lecture - health and disease Flashcards
heart rate
28-44bpm
(higher MAY be indication of pain BUT dep on indiv - context e.g. use of horse
respiratory rate
8-16 breaths per min
rectal temp
37.5-38.5°C
indiv. dep. (may be slightly lower/higher)
mucous membrane colour
salmon pink
digital pulse
(incl - what is it?)
blood flow through main artery going into hooves
CHECK THIS usually very weak/absent (neurovascular bundle)
if prominent/bounding pulse (esp in conj. with lameness) = foot injury/disease e.g. laminitis
FOALS
- HR
- respiratory rate
- rectal temp
- 60-80bpm
- 16-24 breaths/min (^er 1st hr of birth)
- 38.3-38.9°C
DONKEYS
- HR
- respiratory rate
- rectal temp
- 32-48bpm
- 12-24 breaths/min
- 37.5-38.5°C (same as horses)
medicine administration: oral methods (routes?) (3)
- syringe / drenching
- add to feed
- nasogastric intubation
medicine administration: IV injection site
jugular vein
blood sampling - where from?
jugular vein
medicine administration: SC injection site
loose skin in front of scapula
(shoulder blade?)
medicine administration: IM injection sites
JUST SAY TRAPEZIUS
- PECTORAL muscles (chest?)
- TRAPEZIUS muscle (neck?)
- GLUTEAL muscles (top of hind leg/hip)
- SEMIMEMBRANOSUS
- SEMITENDINOSUS
(both back of hind legs?)
3 methods for assessing horse body condition
- BCS (body condition scoring) 5 AND 9 point
- weight tape
- electronic scales
body condition scoring
- what does it assess?
- to help determine?
- it involves?
- types?
- objective (tick list? = not subjective) method of assessing SC fat coverage
- useful for determining if horse healthy weight
- vis. observation AND hands on palpation
- 2 methods: 5 and 9 point scale
BCS: 5 point scale
- three main areas assessed:
PELVIS
MIDRIFF
NECK
[don’t write this bit in exam, just so you can visualise - sideways view of horse, lines vertically to split into 3] - score each area 0-5 (equine scale incl 0, diff for other species)
- add all scores and /3 (mean)
0 = very poor (emaciated)
5 = very fat
BCS: how to score horses using 5 point scale (the factors/indicators for each number)
[see link from SDL - onenote “assessing BCS”]
BCS: 9 point scale
- six areas assessed
- score 1-9
- added together and /6 (mean)
BCS: 9 point scale
give the areas assessed
neck
withers
behind shoulder
ribs
loins
tailhead
why fat on a horse should be monitored?
disease - knock on effect
very active tissue, (E.G.) may affect absorption of sugars = contribute to equ. metabolic syndrome (?), linked to laminitis
weight tapes: PROS
despite not 100% accurate
- can track if weight fluctuating
- convenient (owners can do themselves)
weight tape: how to use
- ensure horse stood level
- tape over lowest point of withers
- pass around horse (close to elbow)
- tape pulled snugly around body (slight diag. angle when in correct position)
- read off weight estimate
3 common (equine) infectious diseases
1 strangles
2 equine influenza
3 equine herpes virus
strangles
- causative agent
Streptococcus equi (S. equi)
strangles
- clinical signs
- swollen/abscessed lymph nodes
(may occlude resp tract = potentially fatal) - nasal discharge
(some horses - nasal dis. and no glandular swelling) - high temp (FEVER)
- cough
- poor appetite
fatal if bacterium spreads to other areas of body - ‘bastard strangles’
strangles
prevention (2 ways)
- live vaccine: Equilis StrepE
via injection into the upper lip
red chance of horse infected/red severity of symptoms
MAY INTERFERE WITH DIAGNOSTIC TESTING - 10% cases = horse recovered but infection remains = “carrier”
guttaral pouch endoscopy, chondroids (dried balls of pus from abscesses) removed from guttural pouch and antibiotics to kill remaining bacteria
equine flu (EI)
causative agent
equine influenza virus (H3N8)
(EI florida clade 1 and 2)
1 - UK 2019 outbreak
equine flu
- clinical signs
highly variable: immune status - governed by vacc status
in susceptible (non vacc):
- fever, hard dry cough, nasal discharge
develop to
- depression, loss of appetite, musc pain, weakness
- secondary opportunist bac infections may occur (e.g. pneumonia)
Many fully vaccinated horses show mild or no clinical signs at all when in contact with virus
equine flu
- prevention
- all equine animals should be fully vaccinated
- all horse residents on stud farms fully vacc.
- younger animals intended for racing must comply with racing vacc requirements: 2 doses 4-6wks apart, 5 week booster, boosters every 6 months
- booster for pregnant mares 4-6wks prior to foaling date, foal commences own vacc programme when >6 months AT LEAST (when maternally derived antibody from colostrum has adequately declined and will not interfere with the foal’s immune response to vaccination)
equine herpes virus (EHV)
causative agents
EHV-1
EHV-4
EHV-3
EHV-5
equine herpes virus (EHV)
causative agent: EHV-1
EHV-1:
resp disease in young horses,
abortion in pregnant mares, (2 weeks - several months after infection)
(occasionally) neuro disease in horses of all ages/types - incoordination of hind (maybe front) limbs, incoord. of urine/faecal retention
equine herpes virus (EHV)
causative agent: EHV-4
usually only low grade resp disease
occasionally abortion
after first infection, majority carry as latent infection that can reactivate later in life
equine herpes virus (EHV)
causative agent: EHV-3
venereal (genital)
pox like lesions on penis of stallions and vulva of mares
equine herpes virus (EHV)
causative agent: EHV-5
unusual sporadic cases of debilitating lung scarring
equine herpes virus (EHV)
prevention
- recommended that all horses resident on stud farm are fully vacc with:
primary course
followed by regular 6-monthly boosters
regnant mares additionally booster vaccinated at 5, 7 and 9 months of gestation
(with vacc that is licensed to be used to aid prevention of both abortion and respiratory disease caused by EHV-1 and/or EHV-4)
horse vaccinations: the minimum
- EI and tetanus
- EI annual boosters, tetanus every other
- some others compulsory for competitions (horse dep)
tetanus
- what is it
- causative agent
- life threatening bac. disease (non infectious)
- toxin from Clostridium tetani (italic), may be found in soil
2 reasons why biosecurity on a stable yard is important
- minimises risk of disease introduction
- prevents spread of disease
biosecurity measures
- monitor temp (rise could mean illness)
- keep vacc up to date
- testing led deworming
- prevent direct contact (don’t share water sources, prevent nose to nose contact when off yard)
- good hygiene (separate grooming equipment, clean f+w buckets daily, disinfect boots and clothing from yard to yard, regularly clean tack, rugs, vehicles to transport horses)
- isolation of new individuals (21 days) - keep their muck heap seperate
equine preventative healthcare: 4 types/examples
1 vaccination
2 dentistry
3 foot care
4 anthelmintics
foot care
- by registered farrier
- 4-8wks (dep on workload and surfaces worked on)
- feet trimmed and shoes replaced (if necessary)
- work closely with vets when remedial shoeing (for specific condition?) required
dental care
- teeth erupt constantly
- molars grind laterally
can lead to development of ‘hooks’ - annual (MIN) examination by qual vet surgeon OR registered equine dental tech. (EDT)
define anthelmintic
antiparasitic drugs/antibiotics? (against worms)
anthelmintics, to treat…(4)
- small and large roundworm (parascaris/ascarid)
- small redworm
(strongyle) - tapeworm
(Anoplocephala magna and Anoplocephaloides mamillana) - lungworms
(Dictyocaulus arnfieldi)
donkeys = preferred host, rare in horses but poss e.g. if sharing field
describe the ‘intelligent’ approach to worming
growing concerns about anthelmintic resistance in UK
‘intelligent’ approach involves only horses w certain no of worm eggs being wormed = no unnecessary use of anthelmintics = red risk/slow development of resistance
why is anthelmintic resistance an issue?
efficacy of most deworming products for horses has been compromised
how to carry out faecal worm egg counts, and next steps to take based on results:
- collect samples from individual horses within 12hrs of excretion
- take 1-3 samples from AT LEAST 3 diff balls of faeces = sample of 40-50g (tennis ball size)
- sample in zip-lock bag and expel air
- ensure sample mixed thoroughly prior to processing
- ensure sample analysed within 5 days of collection (ideally 2 days)
> 200 eggs/g (EPG) = treat with anthelmintics
FECs - how often
12 weeks/3 months (CHECK*****)
TYPES OF WORM IN EQUIDS
Tapeworm: Anoplocephala magnaandAnoplocephaloides mamillana.
Lungworm: Dictyocaulus arnfieldi – Donkeys are preferred host, development in horses rare but not impossible, especially if sharing field
dental:
summarise who can do category 1/2/3 procedures
Category 1: can perform after recognised training without specific attainment of qualifications
Category 2: suitable for EDT (equine dental technician) who has trained and passed an examination approved by DEFRA
Category 3: only qualified vet. surgeons
obesity in horses can lead to… (3)
- ^ risk/poorer recovery prognosis from laminitis
- hyperlipaemia (met. disorder) ^ risk
- impaired thermoregulation
assessing the need for anthelmintics - how?
FECs
