Characteristics and risk factors for failure of horses with acute diarrhea to survive: 122 cases (1990-1996).
Abstract: To characterize horses with acute diarrhea and determine risk factors for failure to survive. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 122 adult horses admitted for acute diarrhea at the teaching hospital between Jan 1, 1990 and Dec 31, 1996. Methods: Medical records of horses with acute diarrhea were reviewed to abstract information regarding signalment, history, physical examination, clinicopathologic testing, treatment, and outcome. Results: 91 of 122 (74.6%) horses lived and were discharged from the hospital. Horses with history of administration of antimicrobials for a problem preceding diarrhea were approximately 4.5 times less likely to survive. The following variables that had been determined at the time of admission were significantly associated with failure to survive: administration of antimicrobial drugs for another illness, serum creatinine concentration > 2.0 mg/dl, PCV > 45%, tachycardia (heart rate > 60 beats/min), and low serum total protein concentration. Prevalence of laminitis was 11.5%. Conclusions: Diarrheic horses that are azotemic and have clinicopathologic findings consistent with hemoconcentration and hypoproteinemia have a poor prognosis for survival. Antimicrobial administration may induce diarrhea, and antimicrobial-associated diarrhea may have a worse prognosis than other types of acute diarrhea.
Publication Date: 1999-02-19 PubMed ID: 10023402 The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research paper reports findings from a retrospective study focused on adult horses with acute diarrhea, aiming to ascertain the defining characteristics of these horses and identify any risk factors which could potentially inhibit their survival.
Methodology of the Study
- The researchers conducted a retrospective study spanning seven years from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1996. Involving 122 adult horses admitted with acute diarrhea to the teaching hospital.
- They reviewed the medical records of these horses to gather information on their signalment (age, breed, sex), medical history, physical examination results, clinicopathologic tests, treatment procedures followed, and the ultimate outcome – whether they survived.
Results and Findings
- Out of the 122 horses treated, 91 (74.6%) survived and were discharged from the hospital successfully.
- Horses that had a history of being administered antibiotics for any health issue prior to experiencing diarrhea were found to be approximately 4.5 times less likely to survive when compared to those without such a history.
- Certain variables identified at the time of hospital admission were found to be significantly associated with the horse’s failure to survive. These include the administration of antimicrobial drugs for any other health condition, serum creatinine concentration levels exceeding 2.0 mg/dl, indications of tachycardia (heart rate surpassing 60 beats per minute), packed cell volume (PCV) exceeding 45%, and low serum total protein concentration.
- It was noted that the prevalence of laminitis, a painful and potentially crippling condition affecting the hooves, was 11.5%.
Conclusions
- Diarrheic horses displaying signs of azotemia (excessive urea, creatinine, and other nitrogenous substances in the blood), evidence of hemoconcentration (an increase in the concentration of cells and solids in the blood), and hypoproteinemia (abnormally low levels of protein in the blood) are found to have a poor prognosis for survival.
- It was highlighted that the administration of antimicrobials could lead to diarrhea, and horses with antimicrobial-associated diarrhea have a worse prognosis than horses with other types of acute diarrhea.
Cite This Article
APA
Cohen ND, Woods AM.
(1999).
Characteristics and risk factors for failure of horses with acute diarrhea to survive: 122 cases (1990-1996).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 214(3), 382-390.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4475, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Acute Disease
- Animals
- Anti-Infective Agents / administration & dosage
- Blood Proteins / analysis
- Creatinine / blood
- Diarrhea / mortality
- Diarrhea / veterinary
- Female
- Foot Diseases / epidemiology
- Foot Diseases / veterinary
- Heart Rate
- Hematocrit / veterinary
- Hoof and Claw / pathology
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horses
- Inflammation / veterinary
- Male
- Prevalence
- Prognosis
- Records / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Seasons
Citations
This article has been cited 27 times.- Tuniyazi M, Wang W, Zhang N. A Systematic Review of Current Applications of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Horses. Vet Sci 2023 Apr 13;10(4).
- Ayoub C, Arroyo LG, MacNicol JL, Renaud D, Weese JS, Gomez DE. Fecal microbiota of horses with colitis and its association with laminitis and survival during hospitalization. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Nov;36(6):2213-2223.
- Gomez DE, Leclere M, Arroyo LG, Li L, John E, Afonso T, Payette F, Darby S. Acute diarrhea in horses: A multicenter Canadian retrospective study (2015 to 2019). Can Vet J 2022 Oct;63(10):1033-1042.
- Merchán A, Koenig J, Côté N, Cribb N, Monteith G. Fragment size is associated with post-operative complications following elective arthroscopy of the tibiotarsal joint of horses. Can Vet J 2022 Jan;63(1):74-80.
- Willette JA, Kopper JJ, Kogan CJ, Seguin MA, Schott HC. Effect of season and geographic location in the United States on detection of potential enteric pathogens or toxin genes in horses ≥6-mo-old. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 May;34(3):407-411.
- Kopper JJ, Willette JA, Kogan CJ, Seguin A, Bolin SR, Schott HC 2nd. Detection of pathogens in blood or feces of adult horses with enteric disease and association with outcome of colitis. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Sep;35(5):2465-2472.
- Hashimoto-Hill S, Alenghat T. Inflammation-Associated Microbiota Composition Across Domestic Animals. Front Genet 2021;12:649599.
- Arnold C, Pilla R, Chaffin K, Lidbury J, Steiner J, Suchodolski J. Alterations in the Fecal Microbiome and Metabolome of Horses with Antimicrobial-Associated Diarrhea Compared to Antibiotic-Treated and Non-Treated Healthy Case Controls. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 17;11(6).
- Kauter A, Epping L, Semmler T, Antao EM, Kannapin D, Stoeckle SD, Gehlen H, Lübke-Becker A, Günther S, Wieler LH, Walther B. The gut microbiome of horses: current research on equine enteral microbiota and future perspectives. Anim Microbiome 2019 Nov 13;1(1):14.
- McKinney CA, Bedenice D, Pacheco AP, Oliveira BCM, Paradis MR, Mazan M, Widmer G. Assessment of clinical and microbiota responses to fecal microbial transplantation in adult horses with diarrhea. PLoS One 2021;16(1):e0244381.
- Bauquier J, Tudor E, Bailey S. Effect of the p38 MAPK inhibitor doramapimod on the systemic inflammatory response to intravenous lipopolysaccharide in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Sep;34(5):2109-2116.
- Arnold CE, Isaiah A, Pilla R, Lidbury J, Coverdale JS, Callaway TR, Lawhon SD, Steiner J, Suchodolski JS. The cecal and fecal microbiomes and metabolomes of horses before and after metronidazole administration. PLoS One 2020;15(5):e0232905.
- McKinney CA, Oliveira BCM, Bedenice D, Paradis MR, Mazan M, Sage S, Sanchez A, Widmer G. The fecal microbiota of healthy donor horses and geriatric recipients undergoing fecal microbial transplantation for the treatment of diarrhea. PLoS One 2020;15(3):e0230148.
- Kopper JJ, Kogan CJ, Cook VL, Schott HC 2nd. Outcome of horses with enterocolitis receiving oncotic fluid support with either plasma or hetastarch. Can Vet J 2019 Nov;60(11):1207-1212.
- Nomura M, Mizobe F, Kato T, Kuroda T, Urayama S, Muranaka M. Evaluating continuous blood coagulopathy in assessing the severity of acute colitis in Thoroughbred racehorses. J Equine Sci 2018 Sep;29(3):79-85.
- Urayama S, Arima D, Mizobe F, Shinzaki Y, Nomura M, Minamijima Y, Kusano K. Blood glucose is unlikely to be a prognostic biomarker in acute colitis with systemic inflammatory response syndrome in Thoroughbred racehorses. J Equine Sci 2018;29(1):15-19.
- Shaw SD, Stämpfli H. Diagnosis and Treatment of Undifferentiated and Infectious Acute Diarrhea in the Adult Horse. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2018 Apr;34(1):39-53.
- Roy MF, Kwong GP, Lambert J, Massie S, Lockhart S. Prognostic Value and Development of a Scoring System in Horses With Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. J Vet Intern Med 2017 Mar;31(2):582-592.
- Lambert JL, Fernandez NJ, Roy MF. Association of Presence of Band Cells and Toxic Neutrophils with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and Outcome in Horses with Acute Disease. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Jul;30(4):1284-92.
- Costa MC, Stämpfli HR, Arroyo LG, Allen-Vercoe E, Gomes RG, Weese JS. Changes in the equine fecal microbiota associated with the use of systemic antimicrobial drugs. BMC Vet Res 2015 Feb 3;11:19.
- Thoefner MB, Ersbøll BK, Jansson N, Hesselholt M. Diagnostic decision rule for support in clinical assessment of the need for surgical intervention in horses with acute abdominal pain. Can J Vet Res 2003 Jan;67(1):20-9.
- Sjöberg I, Horn I, Ljungvall K, Andersen PH, Sternberg-Lewerin S. Influence of antimicrobial prophylaxis in horses undergoing sutured castrations. Vet Surg 2025 Jul;54(5):872-878.
- Gomez DE, Kopper JJ, Byrne DP, Renaud DL, Schoster A, Dunkel B, Arroyo LG, Mykkanen A, Gilsenan WF, Pihl TH, Lopez-Navarro G, Tennent-Brown BS, Hostnik LD, Mora-Pereira M, Marques F, Gold JR, DeNotta SL, Desjardins I, Stewart AJ, Kuroda T, Schaefer E, Oliver-Espinosa OJ, Agne GF, Uberti B, Veiras P, Delph Miller KM, Gialleti R, John E, Toribio RE. Treatment approaches to horses with acute diarrhea admitted to referral institutions: A multicenter retrospective study. PLoS One 2024;19(11):e0313783.
- Haywood LMB, Sheahan BJ. A Review of Epithelial Ion Transporters and Their Roles in Equine Infectious Colitis. Vet Sci 2024 Oct 7;11(10).
- Manning H, Sampson S. Peri-anaesthetic complications in 1798 equids undergoing high-field elective orthopaedic MRI at a tertiary referral hospital. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):666-673.
- Tuniyazi M, Tang R, Hu X, Fu Y, Zhang N. Carbonate buffer mixture and fecal microbiota transplantation hold promising therapeutic effects on oligofructose-induced diarrhea in horses. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1388227.
- Gomez D, Toribio R, Caddey B, Costa M, Vijan S, Dembek K. Longitudinal effects of oral administration of antimicrobial drugs on fecal microbiota of horses. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Nov-Dec;37(6):2562-2572.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists