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PEMC Equine Healthline
June 2008Click here to download the printable version
Temperature, pulse, and respiration (TPR) are three common and important vital signs to assess the status of horses during competitive and trail riding events as well as emergency situations. Learning how to quickly and accurately assess your horse’s TPR can be valuable in conditions of performance or rest and knowing what’s ‘normal’ for your horse under these varied conditions will help you identify over-exercise, stress, anxiety, and the onset of infectious conditions. Early identification of these changes will help you in training/conditioning and in the detection of illness which would prompt medical attention.
Temperature
Normal rectal temperature in the horse ranges between 99º F and 100.5º F. This ‘normal range’ can vary depending upon external environmental factors and upon exercise. A subnormal temperature is generally present in cold environments when your horse’s thermoregulatory priorities (maintaining internal core temperature) result in moving blood away from the periphery to protect internal organs. Thus the region where the thermometer sits is less blood-perfused and gives a lower than actual core temperature reading. Temperature deviations higher than normal can also occur in very warm weather if the horse’s core temperature has risen above normal (standing in the sun or exercising recently) and he/she is ‘actively’ thermoregulating their core temperature downward (panting, sweating, etc) to return to normal. However, in general a rectal temperature above 102º F in an adult horse, at rest and in a normal environment, should be considered a ‘fever’ and raises concern for an infection or similar ailment affecting the horse. Taking your horse’s temperature on a regular basis can help you interpret daily variations (often 1º F or so higher in late afternoon vs. early in the morning) as well as what your horse’s ‘normal’ is, based upon his own individual internal ‘thermostat.’
The best way to assess temperature is with a conventional rectal or digital thermometer. One to two minutes in the anus is recommended for mercury thermometers and many newer digital thermometers register much faster. Attaching a short piece of string or fishing line along with a small alligator clip for attaching to the tail hairs will prevent the thermometer from either slipping into the rectum or from falling out onto the ground and breaking.
Pulse
The normal pulse (heart rate and characteristic) is 36-44 BPM (beats per minute). Pulse varies markedly with activity, stress or nervousness, level of stimuli, pain, and infection or disease. Many horses also have ‘individual normals’ for their resting heart rate, so learning how to assess pulse accurately and without artificially elevating it in the process of acquiring it will help you assess your horse’s normal range. Pulse is most accurately and easily assessed with a stethoscope. You can purchase an inexpensive stethoscope for $15-25, and then you should practice the process so that you and your horse are comfortable with the procedure. Heartbeats are generally counted for 15 seconds and multiplied by 4 to obtain pulse (beats/minute). The pattern should be regular and steady, and the two separate sounds (lubb-dubb) are counted as “one beat.” Any “swooshing” sound between the ‘lubb-dubb’ may represent stress, disease, or other physiological conditions which should be evaluated by your veterinarian. In the absence of a stethoscope, arterial pulse rate is often assessed on the mandible or on the back of the fetlock, where arteries are superficial enough to feel them pulsate.
Respiration
An increased respiration rate can be a sign of over-heating (core temperature increased and body attempting to ‘cool down’) or an indicator of infection/disease. Normal respiration rate (RR) is 8-12 breaths/minute at rest in normal environmental temperatures. You can assess RR by observing nostril flare (inhalation), flank or ribcage excursions (associated with diaphragm movement), or by listening with a stethoscope. Whichever method you utilize, count breaths for 15 seconds and multiply the number by 4 to determine RR (breaths/min). If in doubt, extend the duration of counting (e.g. 30 sec or 60 sec) and multiply by the corresponding factor, as variations in RR can occur over short periods of time.
Heat stress (panting to thermo regulate), nervousness (strange environment), pain, or infection/disease can all be factors which cause an increase in RR. Steady, regular, relaxed inspiratory – expiratory patterns are normal and appear effortless. Abnormal patterns include irregular, jerky, shallow, noisy, or labored inspiratory-expiratory, all are signs of underlying infection or disease.
Conclusion
Learning how to quickly and accurately assess your horse’s TPR can be valuable in conditions of performance or rest and knowing what’s ‘normal’ for your horse under these varied conditions will help you identify over-exercise, stress, anxiety, and the onset of infectious conditions. Early identification of these changes will help you in training/conditioning and in the detection of illness which would prompt medical attention.
For further articles on Physical Status Assessments, please see the Vital Signs of Life at www.thehorse.com and the AAEP website: Owner ED articles
First Offspring of an Equine Clone
By thehorse.com
Prometea, the blazed Haflinger who gained notoriety in 2003 as the world’s first horse clone, has given birth to a colt. Today the Laboratorio di Tecnologie della Riproduzione (LTR) in Cremona, Italy, announced the March 17 arrival of Pegaso, who was produced by a single artificial insemination attempt. Continuing the family tradition of world firsts, Pegaso is the first offspring of an equine clone, and he’s apparently healthy and thriving.
Cesare Galli, DVM, and his research team at LTR were responsible for the production of Prometea, who was born on May 28, 2003. The first equine clone, born May 4 of that year, was a mule colt that was followed by the birth of two more cloned mules in June and July, respectively. Mules are sterile, so Prometea was the first candidate for reproducing. She was bred to Haflinger stallion Abendfurst, using artificial insemination.
Go online to http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11769&kw=equine+clone to read the full article.
What causes joint disease and how does it show up in the horse?
Horses when left to their own devices graze, perhaps run a little bit but more often than not when horses are left in pasture they live a quiet life. If this was all they did they would probably live to ripe old ages, but as horse athletes they do much more, and that’s where we begin.
There are many competitive disciplines in which we use horse, dressage, hunter/jumper, cutting, reining, roping, barrel racing and three-day eventing. Dressage may look like it isn’t a strain but at the higher levels the horse is asked to move its center of gravity to their hind quarters thus putting stress on the hind limbs. Some of the lateral movements (shoulder-in, half-pass) cause a high degree of stress on the hocks. So the types of injuries we see in horse that compete in dressage include degenerative joint disease of the hocks, inflammation and degenerative joint disease of the front pasterns, inflammation of the middle knee joint and degenerative joint disease and inflammation of the fetlock.
In western events like reining and roping we have a different set of problems. When the reining horse is asked to run down an arena at sped, slide to a stop, and spin in a circle, a great deal of torque on the hind limbs and especially the hocks, is experienced. The sliding stops done by the roping horses put stress on the hock and pasterns.
These are just a few examples of how the joints develop problems. But what are the problems that show up that we see?
When joints suffer trauma, enzymes and other agents from the joint lining are released that destroy tissue inside the joint, especially articular cartilage (which covers the joint surface of the bone.) The result is traumatic arthritis, which causes pain and lameness.
Traumatic arthritis may include inflammation of the joint lining such as synovitis (inflammation of the synovial membrane) and capsulitis (inflammation of the fibrous joint capsule) and injury to the supporting ligaments of the joint (spring) and fractures to the bones within the joint.
Equine joint disease and associated lameness' are the most common injuries seen in performance horses. The pathological effect of trauma on joints is to cause synovitis and capsulitis which, in turn, creates physical and biochemical damage to the articular cartilage. With some horses, joint injury and disease occur after years of stress. This would most likely be a horse with correct conformation whose joints were strong and supple enough to withstand competitive trauma for a along time before weakening. Other horses that have a conformation that may predispose them to injury might present with disease after only a single traumatic incident.
Signs of joint disease include lameness, swelling, excessive synovial fluid, pain on flexion, and heat. These signs can either appear suddenly or gradually over a long period of time. However, these signs alone do not tell you what joint structures are affected or how badly they are damaged. A detailed exam is needed to determine a horse's exact problem, treatment regime and prognosis for future soundness.
Clinical examination is the beginning process of determining the cause of the symptoms described above. A lameness exam is usually conducted in order to identify or confirm the limb affected with flexion tests of the joint in question are usually performed to further identify location and the amount of soreness. Radiographs (x-rays) can be taken of the arthritic joint for evaluating the degree of arthritis. Joint narrowing (thinning of the articular cartilage) or presence of bone spurs can also be used to diagnose the condition.
Upcoming events
6/6–6/8 Western States Horse Expo - Sacramento
6/8 Woodside Vaulters Spring Fest
6/14–6/15 5th Annual Woodside Gaited Horse Show
6/18–6/22 Woodside Circuit Opener - H/J
6/25–6/29 Bay Area Summer Festival - H/J
Purina recall
Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC announced a recall of certain horse feed products manufactured at three East Coast facilities based upon regulatory tests showing the presence of aflatoxins in excess of FDA action levels. Aflatoxins are a potent form of mycotoxins which are secondary metabolites of molds such as Aspergillis. The adverse effects of aflatoxins can be both cumulative and progressive, and at levels greater than 50 ppb (parts per billion) they can result in such signs as fever, weight loss, anorexia (refusal to eat), liver and kidney disease, sluggishness and generalized immune system suppression. The recall is voluntary and precautionary and involves products manufactured at three Eastern plants (Statesville, NC; Harrisburg, PA; and Guilderland, NY.) Products manufactured at these three plants have suspended their use of the suspect source of aflatoxin, and production of feeds after March 10, 2008 are reported to be safe, per Purina spokespersons. All dealers receiving potentially contaminated feed have issued recalls, and these dealers are all located only on the east coast region (a complete list is available on www.thehorse.com. California products are not being recalled. As of this time, we have NO confirmed or reported cases of aflatoxin–related horse health issues. In addition, this incident has again raised the surveylance level of FDA regulatory agencies to the safety and reliability of the numerous feed constituents being utilized in the production of supplements for your horse. Horseowners are encouraged, however, to maintain vigilance in inspecting your feed supplements for freshness and quality. Any indication of mold, abnormal dust, rancid smell, or other abnormality should be investigated thoroughly before feeding. Pay particular attention to high fat supplements, since even though these are “stabilized” for storage, they are especially susceptible to deterioration in warm summer weather conditions.
Equine Sarcoids – Common but NOT so Benign Tumors!
Sarcoids are the most common skin tumor encountered in horses. They are nodular in appearance and can be categorized into 6 forms for identification and therapeutic consideration. The etiology of equine sarcoids is uncertain. Bovine papilloma virus and Retrovirus organisms have been implicated but there is still debate among researchers. Their manifestation and seriousness varies greatly among horses, and may be partially heritable (similar to viral warts) based upon studies demonstrating a “sarcoid susceptibility gene”. Sarcoids generally develop in sites where the skin is thin and there is little hair, but no site is exempt from occurrence. Sarcoids are also common sequelae secondary to previous wounds on the distal limbs and trunk. While equine sarcoids are restricted to skin & subcutaneous tissues, their potentially invasive and expansive nature make them an important tumor to identify and initiate therapy early in order to best ensure successful resolution.
Sarcoids are classified as:
- Occult sarcoids occur frequently on thinly haired or hairless areas such as the face and inner thigh. They may have focal hair loss or crusting and may remain quiet for long periods and then awaken if traumatized to become more aggressive.
- Verrucose (wart like) sarcoids are usually crusty and wart-like in appearance. There is frequently thickening of the underlying and adjacent skin due to perilesional invasion. Trauma can precipitate conversion to the more invasive fibroblastic form, and these are frequently associated with sites such as head, body, and groin.
- Nodular sarcoids are large, firm masses which are still encapsulated within the layer of the dermis and epidermis. Subtype A are spherical masses under the skin in which the overlying skin can be moved freely over the underlying sarcoid mass. Subtype B are spherical masses which incorporate the overlying skin which is adhered to its margins. If an associated dermal fibroblastic or verrucose sarcoid overlies the deeper spherical mass, it is termed a "mixed sarcoid". These types can rapidly transform into the malignant form following trauma.
- Fibroblastic sarcoids have an ulcerated, fleshy, and highly vascular appearance, bleeding easily if traumatized. Type 1 masses are pedunculated with a large fleshy outgrowth suspended by a narrow neck or stalk. Type 2 are characterized by a broader, fibrous base with extensive dermal & subdermal proliferative extensions. These types commonly occur at sites of skin wounds, especially on the lower limbs.
- Mixed sarcoids are frequently encountered and are simply a condition of two or more sarcoid types.
- Malignant sarcoids are rare and characterized by highly aggressive and invasive behavior. They are often encountered on the face, axilla, or thigh and spread rapidly via lymphatic spread.
Effective therapies vary depending upon the type of sarcoid and it’s extensiveness. Surgical excision, cryotherapy, immunoregulation, intralesional Cisplatin ® injection/ implantation, topical cytotoxic drugs, radiation, and (perhaps soon) genetic therapy are among the possibilities available to your equine veterinarian.
Has your contact information changed? Phone & cell numbers changed? Lately we have been running into more telephone, cell and office numbers that are no longer in service. To make sure your contact numbers are correct, please take a moment to go to our home page at www.peneq.com and click on the “Client Information Update” link and fill out the form provided.
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Please go to www.peneq.com and click on the link to “Feedback Form” and tell us what you think.
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Peninsula Equine Medical Center
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