Case report
Skin lesions in an
adult Asian elephant
Place: Dak Lak elephant Conservation Center Vietnam
Date: 2018
Data provided by: Van Thinh Pham, DVM, Susan Mikota, DVM and Willem Schaftenaar, DVM
History
Adult female Asian elephant, chained on its hind leg for >10 days while deprived of food and water for prolonged periods.
This had resulted in a large deep wound on the left hind leg and a smaller wound on the right hind leg. The wound on the left hind leg involved damage to the underlying ligaments, expressed in a lateral deviation of the leg distal to the tarsus and overstretching of the tarsal joint. The wounds were extremely dirty and covered by necro-purulent materials.
Treatment
The elephant was sedated using xylazine (0.08 mg/kg IM)
The wounds were debrided using scalpel blades, scissors and cotton gauze.
For several weeks the wounds were flushed BID with clean water, sprayed with Betadine solution. After each treatment, honey was applied on the wound using a soft brush.
The largest wound after flushing with water, spraying with Betadine and application of honey.
