The use of 100 mL volume for RLP at the cephalic vein in standing horses resulted in higher concentration of amikacin in the synovial fluid and is recommended for use in clinical cases.

ID-IV-RLP using the cephalic or saphenous vein is an alternative to traditional RLP. An indwelling catheter provided prolonged venous access and facilitated successive perfusions.

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SummaryReasons for performing study: There is a consensus in the veterinary literature that Parascaris equorum (ascarid) impaction carries a poor prognosis. Hence surgery is often delayed and foals are often subjected to euthanasia after diagnosis of ascarid impaction is established. Our clinical impression was that ascarid impaction carries a better prognosis than previously reported. Objectives: Our expectation was that manually evacuating the impaction into the caecum, thus refraining from opening the small intestine, would improve the prognosis for survival of horses with ascarid impaction. The aim of this study was to examine medical records of horses treated surgically for ascarid impaction, record their clinical findings and evaluate the association of outcome with the method of relieving the impaction. Methods: The medical records of all horses presented to our hospital between October 2002 and December 2011 that underwent exploratory celiotomy for ascarid impaction were reviewed. Information retrieved from the medical record included surgical findings, surgical technique, complications, shortand long-term survival. The association between categorical variables was assessed using the Fisher's exact test. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Fifteen horses fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Eighty percent of horses (12/15) survived to discharge and 60% (6/10) survived for at least one year. Five horses are doing well but are still in convalescence. Horses that underwent small intestinal enterotomy or resection and anastomosis (n = 5) were less likely to survive to discharge (P = 0.022). Conclusions: In our study, manual evacuation of ascarid impaction into the caecum, while refraining from opening the small intestine resulted in significantly improved survival in horses with ascarid impaction. Potential relevance: Refraining from opening the small intestine may be the key to improving surgical outcome in horses with ascarid impaction.

Background: Medical grade honey has previously been described as a prophylactic treatment for wounds. Local prophylactic treatment may be valuable in preventing post-operative incisional infections in horses undergoing colic surgery but has not been evaluated.Objectives: To establish whether medical grade honey gel, applied on the linea alba intraoperatively, decreases the prevalence of incisional infections in horses undergoing colic surgery with no associated adverse effects. Study design:Prospective blinded randomised controlled clinical study.Methods: Horses older than 4 months that underwent colic surgery between May 2017 and December 2018 and survived for >2 weeks were included in the study.Horses were allocated 1:1 to treatment or control by block randomisation. In the treatment group, following closure of the linea alba, medical grade honey gel (L-Mesitran Soft ® ) was placed in the incision followed by apposition of subcutaneous tissue and skin. Information regarding the incision and post-operative complications was obtained at five time points (24 hours, 48 hours, 5 days, 14 days and 3 months).Results: Eighty-nine horses were included in the study. No adverse effects associated with treatment were observed. Horses in the treatment group had a lower rate of incisional infection compared with the control group (8.2% vs. 32.5%, P = .02).The protective effect of MGH had a calculated adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.2 (95% CI:0.07-0.8, P = .03). The number of patients required to receive treatment to prevent one case of incisional infection (NNEB) was 4.7. Risk factors associated with infection included: younger age (OR = 27, 95% CI: 2.3 to 306, P = .008) and diarrhoea 48 hours post-operatively (OR = 20, 95% CI: 1.5 to 277, P = .02).Main limitations: Follow-up was performed by different veterinary surgeons, hence not completely uniform. Conclusion:Local prophylactic treatment with medical grade honey gel in the abdominal incision during surgery is safe and may significantly decrease the prevalence of incisional infections in horses undergoing colic surgery.