Evaluation of athletic performance in horses with jugular vein thrombophlebitis: 91 cases (1988-2005).
Abstract: To evaluate effects of thrombophlebitis of 1 or both jugular veins on athletic performance of horses. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 91 horses with jugular vein thrombophlebitis. Methods: Medical records of horses with jugular vein thrombophlebitis examined between 1988 and 2005 were reviewed for signalment, history, clinical signs, diagnosis, and treatment. Performance was evaluated in 2 ways. A questionnaire was used to obtain a subjective assessment from the owner or trainer of the horse's performance after thrombophlebitis, compared with the performance before thrombophlebitis. Racing records from before and after thrombophlebitis were also evaluated. Results: Thrombophlebitis was diagnosed in 37 horses at the time of admission (group 1), and 54 horses developed thrombophlebitis during hospitalization for an unrelated medical condition (group 2). Twenty-seven of 81 (33%) owners answered the questionnaire, and racing records were available for 31 horses. Performance data were available for 48 horses. Owners reported that all nonracing horses, except 1, had equivalent or better performances after discharge. Twenty-six of 31 (84%) Standardbreds resumed racing; in these horses, there was no significant difference between racing times before and after thrombophlebitis. No significant difference in performance was detected regardless of the primary disease, whether a horse had unilateral or bilateral thrombophlebitis, or the treatment administered. Conclusions: Results suggested that the athletic performance of horses used for nonracing events was not affected by thrombophlebitis. Thrombophlebitis in racing Standardbreds was associated with a decreased chance of return to racing; however, performance was not impaired in those that resumed racing.
Publication Date: 2009-11-03 PubMed ID: 19878008DOI: 10.2460/javma.235.9.1073Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Athletic Horses
- Athletic Performance
- Case Reports
- Clinical Signs
- Clinical Study
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Health
- Horse Racing
- Horses
- Hospitalization
- Performance Horses
- Retrospective Study
- Standardbred Horses
- Thoroughbreds
- Thrombophlebitis
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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This study investigates how thrombophlebitis, an inflammation of a vein caused by a blood clot, in one or both jugular veins of horses affects their athletic performance. The results show that horses used for non-racing events did not have their performance hindered due to thrombophlebitis, and the performance of racing horses showed no significant difference before and after the condition.
Methodology
- The researchers looked at medical records of 91 horses diagnosed with jugular vein thrombophlebitis between 1988 and 2005.
- The horses were divided into two groups: group 1 consisting of 37 horses diagnosed at the time of admission and group 2 comprising 54 horses diagnosed during hospitalization for a different medical condition.
- They evaluated the athletic performance of the horses in two ways. Firstly, a questionnaire was used for owners or trainers to subjectively assess the horse’s performance after having thrombophlebitis, in comparison to their performance before the condition. Secondly, they analyzed the horses’ racing records before and after thrombophlebitis.
Results
- Data from owners’ subjective assessments and horses’ racing records were available for a total of 48 horses.
- Of the owners who responded to the questionnaire (33%), they reported that all non-racing horses, save for one, had similar or improved performances after dealing with thrombophlebitis.
- Among Standardbred racehorses, 84% continued to race after thrombophlebitis and their racing times showed no significant change compared to pre-condition times.
- The performance of the horses was unaffected by the primary disease, which side the thrombophlebitis was on (unilateral or bilateral), or the treatment used.
Conclusion
- The study concludes that thrombophlebitis did not adversely impact the performance of horses used for non-racing purposes.
- Among Standardbred racehorses, there was a slight decrease in the number of horses returning to racing after thrombophlebitis. However, for those who did return, there was no performance impairment due to the condition.
Cite This Article
APA
Moreau P, Lavoie JP.
(2009).
Evaluation of athletic performance in horses with jugular vein thrombophlebitis: 91 cases (1988-2005).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 235(9), 1073-1078.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.235.9.1073 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Département de Sciences Cliniques, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Athletic Performance
- Female
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Jugular Veins / pathology
- Male
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Retrospective Studies
- Thrombophlebitis / drug therapy
- Thrombophlebitis / pathology
- Thrombophlebitis / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Hussein HA, Ibrahim A. B-mode and color Doppler ultrasonography of normal external jugular vein in donkeys (Equus asinus). BMC Vet Res 2022 Sep 14;18(1):345.
- Corda A, Columbano N, Secchi V, Scanu A, Parpaglia MLP, Careddu GM, Passino ES. Use of saline contrast ultrasonography in the diagnosis of complete jugular vein occlusion in a horse. Open Vet J 2020 Oct;10(3):308-316.
- Kopper JJ, Bolger ME, Kogan CJ, Schott HC 2nd. Outcome and complications in horses administered sterile or non-sterile fluids intravenously. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Nov;33(6):2739-2745.
- Dias DP, de Lacerda Neto JC. Jugular thrombophlebitis in horses: a review of fibrinolysis, thrombus formation, and clinical management. Can Vet J 2013 Jan;54(1):65-71.
- Shawaf T. Jugular venous thrombosis as a risk factor for exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage in thoroughbred racehorses. Open Vet J 2024 May;14(5):1111-1116.
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