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.
Easley KJ, Schneider JE.In 9 horses, osteotomies were performed to simulate accessory carpal bone fractures. Screw fixation, aided by a large C-clamp, was performed on 6 of the 9 horses. Three were treated conservatively, as controls, with fractures not repaired; they remained clinically lame throughout the 6-month study. Fibrocartilaginous nonunion developed in each of the 3 controls. At 150 days, the principals were free of lameness, with evidence of bony union. The results of clinical, radiographic, and pathologic evaluations showed surgical repair to be superior to prolonged rest in treating equine accessory carp...
Liefman CE.Successful active immunisation of horses against tetanus is dependent on a number of factors of which the toxoid preparation used, its method of application and the ability of the individual horse to respond are fundamental. Two immunisation schedules using an aluminium-based toxoid preparation were examined and the protection determined by monitoring the level of antitoxin afforded by each schedule. The results obtained demonstrated that 2 doses of this toxoid are necessary to ensure 12 months protection in all horses. These results are discussed in relation to the factors involved in active ...
Tate LP, Koch DB, Sembrat RF, Boles CL.A surgical technique for resection of a portion of the trachea followed by end-to-end anastomosis was developed on 4 clinically normal horses. The trachea healed without complications in 3 of the horses in which 3 tracheal cartilages were removed. Five tracheal cartilages were removed from the 4th horse. It had to be euthanatized because of excessive suture line tension and wound disruption, which occurred during recovery from anesthesia. Suture line tension was measured on 3 other clinically normal horses positioned in dorsal recumbency immediately after euthanasia after 3 and 5 tracheal cart...
Mathewson JJ, Simpson RB, Roush DA.Six isolations of Salmonella krefeld were made from clinical veterinary specimens. These isolates were multiply resistant to several antimicrobial agents commonly used to treat salmonellosis.
Marshall AE, Byars TD, Whitlock RH, George LW.Brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) testing was done to evaluate inner ear/VIIIth cranial nerve (CN8) function in the horse. The BAER test consisted of stimulating the auditory system with clicks and recording far-field responses of the brainstem auditory components via cutaneous electrodes and a signal averaging system. The normal response was shown to be a series of waves occurring within the first 10 msec after the stimulus click. Functional loss of the auditory receptor organ (cochlea) or CN8 results in loss of the entire response on the side of the injury. Because of the anatomic re...
Gulick BA, Meagher DM.A commercially available polyvinyl chloride intravenous catheter was studied in 9 horses for 3 to 10 days to evaluate the catheter's suitability for use in the horse, to develop a new insertion technique, and to establish a protocol for catheter care. Seven of the animals were clinically normal horses receiving parenteral nutrition; one was a horse with hypocalcemia receiving frequent intravenous injections of calcium gluconate, and one was a clinically normal horse receiving no infusions. The catheter dressings were changed every 48 hours, and an aspirate from the catheter and the catheter ti...
Caporale VP, Biancifiori F, Frescura F, Di Matteo A, Nannini D, Urbani G.Comparative tests such as FAT, ELISA, RIA, IEO and CF in the diagnosis of dourine in the horse have proved a satisfactory concordance ratio of the ELISA with CF, which seems to be the most reliable test. Discrepancies have been observed as to the other tests which appear less sensitive than CF test.
Hwang YC, Held JP.A preliminary study using various acupuncture techniques to modify behavior of untamed ponies was attempted. In five of the seven tested parameters, the animals's behavioral responses were unaffected by acupuncture treatments. However, substantial improvement of general behavior of the nervous ponies was observed in animals treated with jaw and scutiform points. The results are not conclusive and further testing of acupuncture as a mean of modifying animal behavior is desirable.
Nevins M, Cappetta EG, Cullum D, Khang W, Misch C, Ricchetti P, Sclar A, Wallace SS, Ho DK, Kim DM.Conventional dentoalveolar osseous augmentation procedures for creating bone volume for dental implant placement often involve the use of grafting materials with or without barrier membranes to foster selective cell and tissue repopulation. A study was conducted to determine the efficacy of equine particulate bone (Equimatrix, Osteohealth) to augment the creation of new bone and preserve the volume of bone at extraction sites for the purpose of placing an implant in an optimal position for restoration. Clinical and histologic evidence supported the suitability of equine particulate bone for ex...
Kauffman VG, Soma L, Divers TJ, Perkons SZ.To provide long-term sedation, a horse was given fluphenazine decanoate, a human antipsychotic drug. The horse was progressively agitated and made unusual repetitive motions. Sedation with barbiturates was an effective treatment. This case is not unusual, and the use of fluphenazine by veterinarians in horses as a mild long-acting tranquilizer is not uncommon.
Williams S, Scott P.Meal contaminated by Datura stramonium seeds at the rate of 0.5% by weight was fed to two horses. Both horses showed clinical signs of depression, anorexia, weight loss, rapi heart and respiration rates, mydriasis, polyuria, polydipsia and diarrhoea. Both recovered with treatment. Maize screenings contaminated by the seeds had been used in the manufacture of the meal.
Cervantes C, Madison JB, Ackerman N, Reed WO.Between January 1985 and May 1989, 53 Thoroughbred horses (mean age 3.2 years) were surgically treated for dorsal cortical fractures of the third metacarpal bone (MC III). All horses were treated with cortical drilling through the fracture line (osteostixis). Diagnosis of the fractures was confirmed by xeroradiography. Lifetime racing records were obtained for all horses. Forty-seven horses returned to racing after surgery (89%). The mean time between surgery and the first race was 6.8 months. Horses had a mean of 10.9 starts before surgery and 16.1 starts after surgery. The mean earnings per ...
Borgsteede FH.A comparison was made of the efficacy of Ivermectin administered as an injection and as a paste. Fourteen horses which were naturally infected with small strongyles were divided into three groups. Animals of group 1 received an injection of 5 ml Ivermectin, equivalent to 500 kg bodyweight, horses of group 2 received one injector with Ivermectin as a paste (for 500 kg body weight), a third group remained untreated as a control. Faecal examinations and larval cultures on the day of treatment and 14, 28 and 42 days later showed that both injection and paste had a 100 percent efficacy against matu...
Mitchell KJ, Dowling BA, Hughes KJ, Dart AJ.A 2-day-old Warmblood colt foal was referred for evaluation of progressive abdominal distension and lethargy. Haemoperitoneum was diagnosed and a ventral midline laparotomy revealed capsular rupture, sub capsular haematoma and haemorrhage of the left kidney. Unilateral nephrectomy was performed and the foal recovered uneventfully, with no reported complications 1 year later.
Voermans M, Skidell J, Winberg F.Prestenotic oesophageal dilatation and stricture were diagnosed in a horse with a history of trauma in the cervical area and recurrent oesophageal obstruction. The diagnosis was established on the basis of the clinical examination, endoscopy, and positive contrast oesophagography. Conservative treatment was unsuccessful and surgical intervention was necessary. Oesophageal myectomy combined with myoplasty was performed, simultaneously relieving the dilatation and the stricture. No abnormalities were detected 8 weeks after surgery. The horse was on a normal diet and oesophageal obstruction did r...
Mackey VS, Pool RR.Fracture of the lateral wing of the third phalanx with secondary infection of the distal interphalangeal joint occurred in a neurectomized mare. Puncture of the sole may have been the inciting cause, emphasizing the need for careful daily foot care in neurectomized horses.
