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.
Blythe LL, Craig AM, Lassen ED, Rowe KE, Appell LH.Plasma alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) values were monitored serially in 9 foals sired by a stallion with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) and in 5 age-matched control foals (sired by a clinically normal stallion) raised in the same environment for the first year of life. Clinical evaluation determined that 8 of the 9 foals sired by the stallion with EDM had neurologic deficits consistent with the disease on one or more occasions during the study period, whereas control foals had normal gait. From 6 weeks to 10 months of age, plasma alpha-tocopherol values in foals with signs of EDM ...
Guthrie AJ, Killeen VM, Mülders MS, Grosskopf JF.The ratio of the cardiopulmonary blood volume to stroke volume is called the cardiopulmonary flow index (CPFI). The CPFI can be determined indirectly from the simultaneous recording of a radiocardiogram and an electrocardiogram. The CPFI and cardiac output were measured simultaneously in horses (n = 10) that were diagnosed as having cardiac disease. The diseased subjects were probably all exposed to feed contaminated with the ionophore, salinomycin, and all showed clinical signs indicative of chronic toxic myocarditis. The results obtained from these subjects were compared with those from cont...
Meyers PJ, Varner DD.A mummified fetus was aborted at 284 days of gestation from a Quarter Horse mare with a history of consecutive abortions. The abortion occurred 12 days after administration of supplemental progestogen had been discontinued. Results of a breeding soundness evaluation revealed that this mare had a short uterine body. Other abnormalities were not discovered. This condition may have been responsible for repeated abortions in this mare, and may represent a cause of fetal mummification other than twin pregnancy in mares.
Stoneham SJ, Digby NJ, Ricketts SW.The importance of colostrum for the passive transfer of maternal immunity to foals is well recognised. This survey reports the incidence of the failure of passive transfer of colostral immunity in thoroughbred foals in the United Kingdom during 1988 to 1990, and the effect of plasma transfusions on IgG levels in a group of them. The incidence of disease in these foals first month of life is also recorded.
Dorman DC, Haschek WM.Toxicosis attributable to propylene glycol (1,2-propanediol) was suspected in an 8-year-old 450- to 500-kg male Quarter Horse. Clinical signs of toxicosis developed within 15 minutes of the accidental iatrogenic oral administration of 3.8 L of propylene glycol. Clinical signs of toxicosis included salivation, sweating, ataxia, and signs of pain. Additionally, at 24 hours after propylene glycol ingestion, the horse became increasingly atactic, had an abnormal breath odor, developed rapid shallow breathing, and was cyanotic. The horse died of apparent respiratory arrest 28 hours after the propyl...
Pickar JG, Spier SJ, Snyder JR, Carlsen RC.A recently described disorder in certain registered Quarter horses bears many clinical similarities to the muscle disease identified as hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP) in humans. Pathological changes in membrane permeability or Na(+)-K+ pump activity have been proposed to produce the muscle depolarization and inexcitability that characterize the condition in humans. Biopsies of external intercostal muscle from normal and affected horses were used to determine whether alterations in either permeability and/or pump activity could be linked to the pathology in horses. Affected horse muscle ...
Weber A, Ligthelm AJ, Verstraete FJ.An 8-year-old Hannoverian horse developed a swelling of the maxilla caused by a tumour of the hard palate. On histological examination the tumour was diagnosed as a primary intra-osseous carcinoma of the maxilla, a rare odontogenic tumour not previously described in the horse.
Reeves MJ, Trotter GW, Kainer RA.The anatomical and functional communications of the synovial sacs of the equine stifle joint were evaluated in 50 stifle joints of 25 horses. Femoropatellar joint (FPJ) sacs were injected with 50 ml of gelatin-based dye and horses were then walked for 50 m. Horses were subsequently killed, the stifle joints dissected and the location of the dye recorded. Twenty-three horses (46 joints) had clinically normal stifle joints and in this group, anatomical communications of the stifle joints were bilaterally symmetrical in each horse. In 15 of these 23 horses (65 per cent), direct anatomical communi...
Hardy ME, Woode GN, Xu ZC, Williams JD, Conner ME, Dwyer RM, Powell DG.Equine group A rotaviruses isolated over a 10-year period in New York State, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Texas were compared serotypically and electropherotypically. All isolates were determined to be serotype 3 by reaction with hyperimmune antiserum to the serotype 3 H-2 strain of equine rotavirus. All displayed RNA electrophoretic migration patterns related to that of the H-2 strain but distinct from that of serotype 5 strain H-1. A serologic survey of 184 mares in Kentucky, which was done to determine the incidence of H-1 and H-2 infections, showed geometric mean serum neutralizing titers to ...
Ullrich E, Selbitz HJ, Schieck R, Friedrich U, Schulz J.Clinical, bacteriological and serological examinations on a 6 years old pony mare were performed. Cytological alterations in the genital tract were also recorded. A cellular reaction was seen after infection with T. equigenitalis. This reaction is an evidence for infection but it is not specific for this organism. Cytological studies should be performed on mares especially in cases of latent infections to complete bacteriological examination and to prevent false positive or negative results.
O'Keefe JS, Murray A, Wilks CR, Moriarty KM.Unpurified DNA derived from cultures of equine fetal kidney cells infected with either equine herpesvirus type 1 or equine herpesvirus type 4 was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction using one pair of oligonucleotide primers. Restriction endonuclease digestion of the amplified segments with PvuII, followed by electrophoresis, revealed restriction fragment length polymorphisms which enabled the two virus types to be differentiated.
Martens JG, Stephens KA, Kerchner LJ, Heck FC, Martens RJ.Plasma fibronectin concentrations were measured in clinically healthy mares and their neonatal foals, using a modified human fibronectin competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Ranges of plasma fibronectin were established in clinically healthy horses, and the assay was reliable and reproducible. Plasma fibronectin concentrations were similar in mares and foals, both before and after colostrum ingestion.
Tulleners EP.Three basic techniques (and one modified technique) were developed, allowing successful excision of subepiglottic cysts in 10 horses (5 Standardbreds, 4 Thoroughbreds, and 1 Quarter Horse; mean age, 3.5 years) via peroral approach. This approach eliminated the need for laryngotomy or pharyngotomy and reduced postoperative care. None of the cysts redeveloped. Clinical signs of disease before surgery included respiratory noise, exercise intolerance, coughing, and dysphagia and were eliminated in all horses except one that raced successfully, but in which some respiratory noise was detected. Pero...
Ricketts SW, Alonso S.Paired endometrial biopsy samples were taken from 530 subfertile mares, before and after treatment (where indicated) and a period of sexual rest. Prognoses were made after each biopsy (Categories 1A-4A before treatment and Categories 1B-4B after treatment), using histopathological criteria similar to those described by Kenney and Doig (1986). Eighty-seven per cent of the mares were assigned to first biopsy prognosis Category 3A. The second biopsy prognosis produced a more even population distribution (10, 47, 40 and 3 per cent respectively for Category 1B, 2B, 3B and 4B mares). First biopsy Ca...
Milne EM, Doxey DL, Kent JE, Pemberton A.Four acute phase proteins were assayed in the serum of normal horses and those with acute, subacute and chronic grass sickness, colic and inflammatory conditions, in order to investigate their diagnostic value in grass sickness. The grass sickness and inflammation group had a significantly increased haptoglobin concentration (P less than 0.01-P less than 0.001). Orosomucoid was elevated in acute, subacute and chronic grass sickness and inflammation (P less than 0.001, P less than 0.001, P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.05, respectively). Highest concentrations of haptoglobin and orosomucoid ...
Lavoie JP, Couture L, Higgins R, Laverty S.Bacterial isolations were reviewed from equine trachea, guttural pouch, uterus, wounds, abscesses, blood, synovial fluid, and abdominal fluid submitted to the Clinical Bacteriology Laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal for aerobic bacterial culture from 1986 to 1988. Of the 733 samples submitted, 324 (44%) were positive for bacterial growth, and 233 antimicrobial sensitivity tests were performed. Seventy-six percent of all positive samples yielded one bacterial species and two were isolated from 22% of positive samples. Streptococcus zooepidemicus, Esche...
Browning GF, Chalmers RM, Fitzgerald TA, Snodgrass DR.A group A rotavirus designated L338 was isolated from the faeces of a diarrhoeic foal and was compared to 11 standard G serotype strains of group A rotaviruses by cross-neutralization. It was clearly distinct from serotypes G1 to G11 and thus representative of a novel rotavirus G serotype tentatively designated G13. The nucleic acid sequence of the virion protein 7 (VP7) coding region was determined and the deduced amino acid sequence compared to published sequences. Within VP7 regions A and B, L338 was clearly distinct from serotypes G1 to G12 (excluding G7 which has not been sequenced), but ...
Weiland G, Hasslinger MA, Mezger S, Pöllein W.In an investigation period over 8 months the natural course of infection was studied by means of coproscopic and serological methods in 27 mares and 29 foals. The examination of the stool showed in mares, before the beginning of the grazing season, an infection rate of 100% with small and a rate of 7.4% with large strongyles (Str. vulgaris). Serologically the ELISA showed in foals only a distinct increase of antibody activity with the somatic antigen. The mares retained the high IgG-values of activity, which were already found at the beginning of the investigations. Even though the agglutinati...
Darien BJ, Potempa J, Moore JN, Travis J.Antithrombin-III (AT-III) activity was measured at the time of admission in 46 horses referred with colic. Differences in AT-III activities between animals treated medically or surgically and survivors or non-survivors were compared. The mean AT-III values for the horses treated medically (76.2 per cent), surgical survivors (69.5 per cent) and surgical non-survivors (55.9 per cent) were significantly different from the reference value for healthy adults (92 to 108 per cent). The mean AT-III activity of the survivors was significantly (P less than 0.01) greater than that of the nonsurvivors. Th...
Roth JE, Nixon AJ, Gantz VA, Meyer D, Mohammed H.A carbon dioxide laser, used in a rapidly pulsed mode, was evaluated for intra-articular use in horses. Under arthroscopic guidance, a lensed 5 mm laser probe attached directly to a hand-held carbon dioxide laser was inserted into one intercarpal joint of eight horses. In four horses, a cartilage crater 1 cm in diameter was created to the level of the subchondral bone of the articular surface of the third carpal bone. In four horses, the laser was directed perpendicular to the articular surface of the third carpal bone and activated to penetrate the cartilage and subchondral bone. The intercar...
Pearson EG.Of 41 equids referred to a veterinary teaching hospital in the Pacific northwest because of dyspnea and inspiratory noise, 3 ponies were diagnosed as having liver failure, most likely attributable to pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis. Dyspnea appeared to be caused by laryngeal and/or pharyngeal paralysis. It is proposed that this paralysis was a manifestation of hepatic encephalopathy. Although these clinical signs are not common for pyrrolizidine toxicosis, practitioners should be aware of the possibility so that misdiagnosis of other causes of inspiratory dyspnea may not be made.
Ricketts SW, Alonso S.The results of a retrospective analysis of 3,804 endometrial biopsy specimens collected from non-pregnant mares during the course of routine equine stud farm practice demonstrates a significant and practically useful correlation between the severity of chronic degenerative endometrial disease (CDE) diagnosed and age of mare at the time of examination. There were significant correlations between the number of foals born and the mares' barren years prior to biopsy and the severity of CDE, but the differences were not sufficiently large to be useful. Correlations between the severity of chronic i...
Zweygarth E, Ahmed JS, Rehbein G, Voigt WP.The capacity of equine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to proliferate in the presence of Babesia equi-transformed lymphoblastoid stimulator cells was tested in an autologous as well as in an allogenic one way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). It was found that both autologous and allogeneic responder lymphocytes incorporated high amounts of 3H-thymidine. The incorporation of 3H-thymidine was lower in MLR using as stimulator cells lymphocytes from which the cell line had previously been established, than when using parasitized culture cells as stimulator. Proliferation of PBL was achieved onl...
Gehlen H, Sundermann T, Rohn K, Stadler P.This study measured plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentration in horses with heart valve regurgitations (HVR) with and without atrial and ventricular dilatation. Background: In humans and small animals, plasma ANP concentration is increased in heart disease and correlates with the severity of clinical signs and heart enlargement. Methods: Ten healthy horses (control) and 36 horses with HVR were evaluated by auscultation, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and determination of plasma ANP. Results: Control horses demonstrated mean plasma ANP concentration of 21+/-5.4 pg/mL. Of th...
McGorum BC, Nicholas DR, Foster AP, Shaw DJ, Pirie RS.Bronchodilators are frequently used to attenuate airway obstruction in equine heaves (or recurrent airway obstruction). This study evaluated the selective (M(3) and M(1)) muscarinic antagonist revatropate, which offers potential advantages over non-specific antimuscarinic agents such as ipratropium. Protocol 1 assessed the response to inhaled revatropate (1, 2 and 7 mg) using a blinded, negative (inhaled saline) and positive (inhaled ipratropium bromide; 0.3, 0.7 and 2mg) controlled, dose escalation study, with six heaves horses. The lowest doses of revatropate and ipratropium induced a rapid ...
Kihurani DO, Carstens A, Saulez MN, Donnellan CM.Gastroscopy with air insufflation was performed in 10 ponies, after which a transcutaneous ultrasound examination of the stomach and duodenum was performed immediately and at 1, 2, and 4 h postgastroscopy, and 24 h after feeding. Stomach measurements included the dorsoventral and craniocaudal dimensions, as well as the stomach depth from the skin surface and stomach wall thickness at the different time periods. Gastric wall folding was observed in one pony, becoming most distinct 2-4 h postgastroscopy. An undulating stomach wall was noted in eight other ponies postgastroscopy. These observatio...
Tschetter JR, Blikslager AT, Little D, Howard RD, Woody SL, Beex LM, Crisman MV.Colic is a serious disease syndrome in horses. Much of the mortality is associated with ischaemic-injured intestine during strangulating obstruction, yet there is limited understanding of the associated molecular events. Identification of differentially expressed genes during ischaemic injury should expand our understanding of colic and may lead to novel targeted therapeutic approaches in the future. Objective: To isolate and identify differentially expressed genes in equine jejunum following a 2 h ischaemic event compared to normally perfused jejunum. Methods: Suppressive subtractive hybridis...
Cook AG, Buechner-Maxwell V, Morrow JK, Ward DL, Parker NA, Dascanio JJ, Ley WB, Cooper W.Horses that are exposed to Sarcocystis neurona, a causative agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, produce antibodies that are detectable in serum by western blot (WB). A positive test is indicative of exposure to the organism. Positive tests in young horses can be complicated by the presence of maternal antibodies. Passive transfer of maternal antibodies to S. neurona from seropositive mares to their foals was evaluated. Foals were sampled at birth (presuckle), at 24h of age (postsuckle), and at monthly intervals. All foals sampled before suckling were seronegative. Thirty-three foals f...
Schiesser E, Geyer H, Kummer M, Jackson M.The interest in equine dentistry has significantly increased in the last 15 years. On the part of the veterinarians as well as of the horse owners there is a strong attention to the topic. The aim of the questionnaire was to investigate amongst horse owners what their level of information and preferences about dental treatment are and how they are implemented. The questionnaire was translated into the three national languages and included 20 questions about level and sources of information, frequency of treatments and the horse owner's stance over sedation of the animals. With a return rate of...
Wurster U, Riese K, Hoffmann K.An attempt was made to establish normal values for the total protein concentrations and the enzyme activities of LDH, MDH and PGI in the intraocular fluids of rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, sheep, cattle, pigs, horses and humans. Remarkably little species differences were noted in 9 of the 10 mammals with vitreal enzyme activities falling into a narrow range between 8.4 U/l (PGI, horse) and 92.4 U/l (MDH, guinea pig). All species obeyed the sequence aqueous less than vitreous less than serum with exception of the rat, where vitreous activities surpassed serum at least two-fold. The ve...
Fukunaga Y, Wada R, Imagawa H, Kanemaru T.Venereal infection with equine arteritis virus (EAV) was established in each of seven mares by inoculation via the cervix with 20 ml of viral suspension (> or = 8 x 10(6) plaque-forming units; PFU), following treatment with prostaglandin and oestradiol. A dose of < or = 8 x 10(5) PFU produced infection in only five of eight mares. Serum neutralizing antibody developed in mares manifesting clinical signs of equine viral arteritis (EVA), and a weak antibody was detectable in one apparently healthy mare inoculated with 8 x 10(5) PFU. Virus isolation was demonstrated not only in the buffy coat but...
Asahina M, Murakami K, Ajito T, Goryo M, Okada K.The tissues of an 8-year-old thoroughbred castrated male horse with equine lymphoma were examined immunohistochemically. Neoplastic masses were observed in the mediastinum, mesenteric lymph nodes, gastric mucosa and serosa, liver capsule, and spleen capsule with associated lymph nodes. Histopathologically, the neoplastic cells were seen to consist predominantly of a mixture of well differentiated small and large types. Immunohistochemically, the small lymphoid cells were MHC class IIlow+ and PanT- and the large lymphoid cells were MHC class IIhigh+ and PanT-. These findings revealed that the n...
Gołyński M, Metyk M, Ciszewska J, Szczepanik MP, Fitch G, Bęczkowski PM.Homocysteine is an endogenous, non-protein sulfuric amino acid, an intermediate metabolite formed by the methionine transmethylation reaction. Its elevated serum concentration in humans, hyperhomocysteinemia, is a sensitive indicator and a risk factor for coagulation disorders, cardiovascular diseases and dementia. However, the role of homocysteine in veterinary species has not been unequivocally established. Although some research has been conducted in dogs, cats, cattle and pigs, relatively few studies on homocysteine have been conducted in horses. So far, it has been established in this spe...
Chiba A, Ujiie Y, Aoki T.While intrauterine fluid (IUF) is observed as mucous in healthy mares during estrus, the presence of IUF during diestrus is an indicator of endometritis. Mating induces endometrial inflammation in healthy mares, called mating-induced endometritis, that disappears within 1-2 days after mating. On the other hand, it is also known that IUF remaining beyond 12 hr after mating can cause persistent inflammation, bacterial growth, and decreased fertility. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the presence of IUF and cervical bacteria before and after mating. Mares were classified i...
Salomonsson ML, Bondesson U, Hedeland M.This paper describes quantitative methods for the determination of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) in equine plasma and urine based on simple precipitation and dilution followed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS). DMSO is a polar solvent with analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Its pharmacological features make it prohibited in horse racing. However, since DMSO is naturally present in the horses' environment, international threshold values have been implemented for plasma and urine (1 and 15 µg/mL, respectively). Previously pr...
Marqués FJ, Waldner C, Reed S, Autet F, Corbeil L, Campbell J.The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether rider experience influences the assessment and grading of lameness in horses based on under-saddle gait analysis. Thirteen adult sports horses in active training were included in the study. After a baseline lameness and neurologic examination by the principal investigators, horses were videotaped while being ridden by an experienced and a less experienced rider. A 3-minute video was made for each horse and rider and 26 videos were randomly ordered and compiled on a DVD. Veterinarians with different levels of experience in evaluatin...
Johnson CM, Cullen JM, Roberts MC.Ten ponies (160-250 kg, ages 17 months to 20 years) developed severe diarrhea within 24 hours of castor oil administration (2.5 ml/kg orally). The diarrhea was most severe between 24 and 48 hours post-dosing and subsided by 72 hours. Ponies were euthanatized at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-dosing and intestine was evaluated histologically and ultrastructurally. Twenty-four hours after dosing, the mucosa of the cecum and ventral colon had extensive superficial epithelial erosion and neutrophil infiltration. In the ileum, the epithelium of villous tips was separated from the lamina propria. Scannin...
van der Vekens N, Decloedt A, de Clercq D, Ven S, Sys S, van Loon G.Studies on the use of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) as a biomarker for left atrial dilatation in horses have produced variable results. Few have been performed, and the results may have been influenced by ANP instability, differences in sampling protocol and changes in the assay over time. N-Terminal proANP (NT-proANP) is a more stable molecule and might be a good alternative for clinical use. Objective: To compare ANP and NT-proANP in terms of the detection of left atrial dilatation and to determine the influence of sample storage at temperatures of -80 and -20°C. Methods: Prospective cli...
Honoré ML, Pihl TH, Nielsen LN.Critically ill horses, such as horses with gastrointestinal (GI) disease, often suffer from hemostatic aberrations. Global hemostatic tests examining the initiation of coagulation, clot strength and fibrinolysis, such as the Calibrated Automated Thrombogram (CAT) and plasma-thromboelastography (TEG) have not been evaluated in horses. This study aimed to evaluate CAT and apply plasma-TEG in horses. Test performance of CAT was evaluated on equine platelet poor plasma with intra- and inter-assay variability (CV) and a heparin dilution curve. To examine clinical performance of both tests, group co...
Tomlinson JE, Sage AM, Turner TA.The pelvis is covered with extensive musculature and often presents a challenge in diagnostic imaging. Ultrasonography provides diagnostic information about soft tissue, articular cartilage and bone surfaces, although little information exists about the normal ultrasonographic appearance of the equine sacroiliac region. Objective: To determine the clinical applicability of ultrasonographic examination in horses with sacroiliac pain. Methods: Horses presented to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Teaching Hospital for hindlimb lameness were evaluated and lower limb lameness was ruled out wi...
Junginger J, Geburek F, Khan MA, Müller G, Gruber AD, Hewicker-Trautwein M.Cutaneous mastocytosis is a rare benign disease occurring in domestic animals and humans. In previous reports, dermal findings in foals were accompanied by systemic mast cell infiltrations, whereas lesions in human cutaneous mastocytosis, including urticaria pigmentosa and solitary mastocytoma, are usually restricted to the skin. Objective: To describe a new variant of equine cutaneous maculopapular mastocytosis lacking systemic involvement. Methods: A 2.5-month-old warmblood foal with multiple skin nodules since birth. Methods: Clinical examination (including haematology, fine needle biopsy a...
van Rensburg IB, Stadler P, Soley J.A bronchiolo-alveolar adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in the lungs of a horse which was euthanased after protracted respiratory disease and radiological evidence of pulmonary neoplasia. Multifocal, large, firm neoplasms occurred throughout both lungs. Neoplastic lesions were not found elsewhere. Histologically the bronchiolar and alveolar architecture was retained. The cuboidal cells lining neoplastic alveoli had very vacuolated cytoplasm, while some were ciliated. Electron microscopy identified the cells as Type II pneumocytes. Numerous distended myelinoid bodies in the tumour cells accounted fo...
Walders W, Gehlen H.This study evaluated a device for blood pressure measurement using high definition oscillometry (HDO) for its acceptability and practicability in the horse. Furthermore, we evaluated whether this device can determine differences in blood pressure between healthy horses and horses with heart diseases and between different measurement times. Methods: The study population consisted of 60 horses (aged 4-31 years). All horses underwent clinical examination, conventional echocardiography (including cardiac output measurement at the pulmonary artery), repeated noninvasive blood pressure measurement a...
Tozaki T, Hirota K, Hasegawa T, Ishida N, Tobe T.The identification of candidate genes for significant traits is crucial. In this study, we developed and tested effective and systematic methods based on linkage disequilibrium (LD) for the identification of candidate regions for genes with Mendelian inheritance and those associated with complex traits. Our approach entailed the combination of primary screening using pooled DNA samples based on DeltaTAC, secondary screening using an individual typing method and tertiary screening using a permutation test based on the differences in the haplotype frequency between two neighbouring microsatellit...
Halse S, Pizzirani S, Parry NM, Burgess KE.A 3-year-old Marwari mare was presented for evaluation of an irregular, reddish mass protruding from behind the right third eyelid. The mass appeared to arise at the ventral limbal area, involved the perilimbal bulbar conjunctiva and widely extended into corneal tissue. No other ocular or systemic abnormalities were detected at the time of presentation. The mass was surgically removed by lamellar keratectomy, with defocused CO(2) laser used as adjunctive therapy to treat the surgical exposed area and its surroundings. Histopathologic evaluation showed sheets of densely packed, well-differentia...
Malone ED, Les CM, Turner TA.To report a severe form of carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC-OA) affecting primarily older Arabian horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Thirty-one horses with CMC-OA. Methods: Carpal radiographs (405 sets) from 3 hospitals were evaluated to identify horses with marked osteoproliferative reaction across the medial aspect of the CMC joint. Owners were contacted to obtain detailed histories and status updates. Necropsy specimens of the CMC joint were evaluated at 2 hospitals to determine the prevalence of 2 variations in the articulation between the proximal second and third metacarpa...
Furuoka H, Mizushima M, Miyazawa K, Matsui T.We report the pathological findings of the skeletal muscle and peripheral nerves from a male 14-months-old thoroughbred horse showing idiopathic knuckling. The affected animal, when in staining position, presented knuckling at the fetlock joint of both forelegs, and dragged both fore- and hindlegs when attempting forward movement. The skeletal muscles demonstrated neurogenic atrophy characterized by the scattering of single angular fibers, groups consisting of five to ten angular fibers, and multiple fascicles of atrophic and hypertrophic fibers. The severity of changes tended to be a distal g...
Gutzmer C, Nijdam P.Dentigerous cysts are characterised by the formation of cysts containing dental material with a variable level of development. They are the result of a distinct embryological phenomenon. Usually, they are of significant clinical relevance in horses, especially in tandem with ectopic tooth. Contrarily, supernumerary teeth or typical polyodontias usually have limited impact. In this case report, we describe the occurrence of a supernumerary first premolar (Triadan 105). Dissimilar to known scientific literature however was the formation of a cystic structure around the supernumerary tooth. Surgi...
Reimer JM, Reef VB, Sommer M.Pulmonic valve rupture was determined to be the cause of severe right-sided heart failure in a 20-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. A flail in the intermediate pulmonic valve cusp was detected by 2-dimensional echocardiography. Significant pulmonic and tricuspid valvular regurgitation were confirmed by Doppler echocardiography. Despite treatment, the horse's condition deteriorated, and euthanasia was performed. At necropsy, a tear in the pulmonary artery extending into the right valve cusp and a tear at the base of the intermediate valve cusp were identified at the junction of the right and inter...
Draper AC, Trumble TN, Firshman AM, Baird JD, Reed S, Mayhew IG, MacKay R, Valberg SJ.To investigate and further characterise posture and movement characteristics during forward and backward walking in horses with shivering and acquired, bilateral stringhalt. Objective: To characterise the movement of horses with shivering (also known as shivers) in comparison with control horses and horses with acquired bilateral stringhalt. Methods: Qualitative video analysis of gait in horses. Methods: Owners' and authors' videos of horses with shivering or stringhalt and control horses walking forwards and backwards and manually lifting their limbs were examined subjectively to characterise...
Giraldo A, Pinard CL, Plattner BL, Dubois MS.A periocular nodular sarcoid was diagnosed on the right upper eyelid and medial canthus of a 12-year-old Thoroughbred mare. Enucleation was performed and during the procedure the mass was noted to be firmly adhered to the underlying frontal bone. Partial ostectomy of the dorsal orbital rim was performed. Histopathology revealed invasion of the cortical lamellar bone and the bone marrow by neoplastic spindle cells and extension of these cells to multiple surgical margins. Recurrence at the level of the surgical site and its surroundings occurred 3 months after the procedure. The horse was eutha...
Gibson MJ, Legg KA, Gee EK, Rogers CW.After establishing a baseline of stipendiary stewards' reporting using the paper-based system in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons of harness racing, it is important to examine if the implementation of an online system has altered frequency and descriptors used for clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe the race level injury and reporting outcomes, and horse- and race-level variables associated with the rate of the reporting of these outcomes during the 2019/20 and2020/21 harness racing seasons in New Zealand. The introduction of the online system was associated with few ...
