Warmblood Mare Research Articles

Lesion size index-guided radiofrequency catheter ablation using an impedance-based three-dimensional mapping system to treat sustained atrial tachycardia in a horse.

Sustained atrial tachycardia at an atrial rate of 191/min on the surface ECG was detected in a 6-year-old Warmblood mare. The vectorcardiogram obtained from a 12-lead ECG suggested a caudo-dorsal right atrial origin of the arrhythmia. Impedance-based three-dimensional electro-anatomical mapping, using the EnSite™ Precision Cardiac Mapping System revealed a clockwise macro-reentry around a line of conduction block in the caudomedial right atrium. Ten radiofrequency applications were applied to isolate the caudal vena cava myocardial sleeves at a power of 35 W and mean contact force of 14 ± 3 g until a lesion size index of 6 was reached. Sinus rhythm was restored at the first energy application. Successful isolation was confirmed by demonstrating entrance and exit block. Holter monitoring 5 days post-ablation revealed no abnormalities. To date, 9 months after treatment, no recurrence has been observed. The use of lesion size index-guided ablation and isolation of the arrhythmogenic substrate in the caudal vena cava may minimise the risk of recurrence.

Histological and chemical view on parotid duct sialolithiasis in the Slovakian warmblood mare

The parotid duct has been reported to be the most common site of sialoliths in horses. In this case report, we described the first confirmed case of the equine sialolithiasis in Slovakia. The work was aimed to describe the transcutaneous approach to removing the sialolith, which manifested as a hard painless mass in the area of the maxillary cheek teeth, in a 14-year-old Slovakian warmblood mare. Pathological-anatomical and histological examination after extirpation confirmed the presence of parotid duct ectasia resulting from calculus. The mineral composition of the sialolith was determined with atomic absorption spectroscopy using X-ray powder diffraction. The sialolith was successfully extirpated transcutaneously, without complications or recurrence.

Inability to defecate after anesthetic recovery in a 5-year-old Zangersheide Warmblood mare.

Inability to defecate after anesthetic recovery in a 5-year-old Zangersheide Warmblood mare.

Cases of Abnormality of Horse Hooves (Equus caballus) In Santosa Stable Kendal-Central Java

Background: Horse hoof abnormalities are one of the most frequent disorders in horses and the leading causes affecting the productivity of horses. Purpose: Explanation of the percentage of abnormalities of Andalusian, Warmblood, and Generasi horses in Santosa Stable. Method: Qualitative methods in this study used a qualitative research approach case study. Results: Hoof abnormalities occurred in 6 horses (1 stallion and 1 Andalusian mare, 1 Warmblood mare, 2 G4 stallions, and 1 G3 horse). Cases of hoof crack (31.25%) and hoof rings (12.5%). Conclusion: Hoof crack is the most common abnormality found in horses in Santosa Stable

Right-sided ovarian enlargement in an 8-year-old maiden warmblood mare.

Right-sided ovarian enlargement in an 8-year-old maiden warmblood mare.

Successful treatment of an open incisive bone fracture using a locking compression plate combined with intraoral cerclage wiring

SummaryA 7‐year‐old Warmblood mare presented with bilateral epistaxis, facial swelling and deviation of the nose and upper lip. Upon clinical and computed tomographic examination a complete, oblique, open and displaced fracture of the nasal process of the incisive bone of the left and right maxilla was found. In order to maintain a good alignment and reduction in the fracture, a temporary retention with cerclage wire connecting the incisors of the mandible and maxilla was used. The fracture was then treated surgically with a 3.5‐mm narrow‐locking compression plate on the dorsolateral aspect of the incisive bone in combination with oral cerclage wiring. The intra‐oral cerclage wiring was removed 12 weeks post‐surgery, while the plate remained in situ. Minor post‐surgical complications consisted of transient facial nerve paralysis and swelling. Follow‐up radiographs taken 8 weeks after surgery documented good fracture healing. Nine months after surgery the mare has returned to her intended use and showed excellent cosmesis.

Standing osteosynthesis of an accessory carpal bone fracture in a Warmblood mare with a 6‐hole 3.5 talonavicular fusion plate and 3.5‐mm screws

SummaryA 9‐year‐old Warmblood, high‐level showjumping mare sustained an acute, closed, vertical, comminuted fracture of the left accessory carpal bone (ACB) during a fall. The fracture was repaired under standing sedation and local anaesthesia, using a 6‐hole APTUS® 3.5 TFP and 5 × 3.5‐mm self‐tapping TriLock© screws. The mare recovered from surgery without complications. Upon follow‐up examination 9 months post‐operatively the mare was sound in all gaits and back to full athletic activity. The ACB fracture had completely healed. The displaced dorsoproximal fracture fragment was in a stationary position and there was evidence of mild nonprogressive osteoarthritis of the antebrachiocarpal joint.

Duodenoduodenal intussusception in a 16‐year‐old German Warmblood mare

SummaryA 16‐year‐old German Warmblood mare was presented with an acute history of abdominal pain that failed to respond to medical treatment. Diagnostic evaluations including transabdominal and transrectal ultrasound and palpation were suggestive of a small‐intestinal intussusception. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a duodenoduodenal intussusception of the proximal and middle third of the duodenum. The horse was subjected to euthanasia due to the poor prognosis. The post‐mortem examination showed the intussusception to be associated with a pseudodiverticulum orally to the intussusception and duodenal muscular hypertrophy.

Diffuse osteomyelitis of the fourth metacarpal bone in a horse caused by Clostridium perfringens

SummaryOsteomyelitis in adult horses, often associated with trauma or iatrogenic infection following surgery, usually presents as a focal area of infected bone. Diffuse osteomyelitis, affecting both the cortex and medulla, along the full length of a bone is encountered less frequently and treatment of such infections is not well reported in horses. The 2‐year‐old Warmblood mare in this case was diagnosed with diffuse osteomyelitis affecting the 4th metacarpal bone with concurrent unicortical fracture of the third metacarpal bone following traumatic injury. Computed tomography (CT) aided diagnosis in this case, providing critical additional detail to that obtained with radiography and ultrasound. This case highlights the value of CT in the diagnosis of diffuse osteomyelitis. This is the first reported case of diffuse osteomyelitis caused by Clostridium perfringens in horses. Successful treatment in this case consisted of surgical debridement of the associated abscess, followed by systemic and locoregional antimicrobial therapies.

An atypical presentation of a mesenteric Meckel\u2019s diverticulum in a 7-year-old warmblood mare: case report

BackgroundMeckel’s diverticula are a rare cause of small intestinal strangulation, diagnosed at laparotomy or necropsy. This congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract originates from a remnant of the vitelline duct. In reported equine cases, they present as a full-thickness diverticulum on the antimesenteric border of the distal jejunum or proximal ileum.Case presentationOn laparotomy a Meckel’s diverticulum positioned at the mesenteric side was found to be the cause of small intestinal strangulation. This position is very uncommon and to the best knowledge of the authors there is no unambiguous description of another case.ConclusionsMeckel’s diverticula should be on the list of differential diagnoses in cases of small intestinal strangulation. As in humans, equine Meckel’s diverticula can have the standard antimesenteric as well as a more exceptional mesenteric location. This case adds to the series of anecdotal reports of anomalies with regard to Meckel’s diverticula in the horse.

Advanced imaging of a histologically confirmed bone infarction of the distal tibia in a Warmblood mare

SummaryAn 8‐year‐old Warmblood‐cross mare presented for investigation of acute onset left hindlimb lameness. Nuclear scintigraphy identified a marked, focal, increase in radiopharmaceutical uptake in the distal aspect of the left tibia. Radiography revealed a large, oval, multi‐loculated radiolucent area within the medulla of the distal metaphysis of the left tibia. The mare was treated conservatively for 6 months but showed little improvement in the lameness so the owner elected for euthanasia. Post‐mortem computed tomographic imaging revealed a large, oval, hypoattenuating area within the distal tibia, surrounded by a thick, irregular, sclerotic border. The lesion occupied the majority of the medullary cavity but the cortical bone was unaffected. Gross and histopathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of a bone infarction in the medullary cavity of the distal tibia.

Listeria monocytogenes meningoencephalomyelitis most likely due to septic spread as a rare cause of neurological disease and fever in an adult horse

A 14-year-old warmblood mare developed progressive neurological signs including ataxia, nystagmus, impaired mental status as well as decreased cranial nerve reflexes, and finally went recumbent. Postmortem examination and histology revealed...

Collapse in a mare during standing sedation with a fatal outcome

A 6-year-old 559-kg Canadian Warmblood mare with lacerations over the neck and all four limbs was presented to the Western College Veterinary Medicine. Medical treatment and wound lavage was carried...

Unusual pathophysiological mechanisms of ptyalism in two horses

SummaryThis report outlines two cases of ptyalism that were not associated with oral conditions or primary dysphagia. The first, a 9‐year‐old Thoroughbred gelding, was associated with left‐sided peripheral vestibular disease and bone modelling around the left tympanic bulla. The second, a 7‐year‐old Dutch Warmblood mare, was associated with progressive bilateral laryngeal paralysis and a mediastinal T‐cell lymphoma. In Case 1, a neurological pathophysiology was proposed involving altered autonomic innervation of the salivary glands; whilst in Case 2, the mechanism remains unclear but may have involved mechanical compression of the intrathoracic oesophagus or stimulation of afferents within the vagus nerve. This case series highlights rare causes of ptyalism that have not been previously reported in the literature.

Ulcerative lesion of the external ear canal causing headshaking in a horse

This case report describes the approach to an unusual case of headshaking of 1-year duration paired with unilateral ear hypersensitivity in a 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare. After the exclusion of...

Intra-abdominale bloeding bij een paard: niet altijd het gevolg van trauma

Een negen jaar oude merrie werd aangeboden met klachten van milde koliek en koorts. Met behulp van echografie werd een mixed hypo- en hyperechogene massa gediagnosticeerd tussen de maag en de milt. Op het rectale onderzoek werd eveneens een massa waargenomen in de bekkenholte. Bij herhaling van deze onderzoeken een dag later werd intra-abdominaal bloed waargenomen. Er werd gedacht aan een hematoom met intra-abdominale bloeding van traumatische oorsprong. Gedurende de volgende dagen werden echografische en radiografische veranderingen waargenomen in de longen en de lever. De massa ter hoogte van het bekken bleef stabiel. Abnormale, vermoedelijk neoplastische cellen werden waargenomen op cytologisch en histologisch onderzoek van een biopt genomen ter hoogte van de massa aanwezig in de lever. Dergelijke cellen werden niet waargenomen in het abdominale en thoracale vocht. Door de aanwezigheid van een snel groeiende massa werd de diagnose van maligne neoplasie het meest waarschijnlijk. Euthanasie werd voorgesteld maar geweigerd door de eigenaar. Ondersteunende behandeling werd ingesteld, waardoor het paard stabiel bleef. Enkele dagen later is het paard plotseling gestorven. Tijdens het post-mortemonderzoek werd in het bekken een primaire neoplasie waargenomen met metastasen in de longen en de lever met lekkage van 50 liter hemorragisch vocht in het abdomen. Gebaseerd op de macroscopische bevindingen, cytologische en histologische kenmerken werd een hemangiosarcoma als meest waarschijnlijke diagnose vooropgesteld. Dit werd bevestigd via een immunohistochemische kleuring voor von Willebrand-factor. Deze casuïstiek toont aan dat differentiatie tussen hematoom en hemangiosarcoma belangrijk is.

Pericardial effusion and congestive heart failure in a horse with multicentric lymphoma

A 20-year-old Warmblood mare was evaluated for acute-onset tachycardia and a one-week history of lethargy and ventral oedema. Haematology revealed leucocytosis with neutrophilia. Ultrasonographic examination revealed pericardial effusion and cardiac...

Asymptomatic unilateral kidney ectopia and hypoplasia in an adult Warmblood mare

Asymptomatic unilateral kidney ectopia and hypoplasia in an adult Warmblood mare

Cutaneous lymphohistiocytic and multifocal lymphoma in an adult mare

Cutaneous or subcutaneous lymphoma is one of the four different forms appearing in the horse. This type of equine lymphoma is usually lymphohistiocytic with a Τ, Β or mixed-cell immunophenotype and with a prevalence of less than 3% among skin neoplasms. This is all about a 9-year old Warmblood mare admitted with a 5-month history of multiple cutaneous masses spreading to many parts of the body. Apart from the multiple subcutaneous nodules and plaques, which did not provide discomfort to the horse, no other abnormalities were found either in clinical or laboratory examination. Lesionai histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed a lymphohistiocytic T-cell lymphoma, which most likely was primary. The owner elected not to have her horse treated, but readmitted it for euthanasia 5 months later, because of the worsening of skin lymphoma and the appearance of general and systemic clinical signs. The ensuing postmortem was suggestive of distant metastatic disease (liver, mediastinal lymph nodes, pharyngeal wall) most likely originating from the skin.

Congenital occipitoatlantoaxial malformation in a Warmblood mare

SummaryA 3‐year‐old Warmblood mare was presented with spinal ataxia of 3 months’ duration. Clinically, reduced mobility of the neck and a prominent atlas were identified. Neurological evaluation revealed hypermetria, circumduction and reduced proprioception, predominantly in the hindlimbs. Occipitoatlantoaxial malformation (OAAM) was diagnosed based on radiography and computed tomography, and confirmed on post‐mortem magnetic resonance imaging and pathological examination. Both the atlas and axis were hypoplastic and dysplastic, and a fusion of the atlanto‐occipital joint was found. A dynamic compression of the spinal cord was present at the first and second cervical vertebrae. Histologically, the spinal cord was degenerated due to compression. Furthermore, there were muscular malformations including a fibrotic obliquus capitis cranialis muscle, aplasia of parts of the rectus capitis muscles and presence of additional abnormal muscle. Such muscular abnormalities associated with OAAM have not been reported yet and this is the first report of a case of OAAM in a Warmblood horse.