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.
Names and codes of the diseases and clinical signs of dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine from the consultant diagnostic database. A complete listing of the clinical signs and diseases of dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine in the CONSULTANT database for computer assisted diagnosis is presented, along with the codes used to record this data. This list may be useful to those teaching, researching or writing on the diseases of domestic animals, and is of particular use to those who need such a resource for developing diagnostic coding and computer-assisted information retrieval.
Botulism as a sequel to open castration in a horse. Clostridium botulinum and type-B C botulinum toxin were isolated from a necrotic wound that developed subsequent to castration in a 2-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. The horse had clinical signs of botulism and was successfully treated with wound debridement, C botulinum type-B antitoxin, potassium penicillin, and supportive care.
Dental dolorimetry for the evaluation of an analgesic agent in the horse. A monopolar electrode was implanted surgically in the canine tooth dentine layer to evaluate pain threshold responses of horses. A constant-current stimulator was used to deliver a known electrical current to the tooth pulp nerve. A single stimulus of 2-ms duration, repeated at greater than or equal to 20-s intervals, was used to elicit a head lift response. The lowest current level that produced 3 positive head lift responses was recorded as the pain threshold of the horse. The testing technique, dental dolorimetry, was easily performed. Tooth pulp pain thresholds (TPPT) were established on 8...
Observations on headshaking in the horse. The clinical records of 100 cases of headshaking in horses were reviewed. Possible causes of the abnormal behaviour were identified in 11 animals; these included ear mite infestation, otitis interna, cranial nerve dysfunction, cervical injury, ocular disease, guttural pouch mycosis, dental periapical osteitis and suspected vasomotor rhinitis. However, in only two of these could it be shown that correction of the abnormality led to elimination of the headshaking. The additional clinical signs exhibited by the other idiopathic cases of headshaking included evidence of nasal irritation, sneezing ...
Cellulitis and subcutaneous abscesses caused by Rhodococcus equi infection in a foal. Cellulitis and subcutaneous abscess formation was diagnosed in a 3-month-old Thoroughbred filly. Clinical signs consisted of a large ulcerated plaque, with satellite pustules on the medial aspect of the right hock and subcutaneous abscesses in the right inguinal and mammary gland areas. Laboratory analysis revealed mature neutrophilia. Rhodococcus equi was isolated from the cellulitis and the subcutaneous abscess. Oral administration of erythromycin and rifampin for 35 days resulted in a clinical cure.
The induction of equine laminitis with an aqueous extract of the heartwood of black walnut (Juglans nigra). An aqueous extract of the heartwood of black walnut (Juglans nigra) was given via stomach tube to 10 horses. Eight developed Obel grade 3 or 4 laminitis within 12 hr. Limb edema and mild sedation were the only other clinical signs observed. One horse was euthanized due to severe signs. The other 7 recovered within 6 days. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of aqueous extracts of heartwood, bark and nuts of black walnut identified juglone in the bark and nuts, but not in the heartwood. It was concluded that the aqueous extract of heartwood is laminogenic to horses, but the active ingredient i...
Effects of multiple low doses of flunixin meglumine on repeated endotoxin challenge in the horse. Previous work has shown repeated low doses of flunixin meglumine (FM) inhibit thromboxane production in normal horses. Enhanced concentrations of thromboxane in serum occurred after the drug therapy was discontinued. Our study was performed to evaluate the effects of low doses of FM in horses repeatedly challenged with endotoxin. Group I horses received E. coli endotoxin (0.1 microgram/kg IV) at 0 and 90 h. Group II horses received endotoxin and were also treated with FM (0.25 mg/kg IV) at 2, 10, 18, 26, 34, and 42 h after the initial administration of endotoxin. Clinical signs of endotoxemia ...
Low dose flunixin meglumine: effects on eicosanoid production and clinical signs induced by experimental endotoxaemia in horses. The efficacy of low doses of flunixin meglumine in reducing eicosanoid generation and clinical signs in response to experimentally induced endotoxaemia was investigated. Thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha were measured in serum and plasma by radioimmunoassay. Plasma flunixin concentrations were determined by high performance liquid chromatography and pharmacokinetic parameters derived non-compartmentally. In horses administered flunixin meglumine before endotoxin challenge, a significant suppression in plasma thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha generation was observe...
Chronic nongranulomatous enteritis in seven horses. Chronic nongranulomatous intestinal inflammation was found during laparotomy in 7 horses. The clinical signs consisted of recurrent abdominal pain in all horses. Anti-inflammatory agents (corticosteroidal and nonsteroidal agents) appeared to be effective for controlling the signs. Surgical removal of the involved intestine also was effective. Nonocclusive or temporary mesenteric ischemia was proposed as a cause of the intestinal lesions.
Clinical features and treatment of renal tubular acidosis in two horses. Two horses were admitted separately for evaluation and treatment of profound hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis without azotemia. One, an 11-year-old Quarter Horse mare, had been depressed and ataxic for 2 days. The other, a 2-year-old Quarter Horse colt, had a 6-week history of depression, anorexia, and weight loss. Both horses responded to fluid and electrolyte therapy, but required daily oral administration of sodium bicarbonate for maintenance. In each case, the diagnosis was renal tubular acidosis.
Malignant teratoid medulloepithelioma in a horse. Enlargement of the left eye, corneal opacification, and blindness were clinical signs of a teratoid medulloepithelioma in a 5-year-old Standardbred mare. Diagnosis was made on histologic examination of the enucleated eye. Medulloepitheliomas are congenital intraocular tumors arising from primitive ciliary body epithelium. Their development is rare in domestic animals.
Evaluation and management of respiratory disease in the horse. Respiratory disease is one of the commonest medical reasons for referring a horse to the Royal Veterinary College, with coughing the main presenting sign. Investigation requires the taking of a detailed history, clinical examination, the use of appropriate diagnostic aids and noting response to medication and management changes. On arrival the horse is stabled in a minimal dust environment, remaining there until discharge. The use of a dust-free box frequently produces a favourable response without the use of medication which in itself is diagnostic. The problem of a horse which is asymptomati...
[Neurological examination of the horse]. Neurological examination in equine practice, physiological findings and pathological disturbances are described. Because of the sizes of the horse the neurological examination is more difficult than in small animals. The examination of cerebrospinal fluid is a worthful completion and is able to refer to the etiology of a certain disease. The technique of the puncture of cerebrospinal fluid is described.
Idiopathic effusive pericarditis with tamponade in the horse. Pericarditis and pericardial effusion are considered to occur rarely in the horse. The clinical and laboratory features of idiopathic pericarditis with effusion diagnosed in 10 horses over a seven-year period were reviewed. Consistent physical findings included tachycardia, ventral oedema, jugular venous distention and diminished heart sounds. Electrocardiographic features included diminished voltages and electrical alternans, and the effusion was identified by echocardiography in the six horses in which it was performed. Pericardiocentesis relieved clinical signs in nine horses. Laboratory an...
[Endometrial cysts in the mare. 2. Clinical studies: occurrence and significance]. Endometrial cysts were found in 11 (13.4%) of 82 mares of various breeds by clinical examinations. Endometrial cysts were diagnosed by hysteroscopy and ultrasonic echography. Typical images are described. The importance of endometrial cysts is discussed with regard to differential diagnosis of early pregnancy and uterine pathology. There was no evidence of cysts in mares under 10 years of age. Mares with endometrial cysts had a 10% higher history of disturbed fertility than mares without endometrial cysts. Seven of nine mares with cystic structures in the uterus became pregnant. Endometrial cy...
Treatment of chronic back pain in horses. Stimulation of acupuncture points with a low powered infrared laser. Fourteen horses that could not perform at their expected standards due to chronic back pain of 4 to 48 months duration, and had not obtained lasting improvement from other forms of therapy, were treated by stimulating nine acupuncture points using a low powered infrared laser (300 microW, 904 nm). The treatments were performed weekly, and consisted of stimulating each point for 2 minutes with a pulse frequency of 360 pulses per second. After completion of a mean of 11 treatments, clinical signs of back pain were alleviated in 10 of the 14 horses, there was no change in three, and one was lost ...
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for Potomac horse fever disease. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM in natural and experimental infections of equids with Ehrlichia risticii was developed. Ehrlichial organisms purified from an infected mouse macrophage cell line were used as the antigen. IgM was separated from serum IgG by the expedient of spun-column chromatography, allowing the use of an indirect ELISA for quantitation of both IgG and IgM in the test sera. Among 16 paired sera from horses exhibiting clinical signs of Potomac horse fever, 8 were positive by the indirect fluorescent-antibody test (IFA), 11 were po...
Restraint. The object of restraint is to limit, restrict, and keep under control the animal's movement while performing different procedures. The author discusses the importance of evaluating the horse and its owner prior to employing any type of restraint, various concepts of restraint, and examples of situations in which restraint may be required.
Acute myopathy in horses at grass in east and south east Scotland. A myopathy of horses at grass in east and south east Scotland was recognised in the autumn and winter of 1984 and the spring of 1985. The clinical signs resembled those of paralytic myoglobinuria. Grossly increased creatine kinase activities and the passage of dark brown urine were consistent features. However, the horses were not in training, most of them died and the muscles affected were those of posture and respiration rather than movement. The condition may be unrelated to nutritional myopathy because all the cases had adequate levels of alpha-tocopherol although their selenium status var...
Quantitative fecal culture for early diagnosis of Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi enteritis in foals. Quantitative culture of Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi from feces of 17 foals on a farm (A) with an endemic C. equi infection problem and 26 foals on a farm (B) without the disease in the past decade was done with a selective medium at weekly or monthly intervals from April to August of 1984. Corynebacterium equi was observed in the feces of 16 of 17 foals on farm A, and 19 of 26 foals on farm B. The mean viable count of C. equi in one gram of feces was 4.1 +/- 3.7 (log10) on farm A, and 3.9 +/- 3.4 (log10) on farm B. Corynebacterium equi was recovered from feces of foals as young as two w...
Clinical course of renal adenocarcinoma associated with hypercupraemia in a horse. A four-year-old shire mare with haematuria, colic, terminal weight loss and an abdominal mass had a large unilateral renal adenocarcinoma. Clinical signs were monitored for 11 months. Increased serum copper concentrations were measured on two occasions. Hypercupraemia is discussed as a possible paraneoplastic change.
Responses of horses vaccinated with avirulent modified-live equine arteritis virus propagated in the E. Derm (NBL-6) cell line to nasal inoculation with virulent virus. Nineteen horses with no prior experience with equine arteritis virus (EAV) were inoculated IM with an avirulent live-virus vaccine against equine viral arteritis; the vaccinal virus had been passaged serially 131 times in primary cell cultures of equine kidney, 111 times in primary cell cultures of rabbit kidney, and 16 times in an equine dermis cell line (EAV HK-131/RK-111/ED-16). Three or 4 of the vaccinated horses each, along with appropriate nonvaccinated controls, were inoculated nasally with virulent EAV at each of months 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 after they were vaccinated. The following ...
Laboratory diagnosis. Diagnosis of internal parasitism is based on many factors, including clinical signs, case histories of individual animals and the herds of which they are a part, and, finally, specific laboratory findings. Laboratory methods used can be divided into those associated with the qualitative and quantitative examination of feces for parasite eggs, larvae, and oocysts, and laboratory findings on changes in physiologic status of individuals that may be produced by specific parasites.
Ascarids. Recent advances. P. equorum is a common and ubiquitous parasite that persists for many years in stables and on pasture in spite of good hygiene and anthelmintic control programs. Foals are usually infected early in life. During the migratory phase of the infection, clinical signs include coughing and a nasal discharge followed by depression and unthriftiness as the worms mature in the gut. Some foals die as a result of intestinal impaction or rupture. Patency is established around 3 months of age, and fecal egg counts may rise to very high levels. From 6 months of age onwards, the ascarid burden diminishes as ...