Effects of pulmonary abscesses on racing performance of horses treated at referral veterinary medical teaching hospitals: 45 cases (1985-1997).

This research investigated whether results from physical or radiographic examination or biochemical analysis in adult racehorses with primary lung abscesses affected their ability to race after treatment. Reviewing data from four veterinary teaching hospitals, the study found that the presence of a primary lung abscess did not affect the horse’s ability to return to racing, nor does it negatively affect their performance compared to before their illness.

Research Methodology

• The study used a multi-center retrospective approach, reviewing the medical records of 45 racehorses (25 Standardbreds and 20 Thoroughbreds) admitted to four veterinary teaching hospitals with a primary lung abscess.
• Information from physical examinations, laboratory tests, thoracic radiography was collected and analyzed.
• The performance of these horses post-treatment was compared to their performance prior to the illness and also against the performance of a general population of racehorses of similar age, sex, and breed.

Findings and Results

• It was found that 23 Standardbreds and 13 Thoroughbreds were able to return to racing after diagnosis and treatment.
• Most of the horses had a single abscess located in the dorsal to caudodorsal lung fields.
• No association was found between the results of initial physical examinations, biochemical analyses, culture and identification of microbial isolates, and the horse’s ability to return to racing.
• The performance of the horses that had raced before the illness was not significantly different before and after the treatment of the lung abscess.

Conclusions

• The study concluded that, based on the racing performance of those horses that returned to racing after treatment, long-term residual lung damage did not develop in horses with primary lung abscesses that were treated appropriately.
• However, the study does not answer whether horses that recovered would be more likely to bleed from the site of a prior infection when undertaking vigorous exercise and whether lung abscesses contributed to a failure to resume racing.