Under anaesthesia an incision was made at the most ventral aspect of the abscess and with artery forceps all the internal septae and compartments were broken down. It was vigorously flushed with F10SC, diluted 1:250 with clean water. Gentamycin antibiotic beads were prepared from a Demotec® hoof repair kit (similar to polymethylmethacrylate) and injectable gentamicin (50mg/ml) as a string on surgical nylon and were then subsequently sterilized with formalin gas.

The string was sutured into the draining tract. Otherwise the abscess was treated the same as the other case. Within two days the drainage from the abscess had dramatically decreased. Within a week of placing the beads, combined with the flushing and F10 ointment, the abscess was only discharging small volumes intermittently. The beads were removed after seven days. By two months after treatment the abscess had nearly resolved completely.

In both these cases the original inciting cause of the abscesses is unknown. Both these elephants were trained elephants that were accustomed to daily handling and this allowed for easy administration of the F10 products. The failure of the earlier treatments might have been due to retained foreign material or necrotic sequestra, possibly inactivation of the compounds by means of purulent material and lack of adequate drainage.

No bacterial cultures or antibiograms were ever conducted. The most common bacteria isolated from abscesses in elephants tend to be Staphylococcus sp and Streptococcus sp. Other bacteria such as Corynebacterium pyogenes and Pasteurella multocida have also been isolated from African elephants. Even so, the efficacy of F10 products in these two cases cannot be contested.

The combination of F10SC flushes and the instillation of F10 ointment into two properly drained elephant abscesses delivered both excellent and affordable results.

We would like to sincerely thank Mr Paul Coetsee for his exceptional skill at handling elephants and for sharing his knowledge with us. Without his assistance the treatment of these elephants wouldn’t have been possible.

Manufacturer of F10 Products:
Health and Hygiene (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 347, Sunninghill, 2157, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 474 1668 • Fax: +27 11 474 1670
www.healthandhygiene.co.za • www.f10products.co.za