Equine Flashcards
In which animal is this a normal finding?
A. Ferrets
B. Goats
C. Pot Belly Pigs
D. Calves less than 4 weeks old
E. Horses
B - Horses
rouleau formation and equine eosinophil is seen here.
A 2-year old Thoroughbred stallion has developed a right foreleg swelling in the region of the distal carpus and cannon bone with variable lameness, most pronouced after exercise. A radiograph of the affected area is below. What is the diagnosis?
A. ringbone
B. Epiphysitis
C. Splints
D. Bucked shins
E. Suspensory desmitis
C - splints
Splints are periosteal reactions due to strain on the interosseous ligament betwen the cannon and splint bones
Trauma from concussion, strain from training, or conformation problems contribute to splint formation. Lameness is variable, usually disappearing as lesions become chronic.
Foal heat diarrhea is typically associated with which choice?
A. hemorrhagic enteritis
B. Neutropenia and fever
C. Decreased suckling
D. Alterations in diet
E. Warm and humid weather
D - alterations in diet
Foal heat diarrhea is a mild, self-limiting diarrhea in foals 7-14 days old and coincides with the first estrus cycle post-foaling in the dam.
Causes are poorly understood, but may be related to the foal’s tendancy to start sampling hay and grain and practice coprophagy by 5-7 days of age, resulting in an alteration in bacterial flora.
Foals are active, alert, have normal appetite and vitals
What is the clinical importance of the anatomic area indicated by the red arrow in this image?
A. Good place to take a pulse
B. Best surgical approach to mandibular sinus
C. Upper limit of Viborg’s triangle
D. Most common site of tooth root abscess
E. Site of glossopharyngeal nerve block
A - Good place to take a pulse
Facial a.
Other places for a pulse include transverse facial, median, great metatarsal, and digital aa. Digital pulses find in cases of laminitis.
When a foal is being treated with erythromycin (for R. equi for example), the mare is at risk of developing enterocolitis due to which one of the following organisms?
A. Escherechia coli
B. Clostridium novyi
C. Lawsonia intracellularis
D. Rhodococcus equi
E. Clostridium difficile
E - Clostridium difficile
A history of recent antimicrobial therapy is common in casses of C. difficile associated diarrhea. Adult horses exposed to erythromycin are particularly at risk for C. difficile enterocolitis.
A 10-year old QTR gelding pastured in the northeastern United States is presented for weakness and depression. The owner reports that the horse’s urine is an unusually dark brown color. On PE, the horse is tachycardic and tachypneic. The MM are a dark yellowish brown. The horse’s plasma has a pink tinge. A CBC, blood smear, chem panel, and UA indentify intravascular hemolytic anemia, hemoglobinemia, methemoglobinemia, and hemoglobinuria. Erythrocytes are seen on the blood smear with Heinz bodies and eccentrocytosis. Ingestion of which one of the following plants is most likely to cause of this spectrum of CS in this case?
A. Tetradymia spp (Horsebrush)
B. Quercus spp (Oak)
C. Acer rubrum (Red maple)
D. Veratrum spp (Skunk cabbage)
E. Xanthium spp (Cocklebur)
C - Acer rubrum (red maple)
Wilted/dried leaves and bark contain oxidants which damage RBC membranes, resulting in Heinz bodies and eccentrocytes.
Toxocitiy is often fatal.
Treatment is supportive care
Which choice is the pastern joint?
A. Carpometacarpal joint
B. Proximal interphalageal joint
C. Distal interphalangeal joint
D. Metacarpophalangeal joint
E. Intermetacarpal joint
B - proximal interphalangeal joint
clinical relevance: the foot block, AKA pastern or abaxial sesamoid nerve block (ASNB) is done just above the pastern joint.
A newborn foal is examined two hours after birth. The foal has a heart rate of 100 bpm, and a continusous murmur loudest on the left side. Which one of the following choices is the most likely explanation for these findings?
A. Incipient septicemia
B. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
C. Foal dysmaturity
D. Normal in a neonatal foal
E. Ventricular septal defect
D - Normal in a neonatal foal
murmur is due to slight opening of the ductus arteriosus, which usually closes within 4-5 days.
persistent PDA is rare in horses.
A 5-year old Arabian mare expels the placenta 2 hours after foaling. On examination, it appears that the placental has passed “inside out”, with the allantoic side of the allantochorion exposed. What is the correct interpretation?
A. Normal finding
B. Sign of placental insufficiency
C. Suggests premature placental separation
D. Do not rebreed this mare
E. Foal at risk for peripartum asphyxia
A - Normal finding
The placenta should be expelled within 3 hours after foaling. Otherwise, it is considered retained.
Which two diseases would be on a differential diagnosis list for equine urinary incontinence?
A. Cauda equina neuritis, herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy
B. Equine degenerative myelopathy, botulism
C. Nigropallidal encephalomalacia, locoweed poisoning
D. Bracken fern toxicity, equine encephalomeylitis
E. Tetanus, West Nile virus encephalopathy
A - cauda equina neuritis and herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy
Cauda equina neuritis, AKA polyneuritis equi, results in progressive symmetic LMN paresis of the tail, bladder, rectum, and sphincter. CS include urinary incontinence, fecal retention, weak/paralyzed tail.
EHV-1 may cause urinary incontinence, but is uncommon. Would most likely see respiratory CS in OTHER horses on the same farm.
A 4-yo Thoroughbred mare is presented with a sudden onset of profuse, watery diarrhea and marked depression. The mare has been treated intermittently with phenylbutazone over the last 2 months for minor lameness and was recently transported to the racetrack by trailer for 9 hours. On physical exam the horse is dehydrated, with a slow capillary refill time, purplish mucous membranes, and cold extremities. No gastric refulx is present. No distension or displacement of bowel is found with rectal exam, but the rectal wall feel thickened. Exam findings shown below. The horse dies 3 hours later. On necropsy the walls of the cecum, large colon, and rectum are edematous and hemorrhagic; intestinal contents are primarily serosanguinous fluid. Which one of the following choices is the most likely cause of death in this mare?
A. NSAID toxicity
B. Parascaris equorum infestation
C. Sand enteropathy
D. Granulomatous enteritis
E. Colitis X
E - Colitis X
Colitis X is a lethal diarrheal disease of horses with acute to peracute onset. Specific cause is unknown, but likely infectious or toxic agents. History of stress or surgery is typical.
CS: shock, peracute severe diarrhea, PCV >65%, sudden death
Diagnosis of exclusion. Other DDx for peracute diarrhea include salmonellosis, potomac horse fever, clostridial enterocolitis, cantharidin toxicity.