Disease diagnosis in horses involves the identification and characterization of illnesses through various diagnostic methods and tools. This process is essential for effective veterinary care and management of equine health. Techniques used in diagnosing diseases in horses include clinical examinations, laboratory tests, imaging modalities such as ultrasonography and radiography, and molecular diagnostics. Blood tests are frequently utilized to assess parameters such as complete blood count and biochemical profiles, which can indicate underlying health issues. Additionally, advancements in genetic testing and biomarker identification have enhanced the ability to detect specific diseases early. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore diagnostic methodologies, their applications, and their impact on equine health management.
Kalinová Z, Cisláková L, Halánová M.Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are zoonoses caused by bacteria from the family Anaplasmataceae, including human and animal pathogens. The human pathogens are Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the pathogen causing human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), E. ewingii and Neorickettsia sennetsu, granulocytotropic and monocytotropic Ehrlichia species, respectively. Ehrlichia spp. are small, gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacteria. They replicate in the cytoplasmic vacuoles of host cells, especially granulocytes and monoc...
McDowell KJ, Webb BA, Williams NM, Donahue JM, Newman KE, Lindemann MD, Horohov DW.A new abortigenic disease, now known as mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS), significantly affected the horse industry in the Ohio River Valley of the United States in late April and early May of 2001 and 2002. In 2001, approximately 25% of all pregnant mares aborted within several weeks (over 3,000 mares lost pregnancies), and abortion rates exceeded 60% on some farms. Mare reproductive loss syndrome struck hard and without warning, it was caused by something in the environment, it was not transmitted between animals, and it was not associated with any known abortigenic agent or disease. T...
Cousty M, Retureau C, Tricaud C, Geffroy O, Caure S.The radiographs of 102 French trotters presented with signs of back pain were reviewed retrospectively, and a control group of 16 French trotters without back pain was analysed. The age, sex, type of race, number of starts, earnings and index of performance were recorded. Radiological evaluation was performed from the 14th thoracic (T14) to the third lumbar (L3) vertebra. Impingement of the spinous processes (ISP), periarticular proliferation of synovial intervertebral articulations (PP-SIA) and sclerosis of SIA (S-SIA) were located and graded. Radiological lesions were identified in 10 (62 pe...
Peel AJ, Bouts T, Flach E, Rivers S, Routh A.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), also known as Equine Cushing's disease, is most often diagnosed in older horses and ponies. To the authors' knowledge, there have been no reports of its diagnosis in captive nondomestic equids. A 13-yr old onager (Equus hemionus onager) at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo showed clinical signs suggestive of PPID, including hirsutism, fat redistribution, weight loss, laminitis, and chronic infections. A dexamethasone suppression test was performed to confirm PPID. Subsequently, adenomatous hyperplasia and microadenoma of the pars...
Raes EV, Vanderperren K, Pille F, Saunders JH.Ultrasonographic findings from 100 horses (103 joints) diagnosed with tarsal region pathology are described. Results of standard orthopaedic, radiographic and ultrasonographic examination of the tarsal region were analysed retrospectively. Periarticular swelling and/or synovial effusion was present in 100% of the joints, a wound was observed in 14.5% and 76.7% of the horses that were lame. Abnormalities were detected in 69.7% of joints using radiography and in 100% with ultrasonography. Our results show that the main disease process can affect all aspects of the tarsus. The most common ultraso...
Leiva M, Peña T, Armengou L, Cesarini C, Monreal L.Septicemia in humans is described as a leading cause of uveitis, which eventually can induce blindness. Objective: Uveal inflammatory findings could be related to sepsis severity in newborn foals and might be used as an indirect indicator for survival. Methods: Seventy-four septic foals, 54 nonseptic foals, and 42 healthy foals. Methods: Prospective observational clinical study. A detailed blinded, ophthalmic examination was performed by boarded ophthalmologists on all admitted newborn foals. Foals were grouped as septic (when blood culture resulted positive or the sepsis score was > or =14...
Huby-Chilton F, Murphy J, Chilton NB, Gajadhar AA, Blais BW.Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of amplicons produced from a mitochondrial DNA region between the tRNA(Lys) and ATPase8 genes was applied for the detection of animal product within livestock feeds. Identification of prohibited animal (cattle, elk, sheep, deer, and goat) and nonprohibited animal (pig and horse) products from North America was possible based on the differential display of the single-stranded DNA fragments for the different animal species on SSCP gels. This method allowed specific detection and identification of mixed genomic DNA from different animal spec...
Virmani N, Bera BC, Singh BK, Shanmugasundaram K, Gulati BR, Barua S, Vaid RK, Gupta AK, Singh RK.An outbreak of equine influenza (EI) was reported in India in June, 2008 after a gap of two decades. The outbreak started from Jammu and Kashmir (Katra), northern state of India and spread to the other parts of the country affecting equines in 11 states. The virus (H3N8) was isolated from nasal swabs obtained from clinical cases in various locations in the country including Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), Mysore (Karnataka) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat) using embryonated chicken eggs. The virus isolates were identified as H3N8 by haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test titration with standard serum and by...
Pusterla N, Gebhart C.Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) is a disease of foals caused by the obligate intracellular organism Lawsonia intracellularis. This emerging disease affects mainly weanling foals and causes fever, lethargy, peripheral oedema, diarrhoea, colic and weight loss. The diagnosis of EPE may be challenging and relies on the presence of hypoproteinaemia, thickening of segments of the small intestinal wall observed on abdominal ultrasonography, positive serology and molecular detection of L. intracellularis in faeces. Although the clinical entity, diagnostic work-up and treatment of EPE are well e...
Kraus MS, Jesty SA, Gelzer AR, Ducharme NG, Mohammed HO, Mitchell LM, Soderholm LV, Divers TJ.To compare cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations determined by use of a point-of-care analyzer with values determined by use of a bench-top immunoassay in plasma samples obtained from clinically normal horses with and without experimentally induced cardiac disease, and to establish a reference range for plasma equine cTnI concentration determined by use of the point-of-care analyzer. Methods: 83 clinically normal horses, 6 of which were administered monensin to induce cardiac disease. Methods: A blood sample was collected from each of the 83 clinically normal horses to provide plasma for an...
Brink P, Skydsgaard M, Teige J, Tverdal A, Dolvik NI.To develop a scoring system for histopathologic changes in the synovium of tarsocrural joints (TCJs) of horses with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and to test for association between histopathologic changes and joint effusion or lameness. Methods: 93 horses with OCD of the intermediate ridge of the tibia of 1 or both TCJs (134 joints) and 38 control horses without disease of TCJs (38 joints). Methods: For OCD-affected horses, pretreatment lameness, TCJ effusion, and results of pelvic limb flexion test were scored. Synovial biopsy specimens were obtained from TCJs of OCD-affected horses during...
Kornaś S, Pozor M, Okólski A, Nowosad B.The nematode Setaria equina usually reside in body cavities and do not cause clinical symptoms. From time to time, however, these parasites can be located in the scrotum and spermatic cord inflicting pain and edema in these body parts. The aim of the study was to describe the case of the nematode Setaria equina found in the vaginal sac of the stallion's scrotum. During the study, thorough examination of 50 isolated testicles of 25 stallions was conducted. The horses were obtained post-slaughter from the local slaughterhouse near Krakow. In one of examined stallions, two females of Setaria equi...
Kornaś S, Cabaret J, Nowosad B.Faecal egg counts were performed in 187 foals of a large Polish stud farm between February and September 2007. Eggs of Parascaris equorum were present in faeces of 7% and those of cyathostomins in 13% of the foals aged less than 194 days. Information dealing with age of foals and/or efficiency of ivermectin treatment as well as the nematode parasite prepatent periods, it can be conducted that most of the infections recorded on the basis of faecal egg counts were false-infections in animals up to the age of six months, probably due to the ingestion of infected faeces of their dam or some other ...
Cymerys J, Dzieciatkowski T, Słońska A, Bierla J, Tucholska A, Chmielewska A, Golke A, Bańbura MW.Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infections cause significant economic losses for equine industries worldwide as a result of abortion, respiratory illness, and neurologic disease in all breeds of horses. The occurrence of abortions caused by EHV-1 has repeatedly been confirmed in Poland, but neurological manifestations of the infection have not been described yet. Also it is unknown how the infection of neurons with non-neuropathogenic strains is regulated. To further understand the virus-neuron interaction we studied two strains of EHV-1 in murine primary neuron cell cultures. Both strains were i...
Galvin N, Corley K.A retrospective study was carried out to investigate the causes of disease and death in a population of foals in Ireland during their first 12 months post partum. Foaling and veterinary records from 343 foals on four farms born between January 1, 2004 and May 30, 2008 were reviewed. Among 343 foals, 22 did not survive to 12 months of age. Over the five-year period, the incidence of stillbirth was 1.5% (5/343), mortality 5% (17/338) and overall morbidity was 88.5% (299/338). Morbidity was calculated to include all new conditions brought to the attention of the attending veterinary surgeon, no m...
Waggett BE, McGorum BC, Shaw DJ, Pirie RS, MacIntyre N, Wernery U, Milne EM.It has been proposed that synaptophysin, an abundant integral membrane protein of synaptic vesicles, is an immunohistochemical marker for degenerating neurons in equine grass sickness (GS). In the present study, a statistically generated decision tree based on assessment of synaptophysin-immunolabelled ileal sections facilitated correct differentiation of all 20 cases of GS and 24 cases of non-GS disease (comprising eight horses with colic, six with neuroparalytic botulism and 10 controls). This technique also facilitated correct diagnosis of GS in all three cases that had been erroneously cla...
Ekmann A, Rigdal ML, Gröndahl G.Microscopy is usually used to obtain manual total and differential cell counts in equine synovial fluid. A faster, more precise method is desirable. Objective: The objectives were to compare an automated impedance method with a manual method for obtaining total and differential cell counts in equine synovial fluid and to evaluate the effect of pretreatment with hyaluronidase on automated results. Methods: Synovial fluid samples (n=48) were collected into EDTA and analyzed within 48 hours. Automated total and differential cell counts were evaluated using a Medonic CA620-VET hematology analyzer ...
Mittmann EH, Mömke S, Distl O.Chronic pastern dermatitis (CPD), also known as chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL), is a skin disease that affects draft horses. This disease causes painful lower-leg swelling, nodule formation, and skin ulceration, interfering with movement. The aim of this whole-genome scan was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for CPD in German draft horses. We recorded clinical data for CPD in 917 German draft horses and collected blood samples from these horses. Of these 917 horses, 31 paternal half-sib families comprising 378 horses from the breeds Rhenish German, Schleswig, Saxon-Thuringian, a...
Apprich V, Spergser J, Rosengarten R, Hinterhofer C, Stanek C.Horn samples were taken from the hooves of eight horses with clinical signs of equine onychomycosis in at least one hoof capsule. None of the horses had a documented mycological history. The predominant alterations of the horn capsules were sand cracks, white line disease, brittleness (especially around the nail holes), parakeratosis and bruising. The horn samples were stored in sterile tubes for transportation and transferred onto Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and dermatophyte test agar for mycological examination within 6 h. Fungal cultures were incubated for 30 days at room temperature. Funga...
Payne RJ, Lean MS, Greet TR.Between October 2000 and January 2007, 24 horses were presented with suspected squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the third eyelid. The hospital's medical records were analysed retrospectively to gain data about the cases, and telephone follow-up was obtained from the owners and referring veterinary surgeons. The resected third eyelid was submitted for histological examination in 21 cases; in the other three cases the tissue was not submitted at the owners' request, for economic reasons. SCC was confirmed in 16 of these 21 cases, three cases were diagnosed histologically as lymphoid hyperplasia,...
Munsterman AS, Hanson RR.To develop a direct method for measuring intra-abdominal pressures in the standing horse, identify a reference interval for direct intra-abdominal pressures, compare these pressures to indirect intra-abdominal pressures measured from the bladder, and determine the optimal bladder infusion volume for indirect pressure measurement. Methods: Prospective, experimental study. Methods: A university-based equine research facility. Methods: Ten healthy adult horses, 5 males and 5 females. Methods: Direct intra-abdominal pressures were measured through an intraperitoneal cannula and zeroed at the heigh...
Robinson E, Carmalt JL.To report inguinal herniation of the ascending colon in a Standardbred colt. Methods: Case report. Methods: A 6-month-old Standardbred colt. Methods: The colt underwent surgical exploration of the hernia with large colon resection and anastomosis. Results: A successful large colon resection and anastomosis was completed, however, the colt was euthanatized at the end of surgery upon owner request. Conclusions: Although uncommon, indirect inguinal herniation of the ascending colon can occur in young horses.
Ludders JW, Palos HM, Erb HN, Lamb SV, Vincent SE, Gleed RD.To determine if horses before undergoing anesthesia for surgical correction of colic would have lower plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations than healthy horses undergoing anesthesia for arthroscopic surgery, and would not increase their plasma AVP concentrations in response to anesthesia and surgery. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: University teaching hospital. Methods: Fourteen horses with colic and 8 healthy horses. Methods: Horses with colic underwent anesthesia and surgery for alleviation of colic, and healthy horses underwent anesthesia and surgery for arthroscopy...
Barber SM, Panizzi L, Lang HM.To evaluate arthrodesis as a treatment for carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis (CMC-OA). Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=12) with CMC-OA. Methods: Arthrodesis was facilitated by insertion and fanning of a drill bit into the CMC joint at several (3-5) locations in 15 limbs. Follow-up radiographs were obtained for 7 horses (9 limbs). Outcome was determined by telephone survey of owners based on postoperative pain, return to use, appearance of the limb, and success of treatment. Results: Postoperative pain was slight or moderate in 10 of 12 (83%) horses during the first 30 days, and 11 ...
Panizzi L, Barber SM, Lang HM, Carmalt JL.To describe signalment, clinical, and radiographic changes associated with carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC-OA) and to report long-term outcome. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=33) with CMC-OA. Methods: Medical records (1992-2007) of horses diagnosed with CMC-OA were reviewed and signalment, clinical, and radiographic findings retrieved. Owners were contacted for information on the impact of lameness on intended use, response to treatment, progression of lameness, outcome, and owner satisfaction with response to treatment. Results: CMC-OA identified in 39 limbs, occurred predominan...
Iff I, Mosing M, Lechner T, Moens Y.To determine the usefulness of an acoustic device to confirm correct placement of extradural needles in horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Twelve adult healthy horses weighing between 434 and 640 kg. Methods: Horses were sedated, placed in stocks and subjected to caudal extradural anaesthesia using lidocaine 2%. For extradural puncture an 18 gauge Tuohy needle connected to an acoustic device via an electronic pressure transducer was used. This device allowed recording of the extradural pressure profile and the transformation of pressure changes into an audible signal. Ex...
Kirchhof N, Steinhauer D, Fey K.Large intestinal adenocarcinoma with osseous metaplasia was diagnosed in two horses, a 15-year-old standard bred gelding and a 9-year-old Haflinger mare. Clinically, both animals had displayed weight loss and anaemia. A presumptive diagnosis of abdominal neoplasia was made and the horses were humanely killed. At necropsy, the gelding and the mare were found to have ulcerated tumours growing into the lumen of the caecum and colon, respectively. In the mare, the mass extended through the mesocolon and was evident in the left dorsal and ventral colon. Histopathologically, the tumours consisted of...
Barakzai SZ, Dixon PM.Race records were obtained for 31 thoroughbred racehorses that were treated conservatively (rest, improvement of fitness and/or use of a tongue tie) for dorsal displacement of the soft palate, and for 62 matched control horses. Their racing performance, based on prize money won, was compared for three races run before and after the disorder was diagnosed. Nineteen (61 per cent) of the conservatively treated horses had higher earnings after conservative treatment than before treatment, compared with 27 (43.5 per cent) of the controls. There was a significant (P=0.049) increase in the earnings o...
Kolm-Stark G, Wagner R.Icelandic horses in Austria are commonly affected by an allergic inflammatory skin disease recurring during the summer seasons, which shares characteristic features with Culicoides hypersensitivity. However, the causative agents have not yet been identified. Therefore, intradermal skin testing (IDST) with a standardised extract of Culicoides variipennis and 21 other allergens relevant within Austria was performed in 81 Icelandic horses. All horses included into the study were treated regularly with ivermectin and had no history of administration of anti-inflammatory drugs. Forty-three of these...
Ball MC, Dewberry TD, Freeman PG, Kemsley PD, Poe I.Between 2006 and 2012, there were 11 horses diagnosed with Hendra virus (HeV) on 9 independent premises in New South Wales (NSW). We defined a case of HeV as premises where one or more horses were confirmed to be infected with HeV by PCR. All the cases occurred in the north-eastern region of NSW. In 8 of the 9 cases, infection occurred within 2 months over the winter of 2011. With no exception, the affected horses were kept at pasture on properties visited by flying foxes. Of the 11 horses testing positive for HeV, 5 had an association with a fence, with the horses dead or dying on a fence l...
MacKay RJ.Brain injury after impact to the head is due to both immediate mechanical effects and delayed responses of neural tissues. In horses, traumatic brain injury occurs in three main settings: (1) poll impact in horses that flip over backwards; (2) frontal/parietal impact in horses that run into a fixed object, and (3) injury to the vestibular apparatus secondary to temporohyoid osteoarthropathy. Distinct forebrain, vestibular, midbrain, hindbrain, or multifocal syndromes may be encountered in horses with traumatic brain injury. The most important components of treatment are those consistent with p...
Clark-Price SC, Cox JH, Bartoe JT, Davis EG.A 6-month-old male Quarter Horse was evaluated for chronic respiratory tract disease. Diagnostic investigations revealed pulmonary inflammation; Pneumocystis carinii was detected within macrophages. Lymphocyte subpopulation phenotyping and immunoglobulin concentration analysis were performed and results suggested immune suppression. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole administration was initiated; the colt was discharged but was reexamined 8 days later because of profuse diarrhea and endotoxemia. Bacterial culture of feces recovered Salmonella spp resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and a di...
Schulman ML, Nurton JP, Guthrie AJ.The most useful diagnostic methods in the initial evaluation of horses with colic assess the morphological and functional status of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular status. This evaluation is best achieved using a combination of clinical and laboratory data. Blood lactate concentration (BL) is one of these variables. BL rises mainly due to poor tissue perfusion and anaerobic glycolysis associated with shock, providing an indicator of both the severity of disease and its prognosis. A hand-held lactate meter, Accusport, provides a rapid (60 seconds), inexpensive dry-chemical-based d...
Lowman ME, Tipton CD, Labordère AL, Brown JA.Information regarding the microbiome in sinusitis using genetic sequencing is lacking and more-in-depth understanding of the microbiome could improve antimicrobial selection and treatment outcomes for cases of primary sinusitis. Objective: To describe sinus microbiota in samples from horses with sinusitis and compare microbiota and the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes between primary, dental-related and other secondary causes of sinusitis. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Records of equine sinusitis from 2017 to 2021 were reviewed and historical microbial amplicon sequenc...
Haralambus R, Florczyk A, Sigl E, Gültekin S, Vogl C, Brandt S, Schnierer M, Gamerith C, Jenner F.Synovial sepsis is a commonly occurring, potentially career-ending or even life-threatening orthopaedic emergency. Diagnosis of synovial sepsis is currently primarily based on synovial fluid analysis, which often leaves diagnostic ambiguity due to overlap of clinicopathological parameters between septic and aseptic inflammatory synovitis. Objective: To evaluate the reliability of lysozyme (LYS), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase (ELT) as biomarkers for synovial sepsis in horses using a photometric assay to measure increased enzyme activity. Methods: Prospective, single-blinded, analytical, cl...
Boyle AG, Martin BB, Davidson EJ, Durando MM, Birks EK.Dynamic pharyngeal collapse (PC) is a condition seen in racehorses that can be career-ending. Objective: To characterise and grade PC and describe the effects of PC on athletic performance. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for 828 horses, of which 49 (6%) records were identified as horses with a primary diagnosis of PC. Tapes of video-endoscopy of the pharynx during exercise were reviewed. Each video recording was assigned a grade (0-4) reflecting the degree of PC and a classification for severity of upper airway obstruction. Earnings per race prior to diagnosis of PC were compared to ea...
Allen K, Franklin S.Two forms of dynamic upper respiratory tract obstruction affecting racehorses that involve the soft palate have been described: palatal instability (PI) and dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP). Observation of DDSP is straightforward in that it is an all or nothing event, whereas observation of PI is subjective and interpretation may vary between clinicians. Objective: The aim of this study was to attempt to characterise PI and to investigate endoscopic features that precede DDSP. Methods: A retrospective study on the endoscopic observations of Thoroughbred racehorses referred for hig...
Karanth S, Pope C.The organophosphorus insecticide tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP) is commonly used as a feed-through larvicide in many livestock species, including cattle and horses. Cholinesterase (ChE) activity in blood (generally plasma or whole blood) is often employed to assess organophosphorus insecticide intoxication in animals as well as humans. In many species, including horse and man, plasma contains predominantly butyrylcholinesterase whereas red blood cells in all species express exclusively acetylcholinesterase. To evalulate the comparative interaction of TCVP with blood ChEs in different species, we com...
Meagher DM, Bromberek JL, Meagher DT, Gardner IA, Puchalski SM, Stover SM.To estimate the prevalence of radiographic abnormalities (lesions) in Thoroughbred racehorses at 2-year-old in-training sales and determine whether these lesions and 1-furlong presale workout times were associated with subsequent racing performance. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: 953 Thoroughbreds. Methods: Repository radiographs of carpal, metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal (fetlock), stifle, and tarsal (hock) joints were examined. Horses with lesions were classified by lesion type and location. Race performance variables were compared between horses with and without l...
Martínez J, Montgomery DL, Uzal FA.Vascular mineralization (siderocalcinosis) in the brain of horses has been usually assumed to be an incidental age-related finding with no clinic significance. In the present study, eight 15-32-year-old horses of different breeds with cerebral siderocalcinosis were studied. Four of these horses had acute and severe central nervous system clinical signs of unknown etiology, 2 horses had neurological signs of known cause, and 2 horses did not have neurological signs. Gross examination of the brains in 4 animals revealed symmetrical foci of malacia in the cerebellar white matter. Histologically, ...
Abutarbush SM.To describe the use of ultrasonography to diagnose large colon volvulus (LCV) in horses. Methods: Descriptive report. Methods: 4 horses with clinical signs of abdominal pain. Methods: Each horse was administered analgesic agents for pain control and placed in stocks. Ultrasonographic evaluations were performed with a 3.5-MHz sector scanning transducer that was placed parallel to the long axis of the horse (longitudinal imaging) over an area of the left ventral aspect of the abdomen. The boundaries of the evaluated region included the ventral midline, 2 vertical lines at the level of the left 1...
Johnson AL, Johnstone LK, Stefanovski D.The accuracy of the Lyme multiplex assay for the diagnosis of neuroborreliosis in horses is unknown. Objective: To describe Lyme multiplex results in horses with a postmortem diagnosis of neuroborreliosis. The hypothesis was that paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) results and a CSF : serum ratio would allow differentiation of horses with neuroborreliosis from those with other neurologic diseases. Methods: Ninety horses that had neurologic examinations, serum and CSF Lyme multiplex analyses, and postmortem examination of the nervous system performed. Methods: Retrospective study. Data...
Schumacher J, Dutton DM, Murphy DJ, Hague BA, Taylor TS.To report experience with paranasal sinus surgery through a frontonasal flap in sedated, standing horses. Methods: Treatment of 10 horses with naturally occurring paranasal sinus disease through a frontonasal bone flap created with the horses standing. Methods: Ten adult horses. Methods: After restraint and sedation, local anesthetic was injected subcutaneously along the proposed incision line over the conchofrontal sinus and was instilled into the sinuses through a small hole created in the frontal bone. A 3-sided, rectangular, cutaneous incision that extended through the periosteum was creat...
Bedenice D, Heuwieser W, Solano M, Rand W, Paradis MR.The medical records of 163 neonatal foals that had thoracic radiographs taken within 48 hours of admission to a referral hospital were reviewed. The objectives of this study were (1) to identify risk factors for the development of thoracic radiographic changes and (2) to identify prognostic indicators for survival in foals with radiographic evidence of pulmonary disease. Failure of transfer of passive immunity (IgG concentration < or = 400 mg/dL) was the only risk factor for radiographic evidence of respiratory disease identified by multivariate analysis. Hypoxemic patients (PaO2 1.7 mg/dL...
Keegan KG, Arafat S, Skubic M, Wilson DA, Kramer J.To investigate continuous wavelet transformation and neural network classification of gait data for detecting forelimb lameness in horses. Methods: 12 adult horses with mild forelimb lameness. Methods: Position of the head and right forelimb foot, metacarpophalangeal (ie, fetlock), carpal, and elbow joints was determined by use of kinematic analysis before and after palmar digital nerve blocks. We obtained 8 recordings from horses without lameness, 8 with right forelimb lameness, and 8 with left forelimb lameness. Vertical and horizontal position of the head and vertical position of the foot, ...
Górski K, Tremaine H, Obrochta B, Buczkowska R, Turek B, Bereznowski A, Rakowska A, Polkowska I.The aim of this paper is to thoroughly describe the etiology, diagnostic processes and recommended treatment of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH). It is a relatively recently described disease. Most recent reports show that it is a common problem involving older equine patients. The most common and significant symptom of EOTRH is oral pain. The main clinical signs include periodontitis and gingivitis with a gingival recession, alveolar bone protrusion, periodontic fistulas and soreness of the incisors. When establishing the final diagnosis, it is necessary to co...
Bruhn O, Cauchard J, Schlusselhuber M, Gelhaus C, Podschun R, Thaller G, Laugier C, Leippe M, Grötzinger J.Defensins are small effector molecules of the innate immune system, synthesised by various organisms including plants and animals. The peptides act as endogenous antibiotics with an antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of microbes including bacteria, fungi and viruses. alpha-Defensins are a subgroup of the defensin family, their synthesis is limited to some tissues and furthermore to some mammalian species including the horse. Equine DEFA1 is an enteric alpha-defensin exclusively produced in Paneth cells. The peptide showed an activity against a broad spectrum of microbes, but typic...
Zhao Y, Zhu Y, Liu B, Mi J, Li N, Zhao W, Wu R, Holyoak GR, Li J, Liu D, Zeng S, Wang Y.Endometritis is a common reproductive disease in equine animals. No investigation about the bacterial characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of donkeys with endometritis has thus far been reported. Objective: To determine the common uterine bacterial isolates from donkeys with endometritis and to evaluate their susceptibility to antimicrobials used for the treatment thereof. Methods: Retrospective case-series. Methods: Medical records at an equine clinical diagnostic center were retrospectively reviewed to identify submissions from donkeys with bacterial endometritis between ...
Herthel D, Hood DM.This article focuses on the initial assessment of the horse affected with chronic laminitis. Variations in the clinical presentation and primary considerations in making a differential diagnosis are included. The elements of a clinical history essential to sound, therapeutic management, and prognosis are summarized. The physical and radiographic assessment of the digital lesions and diagnostic approaches to the common systemic aspects of the disease are presented and discussed.
Griffiths NJ, Walton JR, Edwards GB.Equine anterior enteritis is an acute syndrome with unknown aetiology, although salmonellosis and infection with Clostridium perfringens have both been suggested as potential causes. The main aim of this preliminary study was to compare the prevalence of toxigenic types of C. perfringens in clinically healthy horses and in horses with anterior enteritis. From horses admitted with colic at Phillip Leverhulme Large Animal Hospital in 1995-1996, samples of gastric reflux, small intestinal contents and faeces were taken for isolation of C. perfringens. Five of those horses were admitted as anterio...
Stein FJ, Geller SC, Carter JC.To determine whether microchips used for identification migrate after implantation in horses, donkeys, and mules. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 53 horses, donkeys, and mules. Methods: Twenty horses that had had microchips implanted in the nuchal ligament at a veterinary teaching hospital from 1996 through early 2000 were included (group 1), and the poll-to-withers distance and location of the microchip were determined, measured, and recorded. Additionally, the poll-to-withers distance was measured in 16 horses, 12 donkeys, and 5 mules (group 2), and microchips were implanted in the nuch...
Pfau T, Starke SD, Tröster S, Roepstorff L.Pelvic movement is altered in hind limb lame horses. A simple method using one inertial measurement unit (IMU) attached to the sacrum, which objectively measures 'hip hike', will help detecting hind limb lameness in large scale studies. In this study, IMUs over the sacrum and the left and right tuber coxae (TC) quantified vertical movement symmetry (MS) in 10 clinically lame horses. A simple geometrical model was used to estimate TC movement from the sacrum IMU. The differences between measured and estimated MS values (mean±SD) and MS changes during different exercise conditions (straight, ci...
Marrs J, Small J, Milne EM, John HA.Hepatocellular and hepatobiliary damage was assessed in equine acute, subacute and chronic grass sickness cases (AGS, SAGS, CGS). Histopathological analysis showed that even in some early AGS cases enlarged hepatocytes, hepatocyte vacuolation indicative of lipid accumulation (steatosis), intrahepatocyte, canalicular and periportal deposition of pigments, frequent leucocyte infiltration and cholangitis occurred. Analysis of serum indicated significantly increased levels of unconjugated bilirubin in all groups and conjugated bilirubin in AGS and SAGS groups, increased levels of bile acids in som...
Ghosh S, Das PJ, Avila F, Thwaits BK, Chowdhary BP, Raudsepp T.Balanced autosomal translocations are a known cause for repeated early embryonic loss (REEL) in horses. In most cases, carriers of such translocations are phenotypically normal, but the chromosomal aberration negatively affects gametogenesis giving rise to both genetically balanced and unbalanced gametes. The latter, if involved in fertilization, result in REEL, whereas gametes with the balanced form of translocation will pass the defect into next generation. Therefore, in order to reduce the incidence of REEL, identification of translocation carriers is critical. Here, we report about a pheno...
Malone ED, Brown DR, Trent AM, Turner TA.To characterize the response of equine jejunal smooth muscle to adrenergic and cholinergic mediators. Methods: Evaluation of myogenic responses, using an in vitro model. Methods: Intestinal tissues were obtained from horses without gastrointestinal tract disorders or systemic disease. Methods: Baseline myogenic tone and amplitude and frequency of contraction were determined for suspended jejunal muscle strips. The level of adrenergic and cholinergic regulation was assessed, using atropine and adrenoceptor antagonists. The response of the muscles to norepinephrine was characterized, using adren...
Cutler TJ, MacKay RJ, Ginn PE, Greiner EC, Porter R, Yowell CA, Dame JB.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a debilitating neurologic disease of the horse. The causative agent. Sarcocystis neurona, has been suggested to be synonymous with Sarcocystis falcatula, implying a role for birds as intermediate hosts. To test this hypothesis, opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were fed muscles containing S. falcatula sarcocysts from naturally infected brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Ten horses were tested extensively to ensure no previous exposure to S. neurona and were quarantined for 14 days, and then 5 of the horses were each administered 10(6) S. falcatula...
