Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Diagnosis
Diagnosis in horses involves the systematic identification of diseases and conditions affecting equine health. This process relies on a combination of clinical evaluations, laboratory tests, imaging techniques, and other diagnostic tools to assess the health status of horses. Veterinarians utilize these methods to identify symptoms, determine the underlying causes of health issues, and formulate appropriate treatment plans. Diagnostic procedures in equine medicine can include blood tests, ultrasound, radiography, endoscopy, and more specialized tests such as genetic screening or advanced imaging modalities like MRI and CT scans. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various diagnostic techniques, their applications, and advancements in the field of equine veterinary medicine.
Diagnosis of deafness in a horse by brainstem auditory evoked potential. Deafness was confirmed in a blue-eyed, 3-year-old, overo paint horse by brainstem auditory evoked potential. Congenital inherited deafness associated with lack of facial pigmentation was suspected. Assessment of hearing should be considered, especially in paint horses, at the time of pre-purchase examination. Brainstem auditory evoked potential assessment is well tolerated and accurate. Un diagnostic de surdité a été confirmé par potentiel auditif évoqué au niveau du tronc cérébral chez un cheval Paint Horse overo aux yeux bleus âgé de 3 ans. Une surdité congénitale héréditaire ...
Time-dependent alterations in gene expression of interleukin-8 in the bronchial epithelium of horses with recurrent airway obstruction. To evaluate time-dependent alterations in gene expression of chemokines in bronchial epithelium of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO)-affected horses and whether alterations resulted from increases in gene expression of interleukin (IL)-17 in cells isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Methods: 8 RAO-susceptible horses and 9 control horses. Methods: In 2 experiments, both groups of horses were evaluated after being maintained on pasture and after being stabled and fed dusty hay for 1, 14, 35, and 49 days (experiment 1) or 14 and 28 days (experiment 2). In experiment 1, gene expres...
Analysis of equid herpesvirus 1 strain variation reveals a point mutation of the DNA polymerase strongly associated with neuropathogenic versus nonneuropathogenic disease outbreaks. Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) can cause a wide spectrum of diseases ranging from inapparent respiratory infection to the induction of abortion and, in extreme cases, neurological disease resulting in paralysis and ultimately death. It has been suggested that distinct strains of EHV-1 that differ in pathogenic capacity circulate in the field. In order to investigate this hypothesis, it was necessary to identify genetic markers that allow subgroups of related strains to be identified. We have determined all of the genetic differences between a neuropathogenic strain (Ab4) and a nonneuropathogenic ...
Characterization of an equine mannose-binding lectin and its roles in disease. The mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a pattern recognition serum protein, participates in the innate immune system of mammals as an opsonin. In humans, MBL plays a key role in first-line host defense against infection during the lag period prior to the development of a specific immune response. MBL also activates complement via the lectin pathway that requires a MBL-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2). Homologues of human MBL (hMBL) have been identified in a variety of mammals, fish, and primitive animals such as ascidians. In this study, we report that equine MBL (eMBL) has properties that are...
Survey of equine cutaneous neoplasia in the Pacific Northwest. A retrospective study examined data regarding equine cutaneous and mucocutaneous neoplasms submitted to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University in a 3.5-year period. A total of 536 neoplasms were identified, accounting for 30% of the total equine pathology submissions. Sarcoid, squamous cell carcinoma, melanocytic tumors, papillomas, and mast cell tumors were the most common neoplasms, constituting 87.5% of all cutaneous neoplasms. Sarcoids represented 51.4% of all neoplasms and 15.18% of total equine accessions. Sarcoid was most common in paints, quarter horses, and Ar...
Production of monoclonal antibodies specific for native equine IgE and their application to monitor total serum IgE responses in Icelandic and non-Icelandic horses with insect bite dermal hypersensitivity. Immunoglobulin E forms a minor component of serum antibody in mammals. In tissues IgE is bound by FcvarepsilonRI receptors on the surface of mast cells and mediates their release of inflammatory substances in response to antigen. IgE and mast cells have a central role in immunity to parasites and the pathogenesis of allergic diseases in horses and other mammals. This paper describes the production of several novel monoclonal antibodies that detect native equine IgE in immunohistology, ELISA and Western blotting. An antigen capture ELISA to quantify equine IgE in serum has been developed using ...
Mortality of Swedish horses with complete life insurance between 1997 and 2000: variations with sex, age, breed and diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential usefulness of the database maintained by the Swedish insurance company Agria for providing mortality statistics on Swedish horses. Mortality statistics (incidence rates and survival) were calculated, both crudely and stratified by sex, age, breed, breed group and diagnosis, for the horses with complete life insurance, which covers most health problems. The total mortality was 415 (95 per cent confidence interval [CI] 399 to 432) deaths per 10,000 horse-years at risk, and the diagnostic mortality, including only deaths with an assigned diagnos...
Imaging features of discospondylitis in two horses. Two horses with discospondylitis are described with emphasis on the imaging modalities used and their contribution to the final diagnosis and outcome. Radiographic findings were vertebral endplate lysis with sclerosis in both horses, with additional vertebral subluxation and ventral spondylosis in one horse. Ultrasonographic findings included vertebral malalignment and obliteration of the intervertebral disc by spondylotic bone in one horse and irregular endplates, a widened disc space, a hypoechoic paravertebral abscess and hypoechoic, atrophic adjacent musculature with loss of linear fiber p...
Doppler sonographic evaluation of the digital blood flow in horses with laminitis or septic pododermatitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Doppler ultrasonography to monitor vascular blood flow dynamics in defined diseases of the equine digit in a noninvasive way. Doppler sonography was used to evaluate medial digital artery blood flow in eight horses with septic pododermatitis and four horses with laminitis in comparison with 10 horses of a control group. Doppler sonographic measurement and lameness examinations were performed in lame horses before treatment (day 0) and at 3, 6, and 9 days following treatment. Before treatment, blood flow velocities, arterial diameter, and flow vo...
Antibody and cellular immune responses following DNA vaccination and EHV-1 infection of ponies. Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is the cause of serious disease with high economic impact on the horse industry, as outbreaks of EHV-1 disease occur every year despite the frequent use of vaccines. Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) are important for protection from primary and reactivating latent EHV-1 infection. DNA vaccination is a powerful technique for stimulating CTLs, and the aim of this study was to assess antibody and cellular immune responses and protection resulting from DNA vaccination of ponies with combinations of EHV-1 genes. Fifteen ponies were divided into three groups of five ponies...
Immune response to Sarcocystis neurona infection in naturally infected horses with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is one of the most common neurologic diseases of horses in the United States. The primary etiologic agent is Sarcocystis neurona. Currently, there is limited knowledge regarding the protective or pathophysiologic immune response to S. neurona infection or the subsequent development of EPM. The objectives of this study were to determine whether S. neurona infected horses with clinical signs of EPM had altered or suppressed immune responses compared to neurologically normal horses and if blood sample storage would influence these findings. Twenty clinical...
Potential role of multiple rectal biopsies in the diagnosis of equine grass sickness. Two samples were taken postmortem from the rectum of each of 14 horses with grass sickness and 10 control horses, and four sections stained with haematoxylin and eosin were examined. By using as a criterion of grass sickness the presence of three chromatolytic neurons, 10 of the 14 cases were positive and none of the control horses was positive, giving a sensitivity of 71 per cent and a specificity of 100 per cent. No other histological features appeared to be of diagnostic value, and staining for Nissl substance in neurons with cresyl fast violet and methyl green-pyronin did not improve the s...
Cerebral listeriosis in an adult Freiberger gelding. Listeria monocytogenes infection, although rare in horses, can lead to septicaemia, gastroenteritis and abortion or stillborn foals. Equine cerebral listeriosis has been reported, but only in newborn animals. This report describes a Freiberger gelding with severe neuronal symptoms of sudden onset. The animal collapsed within 24 h and was humanely killed. Necropsy revealed multiple small brown to reddish foci within the brain stem and pons. Histopathology demonstrated multifocal suppurative meningoencephalitis with microabscesses and occasional intra-lesional, coccoid to rod-shaped, bacteria. T...
Anatomy of the equine temporomandibular joint: study by gross dissection, vascular injection and section. The minute anatomy of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in horses is poorly documented in the literature. Objective: To examine in detail the anatomy of the normal equine TMJ and the relationship of the joint to adjacent structures. Methods: The anatomy of the TMJ was examined in 12 equidae using dissections, synovial and vascular injections and frozen and plastinated sections. Relevant structures were photographed. Results: Rostral and caudal compartments were identified in the dorsal and ventral synovial pouches of the TMJ. Lateral and caudal ligaments were identified and attachments of the ...
Severe pulmonary disease due to multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease in a horse. Multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease was diagnosed histologically in a 17-year-old Quarter Horse intact mare that was presented with a chronic history of respiratory distress. At necropsy, the lungs were poorly collapsed and the pulmonary parenchyma contained innumerable, discrete, spherical nodules in a miliary pattern. A few similar nodules were scattered in the liver and the renal lymph nodes. Histologically, these nodules consisted of fibrosing eosinophilic granulomas. Based on histologic findings and the absence of an etiologic agent, a diagnosis of multisystemic eosinophili...
Inflammatory aural polyp in a horse. An inflammatory aural polyp was identified in a 1-year-old standardbred filly, which presented with otorrhea and head rubbing. The polyp was removed by traction-avulsion, and the filly showed no subsequent signs of otorrhea. Aural polyps have not been reported in horses, but they are commonly seen in companion animals and humans. Un polype auditif inflammatoire a été identifié chez une pouliche Standardbred d’un an présentée pour otorrhée et frottage de tête. Le polype a été retiré par traction-avulsion et la pouliche n’a pas manifesté de signes subséquents d’otorrhée. Les ...
Lymphoscintigraphy of draught horses with chronic progressive lymphoedema. Early diagnosis of chronic progressive lymphoedema (CPL) may result in more effective interventions and provide a basis for further investigation of whether early diagnosis could be used as a means of eliminating potential genetic influences by cessation of breeding from affected individuals. Objective: Lymphoscintigraphy may be useful in draught horses to differentiate early lesions of CPL from other conditions in the pastern region. Methods: Forelimbs of 2 normal and 5 CPL-affected draught horses were evaluated with lymphoscintigraphy. Results: Lymphoscintigraphy showed clearly the presence ...
Larval cyathostominosis in horses in Ontario: an emerging disease? From 1991 to 2003, 24 cases of larval cyathostominosis were diagnosed at postmortem in equids, 15 (63%) from 2001 to 2003. Cases occurred from September to May, the majority from October to December. Median age was 12 mo. Diarrhea, colic, and weight loss were common clinical signs. Hypoalbuminemia and microcytosis were consistent findings. Cyathostominose larvaire chez des chevaux en Ontario: une maladie émergente? De 1991 à 2003, 24 cas de cyathostominose larvaire ont été diagnostiqués à l’examen post mortem chez des équidés dont 15 (63 %) entre 2001 et 2003. Les cas étaient rappor...
Noninfected tenosynovitis of the digital flexor tendon sheath: a retrospective analysis of 76 cases. Until recently, the pathogenesis of noninfected tenosynovitis of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) has been considered obscure. With the advent of tenoscopy some inciting causes have been described, but to date few cases with a precise diagnosis have been reported. Objective: Tenoscopic surgery enables accurate diagnosis and facilitates treatment of noninfected tenosynovitis of the DFTS. Methods: The case records of all horses with noninfected tenosynovitis of the DFTS admitted to a referral clinic over a 7-year period were evaluated retrospectively. Follow-up information was obtained by...
Clinical findings, diagnosis, prevalence and predisposing factors for lameness localised to the middle carpal joint in young Standardbred racehorses. Lameness related to the middle carpal joint (MCJ) occurs in up to 30% of young Standardbred horses in race training and the incidence increase with radiographic severity of third carpal bone (C3) sclerosis on DPr-DDIO (skyline) view of the carpus. Factors predisposing horses to carpal injury have not been well investigated. Objective: To determine the importance of MCJ lameness as a cause of wastage in young Standardbred racehorses, stage of training at which it occurs and predisposing factors, and to describe clinical findings and diagnosis. Methods: Standardbred horses (n = 114) entering the...
Two cases of equine abortion caused by Rhodococcus equi. Rhodococcus equi was isolated from lung, liver, spleen, and stomach content of two aborted equine fetuses of 7 and 8 months gestation from two different farms. Lesions included diffuse pyogranulomatous pneumonia with numerous Gram-positive coccobacilli within the cytoplasm of macrophages, multinucleated Langhans giant cells and neutrophils, and enhanced extramedullary hematopoiesis with megakaryocytosis within the liver and spleen. Detection of R. equi was made by bacteriology and immunohistochemistry for R. equi and VapA, the virulence factor of R. equi. R. equi and VapA were identified withi...
Thermographic study of in vivo modulation of vascular responses to phenylephrine and endothelin-1 by dexamethasone in the horse. In vitro, glucocorticoids potentiate vasoconstriction of equine digital vessels to catecholamines and this has been implicated as a mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced laminitis. This observation has never been confirmed in vivo. Objective: To study the effects of glucocorticoid therapy on vasoconstrictor responsiveness in the horse in vivo. Methods: In a blinded, randomised cross-over experiment, 9 horses were treated with either dexamethasone (0.1 mg/kg bwt i.v. q. 24 h) or saline i.v. for 6 days. The changes in local average skin temperature before (baseline) and after intradermal injection...
Investigation of equine influenza cases exhibiting neurological disease: coincidence or association? Equine influenza is usually a transient and self-limiting disease. However, during an outbreak of equine influenza in the UK in 2003 there were reports of unusually severe clinical signs among unvaccinated animals. Two influenza-infected horses developed neurological signs, and one was subjected to euthanasia. Post-mortem examination of the brain revealed viral-type non-suppurative encephalitis, and influenza virus antigen was demonstrated by immunolabelling of sections of nasal mucosa. A syndrome known as influenza-associated encephalopathy has been described in man. Although not proved, the ...
