Septic Tenosynovitis of the Digital Flexor Tendon Sheath in 83 Cattle

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Lameness is an ongoing challenge for the cattle industry because it affects the wellbeing and productivity of the animals. Lameness is mostly caused by claw disorders; however, infection of the digital flexor tendon sheath (septic tenosynovitis) is a frequent complication of claw lesions and penetrating wounds located at the lower limb in cattle. Our aim was to describe clinical findings, methods of diagnosis, and outcome in cattle diagnosed with this condition. We aimed to illustrate three different surgical techniques and their success, including the improvement of gait (locomotion) and life expectancy of cattle after surgery. We found that most animals that were subjected to surgical treatment could be discharged cured, even though postsurgical complications had occurred in 17 animals. In all cattle, locomotion improved over the course of hospitalization, which lasted between 13 and 21 days in most cases. After treatment, cattle lived for another 23.7 months on average. This allowed the patients to almost reach the life expectancy of an average Austrian dairy cow. Therefore, we conclude that surgical treatment of cows for septic tenosynovitis of the digital flexor tendon can be performed successfully and is an economically viable option to keep cattle in the herd. ABSTRACT: Septic tenosynovitis of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) is the second most prevalent infection of deeper structures of the distal limb in cattle, after septic arthritis of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint. Depending on the type of infection and the involvement of adjacent anatomical structures, various surgical techniques may be used for therapy: Incising the DFTS to resect one or both digital flexor tendons (RDFT), additional resection of the DIP joint (RDIP) or additional digital amputation (RAMP). Our goal was to describe clinical findings and outcome in cattle patients (euthanasia vs. treatment) and the success of surgical methods including improvement of locomotion and postoperative survival time (POST). Data of eighty-three cattle with a mean age of 4.3 years were reviewed in this retrospective study. Overall, 57.7% of tenosynovitis cases were in the lateral DFTS of a hind limb. Fifty-five cattle were treated surgically; the remaining 28 cattle were euthanized following diagnosis. The median cumulative POST was 17.3, 83.1, and 11.9 months for RDFT, RDIP, and RAMP, respectively. Fatal postoperative complications occurred in three cattle. We conclude that the applied methods were successful and allowed the animals to almost reach the average life expectancy of an Austrian dairy cow.