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Topic:Veterinary Care
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.
Consolidating pneumonia and pneumothorax in a horse. A 3-year-old Thoroughbred mare with signs of acute abdominal pain and chronic pneumonia was found to have pneumothorax. A single application of suction was successful in resolving the pneumothorax. The underlying pneumonia was treated with long-term antibiotic administration selected on the basis of results of bacteriologic culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of a transtracheal aspirate. The pneumonia resolved, and the mare returned to competition as a show hunter.
Generalised steatitis in an adult pony mare. Equine steatitis is a rare condition which is usually reported in foals. A case of generalised steatitis in an adult pony mare is described and compared with steatitis in other species. It is concluded that the condition resembled that recorded in foals but that its aetiopathogenesis remains obscure.
Immunoassay detection of drugs in racing horses. IV. Detection of fentanyl and its congeners in equine blood and urine by a one step ELISA assay. We have developed and evaluated a one step enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for fentanyl as part of a panel of pre- and post-race tests for narcotic analgesics in racing horses. This ELISA test detects fentanyl with an I-50 of about 100 pg/ml. The test is economical in that it can be read with an inexpensive spectrophotometer, or even by eye. The test is rapid, and ten samples, a normal pre-race complement, can be analyzed in about twenty minutes. The test readily detects the presence of fentanyl or its metabolites in equine blood and urine from two and twenty-four hours respecti...
Recognition and management of disseminated intravascular coagulation in horses. This article reviews normal hemostasis in order to provide the reader with the basis for understanding the pathogenesis and manifestations (both clinical and laboratory) of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in horses. DIC is subsequently discussed. The diagnosis and treatment of DIC in horses are also described.
Intensive care of the patient after abdominal surgery. After surgical correction of the underlying abdominal disorder, careful postoperative care is the most important factor resulting in increased survival rates. Intensive care of the postoperative patient can be done practically and economically.
Alternative diagnoses in the colic patient. Despite clinical signs compatible with obstruction or ischemia of the gastrointestinal tract, the clinician occasionally is unable to identify a gastrointestinal cause for colic. In this article, disorders not originating from obstruction or ischemia of the gastrointestinal tract but causing real or apparent abdominal pain are presented as alternative causes of colic. In addition, colic of gastrointestinal origin may be the primary inciting factor or a secondary complication of an alternative disorder, causing colic-like signs. Recognition of alternative diagnoses relies on a thorough and cons...
Anesthetic considerations for emergency equine abdominal surgery. The physiologic changes that take place in horses presented for emergency abdominal surgery and the effects of these changes on the horse's anesthetic management are discussed.
Initial treatment of colic. This article discusses some of the rationales for the medical management of colic during the initial treatment period. The issue of colic pain control and the masking of clinical signs that may indicate severe gastrointestinal disease is addressed. Therapeutic considerations related to dehydration, metabolic imbalances, hemostatic disorders, antimicrobial therapy, fecal consistency, gastrointestinal decompression, and regulation of intestinal motility are reviewed.
High-frequency jet ventilation in a neonatal foal. High-frequency jet ventilation was performed on a premature foal for respiratory difficulty attributable to in utero-acquired pneumonia. The procedure involves delivery of compressed gas through a small-bore cannula at frequencies up to 400 cycles/min. Ventilation settings of drive pressure, frequency, and FIO2 were varied to optimize PaO2 and PaCO2 values. The foal was ventilated with this equipment for 14 hours. Evidence of a favorable response to this method of ventilation was observed in the form of improvement in arterial blood gas values as well as the foal's attitude and degree of respi...
Decision for surgery. Based on the clinical impression and the current knowledge of the clinical variables (rectal examination, abdominal distention, abdominal fluid, intractable pain) most likely to differentiate between medical and surgical cases, three decision trees are provided as a guide to making the management decision in a horse with abdominal pain. Prior elimination of horses with limited life expectancy because of age or function or where financial constraints are present is understood. It must be emphasized that most of the information presently available originates from referral centers where the preva...
Prevention and management of peritonitis in horses. Peritonitis and adhesions in the horse are best managed through prevention. Perioperative antimicrobial therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy, experienced personnel, and good surgical techniques should minimize complications after surgery. Despite preventative measures, some horses still develop peritonitis after surgery. Immediate, intensive treatment is necessary to enhance their chances for survival.
Subclinical lumbar polyradiculopathy in multiple aged mammalian species. Lumbar polyradiculopathy, characterized by ballooning myelin sheaths was diagnosed in multiple aged mammalian species including two horses, a cow, a squirrel, a woodchuck, a rabbit, a guinea pig, a hamster, and a mouse. The lesion was subclinical, and considered an incidental, age-related finding.
Horse pill (“bute”) hemorrhage. Phenylbutazone (PBZ) is a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) that is not commonly prescribed due to the high incidence of serious adverse reactions. However, it is still used extensively in equine medicine, and is readily available to those employed in the care and management of horses. Such persons may take the drug indiscriminately, without medical supervision. We present a 33-year-old male race horse track worker who took phenylbutazone horse pills for a chronic toothache and subsequently suffered a major hemorrhage from a gastric ulcer. Human use of phenylbutazone horse pills shoul...
Permanent tracheostomy in Equidae: 47 cases (1981-1986). Between 1981 and 1986, permanent tracheostomy was performed in 46 ponies and 1 adult Quarter Horse. Tracheostomies of 19 ponies and the horse were examined in June 1986 and evaluated for vertical length of stomal orifice (mean = 25.0 +/- 4.7 mm in the ponies and 55 mm in the horse), degree of tracheal obstruction (0/20), regrowth and apposition of epidermis (3/20), and whether or not stomal airflow occurred with nasal occlusion (20/20). In addition, the animals were evaluated to determine whether dyspnea developed during exercise. Records of 27 ponies were evaluated. Six of the 27 were not dys...
The site of focal osteomyelitis lesions in foals. The long bone ends of foals with infectious disease were sawn into sagittal slabs, washed and inspected. Tissue suspected to be abnormal on the basis of change of colour and consistency was radiographed, and then decalcified and examined histologically. The exact site of 140 focal osteomyelitis lesions from 18 foals was determined. There were more lesions in the epiphysis than the metaphysis. Epiphyseal lesions were in specific sites within a given epiphysis, and in most epiphyses the lesions were at the site of thickest cartilage. Metaphyseal lesions in the metacarpal, metatarsal and distal r...
Incarceration of the small intestine by the epiploic foramen in fifteen horses. In 15 horses with acute abdominal disease, a diagnosis of incarceration of small intestine through the epiploic foramen was made, either at the time of exploratory celiotomy or at necropsy.The horses exhibited signs of moderate to severe abdominal pain and were suffering from hypovolaemic and/or endotoxic shock. Nasogastric intubation produced either gas or fluid, the pH of which was in the range of 5 to 7.2, indicating reflux of small intestinal content into the stomach. Consistent physical findings included absence of gut sounds on auscultation, dilated small intestine palpable on rectal exa...
Intra-osseous pressure of the equine third metatarsal bone. Intra-osseous pressure was measured in the third metatarsal bone of 8 pony foals at the age of 1, 3, 6 and 26 weeks of age, and on one occasion in the third metatarsal bone of 5 ponies aged 1-5 years; the animals were under general anesthesia and in lateral recumbency. Saphenous venous pressure and lateral superficial plantar metatarsal arterial pressure were also monitored throughout the procedure. There were no statistically significant changes in the epiphyseal, diaphyseal, venous or arterial pressures with increasing age of the foals. There was no statistically significant difference betwe...
Examination of the horse with colic. The purpose of this detailed description of the clinical examination of the colic patient is to arrive at a specific diagnosis. However, this is hardly ever possible, but the practitioner should be in the position to establish the suspicion of an intestinal obstruction or to rule out its presence during the course of the development. Single clinical findings should not be interpreted in isolation but in relation to one another, so that a false diagnosis is not made. All clinical findings should be documented, so that when repeated examinations are carried out, findings can be compared with one...
Megacolon with myenteric hypoganglionosis in a foal. A 6-month-old Clydesdale filly had chronic abdominal distention and intermittent febrile episodes. Abdominal surgery revealed impaction of the right dorsal colon, which was relieved by evacuation of contents through an enterotomy. Four days after surgery, abdominal distention recurred and progressed. The filly was euthanatized. Necropsy revealed the right dorsal colon to be markedly distended with digesta. Microscopically, there was a marked reduction in myenteric ganglion cells in the right dorsal colon and cecum and mild to moderate reduction of myenteric ganglion cells in the left ventral a...
Recognition and management of ileus. Ileus may occur in horses of all ages secondarily to drug administration, colic, exhaustion, peritonitis, or metabolic disorders. Ileus most commonly occurs following abdominal surgery for colic and is a significant cause of postoperative mortality in these horses. The most common clinical signs of ileus are decreased or absent intestinal sounds and gastric reflux. Ileus is treated by eliminating the initiating causes, correcting metabolic imbalances, decompressing distended bowel, providing analgesia, stimulating motility with drugs, and regulating exercise and feed and water intake.
Effect of butorphanol, pentazocine, meperidine, or metoclopramide on intestinal motility in female ponies. Effect of butorphanol, pentazocine, meperidine, and metoclopramide on jejunal and pelvic flexure myoelectric and mechanical activity in 4 female ponies was investigated. The agent to be tested or saline solution was administered IV at the start of a 6-hour recording trial. In the jejunum, duration between activity fronts of regular spiking activity, defined as the length of the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC), was measured. The average duration of the MMC during control trials was 150 +/- 46 minutes. The average duration of the MMC after meperidine, butorphanol, pentazocine, and metoclopra...
