Respiratory Disease & Treatment Flashcards
When considering a horse may have a respiratory illness what are some relevant questions to ask the owner?
• How long have the symptoms been present?
• Are the symptoms getting worse?
• Has the horse been exposed to another, diseased horse?
• Has the horse been vaccinated? What vaccines has it had?
• Where is the horse housed? What conditions is it housed in?
• Is there a seasonal component to the symptoms?
What would a physical exam of a horse, searching for signs of respiratory illness, involve?
• Assessing breath rate / rhythm
• Ausculation, listening for wheezing, crackles, or clear breath sounds
• Bagging the horse to encourage taking deep breaths
• Looking for nasal discharge
• Palpating the lymph nodes
• Endoscopy (especially to examine the larynx) or Remote Dynamic Endoscopy
• Treadmill testing
•Taking samples of fluid from the trachea or lower airway
• Radiographs
• Ultrasound
What are the three most common methods of collecting fluid samples from a horses trachea or lower airways?
• Transtracheal Aspiration
• Endoscopic Collection
• Bronchoalveolar Lavage
What are the two possible types of gutteral pouch infections?
• Bacterial: Gutteral Pouch Empymia
• Fungal: Gutteral Pouch Mycosis
How is Gutteral Pouch Empymia/Mycosis diagnosed?
•Looking for one-sided nasal discharge
•Radiographs of the skull
•Endoscopic examination of the gutteral pouch
How is Gutteral Pouch Empymia treated?
•Flushing with saline & antimicrobials
•Systemic antimicrobials
•Surgery
How is Gutteral Pouch Mycosis treated? Why is it difficult to treat?
•Surgery to tie off the carotid artery
•Plaques may form and erode the carotid artery, leading to a fatal hemorrhage
How serious is Gutteral Pouch Empymia? What complications can occur?
•Difficult and expensive to treat, but can be successfully resolved
•Long term infection can lead to chondroids, thickened or congealed (inspissated) pus
How serious is Gutteral Pouch Mycosis? What complications can occur?
•Very serious, often untreatable and potentially fatal
•Fatal hemorrhaging of the carotid artery
What is Laryngeal Hemiplagia (Roaring)? Is there a known cause?
•Paralysis of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve leading to the obstruction of airflow by the Arytenoid Cartilages (usually on the left side).
•The cause is unknown, but larger horses seem to be at risk
How is Laryngeal Hemiplagia diagnosed?
•Listening for “roaring”, the sound of laboured breathing due to the obstruction of the horse’s airway
•Endoscopy
How is Laryngeal Hemiplagia treated?
○Surgery
*Placing large sutures to hold the paralyzed arytenoid cartilage back
*Possibly accompanied by ventriculostomy to scar down
*Arytenoidectomy if it is severe
How serious is Laryngeal Hemiplagia? What complications can occur?
•Mild, sometimes treatment is unnecessary
•May increase risk of Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage
What is Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate (DDSP)? What may happen if this occurs during high intensity exercise?
•A condition where the soft palate is displaced dorsally over the top of the epiglottis, interfering with it’s function
•Horse will exhibit exercise intolerance and abnormal breathing sounds
How is Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate (DDSP) diagnosed?
•Endoscopy
•Excercise to confirm because intermittent DDSP is normal
How is Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate (DDSP) treated?
Treatments:
•Tongue tying
•Anti-inflammatories
○Surgery
•Sternothyrohyodeus Myectomy (controls larynx movement)
•Staphylectomy (removing the soft palate)
•Injecting the epiglottis with Teflon
How serious is Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate? What complications can occur?
*DDSP may occur intermittently; this is normal. It becomes a problem if it occurs during high-intensity exercise.
*Pneumonia
What is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)? What else is this disease called? How common is it?
○Inflammation of the airways resulting in:
•Thickened airway walls
•Bronchospasms
•Discharge of mucous and inflammatory cells
•Increased difficulty exhaling
○Also called Heaves or Reactive Airway Disease
○This is the most common airway disease among horses