Race performance following epiglottic entrapment surgery in Thoroughbred yearlings.

Background: Epiglottic entrapment can occur in yearling Thoroughbreds (TB); however, race performance following surgical correction is unknown.

Objectives: To determine the race performance of horses treated surgically for epiglottic entrapment as yearlings as compared to an untreated cohort. A second objective was to identify risk factors for treated horses not racing post-operatively.

Relationship between anti-Müllerian hormone and fertility in the mare.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate; 1) the stability of measured serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations in samples after multiple freeze-thaw cycles, 2) the repeatability of AMH concentrations within mares during the same breeding season as well as across breeding seasons, and 3) the relationship between serum AMH concentrations and fertility (measured as first cycle pregnancy rates) in thoroughbred mares. For the first aim, AMH concentrations (n = 9) were examined across four freeze-thaw cycles with no significant change in measured AMH concentrations. For the second aim, serum AMH concentrations (n = 12) were examined over three successive estrous cycles and over two successive breeding seasons and AMH levels were significantly correlated for individual animals within (r; 0.

Understanding the Basic Principles of Podiatry.

Foot-related lameness is one of the most frequently encountered problems in the equine industry. Therapeutic shoeing is a frequently used preventative discipline for the treatment of many causes of lameness. The primary goal for therapeutic applications is to offset the mechanical limitations and enhance the healing environment.

The FGF-23/klotho axis and its relationship with phosphorus, calcium, vitamin D, PTH, aldosterone, severity of disease, and outcome in hospitalised foals.

Background: Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) and klotho are key regulators of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) synthesis as well as phosphorus and calcium homeostasis; however, information on the FGF-23/klotho axis in healthy and hospitalised foals is lacking.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to measure serum FGF-23 and klotho concentrations and determine their association with serum phosphorus, total calcium (TCa), vitamin D metabolite [25(OH)D, 1,25(OH) D], PTH, and aldosterone concentrations, disease severity, and mortality in hospitalised foals.

Study Design: Prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Clinical outcomes after colopexy through left ventral paramedian incision in 156 thoroughbred broodmares with large colon disorders (1999-2015).

Objective: To describe a technique for colopexy via a left ventral paramedian incision and report postoperative clinical outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: One hundred fifty-six thoroughbred broodmares treated with a colopexy through a left ventral paramedian incision between 1999 and 2015.

Evaluation of updated sepsis scoring systems and systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria and their association with sepsis in equine neonates.

Background: The original equine sepsis score provided a method of identifying foals with sepsis. New variables associated with sepsis have been evaluated, but the sepsis score has not been updated.

Objectives: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of 2 updated sepsis scores and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria in regard to detecting sepsis in foals.

Effects of hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose membranes on the clinical outcome of horses undergoing emergency exploratory celiotomy.

Objective: To determine the influence of hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose (HA-CMC) membranes applied to intestinal anastomoses or enterotomies on postoperative complications after emergency exploratory celiotomy.

Study Design: Multicenter retrospective case-controlled series.

Animals: Adult horses (59 in the HA-CMC group and 91 controls).

Nutritional management of the foal with diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea is a common problem in the neonatal and suckling foal. In certain circumstances supplemental nutrition is necessary depending on the age of foal, severity of diarrhoea and presence of other systemic manifestations. Nutritional supplementation can be provided either enterally or parenterally.

Testing the Sarcocystis neurona vaccine using an equine protozoal myeloencephalitis challenge model.

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is an important equine neurologic disorder, and treatments for the disease are often unrewarding. Prevention of the disease is the most important aspect for EPM, and a killed vaccine was previously developed for just that purpose. Evaluation of the vaccine had been hampered by lack of post vaccination challenge.

Interobserver Variation in the Diagnosis of Neurologic Abnormalities in the Horse.

Background: The diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) relies heavily on the clinical examination. The accurate identification of neurologic signs during a clinical examination is critical to the interpretation of laboratory results.

Objective: To investigate the level of agreement between board-certified veterinary internists when performing neurologic examinations in horses.

Reproductive careers of Thoroughbred broodmares before and after surgical correction of ≥360 degree large colon volvulus.

Background: Limited data exist describing broodmare longevity and reproductive efficiency after surgical correction of ≥360 degree large colon volvulus (° LCV).

Objectives: Compare career duration and foals delivered for broodmares before and after ≥360° LCV surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Steroids, steroid precursors, and neuroactive steroids in critically ill equine neonates.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) dysfunction has been associated with sepsis and mortality in foals. Most studies have focused on cortisol, while other steroids have not been investigated. The objectives of this study were to characterise the adrenal steroid and steroid precursor response to disease and to determine their association with the HPAA response to illness, disease severity, and mortality in hospitalised foals.

Common lesions of the distal end of the third metacarpal/metatarsal bone in racehorse catastrophic breakdown injuries.

Equine catastrophic skeletal breakdown injury is a serious issue within the racing industry, given the impact on equine and human health. The metacarpo- and metatarso-phalangeal (fetlock) joints are common sites of catastrophic injury. However, lesions involving articular cartilage, subchondral bone, and synovium are commonly identified within the fetlock of the contralateral limb; hence, it is imperative that lesions in both limbs are evaluated and characterized during postmortem examination.

Gestation length and racing performance in 115 Thoroughbred foals with incomplete tarsal ossification.

Background: Incomplete ossification of the cuboidal bones of the carpus and tarsus in foals has the potential for significant consequences including chronic lameness and decreased athletic ability.

Objectives: To determine if the degree of ossification of the cuboidal bones is associated with gestational length and if the diagnosis of incomplete ossification is a predictor of performance in Thoroughbred racehorses.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur sodium in equine pregnancy.

Eleven pregnant pony mares (D270-326) were administered ceftiofur sodium intramuscularly at 2.2 mg/kg (n = 6) or 4.4 mg/kg (n = 5), once daily.

Creatinine concentrations of accumulated intrauterine fluid to confirm the clinical diagnosis of urometra in mares.

Urine pooling, as a persistent condition, is a cause of infertility in mares due to endometrial inflammation and sperm toxicity. Identification of urometra can be challenging in mares presenting with the condition intermittently, or when urine flows into the uterus but is undetectable in the vagina. Currently, there are no reported objective methods to confirm the clinical diagnosis of urine contamination in intrauterine-fluid accumulations.

Transcutaneous direct current cardioversion in a foal with lone atrial fibrillation.

There are rare published reports of atrial fibrillation (AF) in foals, all of which are associated with structural heart disease or within the adaptive period of newborns. This report describes a 3-month-old Thoroughbred filly with AF and a structurally normal heart on echocardiography. Medical cardioversion of the foal's AF was attempted with three 20mg/kg doses of quinidine sulfate therapy without success.

Endometritis: Nontraditional Therapies.

Endometritis is characterized by inflammation of the endometrial lining of the uterus and is a leading cause of subfertility in broodmares. When traditional therapies fall short, nonconventional means can be used either to supplement or in lieu of customary practices to manage endometritis. This article reviews alternative therapies available for use in broodmare practice and provides anecdotal and scientific evidence supporting their use.

Comparison of cushioned centrifugation and SpermFilter filtration on longevity and morphology of cooled-stored equine semen.

This study compares two methods for seminal plasma removal by evaluating sperm recovery rates, and motility and morphology of cooled-stored semen. Ejaculates were divided into three groups: control, filtration and cushioned centrifugation. Semen was extended to 25 million sperm/ml using a skim-milk-based extender and stored at 5°C for all groups.

Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis: An Updated Consensus Statement with a Focus on Parasite Biology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention.

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) remains an important neurologic disease of horses. There are no pathognomonic clinical signs for the disease. Affected horses can have focal or multifocal central nervous system (CNS) disease.

The Equine Neonatal Central Nervous System: Development and Diseases.

Neonatal encephalopathy is the most common neurologic condition affecting newborn foals and shares similarities with perinatal asphyxia syndrome of human infants. In many cases of neonatal encephalopathy there is no obvious episode of acute or chronic hypoxia and other mechanisms likely play a role in the pathogenesis. Increased concentrations of neuroactive progestagens are found in affected foals; whether these molecules are protective, as has been suggested, or play a role in the pathogenesis is unknown.

Transrectal ultrasonographic characterization of the accessory sex glands, pelvic urethra, and ureters in normal geldings.

Transrectal ultrasound of the internal urogenital tract may be used to aid in the diagnosis of reproductive tract and urinary tract pathology in both stallions and geldings. Abnormalities of the accessory sex glands of geldings are uncommon, although prostatic masses have recently been described in adult geldings presenting with dysuria, stranguria, and/or hematuria. The purpose of this study was to describe the normal ultrasonographic features and sizes of the accessory sex glands, caudal ureters, and pelvic urethra in clinically normal geldings.

Effects of aluminum hinged shoes on the structure of contracted feet in Thoroughbred yearlings.

We applied aluminum hinged shoes (AHSs) to the club foot-associated contracted feet of 11 Thoroughbred yearlings to examine the effects of the shoes on the shape of the hoof and third phalanx (P III). After 3 months of AHS use, the size of the affected hooves increased significantly, reaching the approximate size of the healthy contralateral hooves with respect to the maximum lateral width of the foot, the mean ratio of the bearing border width to the coronary band width, and the mean ratio of the solar surface width to the articular surface width. These results suggest that the AHSs corrected the contracted feet in these yearling horses.

Cervical Vertebral Lesions in Equine Stenotic Myelopathy.

Skeletal lesions in the articular processes of cervical vertebrae C2 to C7 were compared between Thoroughbred horses with cervical stenotic myelopathy (17 males, 2 females; age, 6-50 months) and controls (6 males, 3 females; age, 9-67 months). Lesions identified by magnetic resonance imaging occurred with an increased frequency and severity in diseased horses and were not limited to sites of spinal cord compression. Lesions involved both the articular cartilage and trabecular bone and were further characterized using micro-computed tomography and histopathology.