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Topic:Clinical Signs
Clinical signs in horses refer to observable physical or behavioral manifestations that may indicate the presence of disease or injury. These signs can include a range of symptoms such as changes in appetite, alterations in gait, abnormal respiratory patterns, or variations in body temperature. Recognizing clinical signs is an integral part of equine veterinary practice, as they provide initial insights into the health status of the animal. Veterinarians rely on these signs to formulate differential diagnoses and guide further diagnostic testing. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the identification, interpretation, and diagnostic value of clinical signs in equine health management.
Validation of computerized Swedish horse insurance data against veterinary clinical records. The aim was to evaluate the agreement between computerized insurance data in a large Swedish horse insurance database and the information in the corresponding clinical records (CR). A random sample of 400 veterinary care and 140 life claims was included. Information on name of the horse, breed and gender, year of birth, specific diagnosis and system diagnosis (e.g. joints, digestive and skeletal) was compared between sources. The concordance for demographic variables was categorized as agreement, disagreement or data missing. For diagnostic information, the categories were agreement, minor dis...
Clinical and clinicopathologic variables in adult horses receiving blood transfusions: 31 cases (1999-2005). To determine clinical and clinicopathologic abnormalities in horses administered a blood transfusion and evaluate effects of blood transfusion on these variables. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 31 adult horses that received > or = 1 blood transfusion. Procedures-Medical records of horses receiving a blood transfusion were reviewed to obtain clinical findings, laboratory test results before and after transfusion, adjunctive treatments, transfusion type and volume, response to transfusion, results of donor-recipient compatibility testing, adverse reactions, and outcome. Results:...
Evidence-based medicine in equine critical care. One of the fundamental skills required for practicing evidence-based medicine is the development of a well-built clinical question, which specifies the patient group or problem, intervention, and outcome of interest. For this purpose, various "levels of evidence" have been developed in the human literature, which rank the validity of evidence. Our established conclusions and advice are thus supported by specific "grades of recommendations," which are intended to give an indication of the "strength" of a clinical recommendation. This article was compiled with these principles in mind.
Common procedures in broodmare practice: what is the evidence? Many procedures performed as part of routine broodmare practice are based on sound clinical judgment and experience or scientific evidence; however, others are based on perceived problems and needs to address them. This article presents four procedures commonly used in broodmare practice, for which there is questionable evidence to substantiate their use.
Exposure of veterinary personnel to ionising radiation during bone scanning of horses by nuclear scintigraphy with 99mtechnetium methylene diphosphonate. The aim of this study was to compare the radiation doses received by the personnel drawing up and injecting the radiopharmaceutical and operating the nuclear scintigraphy equipment, and those restraining nine horses while they were being scanned during scintigraphic investigations of lameness. Sensitive electronic dosimeters were worn by the personnel and the doses they received during the administration of the radiopharmaceutical and during the period of image acquisition were recorded at intervals. On average, 90 per cent of the total doses were received during the period of image acquisitio...
Suspected immune-mediated myositis in horses. Although immune-mediated myositis (IMM) is commonly reported in other species, this condition is poorly described in horses. Objective: IMM occurs in horses. Methods: Thirty-seven horses with suspected IMM were included in the study. Methods: The database of the Neuromuscular Diagnostic Laboratory was reviewed to identify 37 horses with muscle biopsies characterized by lymphocytic infiltrates. A retrospective standardized questionnaire regarding clinical signs and response to treatment was answered by horse owners. Results: Horses with suspected IMM were predominantly of Quarter Horse bloodlin...
Equine biochemical multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) as a cause of rhabdomyolysis. Two horses (a 7-year-old Groninger warmblood gelding and a six-month-old Trakehner mare) with pathologically confirmed rhabdomyolysis were diagnosed as suffering from multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD). This disorder has not been recognised in animals before. Clinical signs of both horses were a stiff, insecure gait, myoglobinuria, and finally recumbency. Urine, plasma, and muscle tissues were investigated. Analysis of plasma showed hyperglycemia, lactic acidemia, increased activity of muscle enzymes (ASAT, LDH, CK), and impaired kidney function (increased urea and creatinine). ...
A region on equine chromosome 13 is linked to recurrent airway obstruction in horses. REASONS FOR STUDY: Equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is probably dependent on a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors and shares many characteristic features with human asthma. Interleukin 4 receptor a chain (IL4RA) is a candidate gene because of its role in the development of human asthma, confirmation of this association is therefore required. Methods: The equine BAC clone containing the IL4RA gene was localised to ECA13q13 by the FISH method. Microsatellite markers in this region were investigated for possible association and linkage with RAO in 2 large Warmblood ...
Osteochondral fragments involving the dorsomedial aspect of the proximal interphalangeal joint in young horses: 6 cases (1997-2006). To determine clinical and diagnostic imaging findings in young horses with osteochondral fragments involving the dorsomedial aspect of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: Medical records were reviewed. Follow-up information was obtained through telephone conversations with owners or trainers or by examining race records. Results: Horses were between 1 and 4 years old. Three had bilateral osteochondral fragments in the forelimbs (n = 2 horses) or hind limbs (1). Radiographically, all but 1 fragment seemed to originate from th...
Factors associated with outcome following treatment of horses with septic tenosynovitis: 51 cases (1986-2003). To identify factors associated with outcome (ie, survival and return to function) following treatment of horses with septic tenosynovitis. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 51 horses with septic tenosynovitis. Methods: Information was obtained from medical records and through follow-up conversations with owners. Factors analyzed for an association with outcome included affected limb, etiology, duration of clinical signs prior to examination, presence of complications, primary treatment, secondary treatments, number of surgical procedures, and hospitalization time. Results: Concurren...
Pilot study investigating the ability of an herbal composite to alleviate clinical signs of respiratory dysfunction in horses with recurrent airway obstruction. Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), known previously as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a debilitating respiratory condition that significantly contributes to lost training days and illness in racehorses. Herbs are becoming increasingly popular for the prophylaxis or treatment of the clinical signs of RAO despite a paucity of research on efficacy and safety. We evaluated the ability of an herbal composite containing garlic, white horehound, boneset, aniseed, fennel, licorice, thyme, and hyssop to reduce the clinical signs of RAO, hypothesizing that the product would safely red...
Clinical signs and etiology of adverse reactions to procaine benzylpenicillin and sodium/potassium benzylpenicillin in horses. Case reports of 59 horses reacting adversely to procaine benzylpenicillin or to sodium or potassium benzylpenicillin in Sweden in 2003-2005 were obtained through contacts with horse-owners. For the assessment of the reports, various parameters were evaluated, such as the times to the reactions, information on previous penicillin treatment, the clinical signs and the actions taken in the reacting horses. Among the reports, two horses had received sodium or potassium benzylpenicillin intravenously, whereas the remaining 57 horses had been treated with procaine benzylpenicillin intramuscularly. A...
Pimelea trichostachya poisoning (St George disease) in horses. A dense population of Pimelea trichostachya plants (Family Thymelaeaceae) in pasture poisoned a horse herd in southern inland Queensland in October-November 2005. Plant density was 2 to 45 g wet weight/m(2) (mean 16 g/m(2)) from 5 to 69 plants/m(2) (mean 38 plants/m(2)) representing 3 to 20% (mean 9%) of the volume of pasture on offer. Ten of 35 mares, fillies and geldings were affected. Clinical signs were loss of body weight, profound lethargy, serous nasal discharge, severe watery diarrhoea and subcutaneous oedema of the intermandibular space, chest and ventral midline. Pathological finding...
[Prevalence of hereditary diseases in three-year-old horses of the Freiberger breed]. The objective of this study was to investigate clinical signs indicating diseases with known or suspected hereditary components like equine sarcoid, insect bite hypersensitivity, osteochondrosis, allergic airway diseases, podotrochleosis, prognatism and wind-sucking in the franches-montagnes horse. We performed a clinical examination on 702 three-year-old, privately owned franches-montagnes horses, which were shown at the Swiss-Field-Tests in 2004. With the help of the owners a questionnaire on health, environment and feeding habits of the animals was completed. In 11.9% of the horses, sarcoid...
[Prevalence of hereditary diseases in three-year-old Swiss Warmblood horses]. The objective of this study was to investigate clinical signs indicating hereditary diseases like equine sarcoid, osteochondrosis (OC) and the idiopathic laryngeal hemiplegia (ILH), and to demonstrate relationships between environment, feeding habits and conformation ("exterieur" evaluation) of the horses. For this purpose, we analyzed veterinary examinations of 403 stallions at the approvals since 1994 examined 493 three-year-old Swiss Warmblood horses, which were shown at the Swiss-Field-Tests in 2005. With the help of the owners a questionnaire on health, environment and feeding habits of t...
Safety of elevated dosages of a 0.24% diflubenzuron pellet administered orally to horses. The safety of a feed-thru pellet formulation containing the insect growth regulator diflubenzuron (0.24%) for control of manure-breeding flies (Musca domestica L. and Stomoxys calcitrans L.) in horses was evaluated. Pellets were administered orally at 0, 1, 3, and 5 times the clinical dosage (0.12 to 0.20 mg/kg) on a daily basis for 31 consecutive days. Variables examined included daily clinical observations, hematology, coagulation, serum chemistry, acetylcholinesterase inhibition, body weights, and physical examinations. Horses remained healthy throughout the study, and no adverse reactions ...
Histomorphological and immunohistochemical characterization of equine granulosa cell tumours. Benign (n=33) and malignant metastasizing (n=1) granulosa cell tumours (GCTs) from 34 mares aged 3-21 years, and normal (control) ovaries from nine mares aged 3-10 years, were examined histologically and immunohistochemically (for inhibin alpha, glutathione S-transferase alpha [GSTalpha], c-erbB-2 oncoprotein [cerb], cytokeratin, vimentin, desmin and alpha-actin), the results being related where appropriate to clinical signs and endocrinological data. Availability permitting, serum samples from GCT-affected mares before and several weeks after ovariectomy were examined for the following hormon...
Prevalence of polysaccharide storage myopathy in horses with neuromuscular disorders. Controversy exists as to the prevalence of polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in breeds of horses and its impact on performance. Objective: To determine 1) the prevalence of PSSM in horses that presented with a neuromuscular disorder, as well as breed, sex and age distributions and clinical signs 2) effect of diagnostic criteria on prevalence, breed distribution and age of horses diagnosed with PSSM. Methods: Fresh frozen biopsies (n = 1426) submitted to the Neuromuscular Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota were searched to identify horses diagnosed with PSSM. Horses with ...
Effects of genetic and environmental factors on chronic lower airway disease in horses. Environment and genetics influence the manifestation of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), but the associations of specific factors with mild, moderate, and severe clinical signs are unknown. Objective: We hypothesized that sire, feed, bedding, time outdoors, sex, and age are associated with clinical manifestations of mild, moderate, and severe lower airway disease. Methods: Direct offspring of 2 RAO-affected Warmblood stallions (F1S1, n = 172; F1S2, n = 135); maternal half-siblings of F1S1 (mHSS1, n = 66); and an age-matched, randomly chosen control group (CG, n = 33). Methods: A standardize...
Equine gastric ulcer syndrome in adult horses: a review. In recent years, gastric ulceration has been recognised as a common, possibly performance-limiting disease of adult horses. Here, we aim to provide the reader with a useful review of recent literature covering all aspects of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) in adult horses. The anatomy and physiology of the stomach, with particular reference to secretion of acid and mucosal protective mechanisms, are reviewed, as are the differing theories relating to the aetiopathogenesis of gastric ulceration. We also explore the possible influence of various management factors on development of the dise...
Efficacy of a canarypox-vectored recombinant vaccine expressing the hemagglutinin gene of equine influenza H3N8 virus in the protection of ponies from viral challenge. To determine onset and duration of immunity provided by a 2- or 3-dose series of a new canarypox-vectored recombinant vaccine for equine influenza virus (rCP-EIV vaccine) expressing the hemagglutinin genes of influenza H3N8 virus strains A/eq/Kentucky/94 and A/eq/Newmarket/2/93 in ponies. Methods: Forty-nine 1- to 3-year-old male Welsh Mountain Ponies that were seronegative for equine influenza virus. Methods: Vaccinated and control ponies were challenged with aerosolized influenza virus A/eq/Sussex/89 (H3N8), representative of the Eurasian lineage of circulating influenza viruses. In trial 1,...
Death of a horse infected experimentally with Anaplasma phagocytophilum. A 19-year-old horse that was one of a group of six horses infected experimentally with Anaplasma phagocytophilum for a study of the pathogenesis of equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis died suddenly two days after first showing clinical signs of disease. The clinical signs and laboratory findings observed before its death were similar to all those of the other infected horses, and to previous reports of this disease. A postmortem examination revealed widespread haemorrhaging in its internal organs, and vasculitis and thrombosis in the kidneys. These changes are consistent with disseminated intrava...
Vaccination of horses against strangles using recombinant antigens from Streptococcus equi. Strangles is an upper respiratory tract infection in horses, which is highly contagious and one of the more costly diseases of the horse. Three recombinant antigens were used to vaccinate horses, which were then experimentally challenged with Streptococcus equi, the causative agent for strangles. The vaccinated horses showed significantly reduced bacterial growth (p=0.02) and nasal discharge (p=0.0004), a typical symptom of strangles. Other clinical signs of strangles were also reduced and at post mortem examination, lower rate of empyaema or scarring of the guttural pouches was found in the v...
Molecular identification of Phialophora oxyspora as the cause of mycetoma in a horse. An 18-year-old mare was evaluated for an oral mass that developed after extraction of a broken incisor. Results: An ulcerated, firm, darkly pigmented, approximately 5-cm-diameter spherical mass involved the gingiva lateral and dorsal to the right first to third maxillary incisors. Osteolysis of the roots of the first and second right maxillary incisors and periosteal proliferation of the adjacent premaxilla margins were apparent on radiographs. Histologic examination of the mass revealed multiple coalescing and ramifying foci of abscess formation, each containing a well-defined, discrete, blac...
Effects of feeding sunflower oil or seal blubber oil to horses with recurrent airway obstruction. A crossover feeding trial was performed with 9 horses suffering from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). The study aimed to determine whether ingestion of sunflower oil (SFO), rich in linoleic acid, or seal blubber oil (SBO), a source of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFAs), changes the fatty acid (FA) ratios in plasma and leukocyte membrane phospholipids (PLs) or the leukocyte numbers or proportions of cell types in the airways. We also investigated diet-related changes in respiratory rate, maximum change in pleural pressure (deltaPpl(max)), dynamic compliance (C(dyn)...
Juvenile idiopathic epilepsy in Egyptian Arabian foals: 22 cases (1985-2005). Epilepsy is relatively uncommon in horses compared with other species and limited information is available. Objective: The objectives of the study were to describe the age of onset, clinical signs, clinicopathologic data, electroeticephalographic findings, treatment, and outcome, including long-term prognosis in Arabian foals with idiopathic epilepsy. Methods: Twenty-two foals were included in the study. Methods: Medical records from 1985 to 2005 were reviewed. Results: The age of onset of affected foals ranged from 2 days to 6 months. Seizures were characterized by generalized tonic and cloni...
Intestinal neoplasia in horses. Intestinal neoplasia of horses is inadequately described. Objective: Intestinal neoplasia of horses has characteristic clinicopathologic features. Methods: Thirty-four horses with intestinal neoplasia. Methods: Retrospective study. Results: Anamnesis, clinical signs, clinicopathologic and pathologic findings in 34 adult horses diagnosed histologically with intestinal neoplasia were reviewed. The horses ranged in age from 2 to 30 years (mean 16.6 years at presentation). The Arabian breed was most represented and there was no sex predisposition. The most common presenting complaints were weight ...
