Quittor in Horses

Treatment of quittor in horses depends on the cause of the condition and the severity of the injury. While minor infections may be treated with cleaning, antibiotics, bandaging, and stall rest, this does not usually work for most types of quittor. Since a regular dose of antibiotics is not usually successful, an aggressive broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy is usually called for in most cases. However, this is not commonly used in any type of quittor besides cutaneous quittor because of the depth of the damage and infection. The best choice for most cases includes debriding the area of damage and infection. This involves cleaning and removing all the infected or dead tissue, which can be a complicated and lengthy procedure of searching fistulous tracts for abscesses.

Either cold or hot baths, depending on the stage of quittor, to determine where all of the areas of infection are located, may be suggested. Continuing this for several days will help to slough off the necrotic tissues until only healthy tissue remains. Afterwards, the wound should be packed with sterile gauze soaked in antibiotic ointment and wrapped with bandages. In all cases of quittor, oral antibiotics will be continued for three to six months.