Equine Respiratory Flashcards
What causes “rattles” and what age group is it most common in?
What kind of pneumonia does it cause?
Rhodococcus equi
Foals (3 weeks - 6months)
Pyogranulomatous pneumonia
What is the treatment for Rattles?
Prolonged antimicrobials (Macrolide and rifampin)
What is the most commonly reported equine bacterial infection?
What is the pathogen called?
Strangles
Streptococcus equi var equi
What lymph nodes are commonly infected in Strangles?
Submandibular
Retropharyngeal
What are “Bastard Stangles”?
Metastatic abscesses
What type of drug should you not use in Strangles?
Antibiotics (unless at the onset of pyrexia)
Prevent maturation of abscesses
What is the second most common cause of poor performance in racehorses?
(1st = musculoskeletal)
Inflammatory airway disease (IAD)
Mild/moderate equine asthma
What are 3 possible complications of Strangles?
- Guttural pouch empyema
- Purpura haemorrhagica
- Bastard strangles
What is “Heaves”?
Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO)
Severe equine asthma
Which 2 receptors are involved in bronchoconstriction?
What do they do?
Muscarinic receptors:
Peribronchiolar smooth muscle contraction
B2 adrenergic receptors:
Reduce bronchodilation
What is the pathology of chronic asthma?
Smooth muscle hypertrophy Bronchoconstriction Peribronchiolar fibrosis Epithelial cell hyperplasia Mucus plugging = Airway remodelling
What respiratory sound would you expect with chronic asthma?
Expiratory wheeze
What do corticosteroids do in the control of asthma?
Reduce bronchoconstriction, reduce vascular changes, reduce cell accumulation + activation
What are atropine and buscopan?
Muscarinic antagonists
What are clenbuterol and salbutamol?
B-adrenergic agonists
What is EHV-5 associated with?
Multinodular pulmonary fibrosis
What is Dictyocaulus arnfieldi?
Which species is an asymptomatic reservoir of infection for horses?
Equine lungworm
Donkeys
What is pleuropneumonia?
What is the treatment?
Bacterial pneumonia
+ secondary pleural effusion
Thoracic drainage and antimicrobials (gentamicin + penicillin, +/- metronidazole)
What is the problem with the presence of intrapulmonary blood?
Provokes pulmonary inflammation
Leads to alveolar septal fibrosis (due to inflammatory cells and chronic macrophage activity)
Reduced pulmonary compliance + permeant alterations to the alveolar blood-air barrier
What is an effective treatment for EIPH?
Why is it not used in the UK?
Furosemide
BANNED
Due to increasing horses speed
What is laryngeal tie-back surgery used to treat?
Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (left)
What is your top differential for excessive epistaxis?
What would you see on endoscopy?
What organism is commonly identified?
How can this disease cause fatal epistaxis?
Guttural pouch mycosis
Fungal plaques
Aspergillus spp
Erosion of the walls of one of the carotid artery
What is DDSP?
What respiratory noise would you expect to hear?
What treatment can it be a side-effect from?
Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate (the free margin of the soft palate moves dorsally to occlude the epiglottis)
Expiratory gurgling noise
Left laryngeal tie-back surgery
What is the conservative treatment and surgical treatment for DDSP?
Conservative: NSAIDs, rest, tongue-ties
Surgical: Laryngeal tie-forward
