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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.
Blood hypercoagulability and systemic inflammation in horses with heaves. As inflammation and coagulation are intertwined processes, the efficiency of blood coagulation of heaves-affected horses and controls were compared in an observational case-control study, using thrombelastography. In experiment 1 (Exacerbation, six heaves, five controls), horses were housed indoors and fed hay. Thrombelastography, functional fibrinogen, platelet count, hematology, and antithrombin were measured. In experiment 2 (Remission, eight heaves, 11 controls), horses were housed in a low-dust environment for at least a month when thrombelastography was performed. Heaves-affected horses ...
Non-fatal injury occurrence in Southern California Thoroughbred racehorses 2009-2010. Private-practice racetrack veterinarians in southern California recorded non-fatal injuries meeting defined criteria in Thoroughbreds for 1 year. Injury incidence was 2.29 injury events per 100 horse-months, which was lower than other studies where trainer reported injury data were collected. Of 477 injuries recorded, 344 (72.1%) were acute and 133 (27.9%) were chronic. Fractures were common (47.6% of injuries), with stress fractures accounting for 14% of injuries. Superficial digital flexor tendonitis and suspensory ligament desmitis accounted for 15.3 and 11.5% of injuries, respectively. Agr...
Risk factors for epistaxis in jump racing in Great Britain (2001-2009). The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors associated with developing epistaxis in jump racing in Great Britain (GB). A retrospective analysis of records from horses running in all hurdle and steeplechase races in GB between 2001 and 2009 identified diagnoses of epistaxis whilst still at the racecourse. Data were used from 603 starts resulting in epistaxis (event) and 169,065 starts resulting in no epistaxis (non-event) in hurdle racing, and from 550 event starts and 102,344 non-event starts in steeplechase racing. Two multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate risk factors a...
In vitro mechanical evaluation of equine laryngeal tie-forward constructs prepared with different suture materials and placement patterns. To compare the mechanical properties of laryngeal tie-forward (LTF) constructs prepared with different suture materials and suture placement patterns during single load to failure testing. Methods: Larynges harvested from 50 horse cadavers and 5 intact horse cadavers. Methods: In vitro LTF constructs were created by a standard technique with polyester sutures, a standard technique with polyethylene sutures, a modified technique with metallic implants and polyester sutures, a modified technique with metallic implants and polyethylene sutures, or a modified tie-off technique with polyester sutur...
Plasma C-reactive protein and haptoglobin concentrations in critically ill neonatal foals. Accurate diagnostic markers for sepsis in neonatal foals are needed. Plasma C-reactive protein concentration (p[CRP]) and haptoglobin concentration (p[Hp]) are well-established biomarkers of infection in humans, but studies are lacking in foals. Objective: p[CRP]) and p[Hp] are increased in septic foals compared to sick nonseptic and healthy control foals, and are predictive of survival. Methods: Eighty critically ill foals (40 septic, 40 sick nonseptic) and 39 healthy control foals <1 week of age. Methods: Multicenter, prospective observational clinical study. Venous blood was collected at a...
Anti-Müllerian hormone as an indicator of hemi-castrated unilateral cryptorchid horses. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a glycoprotein secreted from the fetal testis, is responsible for regression of the Müllerian duct in the male fetus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of serum AMH as a biomarker for diagnosis of cryptorchidism in horses. Serum AMH concentrations were measured in intact stallions, hemi-castrated unilateral cryptorchid stallions, and geldings. In addition, expression of AMH was characterized in cryptorchid testes by immunohistochemistry. Serum AMH was detected in intact stallions (n=11, 13.3 ± 1.8 ng/ml) and in hemi-castrated cryptorchid stal...
Cryptorchidectomy in equids: 604 cases (1977-2010). To evaluate the management of equids undergoing cryptorchidectomy at a referral hospital. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 604 client-owned equids. Methods: Medical records of all equids undergoing surgical treatment of cryptorchidism from 1977 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Analyses of breed, location of retained testes, accuracy of palpation per rectum for determining the location of retained testes, surgical technique, and postoperative complications were performed. Results: The most frequently affected breed was the Quarter Horse (282/604 [47%]), which was significantly...
Cerebral and brainstem electrophysiologic activity during euthanasia with pentobarbital sodium in horses. An overdose of pentobarbital sodium administered i.v. is the most commonly used method of euthanasia in veterinary medicine. Determining death after the infusion relies on the observation of physical variables. However, it is unknown when cortical electrical activity and brainstem function are lost in a sequence of events before death. Objective: To examine changes in the electrical activity of the cerebral cortex and brainstem during an overdose of pentobarbital sodium solution for euthanasia. Our testing hypothesis is that isoelectric pattern of the brain in support of brain death occurs bef...
Serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, and ferritin in horses with colic: Association with common clinicopathological variables and short-term outcome. Equine colic may be associated with an acute phase response (APR). Measurement of acute phase proteins (APPs) allows the detection of an APR and may help clinicians in monitoring the disease; however, the role of APPs in colic is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin and ferritin in combination with an extended clinicopathological profile in equine colic. The medical records of 54 horses were retrospectively selected. Horses were grouped based on outcome (survivors vs. non-survivors), diagnosis (ischaemic/strangulating vs. non-ischa...
Equine-assisted therapy for anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms. We tested the efficacy of the Equine Partnering Naturally(©) approach to equine-assisted therapy for treating anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants were 16 volunteers who had experienced a Criterion A traumatic event, such as a rape or serious accident, and had current PTSD symptoms above 31 on the PTSD Checklist (PCL-S; Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska, & Keane, ). Participants engaged in tasks with horses for 6 weekly 2-hour sessions. Immediately following the final session, participants reported significantly reduced posttraumatic stress symptoms, d = 1.2...
Efficacy and safety of lomefloxacin on bacterial extraocular disease in the horse. Lomefloxacin is a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic used for the treatment of bacterial extraocular disease. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of lomefloxacin eye drops for bacterial extraocular disease in horses. Lomefloxacin ophthalmic solution (0.3%) was instilled three times daily for 2-5 days in 65 horses diagnosed with bacterial extraocular disease based on clinical findings. Clinical observations and bacteriological examinations were performed at the start of treatment, 2 and 5 days after the start of treatment, and at the discontinuation or termination of treatmen...
Naturally-occurring forelimb lameness in the horse results in significant compensatory load redistribution during trotting. This study aimed to quantify the compensatory response to naturally-occurring forelimb lameness on load redistribution. Data from lameness investigations using an inertial sensor based system to monitor the response to forelimb diagnostic anaesthesia were reviewed. Horses with primary forelimb lameness were grouped for analysis as (1) all horses combined (n= 28), (2) forelimb-only lameness (n= 8/28), (3) forelimb-contralateral hindlimb lameness (n= 14/28), (4) forelimb-ipsilateral hindlimb lameness (n= 6/28). The effect of diagnostic anaesthesia on measures of head and pelvic movement ...
Myocardial insult and arrhythmias after acute hemorrhage in horses. The objectives of this investigation were to: (1) Determine if acute hemorrhage is associated with increased plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration or cardiac arrhythmias, (2) to describe the types of arrhythmias and their clinical course in horses following acute hemorrhage, (3) to determine the ability of clinical or clinicopathological variables to predict an increase in cTnI concentration and the presence of arrhythmias, and (4) to determine the associations of cTnI and cardiac arrhythmias with outcome. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: Large animal veterinary teac...
Association of aldosterone and arginine vasopressin concentrations and clinical markers of hypoperfusion in neonatal foals. Critically ill foals often present to veterinary hospitals with impaired organ perfusion which can be demonstrated by increased blood L-lactate concentrations. As a compensatory mechanism to low blood pressure and electrolyte abnormalities, aldosterone and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are released to restore organ perfusion and function. Several studies have investigated the ability of blood L-lactate concentrations to predict severity of disease and outcome in critically ill human patients, adult horses and foals. However, information on the aldosterone and AVP response to hypoperfusion and its...
A cross-sectional epidemiological study of prevalence and severity of bit-induced oral trauma in polo ponies and race horses. Bit and bridle accessories improperly fitted in ridden horses can cause oral trauma such as bone spurs, commissure ulceration, and tongue lacerations. This study was used to identify, grade, and compare the types of oral traumas commonly found within polo ponies and race horses. Injuries were assessed visually and by palpation on the tongue, lips' commissures, and interdental space. A total of 50 polo ponies and 50 race horses were sampled in the South of England. A Poisson model was successfully fitted to the data (p < .001), and the variables of discipline (p < .001), injury type (p &l...
Anatomical variation of the spinous and transverse processes in the caudal cervical vertebrae and the first thoracic vertebra in horses. There are scant data on the incidence of different anatomical variants of the equine caudal cervical spine, despite interest in cervical pathology. Objective: To identify morphological radiographic variation in the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae and the first thoracic vertebra in horses of different breeds and to determine whether there are breed- and sex-related differences. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study. Methods: Radiographs of the cervical spine of 270 horses were assessed retrospectively. The Chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test when appropriate, was used to test for associat...
Emergence of Equine West Nile Encephalitis in Central Macedonia, Greece, 2010. During the summer of 2010, an outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) infections attributed to a lineage 2 WNV strain was reported among humans and horses in Central Macedonia, Northern Greece. Here, the clinical and laboratory investigation of horses that showed severe neurological signs due to WNV infection is being described. Specifically, between August and September 2010, 17 horses with neurological signs were detected. WNV infection was confirmed in all 17 clinical cases by applying laboratory testing. The duration of WNV-specific IgM antibodies in sera obtained from seven of the clinically af...
A commercially available immunoglobulin E-based test for food allergy gives inconsistent results in healthy ponies. Commercial immunoglobulin E (IgE)-based tests are available for diagnosis of food allergies and are commonly used in equine practice. However, these tests have been proven unreliable as a screening method in man and other species, but not critically evaluated in equids. Therefore, a commercially available IgE-based test for horses was evaluated. Objective: To evaluate the consistency of the results obtained with a commercially available IgE-based test for food allergy diagnosis in ponies (Phase I) and to subject ponies to a provocation trial with the presumed allergens (Phase II). Methods: All...
Efficacy of gamithromycin for the treatment of foals with mild to moderate bronchopneumonia. Gamithromycin is active in vitro against the bacterial agents most commonly associated with bronchopneumonia in older foals. However, the clinical efficacy and safety of this drug have not been investigated. Objective: Gamithromycin is effective for the treatment of bronchopneumonia in foals. Methods: One hundred and twenty-one foals on a farm endemic for infections caused by Rhodococcus equi. Methods: In a controlled, randomized, and double blinded clinical trial, foals with ultrasonographic evidence of pulmonary abscesses (abscess score 8.0-20 cm) were randomly allocated in 3 treatment group...
Brainstem auditory evoked responses in foals: reference values, effect of age, rate of acoustic stimulation, and neurologic deficits. Age and rate of acoustic stimulation affect peak latencies in brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAER) in humans. Those effects are unknown in foals. Objective: Our goals were to (1) establish reference values for BAER in foals by using 3 different stimulation protocols, (2) evaluate the effects of age and stimulation frequencies on BAER tracing in foals up to 6 months old, and (3) compare the data with BAER obtained from foals with central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Methods: Thirty-nine neurologically normal foals and 16 foals with neurologic diseases. Methods: Prospective observationa...
Cardiac troponin I as compared to troponin T for the detection of myocardial damage in horses. Different cardiac troponin I (cTnI) assays give different results. Only 1 manufacturer has marketed troponin T (cTnT) assays. Therefore, cTnT often is preferred for detection of myocardial infarction in human patients. Studies of cTnT in horses are limited. Objective: To compare a cTnI and a high-sensitive cTnT assay (hs-cTnT) in horses. Methods: Cardiac troponin I and cTnT were determined in 35 healthy horses (group 1), 23 horses suspected to have primary myocardial damage (group 2a), and 41 horses with secondary myocardial damage caused by structural heart disease (group 2b). Methods: All cT...
Central corneal thickness measurements and ultrasonographic study of the growing equine eye. The aim of this study was to determine the central corneal thickness (CCT) of healthy equine eyes with high-frequency ultrasound (HF) and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and to measure the axial dimensions with B-mode ultrasound. Additionally, the influence of the age on the measured dimensions of the globe was analyzed. Methods: Fifty warm blood horses (mean age 23.0 ± 21.12 months) were divided into 3 age groups (group 1: 0-6 months; group 2: ≥7-30 months; and group 3: ≥31-78 months). Methods: Corneal measurements were performed with a 22-MHz and a 50-MHz transducer. Crystalline lens thi...
Comparative endoscopic evaluation of normal and ulcerated gastric mucosae in Thoroughbred foals. To contribute to early diagnosis and treatment of gastric ulcer of foals, we examined the gastric mucosa of healthy and affected foals using an endoscope. In healthy foals, the characteristic changes in the development of the squamous mucosa were seen mainly in the squamous mucosa, and maturation of the squamous mucosa in the greater curvature (GC-S) occurred more slowly than that of the squamous mucosa in the lesser curvature (LC-S). Epithelial desquamation in the LC-S and GC-S was observed between 6 and 90 days but was not observed in the LC-S at about 60 days, whereas it was observed in the...
A field investigation into a suspected outbreak of pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis in horses in western Queensland. A disease outbreak investigation was conducted in western Queensland to investigate a rare suspected outbreak of pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) toxicosis in horses. Thirty five of 132 horses depastured on five properties on the Mitchell grass plains of western Queensland died in the first six months of 2010. Clinical-pathological findings were consistent with PA toxicosis. A local variety of Crotalaria medicaginea was the only hepatotoxic plant found growing on affected properties. Pathology reports and departure and arrival dates of two brood mares provided evidence of a pre wet season exposure ...
