Veterinary practice in relation to horses encompasses the medical care, management, and treatment of equine species. This field involves various aspects of equine health, including preventive care, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, surgical interventions, and emergency care. Equine veterinarians employ a range of diagnostic tools and techniques such as physical examinations, imaging, and laboratory tests to assess and monitor horse health. In addition to addressing physical ailments, veterinary practice also includes nutritional management, reproductive health, and performance-related issues. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, advancements, and outcomes in veterinary practices specific to equine health.
Varegg MS, Kløverød KM, Austnes MK, Siwinska N, Slowikowska M, Zak A, Niedzwiedz A.Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a method for the recovery of respiratory secretion from the lower airways. Objective: To investigate if the administration of a single dose of a bronchodilatator in horses with a suspected or confirmed severe equine asthma could improve recovery of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Methods: Twenty-eight horses with severe equine asthma. Methods: Horses were divided into 2 groups: group "treated" was given salbutamol before endoscopic examination and BALF collection, whereas group "not treated" was not given. BAL was performed with BAL-catheter by instilling 3...
Müntener C, Kupper J, Naegeli H, Gassner B.A total of 306 reports of adverse reactions to veterinary medicinal products were received during the year 2017 representing an increase of 21% compared to the previous year. The majority of these reports described reactions concerning companion animals (180 dogs and 59 cats) as well as cattle (38 reports) and horses (14 reports). Most of the reported reactions were linked to the use of antiparasitics (158 reports), hormone products (30 reports) and anti-inflammatory products (25 reports). 40 reports were generated from consultations with Tox Info Suisse in Zürich and mainly involved the ex...
Elghoul N, Jalal Y, Bouya A, Zine A, Jaafar A.Almost 2% of all emergency admissions involve an animal bite. While horses bite humans very rarely, their bites are mostly associated with fatalities. Herein, we report the case of a 23-year old bitten by a domestic horse causing a crush injury to his fourth finger with fracture dislocation of the proximal interphalangeal joint. The patient benefited upon arrival at the emergency department from copious irrigation with saline serum, tetanus toxoid, postexposure rabies vaccination, and prophylactic antibiotic therapy. In the operating room, surgical exploration found the ulnar digital pedicle s...
Springer S, Jenner F, Tichy A, Grimm H.Euthanasia of companion animals is a challenging responsibility in the veterinary profession since veterinarians have to consider not only medical, but also legal, economic, emotional, social, and ethical factors in decision-making. To this end; an anonymous questionnaire-based survey of Austrian equine veterinarians examines the attitudes to the euthanasia of equine patients in a range of scenarios; to identify factors which may influence decisions on the ending of a horse's life. This paper describes the distributions of demographic and attitude variables. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to t...
Kim T, Lee J, Oh S, Kim S, Yoon B.A simulated horseback riding (SHR) exercise is effective for improvement of pain and functional disability, but its comparative effectiveness with the other is unknown. Objective: The authors aimed to demonstrate the effect of a SHR exercise in people with chronic low back pain. Methods: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: Community and university campus. Methods: A total of 48 participants with chronic low back pain were divided into 2 groups, and SHR exercises (n = 24) or stabilization (STB) exercises (n = 24) were performed. Methods: The exercises were performed for 30 minutes, 2 days p...
Boone L, Schumacher J, DeGraves F, Cole R.The objective of this study was to determine if buffering mepivacaine HCL (mepHCl) with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) would significantly decrease the time to onset of analgesia when performing median and ulnar nerve blocks in naturally lame horses. Median and ulnar nerve blocks were performed on the naturally lame limb of nine horses during two separate study periods, with a minimum washout period of three days between study periods. Nerve blocks were performed by administering mepHCl alone or mepHCl mixed with NaHCO3 (nine parts 2 per cent mepHCl to one part 8.4 per cent NaHCO3). Lameness was ...
Smith LCR, Wylie CE, Palmer L, Ramzan PHL.There are few observational studies regarding the potentially serious complication of synovial sepsis following intrasynovial medication in general equine practice. Quantification of risk is fundamental to fully inform decision-making and owner consent prior to undertaking procedures. Objective: To describe the occurrence of synovial sepsis following intrasynovial injections in a large ambulatory equine practice between 2006-2011. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Medication records were cross-referenced against synovial cytology submissions and hospital admissions for synovial sep...
Pan Z, Granger DA, Guérin NA, Shoffner A, Gabriels RL.We aimed to determine whether results of our prior randomized control trial [RCT; NCT02301195, (1)] of Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be at a different riding center and if treatment effects also included differences in the expression of associations between problem behavior and the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Participants with ASD ( = 16) ages 6-16 years were randomized by nonverbal intelligence quotient to either a 10-week THR group ( = 8) or no horse interaction barn activity (BA) cont...
Suarez-Fuentes DG, Tatarniuk DM, Caston SS, Bell CD, Loinaz RJ, Hostetter JM.To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a transendoscopic monopolar electrosurgical triangle-tip knife as instrumentation to perform unilateral ventriculocordectomy (VC) in healthy adult horses. Methods: In vivo experimental study. Methods: Nine horses donated for medical conditions unrelated to respiratory system. Methods: The triangle-tip knife was applied in contact fashion. Left VC was performed under standing sedation. Endoscopic images of the upper airway were graded for inflammation by 2 masked surgeons preoperatively and immediately, 24 hours and, in 2 cases, 7 and 14 days postopera...
Rovel T, Audigié F, Coudry V, Jacquet-Guibon S, Bertoni L, Denoix JM.OBJECTIVE To report history, findings from clinical examinations and diagnostic imaging, treatment, and outcomes associated with distal interphalangeal primary degenerative joint disease (DIP-PDJD) and to evaluate diagnostic usefulness and limitations of standing low-field MRI, relative to radiography and ultrasonography, for the diagnosis of DIP-PDJD in horses. DESIGN Retrospective case series with nested evaluation study. ANIMALS 12 client-owned horses. PROCEDURES Medical records were reviewed, and data were collected regarding signalment, history, results of physical and diagnostic imaging ...
Knych HK, Arthur RM, McKemie DS, Seminoff K, Hamamoto-Hardman B, Kass PH.Phenylbutazone (PBZ) is a potent mon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used commonly in performance horses. The objectives of the current study were to describe blood and urine concentrations and the pharmacokinetics of PBZ and its metabolites following intravenous (IV) and oral administration and to describe the duration of pharmacodynamic effect. To that end, 17 horses received an IV administration and 18 horses an oral administration of 2 g of PBZ. Blood and urine samples were collected prior to and for up to 96 hours post drug administration. Whole blood samples were collected at various t...
Harðardóttir H, Murison PJ, Blissitt K, Olason S, Clutton RE.Ketamine at 2.2 mg/kg given i.v. is often used to induce anaesthesia for surgical procedures in horses under field conditions. Commonly, additional doses are needed to complete the surgery. We hypothesised that surgical conditions would be improved when 5 mg/kg of ketamine was used to induce anaesthesia, while induction and recovery qualities would not differ from those when 2.2 mg/kg ketamine was used. Objective: To compare the anaesthetic effects of two ketamine doses (5 and 2.2 mg/kg) during field anaesthesia for castration of horses. Methods: Prospective, randomised, blinded, clinical stud...
Kummer LL, Govaere J, Egri B.Twenty-eight warmblood mares were monitored during their late pregnancy in the Teaching Hospital of Ghent University. The reliability of two commercial assays (enzyme immunoassay and glutaraldehyde coagulation test) used for determining the IgG concentrations of their newborn foals was tested. Mammary secretions were examined at the time of foaling (T0), and then 4 (T1) and 8 (T2) hours after foaling by refractometry and electrophoresis. The foals' blood IgG levels were measured at T1 and T2 as a routine clinical diagnostic examination using two different commercial test kits (SNAP Foal Ig and...
McIlwraith CW, Lattermann C.The use of intra-articular corticosteroids for traumatic arthritis and osteoarthritis (OA) is common in the horse. The beneficial and deleterious effects of the principal corticosteroids used betamethasone esters (Celestone [Soluspan], methylprednisolone acetate [Depo Medrol], and triamcinolone acetonide [TA] [Vetalog or Kenalog]) have been defined for the horse. While TA has both disease-modifying as well as symptom-modifying effects, methyl prednisolone acetate has deleterious effects on the articular cartilage. Studies in traumatically injured joints show the same rationale (suppression of ...
Kraft KA, Weisberg J, Finch MD, Nickel A, Griffin KH, Barnes TL.This report assesses functional mobility in children with neurological impairments and documented gross motor delays, before and after receiving either hippotherapy or standard outpatient physical therapy (PT). This is a case-series report using data previously collected for a discontinued randomized controlled trial, in which participants received hippotherapy or standard outpatient clinic PT for a 12-week treatment period. Results demonstrated both subjective and objective functional mobility improvements after treatment in participants receiving hippotherapy and standard outpatient PT, as d...
Pratt S, Cunneen A, Perkins N, Farry T, Kidd L, McEwen M, Rainger J, Truchetti G, Goodwin W.There is no information directly comparing midazolam with guaifenesin when used in combination with an alpha-2 agonist and ketamine to maintain anaesthesia via i.v. infusion in horses. Objective: To compare ketamine-medetomidine-guaifenesin with ketamine-medetomidine-midazolam for total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) in young horses anaesthetised for computerised tomography. Methods: Prospective, randomised, blinded, crossover trial. Methods: Fourteen weanlings received medetomidine 7 μg/kg bwt i.v. and anaesthesia was induced with ketamine 2.2 mg/kg bwt i.v. On two separate occasions hors...
Roszkowska K, Witkowska-Pilaszewicz O, Przewozny M, Cywinska A.Whole body and partial body cryotherapies (WBC and PBC) have been successfully used in human medicine, and currently also are being proposed in veterinary practice.In horses, only the partial body cryotherapy provided in cryosauna is considered, due to the technical conditions. These therapies have been dedicated to human patients with rheumatic and inflammatory diseases as well as an assistance during training in athletes. The anti-inflammatory effects have been demonstrated clinically and indicated by the changes in several hematological and immunological parameters, however, various pattern...
Boivin R, Pilon F, Lavoie JP, Leclere M.Treatments for mild forms of equine asthma are extrapolated from those recommended for severe equine asthma (heaves), but little is known about owner's adherence to recommendations and treatment efficacy. The objective was to determine which recommendations are implemented by owners and their perception of the clinical response to treatment. Medical records of 43 horses diagnosed with moderate asthma between 2010 and 2012 were retrieved from the Université de Montréal database. Treatments and perceived responses were recorded by telephone survey, 2 to 35 months after diagnosis. All 33 owners...
Elsohaby I, Riley CB, McClure JT.Neonatal foals with failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality. Successful treatment of FTPI is time-dependent, thus rapid and accurate measurement of serum IgG concentration is important for the management and care of neonatal foals. Objective: To validate the use of digital and optical refractometers for assessing FTPI in neonatal foals and compare the diagnostic performance and level of agreement of the two refractometers to the reference standard radial immunodiffusion (RID) assay. Methods: A retrospective validation study. Methods: Serum s...
Hodgson C, Pinchbeck G.Despite the regularity with which castration is performed, the types of complications and current best practice are unknown. Objective: The objective of this study was to perform a prospective audit of routine equine castrations performed in general practice to determine complication rates and factors associated with them. Methods: Multicentre, prospective audit of castrations. Methods: Data on castrations were collected on the day of surgery from 18 veterinary practices; 30-days post-operatively follow-up was obtained and complications recorded. Frequency of complications was reported, and mu...
Reed R, Barletta M, Mitchell K, Hanafi A, Bullington A, Knych H, Quandt J, Ryan C, Giguère S.Describe the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of intravenous hydromorphone in healthy horses. Methods: Masked, randomized, cross-over, Latin square design. Methods: A group of eight healthy adult horses METHODS: Horses were administered each of four treatments with an 8 day washout. Treatments groups included intravenous hydromorphone 0.02 mg kg (LD), 0.04 mg kg (MD), 0.08 mg kg (HD) and saline (P). Blood samples for hydromorphone analysis were obtained for 24 hours after treatment. Plasma hydromorphone was quantified and pharmacokinetic parameters were determined using non-compartmental ...
Frees KE.The goal of wound cleansing and care is the control or removal of tissue infection to allow healing in the most functional, cosmetic, fastest, and least expensive manner possible. This is accomplished through the removal of debris and necrotic tissue while reducing the bacterial load via careful use of mechanical techniques and cleaning agents, accepting that some level of tissue trauma will result. Keep in mind that the benefit of a clean wound must be weighed against the trauma inflicted in the process of cleansing. Veterinary health care professionals should take steps to reduce hospital-ac...
Dahlgren LA.Wound management in horses can strike fear in some and passion in others. Wounds are common injuries in horses of all descriptions and requires exceptional knowledge and care to achieve a successful outcome. New treatments to overcome the critical challenges with equine wounds are always desired: managing dehisced and/or nonhealing wounds, managing exuberant granulation tissue, and ultimately achieving a functional tissue coverage. Regenerative medicine represents a broad set of tools with great promise to manipulate the deficiencies recognized in equine wound healing and improve the outcome.
Eggleston RB.Distal limb wounds in horses heal substantially different than trunk wounds, commonly resulting in exuberant granulation tissue and exposed and sequestered bone. Surgical intervention of severe rectovaginal lacerations in the mare should be delayed until the tissues have heeled and scar tissue has remodeled. Wounds resulting in severe hemorrhage require appropriate emergent fluid therapy and potentially transfusion therapy.
Maher M, Kuebelbeck L.Nonhealing wounds present a common challenge to the equine practitioner. An underlying source of inflammation and infection is almost always present and needs to be resolved for healing to proceed. Wound débridement is the mainstay for this resolution. In addition, wound closure, wound dressings, and skin grafts can be used to achieve successful wound healing.
Littlewood KE, Beausoleil NJ, Stafford KJ, Stephens C, Collins T, Fawcett A, Hazel S, Lloyd JKF, Mallia C, Richards L, Wedler NK, Zito S.This descriptive study explored how end-of-life management was taught to students in all eight Australasian veterinary schools. A questionnaire-style interview guide was used by a representative at each university to conduct structured interviews with educators in a snowball sampling approach. Four categories of animals were addressed: livestock, equine, companion and avian/wildlife. This article focuses on the first part of the questionnaire: teaching the technical aspects of euthanasia. Euthanasia techniques were taught at more universities in clinical years than preclinical years. Clinical ...
Viganò M, Tessaro I, Trovato L, Colombini A, Scala M, Magi A, Toto A, Peretti G, de Girolamo L.The management of cartilage lesions is an open issue in clinical practice, and regenerative medicine represents a promising approach, including the use of autologous micrografts whose efficacy was already tested in different clinical settings. The aim of this study was to characterize in vitro the effect of autologous cartilage micrografts on chondrocyte viability and differentiation and perform an evaluation of their application in racehorses affected by joint diseases. Methods: Matched human chondrocytes and micrografts were obtained from articular cartilage using Rigenera® procedure. Chond...
van Galen G, Hallowell G.To review and discuss the use of hydroxyethyl starches (HES) in equine veterinary medicine, and to provide recommendations for its use. Methods: Veterinary and human peer-reviewed medical literature including scientific reviews, meta-analyses, and original research articles. Results: Increasing evidences on adverse effects after HES use and decreasing support for beneficial effects with regards to volume expansion and colloid osmotic pressure (COP) support in critically ill subjects have led to a recent guideline to limit the use of HES in critically ill people. Unassigned: The rationale for H...
Gozalo-Marcilla M, Gasthuys F, Luna SPL, Schauvliege S.The objective of this review was to perform a literature compilation of all the equine publications that used dexmedetomidine as the first article on this topic was published, in 2005. We also aimed to answer the question whether the use of dexmedetomidine can currently be justified. For that, we compiled information from databases, such as PubMed, Google Scholar and Web of Science and the proceedings of the last veterinary anaesthesiology meetings. Dexmedetomidine is an attractive drug to be used in horses, mainly due to its pharmacokinetic profile and pharmacodynamics that favour its use as ...
Kjeldsen ST, Nissen SD, Buhl R, Hopster-Iversen C.Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in horses causing poor performance. As in humans, the condition can be intermittent in nature, known as paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF). This review covers the literature relating to pAF in horses and includes references to the human literature to compare pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic tools and treatment. The arrhythmia is diagnosed by auscultation and electrocardiography (ECG), and clinical signs can vary from sudden loss of racing performance to reduced fitness or no signs at all. If left untreated, pAF may prom...
Schneider RK, Milne DW, Kohn CW.Twenty-seven cases of acquired inguinal hernia in the horse were reviewed. The history, clinical signs, treatment, and complications were summarized. Mortality was 25.9%. Only 13 or the 27 cases were diagnosed prior to admission. With early diagnosis and treatment, mortality should approach zero. In 24 of these cases, the hernia was strangulated. In each case, the signs were colic, a firm slightly enlarged testicle in the scrotum, and small intestine displacement through the inguinal ring, as determined via rectal palpation. In was concluded that palpation of the scrotum and inguinal rings sho...
von Segesser L, Jornod N, Faidutti B.The risk of repeat sternotomy is higher than that of the initial sternotomy, especially if the pericardial sac was left open at the first intervention. In 200 consecutive patients with a pericardial defect after open heart operations, the pericardium was closed with a glutaraldehyde-preserved equine pericardial patch. Precardiac adhesions at reoperation were assessed in four groups of patients on a scale of 6, ranging from 0 (no adhesions) to 5 (calcified or ossified adhesions). Group I comprised 13 patients in whom the pericardium was left open at the first operation and an equine pericardial...
Mund SJK, MacPhee DJ, Campbell J, Honaramooz A, Wobeser B, Barber SM.Limb wounds are common in horses and often develop complications. Intravenous multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy is promising but has risks associated with intravenous administration and unknown potential to improve cutaneous wound healing. The objectives were to determine the clinical safety of administering large numbers of allogeneic cord blood-derived MSCs intravenously, and if therapy causes clinically adverse reactions, accelerates wound closure, improves histologic healing, and alters mRNA expression of common wound cytokines. Wounds were created on the metacarpus of 12 ...
Wilson KE, Wilcke JR, Crisman MV, Ward DL, McKenzie HC, Scarratt WK.Objective-To determine whether a limited sampling time method based on serum iohexol clearance (Cl(iohexol)) would yield estimates of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in clinically normal horses similar to those for plasma creatinine clearance (Cl(creatinine)). Animals-10 clinically normal adult horses. Procedures-A bolus of iohexol (150 mg/kg) was administered IV, and serum samples were obtained 5, 20, 40, 60, 120, 240, and 360 minutes after injection. Urinary clearance of exogenous creatinine was measured during three 20-minute periods. The GFR determined by use of serum Cl(iohexol) and plas...
Mercer MA, Davis JL, McKenzie HC.This review firstly examines the underlying pathophysiology of pain and inflammation associated with orthopedic disease and endotoxemia. Then, it reviews the clinical pharmacology (pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics) of both conventional and non-conventional NSAIDs in the adult horse, and finally provides an overview of different modalities to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of NSAIDs in research.
Nemoto M, Ohta M, Tsujimura K, Bannai H, Yamanaka T, Kondo T, Matsumura T.We evaluated loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) as a means of detecting equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) DNA directly from nasal swabs. To increase the sensitivity, we added a step in which the samples were heat-treated to the original LAMP procedure. The detection limit of the LAMP assay with heat treatment was 10 times more sensitive than the original LAMP assay even when the DNA extraction step was omitted. In addition, the LAMP assay with heat treatment was more sensitive than the original LAMP assay and the polymerase chain reaction using clinical samples. The LAMP assay with ...
Brown P.Synthetic mesh products have been used to repair abdominal wall defects (eg, hernias) for many years. Biological mesh products are now available as an option when synthetic mesh products are not appropriate. To correctly prepare biological tissue grafts for use in the OR, perioperative nurses must understand the types of grafts available. Biological tissue grafts may be harvested from human, porcine, bovine, or equine hosts and from skin, pericardium, or small intestine submucosa.
Daunt DA, Steffey EP.Administration of alpha-2 agonists to horses produces a variety of behavioral effects (sedation, somnolence, analgesia), and physiological effects. One of the most significant beneficial effects of administering alpha-2 agonists is the degree of analgesia they provide. Alpha-2 agonists have been the mainstay of analgesia for colic pain in horses since their introduction to clinical veterinary medicine. The increased potency of the more recently introduced alpha-2 agonists allows the provision of analgesia for conditions not previously relieved by other drugs. Unfortunately, there are significa...
Dixon PM, Hawkes C, Townsend N.The vast majority of equine oral procedures are dental-related and, unless great care is taken, almost all such procedures have the potential to cause marked short- or long-term damage to other oral structures. This review of the more common complications of oral surgery begins at the rostral oral cavity with procedures of the incisors, and then moves caudally to deal with complications related to procedures of wolf teeth and cheek teeth, including salivary duct disruption and dental sinusitis. Finally, complications associated with maxillary and mandibular fractures are discussed.
Henry T, Pusterla N, Guedes AG, Verstraete FJ.Local anaesthesia is often required to facilitate invasive procedures in equine dental patients under standing sedation. Objective: To show that an intraoral approach can be used to desensitise the inferior alveolar nerve in horses and report complications seen with this technique. Methods: The distance of the mandibular foramen from the distal (caudal) edge of the mandibular third molar tooth, rostral edge of the mandibular ramus and ventral margin of the mandible were measured in 26 adult equine skulls of various ages and breeds. Computed tomography (CT) was used to verify the placement of t...
Goodwin W, Keates H, Pasloske K, Pearson M, Sauer B, Ranasinghe MG.To determine the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the neurosteroid anaesthetic, alfaxalone, in neonatal foals after a single intravenous (IV) injection of alfaxalone following premedication with butorphanol tartrate. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Five clinically healthy Australian Stock Horse foals of mean ± SD age of 12 ± 3 days and weighing 67.3 ± 12.4 kg. Methods: Foals were premedicated with butorphanol (0.05 mg kg(-1) IV) and anaesthesia was induced 10 minutes later by IV injection with alfaxalone 3 mg kg(-1) . Cardiorespiratory variables (pulse rate, respir...
Hesselkilde E, Linz D, Saljic A, Carstensen H, Kutieleh R, Jespersen T, Sanders P, Buhl R.Three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping is of potential interest in equine cardiology to identify arrhythmia mechanisms, characterise electroanatomical substrates and guide ablation strategies. Objective: To describe three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping in standing horses. Methods: Research methodology, proof of concept study. Methods: Four Standardbred horses (2 geldings, 2 mares, median age 4.5 [4-9] years, mean bodyweight 485 [440-550] kg) were sedated and placed in stocks. Via the jugular vein, a high-density multipolar grid catheter (Advisor™ HD Grid Mapping Catheter with E...
Mason LV, Moroney JR, Mason RJ.Guidelines regarding the impact and value of prophylaxis or maintenance therapy in equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) are not well-established or defined. The merits and the magnitude of effects of prophylaxis for spontaneous or recurrent squamous gastric ulceration in horses in training are uncertain. Objective: To pool data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to eliminate reporting bias and evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic omeprazole in the prevention of EGUS in training horses, and secondarily to compare prophylactic dosages of omeprazole. Methods: Meta-analysis. Methods: This m...
Jelocnik M, Nyari S, Anstey S, Playford N, Fraser TA, Mitchell K, Blishen A, Pollak NM, Carrick J, Chicken C, Jenkins C.C. psittaci has recently emerged as an equine abortigenic pathogen causing significant losses to the Australian Thoroughbred industry, while Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is a well-recognized abortigenic agent. Diagnosis of these agents is based on molecular assays in diagnostic laboratories. In this study, we validated C. psittaci and newly developed EHV-1 Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) assays performed in a real-time fluorometer (rtLAMP) against the reference diagnostic assays. We also evaluated isothermal amplification using commercially available colorimetric mix (cLAMP), and...
Clarke DL.Chondromalacia of the tracheal and bronchial cartilages and redundancy of the dorsal tracheal membrane result in collapse of the large airways, leading to coughing and airway obstruction. It most commonly affects small-breed dogs, although larger-breed dogs, cats, and miniature horses are also sporadically reported. Dynamic airway imaging is used to confirm the diagnosis. The primary goal of medical management is to control clinical signs attributable to coughing and airway inflammation. When this is no longer effective, tracheal stents provide a minimally invasive, rapid way to restore airway...
Eggleston RB.Distal limb wounds in horses heal substantially different than trunk wounds, commonly resulting in exuberant granulation tissue and exposed and sequestered bone. Surgical intervention of severe rectovaginal lacerations in the mare should be delayed until the tissues have heeled and scar tissue has remodeled. Wounds resulting in severe hemorrhage require appropriate emergent fluid therapy and potentially transfusion therapy.
Dechant JE, Symm WA, Nieto JE.To compare agreement between a portable clinical analyzer and laboratory-based bench-top analyzer for analysis of pH, lactate, and glucose concentrations in synovial fluid. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Clinically normal horses (n=8); 6 horses euthanatized for reasons unrelated to the study; 11 horses that had synoviocentesis for reasons other than sepsis; 7 horses that had synoviocentesis for evaluation of sepsis; and 2 horses without recorded clinical data. Median age of horses was 8 years (range, 1 day to 24 years). Methods: Supernatant from each synovial fluid sample wa...
Marchand WR, Smith J, Hoopes KH, Osborne M, Andersen SJ, Bell K, Nazarenko E, Macneill R, Joubert K.Pilot assessment of an equine-assisted services intervention for Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Methods: Prospective cohort. Methods: A large Veterans Administration healthcare system. Methods: Two sessions of instruction in horsemanship skills and two sessions of trail rides. Methods: Safety and feasibility of recruitment, retention, providing the intervention, and measuring outcomes, as well as acceptability of the intervention to the population studied were the main outcome measures. Results: There were no injuries among the 18 participants, 6 staff, or 11 equines over the 3 m...
Jeffcott LB.A description of some of the clinical features of low back pain in the horse has been given and a number of methods for assisting diagnosis considered. As well as a complete clinical examination both at rest and during exercise, a useful diagnostic aid in some chronic cases was the injection of local anaesthetic into the interspinous spaces. A laboratory examination, including haematological and biochemical profiles, was undertaken in all cases. The serum enzymes GOT and CPK were particularly valuable as an aid to diagnosis in atypical tying-up. A technique for radiography of the vertebral col...
Kent AV, Chesworth MJ, Wells G, Gerdes C, Bladon BM, Smith RKW, Fiske-Jackson AR.Pathology of the digital flexor tendon sheath is a significant cause of lameness in the horse. Imaging is important to identify lesions and inform on prognosis prior to tenoscopic surgery. Objective: To use a large population to evaluate 1) the sensitivity and specificity of digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) contrast radiographs in diagnosing manica flexoria (MF) tears, deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) tears and constriction of the palmar/plantar annular ligament (PAL) using novel criteria; 2) predisposition to pathology in signalment and limb affected. Methods: Multicentre retrospective co...
Morgan RE, Fiske-Jackson AR, Hellige M, Gerhauser I, Wohlsein P, Biggi M.Odontogenic tumors present as locally invasive, slow growing, firm swellings on the face. They are rare in all species and are characterized histologically by the degree of differentiation and dental tissue of origin. Radiographic appearance is not pathognomonic for these lesions. Computed tomographic (CT) examination allows exact determination of tumor extension and aggressiveness. The objectives of this retrospective, case series study were to describe the clinical presentation, CT characteristics, and outcome in horses with histologically confirmed odontogenic tumors, and to identify imagin...
Jacobsen S, Kjelgaard-Hansen M.The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of an immunoturbidometric assay for measuring the acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) in horses in clinical practice. The assay was compared to a previously validated assay, and overlap performance was assessed by measuring the concentration of SAA in clinically healthy horses and horses with inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases. In pools of serum with low and high SAA concentrations the assay's intra-assay coefficients of variation were 11.7 per cent and 4.6 per cent, and its interassay coefficients of variation were 9.1 per...
Savage CJ.Urinary specific gravity (USG) measurements are underused by equine ambulatory veterinarians. Urinary dipstick and USG findings can assist in the diagnosis and prognosis of many disease processes in the horse. Simple methods for measurement of the glomerular filtration rate and urinary biochemical markers can improve equine urinary diagnostic abilities in critical care patients. Fractional excretion of electrolytes and minerals assists in fluid care and in management of nutrition of horses.
Mayhew IG, Washbourne JR.Brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) waveforms were recorded as a means of objectively evaluating auditory and brainstem function in horses. BAEP recordings were readily and repeatably recorded from horses, under minimal restraint, using signal averaging equipment. Clearly identified BAEP waveforms were obtained with compression clicks of 30-100 dB (HHL) at 10 Hz applied in the external auditory meatus of one ear and masking white noise (10 dB lower) in the other ear. Vertex positive (upwards) waveforms I through V were obtained with an active, subdermal electrode over the ipsilateral an...
Stämpfli HR, Schoster A, Constable PD.Profiles from serum biochemical analyzers include the concentration of strong electrolytes (including l-lactate), total carbon dioxide (tCO2 ), and total protein. These variables are associated with changes in acid-base balance. Application of physicochemical principles may allow predicting acid-base balance from serum biochemistry without measuring whole blood pH and pCO2 . Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine if the acid-base status of critically ill horses could be accurately predicted using variables included in standard serum biochemical profiles. Methods: Two jugular veno...
Smith MR, Wright IM, Minshall GJ, Dudhia J, Verheyen K, Heinegård D, Smith RK.To evaluate digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) synovial fluid cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) concentrations as a molecular marker for intrathecal pathology. Methods: Case control study. Methods: Horses (n=46) with DFTS tenosynovitis; 23 fresh cadaver horses. Methods: DFTS synovial fluid samples were collected from clinical cases with noninfected DFTS tenosynovitis and from control DFTS. Clinical and surgical findings were recorded, and dissection of control limbs was performed to confirm the DFTS to be grossly normal. Synovial fluid COMP was quantified using a homologous competiti...
Muntwyler N, Dubois MS, Weese JS.To describe perioperative antimicrobial use in horses undergoing elective arthroscopy. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses that underwent elective arthroscopy at one institution between July 2016 and May 2018, excluding those with a suspected infectious orthopedic disease or with a comorbidity that may have impacted prophylactic antimicrobial use decisions. Methods: Medical records were reviewed to evaluate preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative antimicrobial drug selection, dose, and timing. Associations between body weight and underdosing were evaluated by using analysis o...
