Clinical Factors Associated With Survival Outcomes in Starved Equids: A Retrospective Case Series

Abstract

Each year in the United States, unwanted horses may become neglected, starved, or abandoned. Recovery therapies include refeeding and veterinary care, often requiring substantial time and financial investments. To better understand the likelihood for starved horses to successfully survive the first 100 days after initial evaluation, a retrospective case series was performed using hospital records of starved horses at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. A body condition score (BCS) of 3 or less and a malnourished diagnosis were utilized to select case records from an 11-year period (n = 82). Animal descriptors, vital signs, complete blood count data, blood chemistry panels, parasite load, and refeeding diet information were analyzed as available within the case record. Mixed model analyses of variance (PROC GLIMMIX, SAS 9.4) were utilized to test if response variables differed in horses that lived or died. Generalized linear mixed models were used to test factors associated with survival probability 100 days postinitial hospitalization. Body temperature (P = .05) and BCS (P = .0002) were significantly lower in horses that died compared with horses that survived. In addition, white blood cells were increased in horses that died (11.6 ± 1.3 cells/μL) compared with horses that survived (8.6 ± 0.5 cells/μL; P = .03). The initial BCS was associated with probability for survival, where survival likelihood increased 14.6 times for each 1 whole unit increase in the BCS. These results indicate the relevance of using the BCS as a predictor for future survival and as a measure for clinical decision-making.