Equine Repro Management Flashcards
Which codes of practice should be adhered to for TB breeding?
HBLB (horse race betting levy board)
What bacterial infections are associated with breeding horses?
- Taylorella Equigenitalis
- Klebsiella Pnumoniae
- Pseudomonas Aeroguinosa
What viral infections are associated with breeding horses?
- Equine Viral Enteritis
- Equine Herpes Virus 1
- Equine Infectious Anaemia
- Equine Coital Exanthema
What disease produces disk like raised lesions?
Dourine caused by Trypanosoma Equiperdum
What pathogen causes strangles?
Streptococcus Equi
When is the normal oestrus season of the horse?
Feb/March to foal January
When is pre-screening of stallions and teasers carried out?
Between 1st Jan and 15th Feb
What transport medium are bacterial culture swabs carried in?
AMies charcoal
What types of swab are taken from the stallion/teaser?
- urethral
- urethral fossa
- preputial smegma
- pre-ejaculatory fluid
> 2 sets taken 7d apart, test for bacteria
How are viral diseases tested for in the stallion/teaser?
- 1 serum sample for EVA titre [be aware vax horses will be +]
- 1 serum sample for EIA (ELISA/Coggins) test
When should mares be tested?
1st Jan - 15th Feb OR 1 month before due date if late foaling
What types of swabs are taken from the mare? When may additional swabs be needed?
- 1 set clitoral sinus and fossa
- for dystocia/treated mares an additional swab taken for pseudomonas/klebsiella (aerobic growth, Blood and MacConkeys agar)
- also swab and smear of endometrium when in oestrus >7d after ABx finished
How are viral diseases tested for in the mares?
- 1 serum sample for EVA titre
- 1 serum sample for EIA (ELISA/Coggins) test
What vaccine is used to protect against EVA?
Artervac (killed vax, Fort Dodge)
Within how long should bacterial cultures be recieved by the lab after collection?
48hrs
What types of culture should be carried out on swabs?
- Aerophilic (Klebsiella, Pseudmonas)
- Microaerobphilic (Haemolysed CEMO agar, ± streptomycin, >7d)
Which pathogen may be tested for using qPCR?
Taylorella Equigenitalis
What are the clinical signs associated with bacterial venereal diseases? Diagnositcs?
- vaginal discharge 2d+ after mating
- early return to oestrus swab uterus, clitoral fossa and sinuses
> stop mating and AI
Which disease is endemic in mainland Europe?
EVA
Which disease may cause a carrier status? In which horses?
EVA
- only in stallions and teasers (in urethral gland)
- if mares infected once will have clinical disease and then be immune for life
Where does the clitoral fossa sit in relation to the clitoris?
dorsal under urethral folds
When may Klebsiella and Pseudomonas infections occour?
Take advantage when other ABx are in use
Tx and course of action when treating bacterial venereal diseases
- imprive stud hygeine
- trace contacts , notify authorities
- ABx for uterus
- Clitorectomy to remove carrier status \
- Re-swab 3x 7d after Tx
- Only mate when negative swabs confirmed
Clinical signs of equine viral arteritis? Diagnositics?
- brick red conjunctiva
- fever, depression, filled legs, skin rash
- abortion/early pregnancy failure
> blood sample for Abs
> Nasopharyngeal swabs for PCR and culture
> redo bloods after a month - looking for static or declining titres [use same lab] in mares to indicate clinical stage of infection has passed
> if importing from Europe recheck bloods! (rest of Europe not as hot on infectious disease)
> stallions may become permenant shedder -> castrate/PTS
What clinical signs are seen with EHV-1? Which horses are commonly affected?
- resp infection, nasal discharge
- young horses just out of training, yearlings
How can EVH-1 be diagnosed and what immediate action should be taken?
- PCR (EHV1 and 4)
- blood samples, nasopharyngeal swabs
> segregate from breeding stock/pregnant mares
How does the mares cervix differ to other species?
In mares it is open during follicular phase to allow interuterine semenal deposition
- dirty process!
- myometrium makes large immunological attack mounted against this so fine in young healthy animals
- in old mares sloping vulva -> pnuemovagina and infection
Should leucocytes ever be present in vaginal/endometrial smears?
NO not normal
What immediate action should be taken with EHV1 abortions?
- isolation from other pregnant mares
- even if have been together during pregnancy (virus cloud from foetus when born)
- PM foetus and foetal membranes
What must be carried out before vaccinating a stallion against EVA?
Check negative AB titre before vax and mark in passport - after this point there is no way of distinguishing potential carrier
What may be seen at PM of a EHV aborted foal?
FLuid in the chest
Other than abortion what clinical signs may be assocated with EHV-1?
Neuro
- ataxia
- paralysis
- incontinence
Do horses ever recover from EHV infection?
Can do
Vax for EHV?
- Equip EHV 1,4 licensed for use in equine abortions
- Jan and July for all non-preg horses
+ 5,7,9 months of gestation
What should be remembered about EHV?
Carrier status -> recrudescence in immunosupressed horses
Outline clinical signs of Equine Coital Exanthema. What disease is this similar to in humans? (Though distinct pathogens)
- genital herpes
- pox like lesions appear 5-9d after infection
- 10-14d for recovery
- cease mating and tx symptomatically
- occasional systemic signs
Clinical signs of Equine Infectious Anaemia?
- fever
- anaemia
- oedema
- weight loss
- death
What type of pathogen causes equine infectious anaemia?
- lentivirus
- spread by infected horseflies and stable flies
What test is available for EIA?
ELISA/coggins test
What causes dourine? How is it spread? Where is it commonly seen? Clinical signs?
- trypanosoma equiperdum
- venereal transmission
- commonly seen in N Africa and Italy
- silver dollar lesions, neuro dysfucntion and wasting
Is EIA notifiable?
Yes
What is the Tx of EIA?
Once infected, horses are infectious for life so euthanasia is advocated
Is strangles a notifiable disease?
No is endemic in UK
Which horses are commonly affected by strangles and what are the clinical signs?
- young horses
- respiratory disease
- enlarged submandibular LNs
> internal abscesses - pnumonia
- colic
- diarrhoea
- weight loss
How is biosecurity on yard classified?
Red: infected
Amber: contact with infected
Green: clean
How can strangles be Dx?
Nasopharyngeal swabs
Tracheal and gutteral pouch washes
- PCR tests
> NB: bloods only show challenge not active disease
Tx of strangles?
- Abx if pre-abscessation (penicillin)
- Hot poultice abscess cases
> carriers - gutteral pouch washes
> vax - equilis strep E (MSD)
Why may imported horses bring in disease?
- EU no requirement for pre-import CEM swabs or EIA or EVA bloods
- CEM and EVA endemic in many populations in Europe
What is CEMO?
Contagious Equine Metritis Organism (Taylorella Equigenalis)
Is CEM notifiable?
Yes
When is teasing carried out?
From 14d after last mating
Why may Abx not be indicated for strangles cases?
- delays abscess formation
- ^ risk of bastard metastatic form (abscesses inside)
How should amber strangels cases be montiored?
Temperature 2x daily
What is Pourets surgery?
- perineoplasty
- separate caudal vagina and rectum, anus and vulva
- maintains horizontal vulva
How does the cervix appear during oestrus and diestrus/pregnancy?
- oestrus: relaxed, pink and moist
- diestrus/preg: tight, pale and dry
What should be carried out at time of first show to teaser?
- vaginal exam to check for urocagina, cervical damage or discharge
- endometrial swab and smear samples if cervix relaxed (check for acute endometritis)
- if acute endometritis present treat with Abx
What is the Tx for acute endometritis?
3d course Abx
- check at next oestrus
Why are ovaries scanned around oestrus?
Check up on development of follicles every day or 2 until ovulation can be predicted and mating recommended
How can ovulation be predicted? When should mating be indicated?
- cervix fully relaxed, pink and moist
- responsive to teaser
- soft, deformable >3cm follicle migrating towards ovulation fossa
- uterus losing fold oedema
> send for mating on the day when ovulation likely to occour that night
How many matings should be aimed for per oestrus period? why? What drugs can be used to augment this success?
1 per oestrus period
- minimise uterine challenge
- minimise stallion ejaculations
> use of GnRH or hCG injections/implants
-eg. Busirelin (GnRH)
-eg. Desirelin implant (better window of opportunity)
What is the treatment for urovagina?
Oxytocin and excercise
What do you look for to indicate acute endometritis?
polymorphonuetrophils (PMNs)
Should RBCs ever be present in a normal uterine swab?
ONly if in oestrus
What is being felt for on rectal before mating a mare? Ultrasound? How often should rectalling be repeated?
- ovaries: follicle size and ocnsistency, US: deformability, corpora haemorrhagica and lutea
> think plums (tense, tense->soft, soft = cover now!!) - uterus: size, consistency, homogenicity, US: fold oedema, lumenal fluid and echogenicity
- repeat ~24hrs until ovulation can be predicted and mating recommended*
How does the corpus haemorrhagicum appear on US?
Honeycomb
What are anovultory follicles filled with? What effect do they have on the mare?
fluid and fibrin
- prevent mare form cycling
What is denoted by a halo around the CL?
End of life - PGs beginning to degrade
What should be checked for 48hours after mating?
> ovulation
- lack of follicles, painf/discomfort on ovarian palpation
- US: corpora haemorrhagicum, lumenal fluid ,echogenicity
What should be done if ovulation has not occoured 48hrs after mating?
re-cover
How should excessive fluid in the uterus be treated?
- 3L saline flush
- 1g ceftiofur sodium [Abx] IU
- 25iu Oxytocin IV
What are uterine cysts and which horses most commonly get them? What affect may they have on pregnancy?
- lymph filled cysts
- > 14yo
- not harmful in themselves but may prevent conceptus moving around uterus and signalling to mare that she is pregnant (required to stop glands producing PGF2a) -> abortion if concpetus gets stuck
Where does fertilisation occour in the horse and how does this impact management?
- In the fallopian tubes
- gives you 4-5d window as conceptus migrates down fallopian tube to clean uterus if fluid filled or infected.
How may infection be distinguished from normal fluid in the uterus?
Infection -> turbid fluid
Normal fluid has low echogenicity
What uterine abnormalities may be noted on ultrasoudn?
- pneumouterus
- urometra -> CaCO3 crystals
- pyometra
- mural haematoma
- trans-lumenal fibrous adhesions (disasater! due to severe infection/trauma)
- uterine FB eg swab tip
How soon after mating should mares be examined for signs of pregnancy?
No sooner than 14d
- may miss twins as too small to see
What should be assessed at 15/16d post mating? When should US scans be repeated?
> vaginal - cervix pink and moist? - take endometrial swab and smears, prepare to cover again - cervix pale and dry? - diestrus or pregnancy > uterus - very tonic during pregnancy ± "bulge" > US [repeat @ 25-30 + 42d] - signs of multiple pregnancys - signs of persistent diestrus
What is the Tx for persistnet diestrus at 48hr check?
PGF2a injection
What should be remembered when checking equine foetuses cf. other spp?
- asynchronous ovulations can mean twins of different sizes
When treating twins, which embreyo should be popped?
Closest distal horn
Why can foals not be carried to term?
Microcotyledonous placenta means whole uterus required to support single foal
How should an aborted foetus be treated?
- evacuate uterus with PGF2a, large volume saline and ABx irrigation,
- send flushing s to lab to check for septic v non-septic causes
What veterinary tx do pregnancy mares require?
- routine vet stuff eg. anthelmintics, vax
- otherwise minimal intervention
> unless “high risk” -> periodic US scans to check for placentitiis etc.
Does the TB industry use AI? Why?
No - better fertilisation rates with natural covering and traditional
Which hormone is always dominant? P4 or E2?
P4
