Sales performance and athletic outcome in young Thoroughbreds with pericarditis.

BACKGROUND: Pericarditis is a sporadic, but important cause of critical illness in horses of all ages. There is limited information on whether Thoroughbred horses that survive pericarditis are able to reach athletic potential. OBJECTIVES: To determine how pericarditis affected horses that had the disease as young animals with regard to selling price in public sales and the ability to race successfully. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: Medical records were searched to identify pericarditis cases. Signalment and month of diagnosis were noted and Thoroughbreds with ultrasonographically confirmed pericarditis that presented from 2 months to 3 years old were identified. For this subgroup data on sales and racing performed were obtained from publicly available databases to determine long-term survival and post-treatment outcomes from these horses and their unaffected half-siblings. RESULTS: Horses that survived pericarditis as young animals may recover growth and maturation rates quickly enough to reach expected sales prices at public sales for horses of racing age and recovered horses can have successful racing careers. MAIN LIMITATIONS: The number of horses in this case series was not sufficient to enable statistical comparisons between affected horses and unaffected half-siblings, but description of sales prices and race earnings nevertheless yields information about the chances for affected young horses to achieve their intended purposes. CONCLUSIONS: Young Thoroughbreds with pericarditis warrant treatment and can sell and have successful racing careers.

Insulin, glucagon, and leptin in critically ill foals.

BACKGROUND: Endocrine dysregulation of hormones of energy metabolism is well documented in critically ill humans, but limited information exists in septic foals. The purpose of this study was to provide information on the hormonal response to energy metabolism in critically ill foals, focusing on insulin, glucagon, and leptin. HYPOTHESIS: Concentrations of insulin, glucagon, leptin, and triglycerides will be higher, whereas glucose concentration will be lower in septic foals than in healthy and sick nonseptic foals. The magnitude of these differences will be associated with severity of disease and nonsurvival. ANIMALS: Forty-four septic, 62 sick nonseptic, and 19 healthy foals <7 days of age. METHODS: In this prospective multicenter cross-sectional study, blood samples were collected at admission. Foals with positive blood culture or sepsis score ≥12 were considered septic. RESULTS: Septic foals had lower glucose and insulin and higher triglyceride and glucagon concentrations than did healthy foals. Glucagon concentrations were not different between septic foals that died (n = 14) or survived (n = 30). Higher insulin and lower leptin concentrations were associated with mortality. Quantitative insulin-sensitivity check index was higher in septic foals. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Energy metabolism and the endocrine response of related hormones in septic foals are characterized by hypoglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low insulin concentration, and high glucagon concentration. Leptin and insulin may have prognostic value for nonsurvival in septic foals. The hormonal response related to energy metabolism in critical illness differs between foals and humans.

Actinomyces species as a cause of abscesses in nine horses.

The characteristics, history, clinical signs, treatment and outcome of nine horses with abscesses caused by Actinomyces species were reviewed. dna sequencing was used to determine the species of one of the isolates. The horses were one to 11 years of age, and the abscesses were most commonly located in the submandibular and retropharyngeal regions. The bacterium was usually cultured as the sole isolate and the horses were most often affected in the autumn. Most of the abscesses were treated with antimicrobials and drainage, but some of them recurred. The horses with submandibular abscesses had residual scar tissue that in some cases did not resolve.

Renal failure, laminitis, and colitis following severe rhabdomyolysis in a draft horse-cross with polysaccharide storage myopathy.

A Thoroughbred-Percheron crossbred gelding developed a fulminant cascade of sequelae following a severe episode of rhabdomyolysis. Complications may occur with rhabdomyolysis of any etiology. In warmblood horses with Percheron bloodlines, rhabdomyolysis may be secondary to polysaccharide storage disease, and aggressive therapy should be undertaken promptly to avoid the complications.