Spontaneous septic arthritis in juvenile dogs

摘要

Septic arthritis occurs infrequently in small animals, and may, therefore, not be considered as a potential differential diagnosis in a juvenile patient presenting with acute-onset monoarthropathy. Septic arthritis may develop as a result of haematogenous seeding of the vascular synovial membrane due to bacteraemia, or from direct inoculation of the joint. Overall, there is a paucity of evidence evaluating treatment options and outcomes in dogs with septic arthritis. Many treatment recommendations have been extrapolated from other species, in particular horses, In neonatal foals, bacteraemia originating from the umbilicus, respiratory or intestinal tracts is a common cause for septic arthritis. In this article, we will review the evidence behind the diagnosis and management of spontaneous septic arthritis in two puppies presenting to our hospital between March and May 2020.