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Topic:Clinical Pathology
Clinical pathology in horses involves the study and analysis of biological samples to diagnose and monitor diseases and health conditions. This discipline encompasses various laboratory tests and procedures that assess the physiological and biochemical status of equines. Common analyses include hematology, biochemistry, urinalysis, and cytology, each providing insights into different aspects of equine health. Hematology evaluates blood components, such as red and white blood cells and platelets, to identify conditions like anemia or infection. Biochemistry tests measure enzymes, electrolytes, and metabolites to assess organ function and metabolic status. Urinalysis examines urine samples for indicators of renal function and systemic diseases. Cytology involves the microscopic examination of cells from tissues or fluids to detect abnormalities. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, applications, and diagnostic value of clinical pathology in equine medicine.
Hematologic and blood chemical characteristics of feral horses from three management areas. Blood was collected from 486 feral horses of mixed sex and age classes captured from three wild horse management areas in Nevada and Oregon from December 1985 to February 1986. Males were significantly outnumbered by females in the Flanigan area, but both sexes were represented in approximately equal numbers in the Wassuk and Beaty's Butte areas. Hematology and chemistry values averaged 16.4 +/- 0.11, 46.3 +/- 0.28, 9.9 +/- 0.07, 6.9 +/- 0.10, 47.1 +/- 0.24, 16.6 +/- 0.09, 35.2 +/- 0.09, 10.4 +/- 0.14 and 23.4 +/- 0.25 for hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), red blood cells (RBC), white blood ...
Initial treatment of colic. This article discusses some of the rationales for the medical management of colic during the initial treatment period. The issue of colic pain control and the masking of clinical signs that may indicate severe gastrointestinal disease is addressed. Therapeutic considerations related to dehydration, metabolic imbalances, hemostatic disorders, antimicrobial therapy, fecal consistency, gastrointestinal decompression, and regulation of intestinal motility are reviewed.
Selected aspects of the clinical pharmacology of visceral analgesics and gut motility modifying drugs in the horse. Comparison of the visceral analgesic effects of xylazine, morphine, butorphanol, pentazocine, meperidine, dipyrone, and flunixin in a cecal distention model of colic pain indicated that xylazine produces the most relief from abdominal discomfort. Repeated administration of xylazine may reduce visceral pain so effectively that the seriousness of abdominal disease is obscured. Xylazine decreased propulsive motility in the jejunum and pelvic flexure of healthy ponies. Morphine and butorphanol also gave relief from visceral pain in the cecal distention model. Morphine may inhibit colonic, and buto...
Pyrrolizidine alkaloid-induced liver disease in horses: an early diagnosis. Nine adult horses were fed alfalfa hay cubes containing approximately 10% Senecio vulgaris until all horses had consumed approximately the same amount of toxic components of S vulgaris, pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). The amount of PA consumed was determined by the amount that induced clinical signs of PA toxicosis in 3 horses. The 6 other horses were given similar amounts per kilogram of body weight. An initial decrease of feed intake was observed when horses' diets were changed from alfalfa cubes to alfalfa/Senecio cubes, and feed intake was decreased further over 89 to 98 days. From 50 to 159...
Klossiella equi induced tubular nephrosis and interstitial nephritis in a pony. Heavy renal infection in a pony with Klosiella equi resulted in moderate diffuse tubular nephrosis and tubular rupture. Multifocal non-suppurative interstitial nephritis was associated with ruptured tubules. Ultrastructural examination of sporoblasts demonstrated both the presence of a bilaminated membrane encasing organisms and nuclear budding. Endogenous corticosteroid production probably led to the development of an immune-compromized state and subsequent extensive parasitic replication.
Progressive myotonia in foals resembling human dystrophia myotonica. A severe and progressive neuromuscular disorder accompanied by clinical, electrophysiological, and pathological features resembling human dystrophia myotonica was observed in three foals. This disorder was apparent as early as 1 month of age and involved progressive skeletal muscle dysfunction, initially characterized by proximal muscle hypertrophy and hypertonicity with subsequent muscle stiffness, weakness, and atrophy. Multisystem involvement was manifested in one case by testicular hypoplasia, early cataract formation, and borderline glucose intolerance. Prolonged dimpling of these large r...
Alternative diagnoses in the colic patient. Despite clinical signs compatible with obstruction or ischemia of the gastrointestinal tract, the clinician occasionally is unable to identify a gastrointestinal cause for colic. In this article, disorders not originating from obstruction or ischemia of the gastrointestinal tract but causing real or apparent abdominal pain are presented as alternative causes of colic. In addition, colic of gastrointestinal origin may be the primary inciting factor or a secondary complication of an alternative disorder, causing colic-like signs. Recognition of alternative diagnoses relies on a thorough and cons...
Decision for surgery. Based on the clinical impression and the current knowledge of the clinical variables (rectal examination, abdominal distention, abdominal fluid, intractable pain) most likely to differentiate between medical and surgical cases, three decision trees are provided as a guide to making the management decision in a horse with abdominal pain. Prior elimination of horses with limited life expectancy because of age or function or where financial constraints are present is understood. It must be emphasized that most of the information presently available originates from referral centers where the preva...
Megacolon with myenteric hypoganglionosis in a foal. A 6-month-old Clydesdale filly had chronic abdominal distention and intermittent febrile episodes. Abdominal surgery revealed impaction of the right dorsal colon, which was relieved by evacuation of contents through an enterotomy. Four days after surgery, abdominal distention recurred and progressed. The filly was euthanatized. Necropsy revealed the right dorsal colon to be markedly distended with digesta. Microscopically, there was a marked reduction in myenteric ganglion cells in the right dorsal colon and cecum and mild to moderate reduction of myenteric ganglion cells in the left ventral a...
Ultrastructural aspects of equine pemphigus foliaceus-like dermatitis. Report of cases. Pemphigus foliaceus is an uncommon dermatologic disorder occurring in several species and has been reported in horses during the past decade. An ultrastructural analysis of affected skin of horses presenting to our clinics has revealed early cytopathologic features of pemphigus-like disease, some of which closely resemble pemphigus foliaceus in the human, calve, and guinea pig. Prior to complete acantholysis and bullae formation, the intercellular spaces enlarged, but intercellular bridges and desmosomes remained intact. A novel finding was presence of aggregates of electron dense granular mat...
Polysaccharide storage myopathy. In a woman with a slowly progressive adult onset proximal myopathy, muscle biopsy showed storage of PAS positive material in type 1 fibers. This material consisted of a branched chain polysaccharide associated with a mucoprotein. No abnormality of glycogen-pathway enzymes was detected. This suggested that this polysaccharide accumulation occurred because the polysaccharide was laid down in a non-bioavailable form. The clinical and histochemical features in this patient and in the few similar reported cases indicate that polysaccharide storage myopathy is a distinct entity that is allied to the...
Incomplete palmar fracture of the proximal extremity of the third metacarpal bone in horses: ten cases (1981-1986). In 4 adult horses, simple, nondisplaced, incomplete fracture of the proximal extremity of the third metacarpal bone (MC3) was identified radiographically only on the dorsopalmar projection. Lameness was slight to moderate. Although nerve blocks of the foot and fetlock did not alter the lameness, high palmar regional nerve block improved the gait in 1 of the 2 horses on which it was performed. Pain on palpation or swollen distal accessory (inferior check) ligament, flexor tendons, and suspensory ligament were not found in any horse. The fracture was localized to the palmar surface of the proxim...
Dose-dependent plasma elimination of subcutaneously administered calcium heparin in horses. Pharmacokinetic parameters for subcutaneous low dose heparin in horses have been determined. Four groups of five and one group of eleven mature, healthy horses of various breeds were given single subcutaneous injections of 60, 80, 100, 125, and 150 units of calcium heparin/kg of body weight (U/kg) in the pectoral region. Jugular blood samples were collected prior to, and at hourly intervals for 12 h after injection. Heparin plasma concentrations were measured using a commercially available amidolytic assay. Peak concentrations 4 h after administration were 0.021 +/- 0.016 (mean +/- SD) units o...
Determination of boldenone sulfoconjugate and related steroid sulfates in equine urine by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Sulfoconjugated anabolic steroids were separated by micro-bore high-performance liquid chromatography. The eluent was introduced into the atmospheric pressure ion source of the triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer via an ion spray liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer interface operated in the negative ion mode. The limit of detection was 10 pg on-column by selected ion monitoring of the molecular ion and the response increased linearly over a concentration range of 2.4 orders of magnitude. Following work-up by a liquid-solid extraction procedure of equine urine samples, full-scan daughter ion...
[The diagnostic value of the ‘skyline’ view for the radiographic study of the navicular bone in horses]. The radiographic diagnostic value of Rose's palmaroproximal-dorsodistal ('skyline') projection and Oxspring's dorsopalmar projection of the equine navicular bone were compared, by examining radiographs of 102 navicular bones originating from 66 randomly selected horses with clinical evidence of lameness located in the navicular area. In 27 navicular bones essential information was obtained from the skyline view, 15 independently of Oxspring's projection and 12 in addition to this view. For 11 navicular studies the D.P. projection was the most important diagnostic view. In the other 64 navicula...
Sudden and unexpected death in horses and ponies: an analysis of 200 cases. An analysis was made of the causes of death in horses and ponies over one year of age which died suddenly (Group 1) or were found dead but were considered normal when last seen (Group 2). There were 49 animals in Group 1. Thoroughbreds were overrepresented, but there were no ponies in this group. No cause of death was found in 30.6 per cent of cases and 16.3 per cent died from each of the following causes: haemorrhage in the respiratory system, central nervous system, and adverse drug reactions. Cardiovascular lesions were the cause of death in 14.4 per cent and the remaining 3.1 per cent had ...
Quantitative buffy coat analysis for hematologic measurements of canine, feline, and equine blood samples and for detection of microfilaremia in dogs. A quantitative buffy coat (QBC) analysis was evaluated for 175 canine, 125 feline, and 125 equine blood samples. The method used centrifuged whole blood and yielded rapid results expressed as respective band lengths for RBC, granulocytes, nongranulocytes, and platelets. Simple regression analysis of band lengths and reference laboratory methods yielded correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.72 to 0.99. The PCV, granulocyte count, and total WBC count, as determined by the 2 methods, correlated well (r greater than or equal to 0.93 in all cases). Platelet and nongranulocyte counts were less...
Iron toxicity in neonatal foals. Newborn Shetland foals died of acute hepatic failure following oral administration of approximately 16 mg/kg body weight ferrous fumarate. Lesions in these foals were indistinguishable from lesions in foals given an oral digestive inoculant containing ferrous fumarate and were also similar to the syndrome characterised as 'toxic hepatopathy' in foals in the United States in 1983. We conclude that foals are susceptible to toxicity from low doses of iron compounds in the first few days of life. Vitamin E and selenium deficiency may contribute to this susceptibility.
Chronic small airway disease in the horse: immunohistochemical evaluation of lungs with mild, moderate and severe lesions. The peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique was used to demonstrate free and intracellular immunoglobulin (Ig) within the lungs of 23 horses with chronic small airway disease. Histologically, all the horses had chronic bronchiolitis; however, the lesions varied in degree from mild in eight horses, to moderate in nine horses and severe in six horses. Lungs from three horses which had no gross or histopathological lesions were used as controls. In comparison with control horses, horses with mild chronic bronchiolitis had increased numbers of Ig A-containing and non-immunoglobulin staining cells aro...
Heterotopic polyodontia in horses: nine cases (1969-1986). Nine horses with heterotopic polyodontia, examined at Purdue University since 1969, were treated surgically and had a favorable outcome. Six of the horses had received prior medical or surgical treatment, but without success. An understanding of the congenital nature of the problem contributed to an accurate diagnosis in each case. General anesthesia, aseptic technique, removal of all aberrant tissue, and wound suture for primary healing appeared to be essential for preserving ear function and obtaining an effective treatment.
