Veterinary procedures in horses encompass a range of medical and surgical interventions performed to diagnose, treat, and manage equine health conditions. These procedures are designed to address various health issues, from routine care to emergency interventions. Common veterinary procedures include vaccinations, dental care, lameness evaluations, reproductive services, and surgical interventions such as colic surgery or fracture repair. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, outcomes, and advancements in veterinary procedures for horses, providing insights into their application and efficacy in equine medicine.
Edwards WC, Edwards RM, Ogden L, Whaley M.Cantharidin content of male and female Epicauta occidentalis and E conferta was determined. Aspects of the life cycle of blister beetles, taxonomy, pheromonal and adaptive functions of cantharidin relative to the medico-legal aspects of cantharidin poisoning, prevention and control in horses are discussed.
Vachon A, McIlwraith CW, Trotter GW, Norrdin RW, Powers BE.Periosteal autografts were obtained from the medial aspect of the proximal portion of the tibia, and perichondrial autografts were obtained from the sternum. Using arthroscopic visualization, each autograft was placed as a loose body into 1 tarsocrural joint in 6 young horses (2 to 4 years old). Horses were hand-walked daily, starting the day after surgery, for a total of 6 h/wk for 8 weeks. Eight weeks after autograft implantation, radiographs were taken of each tarsocrural joint and were interpreted with regard to mineralization in the transplanted autografts. Autografts were then surgically...
Olson LE, Perkowski SZ, Mason DE, Muir WW.Strips of trachealis muscle were dissected from the mid-cervical portion of the trachea from horses that were free of respiratory tract disease. The epithelium and mucosa were removed from one group of tissues and were left intact in a second group of tissues. Each tissue was suspended in a bath filled with Krebs-bicarbonate solution that was aerated with 5% CO2 in oxygen and maintained at 37 degrees C. Isometric tension was continuously recorded. The contractile response to square-wave electrical stimulations increased as frequency (3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 Hz), voltage (10, 15, 18, and 2...
Hinrichs K, Riera FL, Klunder LR.Embryo transfer was performed in three mares with gonadal dysgenesis. Karyotypes of the mares were as follows: Mare 1, 63,XX, 64,XX, 65,XX; Mare 2, 63,X; and Mare 3, 65,XXX. The mares were administered progesterone in oil, 300 mg intramuscularly daily, starting 1 or 2 days after donor mare ovulation. Embryos were transferred on day 7 after donor ovulation. Mare 1 became pregnant after the first embryo transfer and had a normally developing fetus on necropsy on day 45 of gestation. Mare 3 became pregnant after the third embryo transfer, but the embryo was lost between day 14 and day 18 of gesta...
Bukowiecki CF, van Ee RT, Schneiter HL.A comminuted scapular fracture in a foal was treated surgically by use of 2 dynamic compression plates. The plates were applied upside down, so that the convex surface of the plate faced the bone. At 5 months after surgery, the plates were removed, and the foal recovered without complications.
Ross MW, Richardson DW, Beroza GA.Thirteen Standardbreds had subchondral lucency of the third carpal bone (C3), described as single or multiple central areas of C3 bone loss in the radial fossa. Sclerosis of the radial fossa was also detected. The mean age of 9 stallions, 3 mares, and 1 gelding was 4.1 years (range, 3 to 7 years). All horses had an acute moderate to severe lameness referable to the middle carpal joint. A dorsoproximal dorsodistal (skyline) radiographic projection was most useful and identified mild (3 horses), moderate (6 horses), and severe (4 horses) subchondral lucency and sclerosis of the radial fossa. The...
Stick JA, Derksen FJ.Videoendoscopy of the larynx during treadmill exercise was used to determine the surgical treatment of upper airway obstruction in a Standardbred colt. Surgical correction of right-sided laryngeal hemiplegia, first by laryngoplasty, then subtotal arytenoidectomy, was ineffective. Videoendoscopy indicated, and upper airway flow mechanics confirmed, that the laryngeal opening was adequate at rest, but obstruction occurred during exercise. On the basis of the appearance of the larynx during high airflow rates on slow-motion playback of the videorecording, total arytenoidectomy was performed, whic...
Eustace RA, Caldwell MN.This paper describes the treatment of 10 horses suffering from acute laminitis using the heart bar shoe and a dorsal hoof wall resection technique. All cases had progressed to prolapse of the tip of the pedal bone covered by solar corium through the horny sole; in one case the exposed tip of the distal phalanx became visible. Nine cases of distal phalangeal rotation and one case of distal displacement of the distal phalanx (sinking) are described. Two animals were destroyed because of the degree of lameness, one remains slightly lame at the trot and the remaining seven have returned to their p...
Eustace RA, Caldwell MN.This paper describes a method of fabricating and fitting heart bar shoes and a technique of dorsal hoof wall resection. The rationale behind the treatments and criteria for their use are described. Radiographic technique is also discussed. This article reports the treatment of a series of clinical cases described in an accompanying article (p370).
Boland CJ, Morris RS.A survey by means of a postal questionnaire was undertaken to investigate the patterns of work and the need for information of veterinary practitioners in New Zealand. Of the 670 eligible veterinarians, 399 practitioners (60 per cent) participated in the survey. Of these, 38 per cent were in large animal practice (less than 20 per cent of work devoted to cats and dogs) and 31 per cent were in small animal practice (more than 80 per cent of work with cats and dogs). The remaining 31 per cent were in mixed practice, with a workload intermediate between the other two groups. Across the entire sam...
Pascoe DR, Stover SM.Twenty-one pregnant mares with single or twin conceptuses between 41 and 65 days of gestational age were allotted to 5 treatment groups. A ventral median celiotomy was performed in all mares. In group-1 mares (3 mares, single conceptus), the uterus and fetus were palpated for 5 minutes. In group-2 mares (3 mares, single conceptus, flunixin meglumine), 250 ml of sterile placental fluid was injected into the nongravid uterine horn. In group-3 mares (4 mares, unicornuate twin conceptuses), group-4 mares (3 mares, unicornuate twin conceptuses, flunixin meglumine), and group-5 mares (8 mares, bicor...
Gilbert RO.Luteolysis with subsequent shortening of diestrus has been reported to follow equine endometrial biopsy performed early in the luteal phase of the estrous cycle, but a comprehensive study of the effect of endometrial biopsy on cycle length at different times of the cycle has not been reported. In this study, endometrial biopsies were obtained from four different pony mares on each of Days 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 after ovulation as determined by serial palpation per rectum. Compared with control cycles in the same mares, the ovulatory interval was shortened in mares from which biopsies were obta...
Friedman DS, Schoster JV, Pickett JP, Dubielzig RR, Czuprynski C, Knoll JS, Wolfgram LJ.The fungal organism Pseudallescheria boydii was isolated from the cornea of a Quarter Horse with ulcerative keratitis. Despite aggressive hourly medication through a subpalpebral lavage system, with drugs including miconazole and natamycin, the cornea developed a stromal abscess. Orbital exenteration was performed after 3 weeks. The fungal isolate was later determined to be resistant to all 8 antifungal drugs tested. Microscopic examination of the cornea revealed fungal hyphae throughout the corneal stroma and penetrating the Descemet membrane. Pseudallescheria boydii has not been implicated p...
Palmer SE.Five horses with apical and abaxial fractures of the proximal sesamoid bones were treated arthroscopically. Ipsilateral and contralateral triangulation were used to remove abaxial fragments; apical fragments were removed by ipsilateral triangulation. Excellent visibility of the fracture fragments was obtained with each method. Dissection and removal of fragments was accomplished with standard arthroscopic instruments, tendon-splitting knives, and curved scissors. Excellent functional and cosmetic results were achieved in all cases.
Kobluk CN, Ducharme NG, Lumsden JH, Pascoe PJ, Livesey MA, Hurtig M, Horney FD, Arighi M.From May 1, 1983 to April 1, 1985, 142 operations were performed on horses with signs of acute abdominal pain (colic), using a ventral midline incision. Seventy-eight horses lived for at least 15 days after surgery or had acute dehiscence and were included in the study. Seventy horses had surgery once, and 8 horses had surgery 2 or more times. Six-month follow-up evaluation was obtained for 66 horses that had 1 surgery and for 6 horses that had multiple surgeries. Incisional complications included drainage (including infection), acute dehiscence, hernia, and suture sinus formation. The effects...
Dunlop CI, Hodgson DS, Watson JW, Gillespie JR, Steffey EP, Jackson AC.High frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) is a recently developed mode of ventilation that delivers small tidal volumes at frequencies greater than 60 cycles per min via an injection catheter to the animal's airway. The construction of a high frequency jet ventilator suitable for use in adult horses is described. The effectiveness of this ventilator in maintaining normal arterial blood-gas tension was evaluated in five healthy adult horses. The horses were anaesthetised with intravenous acetylpromazine, guaifenesin, and thiamylal, positioned in lateral recumbency and baseline measurements were mad...
Prades M, Grant BD, Turner TA, Nixon AJ, Brown MP.The clinical, radiographic, arthroscopic and pathological findings of 10 horses with injury to the cranial cruciate ligament are presented. The most consistent clinical signs included moderate to severe distension of the femoropatellar joint and a Grade III to a Grade V out of V lameness. Craniocaudal instability could be elicited in five horses under general anaesthesia and in one conscious horse. Radiographic evaluation of the stifles revealed that avulsion fracture of the medial intercondylar eminence was the most common finding in six out of 10 horses. Arthroscopic examination of the affec...
Gibson KT, Curtis CR, Turner AS, McIlwraith CW, Aanes WA, Stashak TS.Medical records of 210 horses that survived ventral midline celiotomy for at least 4 months were examined and owners were queried to determine factors contributing to incisional hernia formation. The incidence rate of incisional hernias within 4 months was 16%. Factors significantly associated with occurrence of incisional hernias were incisional drainage, closure of the linea alba with chromic gut suture material, previous midline celiotomy, excessive incisional edema, castrated male sex, postoperative leukopenia, and postoperative pain (colic). Factors not significantly associated with occur...
Meagher DM, Aldrete AV.Lateral luxation of the superficial digital flexor tendon from the calcaneal tuber occurs in horses as a result of tearing or rupture of the medial retinaculum of the tendon. This report describes the repair of this condition in 2 Thoroughbred race horses, using a surgical technique in which 2 cancellous bone screws were placed in the calcaneus lateral to the tendon, along with suturing the medial retinaculum.
Campbell-Thompson M.The goals of surgical therapy in foal gastroduodenal ulcer disease are the elimination of abdominal pain, healing of mucosal ulcerations, and prevention of complications. Gastrojejunostomy has been used with success in both pyloric and duodenal ulcerations that have progressed to gastric outflow obstruction. Gastrojejunostomy has resulted in rapid healing of gastritis and esophagitis and resolution of aspiration pneumonia and biliary stasis without recurrence of duodenal ulceration.
Rick MC.Diagnosis, evaluation, and management of the various grades of rectal tears is discussed. Surgical techniques, which include direct closure, diverting colostomies, and placement of temporary rectal liners, are detailed. Also, rectal prolapses and various methods of repair are outlined.
Fischer AT.Evaluation of the horse with colic has always been challenging since the patient's large size precludes many of the diagnostic imaging procedures commonly used in human medicine. Diagnostic methods such as radiography, laparoscopy, endoscopy, and peritoneal fluid analysis can serve to increase the accuracy of presurgical evaluation. Prognosis in individual cases can be best predicted by careful analysis of selected clinicopathological data, physical examination findings, and surgical biopsies. However, no predictive model is 100 per cent accurate, and clinicians must continue to rely on clinic...
Bertone AL.With large colon resection and anastomosis, up to 95 per cent of the length of the large colon has been successfully removed. A hand-sewn end-to-end anastomosis is effective for lesions in the left dorsal colon and pelvic flexure. Transection and a side-to-side anastomosis with stapling equipment is most effective for extensive resections (greater than 50 per cent). Horses with extensive colon resection (95 per cent) have permanent deficiencies of water absorption and digestion of cellulose and protein. Fermentative capacity is reduced, owing to decreased particulate matter retention time in t...
Ross MW.Cecal impaction and cecal perforation, the two most common equine cecal diseases, are thought to develop after slowing or interruption of a single progressive motility pattern, which begins in a pacemaker area near the apex, occurs once every 3 minutes, and propels ingesta from the cecum to the right ventral colon. Rectal examination in horses with cecal impaction is the most useful technique to grade the severity of the condition. Medical treatment is undertaken if the impaction is judged to be mild to moderate. Surgical correction of cecal impaction in severe cases requires a ventral midline...
Dodman NH, Lehr JL, Spaulding GL, Gavriely N.Three sheep, a foal, a pony, and a calf were anesthetized and ventilated for short periods, using a high-frequency oscillatory ventilator. The efficiency of CO2 elimination was characterized at various oscillatory frequencies (50 to 30 Hz) and various tidal volumes, although the tidal volume used was always less than the measured dead space of the animal. In general, increasing either the oscillatory frequency or tidal volume increased CO2 elimination, but increasing the tidal volume had more effect. The relationship between these 3 variables was best described by a power law equation. Ventila...
Satoh M, Higuchi T, Inoue S, Miyakoshi D, Gotoh T.Assessment of the cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle (CAD) in horses using a transesophageal ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging is available in a limited number of hospitals. This study assessed the ease of ultrasonographic imaging of the CAD using an external transcutaneous technique in horses. After confirmation of the CAD in the cadavers, ultrasonography in twenty live horses was carried out using a transcutaneous approach. In live horses, ultrasonographic imaging of the CAD was possible by pushing the larynx from the opposite side with the other hand. It is belie...
Rose PL, Auer JA, Hulse D, Hightower D, Schenk RK.beta-Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) was evaluated as a synthetic bone grafting material in horses. Sixteen horses were randomly assigned to 4 groups of 4 horses. In each horse, an 11-mm by 10-mm circular defect with a smooth margin was created surgically in the weight-bearing surface of both third metacarpal bones (McIII) and the left third metatarsal bone. The defect in the left McIII was filled with TCP, the defect in the right McIII was filled with a mixture of 50% autogenous cancellous bone (ACB) and 50% TCP, and the defect in the left third metatarsal bone was not filled to serve as a control...
Barrett MF, Frisbie DD.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for excellent evaluation of many types of soft tissue and osseous lesions. Using MRI as a diagnostic modality can help in developing an individualized treatment protocol. Case management can include both surgical and medical intervention. Various MRI findings and associated treatment protocols are described.
Mariani LPR, Sampaio F, Silveira AB, Bastos LF, Weber SH, Michelotto PV.Diseases of the stifle joint remain a challenge for veterinarians. The objective of this study was to achieve a valuable acupuncture suggestive diagnosis to be considered for stifle joint diseases in horses. Thirty-nine nonlame horses involved in different activities were assessed. Acupuncture was independently performed by two evaluators. Reactions of the animal when pressurizing the point suggestive of stifle disease (PSSD), Bladder-20 and/or Bladder-21, were considered as the inclusion criteria for inclusion in the stifle group (SG, n = 31), and the animals with no reactions were assigne...
van der Woerdt A, Gilger BC, Wilkie DA.Squamous cell carcinoma involving the cornea and conjunctiva of the left eye in a 14-year-old horse was treated by superficial keratectomy in combination with beta-radiation and radiofrequency hyperthermia. The tumor recurred 4 months later in the central cornea at the edge of the previous keratectomy site. Penetrating keratoplasty was performed in an effort to remove the tumor and retain a visual eye. The eye was visual 13 months after surgery. Mild fibrosis and vascularization were observed in the area of the penetrating keratoplasty.
Martín-Cuervo M, Aguirre CN, Gracia LA, Barrera R, Ezquerra LJ, Martinez-Subiela S, Cerón JJ.Point-of-care (POC) systems for the joint measurement of Troponin and D-dimers have not been studied in horses. The aim of this study was to perform the validation of a POC system (AQT90 FLEX) for the measurement of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and D-dimers in the serum of horses with gastrointestinal diseases. The main objective was to evaluate whether or not this system can distinguish healthy animals from diseased animals. A sample of 33 horses was included in the study: control group (n = 10) and horses with gastrointestinal disorders (n = 21), which were classified according to their outco...
van Dijk J.Jan van Dijk, RCVS specialist in veterinary parasitology, describes how data can be used to both increase understanding of trends in equine helminth abundance and drive better treatment of individual horses.
Koterba AM, Drummond WH, Kosch P.The basic concepts of diagnosis and treatment in the abnormal neonatal foal are presented. Methods of restraint, sedation, and general nursing care are discussed, as well as more specific techniques of respiratory and circulatory system support.
Schumacher J, Kemper DL, Helman RG, Edwards JL.The incisive bones (premaxillae) and rostral portions of the maxillae of a horse were infected with dermatiaceous fungi causing phaeohyphomycosis. The pre-maxillae were exposed by creating and reflecting labial and palatal mucoperiosteal flaps, and obstetrical wire was used to remove the affected bones. Labial and palatal flaps were apposed in 2 layers, using absorbable sutures. The sutured wound healed without complication. The horse was able to prehend hay and long grass without difficulty, and the owner considered the horse's facial appearance to be nearly normal. This technique may be usef...