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.
A review of the equine suspensory ligament: Injury prone yet understudied. The suspensory ligament (SL) is a key component of the elaborate and highly adapted suspensory apparatus in the horse. In addition to contributing to stabilisation of the metacarpophalangeal joint, the SL has a spring like function to reduce the energetic cost of locomotion. Although the SL is highly prone to injury in horses of all ages and competing in a wide range of disciplines, knowledge regarding fundamental structure-function relationships in the SL is lacking, particularly compared with other injury-prone tendinous structures such as the superficial digital flexor tendon. In this revie...
Clinical and morphological features of corneal lymphoma in 26 horses (27 eyes). Little information describing the biologic behaviour and therapies for corneal lymphoma exist. Objective: To characterise histologically confirmed equine corneal lymphoma considering breed, age or sex predisposition, histologic and immunologic features, therapies and outcomes. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: A multicentre retrospective medical record review was used to identify horses that presented with corneal disease confirmed morphologically as corneal lymphoma from 2012 to 2022. Results: Mean age at diagnosis was 10.5 years. Males represented 18/26 cases. Warmblood (14) and...
A new smartphone-based digital stethoscope featuring phonocardiography and electrocardiography in adult horses. Smartphone-based technology is increasingly used in veterinary medicine as a complementary tool for cardiac auscultation and ECG recording. This prospective observational study evaluates a digital stethoscope (DS) that consists of simultaneous phonocardiographic and one-lead ECG recording (dECG) in adult horses, comparing it with auscultation using a conventional stethoscope (CS) and reference base-apex ECG (rECG). A total of 104 horses underwent cardiac auscultation using CSs and DSs to detect arrhythmias and murmurs. Audio and dECG were acquired using the DS. The rECG tracings were also reco...
Horse Diagnosis and Triage Accuracy of GPT-4o. Animal owners may increasingly rely on large language models for gathering animal health information alongside internet sources in the future. This study therefore aims to provide initial results on the accuracy of ChatGPT-4o in triage and tentative diagnostics, using horses as a case study. Ten test vignettes were used to prompt situation assessments from the tool, which were then compared to original assessments made by a veterinary specialist for horses. The most probable diagnosis suggested by ChatGPT-4o was found to be quite accurate in most cases, with the urgency to contact a veterinari...
Treatment of mycotic rhinitis caused by aspergillus fumigatus in a quarter horse mare using topical clotrimazole and oral potassium iodide. Fungal rhinitis in horses is rare, although severe, due to the progressive nasal obstruction. Aspergillus is one of the fungi most often involved in these cases. A 7-year-old Quarter Horse mare weighing 325 kg was admitted with a history of recurrent nasal discharge and bleeding, foul smell, reluctance to exercise, and abortion. Laboratory and imaging examinations revealed eosinophilia, scarring and erosion areas in the nasal mucosa, purulent and bloody secretions, and remarkable yellowish plaques. Histopathological examination revealed fungal rhinitis and bacterial culture revealed the prese...
Robinia pseudoacacia poisoning in two horses: A case report. This case report describes the poisoning of two mares from the same paddock with Robinia pseudoacacia (Black locust) bark. The poisoning manifested itself by the sudden onset of weakness and fever with transient improvement after the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and fluids. After the initial stabilisation, the mares were left unattended overnight. One of them was found dead in the morning. The surviving mare developed colic and severe encephalopathy and had to be referred to the clinic. Blood tests revealed severe hyperammonaemia. After four days of symptomatic treat...
Comparison of serum microRNA in healthy horses and horses with moderate to severe mitral valve regurgitation using a commercially available canine cardiac panel. MicroRNA (miRNA) has previously been used as a biomarker for cardiac disease in humans and dogs, however, studies in horses are not yet available. Objective: To determine if adult horses with moderate or severe mitral valve regurgitation have a different serum miRNA expression profile compared to healthy controls. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional. Methods: Serum samples from 77 adult horses with moderate or severe mitral valve regurgitation and 77 healthy control horses were analysed using a commercial cardiac disease-specific miRNA panel previously used in dogs. Results: The commercial ...
Case report: Successful treatment of chorioptic mange in two Belgian draft horse foals with topical ivermectin. Various draft horse breeds, especially breeds with abundant feathering on the lower limbs, are known to be susceptible to chorioptic mange. Clinical signs of chorioptic mange encompass intense pruritus leading to self-mutilation and hair loss, thickening of the epidermis, and the formation of hyperkeratotic crusts and scabs. Despite the frequent occurrence and high impact of this condition, treatment options are limited, with a conspicuous absence of registered products formulated for equines, and especially foals. This limited availability of approved products highlights the necessity for alt...
Bilateral congenital cystic eye with intraocular tissue differentiation in a horse. Congenital cystic eye (CCE) is a rare congenital ocular disease, which has been suggested to be caused by problems with optic vesicle invagination. This is characterized by the formation of intraorbital cystic lesions lined by undifferentiated neuroepithelium. However, cases involving ocular structures with varying degrees of differentiation have also been reported as CCE in humans and animals. In horses, CCE have only been reported as a case presenting as neuroepithelial-lined cysts without the formation of ocular structures. This paper describes large bilateral intraorbital cysts in a 1-day-...
Comparative analysis of racing performance following surgical correction of epiglottic entrapment in standardbreds and thoroughbreds. Epiglottic entrapment (EE) is a common cause of poor performance in racing standardbreds (STBs) and thoroughbreds (TBs). There is limited information published on the condition in STB racehorses and limited information on factors associated with return to racing available for either breed. Unassigned: This study investigated and compared the pre surgical findings, post-surgical complications and racing performance in STBs and TBs undergoing surgery for correction of EE. Associations between signalment and pre-surgical findings, and the presence of complications and racing post-surgery were com...
Evaluation of point-of-care capillary and venous blood glucose concentrations in hospitalized neonatal foals. To compare glucose measurements from capillary and venous blood samples using a point-of-care (POC) glucometer with a standard laboratory (colorimetric, glucose oxidase) assay (LABGLU) in a population of hospitalized, neonatal foals. Methods: Multicenter, prospective, experimental study, conducted between March 2019 and June 2020. Methods: Four university teaching hospitals and 1 private referral hospital. Methods: Fifty-four hospitalized neonatal (≤30 days of age) foals. Methods: Simultaneous capillary (muzzle, POCMUZ) and venous (jugular, POCJUG) blood samples were obtained to determine P...
Extracellular Vesicles: A Novel Diagnostic Tool and Potential Therapeutic Approach for Equine Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive degenerative joint disease that affects a significant portion of the equine population and humans worldwide. Current treatment options for equine OA are limited and incompletely curative. Horses provide an excellent large-animal model for studying human OA. Recent advances in the field of regenerative medicine have led to the exploration of extracellular vesicles (EVs)-cargoes of microRNA, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids-to evaluate their diagnostic value in terms of disease progression and severity, as well as a potential cell-free therapeutic ...
Feed-induced hypersalivation in horses from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. While previous reports come mostly from the southern Americas, several outbreaks of hypersalivation in horses were observed in Middle Europe from 2016 to 2018. Objective: To describe feed-induced hypersalivation in European horses. Methods: Analysis of feedstuffs. Methods: Veterinarians and horse or stable owners were encouraged to submit feedstuffs from case outbreaks of hypersalivation in which, infectious diseases or other systemic causes of the syndrome were ruled out and intoxication was suspected. Feedstuff analysis was performed, including gross examination, microscopic analysis of fine...
Vascular hamartoma in horse limbs: presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of two case studies. Vascular hamartoma is an abnormal development of endothelial tissue that rarely affects horses. Histopathological examination remains the gold standard for definitive diagnosis, yet the presence of abnormal vascular structures must be carefully differentiated from other vascular anomalies and neoplasms. This report describes two cases of vascular proliferation affecting the skin on the lateral side over the left tarsus and the dorsolateral region over the fetlock joint of two fillies. The clinical history, presentation, and radiographic and sonographic findings in both patients suggested a neo...
Serum protein electrophoretic profile changes in West Nile virus-naturally infected horses. Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) is widely used to evaluate protein changes associated with several pathologies, aiming to assist clinical diagnosis. This study aimed to determine, for the first time, SPE profile changes in WNV-naturally infected horses. Sixty horses with different clinical and infection status (encephalitis, asymptomatic infection, and immunologically naïve) were included. Total protein concentrations were determined via an automated biuret method and SPE was performed using a cellulose acetate membrane-based automated system. Statistical analysis revealed significantly h...
Plasma alpha-fetoprotein in neonatal foals affected by prematurity, sepsis and neonatal encephalopathy. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentrations have been reported in healthy foals and proposed as a biomarker of sepsis in foals born from mares with experimentally induced placentitis. This study aimed to describe the diagnostic and prognostic value of plasma AFP in foals spontaneously affected by different diseases. The study included all foals less than 72 h old that were diagnosed with either: (1) prematurity (PRE), when born prior to 320 days of gestation with immature physical characteristics; (2) sepsis (SEP), in the presence of both positive blood culture and SIRS or (3) neonatal encephalopat...
Validation of Vetscan Imagyst®, a diagnostic test utilizing an artificial intelligence deep learning algorithm, for detecting strongyles and Parascaris spp. in equine fecal samples. Current methods for obtaining fecal egg counts in horses are often inaccurate and variable depending on the analyst's skill and experience. Automated digital scanning of fecal sample slides integrated with analysis by an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is a viable, emerging alternative that can mitigate operator variation compared to conventional methods in companion animal fecal parasite diagnostics. Vetscan Imagyst is a novel fecal parasite detection system that uploads the scanned image to the cloud where proprietary software analyzes captured images for diagnostic recognition by a d...
Comparison Between Tracheal Wash and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cytology for the Assessment of Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) in Racehorses. Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) is a common pulmonary disease among racehorses, diagnosed by the detection of blood in the trachea after strenuous exercise or the presence of hemosiderophages in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Although the latter is considered the most sensitive method to diagnose EIPH, it is perceived as a less practical and more invasive procedure compared to tracheal wash (TW) collection among racehorse trainers. The present retrospective study aimed to verify the agreement between Tracheal wash and BALF cytology in assessing EIPH in racehorses. For th...
Visualization of anatomical structures in the carpal region of the horse using cone beam computed tomography in comparison with conventional multidetector computed tomography. In the diagnostics of orthopedic diseases in the horse, diagnostic imaging often plays a decisive role. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging is used in both human and small animal medicine and becoming increasingly popular. To see whether CBCT imaging can be useful in the diagnosis of orthopedic diseases of the carpal region of the horse and to explore possible limitations we compared CBCT images with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) images of the carpal region of equine cadaveric specimens. Unassigned: Twenty-eight forelimbs from fifteen horses, slaughtered for reasons unrelat...
Visualization of anatomical structures in the carpal region of the horse using cone beam computed tomography in comparison with conventional multidetector computed tomography. In the diagnostics of orthopedic diseases in the horse, diagnostic imaging often plays a decisive role. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging is used in both human and small animal medicine and becoming increasingly popular. To see whether CBCT imaging can be useful in the diagnosis of orthopedic diseases of the carpal region of the horse and to explore possible limitations we compared CBCT images with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) images of the carpal region of equine cadaveric specimens. Unassigned: Twenty-eight forelimbs from fifteen horses, slaughtered for reasons unrelat...
Hydroallantois in a mare associated with schistosomus and unilateral ovarian agenesis in the fetus. Hydropsical conditions in domestic animals are characterized by abnormal fluid accumulation. While their complete pathophysiology remains unclear, factors such as changes in chorioallantoic membranes, placentitis, or fetal abnormalities may contribute. Hydrops present as a medical emergency that can cause complications for the mare. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for the mare's prognosis, as fetal survival is often poor. This report describes a case of hydroallantois in a 9-year-old pregnant Quarter mare at 271 days of gestation, leading to dystocia of a non-viable foal with multipl...
Application of the horse grimace scale in horses with dental disease: Preliminary findings. Dental disease is a common but often under-recognised condition in horses, possibly due to an inability to recognise clinical signs of oral discomfort. Some dental disorders are reportedly more painful than others, but there is no current metric by which dental pain can be objectively assessed. This study aimed to determine whether a facial expression-based pain scale offered an objective and reliable method for assessing dental pain in horses. It was hypothesised that dental disorders affecting the periodontium would produce high pain scores. Twelve horses with dental disease were evaluated f...
Comparison of a customized glycemic pellets challenge with the oral sugar test to measure glycemic and insulinemic responses in horses. Testing for insulin dysregulation (ID) in horses is commonly performed to guide management and therapeutic strategies. Objective: To evaluate a newly developed glycemic pellets challenge (GPC) and compare results to those obtained using the low-dose oral sugar test (OST). Methods: Twenty-four adult horses with unknown insulin status. Methods: A randomized crossover trial was performed. Horses underwent GPC (0.5 g glycemic carbohydrates/kg body weight) and OST (0.15 mL corn syrup/kg body weight) 7 days apart. Feed was withheld before testing and blood samples were collected at T0, T60, T1...
A first step towards objective grading of equine laryngeal function. Due to concerns about disagreement between veterinarians when grading resting laryngeal function (LF), a diagnostic decision tree (DDT) has been developed by codifying the Havemeyer grading system and objectively defining certain terms to remove ambiguity. Videoendoscopic examinations of the equine larynx that had previously been assigned a unanimous LF grade by 3 experienced observers were used to develop the DDT and determine the cut-off values. The DDT is a flow chart consisting of a series of dichotomous (yes/no) decisions, to dictate the order of decision making and direct the observer do...
Treatment of equine keratomycosis, part 1: selection of appropriate therapy based on clinical presentation and diagnostic testing improves clinical outcomes. To determine clinical outcome, treatment costs, and hospitalization duration in horses treated for keratomycosis and identify ophthalmic examination and diagnostic results associated with these outcomes. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 126 equine keratomycosis cases between 2004 and 2020 with fungal infection confirmed on cytology, culture, and/or histopathology and a minimum of 1-month follow-up. Details of the ophthalmic examination, diagnostic test results, and treatment and cost outcomes were recorded. Outcomes of interest were analyzed by treatment type. The relationship of pat...
Urinary incontinence and sabulous cystitis in mares: report of five cases. This report describes five cases of urinary incontinence in Quarter Horse mares associated with the development of sabulous cystitis. The animals in this study had a history of persistent urinary incontinence for eight months, with clinical signs of continuous dribbling urine during rest and movement. The initial treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs was ineffective. Clinical examination revealed severe scalding in the perineal region and on the medial aspect of the hind limbs, along with neurological signs such as ataxia, hind limb paresis, and diminished perineal reflexes. T...
Isolated and multiple causes of equine dystocia. Dystocia is rare in horses, but is life-threatening for mares and foals. Therefore, veterinary research depends on up-to-date data to optimise equine dystocia management. In addition, knowledge of the prognosis of equine dystocia is necessary to advise animal owners. This retrospective study of equine dystocia aimed to enrich existing datasets with up-to-date information. For the first time, the focus was on the causes of dystocia that occurred alone or in combination. Over a period of 10 years, 72 cases of dystocia were analysed using a standardised, predetermined diagnosis code. Results: Of ...
Equine intraocular melanocytic neoplasia. To describe the clinical appearance, histopathology, and treatment of equine intraocular melanocytic neoplasia in adult horses. Unassigned: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted. Data recorded included signalment, ocular examination findings, physical examination findings, therapeutic interventions, and case outcomes. Histopathologic characteristics of enucleated globes were evaluated. A Student's -test was used to evaluate differences in the interval from diagnosis to last known outcome between horses receiving therapeutic interventions and horses undergoing monitoring alone...
Concomitant melanoma and keratoma affecting the equine digit: clinical, pathological, and long-term follow-up findings. This case report details a long-term follow-up of a hoof melanoma with dermo-epidermal activity (resembling Spreading Superficial Melanoma (SSM)) in a bay horse with a history of a right front hoof keratoma. Melanomas involving the horse's foot are seldom reported and usually diagnosed as anaplastic melanomas based on signalment and post-mortem examination. The clinical-pathological characteristics of the foot melanoma in this bay horse are consistent with SSM-like described in humans, which is considered an intermediate malignant tumour attending their biological behaviour. However, a definit...