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Topic:Geriatric Horses
Geriatric horses are older equines that typically exhibit age-related physiological changes impacting their health and management. As horses age, they may experience alterations in metabolism, immune function, and musculoskeletal integrity. These changes can increase their susceptibility to diseases and necessitate specialized care. Research on geriatric horses often focuses on understanding the aging process, identifying common health issues such as osteoarthritis and dental problems, and developing management strategies to enhance their quality of life. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the physiological changes, health challenges, and management practices associated with aging in horses.
Evaluation of basal plasma α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone concentrations for the diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction from a population of aged horses. The sensitivity and specificity of basal plasma α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) for the diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) has not been evaluated in a population-based study. Objective: To evaluate basal plasma α-MSH and ACTH concentrations for the diagnosis of PPID in a population of horses aged ≥ 15 years. Methods: Owner-reported data were obtained using a postal questionnaire distributed to an equestrian group. A subgroup of surveyed owners was visited and veterinary examination performed on horses aged ≥ 15 year...
Diagnostic frequency, response to therapy, and long-term prognosis among horses and ponies with pituitary par intermedia dysfunction, 1993-2004. Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is common in older horses. Objective: To determine diagnosis frequency, prognostic factors, long-term survival, and owner satisfaction with treatment. Methods: Medical records from horses diagnosed with PPID, 1993-2004. Methods: A retrospective cohort design with data collected from the Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB) and a cohort of 3 VTHs. Proportional accessions, annual incidence, and demographics were compared for all accessions. During the same period, a subset of medical records (n = 44) was extracted and owners (n = 34) contacted to obtai...
Equine wellness care in ambulatory practice. Clients want dependable veterinary care and to understand how the services will benefit and meet their horse’s needs. Wellness visits provide ambulatory practitioners with great opportunities to strengthen the doctor-client-patient bond; effective communication with clients during wellness visits, where new literature or facts can be presented, can offer opportunities for demonstrating the value of having the veterinarian maintain a primary role in disease control. The criteria for selecting vaccines, interpreting FECs, and diagnosing dental pathology require the continued need for veterinar...
Ultrasonographic appearance of bony abnormalities at the dorsal aspect of the fetlock joint in geriatric cadaver horses. This article describes the ultrasonographic (US) appearance of bony abnormalities on the dorsal aspect of the third metacarpal/metatarsal bone of the equine fetlock in cadavers with radiographic signs of osteoarthrosis. After US, computed tomography was undertaken to better characterise the lesions. Twelve fetlock joints were collected and all had more than one bone abnormality on US. Normal subchondral bone appeared on US as a well-defined and regular hyperechoic line with distal acoustic shadowing. Bone abnormalities detected on US included (1) gaps in the proximal subchondral bone filled wi...
Welfare of Aged Horses. Horses form a unique and special part of their owners' lives and aged horses are no exception. This review considers the health and management of aged horses, including the role of the owner and their perceptions of aged horses, potential threats or risks to their welfare and finally, factors affecting quality of life and euthanasia of aged horses. Owners of aged horses are concerned about the health, welfare and quality of life of their aged animals. Yet surveys of management and preventive healthcare reflect that there may be some limitations to what owners are actually achieving in practice...
Effect of equine-assisted therapy on the postural balance of the elderly. To determine whether equine-assisted therapy (hippotherapy) produces alterations in the balance of the elderly. Methods: The sample included 17 older adults who were divided into experimental (7 subjects) and control (10 subjects) groups. Stabilometry data were acquired with a force platform. The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) was used for clinical analysis of seated balance, transfer from a seated to a standing position, walking stability and changes in gait. Sixteen equine-assisted therapy sessions were carried out. Results: Mann-Witney was used to compare the means between groups and no signifi...
Computed tomographic findings in the pituitary gland and brain of horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is the most common endocrinologic disorder of aged horses. Objective: Pituitary glands of PPID-affected horses are larger than those of aged horses without signs of PPID, and the size difference can be detected using computed tomography (CT) imaging. Methods: Eight horses with clinical signs of PPID and supportive endocrinologic test results and 3 aged control (PPID-negative) horses. Methods: Computed tomography examination of the brain and pituitary gland was performed twice in 10 of the 11 horses, approximately 6 months apart. Six PPID-affected ho...
Factors associated with mortality of geriatric horses in the United Kingdom. Geriatric horses (aged≥15 years) now represent a substantial proportion of the equine population, yet mortality rates for aged horses in the UK have not previously been described. Although post-mortem studies have provided some data regarding specific causes of death, "old age" is a common owner-reported reason for euthanasia of adult horses, indicating further elucidation of reasons for death or euthanasia is required for the geriatric equine population. The objective of this cohort study was to describe mortality rates, causes of death or euthanasia and factors associated with mortality in...
Comparison of owner-reported health problems with veterinary assessment of geriatric horses in the United Kingdom. Previous studies suggest that owners underestimate or incorrectly recognise or report health problems in geriatric horses. However, few studies have directly compared owner-reported and veterinary assessed disease. Objective: To compare the findings of veterinary clinical examination of geriatric horses with owner-reported clinical signs and disease. Methods: A total of 200 horses aged ≥ 15 years were randomly selected to receive a veterinary examination, from responses to a cross-sectional postal questionnaire survey. Veterinary examinations were performed within 2 months of questionnaire r...
Disease prevalence in geriatric horses in the United Kingdom: veterinary clinical assessment of 200 cases. Geriatric horses (aged ≥ 15 years) represent a substantial proportion of the equine population, yet few studies have investigated the prevalence of diseases within this population in the UK. Objective: To describe the findings of veterinary clinical examination of 200 geriatric horses and ponies in north west England and north Wales, and to assess the effect of animal age and type (horse or pony) on the presence or absence of clinical signs and veterinary diagnosed health problems. Methods: From responses to a cross-sectional postal questionnaire survey of owners of geriatric horses (n = 918...
The prevalence of endocrinopathic laminitis among horses presented for laminitis at a first-opinion/referral equine hospital. Endocrinopathic causes of laminitis may be a common underlying causative pathogenesis in first-opinion or field cases presenting with laminitis, as opposed to laminitis produced in inflammatory research models. This study aimed to determine whether evidence of an underlying endocrinopathy was present in horses presented for laminitis to a first-opinion/referral veterinary teaching hospital. A second aim was to compare the signalment of horses and ponies with laminitis with the equine hospital population during the same period. All horses presenting for laminitis at Helsinki University Equine T...
A survey of health care and disease in geriatric horses aged 30 years or older. This study reports on aspects of preventive health care and on the prevalence of disease in geriatric (≥30 years old) horses and ponies in North-West England and North Wales. Of 128 questionnaires mailed to horse owners, 87 useable responses were received and 69 horses were subject to veterinary examination. Of the animals examined, 16% were underweight with body condition scores (BCS)3/5). This contrasted with the owner responses that reported 23% of the animals surveyed to be underweight and only 3% to be overweight. When assessed at trot, 77% of the horses were lame on at least one limb, ...
Age-related changes in genomic stability of horses. Recently, the old horse has been proposed as a model to study telomere-dependent senescence, immunosenescence and inflamm-aging. In the present paper, we used 80 Hucul and Anglo-Arabian horses divided into 3 age groups (juvenile, adult, old) to evaluate age-dependent changes at the genomic and DNA level and in cell proliferative potential. The level of positive TUNEL cells (both apoptotic and with DNA fragmentation), oxidative DNA damage (8-oxoG immunostaining), sister chromatid exchange and bleomycin-induced chromatid breaks were significantly increased in the combined old group compared to t...
Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), also known as equine Cushing's syndrome, is a widely recognized disease of aged horses. Over the past two decades, the aged horse population has expanded significantly and in addition, client awareness of PPID has increased. As a result, there has been an increase in both diagnostic testing and treatment of the disease. This review focuses on the pathophysiology and clinical syndrome, as well as advances in diagnostic testing and treatment of PPID, with an emphasis on those findings that are new since the excellent comprehensive review by Sc...
Use of BAER to identify loss of auditory function in older horses. To use the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) to test the hypothesis that auditory function could be worse in older horses than in younger horses. Methods: BAER waveforms in response to click stimuli were measured in five younger horses (5-8 years) and four older horses (17-22 years). Results: Compared with the younger horses, the older horses showed significantly (P < 0.02) worse BAER thresholds and significantly (P < 0.02) worse BAER wave V amplitudes to the 90 decibels above normal hearing level stimulus. These results were consistent with partial deafness in the older horse gr...
Vulnerability of an equine pericardial roll graft to Gram-positive cocci after graft replacement for a ruptured infected abdominal aorta. We describe the influence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia on histopathological alteration of a glutaraldehyde-fixed equine pericardial roll (EPR) graft in a 77-year-old male who underwent in-situ EPR replacement of a ruptured infected abdominal aorta with concomitant repair of the perforated duodenum. The patient died of circulatory failure after septic shock due to MRSA infection and gastrointestinal bleeding on postoperative day (POD) 23. The autopsy revealed no perforation of the EPR graft or anastomotic disruption between the native abdominal aorta and EPR ...
A survey of aged horses in Queensland, Australia. Part 2: Clinical signs and owners’ perceptions of health and welfare. To describe the prevalence and risk factors for clinical signs of disease and owner-reported health or welfare issues of aged horses in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Owners of horses were contacted via an equestrian organisation in Queensland and asked to complete a questionnaire about their horses aged 15 years and older, to gain information about clinical signs observed in the horse and disease history. Owners were asked to identify health or welfare issues they felt were important in aged horses. Results: Owners were able to identify many clinical signs of disease, with 83% of horses havi...
Bilateral iatrogenic [corrected] maxillary fractures after dental treatment in two aged horses. This clinical report describes two horses with bilateral maxillary fractures following dental treatment. The fractures occurred during dental treatment by a veterinarian, and both had rostral, transverse, and complete bilateral maxillary fractures with instability and minimal displacement. The fractures were repaired using bilateral intraoral wiring with the patients under general anesthesia. The postoperative period was without complications and the fractures healed as expected. Maxillary fractures during or after routine dental treatment are rare, but can occur, especially in older horses. A...
A survey of aged horses in Queensland, Australia. Part 1: management and preventive health care. To describe management practices and routine preventive care of aged horses in Queensland, Australia, including effects of owner characteristics, affiliation to an equestrian group and retirement of the horse. Methods: Owners of horses were contacted via Equestrian Australia (EA) and asked to complete a questionnaire about their aged horses (e.g. age, breed, sex and colour); their use and management, including preventive health care; and use of equine healthcare providers. Results: Horses aged 15 years or greater represented one-third of the total horses owned in the population sample. The med...
Single-dose oral pharmacokinetics of pergolide mesylate in healthy adult mares. Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is probably the most common disease of geriatric horses. Affected horses show a variety of clinical signs, including hirsutism, polyuria/polydipsia, immunosuppression, muscle wasting, and laminitis. The most common treatment for PPID is pergolide, a dopamine agonist; however, there are no pharmacokinetic data about the use of this drug in horses. This article describes a study designed to address this complete lack of pharmacokinetic information. The pharmacokinetics of pergolide are described in a small group of relatively young, healthy mares (n =...
Severe phenylephrine-associated hemorrhage in five aged horses. 5 aged (≥ 17 years old) horses developed life-threatening Internal hemorrhage following IV administration of phenylephrine at 3 hospitals. Results: All 5 horses developed severe hemothorax, hemoabdomen, or both within minutes to hours following administration of phenylephrine. Results: Four of 5 horses died of hemorrhagic shock, and 1 horse survived with a blood transfusion. The exact source of hemorrhage was Identified In only 1 horse. Medical records of all horses with nephrosplenic entrapment of the large colon and treated with phenylephrine at the University of Florida Veterinary Medical...
A cross-sectional study of geriatric horses in the United Kingdom. Part 1: Demographics and management practices. With growing numbers of aged horses, geriatric medicine is becoming increasingly important in equine veterinary practice; however, there is a paucity of information on the UK equine geriatric population. Objective: To describe the demographic characteristics of the equine geriatric population and to assess management practices undertaken by owners of geriatric horses (aged≥15 years). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying a randomly selected sample of veterinary registered owners with horses aged≥15 years, using a self-administered postal questionnaire. Results: Horses a...
A cross-sectional study of geriatric horses in the United Kingdom. Part 2: Health care and disease. Geriatric horses (aged≥15 years) represent a substantial proportion of the equine population, yet very few studies have investigated the prevalence of diseases within the UK equine geriatric population. Objective: To describe the provision of routine preventive health care measures, prevalence of clinical signs of disease and the prevalence of owner reported diseases. Additionally, the effect of increasing age on the provision of preventive health care and the presence or absence of clinical signs and disease was assessed. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying a randomly ...
Colic in geriatric compared to mature nongeriatric horses. Part 2: Treatment, diagnosis and short-term survival. Owners and veterinarians are often concerned about mortality of geriatric horses following colic surgery. Objective: To compare treatment, diagnosis and short-term survival for geriatric compared to mature nongeriatric horses with colic. Methods: Medical records of horses admitted with a presenting complaint of colic between 2000 and 2006 were reviewed. Geriatric horses were aged ≥16 years (n = 300) and subcategorised as age ≥20 years (n = 134). Mature nongeriatric horses were age 4-15 years (n = 300). Information obtained included medical (included horses subjected to euthanasia without s...
Colic in geriatric compared to mature nongeriatric horses. Part 1: Retrospective review of clinical and laboratory data. It is the impression of some surgeons that geriatric horses have a lower survival rate compared to mature nongeriatric horses following colic surgery. One possible reason for this is that geriatric horses may be more critically ill at admission and have more severe disease than mature nongeriatric horses. Objective: To compare admission historical, physical examination and laboratory data for geriatric and mature nongeriatric horses referred for signs of colic. Methods: Medical records of horses admitted with a presenting complaint of colic between 2000 and 2006 were reviewed. Geriatric horses...
The influence of vitamin E on immune function and response to vaccination in older horses. Horses have an increased susceptibility to infection because of a decline in immune function with advancing age. Vitamin E has been found to play a key role in normal immune system function. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of vitamin E supplementation on immune function and response to vaccination in older horses. Predominantly older horses (18.9 +/- 1.3 yr, range 7 to 26 yr; 523 +/- 38 kg of BW) were supplemented orally once daily for 16 wk with either all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (15 IU/kg of BW; n = 8) or a placebo (n = 8). One horse from each group was removed from t...
Fecal egg counts after anthelmintic administration to aged horses and horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. To determine effects of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (Cushing's disease) and age on fecal egg count and time to egg reappearance after anthelmintic treatment in horses residing in similar environments. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 29 healthy horses (4 to 35 years old) and 13 horses with PPID (13 to 33 years old). Methods: Fecal egg counts were performed by use of a modified Wisconsin flotation method at 2-week intervals before and after ivermectin treatment. Results: Horses with PPID had higher fecal egg counts before and 8, 10, and 12 weeks after ivermectin treatment, com...
The effect of age on the immune response of horses to vaccination. Few studies have investigated immunosenescence in the horse, but it is accepted that the primary and secondary (anamnestic) immune responses may differ between aged and younger horses. The aim of the present study was to determine whether aged horses have a protective immune response post-vaccination. Thirty-four aged healthy horses (> or =20 years) and 29 younger adult horses (4-12 years) of various breeds were vaccinated with commercially produced killed rabies and influenza vaccines. Rabies serum neutralizing antibody titres and equine influenza virus specific antibody subclasses (immunoglo...
Immunosenescence of the equine immune system. It is widely recognized that advanced age is associated with alterations in immunological responses that likely contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. This decreased efficacy of the immune system with age is referred to as 'immunosenescence' and has been reported for a number of species. Similar age-related changes are seen in horses and are manifested as decreased responsiveness to vaccination in vivo and diminished proliferative responses to mitogens in vitro. The underlying mechanism responsible for these impaired immunological responses remains unknown. ...
