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.
Gruber N, Gesell-May S, Scholler D, Zablotski Y, May A.Equine colic is an important condition associated with acute abdominal pain and one of the leading causes of death in horses. As such, objectively evaluating pain is of interest for attending veterinarians. Pain scales for assessment are present, but no single pain-specific biomarker has been reported. The aim of this study was to determine if substance P (SP) could be a reliable biomarker to reflect pain and serve as a parameter to predict outcome in equine colic. The hypothesis was that horses displaying severe colic signs present with higher values of SP in contrast to those with mild colic...
Robins TJ, Bedenice D, Mazan M.(1) Background: Equine asthma (EA) is a pervasive and important cause of poor performance and respiratory morbidity in horses. Diagnosis of EA includes an owner complaint, clinical scoring, lung function testing, and cytological analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology. There is a paucity of information about the longitudinal course of the disease using these outcome assessments; thus, this study sought to describe and quantify, in horses with more than one visit to a specialty pulmonary clinic in New England, the type and range of clinical presentations with an eventual diagnosis of ...
Anoushepour A, Eftekhari S, Masoudifard M.Superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) plays an important role in the locomotion of the horses with flexion of the limbs. In the hind limb, it passes over the calcaneal bone and attaches to medial and lateral surfaces of calcaneous by two bands of connective tissue; while, the medial band is weaker than the lateral one. Occasionally, severe trauma, over-extension or fracture of the calcaneous may cause rupture of the supportive bands leading to tendon luxation. An 11-year-old Thoroughbred jumping gelding with symptoms of lameness in both legs, after examination by an internal specialist vete...
de Laat MA, Sillence MN.Blood glucose concentration is often measured during an oral glucose test (OGT), but is not thought to aid in diagnosing insulin dysregulation (ID) or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate whether the change in blood glucose concentration during an OGT aligned with indicators of equine metabolic syndrome or PPID, including serum insulin and plasma ACTH concentrations, clinical observations, age, sex, breed type and the test dose. The cohort included 149 horses, miniature horses, and ponies that had undergone an in-feed OGT and clin...
Wagner LH, Aurich J, Melchert M, Okada CTC, Gautier C, Kaps M, Claaßen S, Aurich C.High progesterone concentrations in the early luteal phase support pregnancy, whereas subphysiological progesterone concentrations delay embryonic development at least until placentation. In this study, fetal growth and development of pregnancy was investigated in pregnancies with prostaglandin F-induced low progesterone concentrations (PGF) in the early luteal phase and control pregnancies (CON) in the same mares (n = 12). Mares were inseminated and in PGF pregnancies received the prostaglandin F analogue cloprostenol (62.5 µg) on days 0-3 after ovulation to induce subphysiological proges...
du Toit N.Geriatric horses have a high prevalence of dental disease, which is a culmination of age-related dental changes and dental disease throughout the life of the horse that may have long-term consequences. Wear abnormalities, diastemata with periodontal disease, pulpitis and endodontic disease, infundibular caries, and equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis become more prevalent with age. Recognition of age-related dental disease at an early stage can help to treat and possibly preserve teeth for longer. With a natural decrease in masticatory efficiency, it is even more importan...
Naseri A, Akyuz E, Turgut K, Guzelbektes H, Sen I.The term "sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy" (SIC) is used to describe transient cardiac dysfunction in septic patients. However, there is no universally accepted definition of SIC; a reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is often used. In addition to systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction is now recognized as an essential component of SIC. It can be emphasized that previous animal experiments played an essential role in revealing SIC and hemodynamic instability in sepsis and septic shock. The diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of echocardiography for the assessment of SI...
Birckhead EM, Das S, Tidd N, Raidal SL, Raidal SR.Septic synovitis and peritonitis are routinely diagnosed in horses based on clinical examination findings and laboratory assessment of synoviocentesis and abdominocentesis samples, respectively. Diagnosis is difficult in some cases because of an overlap in laboratory results for septic and non-septic inflammation. Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation is part of the innate immune response against pathogens. Identifying and quantifying NETs, which have not been explored in clinical samples from horses with septic synovitis and peritonitis, to our knowledge, may be helpful in detecting i...
Meurice A, Pujol R, De Fourmestraux C, Coquillon M, Tessier C.Surgical approaches to the equine rectum and perirectal area are described in the literature. However, surgeries in this region can be challenging. Objective: To describe the surgical anatomy of the presacral space and to evaluate its access using a retroperitoneoscopic approach. Methods: Ex vivo experiment. Methods: Preliminary dissections were performed in two cadavers to define the boundaries of the presacral space and to determine portal locations for the surgical approach. After that, nine cadavers were used for experimental presacral retroperitoneoscopic procedure in a standing position....
Mills EP, Liu CC, Emelogu U, Carter RT, Camacho-Luna P, Lewin AC.The purpose of this study was to validate the use of the Reichert Tono-Vera® Vet tonometer rabbit setting in normal ex vivo rabbit eyes and to compare the rabbit setting to the dog, cat, and horse settings of this tonometer. Methods: Six freshly enucleated normal rabbit eyes were cannulated and connected to a fluid reservoir and physiologic monitor. Triplicate measurements were obtained with the four available settings: dog, cat, horse, and rabbit at various intraocular pressures (IOP) ranging from 5 to 80 mmHg. Bland-Altman analysis was utilized to determine bias and 95% limits of agreemen...
Bellitto NA, Oliver FB, Pollock PJ.To evaluate the use of bidirectional knotless barbed suture material for closure of the equine linea alba. Methods: Laboratory study. Methods: Adult light horse cadavers (n = 24). Methods: A 25 cm incision was made through the linea alba, and a 200 L polyurethane bladder was positioned within the abdomen. The linea alba was closed either using USP2/EP5 bidirectional polydioxanone barbed suture or USP2/EP5 standard polydioxanone suture in a simple continuous pattern. Closure time was recorded for each suture type. The bladder was air-insufflated at 40 L/min, and the pressure at body w...
Igel P, Fürst AE, Jackson MA.Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH) is an increasingly diagnosed degenerative dental disease in aged horses. The primary aim of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of EOTRH in horses admitted to the Equine Hospital, University of Zurich, for dental procedures from 2004 to 2017. A secondary goal was to measure and compare interincisal angles on two-dimensional radiographs of horses with EOTRH to determine whether the interincisal angle is associated with age and severity of the disease. Radiographs were assessed for the presence of lysis and/or...
Vorster DM, Wang W, Kemp KL, Bamford NJ, Bertin FR.The thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test is used to diagnose pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) using 10- or 30-min protocols. Imprecise sampling time for the 10-min protocol can lead to misdiagnoses. Objective: To determine the effect of imprecise sampling time for the 30-min protocol of the TRH stimulation test. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Plasma immunoreactive adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) concentrations were measured 9, 10, 11, 29, 30 and 31 min after intravenous administration of 1 mg of TRH in 15 control and 12 PPID horses. Differences in ACTH concent...
Leith GS, Hallam L, Englar RE.The ninth standard of accreditation as outlined by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) mandates that all accredited colleges of veterinary medicine must provide instruction in medicine and surgery, including principles of practice, hands-on experiences with diagnostic methods, and interpretation of clinical findings. In equine practice, diagnostic imaging is used as a first-line diagnostic approach and is an integral part of pre-purchase and lameness examinations. Accuracy and consistency of radiographic interpretation relies heavily upon procedural te...
Kloock T, Pickles KJ, Roberts V, Uhlendorf F, Twele L, Wilkens HL, Stehle E, Feige K, Niebuhr T.In horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking (TMHS), clinical signs are likely to be expression of neuropathic facial pain. Currently, subjective assessment of disease severity is used as measure of compromise of animal's welfare. Objective: To develop and validate a precise scoring system for TMHS: History, Rest and Exercise Score (HRE-S). The HRE-S consists of three subscores: history score (H-S), resting score (R-S) and exercise score (E-S). Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Seven masked observers with different experience used HRE-S to score 40 video recordings taken d...
Müller EMT, Vanderperren K, Merle R, Rheinfeld S, Leelamankong P, Lischer CJ, Ehrle A.The objective of this retrospective, observational, controlled study was to evaluate bone and soft tissue window CT images of the proximoplantar metatarsus III region in twenty horses with pain localized to the proximal suspensory ligament (PSL) and 20 horses with findings nonrelated to tarsal pain. All horses underwent CT and radiographic examination. Images were reviewed by three independent observers who graded the severity and localization of findings. Bone-related categories as well as soft tissue-related categories were evaluated. For the comparison of imaging findings in horses with and...
Lovett A, Vokes J, Loghides N, Johnstone L, Sykes B.Formalin intoxication via the gastrointestinal route has not been previously reported in the horse. Whereas ingestion of formalin in humans, although rare, is well documented. Majority of human cases are either accidental, suicidal or homicidal and often lead to fatality, with a reported lethal formaldehyde dose equating to 0.12 - 0.16 g/kg bwt. Objective: To describe a single case report of the clinical management of an adult horse referred to a veterinary teaching hospital following accidental administration of 10% formalin via nasogastric tube. Methods: A 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding or...
Bishop RC, Kemper AM, Burges JW, Jandrey KE, Wilkins PA.To evaluate a point-of-care viscoelastic coagulation monitor (VCM Vet) for use in horses by assessing variability between devices and establish reference intervals (RIs) for healthy adult horses. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: Two university teaching hospitals. Methods: Healthy adult horses (n = 68). Methods: None. Results: Blood collected by direct jugular venipuncture was applied directly from the syringe into 2 VCM Vet cassettes to establish coefficients of variation (CVs) and RIs for reported parameters of clotting time (CT), clot formation time (CFT), alpha angle, am...
Triguinho A, Fontes-Sousa AP, Pimenta J, Cotovio M.The Lusitano horse is gaining popularity in the equestrian world, and as a result, the significance of applied sports medicine for this breed is growing. As cardiology plays a crucial role in this field, numerous studies have been conducted to establish electrocardiographic reference values in various breeds to ensure a more accurate evaluation. However, studies regarding healthy Lusitano horses are lacking. So, this study aimed to establish electrocardiographic reference values for Lusitano horses, utilizing a sample of 82 clinically healthy animals. The evaluation involved lead II and base-a...
Calixto-Vega LC, Martínez-Aranzales JR.The existing literature does not contain information about the prevalence of gastric ulcers in mules, and on the potential associations between the presence of ulcers and work load, work type, diet, sex, age and body condition score (BCS). Objective: To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with mule gastric ulcer syndrome (MGUS) and evaluate its distribution in both mule squamous gastric disease (MSGD) and mule glandular gastric disease (MGGD) mucosa in a population of mules in Colombia. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional. Methods: A total of 97 clinically healthy mules of diffe...
Górski K, Borowska M, Turek B, Pawlikowski M, Jankowski K, Bereznowski A, Polkowska I, Domino M.Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) syndrome is a dental disease where the radiographic signs may be quantified using radiographic texture features. This study aimed to implement the scaled-pixel-counting protocol to quantify and compare the image structure of teeth and the density standard in order to improve the identification of the radiographic signs of tooth resorption and hypercementosis using the EOTRH syndrome model. Results: A detailed examination of the oral cavity was performed in 80 horses and maxillary incisor teeth were evaluated radiographically, in...
Comino F, Pollock PJ, Fulton I, Hewitt-Dedman C, Handel I, Gorvy DA.To achieve an excellent functional and cosmetic result, primary closure is preferred over leaving wounds to heal by secondary intention. However, traumatic wounds are often under excessive tension during wound closure and incorrect suture technique can compromise microcirculation, leading to skin necrosis and impaired wound healing. Objective: To describe an inexpensive and effective tension relief technique that helps the successful primary closure of a variety of equine wounds at high risk of dehiscence. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: All wounds that were managed with the Tensi...
Antonioli ML, Canola PA, de Carvalho JRG, Fonseca MG, Ferraz GC.It is important to understand the effects of hoof trimming on hoof and limb conformation to maximize its benefits on the health of the appendicular skeleton of horses, thus promoting improvements in athletic performance and sporting longevity with regard to athletic horses. There is little information on possible changes in the angulation of the thoracic limb joints after hoof trimming and correlations between the angulation of the thoracic limb joints with hoof measurements. To that purpose, nineteen Mangalarga mares received routine hoof trimming. Visual recordings (photographs) were taken b...
Latham E, Scherrer NM, Stefanovski D.To compare the measurement of intraocular pressure in horses with clinical ocular disease using three tonometry devices. Conclusions: All three tonometers showed strong agreement, however, the TonoVet and the TonoVet Plus carried the strongest agreement with the TonoVet Plus having slightly higher measurements overall compared with the TonoVet. Due to small variations between devices, it is recommended that the same device be used for serial measurements of intraocular pressure. However, all three devices are appropriate to use in horses presented for ophthalmic evaluation.
Frippiat T, Art T, Tosi I.Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and inflammation are both observed in human and equine asthma. The aim of this study was to assess the timeline and relationship of both features at the subclinical onset of severe equine asthma (SEA). First, the repeatability of the pulmonary function test (PFT) using impulse oscillometry system, and the methacholine bronchoprovocation test (BPT) were assessed at a 1-day interval on six SEA horses in clinical remission and six control horses. Then, clinical and ancillary tests were performed before and after a 1-week low-dust environmental challenge, including...
Jondeau C, Guyonnet A, Losada A, Laloy E, Reyes-Gomez E, Le Dudal M, Chahory S.To describe a case of lipogranulomatous conjunctivitis in a horse. Methods: A client-owned 12-year-old Standardbred gelding presenting with chronic conjunctivitis and palpebral masses. Methods: Complete ophthalmic examination, surgical excision, histopathology, and bacterial culture of biopsy samples were performed. Results: Upper and lower eyelids of both eyes were affected, with multiple yellow-to-white nodules on the palpebral conjunctiva, adjacent to the eyelid margin. Nodule removal was achieved via partial tarsal plate excision. Histopathological examination revealed granulomatous inflam...
Faivre C, Wong DM, Villarino NF, Court M, Gold JR.To determine the pharmacokinetics and clinical safety of acetaminophen after oral administration of 40 mg/kg q 12 hours or 60 mg/kg q 24 hours for 14 days. Methods: 12 healthy light-breed neonatal foals. Methods: 6 foals received acetaminophen at 40 mg/kg q 12 hours and 6 foals received 60 mg/kg q 24 hours for 14 days. The study dates were January 31 to April 15, 2023. Physical examinations were performed daily. Plasma disposition of acetaminophen was determined after the first, mid-point drug administration. Hematology and biochemistry analysis was performed before the study, day 7, and the l...
Horne CR, Tufts S.Continual advancements in diagnostic imaging have allowed for more accurate and complete diagnoses of injuries in the performance horse. The use of several different imaging tools has further allowed the equine sports medicine clinician to more carefully direct treatment options, monitor response to therapy and guide rehabilitation recommendations. The advancements in diagnostic imaging and novel treatment options have led to the improvement in the overall prognosis of many injuries that affect the horse and their performance. The purpose of this section is to review the advancements made in d...
Costa LRR, Swiderski C, Palm C, Aleman M.To investigate if hepatitis A virus cell receptor 1/kidney injury molecule 1 (HAVCR1/KIM1) in urine is detectable concurrently with increases in serum creatinine concentrations in horses receiving a recommended dose of phenylbutazone (PBZ) for 7 days. Methods: Preliminary study. Methods: Ten clinically healthy horses with normal physical examination and laboratory work were randomly assigned to PBZ or placebo groups (5 each). The PBZ group received PBZ at 4.4 mg/kg mixed with corn syrup orally every 12 hours. The placebo group received corn syrup orally every 12 hours. Both groups were tre...
de Araújo Silva DO, Matis GK, Costa LF, Kitamura MA, de Carvalho Junior EV, de Moura Silva M, Barbosa BJ, Pereira CU, da Silva JC, Birbilis TA....To present the accumulated experience from treating chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) in a local hospital of a third world country. Methods: One hundred and twenty-five consecutive patients with CSDH who were surgically treated in the Neurosurgical Department of the Hospital da Restauração, Recife-PE, Brazil, between January 2006 and May 2008, were retrospectively studied. Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was employed to define outcome at 6 months as good (GOS 4 and 5) or poor (GOS ≤ 3). Age, admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), location of hematomas (unilateral/bilateral), drainage system place...
Tadros EM, Frank N.To determine whether the method of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration (intermittent vs continuous) affects the magnitude and duration of the systemic inflammatory response in horses and whether prolonged (48 hours) endotoxemia induces laminitis. Methods: 12 healthy adult horses (10 mares and 2 geldings). Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to receive LPS (total dose, 80 μg; n = 4) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (80 mL/h; 4) via constant rate infusion or 8 bolus IV injections of LPS (10 μg, q 6 h;4) during a 48-hour period. Physical examinations were performed every 4 hours, inflammat...
le Jeune SS, Nieto JE, Dechant JE, Snyder JR.Gastroscopic examinations were performed in 62 Thoroughbred broodmares (33 pregnant, 29 non-pregnant) at one breeding farm to investigate the prevalence of gastric ulceration. Age, pregnancy status, race earnings, last race start, herd size, medical history, number of live foals, breeding years, feed type and number of feedings were recorded, plus coat condition and body condition score were determined. Twenty-one mares were re-evaluated after foaling, and the foaling date, foal weight at birth and placenta weight were recorded. The overall prevalence of gastric ulcers was 70.9%, with a median...
Peiró JR, Borges AS, Gonçalves RC, Mendes LC.To compare results reported for blood gas partial pressures, electrolyte concentrations, and Hct in venous blood samples collected from cattle, horses, and sheep and analyzed by use of a portable clinical analyzer (PCA) and reference analyzer (RA). Methods: Clinically normal animals (24 cattle, 22 horses, and 22 sheep). Methods: pH; Pco(2); Po(2); total carbon dioxide concentration; oxygen saturation; base excess; concentrations of HCO(3)(-), Na(+), K(+), and ionized calcium; Hct; and hemoglobin concentration were determined with a PCA. Results were compared with those obtained for the same bl...
King JN, Zubrod CJ, Schneider RK, Sampson SN, Roberts G.Two hundred and thirty-two horses with lameness localized to the metacarpo(tarso)phalangeal (MCP/MTP) region without a radiographic diagnosis were evaluated. All horses had high-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the MCP/MTP region performed for the lame limb and the contralateral limb for comparison. There were 46 horses that had bilateral abnormalities in the forelimbs; 27 of these horses were not lame in the contralateral limb at the time of examination. Bilateral hind limb abnormalities were observed in 37 horses; 22 horses were not lame in the contralateral limb. Soft tissue abnorma...
Zhu X, Suarez-Jimenez B, Zilcha-Mano S, Lazarov A, Arnon S, Lowell AL, Bergman M, Ryba M, Hamilton AJ, Hamilton JF, Turner JB, Markowitz JC....While effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exist, many individuals, including military personnel and veterans fail to respond to them. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT), a novel PTSD treatment, may complement existing PTSD interventions. This study employs longitudinal neuro-imaging, including structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), resting state-fMRI (rs-fMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to determine mechanisms and predictors of EAT outcomes for PTSD. Nineteen veterans with PTSD completed eight weekly group sessions of EAT undergoing multimodal MRI assessme...
Rickards KJ, Thiemann AK.Donkeys suffer from the same respiratory diseases as horses; however, owing to their nonathletic nature many conditions can present in a more advanced state before becoming clinically apparent. Anatomically, their respiratory tract is similar to the horse, with certain species-specific differences that are important to be aware of. Often donkeys do not receive the same level of routine care as horses, so many are not vaccinated against respiratory pathogens such as influenza or herpesviruses. Donkeys can act as a reservoir for certain infectious and parasitic respiratory diseases and the inter...
Pritchard JC, Barr AR, Whay HR.Dehydration and heat stress are serious welfare issues for equids working in developing countries. There is a lack of any standardised method or validated interpretation of the skin tent test in horses and donkeys. Owners of dehydrated and heat-stressed animals often depend on veterinary examination for identification of these conditions, leading to delays in treatment and unnecessary reliance on external sources to effect welfare improvement. Objective: To validate a standardised skin tent test for dehydration and a behavioural measure of heat stress in working equids; and to examine the effe...
Whitwell KE, Greet TR.A flexible endoscope was used to obtain 223 tracheal washes from 191 horses in three clinical categories. Total cell counts, cytological and bacteriological examinations are reported and the features of the main cell types encountered described. The presence and degree of inflammatory airway disease was determined by a semiquantitative assessment of the neutrophil response and was an important consideration in the interpretation of the bacteriological results. Potential pathogens were isolated from approximately 30 per cent of samples. Cytological changes suggestive of lungworm infestation, vi...
Buhl R, Meldgaard C, Barbesgaard L.Electrocardiographic reference values of clinically normal horses during exercise are a prerequisite when evaluating horses with poor performance or horses presented with cardiac abnormalities (e.g. valvular regurgitation). No published studies have reported cardiac rhythms of clinically normal showjumping horses. Objective: To demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) in normal horses during showjumping and also to document the prevalence and frequency of arrhythmias in association with exercise. Methods: Thirty-four healthy showjumping horses aged 4-13 years (...
Brosnahan MM, Paradis MR.To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, management practices, and owner perception of a population of geriatric horses, and to compare these data with findings in a group of younger horses. Methods: Original study. Methods: 218 horses. Methods: Data were collected via a survey tool from owners of 165 horses that were > or = 20 years of age and 53 horses that were < 20 years of age. Results: Compared with young horses, the geriatric group included a significantly greater number of ponies; geriatric horses were also more likely to have a history of colic, dental disease, ...
Rettmer H, Hoffman AM, Lanz S, Oertly M, Gerber V.In clinical practice, veterinarians often depend on owner-reported signs to assess the clinical course of horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Objective: To test whether owner-reported information on frequency of coughing and observation of nasal discharge are associated with clinical, cytological and bronchoprovocation findings in RAO-affected horses in nonstandardised field conditions. Methods: Cross-sectional study comparing healthy and RAO-affected horses. Methods: Twenty-eight healthy and 34 RAO-affected Swiss Warmblood horses were grouped according to owner-reported 'coughing ...
Sykes BW, Kathawala K, Song Y, Garg S, Page SW, Underwood C, Mills PC.Pilot investigations have suggested that a novel, long-acting, injectable i.m. formulation of omeprazole (LA-OMEP) can induce acid suppression for up to 7 days following a single injection. Objective: To investigate the pharmacodynamics and assess the clinical efficacy of the LA-OMEP formulation. Methods: Part A comprised a pharmacodynamic study. Part B consisted of a pilot clinical trial. Methods: Part A enrolled six adult Thoroughbred horses with percutaneous gastrotomy tubes. Intragastric pH was measured for continuous 23-h periods (08.00-07.00 h) for eight consecutive days (days 0-7). A si...
Grahn BH, Pinard C, Archer S, Bellone R, Forsyth G, Sandmeyer LS.Multiple congenital ocular anomalies in purebred and crossbred Rocky and Kentucky Mountain horses in Canada are frequently diagnosed with biomicroscopic and indirect ophthalmoscopic examination. In order of frequency detected, these include temporal ciliary epithelial cysts; iridal hypoplasia; prominent corneas; focal temporal retinal degeneration related to ciliary cysts; and, rarely, retinal detachment. A pedigree analysis confirms a dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance and with a linkage to coat color. Des anomalies oculaires congénitales multiples chez des chevaux Rock...
Haussler KK, Hill AE, Frisbie DD, McIlwraith CW.To establish reference mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) values of the equine thoracic limb and to assess the use of MNT values to detect pain associated with induced osteoarthritis in the middle carpal joint. Methods: 24 adult horses. Methods: MNT values were evoked by a pressure algometer at 17 sites within each thoracic limb during 2 baseline sessions conducted an average of 5 days apart. Effects of age, sex, weight, and wither height on MNT values were assessed separately for each site. Tolerance of horses to the procedure was graded subjectively and correlated with MNT values. Synovi...
Raekallio M.The electrocardiogram of 9 horses was continuously recorded for 24 h with Holter monitoring to examine the variations in heart rate and rhythm during daily routine procedures and at night. Three horses had transient sinus bradycardia, and 3 had periods of sinus tachycardia. Heart blocks were detected in 3 horses, and all horses had periods of sinus arrhythmia. These changes in the heart rate and rhythm were apparently caused by variations in autonomic nervous system tone and they are probably "normal" findings in resting, undisturbed horses. Ventricular premature depolarisations were not obser...
Williams LB, Co C, Koenig JB, Tse C, Lindsay E, Koch TG.Equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are commonly transported, chilled or frozen, to veterinary clinics. These MSC must remain viable and minimally affected by culture, transport, or injection processes. The safety of two carrier solutions developed for optimal viability and excipient use were evaluated in ponies, with and without allogeneic cord blood-derived (CB) MSC. We hypothesized that neither the carrier solutions nor CB-MSC would elicit measurable changes in clinical, hematological, or biochemical parameters. In nine ponies (study 1), a bolus of HypoThermosol(®) FRS (HTS-FRS), CryoSt...
Olsen E, Dunkel B, Barker WH, Finding EJ, Perkins JD, Witte TH, Yates LJ, Andersen PH, Baiker K, Piercy RJ.Reproducible and accurate recognition of presence and severity of ataxia in horses with neurologic disease is important when establishing a diagnosis, assessing response to treatment, and making recommendations that might influence rider safety or a decision for euthanasia. Objective: To determine the reproducibility and validity of the gait assessment component in the neurologic examination of horses. Methods: Twenty-five horses referred to the Royal Veterinary College Equine Referral Hospital for neurological assessment (n = 15), purchased (without a history of gait abnormalities) for an u...
Stewart AJ, Hinchcliff KW, Saville WJ, Jose-Cunilleras E, Hardy J, Kohn CW, Reed SM, Kowalski JJ.Medical records of 101 blood culture-confirmed bacteremic foals were reviewed to determine whether foals with Actinobacillus sp. bacteremia are affected at an earlier age, have more severe signs of disease, and have a worse prognosis than do foals with bacteremia of other causes. Thirty percent (30/101) of bacteremic foals had Actinobacillus sp. cultured, and these were 2 times more likely to die (crude odds ratio [OR(CR)] 0.8, 4; P = .14), with a survival rate of 43% (13/30) compared to the overall survival rate of 55% (56/101). When compared to other bacteremic foals, foals with actinobacill...
Viñuela-Fernández I, Jones E, Chase-Topping ME, Price J.This study compared three subjective scoring systems used to assess lameness associated with equine laminitis: (1) visual analogue scale, (2) Obel score and (3) clinical grading system (CGS). Two groups of 12 observers, consisting of equine veterinarians and final-year veterinary students, scored lameness severity after watching video footage of 14 horses on two occasions. Generalizability theory was used to investigate the reliability of the three systems and the effects of observer experience. Overall reliability across all times and observers was high. Intra-observer reliability was higher ...
Pusterla N, Pusterla JB, Braun U, Lutz H.Four cows and four horses were infected experimentally with Ehrlichia phagocytophila, the cause of tickborne fever in ruminants, and with human granulocytic ehrlichia-like agent, a recently discovered species that infects people, horses and dogs in the USA and Europe. They were infected in either order, 30 days apart, to investigate serological cross-reactivity within the Ephagocytophila genogroup. The course of infection was assessed by routine clinical, haematological, serological and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) examinations. Two of the cows infected with Ephagocytophila and two of the h...
Kallerud AS, Fjordbakk CT, Hendrickson EHS, Persson-Sjodin E, Hammarberg M, Rhodin M, Hernlund E.Lameness evaluation of Standardbred trotters can be challenging due to discrepancies in observed movement asymmetry between in-hand and track exercise, and between different trotting speeds. There are few studies on objective measurement of movement in Standardbreds, and little knowledge regarding biological variation and clinical significance of measured movement asymmetry in this breed. Objective: To quantify the prevalence and magnitude of objectively measured movement asymmetry in young Standardbred trotters, and identify associations with trainer, sex, height, track type and in-hand measu...
East LM, Savage CJ, Traub-Dargatz JL, Dickinson CE, Ellis RP.To identify clinical signs, physical examination findings, results of diagnostic tests, treatments administered, and clinical outcome of neonatal foals with enterocolitis associated with Clostridium perfringens infection. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 54 neonatal foals. Results: Most foals had acute onset of obtunded mentation, colic, or diarrhea and developed leukopenia, neutropenia, an abnormally high number of band neutrophils, toxic WBC, and hypoproteinemia within 24 hours after admission, despite high serum IgG concentrations (> 800 mg/dl). Abdominocentesis and abdominal radiogra...
McConachie E, Barton MH, Rapoport G, Giguère S.Cardiac output (CO) is not routinely measured in critically ill adult horses because of invasiveness of currently validated methods. Noninvasive CO monitoring would complement clinical assessment of hemodynamic status in adult horses. Objective: Volumetric methods for measuring CO will have better agreement with lithium dilution than Doppler-based methods. Methods: Eight healthy adult horses. Methods: Prospective study. CO was manipulated with continuous rate infusions of dobutamine and romifidine to achieve high and low CO states, respectively. At each level, CO was measured by lithium diluti...
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...
de Cocq P, Clayton HM, Terada K, Muller M, van Leeuwen JL.Pressure measurement devices in equine sports have primarily focused on tack (saddle pads and saddle fitting methods). However, saddle pressure devices may also be useful in evaluating the interaction and distribution of normal forces between the horse and rider, including rider position and riding technique. This study examined the validity, reliability, repeatability and possibilities of using a saddle pressure device to evaluate rider position. All measurements were performed using a standing horse. Validity was tested by calculating the correlation coefficient between measured normal force...
Ploeg M, Saey V, de Bruijn CM, Gröne A, Chiers K, van Loon G, Ducatelle R, van Weeren PR, Back W, Delesalle C.In horses, aortic sinus of Valsalva aneurysms or tears in the aortic root are well-recognised conditions in breeding stallions, often leading to sudden death. A more uncommon form of aortic rupture, located proximal to the ligamentum arteriosum has been reported in 3 Friesian horses. Objective: The purpose of this study was to phenotypically characterise aortic rupture and aorto-pulmonary fistulation in Friesian horses in terms of clinical and post mortem data based on 24 cases. Methods: Friesian horses that were diagnosed with aortic rupture and aorto-pulmonary fistulation over a period of 13...
Thoefner MB, Ersbøll AK, Hesselholt M.A prospective survey of 528 colic horses, referred to the Large Animal Hospital at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University of Copenhagen, Denmark, during the period August 1994 to December 1998, was undertaken to develop a predictive model for application in the clinical assessment of prognosis. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, 357 colic cases were used in the elaboration of a simple clinical-practical model consisting of degree of pain, packed cell volume, capillary refill time and rectal temperature. The relationship between rectal temperature and outcome (survival/...
Klohnen A, Vachon AM, Fischer AT.To evaluate the use of abdominal ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool in horses with signs of colic. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 226 horses with signs of acute abdominal pain were compared to 20 clinical normal horses. Methods: The following were performed in horses with signs of colic: physical examination, CBC, abdominal fluid analysis, placement of a nasogastric tube to obtain gastric reflux, abdominal palpation per rectum, and ultrasonography of the abdomen. Results of ultrasonography were compared with the surgical, necropsy, or medical findings. Results: Ultrasonography of horse...
Venner M, Credner N, Lämmer M, Giguère S.The objectives of the present study were to determine the relative efficacy of tulathromycin, azithromycin, or azithromycin with rifampin for the treatment of pulmonary abscesses on a farm with endemic infections caused by Rhodococcus equi. Foals with ultrasonographic evidence of pulmonary abscesses (abscess score 8.0-15 cm; n=120) were randomly allocated in four equal treatment groups: (1) tulathromycin intramuscularly; (2) azithromycin monotherapy, orally; (3) azithromycin with rifampin, orally; (4) saline intramuscularly as a placebo. Physical examination and thoracic ultrasonography were p...
