Tracheal perforation and widespread subcutaneous emphysema in a horse.

A twelve year old Quarterhorse mare exhibited subcutaneous emphysema of the head, neck, upper forelimbs and thorax, and walked with a stiff gait, characterized by decreased flexion of the forelimbs. Endoscopy of the trachea revealed a small tracheal wound ninety centimeters from the external nares. The location of the lesion corresponded with a seroma present at the base of the neck. The subcutaneous emphysema and the seroma resolved without specific therapy. Blunt trauma was suggested as the cause of the tracheal lesion and subsequent subcutaneous emphysema.