Equine

Question 1

What is the main difference between diarrhoea in adult horses and foals?

Answer 1

Adult is purely large intestinal

Foals could be large or small intestine

Question 2

What three things can be used to narrow down the list of differential diagnoses in equine diarrhoea?

Answer 2

Age of animal

Duration of clinical signs

History

Question 3

What are the differential diagnoses for neonatal foals and which are the main ones?

Answer 3

Foal heat diarrhoea

Viral especially Rotavirus

Salmonella

Clostridia

Necrotizing enterocolitis

Sepsis

Nutritional diarrhoea

Parasitic diarrhoea

Gastroduodenal ulceratin

Question 4

What are the differential diagnoses for foals and which are the main ones?

Answer 4

Salmonella

Clostridia

Parasitic diarrhoea

Proliferative enteropathy

Cryptosporidiosis

Rhodococcus equi colitis

Viral

Sepsis

Nutritional diarrhoea

Gastroduodenal ulceration

Question 5

What are the differential diagnoses for adult horses and what are the main ones?

Answer 5

Salmonellosis

Clostridiosis

Parasitism

Antimicrobial-associated diarrhoea

NSAID toxicity

Sand enteropathy

Carbohydrate overload

Inflammatory or infiltrative disorders

Dietary

Neoplasia

Question 6

What risk factors can be used to narrow down the differential list for equine diarrhoea?

Answer 6

Treatment with NSAIDs

Anthelmintic history

Antiobiotic treatment

Contact with other horses/foals with diarrhoea

Question 7

What are the three principles of therapy for equine diarrhoea?

Answer 7

Address fluid loss

Address inflammation and endotoxaemia

Address specific cause

Question 8

What three things should be accounted for with fluid therapy in equine diarrhoea?

Answer 8

Deficits

Maintenance

Ongoing losses

Question 9

How does endotoxaemia occur in horses with diarrhoea?

Answer 9

Normally large numbers of G-ve bacteria in lumen

Normal barrier prevents access to circulation

Barrier breaks down allowing access

Endotoxaemia

Question 10

Describe how endotoxaemia can cause problems?

Answer 10

Within circulation

Interacts with cells

Initiates systemic inflammation

Clinical signs

CV and GI dysfunction, shock, organ failure and death

Question 11

What clinical signs can be seen with endotoxaemia in horses with diarrhoea?

Answer 11

Depression

Tachycardia

Tachypnoea

Fever

Colic

Diarrhoea

Hyperaemic ‘toxic’ mucous membranes

Question 12

Describe treatment of endotoxaemia in horses

Answer 12

Prevent movement of toxin into circulation

Neutralize toxin before interaction

Prevent synthesis, release or action of inflammatory mediators

Prevent toxin-induced cellular activation

Question 13

When is it OK to treat a horse/foal at home?

Answer 13

If they can keep up fluid requirements

Question 14

What three observations can be made to see if a foal is nursing?

Answer 14

Watch foal for nursing activity

Examine mare’s udder - may be full

Look to see if foal has milk on its face - goes to nurse but can’t milk runs onto face

Question 15

What is the only way to diagnose bacteraemia in foals with diarrhoea?

Answer 15

Blood culture

Question 16

Why would you repeat an IgG test in a foal if it was normal at 24 hours of age?

Answer 16

Tend to utilise Igs quicker than normal so would benefit from supplementation

Question 17

How can you monitor effectiveness of fluid therapy in foals?

Answer 17

If effective then foal should be brighter, HR decreased and other signs of perfusion should improve

Question 18

Where should all horses with acute diarrhoea be placed?

Answer 18

Isolation facility - potentially infectious

Question 19

What is pitting oedema caused by in horses with diarrhoea?

Answer 19

Protein losing enteropathy resulting in:

• Hypoproteinaemia
• Peripheral oedema