Hospitalization of horses involves the admission of equine patients to veterinary facilities for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of various medical conditions. This process is typically initiated when a horse requires intensive monitoring, specialized care, or advanced medical interventions that cannot be adequately provided in a non-clinical setting. Common reasons for equine hospitalization include surgical procedures, severe injuries, colic, respiratory disorders, and infectious diseases. During hospitalization, horses are monitored for vital signs, administered medications, and provided with supportive care tailored to their specific needs. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the protocols, outcomes, and advancements in the hospitalization of horses, providing insights into best practices and innovations in equine clinical care.
Emet M, Beyhun NE, Kosan Z, Aslan S, Uzkeser M, Cakir ZG.This is a retrospective and registry-based descriptive study including animal- related injuries represented by the most crowded Emergency Department (ED) in Eastern Turkey over a period of two years. Animal-related injuries were 0.2% of all ED admittances; dominant in males and were high in summer. 68% of the subjects were exposed to mammalians. Most prominent injuries were dog bites (30%), horse (22%) and livestock-related injuries (12%). Hospitalization was significantly higher in mammalian animal injuries compared to non-mammalian injuries. The highest hospitalization rate was measured for ...
Holcombe SJ, Rodriguez KM, Haupt JL, Campbell JO, Chaney KP, Sparks HD, Hauptman JG.To determine the incidence of postoperative ileus (POI) in a population of horses after small intestinal surgery and the effect of multiple variables on development of POI. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=233) aged > or =1 year that had exploratory celiotomy for small intestinal disease that recovered from surgery from 1995 to 2005. Methods: Sixty-eight variables were collected from medical records (1995-2005) for each horse. POI was defined as nasogastric reflux volume >20 L over 24 hours or >8 L at any single time after surgery. Results: Twenty-seven percent (64/233) of hor...
Anderson ME, Lefebvre SL, Rankin SC, Aceto H, Morley PS, Caron JP, Welsh RD, Holbrook TC, Moore B, Taylor DR, Weese JS.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging veterinary and zoonotic pathogen, associated with increasing reports of disease in horses. Objective: To provide an overview of the characteristics of clinical MRSA infections in horses. Methods: A retrospective case study was performed on 115 horses admitted to 6 participating veterinary teaching hospitals in Canada and the United States between 2000 and 2006, and diagnosed with clinical MRSA infection. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariable analyses for community- (CA) vs. hospital-associated (HA) MRSA infections...
Jones P, Delco M, Beard W, Lillich JD, Desormaux A.Osteoarthritis of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) is a common cause of chronic lameness in the horse that requires surgical arthrodesis when medical management is no longer able to alleviate pain. Surgical principles for successful PIPJ arthrodesis include articular cartilage debridement and rigid fixation. To completely debride articular cartilage, the collateral ligaments and extensor tendon are transected, disarticulating the joint. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that in chronically lame horses with periarticular new-bone formation and osteoarthritis, successful arth...
Hart KA, Slovis NM, Barton MH.Transient hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction occurs frequently in critically ill humans and impacts survival. The prevalence and impact of HPA axis dysfunction in critically ill neonatal foals are not well characterized. Objective: (1) HPA axis dysfunction occurs in hospitalized neonatal foals, and is characterized by inappropriately low basal serum cortisol concentration or inadequate cortisol response to exogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH); (2) hospitalized foals with HPA axis dysfunction have more severe disease and are less likely to survive than hospitalized fo...
Weese JS, Cruz A.Perioperative antimicrobial administration practices were evaluated retrospectively in 97 horses undergoing elective arthroscopy, and antimicrobial use was compared with standard recommendations for perioperative prophylaxis. Parenteral antimicrobials were administered perioperatively to 95/97 (98%) horses, 88 of which received intravenous sodium penicillin. Time from 1st dose until 1st incision ranged from 30 to 390 min [142 +/- 55.6 min, mean +/- standard deviation (s), median 135 min], and the first incision was performed greater than 2 half-lives after administration of sodium penicillin i...
Muñiz Fontán M, Moure González JD, Mirás Veiga A, Rodríguez Núñez A.Children's equestrian activities in the domestic, play activities, sports and educational areas are relatively frequent, and are not exempt from risks. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data on horse-related injuries, their circumstances and the key points for their prevention. Methods: Retrospective and descriptive study of pediatric equestrian injuries admitted to Hospital between July 1997 and September 2008. Results: A total of 17 patients with ages between 4 and 17 years were analyzed. There were 14 accidental falls, 2 kicks and 1 bite, and 8 patients had lost consciousness after the accid...
Carr EA, Holcombe SJ.Nutritional supplementation is becoming the standard of practice in equine medicine, although there are minimal data on nutritional support in critically ill horses and its association or effect on morbidity and mortality or length of hospital stay. Horses can be fed orally and when that is not possible, intravenously or parenterally. Enteral feeding is less expensive, more physiologic, improves immunity, and is easier and safer. This article reviews available information on the development of a nutritional plan for critically ill horses, and describes methods for and complications of enteral ...
Ruby R, Magdesian KG, Kass PH.To compare clinical, microbiologic, and clinicopathologic findings among horses infected with Clostridium difficile that had toxin A in their feces, horses with evidence of C difficile infection that were negative for toxin A in their feces, and horses with diarrhea that were negative for C difficile infection. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 292 horses and foals with diarrhea. Methods: Feces were submitted for microbial culture and tested for the C difficile antigen glutamate dehydrogenase and for toxin A with a commercial ELISA. Results: Horses with toxin A in their feces had higher...
Dukti S, White N.Colic is one of the most common and challenging problems that equine practitioners encounter. Although the majority of horses with colic can be treated with medical management, up to 10% of horses with colic require surgical intervention. The decision for surgery is often straightforward based on historical and diagnostic information. However, some horses require further diagnostics and observation to determine if surgery is needed. Surgical intervention can be life saving. However, complications may arise during surgery, in the immediate postoperative period, or during long-term management, a...
Bentz AI, Palmer JE, Dallap BL, Wilkins PA, Boston RC.Coagulopathy is a potentially underrecognized complication of sepsis and septic shock in critically ill neonatal foals. Objective: Critically ill neonatal foals have abnormalities in coagulation that are associated with disease severity and outcome. Methods: Foals <72 hours old admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. Methods: Prospective, observational study. Blood was collected at admission, 24, and 48 hours for platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, antithrombin activity and concentrations of fibrin degradation products, and fibrinogen in plasma from all...
Ekiri AB, MacKay RJ, Gaskin JM, Freeman DE, House AM, Giguère S, Troedsson MR, Schuman CD, von Chamier MM, Henry KM, Hernandez JA.To examine the relationship between abdominal surgery and nosocomial Salmonella infections and the relationship between high caseload in combination with abdominal surgery and nosocomial Salmonella infections in hospitalized horses with signs of gastrointestinal tract disease. Methods: 140 horses. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: To accomplish the first objective, 1 to 4 control horses were matched with each nosocomial case horse on the basis of admission date of a primary case horse. The frequency of abdominal surgery and other investigated exposure factors were compared between nosocomi...
Ellis CM, Lynch TM, Slone DE, Hughes FE, Clark CK.To report complications and survival after large colon resection and end-to-end anastomosis in horses with strangulating large colon volvulus. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Horses (n=73) with strangulating large colon volvulus. Methods: Records (January 1995 to December 2005) of horses that had large colon resection and anastomosis for strangulating large colon volvulus were reviewed for complications. Follow-up data were obtained by telephone questionnaire at least 1 year postoperatively. Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate association with survival time. V...
Cuny C, Strommenger B, Witte W, Stanek C.During 2006 and 2007 small clusters of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in horses were recorded in different clinical departments of a veterinary university. The infections were caused by different MRSA clones (ST1, ST254, and ST398). In the same time, nasal colonization of veterinarians, veterinary personnel, and students was observed indicating transmission to humans.
Claes A, Ball BA, Brown JA, Kass PH.To identify risk factors for rectal tears in horses; assess the effect of initiating cause on tear location, size, and distance from anus; and determine short-term survival rate among horses with various grades of rectal tears. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 99 horses. Methods: Medical records for horses with a rectal tear were reviewed, and data including age; sex; breed; cause, location, and size of the tear and its distance from the anus; tear grade; treatment; and outcome (short-term survival [ie, survival to discharge from the hospital] vs non-survival) were recorded. Data f...
Porter SR, Saegerman C, van Galen G, Sandersen C, Delguste C, Guyot H, Amory H.Endocarditis is a rare heart condition with variable clinical expressions in equids. Risk factors for this disease are incompletely understood. Objective: Describe risk factors for endocarditis in equids. Methods: One hundred and fifty-three equids admitted to Liège University, 9 diagnosed with endocarditis and 144 free from endocarditis but admitted to the hospital with a differential diagnosis including this disease. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Results: Equids with endocarditis were significantly younger (mean age = 4.84 +/- 5.74 years) than control equids (mean age = 10.8 +/...
Vengust M, Wen X, Bienzle D.A 4-year-old donkey was evaluated for progressive neurological abnormalities consisting of depression, stupor, weakness, and recumbency. Diagnostic evaluation for viral involvement identified an asinine herpesvirus in DNA extracted from deep pharyngeal swabs. Specific primers were designed based on comparison with equine herpesviral DNA polymerase sequences and yielded an 875-base pair product from the donkey. This sequence had complete identity with short sequences of asinine herpesvirus previously identified in donkeys with interstitial pneumonia. Amino acid analysis of the entire sequence i...
Sanchez LC, Giguère S, Lester GD.To identify factors associated with short-term survival in bacteremic neonatal foals, evaluate the racing performance of Thoroughbred survivors, and evaluate changes in causative organisms and their antimicrobial susceptibility. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 423 bacteremic foals. Methods: Medical records of foals that were hospitalized in 1982 through 2007 were reviewed, and those with bacteremia were included in the study. Data retrieved included signalment, physical examination and clinicopathologic findings at admission, localized infections, concurrent illnesses, duration of...
Granot N, Milgram J, Bdolah-Abram T, Shemesh I, Steinman A.A retrospective review of the medical records of 41 horses requiring abdominal surgery for sand colic. Results: The diagnosis of sand colic was made when sand was found to be the cause of impaction of the gastrointestinal tract during surgical exploration. The most common clinical signs at presentation were abdominal pain, abdominal distension and diarrhoea. A statistically significant association was found between the respiratory rate on arrival and short-term survival. Sand impaction at multiple locations was detected in one-third of the horses. Concurrent pathology was detected in half of t...
Craven JA.To identify the frequency, variety and disposition of horse-related injury presentations to the ED and to use this information to evaluate the existing institutional trauma team activation criteria following horse-related injuries. Methods: A retrospective case analysis was performed of all horse-related injury presentations to the ED of Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia, in the 5 year period between January 1999 and December 2003. Results: A total of 186 children presented with horse-related injuries during the 5 year study period. The median age of injury was 9 years (rang...
Knubben JM, Gygax L, Auer J, Fürst A, Staﾬher M.Through a written questionnaire, which was sent to a representatively distributed and randomly selected sample of Swiss horse owners, data of 2912 horses and ponies were acquired to extrapolate prevalence data of health disorders. General questions about the horse and associated factors of housing and use, as well as questions about the current health status and the occurrence of diseases and injuries had been asked. 718 horses (24.7% of the sample) had been examined by a veterinarian within the 12 months prior to the survey. Orthopaedic and traumatic disorders (41.5%) had the largest proporti...
Cotovio M, Monreal L, Armengou L, Prada J, Almeida JM, Segura D.Septicemia in human neonates frequently is complicated by activation of the coagulation system, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and multiple organ failure syndrome, which may contribute to high mortality. In adult horses with DIC, the lung has been the organ most frequently affected by fibrin deposits. In addition, in vivo studies suggest that hemostatic mechanisms may be immature in foals < 1-day old. Objective: Newborn foals with severe septicemia have fibrin deposits in their tissues independently of their age, and these fibrin deposits are associated with organ failure. Met...
Henderson IS, Mair TS, Keen JA, Shaw DJ, McGorum BC.The records of 65 horses with peritonitis examined at two UK referral centres over a period of 12 years were reviewed. Peritonitis was defined in terms of the horse's peritoneal fluid containing more than 5 x 10(9) nucleated cells/l. Horses that had developed peritonitis after abdominal surgery or a rupture of the gastrointestinal tract were excluded. Of the 65 horses, 56 (86 per cent) survived to be discharged. Follow-up information was obtained from practice records and telephone calls to the owners for 38 of the horses. Of these, 32 (84 per cent) had survived for at least 12 months and were...
Fox SE, Ridgway EB, Slavin SA, Upton J, Lee BT.Equestrian activities have always been popular in the United States. As safety guidelines have become more stringent, horse-related injuries have diminished by 40 percent over the past 20 years. Although perhaps less critical than in the past, injuries to equestrians most frequently involve the face, upper extremity, and lower extremity and are commonly evaluated by the plastic surgeon. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of these equestrian-related injuries. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database is a stratified probability sample of ho...
Mespoulhès-Rivière C, Martens A, Bogaert L, Wilderjans H.Distal limb lacerations are common injuries in horses, with a better prognosis reported for extensor tendons lacerations compared to flexor tendons lacerations. The objective of the present study was to determine the influence of type and location of injury, modalities of treatment and post surgical complications on the outcome of extensor tendon lacerations. The medical records of 156 horses surgically treated for extensor tendon lacerations over a 10-year period were analysed retrospectively. Information was obtained for 124 horses with a minimum of 18 months follow-up. Statistical analysis ...
Castagnetti C, Veronesi MC.In the foal, the most common neonatal diseases are responsible for an high non-survival rate. Since intensive care for neonatal foals is usually very expensive an early prognosis for survival at admission or during hospitalization is recommended, as well as a prognosis for future athletic potential. Therefore, prognostic factors for prematurity, septicaemia, other infectious diseases and hospitalized foals are revised and discussed on the base of literature and authors experiences. The advantages and limitations of retrospective and perspective prognostic factors is also presented, and the pos...
Kruger K, Saulez MN, Neser JA, Solberg K.Lead (Pb) intoxication in horses is usually a chronic phenomenon with clinical signs associated with central nervous dysfunction. This report gives details of a case of acute Pb intoxication in a 9-year-old American Saddlebred mare with severe, progressive and ultimately fatal neurological deterioration. During the 4 days of hospitalisation, clinical signs progressed from intermittent headshaking and depression to severe, continuous, uncontrollable manic behaviour. At autopsy, three grey-coloured, hard metal particles were present in the gastrointestinal tract and subsequently found to contain...
Hollis AR, Furr MO, Magdesian KG, Axon JE, Ludlow V, Boston RC, Corley KT.Critical illness is associated with hyperglycemia in humans, and a greater degree and duration of hyperglycemia is associated with nonsurvival. Hypoglycemia is also seen in critically ill humans, and is associated with nonsurvival. This might also be true in the critically ill foal. Objective: To investigate the association of blood glucose concentrations with survival, sepsis, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Methods: Blood glucose concentrations at admission (515 foals) and 24 hours (159 foals), 36 hours (95), 48 hours (82), and 60 hours (45) after admission were analy...
Underwood C, Southwood LL, McKeown LP, Knight D.Based on clinical observation, it is hypothesised that horses with duodenitis-proximal jejunitis (DPJ) that are treated surgically have a shorter duration, smaller volume, and slower rate of nasogastric reflux (NGR) compared to horses treated medically, are more likely to develop diarrhoea than medically managed cases, and have a higher incisional infection rate than a sample population of horses undergoing abdominal exploration for gastrointestinal disease other than DPJ. Objective: To compare: 1) duration, volume and rate of NGR and the percentage of horses with diarrhoea between medically a...
Lund CM, Ragle CA, Lutter JD, Farnsworth KD.To describe the use of a motorized morcellator for elective bilateral laparoscopic ovariectomy in standing equids and to evaluate long-term outcome. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 30 equids (20 horses, 9 mules, and 1 pony). Methods: Medical records of equids undergoing elective bilateral laparoscopic ovariectomy from 2007 to 2013 were evaluated. Cases were selected on the basis of use of a motorized morcellator for ovary extraction. Data collected included age, breed, reason for surgery, surgery date, surgical approach, intraoperative complications, surgery and morcellation times...
Jamieson CA, Baillie SL, Johnson JP.Transfusion medicine is a crucial part of equine intensive and critical care. Blood transfusions can save lives in both acute and chronic cases of anemia, hemorrhage, and hemolysis. It is vital to have a comprehensive theoretical and practical understanding of the techniques, implications, risks, and complications. This review covers the physiology and pathophysiology of conditions requiring transfusion, as well as step by step guidance for practitioners of all experience levels. This review is designed to serve as a practical reference for those who are treating horses in either the field or ...
Ekiri AB, Long MT, Hernandez JA.The main objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of Salmonella in fecal samples collected from hospitalized horses with or without signs of gastrointestinal (GI) tract disease. The PCR assay used primers and a probe that targeted the invA gene of Salmonella. Assuming a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 96.6%, and a disease prevalence of 2%, 5%, and 10-15% in study horses, the PCR assay had a high (100%) negative predictive value, and a positive predictive value that ranged from 37% in horses ...
Pinidiyapathirage J, Kitchener S, McNamee S, Wynter S, Langford J, Doyle A, McMahon A.Agricultural industries are among the most dangerous in Australia posing significant public health risks. This study analyses the nature and management of agriculture-related injuries presenting to EDs in selected hospitals in Southern Queensland. Data on agricultural injury presentations over a 6 month period was collected at four rural hospitals by a dedicated onsite hospital data coordinator. Additionally, in two of the participating hospitals all injury presentations over the same 6 month period were recorded. A pre-tested survey instrument, modified for rural settings and designed and dev...
Johnston GCA, Lumsden JM.To describe the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates cultured from surgical specimens of infected arytenoid cartilage and granulomas. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Thirty-three thoroughbred horses. Methods: Hospital records were retrieved for all horses admitted to a referral hospital for arytenoid chondropathy surgery that had samples submitted for culture and sensitivity between 2005 and 2019. Descriptive analyses were performed. Results: In total, 56 bacterial isolates were obtained. Gram-positive bacteria (58%), Gram-negative bacteria (54%), and...
Topper MJ, Prasse KW.To evaluate new ELISA for measurement of thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) concentration, and to correlate the values to other tests of hemostasis in horses with colic. Methods: Plasma TAT concentration and 8 other hemostasis analytes were measured in horses with colic at hospital admission and during the next 4 days. Retrospectively, data were analyzed by outcome, broad-category diagnosis, and clinical management, and for correlation between TAT and other assays. Methods: 100 horses with colic. Methods: Plasma samples were evaluated for TAT, fibrinogen, and fibrin degradation products concentra...
Hubert JD, Burba DJ, Moore RM.To describe a laparoscopic technique for granulosa cell tumor removal using a vessel sealing device (LigaSuretrade mark) in standing mares. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Eight mares (8-24 years old; weighing, 406-525 kg). Methods: Before surgery, ovarian size and adjacent body wall thickness was determined by ultrasonography. Mares were sedated and after local anesthesia (inverted L and local infiltration), laparoscopic cannulation was performed without insufflation. The mesovarium was anesthetized and the LigaSure instrument applied to the mesovarium for hemostasis and resection to r...
Tomlinson JE, Byrne E, Pusterla N, Magdesian KG, Hilton HG, McGorum B, Davis E, Schoster A, Arroyo L, Dunkel B, Carslake H, Boston RC, Johnson AL.Information about treatment protocols, adverse effects and outcomes with intrapleural recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rTPA) use in horses with fibrinous pleuropneumonia is limited. Objective: Describe factors that contribute to clinical response and survival of horses treated with rTPA intrapleurally. Methods: Horses with bacterial pneumonia and fibrinous pleural effusion diagnosed by ultrasonography, that were treated with rTPA intrapleurally. Methods: Retrospective multicenter case series from 2007-2012. Signalment, history, clinical and laboratory evaluation, treatment, and outcom...
Crosa AT, Desjardins MR.OBJECTIVE To describe use of a modified open castration technique with a scrotal approach and primary closure in equids. DESIGN Prospective case series. ANIMALS 38 client-owned, sexually intact male equids. PROCEDURES With owner consent, elective castration was performed with a modified open technique on patients (1 pony, 1 miniature horse, and 36 horses of other breeds) under general anesthesia. The procedure included minimal dissection into the scrotal region for removal of testes, with cremaster muscles left intact and the parietal vaginal tunic closed in place. Primary closure of surgical ...
Myers CJ, Magdesian KG, Kass PH, Madigan JE, Rhodes DM, Marks SL.This retrospective study describes the use of and complications associated with parenteral nutrition (PN) administration to 53 equine neonates at the University of California Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Medical records were examined and information obtained on signalment, physical examination, clinical diagnosis, outcome, total hospitalization time, insulin administration, microbiology culture results, other complications (i.e. thrombophlebitis) and necropsy findings. Complete blood count and serum biochemistry analytes, venous blood gas, serum electrolyte and glucose concentrations,...
Alinovi CA, Ward MP, Couëtil LL, Wu CC.To assess methods of detecting environmental contamination with Salmonella organisms and evaluate a cleaning and disinfection protocol for horse stalls in a veterinary teaching hospital. Methods: Original study. Methods: 37 horses with diarrhea likely to be caused by Salmonella infection and their stall environments. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from horses daily during hospitalization; samples were obtained from stall sites after cleaning and application of disinfectants. Fecal and environmental samples were cultured for Salmonella spp and tested via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a...
Nath LC, Anderson GA, Hinchcliff KW, Savage CJ.To determine whether there is evidence of myocardial injury in horses with acute abdominal disease. Methods: Prospective case series. Methods: 18 healthy horses and 69 horses with acute abdominal disease. Methods: 18 healthy horses had been admitted to the hospital for investigation and were assigned to group 1. Horses examined for acute abdominal disease were assigned to 3 groups: strangulating obstruction, nonstrangulating obstruction, or inflammatory disease (groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively). Heart rate, Hct, and blood lactate and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations were measured at i...
Francis AO, McCabe F, McCabe P, O'Daly BJ, Leonard M.Horse riding related accidents can present with devastating pelvic and acetabular fractures. This study examines the nature, management and treatment outcomes of severe pelvic and acetabular trauma in amateur horse riders presenting to a national tertiary referral centre. We also aim to define certain at-risk groups. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive cohort of all patients who were referred to the National Centre for Pelvic and Acetabular trauma resulting from horse riding accidents. All patients who were referred to the National Centre for Pelvic and Acetabular Trauma between Janu...
Jago RC, Handel I, Hahn CN, Pirie RS, Keen JA, Waggett BE, McGorum BC.Objective criteria for predicting survival of chronic grass sickness cases are currently lacking. Objective: To determine whether the rate and/or magnitude of bodyweight change during hospitalisation of chronic grass sickness cases can provide an objective predictor of survival to discharge from hospital. Clinicians' recorded indication(s) for euthanasia were also reviewed. Methods: Single centre retrospective observational study. Methods: Case records of all horses admitted for management of chronic grass sickness to The Dick Vet Equine Hospital between 1998 and 2013 were analysed. Case backg...
Gandini M, Cerullo A, Franci P, Giusto G.Reducing postoperative incisional infection is the main reason to administer postoperative antimicrobials (AMD) after emergency laparotomy in horses, while reducing inflammation and providing analgesia are the reasons to administer anti-inflammatory drugs (AID). The basis for postoperative AMD and AID administration is empirical and only recently has been questioned. Empirical approaches can be changed, and these changes, along with the description of their outcomes, can help produce appropriate stewardship. The aim of this study is to report the changes in AMD and AID regimens in horses under...
van Galen G, Saegerman C, Hyldahl Laursen S, Jacobsen S, Andersson Munk M, Sjöström H, Holm Lindmark S, Verwilghen D.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause right dorsal colitis, but longitudinal clinical studies are lacking. This study investigates whether NSAID treated horses develop right dorsal colonic pathology in a clinical setting. Non-gastrointestinal hospitalized horses treated with NSAIDs >4 days, and untreated hospital-owned teaching horses and non-gastrointestinal client-owned hospitalized horses were included. All horses were monitored over time with clinical examinations (focusing on presence of colic, depression, reduced appetite, unstructured feces), ultrasonographic intestin...
Dunkel B, Mair T, Marr CM, Carnwath J, Bolt DM.To examine factors associated with short- and long-term prognosis for horses undergoing repeated celiotomy within 14 days after the first colic surgery. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 95 horses that had undergone 2 celiotomies within a 14-day period between 2005 and 2013 at 3 equine referral hospitals. Methods: Historical, clinical, and laboratory data were compared between horses that did not survive and horses that did survive to hospital discharge (short-term survival rate) and to > 3 and > 6 months after hospital discharge (long-term survival rates). Results: Strangulat...
Rötting AK, Freeman DE, Doyle AJ, Lock T, Sauberli D.Ovariohysterectomy appears to have a low mortality rate in mares, but the procedure needs to be reviewed because of the high risk of life-threatening complications. Objective: That ovariohysterectomy can be effective treatment for a variety of uterine diseases in mares and carries a good prognosis. Methods: Diagnosis, clinical data, surgical technique, post operative care, complications and outcome were recorded from medical records of 7 mares that underwent total (6) and partial (1) ovariohysterectomy at the University of Illinois from 1994 to 2001. Results: The indications for ovariohysterec...
Traub-Dargatz JL, George JL, Dargatz DA, Morley PS, Southwood LL, Tillotson K.To determine current practices regarding use of antimicrobials in equine patients undergoing surgery because of colic at veterinary teaching hospitals. Methods: Survey. Methods: Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons performing equine surgery at veterinary teaching hospitals in the United States. Methods: A Web-based questionnaire was developed, and 85 surgeons were asked to participate. The first part of the survey requested demographic information and information about total number of colic surgeries performed at the hospital, number of colic surgeries performed by the res...
Donati B, Fürst AE, Del Chicca F, Jackson MA. The aim of this study was to determine the indications for, and complications of, plate removal surgery in horses that underwent internal fixation of limb fractures. Methods: Medical records of horses presented to our hospital between 1990 and 2015 for the removal of plates after treatment of limb fractures were reviewed. Data collected at the time of initial presentation, including signalment, history, fracture features and treatment and information about the indications, timing and complications of implant removal were reviewed. Results: The most common bones involved were the ulna ...
Paré J, Carpenter TE, Thurmond MC.To determine whether clustering existed in the spatial or temporal distribution of horses that shed Salmonella krefeld in their feces during hospitalization. Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records. Methods: 219 horses housed in the intensive care unit of a veterinary medical teaching hospital from October 1991 through May 1992. Methods: Bacteriologic culturing of fecal samples was used to identify horses shedding S krefeld. For affected horses, the scan statistic was used to analyze temporal clustering, and Knox's method was used to analyze temporal-spatial clustering. Results: 20 ...
Sweeney RW, Divers TJ, Rossier Y.Plasma concentration of gentamicin was measured 1, 4, and 6 hours after IV administration in 35 hospitalized adult horses on days 1, 3, 5, and 10 of treatment. The mean apparent elimination rate constant beta was 0.53 +/- 0.10 h-1 on day 1 for horses with normal plasma creatinine concentration and 0.41 +/- 0.13 h-1 for horses with abnormally high plasma creatinine concentration. There was no significant difference between beta of the hospitalized horses and of 6 healthy horses treated with gentamicin, but total clearance for the hospitalized horses with normal plasma creatinine concentration w...
Metzger N, Hinchcliff KW, Hardy J, Schwarzwald CC, Wittum T.Detection of failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) is important in reducing morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals. We investigated the performance of a commercial equine IgG test (SNAP Foal IgG Test Kit) to diagnose FTPI in hospitalized foals. Furthermore, we evaluated the usefulness of serum total protein (STP) and serum globulin (SG) concentrations as indicators of FTPI. Serum IgG concentration was measured by means of the SNAP test and single radial immunodiffusion, and SG and STP concentrations were determined by means of a clinical chemistry analyzer. Subjects were 67 hospita...
Nocera I, Bonelli F, Meucci V, Rinnovati R, Spadari A, Intorre L, Pretti C, Sgorbini M.Literature on the protein carbonyl content (PCC) evaluation in horses is scarce, thus the aims were to evaluate the PCC in healthy and SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) horses and to investigate the performances of PCC in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio in identifying SIRS positive and negative horses. A total of 72 adult horses were included. All the horses underwent to a complete physical examination, blood analysis, and were evaluated for the SIRS status. Blood samples were collected once in healthy horses and at admission time, then 24, 48, 72, and 96 h...
Wong D, Sahoo DK, Faivre C, Kopper J, Dersh K, Beachler T, Esser M.Oxidative injury occurs in septic people, but the role of oxidative stress and antioxidants has rarely been evaluated in foals. Objective: To measure reactive oxygen species (ROS), biomarkers of oxidative injury, and antioxidants in neonatal foals. We hypothesized that ill foals would have higher blood concentrations of ROS and biomarkers of oxidative injury and lower concentrations of antioxidants compared to healthy foals. Methods: Seventy-two hospitalized and 21 healthy neonatal foals. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide [HO]), biomarkers of oxidati...
Frees KE.The goal of wound cleansing and care is the control or removal of tissue infection to allow healing in the most functional, cosmetic, fastest, and least expensive manner possible. This is accomplished through the removal of debris and necrotic tissue while reducing the bacterial load via careful use of mechanical techniques and cleaning agents, accepting that some level of tissue trauma will result. Keep in mind that the benefit of a clean wound must be weighed against the trauma inflicted in the process of cleansing. Veterinary health care professionals should take steps to reduce hospital-ac...
van der Velden MA, Klein WR.Seventy horses surgically treated for colic caused by disorders of the small intestine were included in a randomized blind trial to determine the effects of cisapride (0.1 mg/kg bw intramuscularly at 8-h intervals) on the post-operative restoration of gut motility. Cisapride appeared to reduce the incidence of post-operative ileus. It accelerated the restoration of bowel motility, reducing the period of post-operative intensive care. It is concluded that cisapride is an effective and useful drug in the post-operative treatment of horses after surgery of the small intestine.
Niskanen R, Lindahl J, Mokka R, Korkala O.Horse-related injuries form a notable part of sports and leisure time accidents. 54% of the injured were female riders under the age of 20 years. The most serious injuries were upper extremity ones. Over one third of the riders had suffered previously from horse-related injuries.
Ceriotti S, Westerfeld R, Bonilla AG, Pang DSJ.Based on human surgical guidelines, intravenous antimicrobials are recommended to be administered within 60 min of surgical incision. Achieving this target in horses is reportedly challenging and influenced by hospital policies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate and improve: (1) the timing of antimicrobial administration to surgical incision (tAB-INC), (2) contributions of anesthesia pre-induction (tPRI) and surgical preparation (tPREP) periods to tAB-INC, and the (3) completeness of antimicrobial recording. Two clinical audits were conducted before and after the policy changes (pa...
