CAT – Evidence for antibiotics with steroids for distal interphalangeal joint medication

Intra-articular analgesics (mepivicaine, lidocaine, bupivacaine) and intra-articular therapeutic agents (corticosteroids, polysulphated glycosaminoglycans [PSGAGs], hyaluronic acid derivatives) remain important aids in the diagnosis and treatment of acute synovitis and aid in the prevention of further degenerative articular changes [1–3]. Selection of the most appropriate therapy is dictated by the disease process, response to other therapies, discipline performed, drug withdrawal and practitioner preference. Practitioner preferences have been previously documented [4] from 831 members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (Tables 1 and 2). The paper reported that veterinarians over 10 years qualified were significantly less likely to use antimicrobials intraarticularly when performing joint injections (P<0.0001) ...