Veterinary care in horses encompasses the medical and preventive measures taken to maintain and improve the health and well-being of equine patients. It includes a wide range of practices such as routine health examinations, vaccinations, dental care, parasite control, and management of injuries and diseases. Veterinary care also involves diagnostic procedures, surgical interventions, and therapeutic treatments tailored to the specific needs of horses. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of equine veterinary care, including advancements in diagnostic techniques, treatment protocols, and health management strategies to support the well-being and performance of horses.
Peat FJ, Kawcak CE.The current understanding of pathology as it relates to common diseases of the equine musculoskeletal system is reviewed. Conditions are organized under the fundamental categories of developmental, exercise-induced, infectious, and miscellaneous pathology. The overview of developmental pathology incorporates the new classification system of juvenile osteochondral conditions. Discussion of exercise-induced pathology emphasizes increased understanding of the contribution of cumulative microdamage caused by repetitive cyclic loading. Miscellaneous musculoskeletal pathology focuses on laminitis, w...
Wobeser BK.Skin disease in horses is a common and potentially challenging clinical problem. Information pertaining to skin disease is lacking in horses when compared with that in other companion animal species. Certainly, both horse-specific and location-specific patterns are present, but these can often be confounded by other factors. There are many possible ways in which to organize skin disease; in this article, they are organized based loosely on their most common clinical feature. Space limits the number of conditions that can be described here, and those chosen were seen relatively frequently in a ...
Al-Dissi A.A wide variety of toxins cause diseases in the horse and are investigated routinely by veterinarians and veterinary pathologists to identify the cause of illness and death. A complete investigation involves performing a thorough necropsy and requires macroscopic and microscopic examination of lesions and a variety of laboratory testing to obtain an accurate diagnosis. The identification of gross lesions by equine practitioners is often the first step in formulating a diagnostic plan. This article provides a description of selected common toxins producing detectable gross lesions in horses in N...
Hewson J, Arroyo LG.Evaluation of the upper and lower respiratory tract of horses requires strategic selection of possible diagnostic tests based on location of suspected pathologic lesions and purpose of testing and must also include consideration of patient status. This article discusses the various diagnostic modalities that may be applied to the respiratory system of horses under field conditions, indications for use, and aspects of sample collection, handling, and laboratory processing that can impact test results and ultimately a successful diagnosis in cases of respiratory disease.
Coverdale JA, Hoagland T, Berg EL.The Horse Species Symposium titled “Advances in Equine Stem Cell Biology” was held at the Joint Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Science Association, American Society of Animal Science, and Canadian Society of Animal Science in Kansas City, MO, July 20 to 24, 2014. The purpose of the symposium was to discuss recent research findings related to equine stem cell use in chondrocytes, muscle satellite cells, and bone. The symposium comprised 3 invited presentations.
The symposium began with the invited presentation by J. N. MacLeod (University of Kentucky, Lexington), who discussed the ...
Gottlieb R, Whitcomb MB, Vaughan B, Galuppo LD, Spriet M.Ultrasound is widely used in horses with stifle lameness, yet limited information is available regarding the appearance of normal and injured lateral patellar ligaments (LPL). Objective: To map the normal ultrasonographic appearance of the LPL. To describe the clinical and ultrasonographic features of LPL injuries. Methods: Descriptive study of healthy horses and retrospective case series. Methods: Twelve horses without stifle lameness underwent ultrasonographic examination of bilateral LPLs and ultrasonographic features were recorded. Eighteen horses with LPL injury were identified from 1999 ...
Quartuccio M, Marino G, Mannarino C, Cristarella S.Congenital abnormalities of the uterus and the cervix are rare in horses, often associated with infertility, despite normal ovarian activity and sexual behaviour. An abnormality of the cervix in a 5-year-old jennet with a history of infertility was described. Clinical and ultrasound examination of the genital tract showed a normal development of the uterus with regular cyclic activity in both the ovaries. Vaginoscopy revealed a normal development of the vagina and a cervix deviated on the left side of the vagina by a thick dorsoventral fold. The lateral deviation was permanent in any stage of ...
Govoni KE.Equine bone fractures are often catastrophic, potentially fatal, and costly to repair. Traditional methods of healing fractures have limited success, long recovery periods, and a high rate of reinjury. Current research in the equine industry has demonstrated that stem cell therapy is a promising novel therapy to improve fracture healing and reduce the incidence of reinjury; however, reports of success in horses have been variable and limited. Stem cells can be derived from embryonic, fetal, and adult tissue. Based on the ease of collection, opportunity for autologous cells, and proven success ...
Payne J, Farris R, Parker G, Bonhotal J, Schwarz M.Sodium pentobarbital, a euthanasia drug, can persist in animal carcasses following euthanasia and can cause secondary toxicosis to animals that consume the remains. This experiment was conducted to observe the effects of composting on euthanized horse carcass degradation and sodium pentobarbital residues in compost material up to 367 d. Six separate compost bins were constructed on pastureland. Three bins served as the control while 3 served as the treatment. The carbonaceous material, or bulking agent, consisted of hardwood chips mixed with yard waste wetted to approximately 50% moisture cont...
Pazzola M, Pira E, Sedda G, Vacca GM, Cocco R, Sechi S, Bonelli P, Nicolussi P.Several concerns have been raised over the health of animals used in equestrian games that have their origins in historical or religious events and are currently held in many countries. This study investigated physiological stress response and health status of horses participating in the Sartiglia, a historical horse tournament held in the city of Oristano, Italy, which is principally based on the attempts of masked horsemen at a gallop to run a sword through a hole in a suspended silver star. Blood samples were collected from 21 horses the day before the tournament (D0), during the tournament...
Aguiar C, Therrien J, Lemire P, Segura M, Smith LC, Theoret CL.Skin trauma in horses often leads to the development of chronic nonhealing wounds that lack a keratinocyte cover, vital for healing. Reports in mouse and man confirm the possibility of generating functional keratinocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), thus presenting myriad potential applications for wound management or treatment of skin disease. Similarly, differentiation of equine iPSC (eiPSC) into a keratinocyte lineage should provide opportunities for the advancement of veterinary regenerative medicine. Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient method fo...
Collas C, Dumont B, Delagarde R, Martin-Rosset W, Fleurance G.Little is known about how to manage grazing horses, including the thresholds under which energy supplementation is required. Here we investigated the effects of daily herbage allowance (DHA) and energy supplementation (ES) on daily herbage intake in lactating mares of light breeds grazing high-quality regrowth during summer. Three contrasting DHA, low (LOW), medium (MED), and high (HIGH), that is, 35.0, 52.5, and 70.0 g DM∙kg BW(-1)∙d(-1), respectively, were obtained by adjusting pasture strip width. Eighteen Anglo-Arab and French Saddle lactating mares were either supplemented with 2.6 kg...
Emmerich IU.In 2014, no new active pharmaceutical ingredients were released on the German market for horses and food producing animals. One established veterinary active pharmaceutical ingredient is avaibable for an additional species. The analgetic buprenorphine (Buprenodale® Multidose) has additionally been authorized for horses. Furthermore, four new preparations with a new pharmaceutical form, one drug with a new formulation, new galenics and a new indication, respectively, have recently been released to the market. Furthermore, the prostaglandin F2α analoque luprostiol is available again.
Gracia-Calvo LA, Martín-Cuervo M, Jiménez J, Vieítez V, Argüelles D, Durán ME, Ezquerra J.To develop an experimental standing hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy (HALS) technique, report the associated peri-operative complications and document the short-term surgical outcomes. Results: Five healthy 300-470 kg horses that underwent standing HALS. Spleens of different weights (2.25-7.0 kg) were removed using this technique. The main complication during surgery was difficulty sectioning the gastrosplenic ligament. The postoperative complications included adhesions of the colon to the nephrosplenic ligament stump and incisional discharge in two horses. Conclusions: Standing HALS...
Chinkangsadarn T, Wilson GJ, Greer RM, Pollitt CC, Bird PS.A cadaver study to estimate the prevalence of dental disorders in horses presented at an abattoir in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Cadaver heads at a Queensland abattoir were examined for the presence of dental abnormalities and categorised into age groups. The prevalence of abnormalities was analysed by binomial observation of observed proportion, Pearson's Chi-square test or Fisher's exact correlation test. Strength of association was evaluated using Cramer's V test. Results: Heads from horses (n=400) estimated to be between 1 and 30 years of age were placed into four age groups. The most ...
McLeland S.Uncommon diseases of the equine urinary system span a variety of etiologies and frequently have nonspecific clinical presentations. Because of the infrequency of equine urinary disease and inconsistencies in clinical symptoms, diagnosis and subsequent treatment of urinary disease in this species may be challenging. This article reviews various diseases of the equine urinary system, morphologies, and potential discriminating clinical and clinicopathologic presentations to aid the clinician in determining a definitive diagnosis in practice.
Frank C, Madden DJ, Duncan C.Being able to conduct an equine field necropsy in a safe and proficient manner is a helpful skill for the equine practitioner. Use of a systematic process enables the practitioner to develop a familiarity with normal anatomic positioning and tissue appearance such that abnormalities are quickly identified. This article outlines a systematic necropsy protocol that can be used to investigate mortality events and clinical questions.
Velie BD, Hamilton NA, Wade CM.Many attempts have been made to improve the well-being of racing Thoroughbreds through improvements in management and veterinary care. However, these attempts are often limited by the industry's ability to regulate a large number of environmental variables and as a result have arguably had limited success in providing long-lasting change for the breed. Objective: To identify heritable durability traits for Thoroughbred horses racing in Australia and Hong Kong. Methods: Heritability analysis of a longitudinal dataset. Methods: Performance data on the Thoroughbred populations racing in Australia...
Hinchcliff KW, Couetil LL, Knight PK, Morley PS, Robinson NE, Sweeney CR, van Erck E.Published studies of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), when assessed individually, often provide equivocal or conflicting results. Systematic reviews aggregate evidence from individual studies to provide a global assessment of the quality of evidence and to inform recommendations. Objective: Evaluate evidence to determine: if EIPH adversely affects the health, welfare or both of horses; if EIPH affects the athletic capacity of horses; the efficacy of prophylactic interventions for EIPH; and if furosemide affects the athletic capacity of horses. Methods: None. Methods: Systematic re...
Jordana M, Martens A, Duchateau L, Haspeslagh M, Vanderperren K, Oosterlinck M, Pille F.Controversy exists about the specificity of diagnostic analgesia of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) in horses. Objective: To evaluate the degree of diffusion of mepivacaine from the equine DFTS to adjacent synovial structures. Methods: Crossover experiment. Methods: Under general anaesthesia, the DFTS of one front and one hindlimb of 8 horses were injected simultaneously with mepivacaine. Synovial fluid samples of the injected DFTS, the adjacent metacarpo-/metatarsophalangeal (MCP/MTP) joint, proximal interphalangeal joint, distal interphalangeal joint, navicular bursa and contralatera...
Tearney CC, Guedes AG, Brosnan RJ.Accurate blood pressure measurement is essential for effective clinical assessment and appropriate interventions in anaesthetised horses. Information on the accuracy of oscillometry for blood pressure measurement on the appendages of mature horses is limited. Objective: To assess equivalence between invasive and oscillometric blood pressures at different anatomic locations in horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study using 6 healthy mature horses. Methods: Blood pressure was measured invasively in the right transverse facial artery and noninvasively by oscillometry in nondependent limbs ...
May CE, Guthrie AJ, Keys B, Joone C, Monyai M, Schulman ML.The response to the first outbreak of contagious equine metritis in South Africa included pioneering a web-based platform to coordinate key aspects of a national, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based stallion screening programme to determine the distribution and prevalence of Taylorella equigenitalis in stallions and exposed mares. Objective: To define the hypothesised pre-existing status of T. equigenitalis in the South African equine population and progression of the epidemiological investigation via the implementation of a molecular diagnostic-based surveillance programme. Metho...
Johnson J, Messier S, Meulyzer M, Vinardell T, Marcoux M, David F.To compare bacterial colonization after diluted iodine tincture or povidone iodine solution for presurgical disinfection of the equine peripodal region. Methods: Complete block design. Methods: Five horses. Methods: Disinfection protocols using iodine tincture or povidone iodine solutions were tested on 5 pairs (n = 10) equine front feet. Iodine tincture was applied to the left feet and povidone iodine to the right feet. Fixed surfaces of the sole, frog, hoof wall, and peripodal skin were swabbed pre-preparation (T0), after a standard pre-disinfection step (T1), after short disinfection wi...
Whay HR, Dikshit AK, Hockenhull J, Parker RM, Banerjee A, Hughes SI, Pritchard JC, Reix CE.Previous studies have found the prevalence of lameness in working horses to be 90-100%. Risk factors for lameness in this important equine population, together with risk-reduction strategies adopted by their owners, are poorly understood. The objective was to uncover risk factors for lameness and limb abnormalities in working horses, by associating clinical lameness examination findings on three occasions over two years with owner reported changes in equine management and work practices over this period. Results: Twenty-one communities of horse owners in Jaipur, India, took part in a participa...
Taylor PM, Crosignani N, Lopes C, Rosa AC, Luna SP, Puoli Filho JN.To examine the relationship between probe tip size and force readings of mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MTs) to identify appropriate probes for horses. Methods: Randomized, crossover study. Methods: Eight adult, mixed-breed horses aged 5-10 years, weighing 268-460 kg. Methods: Four probe configurations (PCs) were used in random sequence: 1.0 mm diameter (SHARP); 3.2 mm (BLUNT); spring-mounted 1.0 mm (SPRING), and 3 × 2.5 mm (3PIN). A remote-controlled unit on the horse increased force (1.2 N second(-1)) in a pneumatic actuator on the metacarpus. Mean MT for each PC was calculated from 10 ...
Gomes RG, Lisboa LA, Silva CB, Max MC, Marino PC, Oliveira RL, González SM, Barreiros TR, Marinho LS, Seneda MM.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of ascorbic acid (25, 50, and 100 μg/mL) in supplemented minimum essential medium (MEM+) on the development of equine preantral follicles that were cultured in vitro for 2 or 6 days. The contralateral ovaries (n = 5) from five mares in seasonal anestrus were collected from a local abattoir. Nine ovarian tissue fragments of approximately 5 × 5 × 1 mm were obtained from each animal. One fragment was immediately fixed and subjected to histologic analysis (control group; Day 0), and the other eight were placed in PBS ...
Campbell ML.Embryo transfer (ET) is an accepted and successful technique for obtaining foals from mares without interrupting their competition careers. Recent research, however, suggests that the potential of factors including heat, exercise, repeated embryo flushing and repeated manipulation of the reproductive cycle using exogenous hormones to have a negative impact on fertility may have been underestimated. This paper reviews the evidence base for involvement of these factors in repeated failures to recover embryos from nongeriatric competition mares without obvious clinical or pathological indications...
Boesch JM.This article discusses anesthesia for horses with colic from acute gastrointestinal disease. Emphasis is placed on new developments in pre-, intra-, and immediate postoperative management over the last decade, including early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) in the resuscitation of septic patients, the controversy over the optimal fluid type to administer, and the management of complications, such as cardiovascular depression, hypoventilation and hypoxemia, and decreased colloid oncotic pressure (COP). An update on analgesia is also provided; older drugs such as ketamine and lidocaine are increasi...
Morris DD, Moore JN, Fischer K, Tarleton RL.A study was performed to determine whether equine macrophages produce tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity in vitro in response to endotoxin and to study the effects of endotoxin concentration and incubation time on the amount of TNF produced. Equine peritoneal macrophages were isolated and cultured in vitro for 2, 6, 12, or 24 hr in tissue culture media containing 1) no additive (nonstimulated control), 2) endotoxin (0.5 ng/ml, 5 ng/ml, or 5 micrograms/ml), or 3) the calcium ionophore A23187 (0.95 microM). The supernatant media concentrations of TNF activity were determined by an in vitro cyt...
Nagy A, Dyson SJ, Murray JK.Several studies have shown that a considerable proportion of horses are eliminated from endurance rides due to lameness and metabolic problems. Limited information is available on specific veterinary issues in endurance horses and there are no descriptive data on veterinary problems in a large population of endurance horses. The aim of this study was to describe veterinary problems occurring in endurance horses in England and Wales, the regions of the United Kingdom where endurance rides are organised and regulated by Endurance Great Britain (Endurance GB). A comprehensive online self-complete...
McAnulty JF, Stone WC, Darien BJ.The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ischemia and reperfusion on the biochemical integrity of equine colonic mucosa to assess the relative roles of ischemic- and reperfusion-induced damage. Methods: Two hours of no-flow ischemia experimentally induced by 720 degrees counterclockwise ascending colon volvulus followed by 2 hours reperfusion after derotation. Methods: Ten ponies. Methods: Ascending colon biopsies were obtained every hour for measurement of mucosal adenosine triphosphate (ATP), water, sodium, and potassium content. Additional samples were homogenized for assay o...
Boffi FM, Cittar J, Balskus G, Muriel M, Desmaras E.Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a genetically controlled response of cells to commit suicide and is associated with DNA fragmentation or laddering. The common inducers of apoptosis include Ca2+i and oxygen free radicals/oxidative stress, which are also implicated in the pathogenesis of exercise-induced myopathies. To examine training-induced apoptosis, Thoroughbred horses were subjected to 3 months training programme on a treadmill. At the end of the training programme venous blood samples were taken for a creatine kinase (CK) assay. In addition, muscle biopsy samples were obtained for a...
Whitwell KE, Jeffcott LB.Of 211 consecutive thoroughbred foalings, 145 satisfied a set of criteria for normal parturition and foal viability. The fetal membranes from these and from 10 pony foalings have been systematically examined morphologically and quantitatively and the findings compared to those of other authors. Five sites on the allantochorion were consistently devoid of villi. Expulsion usually occurred with the non-villous side outermost. In 24 per cent of allantochorions the non-pregant horn was of equal length or longer than the pregnant horn. These placentae tended to be shed with the villous side outermo...
Littlejohn A, Walker EM.The sex, coat colour, age, province and month of occurrence of every case of babesiosis was recorded in a horse population of 5856 in South Africa and Rhodesia. A total of 115 cases were recorded during the period 1973-01-01 to 1973-12-31. Chisquared tests were used to evaluate the significance of frequencies. Significant biases in the distribution of cases of babesiosis were found with regard to season (P < 0,05), sex (P < 0,001) and coat colour (P < 0.01).
Zhu L, Zeng C, Yang S, Hou Z, Wang Y, Hu X, Senoo K, Wei W.The nutrition and flavor of cheese are generated by the microbial community. Thus, horse milk cheese with unique nutrition and flavor, an increasingly popular local cheese of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, is considered to have diverse and specific bacterial community. To verify this hypothesis, horse, cow, and goat milk cheese samples produced under the same environmental conditions and manufacturing process were collected, and the 16S rRNA gene was targeted to determine the bacterial population size and community composition by real-time quantitative PCR and high-throughput s...
Korosue K, Murase H, Sato F, Ishimaru M, Endo Y, Nambo Y.The purpose of this study was to observe the changes in body temperature before parturition using a wireless temperature monitoring device (WTMD) and to evaluate the usefulness of body temperature measurements using a digital rectal thermometer (DRT) and a microchip transponder thermometry device (MTTD) for predicting parturition in mares. The body temperatures using a WTMD at 0 hr and -1 hr were significantly different from those at the same time on Days 1-5 (P<0.01). The temperature differences between the morning of Day 0 and at -3 hr, -2 hr, -1 hr and 0 hr using the DRT and MTTD showed ...
Valverde A, Rickey E, Sinclair M, Rioja E, Pedernera J, Hathway A, Cruz A.The effects of lidocaine combined with medetomidine or lidocaine alone on cardiovascular function during anaesthesia and their effects on recovery have not been thoroughly investigated in isoflurane-anaesthetised horses. Objective: To determine the effects of an intraoperative i.v. constant rate infusion of lidocaine combined with medetomidine (Group 1) or lidocaine (Group 2) alone on cardiovascular function and on the quality of recovery in 12 isoflurane-anaesthetised horses undergoing arthroscopy. Objective: The combination would depress cardiovascular function but improve the quality of rec...
Lechartier A, Rossignol F, Brandenberger O, Vitte A, Mespoulhès-Rivière C, Rossignol A, Boening KJ.To compare mechanical properties of 2 techniques with a conventional technique for anchoring the muscular process in a laryngoplasty procedure. Methods: Experimental ex vivo study. Methods: Equine larynges (n = 60). Methods: A single loop (SL), a screw (SC), and a double loop technique (DL) were compared. Constructs were subjected to cyclic loading, oscillating from 5 to 50 N for 3000 cycles, followed by a single cycle to failure test. Mean distraction, load at failure, stiffness, and failure mode were compared between groups. Results: Mean ± SD distraction in cyclic loading was greater for D...
Endo Y, Tsuchiya T, Omura T, Nakai K, Korosue K, Ishimaru M, Ishikawa Y, Hobo S.The present study evaluated the effects of single-dose marbofloxacin in protecting horses against fever associated with transportation using 48 healthy Thoroughbreds. All horses were premedicated with interferon-α (0.5 U/kg, sublingually, every 24 hr) for 2 days before transportation and on the day of transportation. Horses were randomly assigned to receive marbofloxacin (2 mg/kg, IV, once; MRFX group), enrofloxacin (5 mg/kg, IV, once; ERFX group) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (10 ml, IV, once; control group) ≤1 hr before being transportation. Each group contained 16 horses (8 males, 8 fem...
Souto PC, Fonseca LAD, Orozco AMO, Lopez CJR, Ermita PAN, Carvalho Filho WP, Girardi FM.The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the serum proteinogram, identifying and quantifying the acute-phase proteins (APPs) of healthy horses and those naturally affected by colic syndrome. Blood samples were collected from 9 healthy horses and 17 horses with clinical (G1) or surgical (G2) colic at the time of arrival at the veterinary hospital (M0) and 24 (M1), 48 (M2), and 72 (M3) hours after the initiation of treatment. The APPs were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and their concentrations were determined by computerized densitometry. Protein identi...
Gerstner K, Liesegang A.Free faecal water (fluid excreted separate from normal faeces) is a common problem of unknown origin in horses. Multifactorial causes are assumed. This study assessed the effect of a commercial product (EMP) sold to help support intestinal health of horses, particularly regarding the occurrence of free faecal water. The hypothesis was that water-binding capacity and microbial activity are improved in the large intestine of horses fed EMP. EMP contained montmorillonite-bentonite, whey and extracts from hop and absinthium. Eight adult and healthy horses kept on the same diet and bedding were add...
Rettig MJ, Leelamankong P, Rungsri P, Lischer CJ.Diagnostic analgesia is an integral part of equine lameness examinations, but is challenging to perform in uncooperative horses. Using sedation to facilitate this might, because of analgesic and ataxia-inducing effects, interfere with lameness evaluation. Objective: To evaluate whether sedation with low-dose xylazine would alter lameness amplitude as measured by body-mounted inertial sensors. Methods: Controlled experiment. Methods: Forty-four horses were randomly split into 2 groups. Lameness was measured using body-mounted inertial sensors before and after injection of xylazine (0.3 mg/kg b...
Tozaki T, Kusano K, Ishikawa Y, Kushiro A, Nomura M, Kikuchi M, Kakoi H, Hirota K, Miyake T, Hill EW, Nagata S.Fractures are medical conditions that compromise the athletic potential of horses and/or the safety of jockeys. Therefore, the reduction of fracture risk is an important horse and human welfare issue. The present study used molecular genetic approaches to determine the effect of genetic risk for fracture at four candidate SNPs spanning the myostatin (MSTN) gene on horse chromosome 18. Among the 3706 Japanese Thoroughbred racehorses, 1089 (29.4%) had experienced fractures in their athletic life, indicating the common occurrence of this injury in Thoroughbreds. In the case/control association st...
Abu-Kishk I, Klin B, Gilady-Doron N, Jeroukhimov I, Eshel G.Horse riding and horse handling are dangerous. There is a lack of knowledge concerning the incidence of hospitalization due to horse-related injuries and types of injuries in Israel. During the last two decades we have observed an increasing incidence of hospitalizations due to horse-related injuries at our medical center as well as the frequent involvement of pediatric patients. Objective: To investigate these injuries with respect to type, incidence and modes of prevention. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of medical records for all patients admitted to Assaf Harofeh Medical Cente...
Lacitignola L, Imperante A, De Siena R, Acquafredda C, Trisciuzzi R, Stabile M, Confalonieri E, Crovace AM, Staffieri F.Cryptorchidectomy is the most commonly performed laparoscopic procedure in horses. However, its use for the extraction of an abdominal testis has disadvantages such as loss of a resected testis from grasp and fragmentation of the specimen because of the excessive tension required for extraction through a thick body wall. The ring wound retractor laparoscopic port system was recently used in human and small animal surgery to perform laparoscopic-assisted procedures and retrieve large specimens from the abdomen. In the present case, the wound retractor was placed as the ventral port in the right...
Watts AE, Nixon AJ.To (1) describe a caudal approach to equine medial and lateral femorotibial (FT) joints and (2) illustrate the complex anatomic detail of the caudal compartments of the lateral FT joint. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Cadaveric equine hindlimbs (n = 36; 26 horses) and 6 horses (11 hind limbs). Methods: Stifles (n = 8) were dissected and 10 FT joints were injected with silicone. Arthroscopic exploration (n = 29) was performed, followed by dissection to determine sites and structures penetrated during entry. Results: A more caudal approach to the caudal pouch of the medial FT ...
Sánchez-Matamoros A, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM, Rodríguez-Prieto V, Iglesias E, Martínez-López B.African horse sickness (AHS) is one of the most important vector-borne viral infectious diseases of equines, transmitted mainly by Culicoides spp. The re-emergence of Culicoides-borne diseases in Europe, such as the recent bluetongue (BT) or Schmallenberg outbreaks, has raised concern about the potential re-introduction and further spread of AHS virus (AHSV) in Europe. Spain has one of the largest European equine populations. In addition, its geographical, environmental and entomological conditions favour AHSV infections, as shown by the historical outbreaks in the 1990s. The establishment of ...
Hayes HM.Data from 16 North American veterinary university teaching facilities, 5009 cryptorchid horses, were analysed using relative risk methodology. In five breeds (Thoroughbred, Standardbred, Morgan, Tennessee Walking horse and Arabian), cryptorchism was diagnosed significantly (P less than 0.05) less frequently than expected by their representation in the hospital population. Three breeds, (Percheron, American Saddle horse and American Quarterhorse), plus ponies (as a group) and crossbred horses were significantly over-represented within the series. The over-representation of Quarter-horses was ev...
Bohórquez A, Meana A, Pato NF, Luzón M.Current copro-diagnostic tests for Anoplocephala perfoliata show high variation in their sensitivity and given the morphological similarity of Anoplocephala spp. eggs, this could be related to the presence of Anoplocephala magna alone or co-existing with A. perfoliata. In the present study, coprology was significantly more sensitive (p<0.01) at detecting A. magna than A. perfoliata. This difference was independent of the parasite burden and was greater when testing was limited to horses with mature or gravid tapeworms. A. magna infection was strongly linked to young horses (≤ 2 years). The e...
Keen B, Cawley A, Reedy B, Fu S.Metabolomics is a multidisciplinary field providing workflows for complementary approaches to conventional analytical determinations. It allows for the study of metabolically related groups of compounds or even the study of novel pathways within the biological system. The procedural stages of metabolomics; experimental design, sample preparation, analytical determinations, data processing and statistical analysis, compound identification and validation strategies are explored in this review. The selected approach will depend on the type of study being conducted. Experimental design influences ...
Portier KG, Séna A, Senior M, Clutton RE.To examine the association between objective and subjective descriptors used for assessing recovery quality in horses after anaesthesia. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: Two hundred and seventy-six equids (110 mares, 85 entire males and 81 geldings), ASA 1-5, weighing 50-850 kg and aged 1 month - 25 years. Methods: Recoveries after general anaesthesia were assisted with head and tail ropes by two anaesthetists. One scored dichotomous objective descriptors (DOD) of recovery. Two dichotomous objective scales (DOS) were then generated from those descriptors. The same individual also ...
Parks AH, Doran RE, White NA, Allen D, Baxter GM.Records of 75 horses with ileal impactions were examined retrospectively. There was a sex predilection towards mares. Arabians were over-represented compared to the hospital population. The average age was 8.3 years. Abdominal pain was observed in 96% of horses. Nasogastric reflux was present in 56% of horses, small intestinal distention was found on rectal palpation in 96% and an ileal impaction in 25%. Exploratory celiotomy was performed in 69 horses, the mass was reduced by extramural massage in 67 horses, and ingesta was removed via enterotomy in 2. Jejunocecostomies were performed in 47 h...
McGorum BC, Pirie RS.Equine dysautonomia (ED; also known as equine grass sickness) is a neurological disease of unknown cause, which primarily affects grazing adult horses. The clinical signs reflect degeneration of specific neuronal populations, predominantly within the autonomic and enteric nervous systems, with disease severity and prognosis determined by the extent of neuronal loss. This review is primarily focused on the major clinical decision-making processes in relation to ED, namely, (1) clinical diagnosis, (2) selection of appropriate ancillary diagnostic tests, (3) obtaining diagnostic confirmation, (4)...
Aleman M, Spriet M, Williams DC, Nieto JE.Auditory loss is a common deficit in horses with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy (THO), however, recovery of function is unknown. Objective: To investigate neurologic function with emphasis in audition in horses with THO after treatment. To describe anatomical alterations of the petrous temporal bone that might result in auditory loss. Methods: Twenty-four horses with a clinical diagnosis of THO. Methods: Prospective study. A brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) study was done as part of the criteria for inclusion in horses with a clinical diagnosis of THO from the years of 2005 to 2014. Ph...
Divers TJ.Nephrotoxic and hemodynamically mediated disorders are the most common causes of acute renal failure (ARF) in horses and foals. Leptospira spp. is the most common infectious cause of ARF. Initial treatments for ARF include elimination of nephrotoxic drugs, correction of predisposing disorders, and fluid therapy to promote diuresis. Horses and foals with polyuric ARF often have a good prognosis, while those with oliguric or anuric ARF have a guarded to poor prognosis. When fluid therapy is unsuccessful in improving urine production, various drugs treatments have been used in an attempt to incre...
Lin HC, Branson KR, Thurmon JC, Benson GJ, Tranquilli WJ, Olson WA, Vähä-Vahe AT.This study was designed to assess the effects of 5 anesthetic drug combinations in ponies: (1) ketamine 2.75 mg/kg, xylazine 1.0 mg/kg (KX), (2) Telazol 1.65 mg/kg, xylazine 1.0 mg/kg (TX), (3) Telazol 2 mg/kg, detomidine 20 micrograms/kg (TD-20), (4) Telazol 2 mg/kg, detomidine 40 micrograms/kg (TD-40), (5) Telazol 3 mg/kg, detomidine 60 micrograms/kg (TD-60). All drugs were given iv with xylazine or detomidine preceding ketamine or Telazol by 5 min. Heart rate was decreased significantly from 5 min to arousal after TD-20 but only at 60 and 90 min after TD-40 and TD-60 respectively. Respirato...
Beelitz P, Göbel E, Gothe R.In this epidemiological study 37 foals and mares were included, which have been coproscopically examined in regular intervals over a period lasting up to 13 months. The animals derived from nine breeding farms. In three of these farms no anthelmintics were used before this investigation, whereas in six farms at least three years before regular prophylactic treatments with anthelmintics have been carried out. This investigation revealed no differences in the species spectrum of endoparasites as well as in the incidence of infections as regards to the breeding farms with and without anthelmintic...
