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Topic:Disease Treatment
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.
Prevention and management of peritonitis in horses. Peritonitis and adhesions in the horse are best managed through prevention. Perioperative antimicrobial therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy, experienced personnel, and good surgical techniques should minimize complications after surgery. Despite preventative measures, some horses still develop peritonitis after surgery. Immediate, intensive treatment is necessary to enhance their chances for survival.
The site of focal osteomyelitis lesions in foals. The long bone ends of foals with infectious disease were sawn into sagittal slabs, washed and inspected. Tissue suspected to be abnormal on the basis of change of colour and consistency was radiographed, and then decalcified and examined histologically. The exact site of 140 focal osteomyelitis lesions from 18 foals was determined. There were more lesions in the epiphysis than the metaphysis. Epiphyseal lesions were in specific sites within a given epiphysis, and in most epiphyses the lesions were at the site of thickest cartilage. Metaphyseal lesions in the metacarpal, metatarsal and distal r...
Recognition and management of ileus. Ileus may occur in horses of all ages secondarily to drug administration, colic, exhaustion, peritonitis, or metabolic disorders. Ileus most commonly occurs following abdominal surgery for colic and is a significant cause of postoperative mortality in these horses. The most common clinical signs of ileus are decreased or absent intestinal sounds and gastric reflux. Ileus is treated by eliminating the initiating causes, correcting metabolic imbalances, decompressing distended bowel, providing analgesia, stimulating motility with drugs, and regulating exercise and feed and water intake.
Initial treatment of colic. This article discusses some of the rationales for the medical management of colic during the initial treatment period. The issue of colic pain control and the masking of clinical signs that may indicate severe gastrointestinal disease is addressed. Therapeutic considerations related to dehydration, metabolic imbalances, hemostatic disorders, antimicrobial therapy, fecal consistency, gastrointestinal decompression, and regulation of intestinal motility are reviewed.
Selected aspects of the clinical pharmacology of visceral analgesics and gut motility modifying drugs in the horse. Comparison of the visceral analgesic effects of xylazine, morphine, butorphanol, pentazocine, meperidine, dipyrone, and flunixin in a cecal distention model of colic pain indicated that xylazine produces the most relief from abdominal discomfort. Repeated administration of xylazine may reduce visceral pain so effectively that the seriousness of abdominal disease is obscured. Xylazine decreased propulsive motility in the jejunum and pelvic flexure of healthy ponies. Morphine and butorphanol also gave relief from visceral pain in the cecal distention model. Morphine may inhibit colonic, and buto...
Pyrrolizidine alkaloid-induced liver disease in horses: an early diagnosis. Nine adult horses were fed alfalfa hay cubes containing approximately 10% Senecio vulgaris until all horses had consumed approximately the same amount of toxic components of S vulgaris, pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). The amount of PA consumed was determined by the amount that induced clinical signs of PA toxicosis in 3 horses. The 6 other horses were given similar amounts per kilogram of body weight. An initial decrease of feed intake was observed when horses' diets were changed from alfalfa cubes to alfalfa/Senecio cubes, and feed intake was decreased further over 89 to 98 days. From 50 to 159...
Alternative diagnoses in the colic patient. Despite clinical signs compatible with obstruction or ischemia of the gastrointestinal tract, the clinician occasionally is unable to identify a gastrointestinal cause for colic. In this article, disorders not originating from obstruction or ischemia of the gastrointestinal tract but causing real or apparent abdominal pain are presented as alternative causes of colic. In addition, colic of gastrointestinal origin may be the primary inciting factor or a secondary complication of an alternative disorder, causing colic-like signs. Recognition of alternative diagnoses relies on a thorough and cons...
Decision for surgery. Based on the clinical impression and the current knowledge of the clinical variables (rectal examination, abdominal distention, abdominal fluid, intractable pain) most likely to differentiate between medical and surgical cases, three decision trees are provided as a guide to making the management decision in a horse with abdominal pain. Prior elimination of horses with limited life expectancy because of age or function or where financial constraints are present is understood. It must be emphasized that most of the information presently available originates from referral centers where the preva...
Dose-dependent plasma elimination of subcutaneously administered calcium heparin in horses. Pharmacokinetic parameters for subcutaneous low dose heparin in horses have been determined. Four groups of five and one group of eleven mature, healthy horses of various breeds were given single subcutaneous injections of 60, 80, 100, 125, and 150 units of calcium heparin/kg of body weight (U/kg) in the pectoral region. Jugular blood samples were collected prior to, and at hourly intervals for 12 h after injection. Heparin plasma concentrations were measured using a commercially available amidolytic assay. Peak concentrations 4 h after administration were 0.021 +/- 0.016 (mean +/- SD) units o...
Pharmacokinetics of sodium amoxicillin in horses. The pharmacokinetics of sodium amoxicillin were investigated after intravenous and intramuscular administration of a single dose of 15 mg kg-1 body-weight to five horses. A rapid distribution phase was noted after intravenous administration (t1/2 alpha about 20 minutes). The t1/2 beta values obtained after the intravenous and the intramuscular administration were significantly different (P less than 0.05). The bioavailability obtained was about 67 per cent. Plasma protein binding, evaluated in vitro, showed that the percentage of bound fraction was 37 to 38 per cent. It was concluded that sodi...
Equine large intestinal volvulus. A review of 124 cases. The average age of 122 horses with ascending colon volvulus was 6.6 +/- 0.4 years. Gastric reflux was a presenting sign in 35% of the cases. Peritoneal fluid protein levels had a mean of 2.54 +/- 0.14 g/dl and 20 horses had grossly normal peritoneal fluid at the time of presentation. Ascending colon volvulus was most commonly found at the level of the cecocolic fold with the initial ventral colon movement in a dorsomedial direction about the ascending mesocolic axis. The overall survival rate was 34.7% with a recurrence rate of only 4.9%.
A urethral extension technique to correct urine pooling (vesicovaginal reflux) in mares. A surgical technique involving reconstruction of the caudal vaginal vault was used to correct vesicovaginal reflux in 32 of 34 mares. After surgery, 22 of 24 mares became pregnant, and embryos were harvested for transfer from 6 of the other 10 mares. It was concluded that the procedure was safe and efficacious.
Pharmacokinetics of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid given in combination to adult horses by intravenous and intramuscular routes. The pharmacokinetics of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid following administration by the intravenous (i.v.) and intramuscular (i.m.) routes were investigated in six normal adult horses. Following i.v. administration, the ticarcillin disposition data conformed to a two-compartment model with an elimination half-life of 1.0 h. The disposition of clavulanic acid was described by a one-compartment model with an elimination half-life of 0.40 h. Following i.m. administration, the half-lives of both drugs were prolonged (ticarcillin 1.8 h, clavulanic acid 1.2 h). The bioavailability of ticarcillin was...
Management of arytenoid chondropathy and failed laryngoplasty in horses: 75 cases (1979-1985). By use of endoscopy, 75 horses with respiratory noise and/or exercise intolerance were determined to have structural arytenoid cartilage abnormalities (60 primary, 11 after previous laryngeal surgery), or failed left laryngoplasty (4 horses) for laryngeal hemiplegia in which the arytenoid cartilage still appeared normal. Eighty-eight percent of the horses were either Thoroughbred (54 horses; 72%) or Standardbred (12 horses; 16%) racehorses; only 9 horses (12%) had occupations not related to racing. Seventy-six percent of the racehorses were 2 to 4 years old; all non-racehorses were greater tha...
Determination of the minimum time of praziquantel therapy required for the in vitro treatment of protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus. Ovine and equine protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus were cultured for 26 days with our without praziquantel and viability assessed, by eosin exclusion, for cultures in various drug concentrations (50, 250 and 500 micrograms/l) and periods of exposure (1, 3 or 7 days (d] before removing/'rescuing' to drug-free medium. Drug efficacy was proportional to drug concentration and to length of exposure. At higher drug concentrations shorter exposures were required to produce the effect of continuous drug treatment, 1d therapy at 500 micrograms/l killing 96% ovine protoscoleces by day 14 whereas ...
Effect of induced synovial inflammation on pharmacokinetics and synovial concentration of sodium ampicillin and kanamycin sulfate after systemic administration in ponies. Single doses of sodium ampicillin (10 mg/kg) and kanamycin sulfate (5 mg/kg) were administered intramuscularly (i.m.) separately, and then together, to five pony mares. The plasma antibiotic concentration-time curves were constructed. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the antibiotics given separately were not altered by concurrent administration. Four of the five pony mares were then given the i.m. kanamycin/ampicillin combination 4 h after acute synovitis and fever had been induced by injection of lipopolysaccharide into the left intercarpal joint. The plasma concentration-time curves and the...
Incomplete longitudinal fracture of the proximal palmar cortex of the third metacarpal bone in horses. Seven horses, 2 to 4 years of age, were examined because of moderate-to-severe forelimb lameness, mild effusion of the middle carpal joint (3 horses), and pain on palpation of the origin of the suspensory ligament (4 horses). The lameness was abolished by anesthetic infiltration of the middle carpal joint in six horses. In four of them, a high palmar nerve block also abolished the lameness. A linear radiolucency in the proximal end of the third metacarpal bone (McIII) was interpreted as an incomplete longitudinal fracture. In one horse, distinct intramedullary sclerosis limited to the palmar c...
Heterotopic polyodontia in horses: nine cases (1969-1986). Nine horses with heterotopic polyodontia, examined at Purdue University since 1969, were treated surgically and had a favorable outcome. Six of the horses had received prior medical or surgical treatment, but without success. An understanding of the congenital nature of the problem contributed to an accurate diagnosis in each case. General anesthesia, aseptic technique, removal of all aberrant tissue, and wound suture for primary healing appeared to be essential for preserving ear function and obtaining an effective treatment.
