BACKGROUND Medical treatment of esophageal strictures in horses is limited and the use of balloon dilatation is described in few cases. Long-term follow up after balloon dilatation and the use of intralesional corticosteroids has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVES To describe the use of endoscopic guided, esophageal balloon dilatation in horses for cervical and thoracic esophageal strictures and ...

BACKGROUND Auditory loss is a common deficit in horses with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy (THO), however, recovery of function is unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES To investigate neurologic function with emphasis in audition in horses with THO after treatment. To describe anatomical alterations of the petrous temporal bone that might result in auditory loss. ANIMALS Twenty-four horses with a c...

BACKGROUND In Ireland, horses may be protected against equine influenza virus (EIV) as a result of natural exposure or vaccination. Current mandatory vaccination programmes are targeted at highly mobile horses. A correlation between antibody levels as measured by single radial haemolysis (SRH) and protective immunity against EIV has been established. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was...

BACKGROUND Back pain is the cause of bad welfare in humans and animals. Although vertebral problems are regularly reported on riding horses, these problems are not always identified nor noticed enough to prevent these horses to be used for work. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Nineteen horses from two riding centres were submitted to chiropractic examinations performed by an experienced chirop...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate nonsurgical management of type II fractures of the distal phalanx in Standardbred horses. DESIGN Retrospective study of 48 affected horses. RESULTS Most fractures occurred on the lateral palmar process of the left forelimb or the medial palmar process of the right forelimb; 81% of horses were considered sound enough to return to training and 63% raced. Of those returni...

Hendra virus infection is an emerging viral disease of horses and humans in Australia. Although this disease is uncommon, cases in horses have been reported with increasing frequency since it was first recognized in 1994. Hendra virus is maintained in asymptomatic flying foxes (pteropid fruit bats). Virus shedding from these bats appears to increase at unpredictable intervals, leading to spillo...

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of radiographic abnormalities of 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses that were listed at in-training sales in Japan, on whether they started to race or not at 2-3 years of age. Radiographs of 850 2-year-old Thoroughbreds in the in-training sales repository from 2007 to 2010 were reviewed, and 26 categories of radiographic abnormalities were found. Forty-thr...

This study aimed to evaluate whether radiographic abnormalities at yearling sales were associated with the failure to start racing at 2-3 years of age. Radiographic abnormalities in the carpal (n=852), tarsal (n=976), metacarpophalangeal (n=1,055), and metatarsophalangeal joints (n=1,031) from 1,082 horses, recorded at yearling sale, were reviewed. Eighty-two horses (7.6%) failed to start racin...

OBJECTIVE To assess heritability and mode of inheritance for hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA) in Quarter Horses. ANIMALS 1,295 horses with Quarter Horse bloodlines, including 58 horses affected with HERDA. PROCEDURE Horses were classified as affected or unaffected or as undetermined when data were insufficient to assess phenotype. Pedigree data were analyzed to determine t...

To elucidate the spread of Borna disease virus (BDV) in Asian countries, we surveyed 48 normal horses in Bangladesh and their 26 caretakers for the BDV antibody by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Eleven horses (23%) were found positive. None of the 5 horses at the age of < 1 year was positive. Seven of 23 horses (30%) at the age of 1 year were positive, as well as 4 of 16 horses (25%) at ...