ECEIM consensus statement on equine kidney disease.

The aim of this consensus statement is to summarize and appraise scientific evidence and combine this with the clinical experience of a panel of experts to optimize recommendations on how to recognize and manage kidney disease in horses.

Trimethoprim-sulfonamide: a valid antimicrobial treatment in foals?

Trimethoprim-sulfonamide (TMPS) combinations are widely used to treat a range of infectious diseases in horses, but some equine practitioners are reluctant to use them for treatment of both neonatal and older foals. Considering the emergence of increased antimicrobial resistance, the use of protected antimicrobials commonly prescribed to foals should be avoided and alternative first-line therapy considered, where appropriate. This review examines the characteristics and pharmacokinetics of TMPS and its suitability for treatment of foals.

Novel Board Game versus Active Case-Based Discussion to Teach Final-Year Veterinary Students the Diagnostic Approach to Clinical Cases.

Traditional lectures, where students listen passively, often do not reflect the complexity of real-life decision-making situations. Furthermore, modern students are using online devices for daily activities, and this has a challenging side effect for educators, as many people these days can only maintain their focus if topics are discussed in concise and engaging ways. For these reasons, there is growing interest in the use of games for educational purposes.

Do post-surgical multiresistant urinary infections occur in horses? Case of unilateral pyelonephritis caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing bacteria as a complication of cystotomy.

Pyelonephritis is a serious condition that is rarely described in horses. In contrast, urinary tract infections are common in humans and small animals, and multi-drug-resistant urinary infections are an emerging threat. In this report, we describe a horse with unilateral pyelonephritis caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing bacteria belonging to the Enterobacter cloacae complex.

Use of admission serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentrations as a marker of sepsis and outcome in neonatal foals.

Background: Equine neonatal sepsis can be challenging to diagnose and prognosticate. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a new marker of renal damage and inflammation, can potentially be helpful.

Objectives: To evaluate NGAL in neonatal foals with sepsis, and assess its relation to outcome.

Breath Alcohol Test Results in Equine Veterinarians after Performing an Abdominal Ultrasound with Ethanol.

Transcutaneous abdominal ultrasonography using alcohol saturation is used in the diagnostic workup of a variety of conditions in horses. The duration of the examination and the amount of alcohol used in each case may vary depending on several factors. The aim of this study is to describe the breath alcohol test results obtained by veterinarians performing abdominal ultrasound on horses.

Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in Synovial Fluid from Horses with and without Septic Arthritis.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been suggested to be a highly sensitive and specific marker of joint infection in humans. The aim of the study was to investigate NGAL concentrations in synovial fluid (SF) from horses with septic synovitis, horses without septic synovitis, and horses with uncertain status. NGAL was measured in 177 admission samples obtained from 152 horses.

Serum amyloid A as a marker to detect sepsis and predict outcome in hospitalized neonatal foals.

Background: Serum amyloid A (SAA) has been reported to hold promise as diagnostic and prognostic marker in foals. This has not been investigated thoroughly.

Objectives: Evaluate admission SAA concentrations as predictor of sepsis and outcome.

Biomarkers of Kidney Disease in Horses: A Review of the Current Literature.

Creatinine only allows detection of kidney disease when 60 to 75% of the glomerular function is lost and is therefore not an ideal marker of disease. Additional biomarkers could be beneficial to assess kidney function and disease. The objectives are to describe new equine kidney biomarkers.

Factors that influence owner consent for exploratory laparotomy in horses with colic in Australia and New Zealand.

Background: Horse owners' motivators and barriers for consent to exploratory laparotomy are poorly understood.

Objectives: To (1) determine the proportion of Australian and New Zealand horse owners who would consent to exploratory laparotomy and (2) identify motivators and barriers for consent.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Novel Board Game versus Active Case-Based Discussion to Teach Final-Year Veterinary Students the Diagnostic Approach to Clinical Cases.

Traditional lectures, where students listen passively, often do not reflect the complexity of real-life decision-making situations. Furthermore, modern students are using online devices for daily activities, and this has a challenging side effect for educators, as many people these days can only maintain their focus if topics are discussed in concise and engaging ways. For these reasons, there is growing interest in the use of games for educational purposes.

Co-Occurrence of Multidrug Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Pathogenic Clones of Human Relevance in an Equine Pneumonia Case.

The global epidemiology of multidrug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, a serious threat to both animal and human health, is dominated by the spread of pathogenic clones, each separately evolving via acquisition of transferable antibiotic resistance or niche-specific virulence determinants. In horses, K. pneumoniae infection can lead to severe respiratory illness.

Chronic Renal Failure-Causes, Clinical Findings, Treatments and Prognosis.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rare in horses with an overall prevalence reported to be 0.12%. There is often a continuum from Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) to CKD, and patients with CKD may be predisposed to episodes of AKI.

Perioperative lung ultrasonography in healthy horses undergoing general anesthesia for elective surgery.

Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is poorly evaluated in horses, especially perioperatively.

Objectives: (1) Describe LUS findings in healthy horses before and after general anesthesia (GA), (2) evaluate if GA induces ultrasonographic changes in healthy horses, (3) suggest a LUS scoring system, (4) identify horse variables that are associated to LUS changes after anesthesia.

Animals: Twenty-five healthy adult horses undergoing elective surgery.

Effect of exercise on serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin concentration in racehorses.

Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (sNGAL) is a marker of renal injury, and its concentrations are affected by inflammation. Therefore, it could serve as a useful biomarker of disease or fitness in high-level competition. However, it has not yet been determined if sNGAL concentrations are affected by exercise.

An Oligosaccharide Rich Diet Increases spp. Bacteria in the Equine Microbiota.

Some oligosaccharides induce growth of anti-inflammatory bacterial species and induce regulatory immunity in humans as well as animals. We have shown that the equine gut microbiota and the immune-microbial homeostasis largely stabilize within the first 50 days of life. Furthermore, we have previously established that certain bacterial species in the equine gut correlated with regulatory immunity.

Effect of three different needle holders on gastrointestinal anastomosis construction time and bursting pressure in equine jejunal segments.

Background: Equine small intestinal resection and anastomosis is a procedure where optimizing speed, without compromising integrity, is advantageous. There are a range of different needle holders available, but little is published on the impact surgical instrumentation has on surgical technique in veterinary medicine. The objectives of this study were to investigate if the needle holder type influences the anastomosis construction time, the anastomosis bursting pressure and whether the bursting pressure is influenced by the anastomosis construction time.

Transthoracic echocardiography and its limitations in the diagnosis of congenital supernumerary aortic valve in a Thoroughbred.

Aortic valve malformation is a common congenital abnormality reported in human medicine. The malformation is characterised by an increased or decreased number of cusps. Anatomical variations of the aortic valve that have been documented in humans include unicuspid, bicuspid, quadricuspid and quinticuspid valves.

Blood glucose and subcutaneous continuous glucose monitoring in critically ill horses: A pilot study.

This pilot prospective study reports the feasibility, management and cost of the use of a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system in critically ill adult horses and foals. We compared the glucose measurements obtained by the CGM device with blood glucose (BG) concentrations. Neonatal foals (0-2 weeks of age) and adult horses (> 1 year old) admitted in the period of March-May 2016 with clinical and laboratory parameters compatible with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) were included.

Influence of clinical and experimental intra-articular inflammation on neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin concentrations in horses.

Objective: To investigate neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentrations in serum and synovial fluid (SF) from horses with joint inflammation.

Study Design: Experimental studies and retrospective clinical study.

Sample Population: Serum and SF samples were available from healthy horses (n = 19), clinical cases, and horses with experimental joint inflammation.

Ascending aortic aneurysm associated with tetralogy of Fallot in an adult mare.

Congenital heart disease is relatively uncommon in horses. Only three reports exist that describe a tetralogy of Fallot in adult horses. Whereas in humans the presence of congenital heart disease constitutes a risk factor for developing aortic aneurysms, their association has never been reported in horses.

Evaluation of Dynamic Structural Disorders in the Upper Airways and Applied Rein Tension in Healthy Dressage Horses During Riding in Different Gaits and Head-Neck Positions.

Flexion of the horse's head and neck during dressage riding reduces the pharyngeal lumen with the risk of increased upper airway resistance and upper airway obstructions. According to the Fédération Equestre Internationale, hyperflexion is achieved through force, whereas the position low-deep-round is nonforced. The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) applied rein tension and (2) dynamic structural disorders in the upper airways in dressage horses in different gaits and different head-neck positions (HNPs).

Long-term hormone replacement treatment in a horse with central diabetes insipidus.

This case report describes the clinical presentation, and the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of a 4-year-old gelding presented with severe polyuria and polydipsia. The horse was diagnosed with central diabetes insipidus. After diagnosis, different therapeutic regimens with intraocular desmopressin acetate (Minirin, Ferring GmbH, Kiel, Germany) (a synthetic arginine vasopressin analog) were tested, but without success.

Effect of standard clinical procedures on blood glucose concentration in clinically healthy horses.

Background: Blood glucose concentrations fluctuate with stress, but little is known on how it is influenced by clinical procedures. The objective was to investigate the effect of clinical procedures on blood glucose concentration in healthy horses.

Materials And Methods: Prospective, experimental study.