Clinical examination in horses involves a systematic evaluation of the animal to assess its health status and identify any potential medical issues. This process typically includes a thorough physical assessment, which may cover observation of behavior and posture, palpation of body structures, auscultation of heart and lung sounds, and examination of the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. Additional diagnostic tools such as thermography, endoscopy, or imaging techniques may be utilized to gather more detailed information. Clinical examination serves as a foundational step in veterinary diagnostics, aiding in the detection and management of diseases or injuries in horses. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore methodologies, advancements, and findings related to clinical examination practices in equine medicine.
Vitoria A, Romero A, Barrachina L, Fuente S, Gil L, de Blas I, Vázquez Bringas FJ.Most previously described techniques for laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty (IH) in horses require advanced laparoscopic skills. Our objective was to describe a new laparoscopic IH technique using a surgical anchoring system. Methods: Standing laparoscopic IH was performed unilaterally in eight experimental stallions, using the contralateral inguinal canal (IC) as a control. A polyether ether ketone harpoon was anchored in the craniolateral aspect of the vaginal ring, and an extracorporeal knot was used to fix the device. Clinical evaluation, including testicular palpation and lameness examina...
Pezzanite LM, Griffenhagen GM, Bass L, Okudaira M, Larson B, Hendrickson DA.Liposomal local anaesthetic solutions may provide extended-duration analgesia postoperatively but have not been assessed following intra-peritoneal local infiltration in any species. Objective: To evaluate two doses of 1.33% liposomal bupivacaine (LB) versus 0.75% bupivacaine HCL (BHCl) for analgesia following laparoscopic ovariectomy in mares. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Methods: Fifteen healthy Quarter Horse mares (age 2-20 years) with normal bilateral ovarian palpation and appearance were enrolled. Horses were restrained in standing stocks and administered an α-2 agonist, butorpha...
Kolding SA, Sørensen JN, Kramer J, McCracken MJ, Reed SK, Keegan KG.Some horses increase in forelimb lameness, measured as vertical head height asymmetry, or differences in maximums and minimums of head heights (HDmax, HDmin), after a palmar digital nerve (PDN) block. The prevalence of this finding, or what it means clinically, has not been reported in peer-reviewed literature. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of increasing head height asymmetry after a PDN block and determine if this is associated with cause of forelimb lameness. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Head height asymmetry, normalised to expected vertical head displacement, from in...
Johnson SA, Frisbie DD, Griffenhagen GM, King MR.Blood flow restriction (BFR) has become a key rehabilitative tool for human orthopaedic conditions. With modernised technology and evolution of clinical application, patient-specific delivery of occlusion percentages is now considered the standard of care in human patients due to improved therapeutic outcomes and minimised safety risks. Safety validation and limb occlusion pressure (LOP) data for horses, however, are lacking. Objective: (1) To determine if BFR exposure resulted in forelimb biomechanical gait dysfunction as safety validation and (2) to investigate inter-horse and inter-limb LOP...
Scalco R, Aleman M, Nogueira CEW, Freitas NB, Curcio BR.To report red cell distribution width (RDW) values, to calculate RDW-to-platelet ratio (RPR), and to investigate a possible correlation of RDW and RPR index values in neonatal foals classified as healthy or at risk based on clinical information from a population of foals up to 24 hours of life. Methods: Retrospective study conducted from records and CBCs of foals born between June and November from 2018 to 2020 foaling seasons. Methods: Breeding farm. Methods: Three hundred and nine neonatal full-term Thoroughbred foals. Methods: None. Results: Foals were evaluated by a veterinarian within 15...
Padoan E, Ferraresso S, Pegolo S, Barnini C, Castagnaro M, Bargelloni L.Mild equine asthma (MEA) and severe equine asthma (SEA) are two of the most frequent equine airway inflammatory diseases, but knowledge about their pathogenesis is limited. The goal of this study was to investigate gene expression differences in the respiratory tract of MEA- and SEA-affected horses and their relationship with clinical signs. Methods: Clinical examination and endoscopy were performed in 8 SEA- and 10 MEA-affected horses and 7 healthy controls. Cytological and microbiological analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were performed. Gene expression profiling of BAL fluid wa...
Angeluci GC, Ricci CL, Passareli JVGC, Estanho GJG, Oliveira AS, Santos SGA, Giuffrida R, Rodrigues M, Andrade SF.Measurement of the intraocular pressure (IOP) is a useful diagnostic tool in equine ophthalmology. Handheld tonometers, such as Tonovet and Tonovet Plus (rebound), Tono-Pen AVIA Vet (applanation), and Kowa HA-2 (applanation using the Goldmann methodology) are used to obtain IOP measurements in veterinary medicine. Objective: To compare and evaluate the accuracy of four handheld tonometers in measuring IOP using different methodologies in healthy horses. Methods: In vivo experiment and cross-sectional survey of healthy horses. Methods: Intraocular pressure was measured in 72 eyes of 36 horses. ...
Sellke L, Patan-Zugaj B, Ludewig E, Cimrman R, Witter K.Different measuring techniques have been used to objectify the classification of hoof shape. The MicroScribe is a novel tool that might prove useful for measuring hooves without prior reconstruction or compensation of projection artefacts. The aim of this study was to compare biometric data of the equine hoof collected by the MicroScribe tool and measurements collected directly from hooves, scaled photographs and radiographs, from photogrammetry models and computed tomography datasets. The suitability of MicroScribe generated data to differentiate individual hoof conformations was tested. A to...
Peraza J, Hector RC, Lee S, Terhaar HM, Knych HK, Wotman KL.Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is increasingly used to treat painful conditions in horses but its ocular penetration has not been studied. Objective: To determine whether orally administered acetaminophen penetrates the aqueous humour of the normal equine eye and report an aqueous humour:serum acetaminophen concentration ratio in horses. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Six privately owned horses with normal ophthalmic examinations weighing 568 ± 65 kg (mean ± standard deviation) and aged 11 ± 4 years were given 20 mg/kg acetaminophen orally every 12 h for a total of s...
Macaire C, Hanne-Poujade S, De Azevedo E, Denoix JM, Coudry V, Jacquet S, Bertoni L, Tallaj A, Audigié F, Hatrisse C, Hébert C, Martin P, Marin F....Defining whether a gait asymmetry should be considered as lameness is challenging. Gait analysis systems now provide relatively accurate objective data, but their interpretation remains complex. Thresholds for discriminating between horses that are visually assessed as being lame or sound, as well as thresholds for locating the lame limb with precise sensitivity and specificity are essential for accurate interpretation of asymmetry measures. The goal of this study was to establish the thresholds of asymmetry indices having the best sensitivity and specificity to represent the visual single-lim...
DrugCentral monitors new drug approvals and standardizes drug information. The current update contains 285 drugs (131 for human use). New additions include: (i) the integration of veterinary drugs (154 for animal use only), (ii) the addition of 66 documented off-label uses and iii) the identification of adverse drug events from pharmacovigilance data for pediatric and geriatric patients. Additional enhancements include chemical substructure searching using SMILES and 'Target Cards' based on UniProt accession codes. Statistics of interests include the following: (i) 60% of the covered drugs are...
Andrade FSRM, Ambrósio AM, Rodrigues RR, Faccó LL, Gonçalves LA, Garcia Filho SG, Dos Santos RT, Rossetto TC, Pereira MAA, Fantoni DT.Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has been an essential tool for assessing pulmonary ventilation in several situations, such as the alveolar recruitment maneuver (ARM) in PEEP titration to maintain the lungs open after atelectasis reversion. In the same way as in humans and dogs, in horses, this tool has been widely used to assess pulmonary aeration undergoing anesthesia, mechanical ventilation, recruitment maneuver, standing horses, or specific procedures. Unassigned: The present study aimed to evaluate the distribution of regional ventilation during ARM based on lung monitoring assessmen...
Taylor SD, Kritchevsky JE, Huang P, Olave C, Waxman SJ, Miller MA.To report history, clinical examination findings, clinicopathologic findings, diagnostic test results, treatment, and outcome in horses with a novel idiopathic hepatitis syndrome. 13 client-owned horses. Medical records of horses that were presented with fever and increased blood liver enzyme activity over a 16-month period were reviewed (December 1, 2020, to April 1, 2022). Collected data included signalment, history, clinical and clinicopathologic findings, diagnostic test results, treatment, clinical progression, and short-term outcome. Affected horses were presented between December and Ap...
Normandeau J.A 16-year-old Quarter Horse was examined and observed to have acute signs of colic, pyrexia, and diarrhea. A nephrosplenic entrapment was detected via rectal palpation and confirmed with abdominal ultrasound. The nephrosplenic entrapment was resolved non-surgically with jogging and anti-inflammatory medication. Concurrent colitis, toxic laminitis, and inappetence were managed and the horse made a full recovery. Correction non chirurgicale d’emprisonnement néphro-splénique et de la colite chez un Quarter Horse. Un Quarter Horse âgé de 16 ans a été examiné et on a observé des signes ai...
Palmisano M, Bender S, Johnson AL.We describe the unique clinical presentation of a central nervous system neoplasm in a 6-month-old draft horse cross gelding. Based on the neurologic examination at admission, neurolocalization was most consistent with a mildly asymmetric cervical, multifocal, or diffuse myelopathy. Mild vestibular involvement also was considered, but no cranial nerve deficits were observed. The gelding was negative for Sarcocystis neurona or Neospora hughesi based on paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples analyzed, with no evidence of cervical compression based on contrast myelography. The horse w...
Byrne CA, Hotchkiss JW, Barakzai SZ.To document variations in the application of equine prosthetic laryngoplasty among equine surgeons. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Six hundred and seventy-eight equine surgeons performing prosthetic laryngoplasty. Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to equine surgeons, including diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and European College of Veterinary Surgeons. Questions focused on participant profile, surgical technique, antimicrobial therapy, and concurrent procedures. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on the survey output. Results: Complete r...
Dória RGS, Reginato GM, Hayasaka YB, Fantinato Neto P, Passarelli D, Arantes JA.Percutaneous decompression of the cecum is a procedure that could be considered for horses with cecal gas distension. The aim of this study was to identify complications such as peritonitis and clinically relevant peritonitis (CRP) after transabdominal cecal trocarization in healthy horses using a cattle trocar and a cecal needle. Mixed breed horses were assigned to three groups (n = 6): horses that underwent trocarization with a cecal needle (G1) or a cattle trocar (G2), and a control group (CG) without cecal trocarization. The same horses were used in each group, respecting a three-month was...
Kloock T, Hellige M, Kloock A, Feige K, Niebuhr T.Most horses affected by headshaking (HS) are diagnosed with idiopathic trigeminal-mediated headshaking (i-TMHS) when no underlying disease is found. Diagnosis is made by the exclusion of differentials considering history, clinical signs, and diagnostic investigations. Therefore, in horses presented with headshaking, many diagnostic procedures and therapies are conducted. Retrospectively, the digital patient records of 240 horses with HS were analysed regarding the impact of diagnostic procedures on diagnosis, therapy, and outcome. Horses were extensively examined using a standardised protocol ...
Górski K, Borowska M, Stefanik E, Polkowska I, Turek B, Bereznowski A, Domino M.Dental disorders are a serious health problem in equine medicine, their early recognition benefits the long-term general health of the horse. Most of the initial signs of Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) syndrome concern the alveolar aspect of the teeth, thus, the need for early recognition radiographic imaging. This study is aimed to evaluate the applicability of entropy measures to quantify the radiological signs of tooth resorption and hypercementosis as well as to enhance radiographic image quality in order to facilitate the identification of the signs of E...
Górski K, Stefanik E, Turek B, Bereznowski A, Czopowicz M, Polkowska I, Domino M.Dental disorders, a term encompassing both malocclusion and dental disease, constitute a serious health problem in horses worldwide. As horse populations differ among countries and regions, a geographically specific characterization of the occurrence of various dental disorders may be helpful for local equine practitioners. This study investigated the prevalence and frequency distribution of selected malocclusions and dental diseases in horses housed in the Mazovia region of Poland, with attention paid to variations among age, gender, and breed categories. Routine dental examinations were cond...
Veen I, de Grauw JC.Endotracheal intubation is a routine procedure in veterinary anaesthesia, yet no consensus guidelines exist for endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff inflation and pressure measurement. The aim of this study was to assess current practice of ETT cuff inflation and seal verification in veterinary medicine. An online questionnaire was distributed among veterinary professionals who administer anaesthesia, comprising six demographic and twelve ETT cuff-related questions per species. N = 348 questionnaires were completed. Cuff pressure was measured by 30% of respondents in cats, 32% in dogs and 9% in both f...
Mihelić K, Vrbanac Z, Bojanić K, Kostanjšak T, Ljubić BB, Gotić J, Vnuk D, Bottegaro NB.This study aimed to evaluate if exercise-induced acute phase response (APR) occurs in endurance horses in response to the race. The study included 23 horses competing in an endurance competition with a successfully passed clinical examination before the race. Blood samples were collected before the start and within 30 min after the end of the race. Haematological and biochemical tests were performed and correlated to acute phase biomarkers changes. Values of calprotectin and haptoglobin (Hp) decreased after the races compared to values before, while concentrations of ceruloplasmin and albumin ...
Johnson SA, Richards RB, Frisbie DD, Esselman AM, McClure SR.Over the past three decades, electrohydraulic extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) as a treatment modality for equine orthopaedic disorders has sparked exponential interest among practitioners, but its clinical applications are quickly evolving and a current review highlighting modernised equine clinical use is lacking. The objective of this review is to summarise the most current ESWT technology, evidence for its use, proposed mechanisms of action and clinical applications in horses while also highlighting the areas requiring further investigation. The three ways to generate a shock wave ...
Nissen SD, Saljic A, Kjeldsen ST, Jespersen T, Hopster-Iversen C, Buhl R.Second-degree atrioventricular (AV) block is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in horses, affecting 40-90% depending on breed. Usually, the AV blocks occur while the horses are resting and disappear upon exercise and are, therefore, considered to be uneventful for horses. However, if the AV blocks occur frequently, this may result in syncope and collapse. Identifying the cause of second-degree AV block is difficult and often subscribed to high vagal tone. In this report, we present an eight-year-old Quarter horse with a high burden of second-degree AV blocks and multiple collapses. The clinic...
Teixeira-Soares CM, Viana AGA, Ribeiro IM, Silva KDP, Sancler-Silva YFR, Machado-Neves M.Endometritis is a relevant cause of subfertility in mares. However, the accurate diagnosis, essential for effective treatment, can be difficult due to the variability of results and interpretations resulting from different examination methods and sample collection techniques. The present work compared gynecological evaluation methods and sample collection techniques to diagnose endometritis in subfertile mares. Forty animals with a history of subfertility were selected for gynecological evaluation using clinical methodologies, such as perineal conformation, transrectal palpation and ultrasonog...
Gibson MJ, Legg KA, Gee EK, Rogers CW.After establishing a baseline of stipendiary stewards' reporting using the paper-based system in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons of harness racing, it is important to examine if the implementation of an online system has altered frequency and descriptors used for clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe the race level injury and reporting outcomes, and horse- and race-level variables associated with the rate of the reporting of these outcomes during the 2019/20 and2020/21 harness racing seasons in New Zealand. The introduction of the online system was associated with few ...
du Toit N, Burden FA, Dixon PM.Dental disorders have a high prevalence in older donkeys and horses, but the nature and pathogenesis of many of these disorders have yet to be established. Objective: The identification and determination of the prevalence of important dental disorders in different age groups in a large single population of donkeys, to establish a better understanding of the nature and pathogenesis of these disorders. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was performed on the donkey population at The Donkey Sanctuary with detailed oral examinations of 357 donkeys within 7 different age groups (age range ...
Pearce CJ.Equine dentistry is a rapidly developing clinical specialty. It has benefitted from key advances in anatomical and physiological research, development of equipment and instrumentation, utilisation of standing sedation and anaesthesia protocols, a change towards minimally invasive surgical techniques, and the introduction of restorative and endodontic techniques translated from techniques used in human and canine dentistry. Anatomical research has provided further insight into the endodontic system of incisors and cheek teeth and how it changes throughout development with age. Studies of the pe...
Vatistas NJ, Sifferman RL, Holste J, Cox JL, Pinalto G, Schultz KT.Gastric ulceration is a prevalent condition of racehorses. A number of models of gastric ulceration have been described, but none mimic the conditions of a horse in training. The objectives of this study were to determine whether gastric ulcers could be induced and maintained in a group of horses in simulated race training. In addition, serum cortisol was measured on a weekly basis to investigate the possibility that stress may be important in the pathogenesis of gastric ulceration. Thirty horses used in the trial were fed Bermuda grass hay and 6 kg of a concentrate diet, and exercised 6 days/...
Decloedt A, Verheyen T, Sys S, De Clercq D, van Loon G.The quantification of equine left ventricular (LV) function is generally limited to short-axis M-mode measurements. However, LV deformation is 3-dimensional (3D) and consists of longitudinal shortening, circumferential shortening, and radial thickening. In human medicine, longitudinal motion is the best marker of subtle myocardial dysfunction. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of 2-dimensional speckle tracking (2DST) for quantifying equine LV longitudinal function. Methods: Ten healthy untrained trotter horses; 9.6 ± 4.4 years; 509 ± 58 kg. Methods: Prospective study. Re...
van Galen G, Leblond A, Tritz P, Martinelle L, Pronost S, Saegerman C.Diagnosis of equine herpesvirus-1 associated myeloencephalopathy (EHM) can be troublesome, but early recognition and knowledge of risk factors are essential for prevention and control. The objectives for this study are to (1) describe EHM in France, (2) improve clinical recognition, (3) identify risk factors. Through epidemiosurveillance of acute neurological cases (all considered to be potentially infectious cases) in France (2008-2011), 26 EHM cases were identified and 29 EHM negative control cases. EHM cases were described and compared to controls with univariate, multivariate and classific...
Hermosilla C, Coumbe KM, Habershon-Butcher J, Schöniger S.A fatal case of eosinophilic and granulomatous meningoencephalitis caused by the free-living panagrolaimid nematode Halicephalobus gingivalis is reported in a 10-year-old Welsh gelding in the United Kingdom. Clinical examination first revealed behavioural abnormalities which rapidly progressed to severe ataxia, reduced mentation status and cranial nerve signs. Despite symptomatic treatment no amelioration of neurological signs was achieved and the horse was subjected to euthanasia. A complete post mortem examination revealed eosinophilic and granulomatous meningoencephalitis mainly affecting t...
Naylor JM, Clark EG, Clayton HM.We examined 18 horses with clinical signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using physical examination, cytological and bacteriological evaluation of bronchoalveolar fluid, and percutaneous lung biopsy. In 16 cases, histological examination of lung tissue confirmed the diagnosis of COPD. Two horses were excluded: one had uncomplicated bacterial pneumonia and in the other a satisfactory lung biopsy could not be obtained. In horses with COPD, the most common historical complaint was coughing, which was reported in 88%. The most frequently detected abnormal finding on physical exami...
Faber M, Johnston C, van Weeren PR, Barneveld A.We tested the hypothesis that repeatability of a standardised protocol for quantifying back kinematics is sufficiently high not to prevent its use in the clinical evaluation of horses with back problems. We investigated the extent to which differences between laboratories may affect the results when a standardised protocol is used. As a clinical tool, movement analysis techniques are helpful for the objective and quantitative assessment of kinematics. Knowledge about the repeatability of the kinematic data is very important. The present study investigates the repeatability of back kinematics i...
Parker RA, Yeates JW.Assessing patients' quality of life (QOL) is a core part of clinical decision making. Various methodologies for assessing patients' QOL have been developed in human medicine and small animal veterinary disciplines. In contrast, the lack of aids for QOL assessment in equine veterinary practice leaves practitioners reliant on subjective assessments of QOL, which may be prone to avoidable errors. Objective: This paper suggests pragmatic ways in which QOL may be enhanced, while remaining appropriate for the time, financial and owner-based constraints within equine practice. Methods: Through interd...
Luethy D, Owens SD, Stefanovski D, Nolen-Walston R, Giger U.Assessment of blood compatibility, typically by tube agglutination (TUBE) and hemolysis crossmatch or, less commonly, by blood typing and alloantibody screening, often is performed before blood transfusion in horses. In contrast, gel column (GEL) and immunochromatographic strip (STRIP) techniques are preferred for compatibility testing in dogs and cats. Objective: To determine the accuracy of novel and standard crossmatch and typing methods. Methods: Thirty-eight healthy horses, previously blood typed and alloantibody screened. Methods: TUBE and GEL crossmatches were performed on 146 different...
Gold SJ, Werpy NM, Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD.Sagittal groove injuries of the proximal phalanx are an important cause of lameness in performance horses. The purpose of this retrospective case series study was to describe standing low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of these injuries in a group of Warmblood horses. Horses with an MRI diagnosis of sagittal groove injuries involving the proximal phalanx and that had follow-up MRI and clinical outcome information were included. Findings from clinical examinations, diagnostic tests, and other imaging modalities were recorded. All MRI studies were retrieved for re-evaluat...
Klier J, Fuchs S, May A, Schillinger U, Plank C, Winter G, Coester C, Gehlen H.In the recent years, nanotechnology has boosted the development of potential drug delivery systems and material engineering on nanoscale basis in order to increase drug specificity and reduce side effects. A potential delivery system for immunostimulating agents such as cytosine-phosphate-guanine-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN) needs to be developed to maximize the efficacy of immunotherapy against hypersensitivity. In this study, an aerosol formulation of biodegradable, biocompatible and nontoxic gelatin nanoparticle-bound CpG-ODN 2216 was used to treat equine recurrent airway obstruction in ...
Hilton H, Puchalski SM, Aleman M.Equine temporohyoid osteoarthropathy is characterized by progressive osseous proliferation of the temporohyoid articulation and surrounding structures. The diagnosis has generally been made using radiography and endoscopy of the guttural pouch. Recently, computed tomography (CT) has been used in the diagnosis of temporohyoid osteoarthropathy. This study was performed to determine the CT imaging characteristics of temporohyoid osteoarthropathy and to compare these to radiographic and endoscopic findings. CT scans from 16 horses with a final diagnosis of temporohyoid osteoarthropathy were review...
Hampson BA, Ramsey G, Macintosh AM, Mills PC, de Laat MA, Pollitt CC.The present study investigated the foot health of the Kaimanawa feral horse population and tested the hypotheses that horses would have a large range of foot morphology and that the incidence of foot abnormality would be significantly high. Methods: Abnormality was defined as a variation from what the two veterinarian assessors considered as optimal morphology and which was considered to impact negatively on the structure and/or function of the foot. Fifteen morphometric variables were measured on four calibrated photographic views of all four feet of 20 adult Kaimanawa feral horses. Four morp...
Berthoud D, Schwarzwald CC.Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular (LV) size and function using area-based indices and volumetric estimates is not well established in horses. Objective: To report reference intervals and measurement variability for uni-, 2-, and 3-dimensional echocardiographic indices of LV size and systolic function in Warmblood horses and to provide proof of concept for allometric scaling of variables to body weight. Unidimensional indices were to be compared to area-based indices and LV volume estimates to establish their clinical use. Methods: Thirty healthy Warmblood horses and 70 Warmblood...
Greve L, Dyson S, Pfau T.Lameness, thoracolumbosacral pain and reduced range of motion (ROM) often coexist; better understanding of their relationship is needed. The objectives were to determine if thoracolumbosacral movement of horses changes when pain causing lameness is improved by diagnostic analgesia. We hypothesised that reduction of lameness will increase ROM of the thoracolumbosacral region. Thirteen horses with different types of hind limb lameness were trotted in straight lines and lunged on a 10m diameter circle on left and right reins before and after lameness was subjectively substantially improved by dia...
Christen G, Gerber V, Dolf G, Burger D, Koch C.The mode of inheritance for susceptibility to equine sarcoid disease (ES) remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to analyse a large sample of the Franches-Montagnes (FM) horse population and investigate the heritability and mode of inheritance for susceptibility to ES. Horses were clinically examined for the presence of sarcoid tumours. A standardized examination protocol and client questionnaire were used and a pedigree- and subsequent segregation-analysis for the ES trait performed. To investigate the mode of inheritance, five models were evaluated and compared in a hierarchical ...
Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Zucca E, Ferrucci F.Poor performance is a multifactorial syndrome of racehorses, commonly associated with subclinical disorders, which can be diagnosed by exercise testing. Objective: Describe the prevalence of medical causes of poor performance in Standardbreds unassociated with lameness, and evaluate their relationships with fitness variables measured by exercise treadmill test. Methods: Hospital population of 259 nonlame Standardbred trotters referred for poor performance. Methods: The horses' medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Horses underwent a diagnostic protocol including resting examination, p...
Kraus MS, Jesty SA, Gelzer AR, Ducharme NG, Mohammed HO, Mitchell LM, Soderholm LV, Divers TJ.To compare cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations determined by use of a point-of-care analyzer with values determined by use of a bench-top immunoassay in plasma samples obtained from clinically normal horses with and without experimentally induced cardiac disease, and to establish a reference range for plasma equine cTnI concentration determined by use of the point-of-care analyzer. Methods: 83 clinically normal horses, 6 of which were administered monensin to induce cardiac disease. Methods: A blood sample was collected from each of the 83 clinically normal horses to provide plasma for an...
Donaldson MT, Jorgensen AJ, Beech J.To determine prevalence and clinical features of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in horses with laminitis. Methods: Case series. Methods: 40 horses with laminitis. Methods: Horses with laminitis that survived an initial episode of pain and were not receiving medications known to alter the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis were tested for PPID by evaluation of endogenous plasma ACTH concentration. Signalment, suspected cause, month of onset and duration of laminitis, Obel grade of lameness, pedal bone rotation, physical examination findings, results of endocrine function tests, t...
Jang B, Song J, Kim J, Kim S, Lee J, Shin HY, Kwon JY, Kim YH, Joung YS.To investigate clinical effects of equine-assisted activities and therapy (EAA/T) for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children age 6-13 years. Methods: This 12-week, prospective, open-label trial included 24 sessions of EAA/T. Twenty participants (19 boys and 1 girl) completed 12 weeks of EAA/T. Various clinical tests were administered at baseline and after EAA/T. Assessments included the investigator-administered ADHD-Rating Scale (ARS-I), Clinical Global Impressions (CGI)-Severity Scale, Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale (CGI-I), Gordon Diagnostic Syst...
Oliveira-Neto MP, Pirmez C, Rangel E, Schubach A, Grimaldi Júnior G.From July 1984 to September 1986, 105 cases of American cutaneous leishmaniasis were studied in a locality closely situated to an urbanized area of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Settlement in this area was established at least 20 years ago but the first cases were noted six months prior to the beginning of this study. Cases were almost exclusively cutaneous and ulcerated, with one to six months of evolution. Montenegro's skin tests were positive in all cases and anti-Leishmania antibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescence test in 74.3% of the patients. Parasites were demonstra...
Linford RL, O'Brien TR, Trout DR.Lameness examinations and radiography of the distal phalanx and associated soft-tissue structures of the front feet of 103 Thoroughbred racehorses, 4 to 9 years old, were performed to determine normal radiographic appearance and morphometry. Of 103 horses examined, 41 were used in the study that were without clinical signs of foot problems or lameness, had raced at least twice prior to radiography, and had raced at least twice more in the 6 months after radiography. Lateromedial and dorsoproximal-palmarodistal radiographic views of each front distal phalanx were used to measure 28 bone and sof...
Douglas LC, Yi NY, Davis JL, Salmon JH, Gilger BC.In vitro photosensitivity of rapamycin (RAPA) and ocular toxicity and distribution of intravitreal and subconjunctival RAPA was evaluated in normal horses. RAPA (2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg) was placed in 10 mL of PBS and maintained in a water bath at 37 degrees C, kept in the dark or subjected to room light, and sampled for up to 3 months for RAPA levels. Six normal adult horses received either 5 mg (n = 2) or 10 mg (n = 2) of RAPA intravitreally or 10 mg (n = 2) subconjunctivally. Ophthalmic exams and electroretinography (ERG) were performed prior to injection and on days 1, 7, 14, and 21 post-i...
Oliver-Espinosa O.Diarrhea is one of the most important diseases in young foals and may occur in more than half of foals until weaning age. Several infectious and noninfectious underlying causes have been implicated but scientific evidence of pathogenesis is evolving. It is important to investigate all known potential causes and identify infectious agents to avoid outbreaks, evaluate the level of systemic compromise, and establish adequate therapy. It is crucial to differentiate foals that can be managed in field conditions from those that should be sent to a referral center. This article reviews these aspects ...
Eichel JC, Korb W, Schlenker A, Bausch G, Brehm W, Delling U.In this study, a newly-developed model for training veterinary students to inject the jugular vein in horses was evaluated as an additional tool to supplement the current method of teaching. The model was first validated by 19 experienced equine veterinarians, who judged the model to be a realistic and valuable tool for learning the technique. Subsequently, it was assessed using 24 students who were divided randomly into two groups. The injection technique was taught conventionally in a classroom lecture and a live demonstration to both groups, but only group 1 received additional training on ...
van Eps AW.Digital hypothermia successfully reduces the severity of experimentally induced laminitis. Continuous-distal limb cryotherapy may be a useful technique in clinical cases that are at risk of developing laminitis. This article examines the effects of hypothermia on tissue as well as the rationale, and suggested protocols for the usage of distal limb cryotherapy in the prevention and treatment of laminitis.
Kozłowska N, Wierzbicka M, Jasiński T, Domino M.The horse, as a flight animal with a survival strategy involving rapid escape from predators, is a natural-born athlete with enormous functional plasticity of the respiratory system. Any respiratory dysfunction can cause a decline in ventilation and gas exchange. Therefore, respiratory diseases often lead to exercise intolerance and poor performance. This is one of the most frequent problems encountered by equine internists. Routine techniques used to evaluate respiratory tract diseases include clinical examination, endoscopic examination, radiographic and ultrasonographic imaging, cytological...
Flaminio MJ, Rush BR.In horses, fluid losses of 10L to 15L per hour can occur during endurance exercise under hot environmental conditions. The horse's sweat is hypertonic with respect to plasma, and large amounts of sodium, chloride and potassium are lost during prolonged exercise. Horses that reach exhaustive syndrome often show pronounced increases in plasma protein concentration. This could be an indication of failure of the compensatory fluid shift from the intracellular compartment caused by severe dehydration. Thorough physical examination by the ride veterinarian allows early recognition of dehydration and...
Aragona F, Di Pietro S, Arfuso F, Fazio F, Piccione G, Giudice E, Giannetto C.The aim of the present study was to investigate the response to physical exercise of some ocular physiological variables (ocular temperature and intraocular pressure) in horses performing a jumping course in the morning (a.m.) or in the afternoon hours (p.m.), before and after the exercise, in correlation with the rectal temperature. Data collection was carried out on 14 clinical healthy Italian saddle horses. All horses were trained from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. and from 19:00 to 20:00 p.m. according to a specific training program. Ocular temperature (OT), rectal temperature (RT) and intraocular pr...
