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Topic:Clinical Findings
Clinical findings in horses encompass a range of observable signs and symptoms identified during veterinary examinations that contribute to diagnosing and managing equine health conditions. These findings can include physical observations, such as changes in behavior, posture, or gait, as well as physiological measurements like heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. Diagnostics may also involve laboratory tests, imaging, and other diagnostic procedures to assess organ function and detect abnormalities. Recognizing and interpreting clinical findings are essential components of veterinary practice, aiding in the identification of diseases, monitoring treatment progress, and guiding therapeutic interventions. This page brings together peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, interpretations, and implications of clinical findings in the context of equine health care.
Pressure Algometry for the Detection of Mechanical Nociceptive Thresholds in Horses. The clinical assessment of pain is subjective; therefore, variations exist between practitioners in their ability to identify and localize pain. Due to differing interpretations of the signs or severity of pain equine practitioners may assign varying levels of clinical significance and treatment options. There is a critical need to develop better tools to qualify and quantify pain in horses. Palpation is the most common method to detect local tenderness or sensitivity. To quantify this applied pressure, pressure algometry has been used to gradually apply pressure over specified landmarks until...
Reliable and clinically applicable gait event classification using upper body motion in walking and trotting horses. Objectively assessing horse movement symmetry as an adjunctive to the routine lameness evaluation is on the rise with several commercially available systems on the market. Prerequisites for quantifying such symmetries include knowledge of the gait and gait events, such as hoof to ground contact patterns over consecutive strides. Extracting this information in a robust and reliable way is essential to accurately calculate many kinematic variables commonly used in the field. In this study, optical motion capture was used to measure 222 horses of various breeds, performing a total of 82 664 steps...
Cardiac arrhythmias in poorly performing Standardbred and Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded trotters undergoing high-speed treadmill testing. The significance of cardiac arrhythmias and their possible association with upper airway obstruction are frequently considered in the clinical investigation of poor performance. The specific aims of this retrospective study of a group of poorly performing Standardbred and Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded trotters were to: (1) describe the overall frequency and frequency distributions of arrhythmias; (2) describe arrhythmia characteristics including percent prematurity, relative recovery cycle lengths and QRS morphology; (3) describe variability of normal RR intervals; and (4) explore possible ass...
Clinical and Pathological Features in Horses With Advanced Arytenoid Chondritis. Equine arytenoid chondritis causes airway obstruction and abnormal upper airway noise due to a space-occupying lesion(s) and decreased abduction. Our objective was to compare clinical scores and ultrasonographic findings with gross and microscopic lesions of naturally occurring arytenoid chondritis, in order to guide surgical treatment. Seventeen naturally affected horses with advanced/severe chronic arytenoid chondritis and 4 control arytenoid cartilages were evaluated after partial arytenoidectomy. Cartilages were sectioned caudal to the corniculate process and the body of each arytenoid was...
A Rare Case of Vascular Proliferation in the Mandible of a Juvenile Horse. A fast growing, circumscribed, unilateral swelling of the right mandible of a juvenile horse was observed. Within few weeks, the continuously growing mass reached dimensions ranging from 7 to 10 cm in diameter and resulted in loss of the first deciduous premolar of the affected side. The animal was euthanized due to lesion progression. Histologically the mandibular swelling consisted of numerous variably sized vascular structures, partly filled with erythrocytes and embedded in a loosely arranged fibrous stroma within the medullary cavity of the mandible. Juvenile mandibular angiomatosis was d...
Outcome of external beam radiotherapy for treatment of noncutaneous tumors of the head in horses: 32 cases (1999-2015). The long-term outcomes of external beam radiotherapy for treatment of noncutaneous tumors of the head in horses is unknown. Objective: To report the long-term outcomes for treatment of noncutaneous tumors of the head of horses, and report short and long-term clinical adverse effects. Methods: Thirty-two horses treated in 2 referral hospitals. Methods: In this retrospective study, medical records of horses receiving radiation therapy for noncutaneous tumors between 1999 and 2015 were reviewed. Signalment, tumor type, treatment protocol, tumor control duration, and survival were recorded. Kaplan...
First case report on the occurrence of Trypanosoma evansi in a Siam B Mare in Kelantan, Malaysia. This is the first case report for the positive Trypanosoma evansi incident in Kelantan, Malaysia confirmed through protozoa detection in a Siam B mare. The horse was presented with complaints of lethargy and inappetence and it collapsed on the day of visit. Normal saline and dextrose solution were administered intravenously, while multivitamins and nerve supplements were given intramuscularly to stabilise the horse before further treatment. Haematological findings showed normocytic hypochromic anaemia and are suggestive of regenerative anaemia. Thin blood smear and examination revealed the pre...
Thyrohyoideus muscle innervation in the horse. To describe the innervation of the thyrohyoideus (TH) muscle and to confirm our findings with stimulation of first cervical (C1) nerve branches. Methods: Ex vivo phase 1 and clinical phase 2. Methods: Fourteen head and neck specimens and 17 client-owned horses. Methods: In phase 1, the cranial nerve (CN) XII and the C1 nerve were dissected with their branches in 20 dissections were performed on 14 specimens (6 left and right side and 8 only left or right) Anatomy was noted. Samples of nerve bifurcations were collected for histological confirmation of anatomical findings. First cervical nerve b...
Circulating melanin-containing cells and neutrophils with phagocytized melanin granules in a horse with disseminated melanoma. An 18-year-old, grey, Thoroughbred Cross gelding was referred to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University following a 3-week history of low-grade fever of unknown origin, distal limb swelling, and weight loss. Clinical examination identified a few black, round, smooth nodules along the ventral aspect of the proximal tail. Transabdominal ultrasound showed a markedly enlarged heterogenous spleen, hyperechoic liver nodules, and evidence of peritonitis with fibrin deposition. A mature neutrophilia was noted on complete blood count with variable numbers of phagocytized granule...
Exercise-associated rhythm disturbances in poorly performing Thoroughbreds: risk factors and association with racing performance. Exercise-associated cardiac rhythm disturbances are common, but there is a lack of evidence-based criteria on which to distinguish clinically relevant rhythm disturbances from those that are not. Objective: To describe and characterise rhythm disturbances during clinical exercise testing; to explore potential risk factors for these rhythm disturbances and to determine whether they influenced future racing. Methods: Retrospective cohort using a convenience sample. Methods: Medical records were reviewed from two clinical services to identify horses with poor performance and/or respiratory noise ...
High Prevalence of Orodental Disorders in South Brazilian Cart Horses: Walking a Tightrope Between Animal Welfare and Socioeconomic Inevitability. In developing and emerging countries, many people make a living from picking municipal solid waste to sell for reuse or recycling. These people depend on cost-effective transport vehicles like horse-drawn carts. It is indisputable that the general health of these horses not only plays a major economic role but is a welfare issue as well. Orodental disorders are likely to be of particular importance as they directly impair health, performance, and therefore influence animal welfare and income. However, studies investigating prevalence and distribution of orodental disorders in working horses ar...
Comparison of histomorphometric characteristics of dorsal colon and pelvic flexure biopsy specimens obtained from horses with large colon volvulus that underwent resection. To determine the degree of histomorphometric damage in dorsal colon and pelvic flexure biopsy specimens (DCBSs and PFBSs, respectively) obtained from horses with large colon volvulus (LCV) and assess the accuracy of predicting short-term outcome for those horses on the basis of DCBS or PFBS characteristics. Methods: 18 horses with ≥ 360° LCV that underwent large colon resection. Methods: During surgery, biopsy specimens from the dorsal colon resection site and the pelvic flexure (when available) were collected from each horse. Interstitial-to-crypt (I:C) ratio (ratio of the lamina propria s...
Immunohistochemical analysis of laryngeal muscle of horses clinically affected with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy. As myosin heavy chain (MyHC) profile of muscle fibres is heavily influenced by neural input, changes in MyHC expression are expected in horses clinically affected with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) yet, this has not been thoroughly investigated. Objective: To describe the changes in MyHC and fibre diameter in left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (L-CAD) muscle of horses with clinical signs of RLN. Methods: Observational cohort study. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the MyHC-based fibre-type proportion, size and grouping in the L-CAD of 10 Thoroughbred horses, five clinically...
Incisional complications after skin closure with n-butyl cyanoacrylate or stainless-steel skin staples in horses undergoing colic surgery. To compare the prevalence of incisional complications after skin closure with n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBC) or stainless-steel skin staples (SS) after ventral midline celiotomy for colic surgery in the horse. Methods: Retrospective study (2014-2018). Methods: Two hundred eighteen horses. Methods: Medical records of horses that underwent exploratory celiotomy for colic were included when the skin was closed with NBC or SS and the horse survived ≥15 days after surgery. Records and a follow-up questionnaire were used to determine in-hospital and posthospital discharge incisional complications. ...
Acute interstitial pneumonia in foals: A severe, multifactorial syndrome with lung tissue recovery in surviving foals. Acute interstitial pneumonia in foals has been sparsely described in literature, and the individual authors disagree on the underlying aetiology. Histopathological follow-up from surviving foals is not available. Objective: Description of clinical and histopathological findings in the course of acute interstitial pneumonia and in recovery. Investigating the aetiology and possible triggering factors of acute interstitial pneumonia. Methods: Case series. Methods: Post-mortem examination of nine affected foals; seven died during the acute phase, and two had recovered from acute interstitial pneum...
An Unusual Case of Testicular Disorder in Sex Development of Arabian Mare (64,XX SRY-Negative). A 3-year-old Arabian mare underwent medical examinations due to the presence of abnormalities of the reproductive apparatus and stallion behavior (nervous temperament, aggressiveness, masculine attitude). During the clinical visit, an anovulvar distance shorter than normal was observed; moreover, vulvar lips were dorsally fused except for the lower neckline, showing a blind ending from which a penis-like structure protruded. The ultrasound examination revealed the presence of a cervix and corpus of a uterus, hypoplastic uterine horns, and small gonads with an echogenicity similar to a testis. ...
First report of pulmonary disease associated with Nicoletella semolina in a horse in New Zealand. A 9-year-old warmblood gelding with a history of chronic intermittent tachypnoea and dyspnoea was presented for evaluation and removal of a mass on the left side of the neck. A fibrous mass adherent to the left jugular vein developed and was removed surgically 6 weeks later, at which time the owner requested an evaluation of the cause of the persistent respiratory signs first noted on primary admission. Clinical findings included coarse lung sounds on thoracic auscultation, tracheal wheeze, and an abnormal trans-tracheal aspirate. These findings, in addition to the results of ultrasonographi...
Plasma and Peritoneal Ceftriaxone Concentrations After Intraperitoneal Administration in Horses With Septic Peritonitis. Intraperitoneal ceftriaxone administration in healthy horses results in high and prolonged peritoneal concentrations. Recent findings suggest that intraperitoneal ceftriaxone might increase survival rates in horses affected by peritonitis. The present study aimed to evaluate plasma and peritoneal concentrations of ceftriaxone after intraperitoneal administration in horses with septic peritonitis. Twenty-six horses presenting clinical, laboratorial, and sonographic findings compatible with the disease were included. All horses received daily intraperitoneal ceftriaxone (25 mg/kg bwt) in additi...
Reference values for 2-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography in Friesian and Warmblood horses. Echocardiographic reference intervals for Friesian horses are poorly described. Objective: To obtain reference intervals for echocardiographic measurements in Friesians and compare these with Warmbloods. Methods: One hundred healthy adult Friesians and 100 healthy adult Warmblood horses. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiographic images were obtained. Echocardiographic measurements, including size, area, and volumetric measurements of left atrium, left and right ventricle, aorta, and pulmonary artery, were performed. Measurements were compared between the 2 br...
Rhabdomyolysis and Acute Renal Failure Associated with Oxytetracycline Administration in Two Neonatal Foals Affected by Flexural Limb Deformity. Oxytetracycline (OTC) administration has become a frequent practice in equine neonatology for the treatment of flexural limb deformity. The cause of this condition remains unclear but clinical studies revealed that following IV administration of OTC a relaxation of the metacarpophalangeal joint occurs in foals affected by flexural deformity. Studies concluded that OTC administration in neonatal foals did not adversely affect the kidneys. Other adverse effects of OTC have never been reported. This report presents two cases with different outcomes of 3-day-old foals which presented acute collaps...
Non-weight bearing ultrasonographic examination allows the diagnosis of longitudinal fiber disruption (split) in equine suspensory ligament branches not visible on weight bearing examination. When evaluating suspensory ligament branch splits, there is a discrepancy between high field MRI findings and weight bearing ultrasonographic imaging characteristics. In this descriptive and retrospective case series, ultrasonographic examination was performed on suspensory ligament branches with the limbs in weight bearing and non-weight bearing positions. Suspensory ligament branch splits were defined as linear regions of decreased echogenicity when imaged with the limb in a weight bearing position that increased in size and became anechoic with the limb in a non-weight bearing position. Thi...
Do Metal Shoes Contract Heels?-A Retrospective Study on 114 Horses. Heel contraction is an undesired but common condition in domestic horses. Some authors indicate shoeing as a risk factor. There is a correlation between shoeing and a restriction of heel expansion, but the clinical significance is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of shoeing and other risk factors, such as age, access to paddock, and breed, on heel contraction. This study included 114 horses, 55 of which were barefoot their whole life and 59 had been shod consistently for at least the previous year. The width and length of the frog were measured. Linear mixed-effects models w...
Oral misoprostol does not hasten oviductal transport of day-5 horse embryos. In horses, prostaglandin E (PGE) is produced by embryos around Day 5 post-ovulation; PGE functions directly at the oviduct promoting embryo transport into the uterus. Non-surgical collection of horse embryos for cryopreservation is recommended at Day 6.5-7 post-ovulation. It was proposed that misoprostol administered orally will hasten oviductal transport of horse embryos. In Experiment 1 (n = 15) there was comparison of time of embryo recovery (Day 6 and 6.5 post-ovulation) from mares administered misoprostol (Day 5 and 5.5) orally to that of untreated mares. On Day 6, embryo collections were...
Effect of Topical 1% Tetracaine Hydrochloride on Intraocular Pressure in Ophthalmologically Normal Horses; a Pilot Study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical 1% tetracaine hydrochloride on the intraocular pressure (IOP) in ophthalmologically normal horses. Thirty eyes of 15 clinically normal horses were used for this study. The animals were randomly assigned to two groups (treatment and control). Prior to the instillation of 1% tetracaine or placebo, the baseline IOPs (T0) of each animal were recorded in both groups. Then one drop of tetracaine was instilled randomly into one eye of each horse in the treatment group (8 horses). In the control group (7 horses), one drop of artificial tear w...
Primary cardiac hemangiosarcoma in a horse: echocardiographic and necropsy findings. Cardiac hemangiosarcoma, especially primary, is infrequently reported in the horse and remains a diagnostic challenge because of vague clinical signs and difficulty to reach an antemortem diagnosis. A 17-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding was presented with a history of tongue swelling and secondary aspiration pneumonia. Initial assessment indicated dehydration, and thoracic ultrasound revealed an abnormal structure within the myocardium alongside the previously suspected aspiration pneumonia. A subsequent, complete echocardiogram identified a large, heterogeneous, ill-defined mass invadi...
Prevalence of intra-abdominal hypertension in horses with colic. To determine an abdominal pressure cutoff value for intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) in the horse and characterize IAH in horses with acute colic. Methods: Prospective clinical cohort. Methods: University teaching hospital. Methods: Nine healthy adult horses and 56 horses with acute colic. Methods: Ventral intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was measured in triplicate at end expiration and averaged. Each colic case was classified as medical or surgical and large intestine (LI) or small intestine (SI). Management and final outcome (alive, euthanized, or died) were recorded. IAH was defined as ≥3...
