Diagnoses, clinical pathology findings, and treatment outcome of geriatric horses: 345 cases (2006-2010).

The study analyzes and compares the clinical, pathology, and treatment outcomes between old (geriatric) and young to middle-aged (nongeriatric) horses. Findings suggest that age influences the prevalence of certain diseases, but there are few differences in serum biochemical values between the two groups.

Approach and Methodology

• The research was a retrospective case-control study involving two groups of horses: the geriatric group which comprised horses aged 20 years and above (cases), and the nongeriatric group consisting of horses aged between 1 and 19 years (controls).
• A total of 690 horses were examined in a referral hospital. This included 345 horses from the geriatric group and 345 horses from the nongeriatric group.
• Data gathered from the medical records of the horses included horse description, diagnosis, outcome, and results of Complete Blood Count (CBC) and serum biochemical analysis.

Results

• The average age for the geriatric group (cases) was 23.9 years, and for the nongeriatric group (controls) was 9.2 years.
• The geriatric group had a significant representation of Arabian and pony breeds compared to the nongeriatric group.
• The most common diagnoses for both groups were related to the digestive, musculoskeletal, and respiratory systems with colic being the most overall common health problem. However, disorders of the digestive system were more prevalent within the geriatric group.
• There was no significant difference in the short-term survival rates between the two groups for most categories of colic except for idiopathic colic.
• Considering all conditions, geriatric horses were significantly more likely not to survive compared to the nongeriatric horses.
• Only minor differences were observed in serum biochemical results across various disease subcategories.
• Geriatric horses with colic were not euthanized more frequently than adult nongeriatric horses.

Conclusions

• The research concluded that age plays a significant role in the prevalence of specific disease conditions in horses, with geriatric horses tending to have more diagnoses related to the digestive system.
• The study also found few differences in serum biochemical values between geriatric and nongeriatric horses implying the stated values may not greatly vary with age.
• Despite age-related differences in disease prevalence, this did not translate into marked differences in treatment outcomes. For instance, geriatric horses with colic did not have higher rates of euthanasia compared to their nongeriatric counterparts.