Disease treatment in horses encompasses a range of medical interventions and management strategies aimed at addressing various health conditions affecting equine species. These treatments can include pharmacological approaches, such as the administration of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antiparasitic medications, as well as non-pharmacological methods like physical therapy, dietary adjustments, and surgical procedures. The selection of appropriate treatments depends on the specific disease, its severity, and the individual needs of the horse. This topic brings together peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the efficacy, safety, and advancements in therapeutic options for equine diseases, providing insights into best practices and emerging trends in equine veterinary medicine.
van Ittersum AR, van Buiten A.Mares with a large vulvar orifice have an increased risk of pneumovagina, which is associated with reduced fertility. Treatment is by means of the Caslick operation, by which size of the vulvar orifice is reduced. Factors that influence the occurrence of pneumovagina are the age and fertility status of the mare. In this study the risk factors for pneumovagina and the effect of the Caslick operation on fertility were investigated. In 1994, 1995, and 1996 a total of 967 mares were sent for service at a stud. Of these mares, 116 underwent a Caslick operation. The operated mares were older than th...
Voss ED, Taylor DS, Slovis NM.A 4-year-old primiparous Thoroughbred mare was referred for treatment of uroperitoneum subsequent to dystocia. Hematologic and serum biochemical analyses revealed values consistent with those reported for foals with uroperitoneum. Exploratory celiotomy revealed the source of the uroperitoneum to be a rent in the right ureter proximal to the trigone of the bladder. Substantial accumulation of urine in the tissues surrounding the ureter prevented accurate identification and repair of the defect, so a temporary indwelling ureteral stent catheter was inserted. Three weeks later, the stent catheter...
Rebhun WC, Cho JO, Gaarder JE, Peek SF, Patten VH.Microscopic examination of Gram-stained tissue specimens collected from severe corneal ulcers in 2 horses revealed large gram-positive rods suggestive of Clostridium spp. Clostridium perfringens was isolated from specimens collected from horse 1; anaerobic organisms were not detected in specimens from horse 2. Aerobic bacterial culture revealed Aeromonas hydrophila and Enterobacter cloacae in specimens collected from horses 1 and 2, respectively. An insect exoskeleton was presumed to be the underlying cause of ulceration in horse 1. Cause of ulceration in horse 2 was not determined. Antibiotic...
House JK, Mainar-Jaime RC, Smith BP, House AM, Kamiya DY.To identify risk factors for nosocomial Salmonella infections among hospitalized horses. Methods: Longitudinal study. Methods: 1,583 horses hospitalized in an intensive care unit between January 1992 and June 1996. Methods: Survivor functions were used to estimate time to shedding salmonellae for various Salmonella serotypes. Survival analysis was then used to determine how variables associated with patient management, environmental conditions, hospital conditions, and other disease processes affected the risk of nosocomial Salmonella infection. Results: 78 horses shed Salmonella organisms: 35...
Scott EA, Heidel JR, Snyder SP, Ramirez S, Whitler WA.To determine clinical and surgical abnormalities in, and long-term outcome of, horses that undergo surgery because of colic secondary to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 11 horses. Methods: Medical records of horses that had undergone abdominal surgery and in which IBD had been diagnosed on the basis of histologic examination of intestinal biopsy specimens were reviewed. Results: 5 horses were examined because of acute colic and 6 were examined because of chronic colic. At surgery, all 11 horses had edematous or hemorrhagic bowel segments suggestive of I...
Ingle-Fehr JE, Baxter GM.To quantitate blood flow in the palmar digital artery and dorsal laminae of the hoof in standing, unmedicated, nonsedated horses, and in horses treated with oral isoxsuprine, oral pentoxifylline, and intravenous acetylpromazine as a positive control. Methods: Experimental study; treatments administered in a random cross-over design. Methods: A total of 6 healthy horses selected with at least one nonpigmented forelimb hoof wall and determined to be free of laminitis. Methods: All horses were instrumented with a flow probe placed around one palmar digital artery under general anesthesia and a la...
Matsuda M, Miyazawa T, Anzai T.We examined whether or not the genotype J could be detected among 21 new strains of T. equigenitalis isolated between 1994 and 1996 in Japan since our previous report (MIYAZAWA et al. 1995). The respective pulsed-field gel electrophoretic profiles of the 21 Japanese strains, as well as those of an old EQ59 used as a reference strain after separate digestion with the two restriction enzymes, ApaI and NotI, were essentially identical but differed from those of T. equigenitalis NCTC11184T and KENTUCKY 188, respectively. Hence, the 21 strains and EQ59 appeared to have a common genotype J. Conseque...
Paddleford RR, Harvey RC.The alpha 2 agonists can produce reliable dose-dependent sedation and analgesia in most species. Nevertheless, they can also produce significant physiological adverse side effects depending on dose, rate, route of administration, and the concurrent use of other CNS depressants. For this reason, it may be best to use a low dose of an alpha 2 agonist as a preanesthetic agent. The alpha 2 agonists are best suited for young, healthy, exercise-tolerant patients. The combining of low doses of alpha 2, opioid, and benzodiazepine agonists results in a synergistic CNS depressant response while minimizi...
Martínez-Torrecuadrada JL, Langeveld JP, Venteo A, Sanz A, Dalsgaard K, Hamilton WD, Meloen RH, Casal JI.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) causes a fatal disease in horses. The virus capsid is composed of a double protein layer, the outermost of which is formed by two proteins: VP2 and VP5. VP2 is known to determine the serotype of the virus and to contain the neutralizing epitopes. The biological function of VP5, the other component of the capsid, is unknown. In this report, AHSV VP5, expressed in insect cells alone or together with VP2, was able to induce AHSV-specific neutralizing antibodies. Moreover, two VP5-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that were able to neutralize the virus in a ...
Spiess BM, Nyikos S, Stummer E, Sahin A, Naegeli H.To determine concentrations of dexamethasone in serum and urine of horses treated repeatedly with a topically administered ophthalmic dexamethasone preparation. Methods: 4 clinically normal horses (2 mares, 2 geldings). Methods: 0.1% dexamethasone ophthalmic ointment was administered to the left eye of each horse every 5 to 9 hours for 8 consecutive days, yielding an estimated cumulative dexamethasone dose of 6.4 microg/kg of body weight. Serum and urine samples were obtained before the first dexamethasone treatment, on days 4 and 8 of treatment, and 24, 48, and 96 hours after cessation of tre...
Dixon PM, Head KW.The clinical and pathological findings of 28 cases (27 horses, 1 donkey) of equid sinonasal tumours examined at the Edinburgh Veterinary School are presented and include: seven cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC); five adenocarcinomas; three undifferentiated carcinomas; two adenomas; five fibro-osseous and bone tumours; and single cases of ameloblastoma, fibroma, fibrosarcoma, undifferentiated sarcoma, melanoma and lymphosarcoma. The median ages of animals affected with epithelial, and fibro-osseous/bone tumours were 14 and 4 years, respectively. Unilateral purulent or mucopurulent nasal di...
Epe C, Woidtke S, Pape M, Heise M, Kraemer F, Kohlmetz C, Schnieder T.Two groups of 10 first-year grazing cattle were either left untreated as controls (group 1) or treated with eprinomectin as a pour-on application at turnout and eight weeks later (group 2). The control group developed a mild infection with gastrointestinal nematodes and lungworms during the season, whereas the treated animals remained healthy. The interval between the treatments allowed the establishment of adult worms, but the egg counts remained negligible. The total number of eggs shed by the treated cattle during the grazing season was significantly smaller than by the controls.
Zhang XY, Robinson NE, Zhu FX.To evaluate the functional status of neuronal alpha2-adrenoceptors (ARs) and beta2-ARs on ACh release in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), we examined the effects of the physiological agonists epinephrine (Epi) and norepinephrine (NE) and the beta2-agonists RR- and RR/SS-formoterol on ACh release from airway cholinergic nerves of horses with RAO. Because SS-formoterol, a distomer of the beta2-agonist, increases ACh release from airways of control horses only after the autoinhibitory muscarinic receptors are blocked by atropine, we also tested the hypothesis that if there is an M2...
Toribio RE, Kohn CW, Lawrence AE, Hardy J, Hutt JA.A 5-year-old Quarter Horse mare was examined because of lethargy, fever, and weight loss of 1 month's duration. Thoracic auscultation revealed decreased lung sounds cranioventrally. Thoracic ultrasonography revealed bilateral anechoic areas with hyperechoic strands, consistent with pleural effusion and fibrin tags. A large amount of free fluid was evident during abdominal ultrasonography. Abnormalities included anemia, hyperproteinemia, hyperglobulinemia, hyperfibrinogenemia, and hypoalbuminemia. Thoracic radiography revealed alveolar infiltrates in the cranial and caudoventral lung fields. A ...
Hammock PD, Freeman DE, Magid JH, Foreman JH.A 12-year old 573-kg (1,261-lb) Quarter Horse gelding was referred with colic of 12 hours' duration and with poor response to medical treatment. On the basis of physical and laboratory findings, a pelvic flexure impaction was suspected. The horse was treated medically. Because signs of mild abdominal pain persisted and the heart rate had increased, an exploratory celiotomy was performed 30 hours after signs of colic were first noticed. At surgery, the ileum was found partially entrapped within the epiploic foramen, in a left-to-right direction, to form a parietal hernia. The entrapped intestin...
Zekas LJ, Ramirez S, Brown MP.Left dorsal displacement of the large colon was diagnosed in a 3-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. Conservative treatment that included lunging after administration of phenylephrine and rolling while under general anesthesia was not successful. The displaced segment of colon was reduced surgically through a ventral midline incision, but displacement recurred 4 days after surgery. Ablation of the nephrosplenic space by suturing the nephrosplenic ligament to the splenic capsule was performed through the left flank. At followup 1 year after surgery, the horse had not had further signs of colic and h...
Reina MA, López A, de Andrés JA.Cauda equine syndrome is a rare neurological complication associated with subarachnoid anesthesia, and particularly with the use of 5% hyperbaric lidocaine and small gauge catheters. Our aim was to study a possible anatomical factor that might impede adequate dilution of local anesthetic and explain the development of cauda equine syndrome and transitory radicular irritation. Methods: The spinal dura matters and their contents from two male human cadavers were examined after organs had been extracted for transplantation. Both men had recently died at ages 56 and 65 years of age. Samples were f...
Ramirez S, Sedrish SA, Paccamonti DL, French DD.This report describes two mares presented for evaluation of anorexia, fever of unknown origin, and weight loss. Clinical examination, laboratory findings, and transrectal ultrasonographic images suggested ovarian abscessation. One mare was successfully treated medically. Because of financial considerations, the second mare was euthanatized and a postmortem examination was performed. At necropsy, there was an enlarged right ovary with an adhesion to the large colon. Microscopic findings were characteristic of an ovarian abscess.
Dávila AM, Souza SS, Campos C, Silva RA.Since little information is available on the epizootiological status of Trypanosoma evansi in South America and particularly Brazil, we evaluated equine serum samples collected in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997 for the presence of antibodies against this trypanosome species. Our study shows corroborative evidence about the correlation among high T. evansi seroprevalence and the rainy season in the Pantanal, Brazil. The higher seroprevalence was 79.2% in horses from a ranch located in the Nhecolândia sub-region in 1994 and the lower 5.8% in animals from the same ranch in 1997. No seroprevalence was...
Gillis C.Young elite athletes, particularly horses used for jumping, are at a relatively high risk for injury to the ligaments associated with the axial skeleton. Extreme back flexion appears to be a contributing factor to ligament damage. Back pain due to injury of the ligaments of the axial skeleton has often been considered to be secondary to lower limb injury, to the extent that a separate definitive diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis were unnecessary. Diagnostic imaging, ultrasound in particular, has demonstrated ligamentous damage that can be the limiting factor in return to previous athletic us...
Ridgway K.Concepts of acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine are presented for clarity and contrast to Western medical concepts. Various acupuncture techniques and methods are discussed including dry needling, electroacupuncture, acupuncture using hypodermic needles, and injecting various solutions into the acupuncture sites. Potential complications and precautions are also presented. A type of chronic back pain is discussed that is possibly associated with a radiculopathically induced, hypersensitivity myofascial syndrome that presents as a fibromyalgia-like syndrome. Effective acupuncture treatme...
Kästner SB, Haines DM, Archer J, Townsend HG.Twenty-four Quarter Horse and Quarter Horse-cross yearlings were experimentally infected with influenza A virus (Influenza A/equine/Saskatoon/90 [H3N8]) by nebulisation. In a double blind controlled trial the horses were randomly assigned to 3 groups of 8 animals. Group 1 received a placebo, (carrier syrup), Group 2 the labelled dose and Group 3 twice the labelled dose of clenbuterol hydrochloride. All treatments were given per os b.i.d. for 10 days and started on the day of infection. The horses were monitored for clinical signs of influenza infection for 14 days. Bronchoalveolar lavages were...
Gustafsson A, Båverud V, Franklin A, Gunnarsson A, Ogren G, Ingvast-Larsson C.Six healthy adult horses were given repeated administrations of trimethoprim/ sulfadiazine (TMP/SDZ) intravenously (i.v.) (2.5 mg/kg TMP and 12.5 mg/kg SDZ) and orally (p.o.) as a paste (5 mg/kg TMP and 25 mg/kg SDZ). Both formulations were given twice daily for 5 days, with a 3-week interval between i.v. and oral administration. The influence of the drug combination on the intestinal microflora was examined and the plasma concentrations, pharmacokinetic parameters and plasma protein binding were determined. There were no major changes in the bacterial intestinal flora and no clinical evidence...
Hackett RP, Ducharme NG, Ainsworth DM, Erickson BK, Erb HN, Soderholm LV, Thorson LM.To determine whether dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) results in pulmonary artery hypertension and leads to increases in transmural pulmonary artery pressure (TPAP); to determine whether pulmonary hypertension can be prevented by prior administration of furosemide; and to determine whether tracheostomy reduces pulmonary hypertension. Methods: 7 healthy horses. Methods: Horses were subjected to 3 conditions (control conditions, conditions after induction of DDSP, and conditions after tracheostomy). Horses were evaluated during exercise after being given saline (0.9% NaCl) solution ...
Lakritz J, Wilson WD, Mihalyi JE.To determine pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of erythromycin base after intragastric administration and erythromycin lactobionate after IV administration to healthy foals and to compare a microbiologic assay with a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to determine plasma concentrations of erythromycin A. Methods: 6 healthy foals that were 2 to 4 months old. Methods: Foals were given single doses of erythromycin (10 mg/kg of body weight, IV, and 25 mg/kg, intragastrically) in a crossover study. Venous blood samples were obtained at specific times after drug administration, ...
Wijnberg ID, van der Kolk JH, Hiddink EG.Two miniature Shetland ponies showing clinical signs of Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) poisoning were examined. One animal died shortly afterwards, but the second was treated successfully with the anti-arrhythmic agent, phenytoin, and was discharged after 16 days.
Archer RM, Parsons JC, Lindsay WA, Wilson JW, Smith DF.Three pairs of longitudinal enterotomies were performed in the small colon of 10 ponies. Each pair consisted of one enterotomy through the antimesenteric band and one through the sacculation. The ponies were destroyed 96 h after surgery. The enterotomies in the two sites were compared for: speed of surgery, adhesions, bursting wall tension, neovascularisation by micro-angiography, and histological reaction. Enterotomies made through the antimesenteric band were superior because they were quicker to perform, stronger, more accurately apposed, and had less inflammation than those made through th...
Afonso T, Giguère S, Brown SA, Barton MH, Rapoport G, Barba M, Dembek KA, Toribio RE, Coleman AE.Despite the paucity of data available, orally administered angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are empirically used in horses with valvular regurgitation. Objective: Evaluate the echocardiographic and hormonal changes in response to oral benazepril in horses with left-sided valvular regurgitation. Methods: Prospective, randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Horses with mitral valve (MR) and/or aortic valve regurgitation (AR) received oral benazepril (n = 6) at a dosage of 1 mg/kg q 12 h or a placebo (n = 5) for 28 days. Echocardiography was performed before drug...
Hilbert BJ, Farrell RK, Grant BD.Squamous cell carcinoma around the eyes of 3 horses was treated with liquid nitrogen, using cryotherapy probes as the method of application. In 2 cases, there was complete regression of the tumor; in the 3rd case, remission and relief of discomfort were temporary.
Fouché N, Remy-Wohlfender F, Blau D, Franzen J, Gurtner C, Seuberlich T, Unger L, Gerber V.Outbreaks of equine coronavirus (ECoV) infections have been described in different parts of the world including Europe. The aim of this report was to describe clinical signs, diagnostic work-up and outcome of the first documented outbreak of ECoV in Switzerland in order to raise the awareness for the disease and its various clinical presentations. The outbreak occurred on a farm with 26 horses. Of these, seven horses developed clinical disease ranging from mild signs such as fever and anorexia to severe signs of acute colitis. One horse died due to severe endotoxemia and circulatory shock seco...
Carson-Dunkerley SA, Hanson RR.To describe the short- and long-term survival rates in horses undergoing ovariectomy for granulosa cell tumors by use of the diagonal paramedian approach. Methods: Retrospective case study. Methods: 12 horses with granulosa cell tumors. Methods: A diagonal paramedian approach for unilateral ovariectomy was used for removal of each mare's granulosa cell tumor. Information about complications and outcomes was analyzed. Results: Only minimal complications were detected postoperatively when the diagonal paramedian approach was used, regardless of the preferred technique for ovarian pedicle ligatio...
Lenoir A, Perrin BRM, Lepage OM.Resection and anastomosis of small intestine during colic can lead to adhesions and recurrent colic. Several methods are available to reduce the rate of adhesions in the postoperative period, such as the use of serosal barriers. Surgical glues form a smooth surface, are fast to apply, and could reduce surgery time when performing anastomosis. A recently developed UV-polymerizable methacrylate adhesive (UV-PMA) is designed to anchor into the biological tissues' top surface offering sealant and a smooth cover over the anastomosis site. This adhesive was used ex vivo on fifteen samples of equine ...
Perkins G, Ainsworth DM, Yeager A.This report documents the successful conservative medical management of hemothorax in 2 horses. Hemothorax occurred after a lung biopsy procedure (horse 1) and strenuous exercise on a treadmill (horse 2). The horses had tachypnea, tachycardia, nostril flaring, hemoptysis, and pawing. Hemothorax was suspected based upon absence of auscultable ventral lung sounds; development of cool extremities and pale, tacky mucous membranes; the ultrasonographic appearance of moderate to severe amounts of pleural fluid; and a concurrent decrease in hematocrit and total plasma protein. Both horses were treate...
Delpont M, Lafosse T, Bachy M, Mary P, Alves A, Vialle R.The foot may be the site of birth defects. These abnormalities are sometimes suspected prenatally. Final diagnosis depends on clinical examination at birth. These deformations can be simple malpositions: metatarsus adductus, talipes calcaneovalgus and pes supinatus. The prognosis is excellent spontaneously or with a simple orthopedic treatment. Surgery remains outstanding. The use of a pediatric orthopedist will be considered if malposition does not relax after several weeks. Malformations (clubfoot, vertical talus and skew foot) require specialized care early. Clubfoot is characterized by an ...
Hubert JD, Beadle RE, Norwood G.The molecular basis of the pathophysiology of anhidrosis is still not well understood. Therefore, treatments are more often based on clinical impressions than on scientific fact. Treatment options for this condition will improve only when more is known about the molecular events that cause anhidrosis, especially as they relate to beta2-receptor dysfunction and stimulus-secretion coupling in the sweat glands of affected horses. Although this additional information is being attained, sound environmental management will continue to be a very important aspect of the treatment of horses affected wi...
Hogan PM, Bramlage LR, Pierce SW.A 14-year-old Thoroughbred broodmare was evaluated for signs of mild to moderate abdominal pain of 5 hours' duration. Exploratory celiotomy revealed a 20 x 8-cm subserosal hematoma associated with a focal serosal perforation overlying a muscular tear along the parietal surface of the stomach. The odor of intestinal tract gas was detected, but gross contamination of the abdomen was not evident. Concurrent partial volvulus of the small intestine was evident. Removal of the large colon from the abdomen appeared to coincide with propagation of the serosal perforation to a full-thickness gastric re...
Oladosu LA, Olufemi BE.An investigation was carried out to study the haematology of steroid immunosuppressed horses experimentally infected with Babesia equi and Ehrlichia equi, separately or simultaneously. Horses infected with both pathogens showed less marked changes in their haematology than those inoculated with either pathogen separately. This appeared to result from early elimination of the more pathogenic Babesia as Ehrlichia spread through the granulocytes. The apparent suppression of Babesia by Ehrlichia is of field clinical importance and merits further investigation for its apparent useful potentials in ...
Slone DE.Ovariectomy and cesarean section are relatively common procedures in a surgical practice in an area in which there are numerous broodmares. Both techniques can be performed by several approaches, which are described in this article. Also described are techniques for ovariohysterectomy, a procedure that is rarely indicated, but that can be performed relatively easily by a capable surgeon.
McKellar QA, Horspool LJ.Penicillin G was extensively (84.7 per cent) and amikacin moderately (14.4 per cent) degraded when incubated for one hour in a chloride buffer at pH 1.9 designed to mimic the equine gastric pH. Ampicillin and oxytetracycline were stable at pH 1.9. Penicillin and ampicillin were moderately stable (more than 90 per cent) when incubated in equine caecal liquor for three hours but were degraded by about 65 per cent after 24 hours. More than 80 per cent of the initial concentrations of amikacin and oxytetracycline were recovered after 24 hours' incubation in equine caecal liquor. The concentrations...
Williams JW, Meagher DM, Pascoe JR, Hornof WJ.Upper airway pressure was measured during maximal exercise in 10 Thoroughbred racehorses with naturally occurring upper airway obstruction. Left laryngeal hemiplegia and arytenoid chondropathy resulted in substantial increases (30-40 cm H2O) in inspiratory upper airway pressure (Pl), whereas complicated aryepiglottic entrapment and subepiglottic cysts produced only modest increases (15 cm H2O) in Pl. Uncomplicated aryepiglottic entrapment and grade IV pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia produced only slight increases (3-5 cm H2O). In general, surgical procedures restored airway pressures to within...
Smith BL, Auer JA, Watkins JP.Four horses, 2 to 17 years old, were treated for unilateral avulsion fractures of the tibial tuberosity. Two horses were treated successfully with tension band wiring or plating in combination with lag screw fixation. One horse was euthanatized because of implant failure during recovery and one was euthanatized on day 11 because a longitudinal fracture of the tibial tuberosity occurred through the plane of the screws used for stabilization.
McKiernan BC, Koritz GD, Scott JS, Berney C, Robinson NE.Six ponies with recurrent obstructive lung disease were studied during two separate 60 min periods while receiving constant equal volume infusions of either aminophylline or sterile water. Dynamic lung compliance, pulmonary resistance, respiratory rate, tidal volume, blood gas tensions and heart rate were measured. Plasma samples were obtained for determination of theophylline concentrations before, and at 10 min intervals during, the infusion period. Excitability was assessed subjectively at these same time periods. The plasma theophylline concentrations in ponies were well predicted by a pre...