08/23/2024
Skin conditions are very common in horses and one of the most frequent questions we get from clients about their horses. Most conditions are pretty straightforward. Some have more complicated origins and more advanced diagnostic procedures are required. The two most common procedures used to get to the bottom of a skin condition are 1) skin scrapings, and 2) a skin biopsy. Skin scrapings are useful to diagnose the etiology of skin infections. In the skin scraping, the skin is literally scraped with a scalpel blade, sideways, scraping tissue from the superficial epidermis and deeper dermis to identify pathogens and cell types. Skin biopsies are used when the condition is suspected to have infectious, allergic, immune or possibly neoplastic (cancer) origins. In the horse pictured here, a biopsy punch, which takes a 6mm cylindrical sample of the skin, is being used to help diagnose a puzzling skin condition. The area is surgically prepared and local anesthesia is applied. The circular defect left by removing the skin sample is closed with a single suture. The sample is sent out for microbiologic culture and histopathology. Call the office if you have a puzzling skin problem in your horse!
