Attitudes of Australian veterinarians about the cause and treatment of lower-respiratory-tract disease in racehorses.
Abstract: A questionnaire was administered to members of the Australian Equine Veterinary Association to investigate their attitudes and behaviours regarding the cause, diagnosis and treatment of lower-respiratory-tract disease in racehorses. The most-important perceived risk factors related to the level of exposure and resistance to infectious agents, whereas factors associated with racing and climatic factors were lower ranked. By far the most-commonly implicated primary cause of disease was respiratory viruses. However, specific diagnostic tests (such as viral serology or virus isolation) were rarely performed. By far the most-common diagnostic procedure was auscultation (without a rebreathing bag). The relative importance of diagnostic procedures was influenced by the proportion of total workload comprising horse work. Many respondents believed that bacteria become secondarily involved in disease; accordingly, antibiotic therapy was the most-commonly reported therapy. However, bacteriology of lower-airway-fluid samples was not commonly performed. The most-commonly used antibiotics were the potentiated sulphonamides (either alone or in combination with mucolytics or bronchodilators), followed by procaine penicillin and penicillin combined with gentamicin. Mainly, treatment would appear to be based on empirical beliefs rather than exhaustive investigation of individual cases.
Publication Date: 2000-07-29 PubMed ID: 10913800DOI: 10.1016/s0167-5877(00)00150-1Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research paper discusses a survey conducted among members of the Australian Equine Veterinary Association about their thoughts and practices on identifying and treating lower respiratory tract disease in racehorses.
Research Methodology
- The researchers conducted a survey via a questionnaire to get insights into the attitudes and behaviours of the members of the Australian Equine Veterinary Association.
- The focus was mainly on how these veterinarians diagnose and treat lower respiratory tract diseases in racehorses.
Findings on the Perceived Cause of Disease
- The respondents mostly believed that the significant risk factors of the disease relate to the level of exposure and resistance to infectious agents. The factors related to racing and climate were given less importance.
- Respiratory viruses were seen as the main cause of disease. However, specific diagnostic tests to confirm this, like viral serology or virus isolation, were rarely carried out.
Common Diagnostic Procedures
- Auscultation without a rebreathing bag was the most common diagnostic procedure amongst the respondents. The selection of diagnostic procedures varied with the proportion of total workload comprising horse work.
Views on Bacteriology and Treatment
- A significant number of respondents felt that bacteria get involved in the disease secondarily. Consequently, antibiotic therapy emerged as the most common form of treatment.
- Despite this belief, bacteriology of lower-airway-fluid samples, an essential process to confirm the presence of bacteria, was not a common practice.
Most Commonly Used Antibiotics
- The potentiated sulphonamides were the most commonly used antibiotics, either alone or combined with mucolytics or bronchodilators.
- This was followed by procaine penicillin and penicillin combined with gentamicin.
- It’s notable that treatment largely appeared to be based on empirical beliefs rather than thorough investigation of individual cases.
Cite This Article
APA
Christley RM, Rose RJ, Hodgson DR, Reid SW, Evans S, Bailey C, Hodgson JL.
(2000).
Attitudes of Australian veterinarians about the cause and treatment of lower-respiratory-tract disease in racehorses.
Prev Vet Med, 46(3), 149-159.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-5877(00)00150-1 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Sydney, 2006, Sydney, Australia. rchristley@vet.gla.ac.uk
MeSH Terms
- Adrenal Cortex Hormones / therapeutic use
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Attitude of Health Personnel
- Australia
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Humans
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Pneumonia / drug therapy
- Pneumonia / etiology
- Pneumonia / veterinary
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Veterinarians / psychology
- Veterinary Medicine
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Houtsma A, Bedenice D, Pusterla N, Pugliese B, Mapes S, Hoffman AM, Paxson J, Rozanski E, Mukherjee J, Wigley M, Mazan MR. Association between inflammatory airway disease of horses and exposure to respiratory viruses: a case control study.. Multidiscip Respir Med 2015;10:33.
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