "Unless you know what you are doing, don't try it, because if any of this solutions leaks from your vein, you will have another big problem."

If some medicine slips out of the vein and enters the surrounding tissues, it can burn, damage, and irritate the tissue, causing severe swelling and blocking the vein. "This can damage the veins (and eventually lead to jugular vein thrombosis), but compared to a Clostridium infection that can kill your horse, this is not a life-threatening thing. Problems can be avoided at any time, better than trying afterwards The solution is better," Nelson said.

"If horse owners need to have some on hand, get a prescription, and give it at home, they need to be very confident in their ability to administer intravenous injections. For most of my clients, Banamine paste is safer and simpler , And this reaction will not happen," Boos said.

Horses can recover from a Clostridium infection, but there may be considerable scars around the injection site, which may affect the horse’s performance.

In the early days, when ivermection repellent first appeared as an injection product, clostridial infections occurred at the injection site.

"Every time you give a horse an intramuscular injection, you need to pay attention to this. If the swollen tissue has extensive swelling or a feeling of wrinkle, the horse needs to see a doctor immediately. It may occur on the first day or a week or so after the injection. Inside. I expect significant swelling in the first 24 hours, but it may take a little longer than Clostridia to produce toxins,” Boos said.

"Except for intravenous injection, I have never given Banamine any way," Nelson said. "This is what they taught me at the veterinary school 18 years ago because it is the safest method. Under no circumstances will I get an intramuscular injection. A clostridial infection can kill a horse so quickly that you may not have Time to deal with it until it's too late."

Start the conversation, keep the topic, keep the civilization. If you do not follow the rules, your comments may be deleted.

User Legend: Moderator Trusted User

Do not sell my personal information