Peri-anaesthetic complications in 1798 equids undergoing high-field elective orthopaedic MRI at a tertiary referral hospital.

Background: Antimicrobial prophylaxis for elective orthopaedic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in equids is a topic of debate among practitioners and can have negative detrimental effects on patients if used unnecessarily.

Objectives: To describe the complications with elective orthopaedic MRI of horses, mules, and donkeys under general anaesthesia without the use of peri-anaesthetic antimicrobial prophylaxis at a single large tertiary referral centre. We hypothesised that horses, mules, and donkeys undergoing general anaesthesia for elective orthopaedic MRI, without antimicrobial prophylaxis, will not be at increased risk of complications, including increased risk of infectious respiratory disease.