So you have heard a heart murmur – what next?

Heart murmurs are a common finding in horses. Physiological aortic flow murmurs are the most common murmur, found in 60-80% of horses. One of the key steps is to determine whether the murmur is...

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. Two horses diagnosed with over-riding dorsal spinous processes, demonstrating antalgic posture and imbalanced muscle patterns.

Veterinary physiotherapy for back pain in the horse

Veterinary physiotherapy assessment of the back region follows a thorough history taking from the owner or rider, during which the clinical signs of back pain during riding and when not ridden should...

Figure 1. a) The mane of a pony that has suffered from chronic insect bite hypersensitivity. Note the shortening of the hairs and the dull brittle nature of the hair ends. b) The tail of the same pony. The hairs are almost absent here, giving the pony a ‘rat-tail’ appearance.

Approaching the future management of sweet itch

Although many different approaches for treatment of insect bite hypersensitivity have been described, the most effective method is the avoidance of Culicoides allergens. Avoidance or reduced allergen...

Figure 3. a. Fibroblastic and coalescing nodular sarcoid lesions on the face of a young horse. b. The same lesions, 24 hours after intra-lesional injection with tigilanol tiglate, showing the rapid development of haemorrhagic necrosis associated with the treatment

An update on the treatment of cutaneous tumours

Benign neglect is most commonly employed with small occult or verrucose lesions. However, benign neglect may be a misnomer, as withholding treatment is not always a benign procedure. In a series of 42...

Figure 1. A horse with ventral oedema of the abdomen.

Equine lymphoma: a review

Lymphoma displays no explicit age bias and cases have been reported in fetuses (Haley and Spraker, 1983) through to geriatrics. However, specific forms of the disease have been anecdotally reported to...

Recovering horses after general anaesthesia

Considering the signalment of the horse is important in order to identify any aspects which may affect anaesthetic risk. Studies have identified the following to be associated with higher risks during...

Figure 1. Transverse computed tomography image of a horse with left-sided septic arthritis of the temporomandibular joint. There is a narrowed joint space (yellow arrow), irregular joint surface, moth-eaten appearance of the subchondral bone of the mandibular condyle and the temporal bone (yellow arrowhead). Mild periosteal reaction is visible at the ventral margin of the left mandibular condyle and the dorsal aspect of the temporal bone (red arrow).

CPD article: Arthropathy of the temporomandibular joint: a diagnostic challenge

The equine temporomandibular joint is a synovial incongruent condylar articulation of the zygomatic process of the squamous temporal bone and the condylar process of the mandible. A biconcave,...

Figure 1. Latero-lateral radiograph of the dorsal spinous processes (DSP) of the thoracic vertebrae T9–T16. In this radiograph, the DSP are touching at one site (arrowhead) leading to sclerosis and remodelling.

An introduction to back pathology in the horse

Once back pain is recognised, the next step in the diagnostic pathway is to identify the cause of the back pain and to ascertain whether it is a result of a primary condition of the back or whether it...

Figure 1. a) Ragwort Senecio jacobaea; b) Red clover.

Equine liver disease in the field. Part 2: causes and management

Despite an appropriate diagnostic approach, a causative agent is not identified in many cases of liver disease, and treatment must be guided by clinical signs and biopsy findings. Even biopsy changes...

Figure 6. Transrectal ultrasound examination demonstrating three cysts in ‘complex’ in the uterine horn (ultrasound depth 4.9 cm).

Examination of mares and fillies for breeding purposes

Accurate and detailed identification is essential and should be included in any report. Name, age, breed, colour/markings and microchip number should be checked against a valid passport. As detailed a...

Figure 3. Examples of sequential lavage fluids, showing improvement in gross appearance.

Breeding the ‘difficult mare’

For reproductive purposes, a mare can be classed as aged in her mid to late teens, typically 15 years or older, although fertility begins to decline in a linear fashion from approximately 12 years of...

Figure 5. Ultrasound assisted liver biopsy. The white marks on the horse's coat just outside the shaved area are the guidance marks placed during the preparatory ultrasound. The biopsy needle should be pre-marked for the correct depth.

Equine liver disease in the field. Part 1: approach

The equine liver comprises 1.5% of body weight (Dyce et al, 2002) and contains up to 10% of the total blood volume at any one time. It has multiple functions including metabolism of proteins,...