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.
Allen BV, Frank CJ.MOST viral infections in animals, including man, have been
shown to alter the absolute and relative numbers of circulating
leucocytes. This usually causes a lymphopenia or neutropenia
but, occasionally, a lymphocytosis occurs (Gresser and Lang
1966). Several studies and reviews of respiratory viral
infections in horses have noted changes in the blood pictures
of infected animals, particularly during the early stages of the
disease (Steck and Gerber 1965; Gerber 1966, 1969; Bryans
and Gerber 1972; Hofer, Steck and Gerber 1978). The
transient nature of the leucocyte response is, probabl...
Gibson JA, Eaves LE, O'Sullivan BM.During a 20 month period Enterobacter agglomerans was
isolated from 17 cases of equine abortion. In 8 cases E
agglomerans was isolated in pure culture and in 9 cases it was
isolated in mixed culture from the foetus and/or foetal
membranes. Fifteen cases had histological evidence of foetal
infection and/or placentitis.
The occurrence of E agglomerans in pure culture, associated
with inflammatory lesions in the foetus and foetal membranes,
suggests it to be a cause of abortion in mares.
Cranley JJ.A survey of 1141 horses and ponies, for the presence of hydatid infection, was carried out at an export meat plant near Bristol. Lesions were attributed carefully by morphological, histological and immunological examinations and assessed by flame cell activity. All available detail concerning the animals was recorded. The surveys in the literature were assessed for the criteria on which their figures were based and were compared with the findings of this present survey. Attention was drawn to the apparent discord between the results of some surveys and others.
Barclay WP, Phillips TN, Foerner JJ.Intussusception associated with Anoplocephala perfoliata infection was found in 5 horses. The unusual types of intussusception and the presence of tapeworms at the leading edge of the intussuscipiens suggested tapeworms as the cause of the problem. Lesions attributable to tapeworm attachment on the mucosa were found to fit a mechanical model of intussusception. Treatment of two of the horses and some of their pasturemates with pyrantel pamoate caused elimination of intact tapeworms.
Derksen FJ, Robinson NE, Slocombe RF, Hill RE.In unanesthetized ponies, arterial blood gas tensions, pulmonary mechanics, and lung volumes were determined before and 24 to 48 hours after oral administration of 500 ml of corn oil or 100 mg of 3-methylindole (3MI)/kg of body weight in 500 ml of corn oil. In the latter group, variables were also measured after bilateral cervical vagotomy. Respiratory rate and minute ventilation were increased by 3MI treatment and decreased after vagotomy, suggesting that the tachypnea induced by 3MI was vagally mediated. The arterial O2 tension (PaO2) was unaffected but arterial CO2 tension (PaCO2) decreased...
Slone DE, Humburg JM, Jagar JE, Powers RD.Rectal tears were detected in three horses treated for colic. Based on historical, clinical, and postmortem findings, the tears could not be attributed to the attending veterinarian and were therefore not iatrogenic (physician induced). One tear was attributable to an infarction that presumably resulted from thromboembolism; 1 tear occurred without any evidence of external cause and resulted in such severe peritonitis that the cause and resulted in such severe peritonitis that the cause could not be determined, and 1 tear occurred during rectal palpation by the owner, before he called the vete...
Derksen FJ, Robinson NE, Slocombe RF, Riebold TW, Brunson DB.Arterial blood gas tensions, pulmonary mechanics, and lung volumes were measured in 4 sedated ponies every hour for 6 hours and in 5 ponies 4 times at 2-month intervals to assess the short- and long-term reproducibility of pulmonary function measurements. Variability in blood gas tensions was small over the short- and long-term measurement periods, whereas the variability in total respiratory resistance and functional residual capacity was small over the short term but larger over the long term. The variability in tidal volume, minute ventilation, respiratory rate, and dynamic and quasistatic ...
Shively MA, Banks KL, Greenlee A, Klevjer-Anderson P.Equine infectious anemia is a chronic disease of horses caused by a nononcogenic retrovirus. Studies were undertaken to determine the types of cells involved in the in vitro lymphoproliferative response to viral antigens and the dynamics of this reaction. It was observed that reactive lymphocytes were present at unpredictable times in the peripheral blood of infected horses. This reaction was shown to be specific for the interaction of equine infectious anemia virus and T lymphocytes. Enriched B-lymphocyte populations did not divide when exposed to equine infectious anemia virus. Macrophages w...
Rossdale PD, Cash RS, Leadon DP, Jeffcott LB.Total protein content and a variety of enzyme activities and electrolyte values were determined in 73 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 66 horses and ponies. The foals (48) were divided into 3 categories-spontaneously delivered normal foals (Group A), full term induced normal foals (Group B) and premature induced non-surviving foals (Group C). CSF samples from a group of 18 normal adults (Group D) were included for comparison. Paired serum and CSF samples were collected on 32 occasions and subjected to similar analyses. CSF sodium and chloride were always higher than serum sodium and chlo...
Brownlow MA, Hutchins DR.Osmolality is an indication of the osmotic pressure of plasma and depends on the amount of solute and solvent (water) present. The mean (+sd) plasma osmolality of 100 clinically normal animals was 282 (+6) mOsm/kg using lithium heparin as anticoagulant. The equation, osmolality=1.86 (sodium + potassium) +glucose +blood urea nitrogen + 9, was found to predict only crudely plasma osmolality. The plasma sodium: osmolality ratio was 0.49. Water and electrolyte disorders are classified into 3 types based on the measurement of electrolytes and osmolality: (1) Hypertonic dehydration (true dehydration...
Wagner AE, McIlwraith CW, Martin GS.Orgotein was injected into the right intercarpal joint of each of 8 horses; the corresponding left joint was left alone (not injected) or was given an injection of normal saline solution. Injection with orgotein caused a transient, marked inflammatory response, evidenced by clinical signs and by increased leukocytes and total protein in the synovia (synovial fluid). Leukocyte numbers and total protein concentration were increased (P less than 0.010) in the orgotein-injected joints within 24 hours. However, saline solution alone also elicited a marked inflammatory response, manifested by increa...
Martens RJ, Fiske RA, Renshaw HW.Subacute pyogranulomatous pneumonia was experimentally induced in 3 neonatal foals following multiple challenge with aerosols containing Corynebacterium equi. On each of 7 consecutive days the foals were exposed to approximately 3.5 X 10(7) viable C equi in droplets small enough to reach the terminal airways. Clinical, pathological and bacteriological features of the induced syndrome were indistinguishable from those exhibited by cases with spontaneous subacute C equi foal pneumonia. Radiographic evidence of advanced pulmonary damage preceded the appearance of clinical signs and ante mortem cu...
Tennant B, Bettleheim P, Kaneko JJ.Chronic renal failure associated with hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia was diagnosed in 6 horses. The renal lesions in 5 of the horses were classified as chronic glomerulonephritis and in the sixth, as chronic interstitial nephritis/pyelonephritis. There was no evidence of primary hyperparathyroidism or pseudohyperparathyroidism, thus suggesting that hypercalcemia associated with advanced renal failure in horses is related to a unique role of the equine kidney in calcium homeostasis.
Bowman KF, Tate LP, Evans LH, Donawick WJ.Seven foals, 2 horses, and 2 calves were presented to the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at New Bolton Center and the Large Animal Clinic at Auburn University for surgical repair of cleft palate. All animals had preexisting pneumonia. Initial repair of cleft palate in 6 foals, 2 horses, and 2 calves was performed via mandibular symphysiotomy. Primary repair of cleft soft palate in a foal was attempted through a pharyngotomy incision after fracture of the basal hyoid bone; however, exposure was inadequate and mandibular symphysiotomy had to be done. Dehiscence of a portion of the ...
Jaeschke G, Lange W.In this paper three outbreaks of equine influenza in Berlin (Germany) in the years of 1988, 1989 and 1991 are discussed, reporting mainly clinical, hematological, virological and some epizootiological aspects. We have detected variations from the traditional pattern of equine influenza, whereby the main clinical symptoms like cough or fever were absent in several cases. If cough was found, it was moist. Furthermore a mucous nasal discharge was present in a number of cases for a period of 4-5 days. Extreme neutropenia, lymphocytosis and predominantly an unchanged level of monocytes were observe...
Martins EA, Silva LC, Baccarin RY.The objective of this study was to evaluate, through ultrasonography, the effect of medial patellar desmotomy. Middle patellar desmitis, enthesophytes in the patella, and irregularities in the cartilage of the femoral trochlear groove were observed. Medial patellar desmotomy leads to lesions in the stifle, and restriction of movement does not prevent these lesions from occurring. L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer, par échographie, l’effet d’une desmotomie du ligament médial de la rotule. Une desmite du ligament médial de la rotule, des enthésophytes dans la rotule et de...
Smith DF.The pathophysiology, diagnostic evaluation and medical management of the horse with intestinal obstruction is outlined. Emphasis is on early and accurate determination of the need for surgery and on providing optimal preoperative medical support.
Mageed M, Dyab S, Swagemakers JH, Gerlach K.The impact of different acquisition times (AqT) and technetium-99 m-labeled ( Tc) diphosphonates on the image quality of bone scintigraphy is poorly documented in horses. The aim of this prospective experimental study was to evaluate the impact of varying Tc-disphosphonates and AqT on semiquantitative and qualitative image parameters of bone scintigraphy in horses. Twenty-four horses undergoing bone scintigraphy were divided equally and randomly into methylene- (MDP), hydroxymethylene- (HDP), and dicarboxypropane diphosphonate (DPD) groups. Lateral scintigraphic images of the antebrachium we...
Allen BV, Frank CJ.MOST viral infections in animals, including man, have been
shown to alter the absolute and relative numbers of circulating
leucocytes. This usually causes a lymphopenia or neutropenia
but, occasionally, a lymphocytosis occurs (Gresser and Lang
1966). Several studies and reviews of respiratory viral
infections in horses have noted changes in the blood pictures
of infected animals, particularly during the early stages of the
disease (Steck and Gerber 1965; Gerber 1966, 1969; Bryans
and Gerber 1972; Hofer, Steck and Gerber 1978). The
transient nature of the leucocyte response is, probabl...
Pinna AE, Okada CTC, Ferreira CSC, Campos DG, Possidente KS, de Cássia C L Morais R, Oliveira M, Salomão MC, Hataka A.Ovarian tumours in mares represent 2.5% to 6% of the most frequent neoplasms found in the equine species, with a higher chance of benignity. This study aims to describe a case of two different tumours found in the same ovary of a mare that presented clinical signs of suppressed oestrous cycle during 5 years. After unilateral ovariectomy, the ovary was sent to the histopathology examination which determined a mixed tumour of granulosa cell and leiomyosarcoma. After treatment, the mare returned to oestrus and got pregnant in the next season.