Equine Medicine

The pituitary gland plays an important role in many bodily functions.

Thyroid hormones are important for growth, maturation of organ systems, and regulation of metabolism.

Geriatric horses are the fastest growing segment of the equine population, and represent an increasing percentage of all equine patients seen by veterinarians and referred to specialty hospitals.

The term endocrinologic laminitis was coined by Dr. Phil Johnson and colleagues in 2004, and is meant to describe laminitis that arises from hormonal abnormalities primarily insulin resistance rather than inflammatory or mechanical causes.

Prevention of EMS centers on maintaining normal weight in horses, particularly those that are high risk breeds.

Nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs, particularly phenylbutazone and flunixin meglumine, have been the primary analgesics used in equine medicine for decades.

The official definition of an adverse drug reaction is any response to a drug which is noxious and unintended and which occurs at doses of an appropriately given drug used for the prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy, excluding therapeutic failures and occurring within a reasonable time frame of administration of the drug.

Lawsonia intracellularis is the causative agent of equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE).

The first and most important thing is to recognize the horse with a respiratory emergency.

Calcium is a macronutrient that is essential for many cellular processes.

The once stodgy world of veterinary parasitology is undergoing a revolution.

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is the term used to describe a characteristic collection of clinical signs and clinicopathologic changes in horses.

Approximately 80% of stabled horses show evidence of airway inflammation, and a recent survey performed by the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine shows that at least 25% of horses show overt signs of inflammatory airway disease, such as cough or exercise intolerance.

Sensitivity is poor diseases such as IAD can be clinically silent for many years. Specificity is also poor, as many diseases share similar signs such as cough

Pleuropneumonia is a devastating disease, which can result in permanent respiratory impairment if not treated promptly and properly.

The bronchoalveolar lavage has been described as a liquid biopsy, and, indeed, this is an apt description.

For any practitioner engaged in sport horse practice, a familiarity with upper airway endoscopy is extremely useful.

The three most common gastrointestinal problems that are seen in the foal include colic, gastric ulcer disease and diarrhea. Though these are also common in the adult the foal has different specific etiologies and treatments.

Older horses can present with the same problems as the younger horse but there are a few specific problems that occur with age or worsen with age.

Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO, or heaves) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD) are highly prevalent in stabled horses, and require treatment with corticosteroids and bronchodilators in addition to environmental modification.

Aging is not a disease. It occurs in all organisms if they live long enough! Some definitions that are helpful when speaking about aging include life span, life expectancy, chronologic age, biologic age and demographic age.

Septic arthritis and osteomyelitis are recognized sequela to bacteremia/sepsis in the neonatal foal.

The neurologic examination of the foal has many similarities as that of the adult horse but there are some important differences.

Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction, PPID, also known as equine pituitary adenoma, equine Cushings, and equine pituitary hyperplasia is the most common endocrinologic problem in horses.

Sepsis or septicemia in the equine neonate is a common cause of mortality in the foal.