Post mortem examination in horses involves the systematic investigation of a deceased horse to determine the cause of death and evaluate any underlying health conditions. This process, also known as necropsy, is conducted by veterinary pathologists and involves a thorough external and internal examination of the horse's body. During a post mortem, tissues and organs are inspected for abnormalities, and samples may be collected for further histopathological, microbiological, or toxicological analysis. The findings from a post mortem can provide valuable insights into disease processes, inform management practices, and contribute to broader veterinary research. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore methodologies, findings, and implications of post mortem examinations in equine veterinary practice.
Gilliam LL, Holbrook TC, Dechant JE, Johnson BJ.A 6-year-old Quarter Horse stallion was referred to Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for evaluation of abdominal pain that developed after breeding activity earlier in the day. The horse developed diarrhea and progressively worsening neurologic signs (circling, ataxia, head pressing) within 22 hours of presentation and was subsequently euthanized due to severe self-destructive behavior. Antemortem biochemical and hematologic abnormalities included hypocalcemia but no evidence of hepatic disease. Idiopathic hyperammonemia and encephalopathy were suspected; cerebros...
Lamm CG, Njaa BL.Dozens of red, raised nodules scattered along the serosal surface of the small intestine and the right and left ovaries were observed as incidental findings on gross examination in a 21-year-old Thoroughbred mare euthanatized for severe lameness. Histologically, these nodules were composed of numerous, variably sized, redundant vascular profiles filled with red blood cells and fibrin thrombi. Based on the presence of multiple nodules composed of benign vascular channels scattered within the small intestine and ovary, a diagnosis of angiomatosis is proposed. To the authors' knowledge, this is t...
Cotovio M, Monreal L, Navarro M, Segura D, Prada J, Alves A.In humans and experimental animals, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) causes fibrin deposition in several organs, which eventually leads to ischemia and multiorgan failure. Objective: Horses who died or were euthanized for severe gastrointestinal disorders could have fibrin deposits in different tissues. Methods: Tissue-organ samples collected during postmortem examinations on 66 colic horses with poor prognoses (eg, severe intestinal ischemia, enteritis, peritonitis), from 11 colic horses with good prognoses (eg, large-colon obstruction or displacement), and from 16 slaughter horse...
Stubbs NC, Hodges PW, Jeffcott LB, Cowin G, Hodgson DR, McGowan CM.Research in spinal biomechanics and functional anatomy has advanced back pain research in man. Yet, despite the performance limiting nature of back pain in horses, there are few data for the equine spine. Objective: To describe aspects of functional anatomy of the equine thoracolumbar and lumbosacral (LS) spine and potential effects on performance. Methods: The first study investigated variations in LS vertebral formula by post mortem examination of 120 horses. Midline vertebral transection was carried out on 65 Thoroughbred (TB), 24 Standardbred (SB) and 31 other breeds. The second study inve...
Kutasi O, Vörös K, Biksi I, Szenci O, Sötonyi P.This paper presents the embryological and pathological features as well as the terminology and classification of common atrioventricular canal, a type of endocardial cushion defect. The authors give a complete description of an extremely rare congenital cardiac malformation in an equine neonate. The diagnosis of a complete, balanced common atrioventricular canal of type C in Rastelli's classification scheme was based on two-dimensional, contrast and colour Doppler echocardiography and subsequent postmortem gross pathology. To support our diagnosis and study the pathophysiological effect of the...
Gearhart PM, Steficek BA, Peteresen-Jones SM.A 12-year-old Belgian draft horse presented for a right eye third eyelid mass and red-tinged ocular discharge of 3 months' duration. The third eyelid was excised and submitted for histopathology. On histopathologic examination, the mass was composed of both hemangiosarcoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The horse developed thickened eyelids and hemorrhagic ocular discharge from the right eye approximately 16 months following surgery, and was euthanized. Necropsy and histopathology confirmed local recurrence and regional metastasis of the hemangiosarcoma. This was an unusual case because there we...
Okamoto M, Kamitani M, Tunoda N, Tagami M, Nagamine N, Kawata K, Itoh H, Kawasako K, Komine M, Akihara Y, Shimoyama Y, Miyasho T, Hirayama K....No abstract available
Dugdale AH, Langford J, Senior JM, Proudman CJ.To determine the effects of dobutamine and phenylephrine on intra- and postoperative survival in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Methods: Retrospective case analysis. Methods: A total of 637 client-owned horses undergoing colic surgery. Methods: Clinical details of horses admitted for colic surgery were recorded on a computer database. Information collected included history, clinical variables observed before surgery, anaesthesia and surgical details, and postoperative survival and morbidity rates. Details of specific importance for this study were those recorded during anaesthe...
Franzén P, Berg AL, Aspan A, Gunnarsson A, Pringle J.A 19-year-old horse that was one of a group of six horses infected experimentally with Anaplasma phagocytophilum for a study of the pathogenesis of equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis died suddenly two days after first showing clinical signs of disease. The clinical signs and laboratory findings observed before its death were similar to all those of the other infected horses, and to previous reports of this disease. A postmortem examination revealed widespread haemorrhaging in its internal organs, and vasculitis and thrombosis in the kidneys. These changes are consistent with disseminated intrava...
Waller A, Flock M, Smith K, Robinson C, Mitchell Z, Karlström A, Lannergård J, Bergman R, Guss B, Flock JI.Strangles is an upper respiratory tract infection in horses, which is highly contagious and one of the more costly diseases of the horse. Three recombinant antigens were used to vaccinate horses, which were then experimentally challenged with Streptococcus equi, the causative agent for strangles. The vaccinated horses showed significantly reduced bacterial growth (p=0.02) and nasal discharge (p=0.0004), a typical symptom of strangles. Other clinical signs of strangles were also reduced and at post mortem examination, lower rate of empyaema or scarring of the guttural pouches was found in the v...
Dietzel J, Kuhrt H, Stahl T, Kacza J, Seeger J, Weber M, Uhlig A, Reichenbach A, Grosche A, Pannicke T.Borna disease (BD) is a fatal disorder of horses, often characterized by blindness. Although degeneration of retinal neurons has been demonstrated in a rat model, there are controversial data concerning whether a similar degeneration occurs in the retina of infected horses. To investigate whether BD may cause degeneration of photoreceptors and possibly of other neuronal cells at least at later stages of the disease, we performed a detailed quantitative morphologic study of retinal tissue from Borna-diseased horses. BD was diagnosed by detection of pathognomonic Joest-Degen inclusion bodies in ...
Manso Filho HC, McKeever KH, Gordon ME, Costa HE, Watford M.One of the hallmarks of insulin resistance is a reduction in glucose transporter-4 (Glut-4) expression in adipose tissue but not in skeletal muscle. However, while Glut-4 has been demonstrated in skeletal and cardiac muscles in horses it has not been demonstrated in adipose tissue. The initial objectives of the present study were: (1) to test the hypothesis that Glut-4 expression would vary between selected key skeletal muscles; (2) to test the hypothesis that it would also vary between representative adipose tissue depots, and (3) to see whether expression would be greater in adipose tissue c...
Cribb NC, Cote NM, Bouré LP, Peregrine AS.To retrospectively evaluate the medical and surgical records of horses with acute small intestinal obstructions associated with Parascaris equorum infection; to describe the gastrointestinal lesions; and to determine the outcome of cases with such lesions. Methods: Records of 25 horses with acute small intestinal obstruction associated with P. equorum between 1985 and 2004 were reviewed to determine signalment, history, physical examination, surgical or post-mortem findings, and outcome. Results: All horses except one were less than 12 months old. Standardbreds were over-represented in the pop...
Bischofberger AS, Konar M, Ohlerth S, Geyer H, Lang J, Ueltschi G, Lischer CJ.The diagnosis of lameness caused by proximal metacarpal and metatarsal pain can be challenging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers the possibility for further diagnosis but there have been no studies on the normal MRI appearance of the origin of the suspensory ligament (OSL) in conjunction with ultrasonography and histology. Objective: To describe the MRI appearance of the OSL in fore- and hindlimbs of sound horses and compare it to the ultrasonographic and histological appearance. The findings can be used as reference values to recognise pathology in the OSL. Methods: The OSL in the fore...
Milligan M, Kukanich B, Beard W, Waxman S.Lidocaine is administered as an intravenous infusion to horses for a variety of reasons, but no study has assessed plasma lidocaine concentrations during a 12-h infusion to horses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetics of lidocaine during a 12-h infusion to postoperative horses. A second purpose of the study was to evaluate the in vitro plasma protein binding of lidocaine in equine plasma. Lidocaine hydrochloride was administered as a loading dose, 1.3 mg/kg over 15 min, then by a constant rate IV infusion, 50 microg/kg/min to six postoperativ...
Finno CJ, Valberg SJ, Wünschmann A, Murphy MJ.To determine clinical signs, diagnostic findings, tissue tremetone concentrations, and clinical outcome or postmortem findings in horses evaluated for acute severe nonexertional rhabdomyolysis initially attributed to white snakeroot toxicosis. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 14 horses. Methods: Records of the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center or Diagnostic Laboratory were searched from 1998 to 2005. Inclusion criteria included serum creatine kinase (CK) activity > 45,000 U/L, severe nonexertional myonecrosis of proximal postural muscles at necropsy, or signs of wea...
Jahns H, Callanan JJ, McElroy MC, Sammin DJ, Bassett HF.Brains from 100 horses, aged 2-25 years, were systematically examined by histopathology at 46 different neuroanatomical sites. The horses were sourced from a slaughterhouse (group A, n = 57), from a kennel that collected dead animals, and from 2 diagnostic laboratories (group B, n = 43). All horses from group A and 26 horses from group B were examined by a veterinarian in the period before death. None of the horses were known to exhibit clinical signs suggestive of neurologic disease. Among the main changes identified were vacuolation in the neuropil (n = 73), neurons (n = 32), white matter (n...
Venner M, Schmidbauer S, Drommer W, Deegen E.The aim of the study reported here was to compare complications of lung biopsy in horses and the quality of the lung specimens after biopsy using the manual Tru-Cut biopsy needle (TC) and an automated biopsy needle (ABN). For experiment 1, lung biopsy was performed in 50 horses with one instrument on one side of the thorax, and then with the other instrument on the other side. Postmortem examination was performed in 20 of the 50 horses. Coughing was detected in 10 of 50 horses and epistaxis was observed in 6 of the 50 horses. Endoscopy revealed bleeding into the airways in 16 of 49 horses and ...
Finno C, Pusterla N, Aleman M, Mohr FC, Price T, George J, Holmberg T.A 4-month-old American Paint Horse colt was evaluated because of acute onset of ataxia, left-sided head tilt, and fever and a recently noticed heart murmur. Upper respiratory tract infection caused by Streptococcus equi subsp equi had been diagnosed at 3 months of age. Results: Hematologic abnormalities included leukocytosis, mature neutrophilia, monocytosis, and mild anemia. Analysis of a CSF sample revealed high total protein concentration and total nucleated cell count; nucleated cells consisted mainly of degenerate neutrophils. Results of a real-time PCR assay were positive for S equi subs...
Waitt LH, Cebra CK, Tornquist SJ, Löhr CV.A 22-year-old pinto mixed breed mare was admitted for evaluation of severe colic signs and gastric reflux. Multiple nonpainful, variably sized hard masses were palpated in the subcutis over the thorax, abdomen, and hindquarters of the horse. The mare was diagnosed with sterile peritonitis and had systemically high gamma-glutamyltransferase, amylase, and lipase. Three days into treatment she became febrile with signs of persistent and mild abdominal discomfort; euthanasia was elected. Necropsy revealed peripancreatitis, pancreatic fibrosis, abdominal steatitis and panniculitis. Panniculitis ass...
The Journal of parasitologyAugust 4, 2006
Volume 92, Issue 3 637-643 doi: 10.1645/0022-3395(2006)92[637:PAOPRC]2.0.CO;2
Furr M, McKenzie H, Saville WJ, Dubey JP, Reed SM, Davis W.The ability of ponazuril to prevent or limit clinical signs of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) after infection with Sarcocystis neurona was evaluated. Eighteen horses were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: no treatment, 2.5 mg/kg ponazuril, or 5.0 mg/kg ponazuril. Horses were administered ponazuril, once per day, beginning 7 days before infection (study day 0) and continuing for 28 days postinfection. On day 0, horses were stressed by transport and challenged with 1 million S. neurona sporocysts per horse. Sequential neurologic examinations were performed, and serum and cerebrospinal fluid w...
Andersen MS, Clark L, Dyson SJ, Newton JR.Post anaesthetic colic is a recognised risk of general anaesthesia (GA), but causes are poorly understood. Objective: To identify risk factors for development of colic following GA for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or nonabdominal surgery and to test whether the use of perianaesthetic morphine was associated with an increased risk of post anaesthetic colic. Methods: A total of 553 anaesthetic and clinical records of 500 horses anaesthetised at the Animal Health Trust were analysed, 342 (62%) involved MRI and 211 (38%) nonabdominal, predominantly orthopaedic surgery. Multivariable logistic r...
Patton KM, Peek SF, Valentine BA.A 17-year-old Quarter horse mare was referred to Cornell University for postmortem examination after 72 hours of encephalopathy that consisted of depression, mania, and blindness. A plasma sample and cerebral spinal fluid demonstrated hyperammonemia. Gross necropsy examination findings included the following: mild icterus, a transmural mass in the glandular portion of the gastric fundus, multiple masses throughout the liver, and a large tumor thrombus in the portal vein. Microscopically, the gastric mass, hepatic masses, and portal vein thrombus were composed of similar neoplastic epithelial c...
Epstein KL, Parente EJ.To report a laparoscopic technique for insertion of polypropylene mesh in the nephrosplenic space in horses and evaluate outcome. Methods: Descriptive experimental study. Methods: Five healthy mature horses. Methods: One laparoscope and 2 instrument portals were made on the left side of the horse. The nephrosplenic space was measured and appropriately sized polypropylene mesh was inserted and attached to the dorsolateral splenic capsule and perirenal fascia using helical titanium coils. All horses had repeat laparoscopy 4 weeks later and were necropsied at intervals 4-14 weeks after mesh place...
Puff C, Ohnesorge B, Wagels R, Baumgärtner W.A 4-month-old Warm-blooded colt presented with facial distorsion and an abnormal respiratory noise of 2 weeks' duration. A proliferative mass was found endoscopically and by computer tomography. Clinical differential diagnosis included cyst formation of the concha, malformation and neoplasia. Euthanasia was followed by post-mortem examination, which revealed a well-circumscribed, semi-solid, jelly like structure, measuring 14.5 x 9.0 x 12.0 cm, in the left posterior nasal cavity extending into the left frontal and maxillary sinus. Histologically, the mass consisted of trabeculae of woven bone,...
Hestvik G, Ekman S, Lindberg R.A novel case where onchocercosis was identified as a cause of cervical myelopathy in the horse is described. A 15-year-old Connemara mare was euthanized due to progressive locomotion disturbance. Postmortem examination revealed soft-tissue swelling in the intervertebral joint capsule of C6-7 with narrowing of the vertebral canal. On light microscopy, axonopathy was pronounced in the corresponding segment of the spinal cord. Fibrous tissue and eosinophilic granulomas were found in the joint capsule, together with parasites identified histologically as Onchocerca sp.
Yamate J, Izawa T, Ogata K, Kobayashi O, Okajima R, Kuwamura M, Kotani T, Aoki M.An 11-year-old thoroughbred gelding was euthanatized because of right nasal cavity tumor. The tumor consisted of round to oval cells with a scanty cytoplasm and hyperchromatic nuclei. Homer-Wright rosettes and pseudorosettes, as well as microcysts were seen. Neoplastic cells were immunoreactive to vimentin, S-100 protein, and neuron-specific enolase, glial fibrillary acidic protein and microtube-associated protein in varying degrees, indicating neurogenic nature. Based on these findings, this tumor was diagnosed as an olfactory neuroblastoma. Since this type is an uncommon tumor showing histol...
Shoemaker RW, Allen AL, Richardson CE, Wilson DG.To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intra-articular administration of ethyl alcohol for arthrodesis of tarsometatarsal joints in horses. Methods: 8 healthy female horses without lameness or radiographic evidence of tarsal joint osteoarthritis. Methods: In each horse, 1 tarsometatarsal joint was treated with 4 mL of 70% ethyl alcohol and the opposite joint was treated with 4 mL of 95% ethyl alcohol. Lameness examinations were performed daily for 2 weeks, followed by monthly evaluations for the duration of the 12-month study. Radiographic evaluations of both tarsi were performed 1 month after...
Hassan KA, Galuppo LD, van Hoogmoed LM.To compare bursting strength and failure modes of ventral median abdominal incisions closed with loop suture in a simple continuous pattern using two different suture-bite intervals. Methods: In vitro experiment. Methods: Equine cadavers (n=14; weighing >318 kg; postmortem interval <2 hours). Methods: A template was used to make a 25 cm incision with suture interval and bite size of either 1.0 cm x 1.5 cm or 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm. A 200 L polyurethane bladder was inserted within the abdomen and insufflated to create abdominal wall tension. Celiotomies were closed with a #2 braided lactomer 9-1 conti...
Benders NA, Dyer J, Wijnberg ID, Shirazi-Beechey SP, van der Kolk JH.To confirm whether the plasma glucose concentration curve obtained during oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) in horses with equine motor neuron disease (EMND) is decreased, compared with that obtained in clinically normal horses, and determine whether that decrease is a result of defective glucose metabolism or intestinal glucose transport dysfunction. Methods: 8 horses with EMND and 44 matched control horses. Methods: Electromyography and OGTTs were performed in all 8 affected horses and 10 control horses. Intravenous GTTs (IVGTTs) were performed in 6 affected horses and another 11 control ...
Finno C, Pusterla N, Aleman M, Mohr FC, Price T, George J, Holmberg T.A 4-month-old American Paint Horse colt was evaluated because of acute onset of ataxia, left-sided head tilt, and fever and a recently noticed heart murmur. Upper respiratory tract infection caused by Streptococcus equi subsp equi had been diagnosed at 3 months of age. Results: Hematologic abnormalities included leukocytosis, mature neutrophilia, monocytosis, and mild anemia. Analysis of a CSF sample revealed high total protein concentration and total nucleated cell count; nucleated cells consisted mainly of degenerate neutrophils. Results of a real-time PCR assay were positive for S equi subs...
Hanson RR, Nixon AJ, Calderwood-Mays M, Gronwall R, Pendergast JF.Two techniques for end-to-end anastomosis of the small colon were evaluated in each of 6 horses. A simple interrupted suture pattern that excluded the mucosa and was oversewn with an inverting suture was compared with a triangulated double-row pattern of stainless steel staples. Anastomotic sites were evaluated at 2 weeks, 2 months, and 6 months for extent of abdominal adhesions, lumen diameter at anastomotic sites, bursting pressures, and healing response. Clinical postoperative complications were not associated with either technique. At postmortem examination, there was extensive adhesion fo...
Espinosa P, Nieto JE, Snyder JR, Galuppo LD, Katzman SA.To describe an ultrasound assisted technique for desmotomy of the palmar/plantar annular ligament (PAL), determine its efficacy and intraoperative complications. Methods: Cadaveric and in vivo study. Methods: Cadaveric limbs (n = 12), adult horses (n = 4), and clinical cases (n = 2). Methods: Ultrasound assisted desmotomy of the palmar/plantar annular ligament (UAD-PAL) was performed in cadaveric limbs and in standing horses with the operated limb placed in a distal limb splint. The procedure was performed under general anesthesia and was followed by tenoscopic examination in 2 cli...
Armstrong SK, Raidal SL, Hughes KJ.Three foals, aged between 5 and 10 days, were presented for assessment of lethargy, abdominal pain and joint effusion. Fibrinous pericarditis and pericardial effusion (PE) were recognised in each foal and considered as sequelae to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and suspected or confirmed septicaemia. Unassigned: Diagnosis of pericarditis was made in two foals by echocardiographic examination and analysis of pericardial fluid, and during postmortem examination of the third foal. In both of the foals that underwent pericardiocentesis, PE was an exudate, no bacteria were identifie...
Marcus LC, Ross JN.The hearts of 23 aged equids (18 horses and 5 mules) were examined histologically. Major findings included arteriolosclerosis and intimal bodies in small muscular arteries, myocarditis, myocardial fibrosis, fatty metamorphosis of myocardial and Purkinje fibers, myocytolysis, and basophilic (mucinous) degeneration of myocardium. Lesions less frequently seen included chronic fibrotic valvulitis, acute myocardial necrosis, sarcosporidiosis, and hemosiderosis. Single cases of malignant melanoma, cartilaginous metaplasia of the I-V septum, mineralization of connective tissue in the I-V septum, and ...
Nielsen IL, Jacobs KA, Huntington PJ, Chapman CB, Lloyd KC.Adverse reactions to intramuscular injections of procaine penicillin G are reported in 11 horses, five of which died. The clinical findings are presented and suggest central nervous involvement in most cases. Post mortem findings in one horse were consistent with anaphylaxis whereas in other cases the clinical findings, duration of treatment, speed of onset and subsequent completion of treatment supports diagnosis of an acute procaine toxicity syndrome.
Stadler P, van den Berg SS, Tustin RC.A Hansen type I cervical intervertebral disc prolapse was diagnosed in a 16-year-old American Saddler showing clinical signs of paresis and ataxia. An ante-mortem diagnosis was made by means of plain radiographs and a myelogram. The horse was euthanased and the diagnosis confirmed on a post-mortem examination.
Bentz KJ, Burgess BA, Lohmann KL, Shahriar F.A 4-year-old Belgian mare was presented with a 1-week history of fever, suspected of being caused by peritonitis. The mare died before the diagnostic procedures had been completed; postmortem examination revealed torsion of the left medial lobe of the liver, resulting in diffuse necrosis of liver tissue and severe peritoneal effusion. Une jument belge de 4 ans est présentée avec une anamnèse de fièvre qui persiste depuis 1 semaine, que l’on soupçonne causée par une péritonite. La jument est morte avant l’achèvement des procédures diagnostiques; l’autopsie a révélé une torsio...
Dickinson CE, Gould DH, Davidson AH, Avery PR, Legare ME, Hyatt DR, DebRoy C.A postpartum mare and foal were presented for evaluation of fever and lethargy in the mare. The mare was diagnosed with endometritis and initially responded well to treatment. On the second day of hospitalization, the mare developed renal insufficiency characterized by oliguria, azotemia, hemolysis, and thrombocytopenia. Concurrently, the foal developed rapidly progressive central nervous system signs culminating in refractory seizures. Both animals failed to respond to treatment and were euthanized. Thrombotic microangiopathy involving glomeruli was evident on microscopic examination of the m...
Mair TS, de Westerlaken LV, Cripps PJ, Love S.Samples of faeces and blood were obtained from 66 adult horses with diarrhoea. The results of routine bacteriological, parasitological, haematological and biochemical tests were correlated with the outcome of the cases. Twenty-two (33 per cent) of the horses died or were destroyed as a consequence of the diarrhoea. A diagnosis was reached in only 23 cases (35 per cent), and in nine of them only at post mortem examination. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from five cases. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the horses which survived and those which died in their pac...
Spoormakers TJP, Bergmann W, Veraa S, van Weeren PR, Brommer H.To verify the existence of intertransverse joints (ITJs) in young foals. 11 warmblood foals. Postmortem examination of the lumbar area in foals < 200 days old using CT, MRI, dissection, and histomorphology. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Age of foals varied between 1 and 200 days (median, 11 days). Ten foals had 6 lumbar (L) vertebrae, and 1 foal had 5. All 11 foals, irrespective of age, had ITJs between the first sacral and last lumbar vertebrae and between the last and second-to-last lumbar vertebrae. In 6 foals (all with 6 L vertebrae), ITJs also existed between the four...
Geelen SN, Bernadina WE, Grinwis GC, Kalsbeek HC.A 15-year-old Dutch warmblood mare was presented because of lethargy, which had been present for several weeks, and severe anaemia. Total protein was high and serum electrophoresis revealed a monoclonal peak in the alpha-2 region. Monoclonal immunoglobulin, IgG(T), was detected by immuno-electrophoresis in serum and urine. Postmortem examination revealed a relatively large number of plasmacytoid cells in the bone marrow and a monotonous population of plasmacytoid cells in the spleen. These findings are suggestive of a plasma cell myeloma.
Knych HK, Janes J, Kennedy L, McKemie DS, Arthur RM, Samol MA, Uzal FA, Scollay M.Bisphosphonates are potent anti-resorptive agents that have the potential to adversely affect bone healing in equine athletes, and normal bone adaption in young racehorses. A concern exists that bisphosphonate inhibition of normal bone metabolism could lead to increased bone fractures during high-intensity exercise. We found only a single report describing concentrations of tiludronate in the bone of horses, and no studies describing clodronate. Knowledge of the residence time in bone could allow for a better understanding of the long-term effects of these compounds. Our objectives were to dev...
Lester GD, Bolton JR, Cambridge H, Thurgate S.The myoelectrical activity of the ileum, caecum and large colon was monitored from Ag-AgCl bipolar recording electrodes in four conscious 'parasite-naive' weanling foals. All foals were inoculated with 1000 infective 3rd-stage Strongylus vulgaris larvae and alterations to the myoelectrical activity observed. The frequencies of caecal and colonic spike bursts increased significantly in all post infection periods coinciding with assumed larval penetration into the intestinal mucosa and migration through the vasculature. Peaks in caecal and colonic activity occurred at Days 1 to 5 post infection....
Buergelt CD, Greiner EC.Fibrosing granulomas were found in the liver and occasionally on the intestinal and diaphragmatic serosae and in the lung of 11 horses submitted for necropsy. Although these granulomas were considered incidental findings in most of the horses, they had caused liver failure in 1 horse. The granulomas typically were characterized by a dense collagenous core that frequently was mineralized. The periphery contained a rim of inflammatory cells. Only in 1 of the 11 horses was there evidence of an egg shell suggestive of schistosomes. Schistosomal eggs were not detected in the feces of the horses. Th...
Vienenkötter J, Siudak K, Stallenberger L, Herden C.Being confronted with a case series of renal neoplasia in several horses which was in striking divergence to literature data, we recognized the need of a retrospective study to assess the presence of renal neoplasms in horses. Methods: Anamnestic animal data, necropsy findings and results of histological and immunohistochemical examinations from 2010 through 2015 were collected and evaluated regarding renal neoplasia. Results: Data from postmortem examinations of 1069 horses revealed 20 horses with renal tumors constituting a prevalence of 1.87 %. Primary renal neoplasms built the majority o...
Richards AJ, Kelly DF, Knottenbelt DC, Cheeseman MT, Dixon JB.This report summarises clinical and pathological observations on Fell pony foals with a range of signs that included ill thrift, anaemia, respiratory infection, glossal hyperkeratosis and diarrhoea. Some of the foals had normochromic, normocytic anaemia and some had low levels of plasma proteins, including immunoglobulin G. Antibiotic and supportive treatment was ineffective and all affected foals died or were killed on humane grounds. Postmortem examination of 12 foals and tissues from 2 other foals revealed a range of lesions that included glossal hyperkeratosis, typhlocolitis, intestinal cr...
Sigurdsson SF, Olstad K, Ley CJ, Björnsdóttir S, Griffiths DJ, Fjordbakk CT.Osteochondrosis occurs due to failure of the blood supply to growth cartilage. Osteochondrosis lesions have been identified in small tarsal bones and suggested to cause distal tarsal osteoarthritis; however, it has not been determined whether distal tarsal osteochondrosis lesions were the result of vascular failure. Objective: To perform post-mortem arterial perfusion and micro-computed tomography (CT) of the central (CTB) and third tarsal bones (TIII) of fetuses and foals up to 5 months old, to describe tarsal development and any lesions detected. Methods: Descriptive, nonconsecutive case se...
Rhind SM, Hawe C, Dixon PM, Scudamore CL.A 14-year-old hunter gelding presented with an ulcerated mass on the left premaxilla. Biopsy of the mass revealed a poorly differentiated carcinoma. Surgical excision was attempted, but local regrowth followed several months later, at which point radiotherapy was carried out. An initial improvement was followed by marked deterioration and the animal was humanely killed. Post-mortem examination revealed a massively enlarged right kidney and associated widespread metastases. A metastatic clear cell renal carcinoma was identified by histological examination.
Paraschou G, Vogel PE, Lee AM, Trawford RF, Priestnall SL.Multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease (MEED) is a rare condition of equids characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of multiple organs. Clinical signs are variable depending on the affected organs. The most common clinical signs include chronic weight loss, diarrhoea and exfoliative dermatitis. Respiratory distress and raised liver enzymes are less frequently seen. The cause is unknown and the pathogenesis is poorly understood. There are less than 50 reported cases of horses with MEED. We now document the lesions in three donkeys with fluctuating or chronic loss of weight, letha...
Wales AD, Whitwell KE.Two samples were taken postmortem from the rectum of each of 14 horses with grass sickness and 10 control horses, and four sections stained with haematoxylin and eosin were examined. By using as a criterion of grass sickness the presence of three chromatolytic neurons, 10 of the 14 cases were positive and none of the control horses was positive, giving a sensitivity of 71 per cent and a specificity of 100 per cent. No other histological features appeared to be of diagnostic value, and staining for Nissl substance in neurons with cresyl fast violet and methyl green-pyronin did not improve the s...
Sanders SG, Tucker RL, Bagley RS, Gavin PR.Magnetic resonance imaging (MR) was used to make a diagnosis of equine nigropallidal encephalomalacia in a horse. Equine nigropallidal encephalomalacia is a neurodegenerative disease that has many characteristics with Parkinson-like diseases in humans. Historically, horses were euthanized based on clinical signs and exposure to the toxic weed, yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis). Previously, the disease has only been confirmed on necropsy. MR imaging can provide accurate and sensitive visualization of typical lesions seen in the brain of horses affected with equine nigropallidal encep...
Bertone JJ, Dill SG.An ingested metallic foreign body migrated from the stomach and induced restrictive pericarditis in a horse. Necropsy revealed chronic abdominal and acute thoracic lesions. Although rare, ingested foreign body migration should be considered in the differential diagnosis of body cavity disease in horses.
Schumacher J, Moll HD, Spano JS, Barone LM, Powers RD.Two horses were presented with lethargy, weight loss, anorexia, and swelling of the limbs and ventral body wall. One horse, a 12-month-old American Paso Fino colt, also had acute abdominal pain. The other horse, a seven-month-old Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) filly passed diarrheic stools during the initial examination. Each horse had low serum protein, neutropenia, and a normal packed cell volume (3.2 g/dl, 1300 cells/ul, and 38%, respectively, for the colt, and 2.4 g/dl, 696 cells/ul, and 44%, respectively for the filly). After intravenously administering plasma, the colt's PCV dropped to 23...
Tanaka S, Kaji Y, Taniyama H, Matsukawa K, Ochiai K, Itakura C.Typical Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was found in a male thoroughbred foal (46 days old) suffering from diarrhea and hypogammaglobulinemia after birth. The characteristics of the organisms were demonstrated by Grocott methenamine silver staining, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The present focal had no histological lesions suggesting immunodeficiency. However, he could not get adequate colostrum from his dam, because she died of hemorrhagic shock due to immuno-mediated thrombocytopenia at delivery. This condition was considered to have predisposed the foal to the pneumonia...
Mosing M, Kuemmerle JM, Dadak A, Moens YP.A case of a pony with severe cyanide intoxication as a result of cherry ingestion is presented. General anaesthesia was performed for colic surgery. Severe metabolic lactate acidosis in combination with a high arterial oxygen partial pressure and clinically good peripheral perfusion parameters were the remarkable signs during anaesthesia. Severe hypothermia was obvious during recovery. Ten hours post-surgery the pony was euthanized as a result of neurological signs. The diagnosis of cyanide intoxication was made post-mortem. Conclusions: Cherry ingestion can lead to lethal cyanide intoxication...
Button C, Gross DR, Allert JA, Kitzman JV.An Arabian crossbred foal was examined because of a suspected congenital cardiac anomaly. There was a grade V/V crescendo-decresendo holosystolic murmur and thrill in the left 4th intercostal space. The foal was slightly cyanotic and polycythemic. Electrocardiography suggested left ventricular hypertrophy. Angiography and cardiac and vascular pressure recordings led to a diagnosis of pulmonic stenosis. The foal died after cardiac bypass and corrective surgery. Postmortem examination revealed an enlarged right atrium, atresia of the tricuspid orifice, a large, fenestrated patent foramen ovale, ...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW.Prevalence of natural infections of parasites from the lungs of 488 dead Thoroughbreds in Kentucky was investigated. The horses varied from 1 to 32 years of age; 419 horses were from 215 farms and 69 horses were from 68 individual sources for which a specific farm was not identified. Examinations of the lungs were made from Mar 1, 1983 through Feb 29, 1984. Dictyocaulus arnfieldi was recovered from 56 (11%) of the horses. Other parasites found were larvae of Parascaris equorum in 37 (8%) and of Habronema/Draschia in 67 (14%) of the horses. The possible effect of ivermectin treatment on the pre...
Pessoa CR, Pessoa AF, Maia LA, Medeiros RM, Colegate SM, Barros SS, Soares MP, Borges AS, Riet-Correa F.The effects and susceptibility of donkeys to Crotalaria juncea and Crotalaria retusa poisoning were determined at high and low doses. Seeds of C. juncea containing 0.074% of dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids (DHPAs) (isohemijunceines 0.05%, trichodesmine 0.016%, and junceine 0.008%) were administered to three donkeys at 0.3, 0.6 and 1 g/kg body weight (g/kg) daily for 365 days. No clinical signs were observed and, on liver and lung biopsies, the only lesion was a mild liver megalocytosis in the donkeys ingesting 0.6 and 1 g/kg/day. Two other donkeys that received daily doses of 3 and 5 g seed/...
