[A horse with a badly-healing wound? A case report].

A 14-year-old Haflinger mare was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma via tissue examination after a three-year-old wound on its metatarsus would not heal and began to deteriorate, resulting in euthanization due to unfavorable prognosis.

Study Background and Method

• This case study focuses on a 14 years old Haflinger mare, a variety of horse, that had sustained a wound on its right metatarsus approximately 3 years prior to the study.
• The wound never fully healed and became concerning just recently. The wound enlarged over some months, produced abundant exudate (fluid), and led to limping in the horse.
• To determine the reason behind the deteriorating wound, clinical examination and radiographs were performed, but both failed to shed any light on the cause of the problem.

Findings and Diagnosis

• In an attempt to heal the wound, debridement (removal of damaged tissue or foreign objects from a wound) was done on the wound area, and tissue was taken for histological evaluation.
• Upon examination of the tissue, a form of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed. This explained why the wound wasn’t healing and was deteriorating instead.
• The cancer had unfortunately invaded the bone, impairing the horse’s limb and overall health.

Prognosis and Conclusion

• Given this diagnosis, and because the tumor had already invaded the bone, the prognosis for the mare was considered poor.
• Due to the adverse prognosis, the horse was euthanised. A necropsy (post-mortem examination) was performed which showed the cancer had metastasised (spread) to other areas of the horse’s body – specifically the right inguinal area and the adjacent mammary gland.
• This case report underlines the importance of early cancer detection and treatment, even in animals, to prevent the spread and escalation of the disease.