Intramuscular injection techniques and the development of clostridial myositis or cellulitis in horses

A survey of 584 veterinarians in equine practice was performed to determine their intramuscular injection techniques and the influence of those techniques on the development of clostridial myositis or cellulitis. Usable responses were obtained from 439 veterinarians (75.2%). Of these, 414 used a new needle and syringe for each injection, 241 swabbed the site with a cleansing/disinfectant agent, and 242 swabbed the top of multidose injection bottles with a similar solution. Only 2 clipped the hair at the injection site. Twenty eight of the respondents reported that at least 1 horse developed a clostridial infection at the injection site following 1 of their injections. None of the various injection techniques had a significant influence on the development of clostridial infection at the injection site.