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.
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.
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.
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...
Kay AD, Lavoie JP.A technique was developed for recording urethral pressure profiles (UPP) in mares. Profiles were obtained from 12 clinically normal mares and from 3 mares with urinary incontinence. Variables measured on the profile included intravesicular pressure and maximal urethral closure pressure. The mean maximal urethral closure pressure of the incontinent mares was significantly less (P less than or equal to 0.001) than that of the normal mares. The technique is simple and reliable for objectively evaluating urethral pressures in mares.
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.
Enileeva NKh.The paper describes the flight periods and dynamics of abundance of horse botflies, life span of females and males, effect of environmental factors on the activity of flies and their behaviour, potential fecundity of different species of botflies, duration of embryonal development, preservation of viability of larvae in egg membranes, localization of different stages of botflies in the host, and methods of their control.
Denny HR, Barr AR, Waterman A.A series of 25 horses with olecranon fractures are reviewed. Twenty-one cases were treated surgically by the application of a tension band plate to the caudal aspect of the ulna. Seventy six per cent of these regained full limb function. The results of treatment are compared with two other series of conservatively and surgically treated cases.
Ross MW, Orsini JA, Ehnen SJ.A 5-year-old Thoroughbred gelding with recurrent cecal impaction refractory to medical management was treated with a side-to-side jejunocolic anastomosis. Cecal impaction did not recur after surgery. The horse gained weight and performed successfully for 14 months, but experienced three episodes of mild abdominal pain between 14 and 20 months after surgery. Mild cecal gas distention and firm ingesta in the colon were detected on rectal examination. The horse's feces remained soft after surgery, except during the colic episodes when dry, firm feces were passed.
Yovich JV, Turner AS, Stashak TS, McIlwraith CW.Lateral or medial luxation of the metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal (fetlock) joint in 10 horses is presented. Closed and open fetlock luxation each occurred in five horses. Horses were treated by cast immobilisation after debridement of soft tissue and joint lavage in cases of open luxations. Suture apposition of a ruptured collateral ligament was attempted in three cases. Antibiotic therapy was used in all cases of open fetlock luxation but non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication was used inconsistently. Whether closed or open, fetlock luxations had a good prognosis for return to...
White ME.A complete listing of the clinical signs and diseases of dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine in the CONSULTANT database for computer assisted diagnosis is presented, along with the codes used to record this data. This list may be useful to those teaching, researching or writing on the diseases of domestic animals, and is of particular use to those who need such a resource for developing diagnostic coding and computer-assisted information retrieval.
Markel MD, Snyder JR, Hornof WJ, Meagher DM.Nuclear scintigraphy was used to evaluate healing of third metacarpal bone (MC III) fractures in 2 horses (horses 1 and 2) and a third metatarsal bone fracture in 1 horse (horse 3) after stabilization of each fracture with 2 broad dynamic compression plates. In horse 1, the fracture had uniform uptake of 99mTc methylene diphosphonate on days 1, 15, and 30 after surgery. The fracture healed, and the horse was discharged from the clinic on day 52. In horse 2, a 6-cm photopenic region (ie, area of low radioactivity) was seen over the diaphysis of MC III on day 3. The region persisted and became m...
Baker D, Kreeger J.An expansile, yellow, soft mass was observed in the free wall of the right ventricle of a 3-year-old, male, Morgan, horse at necropsy. The mass was composed of well differentiated adipocytes in solid sheets or infiltrating between muscle fibers with associated myofiber degeneration. The mass was interpreted to be an infiltrative lipoma of the heart.
Sullins KE, McIlwraith CW.Transverse or oblique midshaft tibial osteotomies were created in 11 foals. The osteotomies were repaired during the same procedure using external skeletal fixation in either full splint or 3-dimensional (3-D) tent configurations. Four of the six foals receiving the full splint fixator recovered to full soundness; two were euthanized because of complications. The foals receiving the 3-D tent configuration would not bear weight on the limbs and consequently suffered significant secondary fracture disease. These foals were euthanized for humane reasons before the scheduled termination of the pro...
Brunson DB, Collier MA, Scott EA, Majors LJ.A monopolar electrode was implanted surgically in the canine tooth dentine layer to evaluate pain threshold responses of horses. A constant-current stimulator was used to deliver a known electrical current to the tooth pulp nerve. A single stimulus of 2-ms duration, repeated at greater than or equal to 20-s intervals, was used to elicit a head lift response. The lowest current level that produced 3 positive head lift responses was recorded as the pain threshold of the horse. The testing technique, dental dolorimetry, was easily performed. Tooth pulp pain thresholds (TPPT) were established on 8...
Skarda RT, Muir WW, Couri D.Arterial and/or central venous plasma concentrations of lidocaine were determined in 12 nonmedicated adult horses (422 +/- 59 kg of body weight, mean +/- SD) after injecting a 1% lidocaine HCl solution into the cervicothoracic ganglion (CTG). A mean dosage of 2.9 +/- 0.5 mg of lidocaine/kg of body weight was used to induce unilateral CTG blockade in 8 horses and 4.8 +/- 0.8 mg was used to induce bilateral CTG blockade in 4 horses. Blood samples were collected before and at 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, and 120 minutes after injection. The plasma lidocaine concentrations were determined by us...
Dik KJ, Merkens HW.Eleven horses with unilateral distension of the sheath are reported with emphasis on the use of plain and contrast radiography in diagnosis. Six had associated bony abnormalities of the sustentaculum tali, and two of these showed destructive or mixed destructive and proliferative lesions resulting from osteomyelitis. One horse had a fracture of the sustentaculum. In three horses proliferative changes were found. Bony changes were best demonstrated on a dorsomedial-plantarolateral oblique view. Contrast radiography of the tarsal sheath was performed in five cases without, and two horses with, a...
Allen D, White NA.Twenty-five cases of fractures of the second and fourth metacarpal and metatarsal (splint) bones were reviewed. Fourteen fractures involved a thoracic limb and 11 involved a pelvic limb. Fractures of the proximal one-third of splint bones are reported in one of two forms: fractures that are closed, or fractures with a permanent or intermittent draining sinus. Thirteen of the fractures presented were closed fractures and the remaining 12 were open. All of the closed fractures were managed by surgical excision of the distal fragment and the exostosis at the fracture site, followed by primary sur...
Craig D, Todhunter R.An esophageal stricture was diagnosed in a 9-month-old quarterhorse by esophagoscopy and positive pressure contrast esophagography. Medical management and two attempts at surgical intervention were unsuccessful. The initial surgical technique used was a linear esophagotomy, mucosal resection and anastomosis, and closure of the muscular tunic, which resulted in a more severe stricture. The second surgical procedure was interruption of the stricture cicatrix by a single linear esophagotomy and primary closure of only the esophageal muscular tunic. This technique resulted in an increased lumen di...
Ward DS, Fessler JF, Bottoms GD.Electromagnetic flow transducers were implanted via left thoracotomy in 8 ponies (122.7 to 263.6 kg) around the main pulmonary and left main coronary arteries for continuous measurement of mean and pulsatile blood flow. Flow transducers were calibrated in vitro with a gravity flow system. The mean +/- SE pulmonary flow was 73.1 +/- 5.1 ml/kg of body weight/min. Left coronary flow was 0.95 +/- 0.07 ml/kg/min (1.3% of cardiac output) and was not believed to be an accurate measurement. This was caused by the inability to implant a zero-flow occluder, requiring the use of minimum flow during systo...
Bertone AL, McIlwraith CW.Arthroscopic approaches to the scapulohumeral joint were developed in four clinically normal, live horses (5 limbs) to determine their usefulness for evaluation and potential surgical treatment of intraarticular lesions. The articular surface of the entire glenoid, cranial humeral head (medial and lateral) and caudolateral humeral head, as well as the synovial membrane, could be closely examined from an arthroscopic portal cranial to the infraspinatus tendon. The caudomedial humeral head could be examined partially. Cranial and caudal instrument portals allowed good surgical access to the enti...
Modransky P, Thatcher CD, Welker FH, Booth LC.This research journal article documents a rare case of a five-day-old foal suffering from a congenitally malformed hoof and the associated lameness. The disorders studied were unilateral navicular bone agenesis […]
Steffey EP, Kelly AB, Woliner MJ.Cardiovascular and respiratory functions were serially evaluated in ten healthy, fasting, spontaneously breathing, laterally recumbent adult horses during five hours of constant 1.06% alveolar halothane (equivalent to 1.2 times the minimum alveolar concentration for horses). Mean carotid arterial pressure was about 25% higher after one hour of constant-dose halothane than after 30 minutes of constant-dose (P less than 0.05), and remained increased throughout the study. Mean carotid arterial pressure peaked after 90 minutes, and was about 30% higher than at 30 minutes. Total peripheral vascular...
Rolf SL, Reed SM, Melnick W, Andrews FM.Auditory brain stem response testing, using insert earphones, was performed in 10 healthy horses given general anesthesia. The procedure involved clicks of alternating polarity delivered at a rate of 25 clicks/s. Wave forms, including five peaks, were commonly identified. Latencies were measured in milliseconds for waves I through V for all intensities. Latencies of all waves decreased as stimulus intensity increased. For waves I through V, a least-squares regression line was determined for each horse, using all responses between 87-dB sound pressure level (SPL) and 136-dB SPL, inclusive. Slop...
Beroza GA, Donawick WJ, Topkis VA.A technique of nasoduodenal (N-D) intubation and intestinal decompression was developed and used in the horse to explore the prevention of gastric and intestinal distention after abdominal surgical operation. Three styles of tubes (2 single-lumen tubes and 1 double-lumen tube) were positioned in the duodenum of 12 mature horses (10 experimental and 2 clinical) during laparotomy (without enterotomy), and an iatrogenic occlusion at the small intestine was created and later released in the 10 experimental horses. The 2 clinical horses had an exploratory laparotomy to correct a natural obstruction...
Folz SD, Pax RA, Klei TR, Thomas EM, Ash KA, Conder GA, Bennett JL.An in vitro assay involving the use of a horse strongyle (Strongylus edentatus) and the micromotility meter has been developed to test for equine anthelmintic activity. Three commercially available equine anthelmintics (dichlorvos, ivermectin, and pyrantel pamoate) and an investigational drug (p-toluoyl chloride phenylhydrazone) were evaluated in this assay at four concentrations. After a 24-h incubation, greater than or equal to 10 micrograms/ml of all four drug treatments significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) reduced the motility of ensheathed L-3 S. edentatus larvae, thereby indicati...
van Duijkeren E, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Rijkenhuizen AB, Ensink JM.An obstruction of the small intestine was suspected in two ponies with colic. At surgery and at necropsy, the cause of the colic appeared to be an inflammation process caused by perforation of the jejunum by a piece of wire. One pony recovered after laparotomy and enterectomy, but had to be put down eight weeks later because of severe laminitis. The other pony was euthanized immediately after clinical evaluation.
Charman RE, Vasey JR.Chronic facial defects extending into the sinuses of two mares were repaired using periosteal flaps. Partial osseous bridging was established over the defects following repair. Previous attempts to close the defects with skin alone had failed. A periosteal flap is a simple surgical technique that provides the foundations for successful repair, despite the chronicity of some fistulae.
Specht TE, Colahan PT.Eleven horses with acute or chronic incomplete cortical fractures of the left or right third metacarpal bone (McIII) were treated with surgical puncture (osteostixis). The fractures were diagnosed by physical examination and radiography. Four to eight holes, 2.7 or 3.5 mm in diameter, were drilled in the fractured bone. Radiographically, the fractures were healed by month 3, and the drill holes were inapparent by month 7. Nine horses (82%) returned to race competition, and two horses were retired, one the result of a surgical complication. The mean time between surgery and the first race was 9...
Dart A, Perkins N, Dowling , Batterham T, Livingston C, Hodgson D.To evaluate the effects of three different doses of sodium pentosan polysulphate (PPS) on haematological and haemostatic variables in adult horses. Methods: Eight adult standardbred horses were used. All horses received a single injection of 0, 3, 6, and 10 mg/kg of PPS at the beginning of each treatment week for 4 weeks so that by the end of the study all horses had received all four doses of PPS. Blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, and 168 h after each weekly injection of PPS. Variables measured were packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cell count, mean cor...
Kraft W.Neurological examination in equine practice, physiological findings and pathological disturbances are described. Because of the sizes of the horse the neurological examination is more difficult than in small animals. The examination of cerebrospinal fluid is a worthful completion and is able to refer to the etiology of a certain disease. The technique of the puncture of cerebrospinal fluid is described.