Necropsy, also known as an autopsy, is a systematic examination of a horse's body after death to determine the cause of death and evaluate any disease or injury. This procedure involves a thorough assessment of the horse's organs and tissues, often including histopathological analysis to identify abnormalities at the microscopic level. Necropsy can provide valuable insights into equine health issues, contributing to a better understanding of disease processes, management practices, and potential preventive measures. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, findings, and implications of necropsy in equine veterinary science.
Smith HJ.From 1967--1978 observations were made on the presence of the small equine pinworm, Probstmayria vivipara, in seven experimental ponies. The life cycle of this nematode is unusual in that it is endogenous with development of all stages occurring within the host's digestive tract. Initially, worms were found in the feces of four of seven ponies following treatment with thiabendazole but the infection was later transmitted to all ponies possibly via coprophagy. Still later, based on fecal and postmortem examinations, four of the seven ponies lost their pinworm burdens. At necropsy, the principal...
Owen R, Fullerton JN, Tizard IR, Lumsden JH, Barnum DA.Clinical, bacteriological, serological and haematological observations were made on 13 adult ponies orally inoculated with Salmonella typhimurium. The results were compared to two control ponies and four others infected by accidental transmission. The clinical responses in inoculated ponies included pyrexia lasting four days and neutropaenia during the first five days after inoculation followed by a neutrophilia. Pyrexia and neutropaenia was associated with maximal shedding of organisms in the rectal faeces. Changes in the character of the faeces occurred between one and two days after inocula...
Buntain B, Greig WA, Thompson H.The clinical and pathological features of a case of chronic nephritis in a 17-year-old pony was described. Measurement of fluid intake and laboratory analysis of sequential blood and urine samples helped in establishing an accurate diagnosis. The case demonstrates that although chronic renal disease is not well documented in the horse it should nevertheless be considered in the differential diagnosis of conditions characterised by progressive loss of weight.
Reynolds BL, Stedham MA, Lawrence JM, Heltsley JR.A space-occupying intracranial mass was diagnosed in a horse. The clinical findings included blindness, circling to the right, apprehension, anorexia, weight loss, and leaning against the stall. On ophthalmoscopic examination, the most striking observation was complete bilateral devascularization of the retinas. The horse was euthanatized and necropsied. Necroscopy revealed the mass to occupy the olfactory and frontal areas of the left hemisphere of the brain and part of the left frontal sinus. Microscopically, the mass was an adenocarcinoma and probably arose from the lining epithelium of the...
van der Molen EJ.The causes of neonatal mortality in foals were studied over a period of two years. The total number of foals studied was 121. Bacterial infection was found to be an important factor. Infection caused by A. equuli (1.6%) which previously was the most important one, has been superseded by E. coli infection (56%). E. coli infections particularly occur during the first weeks of life and, depending on the course of the disease, give rise to various pathological changes. Infections running an acute course are mainly marked by pathological changes of the lung and lymphoid organs. Infections running a...
Webb AI, Weaver BM.Seventeen horses were dissected and their organs and tissues weighed. The results of these dissections are presented together with comparisons of the data with that already available in the literature. Predictive equations for organs and tissue weights are also given which were derived by comparison of linear and allometric regression models using 4 different body weight indices.
Brobst DF, Lee HA, Spencer GR.An 11-year-old mare with polyuria, polydipsia, and azotemia was found to be hypercalcemic and hypophosphatemic. The concentration of calcium in a single collection of urine was within normal limits, although urinary inorganic phosphate concentration was lower than normal. After a brief period of supportive treatment, the mare died. At necropsy, the kidneys were found to be shrunken and fibrous. Histologically, the lesions were those of glomerulonephritis.
McCraw BM, Slocombe JO.Pony foals inoculated with infective Strongylus edentatus larvae were examined at necropsy from ten to 72 weeks postinfection. At ten weeks postinfection larvae were visible retroperitoneally in the liver and flanks and were recovered from the ligaments of the liver. The fourth molt was detected at 16 weeks postinfection and larvae were also recovered from the wall of the cecum at this time. By 40 weeks adult S. edentatus containing eggs were found in the contents of the cecum and colon. While many larvae migrate to remote parts of the body, it is likely that only those that attain the base of...
Murphy JR, Breeze RG, McPherson EA.Bronchial myxoma occurred in an aged Arab mare with longstanding respiratory disease wrongly attributed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Blood gas and maximum intrathoracic pressure change measurements were not consistent with this latter diagnosis, and this was supported by aerosol antigen provocation tests. Radiography demonstrated a hilar mass in the thorax, and this proved to be a myxoma at necropsy.
Srihakim S, Swerczek TW.Parasite-free pony foals (n = 10) were infected orally with 1000,000 Parascaris equorum embryonated eggs. One pony foal each was euthanatized on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 16, 23, 27, 42, or 80 after infection. Foals infected for more than 7 days showed signs of coughing, anorexia, rough coat, and weight loss. Cellular changes in the blood were mild anemia, marked eosinophilia, and leukopenia. Gross postmortem lesions included hemorrhage, edema, and white-to-yellow necrotic foci (0.5 to 1.00 mm) in lungs, liver, and bronchial and hepatic lymph nodes. Microscopically, the liver was hemorrhagic and ha...
Schoeb TR, Panciera RJ.Case records of 21 horses with acute illness following ingestion of hay containing dead striped blister beetles (Epicauta spp) were selected for review. Abdominal pain, fever, depression, frequent urination, shock, and, occasionally, synchronous diaphragmatic flutter characterized clinical illness. Hematologic findings included hemoconcentration, neutrophilic leukocytosis, and hypocalcemia. Hematuria and low urine specific gravity were abnormal urinalysis results. Sloughing of the epithelium of the esophageal part of the stomach, hemorrhagic and ulcerative cystitis, enterocolitis, and myocardi...
Meuten DJ, Price SM, Seiler RM, Krook L.Pseudohyperparathyroidism was diagnosed in a mature stallion presented for anorexia, weight loss, pollakiuria and constipation. Laboratory findings included hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia, anemia and isosthenuria. Thoracocentesis indicated an exfoliating squamous cell carcinoma. At necropsy, a squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach with metastases to the abdominal and thoracic cavities was diagnosed. No osseous metastases were found. No gross or microscopic renal lesions were noted. Bone tissue showed arrested resorption, and the parathyroid gland was atrophic.
Dixon RJ, Hartley WJ, Hutchins DR, Lepherd EE, Feilen C, Jones RF, Love DN, Sabine M, Wells AL.An outbreak of perinatal foal mortality associated with a herpesvirus is described. Twenty two foals either were still-born, or died soon after birth, or were weak and soon developed severe respiratory signs, or were normal at birth and developed respiratory symptoms 18 to 24 hours later. Elevated temperatures, heart and respiratory rates were constant features. The animals were severely leucopaenic, and showed an absolute neutropaenia. At autopsy the lungs were enlarged, and showed varying degrees of aeration and moderate to severe oedema and congestion. Histopathology showed an acute focal n...
Rawlinson RJ, Jones RT.The history and clinical findings of 1 horses with guttural pouch mycosis referred to us are described. The salient features of the history and clinical signs common to both cases were profuse spontaneous nasal haemorrhage, partial pharyngeal paralysis; subsequently bilateral nasal discharge containing food material, inability to drink and parotid pain became evident. One case made a gradual recovery with conservative medical treatment while the second case was destroyed and submitted for post-mortem, histopathological and microbiological examination. This examination failed to establish the i...
Clark EG, Turner AS, Boysen BG, Rouse BT.A 1-month-old Arabian foal with signs of central nervous system disease was found to have combined (B- and T-lymphocyte) immunodeficiency. The foal died in spite of intensive antibiotic therapy. At necropsy, generalized lymphoid hypoplasia and acute necrotizing and granulomatous inflammation of the brain, heart, and adrenal glands were found. In addition, there were spinal meningitis and focal hepatic necrosis. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated on primary culture from the brain.
Scott EA, Chaffee A, Eyster GE, Kneller SK.Two foals with a history of normalcy at birth developed a lack of exercise tolerance and weakness in the first few days of life. Weakness, inability to rise, and reluctance to suckle were common complaints. Physical examination of both foals revealed a cardiovascular abnormality, with a loud systolic murmur audible over both thoracic walls. Additional diagnostic techniques were blood gas analysis, radiography, cardiovascular catheterization, and necropsy. Necropsy findings were ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and congenital absence of the aortic arch....
Dickie CW, Regnier JO.Myositis and septicemia caused by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus were diagnosed in a mare. The infection was characterized clinically by ventral swelling and edema, diarrhea, listlessness, and rectal temperature of 39.4 C. The mare was treated symptomatically for 2 days but died on the 3rd day. Conditions seen at necropsy were myositis, enteritis, typhlitis, colitis, and hepatitis. Lymph nodes were moderately enlarged throughout the body. Gross lesions in musculature were edema, scarring, petechiae, and an occasional exxhymosis. The enteritis was catarrhal, with excessive mucus and moderate hyper...
Rumbaugh GE.Physical, neurologic, and clinicopathologic findings in a 3-year-old female Morgan horse with anorexia and nasal discharge suggested suppurative meningitis. Necropsy findings substantiated the tentative diagnosis. Actinomyces sp was cultured from a meningeal abscess surrounding the pituitary gland and from resolving lung abscesses.
Owen RR, Moore JN, Hopkins JB, Arthur D.Five horses with histories of colic developed signs of myocardial failure and skeletal muscle disease. Necropsy revealed pale areas in the cervical, pectoral, pelvic, and cardiac musculature; histologically, the lesions were indicative of dystrophic myodegeneration. Serum vitamin E concentrations were normal in 2 of the horses but serum selenium concentrations were normal in 2 of the horses, but serum selenium concentrations were low when compared with values obtained from clinically normal horses.
Traver DS, Moore JN, Thornburg LP, Johnson JH, Coffman JR.An aged gray stallion was examined because of fullminating posterior paresis, bladder paralysis, and perineal anesthesia. Lower motor neuron dysfunction was detected at the lumbosacral level of the spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid was yellow. After brief supportive treatment, the horse died. Necropsy revealed a single epidural melanoma at L5-6. The absence of cutaneous melanotic growth, absence of organ involvement, and extensive vertebral remodeling indicated the neoplasm to have been primary and to have been present for an extended period. Neurologic dysfunction was acute and progressive...
Hadlow WJ, Ward JK, Krinsky WL.Acute neurologic disease associated with intracranial migration of a first instar larva of a warble fly, Hypoderma bovis (Linnaeus), was observed in a 14-year-old Quarter Horse gelding in western Montana. The disease was characterized by incoordination of gait, circling to the left, head tilt to the right, partial paralysis of the right side of the face, and impaired vision in the right eye. Two and one-half hours after it was first noticed sick, the horse collapsed and was euthanized. Massive hemorrhage unaccompanied by necrosis or significant cellular response was present in the right side o...
Harrington DD.Acute accidental vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) toxicosis was diagnosed in a 6-month-old foal with extensive lesions of soft tissue mineralization. In an experimental study, three 18-month-old horses were given ergocalciferol per os at a rate of 9,300, 22,200, or 47,200 IU/kg of body weight/day for 21 days. Clinical signs or lesions were not seen in horses given the low and intermediate doses, whereas the horse receiving the highest dose developed clinical signs and lesions similar to those noted in the foal. Signs included depression, loss of appetite, weakness, limb stiffness with impaired mobi...
Shibahara T, Kuwano A, Ueno T, Anzai T, Kuwamoto Y, Sato H, Maeda T, Ishikawa Y, Kadota K.A 21-month-old Thoroughbred colt showed continuous diarrhea and developmental retardation for 7 months, and was thereafter subjected to euthanasia for necropsy and laboratory examinations. At necropsy, the cecal and colonic mucosae were diffusely rough and hyperemic. Histopathologically, the mucosa and submucosa were edematous and were infiltrated by numerous lymphocytes and macrophages. Meanwhile, three morphological types of Brachyspira antigen-containing spirochetes were found to be numerous in the crypts and in the mucus layer over the epithelium in the cecal and colonic lesions. They were...
Powell RJ, du Toit N, Burden FA, Dixon PM.There is limited information on the gross tracheal morphology of donkeys with or without tracheal abnormalities. Objective: To: 1) examine the morphology of tracheas of donkeys with and without clinical and/or post mortem evidence of tracheal obstruction; 2) record the cross-sectional dimensions and shapes of tracheal rings at fixed sites; and 3) document prevalence, sites and characteristics of detected tracheal abnormalities. Methods: The tracheas of 75, predominantly aged (median age 30 years, range 7-48 years) donkeys that died or were subjected to euthanasia on humane grounds were examine...
Hawkins JF, Andrews-Jones L.To develop a technique for neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser ventriculocordectomy in standing horses and document healing in horses undergoing laser ventriculocordectomy. Methods: 6 horses between 2 and 32 years old. Methods: Under endoscopic guidance, the left laryngeal ventricle was everted with grasping forceps and excised with an Nd:YAG laser, using 60 watts of power in a noncontact fashion (6,403 to 9,197 Joules). Following removal of the ventricle, the vocal cord was photoablated. Horses were examined endoscopically 2, 7, 14, 21, 30, and 47 days after ventriculocordectomy,...
Hermeyer K, Seehusen F, Gehlen H, Peters M, Wohlsein P.Cutaneous malignant lymphomas are rare in horses and comprise predominantly T-cell-rich B-cell lymphomas. They are characterized by multiple tumour nodules affecting predominantly female horses with a survival rate of months to years. At the final stage, metastases to regional lymph nodes occur, whereas widespread organ involvement is rarely reported. In this case report, a cutaneous T-cell-rich B-cell lymphoma in a 7-year-old standardbred gelding with metastases is described. Clinically, multiple cutaneous and subcutaneous nodules, enlarged superficial lymph nodes, rapid weight loss, and vent...
Pintore MD, Cantile C.A full-term male foal born in a farm holidays in Maremma (Tuscany, Italy) was euthanized shortly after birth due to the presence of several malformations. The rostral maxilla and the nasal septum were deviated to the right (wry nose), and a severe cervico-thoracic scoliosis and anus atresia were evident. Necropsy revealed ileum atresia and agenesis of the right kidney. The brain showed an incomplete separation of the hemispheres of the rostral third of the forebrain and the olfactory bulbs and tracts were absent (olfactory aplasia). A diagnosis of semilobar holoprosencephaly (HPE) was achieved...
Browne NS, Scarratt WK, Robertson J.A 10-year-old Andalusian mare was presented for evaluation of weight loss, increasing periods of recumbency, and swelling of the lower limbs. Radiographs revealed severe palisading to solid periosteal new bone formation in numerous locations. Necropsy revealed a metastatic malignant adenocarcinoma of ovarian origin with secondary hypertrophic osteopathy. Une jument d’Andalousie âgée de 10 ans a été présentée pour évaluation à la suite d’une perte de poids, de périodes croissantes de décubitus et d’enflure dans les membres inférieurs. Les radiographies ont révélé des lésio...
Engiles JB, Uzal FA, Navarro MA, Reef VB, Bender SJ.Phlegmonous gastritis was diagnosed in 2 yearling fillies that were presented with a 1-wk history of fever, lethargy, and hypoproteinemia, associated with a previous diagnosis of equine proliferative enteropathy based on clinical signs and PCR assay detection of Lawsonia intracellularis in fecal samples. Abdominal ultrasound revealed enlargement of the stomach and expansion of its submucosal layer with hypoechoic fluid, as well as thickened hypomotile small intestinal segments. Given the poor prognosis and poor response to treatment, both horses were euthanized, one on the day of presentation ...
Klei TR, French DD, Chapman MR, McClure JR, Dennis VA, Taylor HW, Hutchinson GW.The long-term efficacy of an irradiation attenuated larval (L3) vaccine against Strongylus vulgaris was tested in ponies which were reared on pasture. Prior to foaling, mares were divided into two groups. One group of mares and foals received regular (eight weekly) treatment with ivermectin and the second group remained untreated. Half the foals in each pasture group were vaccinated at eight to ten weeks of age. Foals were weaned at three to four months of age and maintained on separate pastures. At eight to ten months of age, ponies were placed in box stalls and half of each treatment group w...
Harvey KA, Morris DD, Saik JE, Donawick WJ.A 13-year-old Thoroughbred mare had a 2-week history of weight loss and intermittent fever. Examination of abdominal and pleural fluid revealed peritonitis and pleuritis. Ultrasonography of the ventral abdominal midline revealed an intra-abdominal mass. Exploratory celiotomy was performed, but the mass was not surgically excisable. The mare was euthanatized and necropsied. Histologically, the mass was determined to be a fibrosarcoma of omental origin.
Peters M, Graf G, Pohlenz J.A 14-year-old standardbred mare with clinically suspected acute bronchitis was killed because of rapidly progressing central nervous disturbances. Necropsy revealed systemic granulomatous inflammation and vasculitis involving the lungs, thoracic lymph nodes, ribs, and liver. In the cerebrum there was a severe subacute bilateral encephalitis and malacia predominately affecting the white matter, and vasculitis with perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes, macrophages, and giant cells. A causative infectious agent could not be detected by Ziehl-Neelsen, Grocott, or Giemsa stains, by periodic aci...
Sato F, Endo Y, Horiuchi N, Tominari M, Murase H, Ishimaru M, Korosue K.Although radiographic findings at the apical portion of the proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) are often observed in young Thoroughbred foals, conflicting findings, either fractures or apparent secondary ossifications centers, have been reported. Three cases (aged 2, 5, and 7 weeks) were identified in 30 necropsied foals (0-31 weeks old). Histopathologically, the subchondral trabecular woven bone was fractured and exhibited focal necrosis of woven bone, fibrin exudate, and/or fibrosis within the foci. In the 7-week-old case, proliferations of chondrocytes were also observed. These findings suggest t...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW.A total of 89 Thoroughbreds, 14 to 333 days old (born in 1982), were examined at necropsy for certain internal parasites during a 1-year-period, Mar 1, 1982, to Feb 28, 1983. The eyes of 73 of the horses and the cranial mesenteric arteries of 71 were examined. Specific interest was on prevalence of parasites according to month of the year and age of the horses at necropsy. Parasites recovered (first month-last month infected horse found) were as follows: Thelazia lacrymalis (eyes) immature and mature (June - February); Habronema/Draschia (lungs) immature (May - September); Habronema muscae (st...
Murray MJ, Ball MM, Parker GA.A 3-month-old foal with a history of persistent fever and leukocytosis was found to have pneumonia, ulceration of the squamous portion of the stomach, and dilatation of the distal portion of the esophagus. The foal was euthanatized and necropsied. The distal portion of the esophagus was severely dilated, and there was severe ulceration and mural thickening of the stomach at the cardia. Because of the severe gastric ulceration and mural thickening, the gastroesophageal junction was fixed in an open position, permitting gastroesophageal reflux. The megaesophagus and pneumonia were considered to ...
Wilson RB, Haffner JC.Right atrioventricular atresia with a ventricular septal defect, a rare congenital cardiac anomaly of either animals or man, was diagnosed in a one week old Arabian foal. The foal had been weak and cyanotic since birth, sometimes becoming dyspneic when stressed. Necropsy revealed a dilated and hypertrophied left ventricle with the right ventricle being small. The right atrioventricular valve was absent. The right and left ventricles communicated via a septal defect which was located immediately adjacent to the aortic valve.
Erkert RS, Crowson CL, Moll HD, Bentz BG, Confer AW, Blaik MA.A 4-year-old Thoroughbred stallion was referred for signs of mild to moderate colic, anorexia, and decreased water intake of 3 weeks' duration. Ultrasonographic examination revealed an intussusception, the most common of which would be a cecal inversion or ileocecal intussusception. Surgical exploration identified an ileocecocolic intussusception with extension of the intussusceptum into the right ventral colon; however, the cause of the intussusception could not be identified. The intussusception could not be surgically corrected, and the horse was euthanatized. A side-to-side jejunocecostomy...
de Blaauw JA, Rijkenhuizen AB, van Nieuwstadt RA, Grinwis GC, Back W.Two grey mares, a 12-year-old Arabian and a 13-year-old Lippizaner cross, were referred for chronic pelvic limb lameness and abduction of the limb during the non supporting phase of the stride. The clinical examination revealed melanomas under the tail and on the perineum, and oedema of the proximal lame limb. A mass in the pelvic area was detected on rectal palpation. Laparoscopy was performed and the provisional diagnosis of malignant melanoma was made. Histological examination of the biopsy taken under laparoscopic control from the mass in the pelvis confirmed the diagnosis of malignant mel...
Baudler A, Lütkefels E, Drommer W, Deegen E, Ohnesorge B.Epiglottic augmentation by transendoscopic injection of an implant material was performed on ten clinically healthy horses. In six cases bovine collagen (Zyplast) was used, in the remaining four horses the injection was done with polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE-Paste). The results of the surgery were observed endoscopically and by contrast radiography. Using the radiographs, epiglottic length and thickness were measured. For necropsy and histologic assessment the horses, three and two animals of the two groups, were euthanized at three and 12 weeks after surgery. The data obtained from the measur...
Peel AJ, Bouts T, Flach E, Rivers S, Routh A.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), also known as Equine Cushing's disease, is most often diagnosed in older horses and ponies. To the authors' knowledge, there have been no reports of its diagnosis in captive nondomestic equids. A 13-yr old onager (Equus hemionus onager) at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo showed clinical signs suggestive of PPID, including hirsutism, fat redistribution, weight loss, laminitis, and chronic infections. A dexamethasone suppression test was performed to confirm PPID. Subsequently, adenomatous hyperplasia and microadenoma of the pars...
Jacobs CC, Stefanovski D, Southwood LL.To determine whether perioperative variables can be used to differentiate a medical vs a surgical reason for postoperative reflux (POR) after small intestinal (SI) surgery in horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses >1 year of age that recovered from SI surgery and had POR. Methods: Medical records of horses that underwent SI surgery and developed POR from 2009-2015 were reviewed. Surgical reasons for POR were defined as an anastomosis complication, mechanical obstruction, or nonviable intestine identified at repeat celiotomy/necropsy. A medical reason for POR was presumed wh...
van der Kolk JH, Klein WR, van der Putten SW, Mol JA.A thirteen-year-old Dutch warmblooded mare was referred to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine because of a sinusitis. She was thin with a potbellied appearance. Her coat was dull with long wavy hair. Unilateral (left) purulent nasal discharge was evident. A cbc revealed leucopenia (3.9 G.L.-1) and plasma biochemical analysis revealed a plasma glucose concentration of 10.1 mmol.L-1. Thermostable alkaline phosphatase (at 65 degrees C during 2 minutes) could not be demonstrated. Basal plasma cortisol concentration was lowered (114 nmol.L-1) and basal plasma ACTH concentration was highly elevated ...
Eysker M, Boersema JH, Kooyman FN, Berghen P.To determine resistance of small strongyles to albendazole, 3 female ponies (group 1) were grazed on a pasture from May to November 1985 and were treated with 7.5 mg of albendazole/kg of body weight, PO, 2 days before turnout in May and again in June and in July. Three other female ponies (group 2) grazed on a similar pasture from May to July, were treated with 7.5 mg of albendazole/kg, and were removed to another pasture until November. In December, ponies from both groups were treated with 7.5 mg of albendazole/kg, and 8 days later, they were euthanatized and necropsied for a critical test. ...
Mayhew IG.A technique for the subarachnoid perfusion-fixation of the central nervous system was developed to help identify various significant vascular accidents (SVAs) in the central nervous system (CNS) of 24 neonatal foals submitted for necropsy. SVAs, comprising subarachnoid, parenchymal and nerve root haemorrhages, and oedema and necrosis, occurred in 17 foals, more frequently in the spinal cord than the brain. They occurred as frequently in premature foals as in those born at full term, in foals born dead as in foals born alive, and in foals born following dystocia with an assisted delivery as in ...
Herbach N, Nagel L, Zwick T, Hermanns W.Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors of glucagon-producing cells are extremely rare in domestic animals. In this report, we describe for the first time, to our knowledge, the incidental finding of multiple glucagon-producing neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas of a horse. The animal was euthanized due to severe local infection after tooth extraction. On postmortem examination, multiple white nodules of up to 4 cm in diameter were observed in the pancreas. Histologically, pancreatic nodules had the appearance of neuroendocrine neoplasms with positive immunoreactivity for glucagon, synaptophysin, ...
Lloyd KC, Stover SM, Pascoe JR, Pool RR.A 2.5-cm long, 0.8 mm in diameter catheter was placed percutaneously into the palmarolateral pouch of the antebrachiocarpal joint in 6 clinically normal horses. The catheter was affixed in place for 72 hours. Cytologic analysis was performed on synovial fluid specimens obtained through the catheter at postcatheterization hours (PCH) 0, 24, and 72. The horses were euthanatized at PCH 72, and macroscopic and microscopic examinations were performed on the dorsal portion of the joint capsule and the palmarolateral pouch of the catheterized and contralateral (noncatheterized) joint. Clinical, synov...
Drudge JH, Lyons ET, Tolliver SC.Four controlled tests (experiments A, B, C, and D) were conducted in naturally infected yearling equids to evaluate activity of ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg IM) against migrating Strongylus vulgaris and S edentatus in mesenteric arteries and ventral abdominal wall, respectively. Data were also obtained on activity against other internal parasites of the gastrointestinal tract and eyeworms. The type and number of equids in the experiments were as follows: experiment A-3 ponies, 2 treated and 1 non-treated; experiment B-4 mixed-bred horses, 2 treated and 2 nontreated; experiment C-5 mixed-bred horses, ...
Hopfer SM, Van Kruiningen HJ, Daniels WH.Twelve horses were divided into three groups and given various doses of a mixed species strongyle inoculum, representing light, moderate, and heavy infections. Three weeks after the larval inoculations, three animals from each group were given larvicidal doses of thiabendazole (TBZ) (440 mg kg-1 on two consecutive days); one animal from each group served as a non-medicated control. Treatment was repeated three weeks later. One treated animal from each group was designated for long-term study; others were necropsied to study adult and larval parasite loads. Six of the twelve animals with strong...
Arighi M, Ducharme NG, Horney FD, Livesey MA.Extensive resection (50-75%) of the large colon was performed in 12 horses. Indications for resection were: loss of viability due to large colon volvulus (seven), thromboembolic episode (three), impairment of flow of ingesta due to adhesions (one), or congenital abnormalities (one). The time required to correct the primary cause of abdominal pain and complete the resection ranged from 2.5 to 4.75 hours. Three horses had severe musculoskeletal problems postoperatively and were euthanized in the recovery stall. Four other horses were euthanized early in the postoperative period because of: furth...
A 25-year-old pony mare was presented to the clinic with preliminarily reported severe acute colic. The pony during the previous week had shown inappetence, apathy and fever of unknown origin. Clinical examination and placement of a gastric tube were indicative of a secondary gastric dilation. Rectal exploration found moderate caecal meteorism with a tensed and painful medial taenia as well as a dilated and fluid-filled small intestine. In addition, a solid, mobile, non-painful structure of approximately 10 cm diameter was palpated ventrally. A hyperechogenic mass close to the caecum was detec...
Hutchens DE, Paul AJ, DiPietro JA, Lock TF, Jones CJ, Rowley DD, Wallace RW.A controlled test was conducted to assess the efficacy bioequivalence of a single dose of 0.5% fenbendazole (FBZ) top dress pellets to a 10% FBZ suspension formulation (Panacur suspension 10%, Hoechst Roussel Vet). Thirty horses with naturally-acquired parasite infections, in replicates of three, were used. Strongyle egg per gram counts were not significantly different (P>0.1) between groups pretreatment, but FBZ treated groups were significantly different from the control group post-treatment. At necropsy, which occurred seven to nine days post-treatment, two methods of nematode recovery were...
