Traumatic Laceration Wound Management and Suspected Penicillin-Induced Hypersensitivity in an Argentine Polo Mare

This case report is aimed at providing information on the special needs in management of equine wounds and the suspected penicillin-induced hypersensitivity. A six (6) years old Argentine polo mare with body weight of about 450 kg in a stable in Kaduna, Nigeria, ran into barbed wire fence of a neighboring orchard at midnight. The mare sustained two elliptically-shaped wounds of about 2.5cm and 11cm long on the right buttock and several small cuts involving only the epidermis on other parts of the body. The mare was restrained with muzzle twitch and hobbles. Lidocaine hydrochloride (2%) was used as local anaesthesia. The wounds were cleaned with diluted chlorhexidine gluconate (purit®). Size 1 each of chromic catgut and braided silk were used to apply simple interrupted sutures deeper tissue and horizontal mattress sutures on skin respectively. These were for their good knotting security. Procaine penicillin/ streptomycin inj. combination was applied on wounds surface prior to stitching to control contamination and intramuscularly postsurgical. Suspected penicillin-induced hypersensitivity reaction occurred about 30minutes later and oxytetracycline 5% inj. was used as substitute. The wound healed 17 days post surgical. It was concluded that hypersensitivity reaction to penicillin occur in horses and oxytetracycline 5% inj. can be used as substitute for parenteral antibiosis if wound contamination is not severe.