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.
Garbís SD, Hanley L, Kalita S.Thiazide-based diuretics are included in the list of banned drugs in the horse-racing industry. One effect of their misuse is increased urine flow, contributing to dilution of other doping agents. Their determination is essential in ensuring compliance to horse-racing regulation. This study evaluates the feasibility of using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) with electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interfaces to analyze thiazidic diuretics in equine urine samples. Existing LC and gas chromatography/MS methods are limited in their applicability to thiazide an...
Iniguez P, Zientara S, Marault M, Machin IB, Hannant D, Cruciere C.A random hexapeptide fusion-phage library was screened to isolate phages that bind to antibodies present in horse sera positive for equine arteritis virus (EAV). Analysis of the peptide sequences displayed by isolated phages identified seven groups. 25% of the isolated phages used as antigens in an ELISA test were specifically recognised by a pool of sera which was positive for EAV in virus neutralisation test (VN). Five of these, when used as antigen in ELISA, detected greater than 50% of sera (n = 30) containing antibodies to EAV as detected by VN. When these five phages were pooled together...
Foster AP, McKelvie J, Cunningham FM.A whole-body extract of Culicoides impunctatus induced a biphasic increase in oedema formation in ponies with insect hypersensitivity, with maxima after one and eight hours. The Culicoides antigen did not induce similar responses in ponies with no previous history of the disease. In insect-hypersensitive ponies the local administration of chlorpheniramine (12 micrograms) completely inhibited oedema formation in response to histamine (0.04 microgram) and to Culicoides antigen (0.5 microgram) at one hour, and the response to Culicoides antigen at eight hours was inhibited by 63 per cent. Chlorph...
Moore CP, Halenda RM, Grevan VL, Collins BK.Traumatic keratouveitis in horses is characterised by a unilateral, aseptic, vascularising keratitis accompanied by moderate to severe anterior uveitis. In a series of 9 cases of post traumatic keratouveitis, topical and systemic nonsteroidal drugs and atropine were used to control the anterior uveitis while allowing spontaneous corneal healing. Among the 9 cases reported, 6 affected eyes previously treated with local corticosteroids took significantly longer to resolve when compared to 3 eyes in which corticosteroids had not been administered. It was concluded that, in cases of equine post tr...
Garma-Aviña A.A total of 100 samples of abdominal fluid (AF) from 100 horses with abdominal disease were evaluated by cytology. Cytology results were subsequently correlated with the final outcome of the disease. The horses were classified into 4 groups: Group I, horses that were treated with conventional (nonsurgical) therapy and recovered; Group II, horses that had surgery and survived; Group III, horses that had surgery but died; and Group IV, horses that were subjected to euthanasia prior to surgery. Statistical analysis showed that both nucleated cell count and total neutrophils were significantly high...
Heath MF, Evans RJ, Hayes LJ.Dextrans of mean molecular weight 70 kDa (dextran-70) have had clinical use as anti-thrombotics in man. A major part of the anti-thrombotic action is mediated via inhibition of platelet function. Greatorex (1975, 1977) treated thromboembolic colic in horses with infusions of dextran-70 and reported a 90% recovery rate, but this treatment is nonetheless rarely used. We have used an in vitro method to examine the effect of dextran-70 on equine platelet suspensions, in the hope that understanding the mechanism of action of dextran-70 might lead to the development of alternative therapeutic agents...
Holly EA, Bracci PM, Mueller BA, Preston-Martin S.Nineteen counties from San Francisco and Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington were the United States sites for a large population-based case-control study of childhood brain tumors (CBTs), sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. CBT patients who were 1 year and were first on a farm when they were < 6 months of age also had increased risk for CBTs (OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 1.2-13). A somewhat increased risk for CBTs was found for children of mothers who ever had worked on livestock farms compared with mothers who never had worked on a farm (OR = 7.4, 95% CI = 0.86-64, based on five...
Dechant JE, MacDonald DG, Crawford WH.Simple complete dorsal fractures of the proximal phalanx were repaired in 2 mature pleasure horses with cortical bone screws placed in lag fashion. Healing occurred within 12 weeks and both horses returned to their previous performance level of light pleasure riding within 6 months of injury.
Huovinen S, Tunnela E, Huovinen P, Kuijpers AF, Suhonen R.We report fingernail onychomycosis caused by Trichophyton equinum in a farmer who breeds racehorses. In addition to the thumbnail, T. equinum had infected one of the racehorses. Oral terbinafine cured the infection in the farmer.
Sertich PL, Pozor MA, Meyers SA, Brown JS.A 9-year-old Thoroughbred stallion was examined because of breeding dysfunction and possible urethritis. The stallion had good libido and readily obtained an erection, mounted, and intromitted but did not thrust and ejaculate. After mounting the mare, the stallion would squeal and dismount. Endoscopic examination of the urethra and bladder revealed irregular, spiculate yellow crystals (< 1 cm in size) and sabulous deposits; numerous calculi were embedded in the mucosa of the bladder. Because the horse was at the start of a breeding season, the owner would not give permission for general anesth...
McClure SR, Watkins JP, Glickman NW, Hawkins JF, Glickman LT.To compare treatments of complete fractures of the third metacarpal (MC) or metatarsal (MT) bone in horses and to identify factors that could impact prognosis. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 25 horses with fractures of the third MC or MT bone that were treated by use of internal fixation, external coaptation, or both. Methods: Medical records from the Veterinary Medical Data Base of horses treated for fractures of third MC or MT bone at Texas A&M University from 1980 to 1994 and Purdue University from 1980 to 1996 were reviewed. Information on signalment, results of physical ...
Lillich JD.Both retrospective data and clinical experience indicate that complications of dental surgery are occasionally encountered and, to some extent, are inevitable. Many of the reported complications related to dental surgery such as incomplete removal of diseased teeth or removal of the wrong tooth can be avoided with sound preoperative planning and intraoperative technique. Diseased teeth should be properly identified prior to and during surgery. In addition, complete removal of the diseased tooth must be performed. Use of intraoperative radiographic examination to confirm the location of the dis...
Crabill MR, Schumacher J.Periodontitis, infundibular necrosis, and periapical infection are dental diseases commonly affecting adult horses. Routine dental examinations and care may help to prevent these diseases. Further investigation of the treatment of horses with these diseases using local antimicrobial therapy, restorative dentistry, and endodontic therapy is needed. An understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases aids in diagnosis and treatment. Gingival hyperplasia and odontogenic tumors are uncommon but should remain in a list of differential diagnoses when examining a horse with pertinent clinical sign...
Baker GJ.The objectives of the equine dental physical examination are to detect and quantify oral and dental disorders, to propose and carry out their treatment, and to implement management programs. The veterinarian should be able to offer a prognosis and to detail any future treatment or management plans that may be required. These objectives should take into account the cost of these procedures, and the veterinarian should be prepared to offer a cost-benefit analysis of the problem and the proposed cures.
Gaughan EM.Dental surgery is most often directed at removal of diseased or injured teeth by the least invasive method possible. Some procedures available can preserve traumatized or infected teeth. Complications of dental surgery are well documented and often encountered by veterinary surgeons. Principles of debridement, curettage, lavage and ventral drainage combined with appropriate medicinal management can reduce complications and lead to successful outcome after dental surgery.
Easley J.Equine dentistry is not just carpentry work that involves floating the sharp enamel points off cheek teeth. Although floating is the most common and essential part of equine dentistry, every horse deserves a complete veterinary dental examination on a regular basis. Without such an examination, the equine practitioner can not determine the corrective procedures needed inside the horse's mouth. Dentistry for all ages is covered. Necessary instruments for a complete oral examination are also discussed.
Easley J.This article explains what is needed for successful extraction of diseased cheek teeth and how to realign the occlusal surface. Incisor teeth procedures and correcting abnormalities of cheek tooth crown wear are also discussed along with wolf and floating teeth.
Hague BA, Honnas CM.Trauma to the oral cavity can result in an array of injuries affecting teeth, bone, and soft tissue. A thorough examination of the oral cavity is often facilitated by employing a full-mouth speculum after the horse has been tranquilized. Identification of broken, loose, or split teeth; fractures of the premaxilla or mandible; and avulsion or laceration of soft tissue structures such as the lips or tongue is usually straightforward. Treatment options vary depending on the structure involved; however, appropriate treatment generally results in a functional and cosmetically acceptable end result....
Smith G, Bertone AL, Kaeding C, Simmons EJ, Apostoles S.To evaluate the effect of topically applied dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced synovitis in the mid-carpal joint. Methods: 6 sound, healthy, adult horses (12 carpi). Methods: In a double-blinded, crossover, paired study with a 1-week washout period, mid-carpal joints were allocated to group 1 (DMSO, n = 6) or group 2 (control, n = 6). Each joint was injected with 1.3 ml (0.0125 ng/dl) of LPS to induce synovitis. For group-1 joints, DMSO gel (15 g; 90%) was applied after injection of LPS and at 12-hour intervals for 60 hours. Joints of group 2 received LPS, but not DMS...
Schneider RK, Ratzlaff MC, White KK, Hopper SA.To determine effect of 3 half-limb casts on bone strains recorded from the proximal phalanx (P-1) and third metacarpal bone (MCIII) of equine cadaver limbs, using a mechanical testing machine. Methods: 12 equine cadaver limbs and 4 live horses. Methods: Bone strains were recorded at middorsal P-1 and the dorsal cortical aspect of the distal third of MCIII while limbs were variably loaded with 100 to 1,000 lb of force. To determine ability of the cast to protect the distal portion of the limb from weight-bearing loads, strains were recorded with the limb in 1 of the 3 casts and with it unsuppor...
Donaldson MT, Sweeney CR.To determine results of CSF analysis in horses with equid herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) and to determine whether results of CSF analysis were associated with outcome. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 11 horses. Methods: Medical records of all horses admitted to the veterinary teaching hospital between February 1982 and March 1996 in which EHM was diagnosed were reviewed. Results: 7 horses were < or = 4 years old; 8 were admitted during January, February, or March. Six horses were febrile prior to admission, but none was febrile on the day of admission. Five horses had been sta...
Feder HM, Nelson RS, Cartter ML, Sadre I.A survey was performed to identify people who were exposed to a rabid pony and determine whether or not they received rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). Sixty-one visitors who came in contact with the rabid pony were identified. These visitors heard about the rabid pony via the news media. Forty-five visitors were exposed during the 2 weeks before the pony died. Thirty-two of these 45 visitors received PEP. Thirty-one visitors had or may have had saliva contact to an open wound or mucosa and all 31 received PEP. Fourteen visitors had no saliva contact to a wound or mucosa and one received ...
Heneine LG, Carvalho AD, Barbosa CF, Arávjo dos Santos MR.The objective of this study was the search for a suitable venom antigen to be used in an in vitro alternative immunoassay, to the standard antivenom neutralization assay using mice. Bothrops jararaca venom was fractionated in DEAE-Sephacel columns and the fractions were tested for a correlation between antibody capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) absorbance values and the 'in vivo' antivenom potency. Individual antivenoms from 14 horses and 15 separate FUNED polyspecific Bothrops ampouled antivenoms (final product) were used. Fractions showing the higher correlations were further...
Maria WS, Cambuy MO, Costa JO, Velarde DT, Chávez-Olórtegui C.The correlation coefficients between in vivo neutralization of lethal toxicity (ED50), neutralization of the hemolytic activity (PLA2) and levels of antibodies measured by ELISA, was investigated to test the potency of horse anti-bothropic antivenom. Twenty six horses were hyperimmunized with Bothrops venoms (B. alternatus, B. jararaca, B. jararacussu, B. neuwiedii and B. moojeni). To set up an indirect ELISA, for neutralization of PLA2 activity and for determination of ED50 in Swiss mice, the whole Bothrops jararaca venom (reference venom for assessing the bothropic antivenom potency in Brazi...
Crabill MR, Watkins JP, Schneider RK, Auer JA.To determine the technique used, and the outcome for, double-plate fixation of comminuted fractures of the second phalanx of horses. Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records. Methods: 10 horses with comminuted fractures of the second phalanx that were treated by use of double-plate fixation. Methods: Two 4- to 6-hole dynamic compression plates were abaxially placed to achieve arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint and fixation of the fracture of the second phalanx. Results: Arthrodesis and fracture healing were detected in all horses. Conclusions: Horses with comminuted fr...
Rebhun WC, Mirro EJ, Georgi ME, Kern TJ.Habronemic blepharoconjunctivitis was characterized clinically by raised yellow gritty plaques in the palpebral and bulbar conjunctivae. Lid granulomas and blepharitis were observed in some cases. On histologic examination, mast cells, eosinophils, and collagenolysis was found in most sections, but if only one section was examined an erroneous diagnosis of mastocytosis could have been made. Treatment consisted of larvicidal mixtures for lid lesions and organophosphate ophthalmic drops along with corticosteroids for the conjunctivitis. If the cornea was damaged by the gritty conjunctival plaque...
Muir WW, Hamlin RL.The influence of breathing various concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen upon minute volume, tidal volume, and respiratory rate were examined in acetylpromazine-tranquilized horses. Responses in the horses before (control period) and after tranquilization were qualitatively similar to increases in carbon dioxide and to alterations in oxygen. The quantitative responses to these changes were less in tranquilized horses than in the same horses studied in the untranquilized state. Tranquilization had its most prominent effect upon respiratory rate in horses breathing room air.
Murray MJ, Crowell-Davis SL.A 4-year-old mixed-breed gelding was presented with colic-type behavior of 5 days' duration that included pawing, looking at the flank area, and kicking and biting at the abdomen and flank when it was eating hay or grain. Medical evaluation did not reveal the cause of the "colic." During its stay in the hospital, the horse improved as regarded the colic-type behavior while eating, but resumed this behavior when it was able to see hay that it was not allowed to eat. It was determined that the persistent colic-type behavior developed as a result of the horse having been repeatedly displaced from...
Cornick JL.A 2-year-old Trakehner filly with pulmonary histoplasmosis is presented. Clinical signs included weight loss, intermittent fever, dyspnea and depression. Diagnosis was based on thoracic radiography, transtracheal wash cytology and lung aspirate cytology. A 5-week regimen of Amphotercin-B administered intravenously resulted in clinical recovery and return of the animal to normal activity. A brief review of histoplasmosis in man and animal is included.
Alsing-Johansson T, Pedersen A, Bergström K, Sternberg-Lewerin S, Penell J, Bergh A.Equine dentistry has developed immensely and human dental equipment, such as handpieces, are often used. Measures to avoid the spread of infectious microorganisms are important, but this is challenging since handpieces are difficult to decontaminate. Thus, it is necessary to develop effective IPC measures in equine dentistry. The aim of this study was to contribute to the evidence needed for future evidence-based guidelines on IPC by investigating hygiene in equine dentistry. Used handpieces and dummies (i.e., handpieces not used during dental procedure, reflecting environmental bacterial cont...
Schroeder OE, Aceto HW, Boyle AG.The objective of this study was to examine all kick injuries to the radius and tibia seen in an ambulatory setting over an 11-year period in order to determine factors affecting outcome. Medical records of 51 horses seen for a kick injury to the radius or tibia were reviewed. Signalment, physical examination findings, type of management, and outcome were evaluated. There was a significant association between the presence of bony crepitus and a lameness score of ≥ 4/5 and a poor outcome. There was no relationship between signalment and outcome, but significantly more Thoroughbred/Thoroughbred...
Dunkel BM, Wilkins PA.A nutritional plan should be incorporated into every treatment plan of the critically ill patient. Weight loss and cachexia are the result of prevalence of catabolic processes over anabolic processes in addition to absolute or relative increased demands and decreased food intake.
Goto H, Shimizu K, Taya Y, Noda H, Tokunaga T.The antibody responses to equine influenza viruses were investigated during a postepizootic period of the disease. Serum samples were collected from a total of 128 horses on three occasions during the years 1967-77. No significant increase of hemagglutination-inhibition antibody titers to subtypes 1 and 2 of equine influenza virus were detected in any of the sera tested. The maternal hemagglutination-inhibition antibody titers of foals decreased over a four month interval. A marked increase of the titers was recognized in only the equine influenza virus vaccinated horses. These findings sugges...
Lescun TB, Baird DK, Oliver LJ, Adams SB, Hawkins JF, Moore GE.To determine the extent to which a hydroxyapatite coating promotes pin stability in the third metacarpal bone during transfixation casting in horses. Methods: 14 adult horses. Methods: 7 horses each were assigned to either an uncoated or hydroxyapatite-coated pin group. Three transcortical pins were placed in the third metacarpal bone of each horse and incorporated into a cast for 8 weeks. Insertion and extraction torque were measured, and torque reduction was calculated. Radiography was performed at 0, 4, and 8 weeks. Lameness evaluation was performed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. Bacteriologic cu...
Yovich JV, Turner AS, Stashak TS, McIlwraith CW.Lateral or medial luxation of the metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal (fetlock) joint in 10 horses is presented. Closed and open fetlock luxation each occurred in five horses. Horses were treated by cast immobilisation after debridement of soft tissue and joint lavage in cases of open luxations. Suture apposition of a ruptured collateral ligament was attempted in three cases. Antibiotic therapy was used in all cases of open fetlock luxation but non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication was used inconsistently. Whether closed or open, fetlock luxations had a good prognosis for return to...
Pauwels FE, Adams SB, Blevins WB.Two horses with lameness due to tolocalcaneal osteoarthritis that failed to respond to conservative management were treated by tolocalcaneal arthrodesis using cortex screws placed in lag fashion. The affected joint of one horse was arthrodesed by compressing and stabilizing the medial facet of the joint with three screws. In the second horse, the medial and lateral facets of the affected tolocalcaneal joint were each compressed and stabilized with two screws. The lameness of both horses improved markedly following surgery.