Medical problems of adult horses, as ranked by equine practitioners.
Abstract: This paper reports the results of a survey conducted among members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, concerning medical problems of adult horses. A one-page questionnaire listing 36 medical problems grouped by body system was completed by 1,149 veterinarians. The top-ranked disease was colic, followed by viral respiratory tract disease, endometritis, dermatitis, and parasitism. When responses were evaluated by type of practice, location of practice, and number of veterinarians in the practice, ranking of the top 2 diseases was the same for the total respondents. Ranking of diseases 3 through 5 varied when these criteria were taken into consideration.
Publication Date: 1991-05-15 PubMed ID: 2071472
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.
The research article presents the findings of a survey on the most common medical problems in adult horses according to equine veterinarians, with colic and viral respiratory tract disease ranking highest.
Survey Methodology
- The authors conducted a survey among members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners to identify the most frequently diagnosed medical issues in adult horses.
- A questionnaire was developed for this purpose, listing 36 medical problems categorized by the bodily system they affect.
- In total, 1,149 veterinarians participated in the survey, each filling out the one-page questionnaire to share their experiences and assessments.
Survey Findings
- The survey’s results revealed that colic was the most commonly diagnosed disease among adult horses.
- Viral respiratory tract disease came in second.
- Endometritis, a condition involving inflammation of the uterus, ranked as the third most common disease according to the survey.
- The fourth and fifth places went to dermatitis, a skin inflammation condition, and parasitism, respectively.
Variations By Practice Details
- As part of their analysis, the researchers also compared the results based on different variables such as the type of practice, location of the practice, and the number of veterinarians in a given practice.
- However, regardless of these criteria, colic and viral respiratory tract disease consistently ranked as the top two medical issues among all respondents.
- There was variation, however, in the ranking of the third to fifth major diseases when these factors were considered.
This study effectively highlights the most pressing medical issues as perceived by practicing equine veterinarians, which can be useful in guiding future research and therapeutic efforts in this field. It also sheds light on the importance of different practice-related factors in influencing disease prevalence and diagnosis.
Cite This Article
APA
Traub-Dargatz JL, Salman MD, Voss JL.
(1991).
Medical problems of adult horses, as ranked by equine practitioners.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 198(10), 1745-1747.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Colic / epidemiology
- Colic / veterinary
- Dermatitis / epidemiology
- Dermatitis / veterinary
- Endometritis / epidemiology
- Endometritis / veterinary
- Female
- Hemorrhage / epidemiology
- Hemorrhage / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Lung Diseases / epidemiology
- Lung Diseases / veterinary
- Lung Diseases, Obstructive / epidemiology
- Lung Diseases, Obstructive / veterinary
- Parasitic Diseases / epidemiology
- Parasitic Diseases, Animal
- Respiratory Tract Infections / epidemiology
- Respiratory Tract Infections / veterinary
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Tooth Diseases / epidemiology
- Tooth Diseases / veterinary
- United States / epidemiology
- Virus Diseases / epidemiology
- Virus Diseases / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 45 times.- Lange-Consiglio A, Gaspari G, Funghi F, Capra E, Cretich M, Frigerio R, Bosi G, Cremonesi F. Amniotic Mesenchymal-Derived Extracellular Vesicles and Their Role in the Prevention of Persistent Post-Breeding Induced Endometritis. Int J Mol Sci 2023 Mar 8;24(6).
- Köhne M, Hofbauer L, Böttcher D, Tönissen A, Hegger A, Görgens A, Ulrich R, Sieme H. Comparison of systemic trimethoprim-sulfadimethoxine treatment and intrauterine ozone application as possible therapies for bacterial endometritis in equine practice. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1102149.
- Górski K, Stefanik E, Turek B, Bereznowski A, Czopowicz M, Polkowska I, Domino M. Malocclusions and Dental Diseases in Privately Owned Horses in the Mazovia Region of Poland. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 11;12(22).
- Costa MHDS, Medeiros PR, Melo UP, de Souza RF, da Silva GEL, Ferreira C, de Assis DB, da Silva LP, de Brito EL. Survey on the recognition, attitudes, and experience of horse owners during episodes of equine colic in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Braz J Vet Med 2022;44:e003022.
- El-Hage C, Hartley C, Savage C, Watson J, Gilkerson J, Paillot R. Assessment of Humoral and Long-Term Cell-Mediated Immune Responses to Recombinant Canarypox-Vectored Equine Influenza Virus Vaccination in Horses Using Conventional and Accelerated Regimens Respectively. Vaccines (Basel) 2022 May 26;10(6).
- Lee SK, Choi J, Yoon J, Jung J, Park JY, Park J, Kim Y, Park JY, Park D. Molecular Detection of Equine Adenovirus 1 in Nasal Swabs from Horses in the Republic of Korea. Vet Sci 2022 Apr 13;9(4).
- Stieger-Vanegas SM, Hanna AL. The Role of Computed Tomography in Imaging Non-neurologic Disorders of the Head in Equine Patients. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:798216.
- Bazzano M, Marchegiani A, Troisi A, McLean A, Laus F. Serum Amyloid A as a Promising Biomarker in Domestic Animals' Reproduction: Current Knowledge and Future Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2022 Feb 25;12(5).
- Ibrahim S, Hedia M, Taqi MO, Derbala MK, Mahmoud KGM, Ahmed Y, Sosa AS, Saber YHA, Hasanain MH, Nawito MF, Seidel GE. Extracellular vesicles in low volume uterine lavage and serum: novel and promising biomarker for endometritis in Arabian mares. BMC Vet Res 2022 Jan 18;18(1):42.
- Pusterla N, James K, Barnum S, Delwart E. Investigation of Three Newly Identified Equine Parvoviruses in Blood and Nasal Fluid Samples of Clinically Healthy Horses and Horses with Acute Onset of Respiratory Disease. Animals (Basel) 2021 Oct 19;11(10).
- Monteiro de Barros MR, Davies-Morel MCG, Mur LAJ, Creevey CJ, Alison RH, Nash DM. Characterization of an Ex Vivo Equine Endometrial Tissue Culture Model Using Next-Generation RNA-Sequencing Technology. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jul 3;11(7).
- Ibrahim S, Hedia M, Taqi MO, Derbala MK, Mahmoud KGM, Ahmed Y, Ismail S, El-Belely M. Alterations in the Expression Profile of Serum miR-155, miR-223, miR-17, miR-200a, miR-205, as well as Levels of Interleukin 6, and Prostaglandins during Endometritis in Arabian Mares. Vet Sci 2021 Jun 4;8(6).
- Díaz-Bertrana ML, Deleuze S, Pitti Rios L, Yeste M, Morales Fariña I, Rivera Del Alamo MM. Microbial Prevalence and Antimicrobial Sensitivity in Equine Endometritis in Field Conditions. Animals (Basel) 2021 May 20;11(5).
- Weber KS, Wagener K, Blanco M, Bauersachs S, Bollwein H. A comparative analysis of the intrauterine transcriptome in fertile and subfertile mares using cytobrush sampling. BMC Genomics 2021 May 22;22(1):377.
- Segabinazzi LGTM, Canisso IF, Podico G, Cunha LL, Novello G, Rosser MF, Loux SC, Lima FS, Alvarenga MA. Intrauterine Blood Plasma Platelet-Therapy Mitigates Persistent Breeding-Induced Endometritis, Reduces Uterine Infections, and Improves Embryo Recovery in Mares. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021 Apr 23;10(5).
- Köhne M, Kuhlmann M, Tönißen A, Martinsson G, Sieme H. Diagnostic and Treatment Practices of Equine Endometritis-A Questionnaire. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:547.
- Samad L, Tavanaeimanesh H, Mehr Azin H, Moadab SH, Vajhi AR. Clinical dental finding in Iranian horses. Vet Med Sci 2020 Nov;6(4):679-685.
- Canisso IF, Segabinazzi LGTM, Fedorka CE. Persistent Breeding-Induced Endometritis in Mares - a Multifaceted Challenge: From Clinical Aspects to Immunopathogenesis and Pathobiology. Int J Mol Sci 2020 Feb 20;21(4).
- Zhu H, Li W, Wang Z, Chen J, Ding M, Han L. TREM-1 deficiency attenuates the inflammatory responses in LPS-induced murine endometritis. Microb Biotechnol 2019 Nov;12(6):1337-1345.
- Khan AA, Alsahli MA, Rahmani AH. Myeloperoxidase as an Active Disease Biomarker: Recent Biochemical and Pathological Perspectives. Med Sci (Basel) 2018 Apr 18;6(2).
- Ferris RA, McCue PM, Borlee GI, Glapa KE, Martin KH, Mangalea MR, Hennet ML, Wolfe LM, Broeckling CD, Borlee BR. Model of Chronic Equine Endometritis Involving a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm. Infect Immun 2017 Dec;85(12).
- Marth CD, Firestone SM, Glenton LY, Browning GF, Young ND, Krekeler N. Oestrous cycle-dependent equine uterine immune response to induced infectious endometritis. Vet Res 2016 Nov 8;47(1):110.
- Sikora M, Król J, Nowak M, Stefaniak T, Aubertsson G, Kozdrowski R. The usefulness of uterine lavage and acute phase protein levels as a diagnostic tool for subclinical endometritis in Icelandic mares. Acta Vet Scand 2016 Sep 7;58(1):50.
- Marth CD, Young ND, Glenton LY, Noden DM, Browning GF, Krekeler N. Deep sequencing of the uterine immune response to bacteria during the equine oestrous cycle. BMC Genomics 2015 Nov 14;16:934.
- Curtis L, Trewin I, England GC, Burford JH, Freeman SL. Veterinary practitioners' selection of diagnostic tests for the primary evaluation of colic in the horse. Vet Rec Open 2015;2(2):e000145.
- Curtis L, Burford JH, Thomas JS, Curran ML, Bayes TC, England GC, Freeman SL. Prospective study of the primary evaluation of 1016 horses with clinical signs of abdominal pain by veterinary practitioners, and the differentiation of critical and non-critical cases. Acta Vet Scand 2015 Oct 6;57:69.
- Back H, Penell J, Pringle J, Isaksson M, Ronéus N, Treiberg Berndtsson L, Ståhl K. A longitudinal study of poor performance and subclinical respiratory viral activity in Standardbred trotters. Vet Rec Open 2015;2(1):e000107.
- Frellstedt L, Gosset P, Kervoaze G, Hans A, Desmet C, Pirottin D, Bureau F, Lekeux P, Art T. The innate immune response of equine bronchial epithelial cells is altered by training. Vet Res 2015 Jan 17;46(1):3.
- Ishizaka S, Matsuda A, Amagai Y, Oida K, Jang H, Ueda Y, Takai M, Tanaka A, Matsuda H. Oral administration of fermented probiotics improves the condition of feces in adult horses. J Equine Sci 2014;25(4):65-72.
- Scantlebury CE, Perkins E, Pinchbeck GL, Archer DC, Christley RM. Could it be colic? Horse-owner decision making and practices in response to equine colic. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S1.
- Sasani F, Javanbakht J, Ghamsari M, Hassan MA. A report of left dorsal displacement of the large colon in a tropical horse. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed 2013 Apr;3(4):325-9.
- Maischberger E, Irwin J, Carrington S, Duggan V. Equine post-breeding endometritis: A review. Ir Vet J 2008 Mar 1;61(3):163-8.
- Flaminio MJ, Nydam DV, Marquis H, Matychak MB, Giguère S. Foal monocyte-derived dendritic cells become activated upon Rhodococcus equi infection. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2009 Feb;16(2):176-83.
- Larsen DL, Dybdahl-Sissoko N, McGregor MW, Drape R, Neumann V, Swain WF, Lunn DP, Olsen CW. Coadministration of DNA encoding interleukin-6 and hemagglutinin confers protection from influenza virus challenge in mice. J Virol 1998 Feb;72(2):1704-8.
- Boatwright CE, Fubini SL, Grohn YT, Goossens L. A comparison of N-butylscopolammonium bromide and butorphanol tartrate for analgesia using a balloon model of abdominal pain in ponies. Can J Vet Res 1996 Jan;60(1):65-8.
- Köhne M, Hüsch R, Peh E, Hirnet J, Tönissen A, Müsken M, Plötz M, Kittler S, Sieme H. Newly isolated bacteriophages show efficacy and phage-antibiotic synergy in vitro against the equine genital pathogens Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. BMC Vet Res 2025 Oct 3;21(1):568.
- Alfatlawy HJ. Microbial profile of post-breeding endometritis in Arabian mares from the Al-Hira District, Iraq. Open Vet J 2025;15(8):3670-3676.
- Guo L, Holyoak GR, DeSilva U. Endometrial microbiome in mares with and without clinical endometritis. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1588432.
- Nash DM, Giles JL. Uterine inflammation and lessons from large animal models of endometritis. Nat Rev Immunol 2025 Dec;25(12):934-946.
- Del Prete C, Attolini E, Merlo B, Iacono E, Nocera FP, De Martino L, Longobardi C, Damiano S, Longobardi V, Cocchia N, Pasolini MP. Post-Insemination Infusion of Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells-Derived Conditioned Medium: A Novel Approach for Improving Pregnancy Outcomes in Problem Mares. Vet Sci 2025 May 16;12(5).
- Köhne M, Hüsch R, Tönissen A, Schmidt M, Müsken M, Böttcher D, Hirnet J, Plötz M, Kittler S, Sieme H. Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages specific to Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus and evaluation of efficacy ex vivo. Front Microbiol 2024;15:1448958.
- Novello G, Souza FF, Canisso IF. Platelet-Rich Plasma Proteome of Mares Susceptible to Persistent-Breeding-Induced Endometritis Differs from Resistant Mares. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 18;14(14).
- Gil-Miranda A, Macnicol J, Orellana-Guerrero D, Samper JC, Gomez DE. Reproductive Tract Microbiota of Mares. Vet Sci 2024 Jul 18;11(7).
- Benedetti B, Freccero F, Barton J, Elmallah F, Refat S, Padalino B. A Retrospective Study on the Status of Working Equids Admitted to an Equine Clinic in Cairo: Disease Prevalence and Associations between Physical Parameters and Outcome. Animals (Basel) 2024 Mar 6;14(5).
- Virendra A, Gulavane SU, Ahmed ZA, Reddy R, Chaudhari RJ, Gaikwad SM, Shelar RR, Ingole SD, Thorat VD, Khanam A, Khan FA. Metagenomic analysis unravels novel taxonomic differences in the uterine microbiome between healthy mares and mares with endometritis. Vet Med Sci 2024 Mar;10(2):e1369.
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