Carpal hygroma (fluid filled sac) is a localized firm swelling of soft tissues, possibly fluctuating and non-painful, located over the dorsal aspect of the carpus. In some cases it is surrounded by fibrous tissues and contain pus. It is a common condition in bovines as they sit or stand by putting weight on the carpal first.
Causes:
1) Direct and blunt trauma (from falling, getting up and down) to the dorsal aspect of the joint
2) Hitting a fence or by chronically pawing
3) Lack of bedding
4) Hard bedding which leads to constant irritation to the bursa of the joint.
5) Poorly designed manger
6) Some hygromas are congenital while others develop over time, usually in response to trauma.
7) Sometimes this condition relates to brucellosis in animals. The presence of hygromas is evidence of brucellosis in cattle.
Treatment:
* Each cavity should be aspirated or drained properly (through surgical incision or needle).
* It should be infiltrated with tincture of iodine or pyodine and a long-acting cortico-steroid preparation at regular intervals.
*Anti-septic dressing (ASD) should be done on daily basis for better recovery.
* Surgical removal is messy, with little guarantee of a successful outcome. Surgical excision is only done in case of chronic cases and when animal is inconvenient by its presence.
* Addition of Irritant materials into the cavity can cause uncertain results.
* Sometimes copper sulphate is also used into the capped knee as treatment but it is observed to be having less success as compared to the surgical excision of the bursae.
The hygroma is found to have less detrimental effects on gait of animals. So if the animal is milking and eating well, then hygromas should be left untreated.
Article by Dr. Natasha Ghafoor (DairyGirl).
