A deadly bacterial disease, black quarter, can cause subcutaneous gas crepitation, in that case high dose of penicillin is the treatment of choice. so test for Clostridium chouvoei, another possibility is trauma to thorax when air can leak into subcutaneous tissue, then treat surgically .

The cases i have been watching were neither B.Q. nor passage of air from rumen or lungs ! Antibiotics and steroids were of no use and only alternative suggested was multiple incision on skin but you know perhaps the difficult post incision management of the case .Since you are at I.V.R.I. please consult medicine / surgery people about the cause and treatment . It will not be out of place to mention that the cases were successfully dealt with Homeopathy .

If the condition is not either of the conditions mentioned by me, if may get cured by simply allowing it to get absorbed into the body. Anyway, homeopathy is there for all non specific diseases.

This is a common issue in cattle that suffer rumen puncture and develops secundary peritonitis, massive doses of ATBs are required with NSAIDs administration. Not so common is lung rupture, even a little lesion, can lead to SC enfisematous conditions, in this case no response to ATBs is observed neither hematological changes. Sometimes skin cuts in medial region of front limbs, right under humerus, can act like a pump during locomotion resulting SC air infiltration. Check for this. You can collect some material from enfisematous areas and do some smears and/or bacterial culture using a fine needle.

The cases are multiple located wide apart , no peritonitis post rumen puncture or emphysema . Accumulation starts from cervical region extending to body and limbs giving a bloated appearance ( something like anasarca ) with no loss of appetite .villagers call it PADPDIYA ( crepteting ) AZAR ( disease ) . Village healers do point firing which is of no use . I have been treating several cases with Homeopathy .

In this case it can occur by previous vaccination or medication with non sterile needles, E. coli must be present. Which homeopathic protocol are you using?

No history of past or present vaccination .I am not sure if E.Coli produce gas .please confirm if you have some references . No high tech lab in the vicinity where isolation could be done . Homeopathic drug Ars . Alba . in ascending potency has been the sheet anchor .

We had more than 40 cases of SC emphysema post vaccination in one farm . All antibiograms (n=10) showed E. coli presence, none Clostridium.

"presence of gas does not necessarily indicate infection by Clostridium, since Escherichia coli, Peptostreptococcus and Bacteroides can produce gas in appropriate conditions." http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0365-05962004000200010

Thanks for information .

The case that you describe seems to be of infectious or toxic nature. e.g. subcutaneous emphysema can be a result of lung disease (e.g. respiratory sintitial virus, dictyocaulosis, lung emphysema). Localised occurrence (in my understanding in some villages) also indicate infectious or toxic nature (may be some unidentified plant or soil toxicity).

For successful treatment you should find the aetiology and the risk factors. Seems a good project for continuing education.

Infection and toxicity are ruled out since animals continues to eat normally .Next case i will post an image. Affected animal looks bloated .Cases are recorded all over the district and not in demarcated tract .

Hi Prem Sethi, you said about this case that (Accumulation starts from the cervical region extending to body and limbs giving a bloated appearance).

I think this case may be due to trauma to the trachea which causes a puncture of fracture in the tracheal cartilage to cause the escape of the air into the subcutaneous space.

best wishes