Clinical

An update on Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals

R.equi is commonly found in the faeces of adult horses and is therefore impossible to eliminate from the environment of mares and foals. Despite the widespread presence of R.equi in the environment,...

Figure 5. Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids and chronic grazing can cause liver failure.

Poisoning in donkeys

The Donkey Sanctuary website is a valuable source of material on donkey care and behaviour for owners and veterinary professionals..

Therapeutics in veterinary care of the donkey

When analysing blood samples, donkey and mule-specific reference ranges should be used where available. The Donkey Sanctuary laboratory haematology, biochemistry, basal adrenocorticotropic hormone and...

Figure 1. The interconnected components of livery yard management.

Maximising collaboration for equine health: working with livery yard owners and managers

Livery yard managers have to manage horse care within a balance of complex, intertwining and sometimes conflicting factors, including management of the land, clients, facilities, business and their...

Figure 2. A converted bin used for soaking a bale (or less) of hay. Note the brass drainage hole bottom right.

Equine asthma: managing the environment

It is generally not possible to avoid the exposure of horses to forage at some point of the year, and forage is constantly within the breathing zone when fed, irrespective of how well ventilated a...

Figure 1. Laterolateral radiographs of the normal cervical spine. A; cranial, B; mid, C; caudal neck.

Imaging the equine neck

Common modalities for imaging of the neck include:.

Figure 2. Verrucose sarcoid lesion at the medial canthus.

Managing periocular sarcoids

Sharp surgical excision is commonly accepted to be an inappropriate sole treatment for the vast majority of sarcoids in any location, because of the propensity for this to lead to aggressive...

Optimising the welfare of equids on box rest: thinking outside the box

Ruet (2019) considers there to be four behavioural indicators of poor welfare state in horses: stereotypic behaviour, aggression toward humans, withdrawn state and the expression of stress...

Figure 2. Surgeon and assistant in appropriate theatre wear.

Pathway to zero surgical site infections

Preoperative measures include careful patient selection, preparation of the surgical team, hair removal, preparation of the surgical site and rational antibiotic prophylaxis..

Figure 1. 10-year-old Welsh pony, shifting weight caudally in the typical laminitic stance.

Medical management of acute laminitis

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) are the two endocrinopathic disorders associated with laminitis (Patterson-Kane et al, 2018)..

Figure 1. Removal of a nodular sarcoid between the forelimbs, under standing sedation and local anaesthesia using a diode laser. The skin is placed under tension using Lane tissue forceps.

Surgical management of sarcoids

Traditionally, surgical removal of sarcoids has had a very poor success rate with local recurrence rates of 72% being reported (McConahy et al, 1994). The main reason for such a poor outcome with...

Figure 2. Swelling of the right hock of a foal with synovial sepsis.

Synovial sepsis in neonatal foals

Septic arthritis can occur as the result of a periarticular infection, inoculation of the joint by a puncture wound, iatrogenic causes or by haematogenous spread (Hardy, 2006). In foals, haematogenous...