Treatment approaches to horses with acute diarrhea admitted to referral institutions: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: This study aimed to describe and compare therapeutic approaches for horses with acute diarrhea in different geographic regions worldwide.

Methods: Clinical information was retrospectively collected from diarrheic horses presented to participating institutions between 2016 and 2020, including fluid therapy on admission, antimicrobial drugs, probiotics, anti-endotoxic medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, gastroprotectants, digital cryotherapy, and toxin-binding agents. Seasonal and geographic differences were investigated.

Evaluation of the Rostral Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block via the Mental Foramen in Equids: In Vivo Efficacy Testing.

The use of proper sedative and regional anesthetic protocols is essential when performing equine dental surgical procedures under standing sedation. The efficacy of the rostral inferior alveolar nerve block via the mental foramen has not been previously studied. Aims of this study included determining the efficacy of the block, investigating whether any region (labial mucosa, alveolar mucosa, or teeth) was more reliably anesthetized, and if differences in efficacy existed between bilateral and unilateral blocks.

Endothelial glycocalyx degradation in critically ill foals.

Background: Endothelial glycocalyx (EG) degradation occurs in septic humans and EG products can be used as biomarkers of endothelial injury. Information about EG biomarkers and their association with disease severity is lacking in hospitalized foals.

Objectives: Measure serum syndecan-1 (SDC-1), heparan sulfate (HS), angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2), aldosterone (ALD), and plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentrations and to determine their association with disease severity and death in hospitalized foals.

A review of equine anesthetic induction: Are all equine anesthetic inductions "crash" inductions?

Horses are the most challenging of the common companion animals to anesthetize. Induction of anesthesia in the horse is complicated by the fact that it is accompanied by a transition from a conscious standing position to uncconconscious recumbency. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on induction of anesthesia with a focus on the behavioral and physiologic/pharmacodynamic responses and the actions and interactions of the drugs administered to induce anesthesia in the healthy adult horse with the goal of increasing consistency and predictability.

Evaluation of the diagnostic value of transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) to assess neuronal functional integrity in horses.

Unlabelled: Medical imaging allows for the visualization of spinal cord compression sites; however, it is impossible to assess the impact of visible stenotic sites on neuronal functioning, which is crucial information to formulate a correct prognosis and install targeted therapy. It is hypothesized that with the transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) technique, neurological impairment can be reliably diagnosed.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of the TES technique to assess neuronal functional integrity in ataxic horses by recording TES-induced muscular evoked potentials (MEPs) in three different muscles and to structurally involve multiple ancillary diagnostic techniques, such as clinical neurological examination, plain radiography (RX) with ratio assessment, contrast myelography, and post-mortem gross and histopathological examination.

Association of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio with outcome in sick hospitalized neonatal foals.

Background: The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in human medicine is an objective biomarker that reflects prognosis. The NLR as an independent biomarker to help predict nonsurvival in hospitalized neonatal foals has not been thoroughly interrogated.

Objectives/hypothesis: Retrospectively evaluate if the NLR at admission is associated with nonsurvival in sick hospitalized foals <4 days old.

Transcriptome Signature of Immature and In Vitro-Matured Equine Cumulus-Oocytes Complex.

Maturation is a critical step in the development of an oocyte, and it is during this time that the oocyte advances to metaphase II (MII) of the meiotic cycle and acquires developmental competence to be fertilized and become an embryo. However, in vitro maturation (IVM) remains one of the limiting steps in the in vitro production of embryos (IVP), with a variable percentage of oocytes reaching the MII stage and unpredictable levels of developmental competence. Understanding the dynamics of oocyte maturation is essential for the optimization of IVM culture conditions and subsequent IVP outcomes.

Racing performance of Thoroughbred racehorses with suspensory ligament branch desmitis treated with mesenchymal stem cells (2010-2019).

Background: Suspensory ligament branch desmitis (SLBD) is a common injury in Thoroughbred racehorses. Orthobiologic treatment of these injuries is a relatively new approach, and there is limited information available on post injury racing performance in racehorses treated with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Objectives: To assess racing performance post injury in Thoroughbred racehorses with SLBD treated with MSCs.

Recumbency decreases mare and foal survival following in-hospital dystocia management.

Background: Mare and foal survival are increased with prompt dystocia management. Data regarding mortality outcomes in mares and foals, when mares are recumbent at admission for dystocia resolution, are scarce.

Objectives: To evaluate recumbency at hospital admission as a risk factor for survival of mares and foals following dystocia management.

Cerebrospinal fluid and serum proteomic profiles accurately distinguish neuroaxonal dystrophy from cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy in horses.

Background: Cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM) and equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) are leading causes of spinal ataxia in horses. The conditions can be difficult to differentiate, and there is currently no diagnostic modality that offers a definitive antemortem diagnosis.

Objective: Evaluate novel proteomic techniques and machine learning algorithms to predict biomarkers that can aid in the antemortem diagnosis of noninfectious spinal ataxia in horses.

Risk of anesthesia-related complications in draft horses: a retrospective, single-center analysis.

Objective: To report anesthetic-related complications and determine risks associated with anesthesia in draft horses.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: A total of 401 anesthetic records for draft horse breeds that underwent general anesthesia from January 2010 through December 2020 were reviewed; horses euthanized during general anesthesia were excluded.

Sales and race performance of juvenile Thoroughbreds with surgically corrected large colon displacements.

Background: Juvenile Thoroughbreds can be expensive to raise and train to race. Part of the economic return in these juveniles are the weanling, yearling and 2-year-old in training sales at which major surgeries must be declared.

Objectives: To determine if surgically corrected large colon displacements were associated with a reduction of sales price and racing performance.

A multicenter retrospective case-cohort study on the prevalence of incisional morbidities in late pregnant mares following exploratory celiotomy (2014-2019): 579 cases.

Objective: To report the prevalence and risk factors for incisional morbidities in late pregnant and nonpregnant/early pregnant control mares following colic surgery.

Design: Multicenter, retrospective, cohort study from January 2014 to December 2019.

Setting: Two university teaching hospitals and 1 private referral center.

Prognosis for survival to discharge and racing performance in Thoroughbred foals treated for single joint septic arthritis (2009-2016).

Background: Haematogenous septic arthritis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in foals. Previous research has demonstrated a variable prognosis for athletic performance in foals diagnosed with septic arthritis.

Objective: To determine the racing prognosis for Thoroughbred foals, 6 months of age or less with single septic joint of presumed haematogenous origin without recognised systemic sepsis or other serious comorbidity compared with a group of maternal sibling controls.

Longitudinal assessment of adrenocortical steroid and steroid precursor response to illness in hospitalized foals.

Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals. Relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI), defined as an inadequate cortisol response to stress, has been associated with sepsis, prematurity, and poor outcome in newborn foals. In addition to cortisol, the adrenal gland synthesizes several biologically important steroids and steroid precursors, including aldosterone, androgens, and progestogens.

Ex vivo and in vivo evaluation of a modified interrupted Lembert pattern for small intestinal anastomoses in horses.

Objective: To compare single-layer anastomoses (modified continuous Lembert [mod-CL] and modified-interrupted Lembert [mod-IL]) and a 2-layer simple continuous anastomosis (2 L; seromuscular and mucosal) for jejunojejunal anastomoses in equine cadavers and to compare ex vivo to in vivo time to complete the anastomosis and stoma size with a mod-IL pattern.

Study Design: Measurements in jejunum from cadaver and anesthetized horses.

Animals: Ten live horses and 18 equine cadavers.

Clostridial Diseases (Botulism and Tetanus).

Botulism and tetanus are the 2 primary manifestations of neurologic disease caused by clostridial toxins. Only a small dose of clostridial toxin is required to induce severe, and often fatal, disease. Consequently, definitive diagnosis of either disease is nearly impossible to achieve antemortem or postmortem; presumptive diagnosis is usually made based on physical and neurologic examination findings.

Cervical Vertebral Stenotic Myelopathy.

Cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy is a common cause of ataxia in horses secondary to spinal cord compression. Early articles describing this problem indicate genetic predisposition as a known risk factor. Further studies have shown the problem is a developmental abnormality which might have genetic predisposition and environmental influences.

Lipidomic analysis of surfactant and plasma from horses with asthma and age-matched healthy horses.

Objective: To perform lipidomic analysis of surfactant and plasma from asthmatic and healthy horses.

Animals: 30 horses with clinical signs of asthma and 30 age-matched control horses.

Procedures: Detailed history, physical examination, CBC, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytologies were obtained.

Special Diagnostic Techniques in Equine Neurology (Radiography, Ultrasonography, Computed Tomography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging).

Diagnostic imaging is often an important part of the diagnostic approach to neurologic disease. Advanced imaging techniques such as myelography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide more information than radiography and ultrasonography but are more limited in their availability. The clinician should be cognizant of the findings of the clinical examination when interpreting diagnostic imaging findings.

Trapezius Motor Evoked Potentials From Transcranial Electrical Stimulation and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Reference Data, Characteristic Differences and Intradural Motor Velocities in Horses.

Reason For Performing Study: So far, only transcranial motor evoked potentials (MEP) of the extensor carpi radialis and tibialis cranialis have been documented for diagnostic evaluation in horses. These allow for differentiating whether lesions are located in either the thoraco-lumbar region or in the cervical myelum and/or brain. Transcranial trapezius MEPs further enable to distinguish between spinal and supraspinal located lesions.

Preoperative computed tomographic evaluation of neonatal foals with rib fractures.

Objective: To compare ultrasonographic and computed tomographic findings in neonatal foals prior to surgical repair of rib fractures as well as postoperative outcomes in foals with and without preoperative thoracic computed tomography (CT). Study design Retrospective cohort study. Sample population 43 neonatal foals undergoing surgical treatment of rib fractures between 2013 and 2021.