Background
Cervical osteoarthritis (OA) has been documented as a potential source of pain and poor performance in sport horses.
Objectives
To assess the prevalence of cervical OA in a population of Warmblood jumpers and its correlation with age, level of performance, neck pain and mobility.
Study design
Descriptive observational study.
Methods
Warmblood jumpers free of lameness or neurological disorders were selected. Cervical pain and range of motion of the neck were subjectively assessed. Left to right lateral views were taken at C3‐C4, C4‐C5, C5‐C6 and C6‐C7. The presence of OA at the cervical articular process joints (APJs) was evaluated and graded as absent, mild or moderate to severe by three board‐certified radiologists. The agreement between radiologists and the potential associations between OA grades with age and other variables were statistically assessed (P < .05).
Results
One hundred and four horses were included [median age = 10 years (range 6‐18 years)]. Agreement between radiologists varied from fair to substantial (Kappa‐weighted 0.37‐0.61). The C6‐C7 APJ was most commonly affected by OA with only 32.7% of APJ considered free of radiographic abnormalities at this location versus 60.5% at C5‐C6, 81.7% at C4‐C5 and 84.6% at C3‐C4. Horses competing in higher level classes (peak of performance) had significantly higher OA grades at C6‐C7 (P = .013). There was no association between age, age when started jumping, neck pain and neck range of motion with the presence of OA on radiographs.
Main limitations
Open enrolment and lack of orthogonal views.
Conclusions
This study showed that, although there is a range of interpretation of radiographic findings of the APJ, OA of the caudal cervical region is not rare in performing sound Warmblood jumpers. This suggests that OA in the caudal cervical region may be of low clinical significance.
A 1-year-old male miniature donkey (Equus asinus) from a herd of eight was presented with a 9month history of pruritic dermatitis, lethargy and anorexia. Physical examination revealed diuse licheni®cation and scales involving the skin of the face, head and dorsum from the neck to the pelvis. The main histological alteration within the super®cial and deep dermis was the presence of multiple large, spherical, thick walled, protozoal Besnoitia cysts. In addition, the in¯ammatory response consisted of a moderate, super®cial and deep perivascular, mixed mononuclear cell in®ltrate, with epidermal hyperplasia and compact orthokeratosis. Based upon the large size of the protozoal cysts and the ultrastructural features of the bradyzoites contained therein (conoid, polar ring, rhoptries, micronemes and microtubules), a diagnosis of cutaneous besnoitiosis was established. Treatment with trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole resulted in signi®cant clinical improvement. To our knowledge, this is the ®rst reported case of besnoitiosis in a miniature donkey in North America.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.