Common Equine Diseases

Chapter 9

Learning Outcomes
Describe and recognize clinical signs associated with specific diseases Understand the etiology of the diseases Understand and describe common treatments for disease Know the common scientific names of parasites associated with this species Know the common vaccinations and their schedules associated with this species

Botulism
Etiological Agent: Clostidium botulinum toxin Signs Paralysis of cranial nerves- creeping paralysis that begins at the head and moves caudally Treatment Supportive- usually RIP Prevention None Zoonotic None

Canker
Etiological Agent: Fusobacterium necrophorum Signs- chronic hypertrophic, moist pododermatitis- frog is very friable and has cottage cheese like appearance Treatment- debridement and topic antimicrobial agents Prevention Keep environment dry Zoonotic: No

Lyme Disease
Etiological Agent: Borrelia burgdorferi Signs- low-grade pyrexia, depression, lameness, loss of appetitie, joint swelling Treatment- IV tetracycline and oral doxycycline Diagnosis: ELISA or IFA Prevention Keep environment dry Zoonotic: YEs

Potomac Horse Fever

Etiological Agent: Neorickettsia risticii Horse infected by eating one of the flys which is intermediate carrier Signs: Depression, diarrhea, fever, toxemia, abortion, laminitis Diagnosis: PCR Treatment: oxytetracycline, fluid therapy, nsaids Zoonotic:

Rain Rot
Etiological Agent: Dematophilus congolensis Signs: Crusty scabs or matted tufts of hair with yellow to green pus under larger scabs Diagnosis: Isolation of D. congolensis Treatment: Antimicrobial therapy Zoonotic: No

Salmonellosis
Etiological Agent: Salmonella sp Signs: carrier, mild clinical, or acute clinical Mild clinical: depressed, anorexia, depression and watery diarrhea Acute: foul smelling diarrhea, abdominal pain, depression, anorexia, and pronounced neutropenia Diagnosis: clinical signs, neutropenia and fecal cultures Treatment: IV Fluids, electrolytes, plasma Zoonotic: YES

 Due to the zoonotic risk and contamination of other horses with Salmonella, it is extremely important to educate clients and other facility staff of the importance of quarantine If the abscesses spread throughout the body, the disease is often called metastatic strangles or bastard strangles

Respiratory System Strangles

System: Respiratory Etiologic Agent: Streptococcus equi Clinical Findings: Pyrexia, Mucopurulent nasal discharge, difficut swallowing, abcessation Diagnosis- Bacterial culture, signs Treatment- supportive care, penicillin Prevention-vaccine Control- morbidity high, mortality low Zoonosis- no

Strangles

Tetanus
Etiological Agent: Clostridium tetani Signs: Entrance through puncture woundsincubation period- 1 to 60 days Generalized stiffness, to saw horse appearnace Treatment: placing horse in quiet dark area, Water high in stall, tetanus antitoxin, sedatives and muscle relaxants, Mortality is 50 % Feed and water should be placed high in the stall of tetanus patients so that the horse does not have to lower its head to eat and drink.

Thrush
Etiological Agent: Fusobacterium necrophorum Signs: Characteristic odor, lamentess Diagnosis: Clinical signs Treatment : Cleaning away affected area.

Equine Protozoal Myelitis

Etiological Agent: Sarcocystits neurona or Neospora hughesi Signs: Asymmetric muscle atrophy quadriceps and gluteal, atrophy of tongue and recumbency Diagnosis: Necropsy Treatments Antiprotozoal drugs and nsaids, vitamin E Prevention: involves reducing opossum access to horse feeds and pastures.

Piroplasmosis
Etiological Agent: Protozoa Babesia equi and Babesia caballi- tick borne Signs: Pyrexia, depression, anemia, thirst and eye problems Diagnosis: blood smears, IFA, PCR Treatment: Imidocarb dipropionate and or tetracyclines Prevention: restriction of movement of infected horses and tick feeding prevention

Life cycle

Dermatophytosis
Etiological Agent: Trichophyton equinum Sings: Small round lesions covered with small scales. Diagnosis: Wood lamp, culture or histopathology Treatment: povidone iodine, thiabendazole, Prevention: Treeat the environment with diluted bleach

White Line Disease

Etiological Agent: invasion of bacteria, fungus or yeast into the intter horn Clinical signs: Lameness, sole warm to touch, black foul smelling substance similar to thrush Treatment: Resection of the underlying hoof wall and topical application of antiseptic

Encephalomyelitis
Etiological Agent: Equine alphavirus spread by vector mosquito Signs: fever, ataxia, anorexia, paralysis, circling, head pressing, hyperexciteability Diagnosis: Presumptive until death Treatment: None, but supportive Prevention: Vaccination Zoonotic, no

Equine Arteritis
Etiological agent: Equine arteritis virus Signs: Flu like symptoms, abortion and in young horsepneumonia Transmission: bodily fluids, aborted feturs, and semen from stallions can be chronically or actuely affected by the virus. Diagnosis: Paired serum samples, virus isolation, viral antigen, or viral nucleic acid detection Treatment: NSAIDs diruetics, and rest Prevention: Stallions that carry the equine -arteritis virus should be surgically castrated

Equine Infectious Anemia

Etiological Agent: equine lentivirus of retroviridae family Signs: Fever, lethargy, anorexic, anemic, thrombocytopenia Diagnosis: AGID, Vira-CHECK ELISA- EIA is a reportable disease Treatment: None- Euthanasia or quarantine Zoonotic: No

Equine Influenza
Etiological Agent: Orthomyxoviridiae Signs: Pyrexia, anorexia, and weight loss, mucopurulent nasal discharge, tachypnea Diagnosis: Virus issolation, immunoassay, PCR or antibody titers Treatment: Supportive, NSAIDS Prevention: vaccination Zoonotic: no Equine influenza A often affects horses that intermingle with other horses, as occurs at rodeos and horse shows.

Rabies
Etiological Agent: Rhabdovirus: The rabies virus enters the horses body via the saliva of the infected animal Signs: Progressive disease lameness, ataxia, cranial nerve, ataxia, loss of bladder control Diagnosis: Histology Treatment: RIP Prevention: Vaccination Zoonotic: YES

Rhinopneumonitis
Etiological Agent: Equine herpesvirus Type 1 and 4 Signs: Mucopurulent discharge, lympadenopathy and coughing, abortion Diagnosis: PCR, postmortem Treatment: Isolation of horses that are infected , treat with supportive care Horses with the respiratory form of equine herpes infection should be isolated because they are contagious

Vesicular Stomatitis
Etiological Agent: Rhabdoviridae- transmitted through black fly, sand fly, mosquito and housefly. Signs: Pyrexia, excessive salivation. White vesicles on the oral mucosa, coronary band, prepuce, muzzle and udder Diagnosis: antibody detection, detection of viral genetic material and viral isolation Treatment: limited-as horse recover in 7-14 days

West Nile Virus

Etiological agent: Faviviridae, spread by mosquitos Signs: Low grade fever, depression, colic, personality change, coma, paralysis, and coma Diagnosis: IMG, capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, of serum or csf, PRNT of serum or viral isolation and PCR performed on brain tissue Treatment: supportive Prevention: vaccination

Cutaneous papillomas
Etiological Agent: Equus caballus papillomavirus type 1 Can be spread by fomites Signs: warts around the lips and muzzles of horses but can appear on eyelids, prepuce, inner thighs and distal limbs. Most dissappear spontaneously Prevention: Vaccination

Recurrent Airway Obstruction

System: Respiratory Etilogic Agent: Allergic respiratory dix Clinical findings: Chronic cough, nasal discharge, and respiratory difficulty Diagnosis: basis of history and characteristic physical examination findings. Treatment: Reduce allergen exposure, bronchodilators, levamisole Prevention: Reduce dust Control: Reduce dust Zoonosis: NO

Heaves
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/servl et/CVMHighLight?file=htm/bc/reshs921.htm& word=heaves

Vaccination Schedule
See holtgrew

Vaccination Schedule
Equine rhinopneumonitis (killed virus)3, 5, 7, and 9 mo of gestation and after foaling Tetanus (toxoid)4-6 wk before foaling Equine influenza4-6 wk before foaling; every 2-3 mo during gestation for mares exposed to transient population Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis Usually administered to mares in late spring or early summer before onset of insect season; depends on location; if foaling late in season, should be administered again 4-6 wk before foaling Rabies4-6 wk before foaling; annual if endemic Botulism (toxoid)Initially 3 injections at 1 mo intervals, then annual booster 4-6 wk before foaling Equine viral arteritis (modified live virus)EVA titer should be documented prior to vaccination; pregnant mares should not be vaccinated; mares should be vaccinated before breeding to a positive stallion that is shedding the virus; mares must be isolated from other horses for 3 wk after vaccination; annual boosters recommended; positive titers may cause problems if mare is to be shipped overseas or to certain farms. (Stallions should also be vaccinated 3 mo before breeding.) Strangles (bacterin)Not routinely administered, used only if warranted for a specific mare and situation; occasional problems with abscesses and sore muscles; questionable efficacy West Nile virus Recommendations not yet available for pregnant mares; clinically, vaccination during pregnancy seems safe but efficacy is not known

Cushings Disease
Etiological Agent: Cortisol excess Signs: PU/PD, long thick curly hair coats, not sheddingd, laminitis, loss of muscle tone over back Diagnosis: ACTH test Treatment: cyproheptaine of pergolide mesylate

Exertional Myopathies (Tying UP, Azoturia)

Etiological agent: exercise Signs: cramping, fatigue and muscle pain Two types
Sporadic exertional Rhabdomyolysis Chronic exertional Rhapbdomyolysis Diagnosis: Increased CK or AST levels Treatment: feeding the horse a diet of forage at 1.52.0% of its body weight

Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis

Clinical Signs: muscle stiffness, sweating and refusal to move Treatment: trying to reduce anxiety, regular exercise, turnout or use of hot walker, dantrolene or phenytoin

Laminitis
System: Musculo skeletal system Etilogic Agent: laminitis is now thought to be a transient ischemia associated with coagulopathy that leads to breakdown and degeneration of the union between the horny and sensitive laminae Signs: the horse is depressed and anorectic and stands reluctantly. Diagnosis: diagnosis is based on the history (eg, grain overload) and posture of the horse, increased temperature of the hooves, a hard pulse in the digital arteries, and reluctance to move Treatment: Antiinflammatories, nerve blocks Prevention: Decrease concussion Control: Zoonosis: NO

Normal hoof angles

Laminitic angles

Laminitis palmar/plantar view

What is this called?

Correction of angles

Ringbone

Navicular disease
System: Musculo skeletal system Etilogic Agent: chronic degenerative condition of the navicular bursa and navicular bone Signs: Lameness Diagnosis: Clinical diagnosis, radiographic changes, diagnostic nerve blocks, Treatment: Antiinflammatories, nerve blocks Prevention: Decrease concussion Control: Zoonosis: NO

Location of distal sesamoid

Laryngeal Hemiplegia (Roaring, Left laryngeal hemiplegia)

System: Respiratory System Etiologic Agent: progressive loss of fibers of recurrent laryngeal nerve Clinical Findings: inspiratory noise during exercise and exercise intolerance Diagnosis: Endoscoping Treatment: Prosthetic laryngoplasty can stabilize the affected side of the larynx during inspiration and prevent dynamic collapse of the airway during exercise. Laryngeal ventriculectomy may improve airflow and reduce the roaring sound during exercise. Prevention: none Control: none Zoonosis : No

Video of laryngeal hemiplegia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utxrpiKFfIM

Case 1
A 3-month-old foal arrives at your clinic with abscessation of the throatlatch. Where should you keep the foal until the veterinarian can diagnose the condition? Why would you want to limit the contact this foal has with other horses at your clinic? What equipment will you want to prepare for treatment if Streptococcus equi is confirmed?

Case 2
A 13-year-old Percheron arrives at the clinic for gastrointestinal upset. The veterinarian is running late, so you decide to groom the horse to improve the clients perception of your clinic. Upon grooming the front legs, you find yellow specks randomly distributed over the legs. Should you tell the veterinarian about your findings? Could your finding possibly be involved with the horses gastrointestinal upset?