Presurgical acetone and chlorhexidine aseptic preparation of the equine hoof lowers bacterial counts below surgically acceptable threshold.

Acetone-chlorhexidine hoof prep achieves surgical bacterial thresholds in most equine samples.

This clinical prospective study evaluated the efficacy of acetone and 4% chlorhexidine for presurgical aseptic preparation of equine hooves. Twenty-four hooves underwent mechanical removal of superficial wall followed by acetone and chlorhexidine disinfection. Bacterial samples from dorsal wall, frog, and sole were collected before and after treatment, cultured in either Dey-Engley neutralizing broth (DENB) or saline, serially diluted, and plated for aerobic bacterial counting. The acetone-chlorhexidine protocol significantly reduced bacterial loads across all hoof sites. Results showed 66.7% of dorsal wall samples, 62.5% of frog samples, and 25% of sole samples achieved bacterial counts below the surgically acceptable threshold of 5 log₁₀ CFU/g. DENB effectively neutralized residual chlorhexidine in vitro, demonstrating higher bacterial recovery in neutralized samples compared to non-neutralized controls following disinfection. The protocol proved effective for reducing aerobic bacterial loads in equine hoof tissue, though sole samples showed lower achievement of the bacterial threshold, suggesting potential need for enhanced treatment protocols at this anatomical site.

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