Equine respiratory disease Flashcards
How do you sample discharge from the gutteral pouch?
Nasopharyngeal swab, stimulate horse to swallow
What can cause primary sinusitis?
Upper resp tract infections
What can cause secondary sinusitis?
Dental infections
Tumours
Head trauma
What are the symptoms of primary sinusitis?
Accumulation of exudate within the sinus
Ipsilateral purulent nasal discharge
Facial swelling
How do you treat sinusitis?
Antimicrobials
Ground feed
Dental extraction + irrigation
Sinus lavage
What are sinus cysts?
Progressive non-neoplastic lesions
Expansile - distort surrounding bone
Produce mucous and
How do you treat sinus cysts?
surgical removal – nasofrontal flap/ trephination
What is the most common disease of the gutteral pouch?
Gutteral pouch empyema
What causes gutteral pouch empyema?
Retropharyngeal LN abscess burst dorsally
Strep equi
What can chronic presence of exudates in gutteral pouch cause?
Solid chondroid formation - small marbles of solidified material
How do you treat gutteral pouch empyema/chondroids?
GP lavage and drainage
Penicillin-gelatin mix
What is Guttural Pouch Mycosis?
Fungal infection (aspergillus) of guttural pouch
What structures are in the gutteral pouch which are damaged during gutteral pouch mycosis?
Maxillary artery
Internal/External Carotid arteries
Glossopharyngeal nerve
Hypoglossal nerve
What are the symptoms of gutteral pouch mycosis?
Epistaxis - bleeding from nose
Dysphagia - inability to swallow, nerve damage
How do you treat gutteral pouch mycosis?
Topical antifungal agent
What is Temporohyoid osteopathy?
New bone formed around temporohyoid joint causing join fusion
Movement can lead to hyoid joint fracture
What abnormal inspiratory noise do horses make?
Roaring/whistling
What abnormal expiratory noise do horses make?
Gurgling
What are the two main parts of palatal dysfunction?
Dorsal displacement of soft palate
Palatal instability
What noise does Dorsal displacement of soft palate cause?
Abnormal expiratory noise
Gurgling
What noise does palatal instability cause?
Abnormal inspiratory noise - Roaring/whistling
How can you surgically treat dorsal displacement of the soft palate?
Palate cautery, laryngeal tie forward
How can you treat pharyngeal wall collapse?
4-5m rest + corticosteroids
What is another word for Arytenoid Cartilage Collapse?
Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy
What muscle does the recurrent laryngeal nerve innervate?
Cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle - abducts arytenoid cartilage
What noise does Arytenoid Cartilage Collapse cause?
Inspiratory noise - whistle, roar
What laryngeal function score is used in UK?
Lane
How is Arytenoid Cartilage Collapse treated?
Laryngoplasty - tieback
Ventriculocordectomy - hobday, remove ventricle and vocal cord
Laryngeal reinnervation
What is 4th Branchial Arch Defect?
Congenital defect – failure in the development of the 4th branchial arch – ring of thyroid, cricothyroid articulation, cricothyroideus, cricopharyngeal muscles
What are the two main viral causes of infectious respiratory disease in horses?
Herpes virus
Influenza
What are the two main bacterial causes of infectious respiratory disease in horses and foals?
Strep equi - strangyles
Rhodococcus equi - foals
What are the main diagnostic techniques for infectious respiratory diseases in horses?
Antibody titres
Nasal/nasopharyngeal swab
Gutteral pouch lavage
What do EHV1&4 cause?
URT infection
Also abortion
How do you treat EHV1&4?
No specific treatment
Rest, NSAIDs, antibiotics for infections
What does equine influenza cause?
U/LRT -damages respiratory epithelium
Persisent cough
How is equine influenza detected?
PCR on nasopharyngeal swab
How is equine influenza controlled?
Isolate and vaccinate
What does strangyles/strep equi cause?
URT lymph node infection - retropharyngeal, submandibular lymph nodes
Can spread, persist in gutteral pouch
What are the clinical signs of strangyles?
Purulent nasal discharge
Lymphadenopathy
How is strangyles treated?
Isolate (until 3 negative tests)
Improve hygiene
NSAIDs
Antibiotics - only if necessary
How is strangyles controlled?
Vaccination
What does rhodococcus equi cause?
Bacterial pneumonia – abscesses in lungs
In foals
What are the clinical signs of rhodococcus equi?
Tachypnoea
Nasal discharge
Cough
Crackling lung sounds
How is rhodococcus equi diagnosed?
High WBC and fibrinogen on TW/BAL
Imaging
How is rhodococcus equi treated?
macrolide & rifampicin
What are the main lungworms in horses?
Dictyocaulus arnfieldi
Parascaris Equorum
How do you treat lungworm in horses?
Ivermectin, Fenbendazole
What is the most common type of inflammatory response in horses?
Neutrophilia
What are the most common lower respiratory tract diseases in horses?
Equine asthma
Exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage
What are the main treatments for lower respiratory tract diseases in horses?
Corticosteroids - anti-inflammatories
eg. Dexamethosone, prednisolone
Bronchodilators - buscopan, atropine, clenbuterol
What is severe equine asthma?
Obstructive lower resp tract disease due to immune mediated hypersensitivity causeing airway inflammation
What makes severe equine asthma an obstructive disease?
bronchospasm, increase mucus, oedema, inflammation
How is equine asthma diagnosed?
Neutrophilia TW/BAL
Endoscopy
How is mild to moderate asthma treated?
Environmental management
Corticosteroids - Dexamethasone
How is severe asthma treated?
Bronchodilator - buscopan
Clenbuterol
Atropine
Corticosteroid - prednisolone
What is mild to moderate asthma?
Inflammatory airway disease
Poor performance, serous-mucoid discharge
What is exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage?
Stress failure of pulmonary capillaries from high pulmonary pressures
