Weight loss in horses refers to a reduction in body weight that can occur due to various factors such as inadequate nutrition, illness, parasitic infections, dental problems, or increased energy expenditure. It is a condition that can affect horses of all ages and breeds and may indicate underlying health issues. Monitoring weight changes is important for maintaining equine health and ensuring optimal performance. This topic includes research on the causes, diagnosis, and management of weight loss in horses. Studies often focus on nutritional assessments, veterinary evaluations, and the development of feeding strategies to address and prevent weight loss. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, implications, and treatment approaches for weight loss in horses.
Johnston JK, Divers TJ, Reef VB, Acland H.Ten horses with clinical signs consistent with cholelithiasis were evaluated. Fever, icterus, mild intermittent colic, and weight loss were reported. Clinical laboratory abnormalities included leukocytosis, hyper-proteinemia, and hyperfibrinogenemia. Gamma glutamyltransferase and liver isoenzyme of lactate dehydrogenase activities also were high. Choleliths were observed via ultrasonography of the liver in 5 of the 8 horses evaluated, and increased echogenicity of the hepatic parenchyma and dilated bile ducts were observed in all horses. Seven horses were treated medically, 5 of which died or ...
Lofstedt J, Jakowski RM.A 15-month-old Appaloosa colt had pyrexia, weight loss, diarrhea, and dependent edema. Abnormal laboratory findings included anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and hyperglobulinemia. Activities of liver-specific enzymes in this colt were high. Analysis of a liver biopsy specimen resulted in a presumptive diagnosis of tuberculosis. We recommend that liver biopsy be used as a diagnostic procedure if the differential diagnosis in a horse includes avian tuberculosis or granulomatous enteritis, especially if serum activities of liver-specific enzymes are high.
Bertone JJ, Traub-Dargatz JL, Wrigley RW, Bennett DG, Williams RJ.Four horses with diarrhea had radiographic evidence of large quantities of sand in the gastrointestinal tract. Initially, none of the horses had sufficient fecal sand quantity to suggest sand enteropathy. Diarrhea resolved in all horses within 2 days of oral administration of psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid. Historically, all 4 horses had lost weight or had difficulty maintaining weight. After treatment was administered, the horses either gained weight or were easier to maintain in good condition.
Freestone JF, Carlson GP, Harrold DR, Church G.Alterations in electrolyte and acid-base balance were studied in 6 horses for 8 hours after furosemide administration (1 mg/kg of body weight, IM), and the results were compared with those for 5 healthy untreated horses (controls) kept under identical environmental conditions. In the treated group, decreases in plasma potassium, chloride, and calcium concentrations and increases in total plasma protein content persisted for the 8-hour observation period, whereas there was no change in plasma sodium concentration, osmolality, or packed cell volume. Plasma bicarbonate concentration and PCO2 rema...
Andrews FM, Robertson JT.Functional obstruction of the right dorsal colon was found at surgery in a 6-year-old American Saddlebred gelding with a history of anorexia, depression, weight loss, and intermittent colic. Side-to-side anastomosis of the right dorsal colon to the small colon was done to bypass the obstruction. Histopathologic findings of the right dorsal colon and regional colonic lymph nodes were unremarkable. Surgical treatment was successful.
Cornick JL, Carter GK, Bridges CH.Chronic hepatic disease was diagnosed in 6 horses with history of anorexia and weight loss. These horses consistently had abnormally high serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activities, total and direct bilirubin and blood ammonia values, and sulfobromophthalein clearance times, whereas serum iditol dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase activities were variable. In the 6 horses, histologic examination of the liver revealed lesions of chronic hepatitis with varying degrees of fibrosis. All 6 horses had ingested kleingrass (Panicum coloratum) for variable periods. Three hea...
Buergelt CD, Green SL, Mayhew IG, Wilson JH, Merritt AM.The clinical, bacteriologic and pathologic findings of three adult horses suffering from avian tuberculosis are presented. Chronic weight loss and hypoproteinemia were pertinent clinical abnormalities in all three horses. Gross pathologic lesions were characterized by chronic enterocolitis with mesenteric lymphadenopathy in two horses and hepatic granulomas in the third horse. The microscopic diagnoses were chronic, non-caseating granulomatous enterocolitis, and necrotizing, non-mineralizing granulomatous hepatitis, respectively. All three horses had granulomatous lymphadenitis of mesenteric l...
Hayden DW, Johnson KH, Wolf CB, Westermark P.Systemic amyloidosis involving the digestive tract is described in an 11-year-old Morgan stallion. The disease was characterized clinically by weight loss, ptyalism, anaemia, persistent mature neutrophilia, hypoalbuminaemia and hypergammaglobulinaemia. The D-xylose absorption test indicated malabsorption. Necropsy revealed oral, oesophageal and gastric ulcers and reddened segments of small bowel mucosa with scant haemorrhages. Microscopically, amyloid deposits were found throughout all tissue layers of the digestive tract, except the serosa. Deposits of amyloid were most apparent in the small ...
Markel MD, Dreyfuss DJ, Meagher DM.A study was designed to evaluate 2 colopexy techniques (A and B) in 8 clinically normal horses to determine which technique would prevent recurrence of large-colon displacement and/or volvulus. For technique A, 35 cm of the lateral free band of the left ventral colon was sutured to the abdominal wall, 6 cm to the left of ventral midline. For technique B, the medial free band of the left ventral colon was sutured to the medial free band of the right ventral colon, and 8 cm of the lateral free band of the left ventral colon was sutured to the abdominal wall, 6 cm to the left of ventral midline. ...
MacHarg MA, Foerner JJ, Phillips TN, Barclay WP.The medical management of three horses with simple and strangulating small intestinal obstructions was unsuccessful and was therefore supported by surgical bypasses. Jejunocecostomies were used to treat horses with postoperative paralytic ileus that was unresponsive to medical management. These horses had abdominal pain, gastric distention, heart rate elevations greater than 60/minute, and small intestinal distention on rectal palpation. Two horses experienced weight loss which responded to bypass removal. The bypass effectively decreased the need for intravenous fluid administration and repea...
Sweeney RW.Malassimilation should be suspected in horses with weight loss in spite of a good appetite. Malassimilation is usually confirmed with oral glucose or D-xylose absorption tests, whereas the oral lactose tolerance test can be used to evaluate lactase deficiency in foals. Once malassimilation is confirmed, other diagnostic tests such as abdominocentesis, rectal mucosal biopsy, or exploratory laparotomy with intestinal biopsies may determine the etiology of malassimilation.
Harvey KA, Morris DD, Saik JE, Donawick WJ.A 13-year-old Thoroughbred mare had a 2-week history of weight loss and intermittent fever. Examination of abdominal and pleural fluid revealed peritonitis and pleuritis. Ultrasonography of the ventral abdominal midline revealed an intra-abdominal mass. Exploratory celiotomy was performed, but the mass was not surgically excisable. The mare was euthanatized and necropsied. Histologically, the mass was determined to be a fibrosarcoma of omental origin.
Dart AJ, Hutchins DR, Begg AP.A 12-year-old Thoroughbred mare, with a history of anorexia, dramatic weight loss, fluctuating pyrexia and intermittent diarrhoea after an episode of colic, was presented for examination with depression, emaciation and ataxia. Thoracic and abdominal paracenteses yielded copious quantities of inflammatory exudate. Palpation per rectum revealed an enlarged spleen. The primary alterations in haematology included a severe leucocytosis with a left shift, and a hyperproteinaemia characterised by hypoalbuminaemia and hypergammaglobulinaemia. Post-mortem examination revealed a low grade pleurisy and p...
Ziemer EL, Parker HR, Carlson GP, Smith BP.Two horses were admitted separately for evaluation and treatment of profound hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis without azotemia. One, an 11-year-old Quarter Horse mare, had been depressed and ataxic for 2 days. The other, a 2-year-old Quarter Horse colt, had a 6-week history of depression, anorexia, and weight loss. Both horses responded to fluid and electrolyte therapy, but required daily oral administration of sodium bicarbonate for maintenance. In each case, the diagnosis was renal tubular acidosis.
Bertone AL, Stashak TS, Sullins KE, Ralston SL.Ten normal horses had approximately 95% of the length of the large colon resected with a side-to-side anastomosis between right ventral and right dorsal colon performed with surgical stapling equipment. Four horses died shortly after surgery of colitis (1 horse) or failure of the TA 90 transection staple line (3 horses). Another horse died 4 months after surgery from disseminated streptococcal infection but had recovered well from the colon resection. Five horses survived long term (18 months) with no clinical evidence of adverse effects of the resection. Surviving horses had weight loss and s...
Rose RJ, Gibson KT, Suann CJ.Five standardbred geldings were given 1 mg/kg bodyweight of frusemide by intramuscular injection to induce mild dehydration. After food and water deprivation overnight, the mean weight loss was 24.4 +/- 1.8 kg (5.5 per cent of bodyweight). The horses were then given an equivalent volume of an oral glucose-glycine-electrolyte solution by stomach tube. No more than 10 litres was given every 30 minutes until the calculated bodyweight loss had been replaced. Measurements made before, during and after the fluid administration included bodyweight, arterial blood haematocrit, PCO2, pH, standard bicar...
Platt H.A retrospective study was made of 20 horses with severe and extensive chronic disease of the small intestine. Many of the animals had clinical evidence of malabsorption, with progressive loss of weight, hypoalbuminaemia and sometimes anaemia. All but two of the horses were Thoroughbreds. The pathology was diverse. Nine of the cases were alimentary lymphomas (Platt, 1986) and five had lymphocytic and eosinophilic infiltrations in the bowel wall which were considered to be probable reactions to parasitic invasion. One had acute thrombosis associated with partial occlusion of the anterior mesente...
Owen RA, Haywood S, Kelly DF.A four-year-old shire mare with haematuria, colic, terminal weight loss and an abdominal mass had a large unilateral renal adenocarcinoma. Clinical signs were monitored for 11 months. Increased serum copper concentrations were measured on two occasions. Hypercupraemia is discussed as a possible paraneoplastic change.
Held JP, Wright B, Henton JE.A 20-year-old gelding with weight loss and generalized weakness that progressed gradually over a 3-month period was diagnosed as having pyelonephritis caused by Staphylococcus aureus infection. Abnormal laboratory findings included high values for BUN, creatinine, potassium, and calcium, and depletion of sodium. Determination of glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow indicated a severe decrease in renal filtration and perfusion.
Van Mol KA, Fransen JL.A poorly performing nine-year-old thoroughbred mare was presented because of chronic weight loss. On rectal examination an abdominal mass was palpated and, on percussion of the right flank from the 11th to 13th intercostal space, a large area of dullness was delineated. Biopsies taken from the liver region and through the rectum revealed a malignant metastasising tumour of the urinary system. After euthanasia, the post mortem findings confirmed the presence of a papillary renal carcinoma with multiple metastases into the omentum and peritoneum.
Spier S, Carlson GP, Nyland TG, Snyder JR, Fischer PE.An 8-year-old gelding with a 3-month history of anorexia and weight loss was found to have a massive subcapsular splenic hematoma. At flank laparotomy, 36 L of fluid was removed from the hematoma. The horse's condition improved after drainage. Fifteen months later, the horse became depressed and febrile. A splenic abscess containing Bacteroides ruminicola and Clostridium sporogenes was found at necropsy.
Andrews FM, Rosol TJ, Kohn CW, Reed SM, DiBartola SP.Three horses less than or equal to 3 years old were evaluated because of stunted growth, weight loss, anorexia, depression, and lethargy of at least 1 month's duration. A neonatal foal was examined after its death. In each case, gross and microscopic renal lesions were compatible with bilateral renal hypoplasia (ie, cortical hypoplasia with severe medullary hypoplasia). In young horses with renal failure, bilateral renal hypoplasia should be considered in the differential diagnosis, and may represent a congenital lesion.
Sweeney RW, Sweeney CR, Saik J, Lichtensteiger CA.Chronic granulomatous bowel disease was diagnosed in 3 sibling Standardbred horses. Clinical signs included weight loss, loose feces, and decreased appetite in the terminal stage of the disease. Abnormal laboratory findings included hypoproteinemia and low xylose absorption. Necropsy revealed granulomatous inflammation of the intestines, mesenteric lymph nodes, and liver. Eosinophilic infiltration of the granulomatous lesions was a prominent finding in one horse. A causative agent was not detected by special histochemical staining or bacteriologic culturing.
Bertone JJ, Traub-Dargatz JL, Trotter GW.Endoscopic examination of a 7-year-old gelding with weight loss indicated a palatal defect with a prominent tissue mass at the caudomedial margin of the defect. At necropsy, the condition was determined to be bilateral hypoplasia of the soft palate.
Markel MD, Dorr TE.Multiple myeloma was diagnosed in a 22-year-old Arabian mare with a history of chronic weight loss. Quantitative immunoglobulin analysis revealed monoclonal gammopathy (IgG(T), 9,800 mg/dl). Due to progressive weight loss, the horse was euthanatized. Microscopy of tissues revealed plasma cell infiltrates in bone marrow, spleen, pituitary gland, adrenal cortex, muscle of the tongue, and bronchial, renal, and mesenteric lymph nodes.
Gregory MW, Longstaff JA, Giles CJ.Ciliates resembling Polymorphella ampulla (Dogiel, 1929) were found in large numbers in the crypts and lamina propria of the caecum and colon of a one-year-old Thoroughbred gelding that had shown recurring bouts of chronic diarrhoea and weight loss over a 5-month period. A heavy burden of helminths, mainly cyathostomes (trichonemes) was present at post-mortem examination and no significant bacterial pathogens were recovered. It was considered that the Polymorphella (which is normally a commensal organism) had in this case assumed a secondary pathogenic role.
Hutchins DR, McClintock SA, Brownlow MA.THE technique of partially immersing a horse in a tank of normal saline was originally suggested by Smith (1978) and subsequently used in the management of clinical cases by Smith (1981) and J. R. Biffin (1980, personal communication) as a means of providing long term confinement and effective weight reduction. The term flotation is not strictly accurate because the patient is not made to float but is merely partially immersed to cause a predetermined reduction of its effective weight. The technique has potential clinical application in any situation where a conventional sling may have been us...
Mair TS, Lane JG, Lucke VM.The clinical and post mortem features of 11 cases of lymphosarcoma involving the thoracic cavity are reviewed. The clinical findings included inappetence, weight loss, pectoral oedema, dyspnoea, pleural effusion and distension of the jugular veins. Dysphagia was present in three cases. At post mortem examination lesions were found in the abdomen as well as the chest in eight cases; clinical signs of abdominal disease were present in two cases. The features of nine other similar cases recorded in the literature are reviewed.
Collins LG, Tyler DE.Phenylbutazone (PBZ) toxicosis was induced in 9 ponies to further define the clinical and pathologic changes occurring with this syndrome. Six additional ponies were treated with PBZ and a synthetic prostaglandin E2 to determine the role of prostaglandins in the pathogenesis of PBZ toxicosis. Ponies given only PBZ exhibited CNS depression, anorexia, weight loss, diarrhea, cyanotic mucous membranes, and oral ulcers. Total serum protein concentration gradually decreased during the 10-day treatment period. Marked mucosal atrophy, focal erosions, and ulcers characterized the lesions in the aliment...
Axon JE, Robinson P, Lucas J.A 6-year-old gelding was referred with a 3-month history of recurrent fever, inappetance, lethargy and weight loss. On clinical examination major findings were depression, thin condition, thrombophlebitis, nodules on the scrotal skin, leukocytosis, hyperfibrinogenaemia and hyperglobulinaemia. Pleural fluid and areas of lung consolidation were seen on ultrasonographic examination of the thorax. A diagnosis of chronic respiratory disease was made. Initially there was a response to antibiotic therapy but the horse was presented 3 months later with continued weight loss, recurrent fever and multif...
Williams S, Scott P.Meal contaminated by Datura stramonium seeds at the rate of 0.5% by weight was fed to two horses. Both horses showed clinical signs of depression, anorexia, weight loss, rapi heart and respiration rates, mydriasis, polyuria, polydipsia and diarrhoea. Both recovered with treatment. Maize screenings contaminated by the seeds had been used in the manufacture of the meal.
Church S, Middleton DJ.Two horses, presented for investigation of chronic weight loss despite normal to increased feed intake, had flat oral glucose absorption curves, suggesting malabsorption. The cause of the apparent malabsorption was not evident grossly or on light microscopic examination of the intestinal tract. Both horses survived long term and at follow-up examination had regained weight and their capacity to absorb glucose. These cases illustrate that flat glucose absorption curves may occur in horses with no obvious intestinal lesions, that they may revert to normal and that the results of these tests shou...
O'Connor CI, Nielsen BD, Schott HC, Clayton HM.Weight training is commonly used by human athletes to increase strength and fitness. This study was performed to examine the effect of weight-carrying and nutritional supplementation on muscle development and growth in young horses. This study examined the effect of weight-carrying and nutritional supplementation on muscle development and growth. Seventeen horses were divided into 3 groups: controls exercised in a free-flow exerciser, a weight group that performed the same exercise, carrying progressively increasing weight up to 45 kg, and a weight-supplement group, that also received a myo-an...
Johnson PJ, Wilson DA, Turk JR, Pace LW, Campbell-Beggs C, Johnson GC.A 6-year-old female Quarter Horse became inappetent, lost weight, was febrile, and had abdominal enlargement and infrequent bouts of mild colic. Palpation per rectum detected a prominent, smooth-walled mass adjacent to the pelvic flexure of the colon. Analyses revealed the peritoneal fluid was apparently normal except for a high protein concentration. By the use of ultrasonography, the mass was observed adjacent to the body wall in many locations throughout the abdomen, appearing as an irregular, multiloculated structure composed of innumerable cysts of various sizes with interspersed, circula...
Sutton RH, Coleman GT.Abstract Extract A 15-year-old pony mare developed firm irregular bony swellings on all four legs. These were most severe around the carpal and fetlock joints of the forelegs, restricting both flexion and extension. Over about 6 months the horse had periodic bouts of coughing. She showed moderate weight loss and a depressed demeanour.
Andrews FM, Robertson JT.Functional obstruction of the right dorsal colon was found at surgery in a 6-year-old American Saddlebred gelding with a history of anorexia, depression, weight loss, and intermittent colic. Side-to-side anastomosis of the right dorsal colon to the small colon was done to bypass the obstruction. Histopathologic findings of the right dorsal colon and regional colonic lymph nodes were unremarkable. Surgical treatment was successful.
Cornick JL, Carter GK, Bridges CH.Chronic hepatic disease was diagnosed in 6 horses with history of anorexia and weight loss. These horses consistently had abnormally high serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activities, total and direct bilirubin and blood ammonia values, and sulfobromophthalein clearance times, whereas serum iditol dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase activities were variable. In the 6 horses, histologic examination of the liver revealed lesions of chronic hepatitis with varying degrees of fibrosis. All 6 horses had ingested kleingrass (Panicum coloratum) for variable periods. Three hea...
Van Amstel SR, Huchzermeyer D, Reyers F.A case of primary renal cell carcinoma in a 16-year-old mare is reported. The main presenting signs of chronic weight loss and diarrhoea as well as the initial laboratory examination did not directly indicate renal involvement. Follow-up investigations were strongly suggestive of avain tuberculosis. Further laboratory investigation revealed neoplasia, which was confirmed at autopsy.
Roberts MC, Seawright AA, Ng JC.Phenylmercuric acetate (PMA) was administered orally to a horse over a period of 27 weeks (190 days) at a dose rate of 0.4 mg Hg/kg per day. The effects produced were consistent with those of chronic inorganic mercury intoxication. The clinical features included masseter muscle atrophy, difficulty in prehension and mastication, malodorous breath, reduced appetite and weight loss, and reflected significant pathological changes involving the buccal, mandibular and dental tissues. Renal dysfunction was evident terminally and there was degeration and necrosis of the proximal tubular epithelium. Ne...
Buntain B, Greig WA, Thompson H.The clinical and pathological features of a case of chronic nephritis in a 17-year-old pony was described. Measurement of fluid intake and laboratory analysis of sequential blood and urine samples helped in establishing an accurate diagnosis. The case demonstrates that although chronic renal disease is not well documented in the horse it should nevertheless be considered in the differential diagnosis of conditions characterised by progressive loss of weight.
Owen RA, Haywood S, Kelly DF.A four-year-old shire mare with haematuria, colic, terminal weight loss and an abdominal mass had a large unilateral renal adenocarcinoma. Clinical signs were monitored for 11 months. Increased serum copper concentrations were measured on two occasions. Hypercupraemia is discussed as a possible paraneoplastic change.
Lotstra RJ, van den Broek J, Power T, Marr CM, Wijnberg ID.Atrial fibrillation is a common equine arrhythmia. Quinidine alone, or with digoxin are common treatments. Studies on outcome in Warmblood populations in which duration of the AF is often unknown are limited. Objective: To identify the factors that are associated with the success of full treatment cardioversion with oral medication, and establish whether there are differences in these factors between institutions. Methods: Retrospective case series using patient records of Equine University Clinic of Utrecht University and Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket. Methods: Forty-nine horses treate...
Buntain B, Greig WA, Thompson H.The clinical and pathological features of a case of chronic nephritis in a 17-year-old pony was described. Measurement of fluid intake and laboratory analysis of sequential blood and urine samples helped in establishing an accurate diagnosis. The case demonstrates that although chronic renal disease is not well documented in the horse it should nevertheless be considered in the differential diagnosis of conditions characterised by progressive loss of weight.
East LM, Savage CJ.Neoplasia of the equine gastrointestinal tract and abdominal organs occurs predominantly in geriatric horses, although lymphoma and hepatocellular carcinoma and a few other neoplasms can be found in young horses. This article discusses diagnostics that can be used in weight-loss situations, suspicious of neoplasia, as well as tumors themselves including clinical signs, diagnostic tools, histopathologic appearance, and management.
Leventhal HR, Hassebroek AM, Carvallo F, McKenzie HC.A 14-y-old pony mare was referred after 30-d duration of intermittent pyrexia, anorexia, weight loss, and change in manure consistency. Physical examination revealed a palpable but reducible ventral abdominal mass. Transabdominal ultrasonography revealed multiple distended, hypomotile, and thickened small intestinal loops in close approximation with numerous, well-defined, hyperechoic masses. There was a large amount of echogenic peritoneal fluid; abdominocentesis revealed a neutrophilic and macrophagic inflammatory exudate, and a mixed bacterial population was cultured. Given the poor prognos...
MacHarg MA, Foerner JJ, Phillips TN, Barclay WP.The medical management of three horses with simple and strangulating small intestinal obstructions was unsuccessful and was therefore supported by surgical bypasses. Jejunocecostomies were used to treat horses with postoperative paralytic ileus that was unresponsive to medical management. These horses had abdominal pain, gastric distention, heart rate elevations greater than 60/minute, and small intestinal distention on rectal palpation. Two horses experienced weight loss which responded to bypass removal. The bypass effectively decreased the need for intravenous fluid administration and repea...
Clarke CJ, Roeder PL, Dixon PM.A severe, advanced case of nutritional osteodystrophia fibrosa is described in a 10-year-old gelding with primary upper respiratory obstruction and chronic weight loss, which was one of a group of similarly affected horses in Ethiopia. The diagnosis was based on the clinical signs, gross lesions, histopathology and management history. The affected bones had suffered severe mineral depletion.
Sweeney RW.Malassimilation should be suspected in horses with weight loss in spite of a good appetite. Malassimilation is usually confirmed with oral glucose or D-xylose absorption tests, whereas the oral lactose tolerance test can be used to evaluate lactase deficiency in foals. Once malassimilation is confirmed, other diagnostic tests such as abdominocentesis, rectal mucosal biopsy, or exploratory laparotomy with intestinal biopsies may determine the etiology of malassimilation.
Don-van't Slot HP, van der Kolk JH.Severe-Combined-Immunodeficiency-Disease (SCID) is discussed with special reference to its pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, pathology, and diagnosis. The disorder has been observed in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia and is characterized by an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. The clinical features of the disease seen in Arab foals under 46 days of age are intermittent fever, (adenoviral) pneumonia, and weight loss sometimes associated with diarrhoea. From 1998 on, the SCID gene can be detected in the Netherlands by means of DNA analysis.
Wester PW, Franken P, Häni HJ.Both clinical and pathological features of seven horses suffering from a squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach are presented. The main complaints in the horses, aged six years or more, were loss both of weight and of condition. Metastases had often developed. The diagnostic difficulties and possibilities are discussed.
Olsen SN.Five horses with squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach are described. The clinical findings included anorexia, weight loss, abdominal distension, abnormal chewing and swallowing behaviour and abdominal masses palpable per rectum in four cases. Haematological studies revealed a normocytic anaemia in three horses, and neutrophilia and hypoalbuminaemia in two. Analysis of peritoneal fluid revealed abnormal effusions in all five horses and neoplastic cells were identified in three of them. The tumours originated in the cardia and metastases were present in all the horses. Three of them had many s...
Greco-Otto P, Léguillette R.Horses competing in pulling competitions often undergo rapid weight change to enter lower weight categories. The aim of this study was to assess weight change and the associated changes of body water compartments in pulling horses. Weight change was attributed primarily to body water losses; however, losses from other sources were also indicated. . Les chevaux participant à des compétitions de trait subissent souvent des changements de poids rapides pour s’inscrire à des catégories de poids inférieurs. Le but de cette étude consistait à évaluer le changement de poids et les changemen...
Hanson PD, Bartz TA, Stone WC, Darien BJ, Markel MD.A modification of the Roux-en-Y anastomosis procedure was used to bypass a pyloroduodenal mass in a 12-year-old Arabian stallion. Clinical signs had consisted of a 4-week progression of ventral and hind limb edema, hypoproteinemia, fecal occult blood, intermittent abdominal pain, weight loss, and gastric reflux. On exploratory celiotomy, an obstructive mass was found in the pylorus and proximal portion of the duodenum. Gastrojejunostomy and duodenojejunostomy were performed by use of stapled side-to-side anastomosis techniques. Inaccessibility of the obstructed pyloric region prevented resecti...
Parkinson TJ, Mogg TD, Dykgraaf S, Collett MG.An aged pony gelding presented with sudden onset of neck pain, depression and ataxia and weakness of the hindlegs, together with longer-term weight loss. Diagnostic procedures failed to isolate the cause of these signs and, despite symptomatic treatment, the animal's condition deteriorated until it required euthanasia. Unassigned: Post mortem examination revealed the presence of multiple splenic and hepatic haemangiosarcomata, with metastases to the lung and dorsal cervical muscles overlying C1 and C2 vertebrae. No lesions were present in the spinal cord, spinal column or brain. Conclusions: T...
Williams S, Scott P.Meal contaminated by Datura stramonium seeds at the rate of 0.5% by weight was fed to two horses. Both horses showed clinical signs of depression, anorexia, weight loss, rapid heart and respiration rates, mydriasis, polyuria, polydipsia and diarrhoea. Both recovered with treatment. Maize screenings contaminated by the seeds had been used in the manufacture of the meal.
Jaeschke G, Rudolph R.The literature contains about 500 cases of equine leucosis, though the reports are deposited in a great number of journals and vary considerably concerning particular topics. During the last years there has been a remarkable increase of publications about this syndrome in the equine. The clinical leucosis key recommended by us has been confirmed in principle considering the latest literature. In about 70 individual symptoms which can be clinically observed in equine with leucosis 11 can be considered as main symptoms because of their frequency; they are again classified in primary (lymph node ...
DeBoer M, Konop A, Fisher B, Martinson K.Thermoregulation is an energy-expensive process, which can be mitigated by blanketing horses in cold climates, potentially preventing weight loss or leading to decreased feed intake. The objective of this study was to evaluate feed intake, body weight (BW), and body condition scores (BCSs) in blanketed and nonblanketed horses. In October 2019, 16 mature adult horses were blocked by breed and BCS and randomly assigned to a blanketed (n = 8) or nonblanketed (n = 8) treatment; blankets were placed. Data were collected in December 2019 and January 2020 in River Falls, Wisconsin. During the study...
Kofler J, Kübber-Heiss A, Schilcher F.Clinical, ultrasonographic and pathological findings of a cutaneous, multilocular T-cell lymphosarcoma (malignant lymphoma) in a 13-year-old, brown Austrian warmblood mare are reported. The horse was under clinical observation, and the tumours were sonographically monitored over an 8 month period, revealing worsening of body condition, weight loss, lameness of the left hindlimb and a slight increase in the tumours size. Most of the tumours were covered by normal skin, one showed ulceration. Ultrasonography of the tumours allowed accurate anatomical localization in relation to the adjoining tis...
