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.
Hinchcliff KW, Rush BR, Farris JW.To evaluate plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations and serum cortisol concentration in horses with colic and assess the relationship of these variables with clinical signs, routinely measured clinicopathologic variables, and outcome in affected horses. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: 35 horses with colic. Methods: Blood samples were collected within 30 minutes of arrival at the veterinary hospital from horses referred because of colic. Plasma and serum samples were analyzed for cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, lactate, and electrolyte concentrations and a...
Mair TS, Smith LJ.Early (acute) relaparotomy after surgery for equine colic is widely considered to be an acceptable treatment option for management of certain post operative complications. However, there is relatively little published information about resulting complication rates and short- and long-term outcomes. Objective: To document the proportions, indications, complication rates and survival rates of horses undergoing acute relaparatomy following colic surgery. Methods: History, clinical findings, surgical findings and procedures, post operative treatments and outcome of 300 consecutive surgical colic c...
Patterson-Kane JC, Bain FT, Donahue JM, Harrison LR.A neonatal Thoroughbred foal was presented with rib fractures and left forelimb lameness secondary to dystocia. Results: The foal developed a head tilt, seizures and watery diarrhoea during hospitalisation and died at 7 days of age. Histological examination of the brain and spinal cord revealed a suppurative meningoencephalomyelitis with vasculitis, and numerous intralesional, gram-negative bacilli. Similar microscopic lesions were noted in the lungs, renal medullary interstitium, and umbilicus. Bacilli in the brain, spinal cord and umbilicus were identified immunohistochemically as Salmonella...
Mair TS, Smith LJ.Few studies have evaluated long-term survival and complication rates in horses following surgical treatment of colic, making it difficult to offer realistic advice concerning long-term prognosis. Objective: To review the complications occurring after discharge from hospital and survival to >12 months after surgery of 300 horses undergoing exploratory laparotomy for acute colic. Pre-, intra- and post operative factors that affected long-term complications and long-term survival were assessed. Methods: History, clinical findings, surgical findings and procedures and post operative treatments of ...
Freeman DE, Schaeffer DJ.Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) is one of the more common causes of colic in horses, but recent reports suggest a poor prognosis after surgical treatment. Objective: That EFE has a good prognosis compared with other small intestinal strangulating lesions. Methods: Surgical findings, surgical procedures and short-term outcome were recorded for 157 horses that underwent surgery for strangulating lesions of the small intestine at the University of Illinois from 1994 to 2003. Horses were assigned to 3 groups for comparison; those with EFE, strangulation by lipoma and miscellaneous strangulating ...
Norman TE, Chaffin MK, Johnson MC, Spangler EA, Weeks BR, Knight R.Five horses were evaluated because of severe cutaneous burn injuries following a barn fire. Gross hemolysis and morphologic changes in RBCs consistent with oxidative damage were detected in all of the horses. Of these horses, 4 became azotemic. The overall goals of treatment included wound care, correction of dehydration and provision of diuresis, control of inflammation, pain management, and prophylaxis against sepsis. After treatment, 2 horses survived and were discharged from the hospital. Red blood cell damage and hemolysis following cutaneous burn injury have been investigated in other sp...
Smith MA, Edwards GB, Dallap BL, Cripps PJ, Proudman CJ.The objectives of the study were to determine whether retrospective data can be used to answer questions about the efficacy of prokinetic agents when used to treat horses with post-operative ileus (POI). We describe prevalence and mortality of POI with reference to treatment with four prokinetic agents. By combining data from two Hospitals a study population of 55 horses with POI following pedunculated lipoma obstruction (PLO) was established. Univariable and multivariable associations were determined between short term survival and potential explanatory variables. With death as outcome in mul...
Jagodzinski T, DeMuri GP.Horseback riding is an increasingly popular activity among today's youth, providing them with the opportunity to learn responsibility and respect for animals. However, it can also be associated with severe injury, of which many physicians are unaware. In 2002, there were an estimated 13,400 emergency department visits nationwide for horse-related injuries among children younger than 15 years. When using a severity score to compare it with other childhood injuries, equestrian-related injury ranked second only to pedestrians being struck by a car, and had a higher score than all terrain vehicle,...
Ward MP, Alinovi CA, Couëtil LL, Wu CC.The diagnostic accuracy of a PCR used to identify horses shedding Salmonella spp. in their feces during hospitalization was estimated, relative to bacterial culture of serially collected fecal samples, using longitudinal data. Five or more fecal samples were collected from each of 116 horses admitted as inpatients, for reasons other than gastrointestinal disease, between July 26, 2001 and October 25, 2002. All 873 fecal samples collected were tested with a PCR based on oligonucleotide primers defining a highly conserved segment of the histidine transport operon gene of Salmonella typhimurium, ...
Welschen SE, de Bruijn CM, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.The short- and long-term results of admission to the 'Neonatal Intensive Care Unit' (ICU) at the Department of Equine Sciences of the Utrecht University were evaluated. The patients were categorized, based on specific criteria, into different groups: 'Sepsis', 'Pneumonia', 'Enteritis', 'Asphyxia', 'Premature', 'Isoerythrolysis', and 'Equine herpes virus (EHV)'. The survival rate and mean duration of hospitalization were determined for each group. The venous blood variables at admission were compared for 'surviving' and 'non-surviving' foals within groups, between groups, and for the overall gr...
Beinlich CP, Nixon AJ.To clarify the diagnosis of avulsion of the lateral palmar intercarpal ligament (LPICL), correlate avulsion of this ligament with lameness, determine the prevalence of avulsion of the LPICL in a hospital population, and evaluate the response to surgical removal of the avulsion fragment in horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 37 horses with avulsion of the LPICL. Methods: Medical records and radiographs of horses with avulsion of the LPICL were reviewed; follow-up information was obtained from race records and from owners via a telephone survey. Results: Of 6,418 horses evaluated for ...
Gallatin LL, Couëtil LL, Ash SR.A 15-year-old Paso Fino gelding was evaluated because of acute renal failure following an episode of exertional rhabdomyolysis. The horse was azotemic and treated conservatively at another referral practice with no improvement in the azotemia. With conservative treatment and intermittent peritoneal dialysis, the horse had minimal improvement. Continuous-flow peritoneal dialysis (CFPD) was instituted on day 7 and continued for 3 consecutive days. Dramatic changes in the horse's attitude and serum creatinine concentration were detected within the first 24 hours of CFPD treatment. The horse remai...
Ward MP, Brady TH, Couëtil LL, Liljebjelke K, Maurer JJ, Wu CC.An outbreak of salmonellosis in a population of hospitalized horses resulted in the closure of a teaching hospital for a period of 10 weeks. Fecal samples were collected from suspected cases and cultured for Salmonella. Salmonella isolates were characterized using antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and phage typing. Thirty-three cases of infection by a multidrug-resistant strain of S. typhimurium were detected. The index case was admitted on 26 August 1999. Fifteen (45%) cases occurred between April and June 2000. PFGE results suggested that this stra...
Corley KT, Donaldson LL, Furr MO.Blood lactate concentration has been shown to be a useful clinical indicator in human patients, but has not been formally investigated in critically ill foals. Objective: To investigate the association of blood lactate with hospital survival, markers of cardiovascular status, metabolic acid base status, sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Methods: A database containing clinical, haematological, plasma biochemical and hospital outcome data on neonatal foals referred to an intensive care unit in 2000-2001 was analysed. Seventy-two foals for which arterial lactate was measu...
Archer DC, Proudman CJ, Pinchbeck G, Smith JE, French NP, Edwards GB.The clinical features of 71 cases in 70 horses in which part of the small intestine became entrapped in the epiploic foramen are described. The horses' sex, age and breed, the month during which they were affected, and whether they exhibited stereotypic behaviour were compared with the same variables in 1279 horses which suffered other types of surgical colic during the same period. Thoroughbred and thoroughbred cross horses were over-represented among the 70 affected horses. There was no age or sex predilection. Fifty-five (77.5 per cent) of the cases occurred between October and March and 15...
Bosch G, van Schie MJ, Back W.A keratoma is a rather uncommon disorder of the equine hoof that can lead to lameness. Few quantitative data exist about the prognosis of different treatment regimens. The outcome of 41 cases that were presented to the Department of Equine Sciences in the period 1995-2001 and that were treated according to different regimens was retrospectively evaluated. All horses showed lameness that could be attributed to the keratoma: 23 (56%) were treated surgically using a standardized procedure, while the other 18 (44%) were treated conservatively. Results were based upon 35 horses; 6 were lost to foll...
Ihler CF, Venger JL, Skjerve E.The present prospective study included 106 horses referred to the Department of Large Animal Sciences, The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, as non-responders to the initial colic treatment in general practise. In 14 of these cases a required surgical treatment was not performed due to economical or other reasons and were excluded from the study. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained at the arrival in the hospital. The outcome for all analyses was survival/ non-survival. A multivariable logistic regression was performed. The analyses were used in medically (46 horses) and surgically...
Traub-Dargatz JL, Dargatz DA, Morley PS, Dunowska M.Infection control entails preventing or minimizing exposure to infectious agents or optimizing resistance to infection at the individual and population levels should exposure occur. The degree to which each of these strategies is applied varies according to the attributes of the disease agent and the population at risk. In developing an infection control, biosecurity, or biocontainment plan, it is important to decide which agent or agents are to be controlled, the method by which they might be introduced to the individual or population, and methods by which they might spread once at a farm or ...
Morley PS.Surveillance for nosocomial infection and disease is a critical component in an integrated and highly effective infection control program. Surveillance activities provide a sensory role to guide ongoing control practices so that they are focused and efficient. Without input from surveillance results, infection control practices are likely to be guided more by emotion and opinion than by data and evidence. This article discusses issues to be considered when developing effective nosocomial infection surveillance programs as well as the historical perspective of surveillance efforts for nosocomia...
Smith BP.The science of control of infectious diseases in hospitals was born in 1847 when Semmelweis, a physician, ordered his medical students to scrub their hands in chlorinated lime water between patients and demonstrated that this simple procedure resulted ina dramatic decline in patient morbidity and mortality. In the late nineteenth century came huge breakthroughs in the understanding that microorganisms cause many disorders, and methods to eliminate and control these microorganisms were attempted. By 1910, sterile instruments, gowns, masks, and gloves had become standard for surgical procedures ...
Båverud V.C difficile has emerged as an important cause of diarrheic disease in horses. C difficile diarrhea is usually diagnosed in mature horses, mostly when they are treated with antimicrobials and hospitalized. It is important for clinicians at veterinary hospitals to have knowledge about the organism and the infection. To prevent C difficile diarrhea, judicious use of antimicrobials is important, as is minimizing different stress factors at the animal hospital or clinic. Infected horses must be isolated. Routine examination for C difficile and toxin A or B is recommended in horses with antibiotic-a...
Weese JS.Because nosocomial and zoonotic diseases are inherent and ever-present risks in veterinary hospitals, proactive policies should be in place to reduce the risk of sporadic cases and outbreaks. Policies should ideally be put in place before disease issues arise, and policies should be effectively conveyed to all relevant personnel. Written policies are required for practical and liability reasons and should be reviewed regularly. Although no infection control program can eliminate disease concerns, proper implementation of barrier precautions and isolation can reduce the exposure of hospitalized...
Dargatz DA, Traub-Dargatz JL.Nosocomial infections are a serious threat to optimum patient care. In addition, nosocomial infections can have far-reaching consequences for the hospital personnel and the financial aspects of the hospital. Nosocomial infections with Salmonella spp have been described among hospitalized equine populations more frequently than any other agent. Salmonella spp associated with hospitalized equids often possess more antimicrobial resistance determinants than do Salmonella spp isolated from healthy horses in the general population. There is little evidence to suggest that resistant salmonellae are ...
Cohen ND, Lester GD, Sanchez LC, Merritt AM, Roussel AJ.To determine factors associated with development of postoperative ileus (POI) in horses undergoing surgery for colic. Methods: Prospective case-control study. Methods: 251 horses undergoing colic surgery, of which 47 developed POI. Methods: Signalment, history, clinicopathologic data, pre- and postoperative treatments, lesions, complications, costs, and outcome were recorded for all horses during hospitalization. Results: Variables associated with increased odds of POI included small intestinal lesion, high PCV, and increased duration of anesthesia. There was modest evidence that pelvic flexur...
Bucki EP, Giguère S, Macpherson M, Davis R.The objectives of this study were to investigate the pharmacokinetics of once-daily amikacin in healthy neonates, to determine amikacin concentrations in hospitalized foals, and to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of amikacin against gram-negative isolates from blood cultures in septic foals. Median half-life, clearance, and volume of distribution of amikacin in healthy 2- to 3-day-old foals after administration of an intravenous bolus of amikacin (25 mg/kg) were 5.07 hours (4.86-5.45 hours), 1.82 mL/min/kg (1.35-1.97 mL/min/kg), and 0.785 L/kg (0.638-0.862 L/kg), respect...
Ryu SH, Kim BS, Lee CW, Yoon J, Lee YL.A 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly was referred to the Equine Hospital, Korea Racing Association for evaluation of hematuria, inappetite, weight loss and depression. From 25 days prior to admission, the horse was treated for right carpal lameness with 20 mg intramuscular administration of triamcinolone acetonide per day for consecutive 10 days by a local veterinarian. Clinical and laboratory findings included vaginal hyperemia, flare in bladder wall, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, polyuria, polydipsia and laminitis in the end. High activities of aspartate transaminase and gamma glutamyltransferase an...
Ernst NS, Hernandez JA, MacKay RJ, Brown MP, Gaskin JM, Nguyen AD, Giguere S, Colahan PT, Troedsson MR, Haines GR, Addison IR, Miller BJ.To estimate prevalence of and identify risk factors for fecal Salmonella shedding among hospitalized horses with signs of gastrointestinal tract disease. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 465 hospitalized horses with gastrointestinal tract disease. Methods: Horses were classified as positive or negative for fecal Salmonella shedding during hospitalization by means of standard aerobic bacteriologic methods. The relationship between investigated exposure factors and fecal Salmonella shedding was examined by means of logistic regression. Results: The overall prevalence of fecal Salmonella ...
Sellon DC, Roberts MC, Blikslager AT, Ulibarri C, Papich MG.A randomized, controlled, blinded clinical trial was performed to determine whether butorphanol administered by continuous rate infusion (CRI) for 24 hours after abdominal surgery would decrease pain and surgical stress responses and improve recovery in horses. Thirty-one horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy for abdominal pain were randomly assigned to receive butorphanol CRI (13 microg/kg/h for 24 hours after surgery; treatment) or isotonic saline (control). All horses received flunixin meglumine (1.1 mg/kg IV q12h). There were no significant differences between treatment and control horse...
Weese JS, DaCosta T, Button L, Goth K, Ethier M, Boehnke K.After recognition of a cluster of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in horses and humans at the Ontario Veterinary College Veterinary Teaching Hospital, environmental contamination with MRSA was evaluated. A total of 260 environmental surfaces were sampled during periods when MRSA-infected horses were hospitalized, and MRSA was isolated from 25/260 sites (9.6%). The most commonly contaminated sites were stalls housing MRSA-positive horses, but other stalls, medical equipment, personal items, and equine restraint devices also were contaminated. The role of the environ...
Giguère S, Jacks S, Roberts GD, Hernandez J, Long MT, Ellis C.The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the efficacy of azithromycin-rifampin, clarithromycin-rifampin, and erythromycin-rifampin for the treatment of pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi in foals. Eighty-one foals with naturally acquired pneumonia caused by R. equi were included in the study. Information on age, sex, breed, physical examination findings, laboratory testing, and thoracic radiography was abstracted from each medical record. Foals were divided in 3 groups based on the antimicrobial agent selected for therapy. Short-term (discharge from the hospital) and long-ter...
Corley KT, Corley MM.Many Thoroughbred foals are intended to be sold at public auction. The impact of disease conditions necessitating hospital treatment as a foal on future sales performance is unknown. Objective: To determine whether Thoroughbred horses that were treated in a hospital before age 125 days and presented to public auction sell for a different mean price than controls. Methods: Foals aged < 125 days, treated at a hospital in Ireland in 2007 or 2008 and presented for sale to a public auction recorded on a publicly accessible database were selected for inclusion in the study. The sales outcome of thes...
Huskamp B, Scheidemann W.Ninety-six horses with chronic recurrent caecal impaction associated with hypertrophy of muscle layers in the caecal base or in the whole caecum were examined from 1990 to 1996. Enlargement of the caecocolic orifice was completed surgically in 58 horses. Of those horses having surgery, 50 were discharged from the hospital while 8 were subjected to euthanasia at the hospital due to complications. Twenty-seven of the 50 horses discharged were normal at follow-up while 23 died or were subjected to euthanasia due to acute or recurrent colic, recurrent impaction in the ascending or descending colon...
Jenei TM, García-López JM, Provost PJ, Kirker-Head CA.To determine prevalence, clinical findings, and long-term survival rate after surgery associated with incarceration of the small intestine through the gastrosplenic ligament (ISIGL) in horses. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 14 horses with ISIGL. Methods: Medical records of horses with ISIGL examined between January 1994 and December 2006 were reviewed. Signalment, initial physical examination findings, results of abdominal fluid analysis, and clinical laboratory values were recorded, along with surgical findings, including segment of incarcerated intestine and surgical procedures...
Vatistas NJ, Wright IM, Dyson SJ.Forty-eight horses with osteochondritic lesions of the femoropatellar joint were treated, 23 of them by an arthrotomy and 25 by arthroscopy. Follow-up information was obtained from either the owner or the referring veterinarian by telephone inquiry. There were no statistical differences between the groups of horses undergoing the two procedures with regard to age, sex, breed, the involvement of one or both limbs, the size of the lesion, and the duration of either the surgery or anaesthesia. However, the horses treated by an arthrotomy spent 14.5 days in hospital after the operation whereas tho...
Welschen SE, de Bruijn CM, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.The short- and long-term results of admission to the 'Neonatal Intensive Care Unit' (ICU) at the Department of Equine Sciences of the Utrecht University were evaluated. The patients were categorized, based on specific criteria, into different groups: 'Sepsis', 'Pneumonia', 'Enteritis', 'Asphyxia', 'Premature', 'Isoerythrolysis', and 'Equine herpes virus (EHV)'. The survival rate and mean duration of hospitalization were determined for each group. The venous blood variables at admission were compared for 'surviving' and 'non-surviving' foals within groups, between groups, and for the overall gr...
Stanbouly D, Besmer AV, Chuang SK.The purpose of our study is to assess the severity of craniomaxillofacial injuries from horseback-riding accidents. Methods: This is a 20-year retrospective cross-sectional study of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Injuries from the activity of horseback-riding were included if they occurred in the craniomaxillofacial complex. Study predictors were derived from both patient and injury characteristics. The study outcome was the presence or absence (probability) of hospital admission from the emergency department. A multiple logistic regression model was created to model the o...
Mc Nally TP, Slone DE, Hughes FE, Lynch TM.To describe a tenosynoviotomy technique for treatment of sepsis of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) in horses and report long-term outcome. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n = 9). Methods: Horses were positioned in lateral recumbency with the affected limb uppermost. A linear incision was made just lateral to the mesotenon beginning 5 cm proximal to the apices of the proximal sesamoid bones, extending 2 cm distal to the bifurcation of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT). The incision was continued through the skin, subcutaneous tissue, palmar/plantar annular ligament, an...
Cohen ND, Honnas CM.To determine the incidence of the risk factors for developing diarrhea in horses after celiotomy for colic. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: 357 adult horses that had celiotomy for colic at the teaching hospital between Jan 1, 1990 and Sep 1, 1994. Methods: Medical records of horses that had celiotomy for colic were reviewed to abstract information regarding development of diarrhea, signalment, history, and treatment. Results: In horses that had celiotomy for colic, the incidence of diarrhea was 53.2% (190/357). Using multiple logistic regression, horses with a disorder of the lar...
van Galen G, Saegerman C, Rijckaert J, Amory H, Armengou L, Bezdekova B, Durie I, Findshøj Delany R, Fouché N, Haley L, Hewetson M, van den Hoven R....To describe clinical data of hospitalized adult equids and foals with tetanus. Methods: Multicenter retrospective study (2000-2014). Methods: Twenty Western, Northern, and Central European university teaching hospitals and private referral centers. Methods: One hundred fifty-five adult equids (>6 months) and 21 foals (<6 months) with tetanus. Methods: None. Results: Information on geographic, annual and seasonal data, demographic- and management-related data, clinical history, clinical examination and blood analysis on admission, complications, treatments, and outcomes were described and stati...
van der Kolk JH, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Gruys E.A six-year-old pregnant Haflinger mare of 510 kilograms died from bilateral pleurisy following a hospitalisation period of ten days, during which she was treated with various antibiotics. At necropsy a bilateral fibrinopurulent pleurisy accompanied by an ulceration of the cardia of the stomach measuring once cm2 was found. In the wall of the oesophagus, close to the cardia, there was a fistula harbouring a 3rd stage Gasterophilus larva. The epithelial layer at this site was unimpaired and no gross connection between the fistula and the ulceration of the cardia was observed. The fistula was in ...
Migliorisi A, Barger A, Austin S, Foreman JH, Wilkins P.Hyponatremia is common in horses with bacterial pleuropneumonia, but no further characterization of this abnormality has been reported. Objective: Describe admission plasma sodium concentration ([Na]) in horses with septic pneumopathy and evaluate any association of plasma [Na] with markers of systemic inflammation. Methods: Medical records of horses >1 month of age that between 2008 and 2021 had a transtracheal aspirate (TTA) performed, abnormal TTA cytology, positive TTA culture, pulmonary disease on ultrasonography, radiography or both, and plasma [Na] assessed by direct ion-selective-e...
Weimann CD, Thoefner MB, Jensen AL.In a case-control study in colic horses the ability of spectrophotometric measurement of the haemoglobin concentration in the peritoneal fluid supernatant and visual assessment of the colour of peritoneal fluid supernatant to differentiate between surgical and medical treatment of colic was assessed. Based on previous studies, which have found anda association between peritoneal fluid colour and the kind of treatment required, our hypothesis was that the peritoneal fluid haemoglobin concentration would be higher in horses requiring surgical intervention than in horses amenable to medical treat...
Díaz OM, Durando MM, Birks EK, Reef VB.To determine prevalence of myocardial injury in horses with colic on the basis of high concentrations of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), frequency of cardiac arrhythmias within the first 24 to 48 hours after hospital admission or surgery because of colic, and associations between high cTnI concentrations and cardiac arrhythmias, clinical course, and outcome (survival to discharge from hospital vs nonsurvival [death or euthanasia]). Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: 111 horses with colic. Methods: Blood was drawn at admission and 12 and 24 hours after admission if horses were treate...
Goetz TE, Coffman JR.Ulcerative colitis, protein losing enteropathy and intestinal histoplasmosis-salmonellosis were diagnosed in a six-year-old Quarterhorse stallion. For six months before examination, the horse experienced a slow continual loss of weight. During the 17 day period of hospitalisation the horse developed progressive generalised oedema. On the 12th day of hospitalisation a severe profuse watery diarrhoea began; the horse was killed five days later.
Wong DM, Alcott CJ, Clark SK, Jones DE, Fisher PG, Sponseller BA.A 3-day-old Thoroughbred colt was originally presented for treatment of neonatal isoerythrolysis, which was treated with a blood transfusion. However, persistent neutropenia was observed despite the absence of detectable infection. Subsequently, a granulocyte agglutination test was performed by incubating the colt's neutrophils with the mare's serum; results were positive, leading to a clinical diagnosis of alloimmune neonatal neutropenia. The diagnosis was further supported via flow cytometric analysis. The colt was hospitalized and treated prophylactically with antimicrobials and 4 separate ...
Hann MJ, Mair TS, Gardner A, Mudge M, Southwood LL, Dechant JE, Barton MH, Garcia-Macias J, Parker RA, Hassel D, Archer DC.Incisional complications are a common cause of morbidity following laparotomy. Although uncommon, acute abdominal dehiscence (AAD) is a potentially fatal post-operative complication. However, few AAD cases are described in the literature. Objective: To describe common features of cases of AAD following ventral midline laparotomy, management and outcomes. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Hospital records of horses that underwent a ventral midline laparotomy at nine hospitals in the UK, Ireland and USA over a 10-year period (2009-2019) were reviewed. Data were collected for pre-, int...
Buechner-Maxwell V, Scott MA, Godber L, Kristensen A.Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is recognized as a spontaneous disease of human infants, piglets, and possibly mules, but it has not been previously reported in horses. A 1-day-old Quarter Horse foal presented to Michigan State University Large Animal Clinic with severe thrombocytopenia of unknown origin. Immunoglobulins that bound to the foal's platelets were identified in the mare's plasma, serum, and milk by indirect assays. The immunoglobulins were further shown to recognize platelets from the foal's full brother, born 1 year earlier. These findings, coupled with the clinical course o...
Pusterla N, Naranatt P, Swadia H, Winfield L, Hartwig A, Barnum S, Mendonsa E.The introduction of microfluidic card technology has opened the field for rapid point-of-care (POC) molecular assays, including fecal and environmental Salmonella spp. testing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a novel POC PCR assay for the detection of Salmonella spp. in feces and environmental samples. A total of 143 fecal samples and 132 environmental samples were collected for POC PCR Salmonella spp. testing as well as qPCR testing. Each sample was inoculated into selenite broth and incubated for 18 to 24 hours. For the POC PCR assay, 14 μl of selenite broth were mixed with 126 μ...
Magdesian KG, Barnum S, Pusterla N. and cause significant morbidity and mortality in foals. Antemortem diagnosis of infection has been complicated by a paucity of tests available for toxin detection. Fecal PCR panels have assays for a variety of toxin gene sequences as well as for several other foal gastrointestinal pathogens. We evaluated results of a comprehensive fecal diarrhea PCR panel in 28 foals that had been presented to a referral hospital because of diarrhea. Sixteen (57%) foals were positive for and/or toxin gene sequences on fecal PCR, including 3 foals positive for NetF toxin. These foals were younger ( = ...
Orsini JA, Nunamaker DN.A 4-year-old Standardbred stallion sustained a severely comminuted fracture involving the second, third, and fourth metacarpal bones. The fracture was repaired using two 14-hole broad dynamic compression plates positioned at 90 degrees to one another, allowing one plate to protect the other in the bending mode. An autologous cancellous bone graft obtained from the tuber coxae was added at the site of the defect in the mid- to upper third of the third metacarpal bone. Complications associated with the fixation included a Staphylococcus aureus infection 5 months after surgery, laminitis that dev...
Bell RJ, Textor JA.To establish the prevalence of intussusceptions involving the caecum in a population of horses admitted to a university hospital for colic. Methods: Retrospective clinical study Methods: Medical records of all horses admitted to the Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 1991 and 2004 were examined for information of those horses diagnosed with an intussusception involving the caecum. Results: A total of 135 horses were admitted for colic surgery during the study period and 61 horses had a diagnosis of ileocaecal (37), caecocaecal (5) or caecocolic intussusception (19) made eit...
LeRoy B, Woolums A, Wass J, Davis E, Gold J, Foreman JH, Lohmann K, Adams J.Hypercalcemia is common in horses with renal failure, but it is not known whether it impacts prognosis. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether hypercalcemia was associated with decreased likelihood of survival to discharge in horses with renal failure. Secondary objectives were to determine whether hypercalcemia was more common in acute (ARF) or chronic renal failure (CRF), whether feeding alfalfa was associated with hypercalcemia, and whether serum creatinine concentration was associated with survival. Methods: Medical records of 63 horses presented to referra...
Alcott CJ, Wong DM.To describe the diagnostic procedures, therapeutic management and successful outcome of a case of anaphylaxis induced by the inadvertent intravenous (IV) administration of mare's milk to a neonatal foal. Methods: A 3-day-old Thoroughbred colt was presented for treatment of bilateral flexural limb deformities of the forelimbs. Because the foal was unable to ambulate initially, mare's milk was administered via nasoesophageal tube feedings during treatment of the musculoskeletal disorder. Anaphylaxis resulted after unintentional administration of a bolus of 150mL of mare's milk through a jugular ...
Mycotoxin contaminated feed has been associated with colic of horses caused by intestinal disorders. Whether such disease conditions alter the intestinal toxin metabolism and transfer across a compromised mucosal barrier is unknown. A screening approach was used to relate blood residue levels of DON, ZEN and their metabolites to the status of the horses (sick vs. healthy). A total of 55 clinically healthy horses from 6 different farms with varying feeding background served as control for sick horses (N = 102) hospitalized due to colic. ZEN, alpha-zearalenol (ZEL), beta-ZEL and DON were detecta...
Coleman MC, Slovis NM, Hunt RJ.It has been suggested that the success of gastric bypass surgery in foals for the treatment of gastric outflow obstruction is poor. However, few reports exist evaluating the long-term prognosis of these cases. Objective: To determine the long-term success of foals, including racing records, surgically treated for gastric outflow obstruction secondary to gastroduodenal ulceration. Methods: Medical records of foals undergoing surgical treatment of gastric outflow obstruction secondary to gastroduodenal ulceration were evaluated for clinical information. Owners, trainers and race records were eva...
Borchers A, Magdesian KG, Schenck PA, Kass PH.Vasopressin dysregulation occurs in critically ill human patients and in neonatal foals. Limited data about serial plasma vasopressin dynamics exist in sick neonatal foals. Objective: To evaluate serial plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations in sick neonatal foals. Methods: Prospective, longitudinal clinical study. Methods: Plasma samples were collected from 7 healthy and 26 sick foals before and after initial fluid resuscitation and 12, 24, 36, 48 and 96 h after presentation. Foals with a modified sepsis score ≥ 11 were considered septic. Results: Admission AVP was increased in se...
Megid Gomaa NA, Köller G, Fritz Schusser G.To measure serum alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity in horses with acute intestinal obstruction and to determine the diagnostic and prognostic utility of this analyte. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: University Veterinary Hospital. Methods: Thirty healthy horses (control group) and 77 horses with acute intestinal obstruction, including 36 horses with nonstrangulating obstruction (23 with left ventral colon impaction and 13 with left dorsal displacement [G1], 22 with small intestinal strangulation [G2], and 19 with colon torsion [G3]). Methods: Serum ADH activity was assaye...
Lopes MAF, Hardy J, Farnsworth K, Labens R, Lam WYE, Noschka E, Afonso T, Cruz Villagrán C, Santos LCP, Saulez M, Kelmer G.Standing flank laparotomy can be an alternative to ventral midline laparotomy in horses with colic. Standing flank laparotomy avoids general anaesthesia, provides excellent access to some regions of the abdominopelvic cavity and costs less than ventral midline laparotomy. Objective: To report a series of cases of peritoneal and intestinal diseases other than SC diseases managed with standing flank laparotomy. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Records from equids with colic subjected to standing flank laparotomy at five hospitals (2003-2020) were reviewed. Descriptive data analysis w...
Racine J, O'Brien T, Bladon BM, Cruz AM, Stoffel MH, Haenssgen K, Rodgerson DH, Livesey MA, Koch C.To investigate the feasibility and complications associated with ceratohyoidectomy (CHE) in standing sedated horses unaffected (experimental horses) and standing sedated horses affected (clinical cases) with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy (THO). Methods: Case series. Methods: Six experimental horses and four clinical cases. Methods: Standing CHE was performed in six experimental horses euthanized 30 minutes (n = 3) and 7 days (n = 3) postoperatively. The four clinical cases were presented because of central facial nerve paralysis (n = 3), vestibular ataxia (n = 3), auricular hemorrhage (n =...
Hughes KJ, Dowling BA, Matthews SA, Dart AJ.To report on the outcome of surgical treatment of acute abdominal crises in miniature breed horses. Methods: Retrospective case series of miniature horses presented to the University Veterinary Centre, Camden with an acute abdominal crisis. Methods: Hospital records of all miniature horses that underwent ventral midline laparotomy for acute abdominal crisis between 1997 and 2001 were reviewed. The signalment, history, clinical signs, results of ancillary diagnostic procedures, location and type of intestinal lesion, treatment and outcome were retrieved from each case record. Long-term survival...
