Background Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is an important component of the evaluation of horses with neurologic disease. Lumbosacral (LS) centesis is routine, but CSF is also collected from the space between the first and second cervical vertebrae (C1‐C2). Objectives To compare collection times, CSF cytology results, and equine protozoal myelitis (EPM) titers of CSF collected from the C1‐C2 and LS sites. Animals Fifteen university‐owned adult horses with no evidence of neurologic disease, and 9 horses with signs of neurologic disease: 3 university‐owned and 6 client‐owned. Methods Prospective study. Cerebrospinal fluid collection from the LS space and C1‐C2 space of each horse was performed in randomized order. Continuous data were analyzed using mixed‐effects linear models and count data using mixed‐effects negative binomial regression. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. Results Cerebrospinal fluid collected from the C1‐C2 site had a significantly lower mean protein concentration (49 [95% CI: 43‐55.8] mg/dL C1‐C2 versus 52.1 [95% CI: 45.7‐59.3] mg/dL LS; P = .03) and red blood cell count (6 [95% CI: 2‐16] cells/μL versus 33 [95% CI: 13‐81] cells/μL; P = .02). Collection time, total nucleated cell count, EPM titers, and serum:CSF EPM titer ratios were not significantly different between collection sites. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Cerebrospinal fluid from the C1‐C2 space provides an acceptable alternative to LS CSF collection with decreased likelihood of clinically important blood contamination of samples.

Summary Background Limited information exists on the long‐term outcome of foals that survive following hospitalisation for disease as a neonate. Significant financial investment is required to raise foals to racing age, therefore improved understanding of factors that affect long‐term outcome and future athletic performance is important. Objectives To analyse racing performance in Thoroughbred foals hospitalised as neonates, compared with their maternal siblings and to determine factors associated with failure to race and racing performance. Study design Retrospective cohort study. Methods Medical records of Thoroughbred foals admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit between 1982 and 2008 were reviewed. Surviving foals of registered mares were included. Data including the foal's primary and concurrent diseases were extracted from the medical record. Racing records for foals and maternal siblings were evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify disorders associated with failure to race and decreased racing performance. Results Two‐hundred and sixty‐nine of 454 previously hospitalised foals (59%) raced. Sixty‐eight percent (269/394) of registered foals raced, compared with 79% (697/880) of registered siblings. Foals with prematurity/dysmaturity (P = 0.002) and those with orthopaedic disease (P = 0.007) were significantly less likely to race than their siblings. Premature/dysmature foals also had significantly fewer starts and wins and lower earnings than siblings. Foals with orthopaedic disorders had a lower percentage of wins, relative to their siblings. There was no significant association between racing performance and other disease categories. Main limitations Small sample size in some disease categories and retrospective nature of study. Conclusions Foals hospitalised due to prematurity/dysmaturity or orthopaedic disorders were less likely to race than their maternal siblings and those that did race had decreased performance.

Summary Oesophageal stricture is a rare disorder in foals. The following manuscript describes the successful treatment of oesophageal strictures with balloon dilation in 5 foals aged 3 weeks to 4 months. Three of the foals presented due to recurrent oesophageal obstruction, one due to dysphagia, and one due to weight loss, pytalism and bruxism. The strictures were diagnosed via endoscopy. In 2 cases, the use of intraoesophageal corticosteroid injection was performed to reduce the incidence of oesophageal stricture reoccurrence. In all cases, a satisfactory outcome with resolution of clinical signs was achieved.

Summary Guttural pouch mycosis (GPM) is a rare disorder in foals and should be considered as a differential in a foal presenting with dysphagia. This manuscript describes the medical management of 2 Thoroughbred foals (age 2 and 4 months) that presented with dysphagia secondary to presumptive mucosal penetration and damage by the fungal hyphae to the glossopharyngeal and hypoglossal nerves, and the pharyngeal branch of the vagus nerve. Successful treatment of the GPM was achieved with the use of systemic itraconazole and topical miconazole. The mycotic lesions resolved, but both foals continued to have residual cranial nerve deficits, which included an acquired left laryngeal paralysis (Foal A), and residual dysfunction of the glossopharyngeal, hypoglossal and vagus nerves resulting in a weak swallow reflux and transient dysphagia (Foal B).

Background: Serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis might be required in clinical neurologic disease. The effect of lumbosacral (LS) or cervical (C1-C2) centesis on subsequent CSF cytologic analyses has not been investigated in horses. Objective: To evaluate the effect of thecal puncture on subsequent CSF analyses Animals: Ten healthy adult horses. Methods: Prospective study. Horses were randomly assigned to undergo CSF collection twice, 14 days apart, from either the C1-C2 or LS space. After a 4-month washout period, CSF collection was repeated from the alternate site. Continuous data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models and count data using mixed-effects negative binomial regression. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. Results: There was no significant effect of collection day (day 0 or day 14) for any CSF analytes, including protein concentration (C1-C2: 45 [95% CI: 33-57] mg/dL day

Background: Neonatal care can seem daunting to the equine veterinary practitioner, particularly in practices without a high stud medicine caseload, meaning visits to newborn foals are infrequent. Deciding when to refer and when field treatment is likely to be adequate can be difficult. Clinical signs of disease can be subtle and deterioration rapid. Accurate assessment and early recognition of problems are crucial in successful treatment, as is education of owners about when to seek veterinary intervention.Scan the QR code in the RCVS 1CPD app to log reading this article