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.
Stashak TS, Adams OR.Autogenous bone grafts were obtained from the tuber coxae of 9 horses. The method used involved an oblique incision to expose the lateral aspect of the tuber coxae. The periosteum was incised and reflected in order to make a 5- by 2.5-cm opening in the lateral cortex for graft retrieval. The method provided good visualization, ample grafting material, and freedom from postsurgical complications.
Pauli B, Althaus S, Von Tscharner C.Migrating fourth-stage larvae of Strongylus vulgaris, a parasite of equines, damage the intima of the anterior mesenteric artery and its larger branches and induce thrombus formation on the injured sites. As the time of larval passage through each of these branches has been exactly determined in earlier experiments, the aim of the present studies is to contribute to a more complete understanding of repair mechanisms in the process of time after thrombotic vascular injuries. Methods: five foals were separated individually to specially cleaned stables and given anthelmintic treatment till the ag...
Lokhorst HM, Breukink HJ.Two cases of Auto-immune hemolytic anemia (AHA) in the horse are described. The pathogenesis of AHA in man is related to the findings in the horses. Besides from routine hematological and biochemical investigations specific data were obtained from the erythrocyte osmotic fragility test, the Coombs test, the serum haptoglobulin level and the cold agglutinin test. The first patient, a six month old Dutch standardbred colt, probably suffered from an acute attack of cold-induced hemoglobinuria with severe anemia and acronecrosis of the tops of both ears and of several parts of the skin that had be...
Muylle E, Oyaert W, Ooms L, Decraemere H.In 40 horses with tetanus, large doses of tetanus antitoxin (TAT) were injected into the subarachnoid space. In all the horses that recovered, the disease stabilized immediately after the injection. The results (77.5% recovery) were much better than in a previous series of horses with tetanus (50% recovery), in which TAT was injected either intravenously, intramuscularly, or in the epidural space.
Jeffcott LB, Hickman J.This paper describes the surgical treatment of 14 horses exhibiting chronic back pain attributed to impaction and overriding of the dorsal spines in the thoracolumbar region. The technique involved the resection of the summits of one or more dorsal spines following midline division of the supraspinous ligament. All the horses returned to full work after a convalescent period of at least four months, and 12 of them showed considerable improvement in their form and performance. A post-surgical complication encountered in one case was the development of new bone on the edge of a resected spine. T...
Roberts MC, Pinsent PJ.Three horses suffering from malabsorption were shown to have alimentary lymphosarcoma predominantly affecting the small intestine and the associated lymph nodes. The diffuse cellular infiltration in two of the case produced marked changes in the villous architecture reducing the available mucosal surface area, and, with lowered or barely detectable disaccharidase activities, contributed to the impairment of digestive-absorptive processes. One of the horses maintained a voracious appetite and was not diarrhoeic, but failed to gain weight, indicating differences in the production and utilisation...
Gelatt KN.Traumatic iridocyclitis and hyphema in the horse usually follow blunt blows to the orbit and eye. The condition is characterized by miosis, ocular hypotony, ciliary flush, swelling of the iris, and hemorrhage with excessive fibrin in the anterior chamber which permits from 2 to 6 weeks. Vigorous treatment with mydriatics, topical and systemic corticosteroids is recommended. Possible complications include anterior and posterior synechiae, cataracts, and fibropupillary membranes.
Slocombe JO, McCraw BM.Four pony foals were inoculated with Strongylus edentatus infective larvae and on days 3 and 4 postinfection two of the ponies were treated with thiabendazole, each at the rate of 440 mg/kg of body weight. Total circulating eosinophil counts in untreated ponies increased to over 1700 per cu mm after the second week postinfection. In the treated ponies as well as in an uninfected untreated pony eosinophil counts did not increase beyond 100 per cu mm. At necropsy on day 35 postinfection the cecum, colon and omentum of treated ponies were normal and few tracks were present on the surface of the l...
Pearson H, Pinsent PJ, Denny HR, Waterman A.The indications for laparotomy in 140 horses are analysed, with particular emphasis on the operative or autopsy findings in 82 cases of colic. In cases of exploratory laparotomy, the overall recovery rate was only 28 per cent but 48 of the 82 animals were considered to have inoperable lesions. The recovery rate and causes of death for each indication are briefly reviewed.
Dawson FL, Durrant DS.Seventy-three samples of serum, from 69 horses and one zebra, were subjected to the Rose Bengal Plate, serum tube agglutination, complement fixation, and anti-equine globulin (Coombs') tests for brucellosis. Fifty-one of the samples, from 48 horses, were submitted by practising veterinary surgeons; of these, 22 samples were associated with clinical conditions which might have been due to brucellosis. Fourteen samples were from healthy horses known to have been in contact with infected cattle, and six were from horses which were known not to have been exposed to brucellosis. More reactions at a...
Stannard AA, Cello RM.In a study of Onchocerca cervicalis infection in a sample of 100 horses from the western United States, 48 were infected. Infection was more common in older horses and occurred in both sexes equally. Data about the distribution and the concentration of microfilariae within the skin are presented. The only cutaneous pathologic change that could be attributed to microfilariae was minimal perivascular inflammatory cell infiltrate. Invasion of the eye with microfilariae occurred in 60 percent of the infected horses. An attempt was not made to relate microfilarial invasion of the eye with ocular pa...
Moll HD, Juzwiak JS, Santschi EM, Slone DE.Volvulus of the small intestine was diagnosed as a complication of acquired inguinal herniation in 2 horses. One of the horses continued to have signs of pain after reduction of the hernia. The volvulus was diagnosed at a second surgery, but the intestine was devitalized, and the horse was euthanatized. Ventral midline exploratory surgery was performed on the second horse, in conjunction with an inguinal approach. The small-intestinal volvulus was diagnosed and corrected at this time. It is suggested that ventral midline abdominal exploration be performed when acquired inguinal herniation caus...
Raś A, Rapacz-Leonard A, Raś-Noryńska M, Barański W.Although fetotomy is recommended for all mares when the fetus is dead and difficult to extract, little has been written about fetotomy and heavy draft mares. This lack includes indications for fetotomy in heavy draft mares, differences in treatment and prognosis of heavy mares kept by farmers of low socioeconomic status, and how this procedure affects the mare's further fertility. The literature on mares, in general, also differs on the survival rate of mares that undergo fetotomy, the prevalence of postpartum complications, and further fertility. To answer these questions, we reviewed the me...
Baker RE, Schlipf JW, Brady JV, Gorman ME.A 6-year-old Cheval Canadien mare was presented for clinical signs related to acute kidney injury after receiving a course of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy. Cytologic examination of concentrated urine revealed small protozoal organisms that were later identified as Klossiella equi. Both sporocysts and free-floating sporozoites were identified in the urine, which has not been previously documented. The mare responded well to intravenous fluid therapy, and as she regained tubular function, the presence of the protozoa in the urine also abated. The mare was discharged from the hospital a...
Turner AS, Milne DW, Hohn RB, Rouse GP.Fracture of the capital femoral epiphysis occurred in three foals. One fracture was repaired by means of pinning under radiographic control and the two other fractures were repaired by means of trochanteric osteotomy.
Markel MD, Meagher DM, Richardson DW.Colopexy of the left ventral colon to the abdominal wall was performed in 4 horses with recurrence of large-colon displacement or volvulus. Horses were discharged between 5 and 27 days after surgery. At follow-up evaluation (mean, 10.5 months; range, 7 to 13 months) of the horses, none had recurrence of signs of abdominal pain, and all had normal body weight. Three horses were exercised regularly; signs of abdominal pain were not observed.