Equine Medicine

Pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi continues to be an important cause of disease and death in foals.1 Because case-fatality rates may be high and because treatment may be prolonged and expensive, controlling and preventing disease is more desirable than relying solely on treating affected cases.

The palmar digital nerves are blocked by injecting up to 2 ml of anesthetic over the nerves, along the edge of the DDFT. Much discussion has taken place regarding the proximal to distal level that the injection should occur. The PDN can be blocked anywhere from the proximal margin of the collateral cartilage to the mid pastern region.

A new study in top equine athletes brings nutritional deficiencies into the spotlight.

Could this common fracture eventually be a thing of the past?

Stay safe with these restraint tips for working around ill or injured horses.

The coordinated actions of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems result in the transport of oxygen and energy products (glucose, fatty acids) to the muscle fibers, where they are used for aerobic energy production, and the removal of waste products (lactate, carbon dioxide, water) from them.

The cornea is the front layer of the fibrous tunic of the eye; it is composed of three distinct layers and one distinct membrane. The outer epithelial layer is approximately five to ten cells thick. The middle stromal layer comprises about 95% of the cornea, and the inside layer is the endothelial layer, and its basement membrane is Descemet's membrane.

What condition are these ocular changes consistent with?

Uteropexy can help mares that develop post-mating endometritis.

A look at how several antifungal agents and delivery vehicles affect equine keratocytes.

A plan eight years in development will finally come to fruition.

Each of these promising veterinary students attributes a personal passion for equine medicine to an early association with horses.

Which parasite is bugging this colt?

The use of a modified spirometric monitoring system for anesthetized equine patients was recently evaluated.

Get the veterinary lowdown on five plants toxic to horses, where they're found, and the consequences of a horse ingesting them.

Often clients will consult their veterinarians regarding conditioning, nutrition, supplementation and managing horses exercising in extreme heat.

For those pursuing equine practice, the personal passion for their subjects starts long before veterinary school.

Which diagnostic test will solidify a diagnosis for this pony?

North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine recently published a retrospective study looking at the demographics of horses donated to their Equine Health Center from 1996 to 2008.

Corneal disease and damage resulting in cloudy, blue eyes has many causes.

Bacterial pneumonia is a common cause of disease in young foals.

Several previous presentations at the ACVIM and at other veterinary meetings have discussed PCR, and a recent paper indicates that a basic understanding of the different PCR test formats is needed for continuing education of practitioners and diplomates. While it is not necessary for the practitioner to be a molecular biologist, this table provides a short review of the definitions of molecular testing.

Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis in humans and horses. Risk factors in man include systemic antimicrobial use, gastrointestinal surgery, proton pump inhibitors (like omeprazole), chemotherapy, increasing age, and lack of immune competence.

Correcting the defects in uterine defense, neutralizing virulent bacteria, and controlling post-breeding inflammation are the goals of successful therapy. This is accomplished by surgically correcting anatomical defects, improving physical drainage after insemination, reducing the length or modulating the inflammatory response to insemination and inhibiting bacterial growth.

In general, sufficient fluids have been given when the horse/foal begins to pass urine.

By definition, the complete reproductive cycle includes a period of estrus, concluding with ovulation and a period of diestrus when progesterone levels are elevated. Observing periodic estrous behavior does not prove cyclicity. Evidence that ovulation is occurring can be from sequential data from ovarian palpation, presence of a corpus luteum as shown by ultrasonography or elevation of serum progesterone levels.

This paper will focus on the normal anatomy of the upper airway and manipulations of the endoscope to allow a thorough examination of the region in question. Adequate restraint of the horse allows for a controlled and complete endoscopic examination. This is not always achievable. When dynamic functional collapse of the upper airway is suspected from the horse's presenting history ideally the resting endoscopic examination is performed without use of sedation. Sedatives may alter nasopharyngeal and laryngeal movements and consequently affect the assessment of the airway.

Goal of all techniques is to create a mucosal tunnel extending from the urethral orifice to near the mucocutaneous junction.

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was first described in the human health care setting in the 1960's. Infections were first described in otherwise healthy people in the 1980's. Disease severity in humans ranges from asymptomatic colonization of the upper respiratory tract and skin, to clinical disease with varying severity.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen and is a significant cause of hospital acquired (nosocomial) infection of surgical wounds and infections associated with indwelling medical devices. Staphylococcus aureus can colonize the skin and nares of humans which facilitate its transmission, particularly in the healthcare setting.