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.
Adams SB.A fractured right supraglenoid tubercle in a 15-month-old Thoroughbred gelding was repaired by partial biceps brachii tenotomy, interfragmentary compression, and tension band wiring. The horse is currently being ridden daily and has remained sound for 4 years.
Clément SF.This article discusses the clinical signs, etiology, management, and prognosis for the neonatal foal afflicted with a convulsive or allied syndrome.
Wagner PC, Grant BD, Reed SM.Cervical vertebral malformations are recognized clinically when they result in spinal cord compression causing neurologic deficits. Confirmation of diagnosis is based on radiographic and myelographic evidence of cord compression. Medical therapy is not usually successful. Several successful surgical treatments are described.
Reef VB.Mitral valvular insufficiency associated with ruptured chordae tendineae was diagnosed in 3 foals with signs of congestive heart failure, which were believed to be secondary to the development of pulmonary hypertension associated with the valvular insufficiency. The septal leaflet of the mitral valve was affected in all 3 foals, and foal 2 also had ruptured chordae tendineae associated with the caudal mitral valve leaflet. Bacterial endocarditis and myocardial necrosis were associated with the ruptured chordae tendineae in foals 3 and 2, respectively. Idiopathic rupture was considered in foal ...
MacLachlan NJ.The histologic appearance of the ovaries and persistence of corpora lutea vary considerably among domestic animals, particularly between spontaneous and induced ovulators. The seasonally polyestrous mare has a variety of unique characteristics in ovarian structure and general reproductive function. Among the anomalies of ovarian development is the bovine freemartin with gonads containing a mixture of male and female elements. A variety of ovarian cysts occur in domestic animals, and persistent corpora lutea with associated reproductive perturbations occur in several species. Ovarian tumors are...
Kay PH, Dawkins RL, Bowling AT, Bernoco D.The fourth component of complement (C4) is polymorphic in most species studied, and is encoded by a gene or genes within the MHC. In man and mouse there are two closely linked C4 and steroid 21-hydroxylase (21-OH) genes. Therefore we have used Southern blotting to determine whether equine C4 and 21-OH genes are linked. C4 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was found with the enzymes EcoRI and BamHI. Comparison of the sizes of EcoRI-digested fragments of genomic DNA hybridizing with C4 and 21-OH probes revealed that equine C4 and 21-OH genes are separated by no more than 13 kb. Fur...
Prescott JF.Current understanding of the epidemiology of Rhodococcus equi infection on horse farms is reviewed. Infection is widespread in herbivores and their environment, because herbivore manure supplies the simple organic acid substrates on which the organism thrives. There is a progressive development of infection in the soil on horse farms with prolonged use, because: (1) there is a continual supply of nutrients; (2) the organism multiplies progressively as temperatures rise; (3) the bacterium has a robust nature. While this aerobic organism fails to multiply in the largely anaerobic intestine of th...
Stewart RH, Griffiths JP.In spinal cord disease of horses, a complete history, neurologic examination, and adjunctive diagnostic procedures are very helpful in establishing a tentative diagnosis; however, a definitive diagnosis may be difficult or impossible to establish antemortem. Medical management should be initiated with full consideration of possible etiologies and knowledge of the effects and consequences of medical therapies. This article discusses the drugs commonly used in the management of spinal cord disease and the rationale for their use.
Debey MC, Bailie WE.Horse farms in Kansas were surveyed for the incidence of Rhodococcus equi. Fecal specimens and soil or cobweb samples were collected from each farm and cultured on selective media. One control farm (with no history of R. equi infection), one farm which had an outbreak 3 and 4 years previously and 2 farms which had R. equi-infected foals that season were surveyed. In addition, fecal samples from 21 horses hospitalized in the Kansas State University Veterinary Hospital were cultured. There was no significant difference in the incidence of R. equi in fecal samples from the 2 farms with recent dis...
Hayes TE.The examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is often part of the diagnostic work-up of a patient exhibiting signs of disease involving the central nervous system. Awareness of the capabilities and limitations of these laboratory tests is important in assessing the benefit-to-risk ratio of performing such procedures. Collection of CSF is a relatively simple procedure, and together with a thorough history, physical examination, and other diagnostic tests, may be a valuable aid in arriving at a diagnosis or prognosis.
Yager JA, Duder CK, Prescott JF, Zink MC.Polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMNL) from 8 healthy foals (2-14 weeks of age) and 2 foals with bacterial pneumonia were separated from whole blood using a 2 step Percoll gradient. Purified PMNL were tested for bactericidal function against Rhodococcus equi and Staphylococcus aureus in the presence of normal horse serum. The percentage uptake after a 15-min pre-incubation of PMNL and bacteria was also calculated. Ultrastructural examination of the interaction of R. equi and normal foal PMNL was performed after 15 min incubation. Results indicated that foal PMNL effectively phagocytose...
Caron JP, Fretz PB, Bailey JV, Barber SM, Hurtig MB.Epistaxis, caused by guttural pouch mycosis, was treated by balloon-tipped catheter and ligature occlusion of the involved arteries in 13 horses. In 7 horses, more than one artery was catheterized. Serious postoperative hemorrhage was prevented in all horses. Long-term endoscopic follow-up examination was possible in 8 horses, and all had complete regression of the fungal lesion as early as 5 weeks after surgery. Six of the 8 horses did not receive medical treatment. Problems related to the use of the balloon-tipped catheter technique were rare. There were incisional infections in 3 horses, ca...
Clem MF, DeBowes RM, Leipold HW.A mass originating from the dorsal rectal wall of a 4-year-old mare was diagnosed as a leiomyosarcoma. General anesthesia and meticulous surgical dissection were required to effect removal. In spite of incomplete excision, as indicated by histologic sections, the mass has not recurred in the 18 months since removal.
Rigg DL, Gatlin SJ, Reinertson EL.An intra-abdominal abscess was diagnosed in a 7-year-old mare by palpation per rectum and from abnormal clinicopathologic findings. Initial treatment with procaine penicillin for 21 days was unsuccessful in halting the deterioration of the physical condition of the mare. Surgical exploration of the abdomen revealed a mass in the wall of the left ventral colon. Drainage was achieved by marsupialization. Serratia marcescens was isolated from the abscess. Recovery appeared complete, and the mare has resumed broodmare capability.
Schumacher J, Hanselka DV.Nasopharyngeal cicatrices were observed endoscopically in 47 horses examined because of abnormal respiratory noises and/or exercise intolerance. A review of these cases revealed a correlation between cicatrization and age, sex, and the presence of other upper airway abnormalities. The age of affected horses ranged from 6 to 21 years, with a mean age of 12.7 +/- 7.8 (+/- 2 SD) years. Females were affected 2.7 times more frequently than males. Abnormalities commonly observed with a nasopharyngeal cicatrix included chondritis of the arytenoid cartilage, epiglottic deformity, and deformity of the ...
Morris DD.THERE are indications for therapeutic uses of all portions of
whole blood in large animal patients but plasma and its isolated components have the largest number of immediate
applications. As recently as 10 years ago, whole fresh blood
was the only routinely administered blood product. However,
as even cross-match compatible erythrocytes are removed
from circulation within two to four days by the reticuloendothelial system, whole blood is a poor product for expansion of
vascular volume or supplying plasma components if the
patient has no immediate need for increased oxygen carrying
cap...
Hussein HA, Loose M, Wehrend A.The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of puerperal diseases in breeding mares in the first 10 days after birth by analysing patient data. Methods: In a university clinic patient data of 308 breeding mares with puerperal disorders which presented within the first 10 days postpartum were evaluated over a period of 10 years. A distinction was made between diseases which were able to be diagnosed at the first examination and diseases which developed during the patient's stay in the clinic. Results: A total of 21 diseases were diagnosed, with a retained placenta, lochiometra and injur...
Juul SM.During the period from 1.1. to 31.12.1988, 104 patients with injuries resulting from riding or other forms of direct contact with horses were examined and treated in a casualty department in the County of Vejle. Antecedent data from these patients were collected. The majority of injuries occurred on falling from the horse and involved particularly the upper part of the body. The commonest injuries were bruises which did not require special treatment. The relationships between concussion, fracture of the humerus and fracture of the clavicle and riding were investigated by odds ratio. Much fewer...
Emmerich IU.In 2010, three new active pharmaceutical ingredients were released on the German market for horses and food-producing animals. These were gamithromycin (Zactran®), a new macrolide antibiotic, Monepantel (Zolvix®), a broad spectrum anthelmintic with a novel mechanism, and Pergolide (Prascend®), the first dopamine receptor agonist for animals. Two substances have been approved for additional species. The tetracycline antibiotic doxycycline is now also authorized for turkeys and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug firocoxib from the group of cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors is now avai...
Bernard W, Reef VB, Clark ES, Vaala W, Ehnen SJ.Records of 6 horses with pericarditis were reviewed. Septic pericarditis was suspected in all horses, based on historic and clinical findings. In horses 1, 2, and 4, cytologic examination of the pericardial effusion revealed acute inflammation with severe neutrophil degeneration. In horses 3 and 5, cytologic examination of pericardial fluid revealed subacute inflammation with degenerated neutrophils, and in horse 6, chronic active inflammation, with well preserved neutrophils. In horses 1 and 3, bacteria were identified on cytologic examination of pericardial fluid. Results of microbiologic cu...