Equine Management and Disease Oct 2, 2024 PDF

EQUINE MANAGEMENT & DISEASE October 2, 2024 Today’s objectives Understand the ways that horses are managed and how this relates to infectious and non-infectious disease Identify some important infectious and non-infectious diseases in horses 2 ...

EQUINE MANAGEMENT & DISEASE October 2, 2024 Today’s objectives Understand the ways that horses are managed and how this relates to infectious and non-infectious disease Identify some important infectious and non-infectious diseases in horses 2 Horses are managed in many ways Management is one of the primary causes of diseases and injury Horses are meant to forage 16-19 hours per 24 hr period and move freely up to 70% of the day (can be up to 60-80km/day) Horses are herd animals and are highly motivated to maintain contact with conspecifics They require long stem forage to maintain a healthy gut → This is not always provided, especially for performance horses! 3 Horses are managed in many ways Horses may be kept in stalls for any number of hours Turnout could be small pen or huge pasture Feed could be concentrate based or forage based Herd managed or individual The point is horses are managed in many ways and this is all considered acceptable… 4  How horses are managed has a huge impact on their health and welfare! Colic Colic: term for a wide variety of clinical signs including gas pain to strangulated intestine Leading cause of death in horses Clinical signs: rolling vigorously, pacing, checking or kicking at belly, lack of appetite, inability pass gas or feces Prevented by providing appropriate continuous forage, avoiding sudden diet changes, minimizing distress, hydration, and movement 6 Colic Treatment includes pain management and otherwise depends on the cause Surgery has ~50% success rate Surgical cases have a high rate of complication 7 Horses are prone to injury Unsafe fences, sharp objects, holes, rocks, cast against fences, inappropriate herd mates, performance activities Training There are multitude of ways that horses can injure themselves including not providing adequate access to turnout ! 8 Injury treatments: rest and rehab! PRP (Platelet rich plasma) injections Stem cell Steroid injections Shockwave therapy Chiropractic Acupuncture Magnetic wave therapies Surgery 9 Dental floats Horses have their full set of adult teeth by ~5yrs Teeth grow continuously and are naturally offset from eachother: meant for foraging ”Floating” the teeth is required 1-2 times per year to eliminate sharp edges and uneven wear that cause issues with eating and cause skin lesions Should be done under light sedation by a licensed vet 10 Dental floats Wolf teeth and “caps” sometimes require removal Teeth can become fractured and abcsess “Quidding”, uneven chewing, dropping feed, and weight loss common signs of long over due dental care needed 11 Hoof care Hooves should be trimmed and balanced at 6-8 week intervals max Hoof angle can influence lameness and future arthritis development Abscesses common in unhygienic conditions 12 Laminitis: inflammation of hoof lamina Extremely painful condition of the feet Suspect when gait is stiff, sawhorse stance or weight shifting to hind, increased digital pulse, hot feet Diagnosed by radiograph 13 Laminitis: inflammation of hoof lamina An umbrella term for a clinical sign related to many diseases and injury Metabolic diseases: PPID (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction or Cushings) Obesity High starch (high non-structural carbohydrate) diets Immune hypersensitivity Infection Toxins Compensatory limb laminitis Injury 14 Laminitis: inflammation of hoof lamina One of the leading causes of death Requires careful management and addressing underlying cause Surgical intervention Therapeutic trimming/shoeing 15 Equine infectious anemia (EIA) A CFIA reportable disease that results in euthanasia → remain carriers for life RNA enveloped retrovirus that invades macrophage Incubation period 1wk-3M but usually 2-4 weeks Spread by biting insects and reused needles Often triggered by something stressful Can have temporary recovery then relapse Can be contagious without clinical signs Vaccine available but cannot be used→ why? 16 Equine infectious anemia (EIA) anorexia depression general weakness intermittent fever up to 41°C jaundice small hemorrhages under the tongue and eye swelling of the extremities weight loss 17 Coggins testing Specialized blood test to detect antibodies for EIA virus Required for most performance activities and cross-border transport 18 Strangles (Streptococcus equi) Also called horse distemper Upper respiratory disease Caused by gram + bacteria Horses can be shedding bacteria for up to 6wks after clinical signs clear up, or become life long spreaders of the disease 19 Strangles (Streptococcus equi) Spread by direct contact or environmental contamination Contagious prior to clinical signs Infects lymph nodes Clinical signs include: fever, nasal discharge, swollen lymph nodes, abscesses Vaccine not super effective 20 Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) Uncommon but often fatal → causes brain inflammation Incubation period 2-3 wks followed by 2-3 days of clinical signs→ 90% of horses die Severe neurological signs Confirmed by IgM antibodies to the virus Vaccine available (requires annual booster) Can be zoonotic Mosquito born virus: RNA, enveloped 21 Contagious equine metritis Bacterial infection of the uterus (Taylorella equigenitalis) Gram - bacteria Spread by sexual contact (clinical signs appear ~10 days after breeding) and can be symptomatic or asymptomatic Causes abortion and uterine inflammation Active infections in mare cleared up by antibiotics Stallions should be cleaned with 4% chlorhexidine prior to breeding 22 Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) Caused by Sarcocystis neurona Spread by oppossums, cats, skunks and raccoons Causes severe neurological signs 23 West Nile Virus Mosquito borne RNA, enveloped virus that infects and kills birds Causes neurological signs and sometimes fever but can be asymptomatic Zoonotic but only causes disease in ~20% No treatment but effective vaccine 24 Deworming: antihelminthic resistance Misinformed owner alternate dewormers, deworm too often, maintain unhygienic conditions Solution: fecal egg count, deworm according to parasite present, maintain clean environment 25 Horse owner choices Horse owners primarily do not see their horses as companions or pets: athletes, workers, livestock Horses do not always receive immediate care for illness or injury Willingness to pay is an issue in many cases because lack of value placed on horses Limitations to care and treatment Lots of misinformation out there 26  Announcements Asynchronous class on Friday! October 7th midterm (check Clockwork for accommodation exam location) Review in labs