C. Croci

Treatment of gastric ulceration in 10 standardbred racehorses with a pectin-lecithin complex

The severity of the erosive and ulcerative lesions of the squamous gastric mucosa in 10 standardbred racehorses in training was classified according to a standard scoring system. Each horse was then treated orally for 30 days with 50g/l OOkg bodyweight daily of a pectin-lecithin complex mixed into the feed. At the end of the period of treatment, the gastric lesions were re-evaluated gastroscopically and the scores were compared with those assigned at the previous evaluation. In three of the horses the gastric ulcerations had healed completely, and in six others the lesions had improved significantly.

Gastroscopic findings in 63 standardbred racehorses in training

In contrast with what was believed in the past, the increased use of equine gastroscopes of adequate length (3 metres) shows that gastric ulceration may not only be one of the main causes of poor performance in sport horses (Vatistas et al., 1999) but is also characterized by a high incidence (more than 90%), as reported by Murray and colleagues (1996) in a study conducted in Thoroughbred racehorses in training. Strenuous exercise and management of racehorses are currently considered as important predisposing factors for the occurrence of gastric lesions. In fact, gastric ulcers are less frequently observed in free-grazing horses or in pleasure horses than in high performance horses which are fed low fibre and high concentrates a few times a day (Orsini and Pipers, 1997). Most epidemiologic reports involve studies on Thoroughbred racehorses (Vatistas et al., 1994; Murray et al., 1996), while few data are available for Standardbred racehorses. The aim of the present study is to report the results of gastroscopic examination in 63 Standardbred horses in intensive training.

The Use of Electrocardiographic Recording with Holter Monitoring During Treadmill Exercise to Evaluate Cardiac Arrhythmias in Racehorses

In equine medicine, particular attention is devoted to sports medicine and to the study of diseases affecting performance. In this regard the use of diagnostic tools, aimed at identifying any slightly abnormal condition, even those which may only appear during strenuous exercise, is desirable. Cardiac arrhythmias play an important role among cardio-vascular causes of poor performance, although this is still not completely understood. In athletic horses, bradyarrhythmias, such as sinoatrial block, second-degree atrioventricular block, wandering pacemaker and sinus bradycardia are frequently observed, although their clinical significance is usually negligible. On the other hand, other atrial rhythm disturbances (atrial fibrillation, atrial escape complexes, atrial tachycardia) and ventricular rhythm disturbances (ventricular escape complexes, ventricular tachycardia) may significantly affect athletic performance (Reef and Marr, 1993; Mitten, 1996). Moreover, the absence of rhythm disturbances at rest does not rule out their occurrence during maximal exercise and, conversely, the presence of cardiac arrhythmias at rest may not be related to poor performance. Therefore, it is essential to detect the occurrence and frequency of any rhythm disturbance during strenuous exercise. Holter monitoring, which is widely used in human medicine, has been recently proposed for equine patients (Baha, 1991; Raekallio, 1992; Reef and Marr, 1993; Scheffer et al., 1995; Bussadori et al., 1997). Holter monitoring of myocardial electrical activity allows recording of an ECG trace for a long period of time (up to 24 hours), both at rest and during the normal daily activity of the patient, thus improving the chances of detecting episodic and/or intermittent arrhythmias. ECGmonitoring during exercise is usually performed using radiotelemetry; nevertheless, due to the peculiar characteristics of the instrument, such as its small size, ease of use and relatively low cost, Holter monitoring may be

Bacterial pneumonia and pleuropneumonia in sport horses: 17 cases (2001–2003)

Summary Seventeen racehorses were referred with a history of poor performance, recurrent fever, coughing and/or nasal discharge. All patients underwent a thorough diagnostic procedure, including physical examination, complete blood count, plasma fibrinogen estimation, arterial blood gas analysis, thoracic radiology and ultrasonography, endoscopy, tracheal aspiration with cytological and cultural evaluation, including sensitivity test. According to these procedures, bacterial pneumonia was diagnosed in 14 horses and bacterial pleuropneumonia in 3 horses. Streptococcus spp. were isolated in 11 cases (61.2%), Rhodococcus equi in 3 cases (16.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae in 3 cases (16.6%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in one case (5.6%).