Reasons for Performing Study: Critical illness is associated with hyperglycemia in humans, and a greater degree and duration of hyperglycemia is associated with nonsurvival. Hypoglycemia is also seen in critically ill humans, and is associated with nonsurvival. This might also be true in the critically ill foal.Objectives: To investigate the association of blood glucose concentrations with survival, sepsis, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).Methods: Blood glucose concentrations at admission (515 foals) and 24 hours (159 foals), 36 hours (95), 48 hours (82), and 60 hours (45) after admission were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association of glucose concentrations with survival, sepsis, a positive blood culture, or SIRS.Results: 29.1% of foals had blood glucose concentrations within the reference range (76-131 mg/dL) at admission, 36.5% were hyperglycemic, and 34.4% were hypoglycaemic. Foals that did not survive to hospital discharge had lower mean blood glucose concentrations at admission, as well as higher maximum and lower minimum blood glucose concentrations in the 1st 24 hours of hospitalization, and higher blood glucose at 24 and 36 hours. Foals with blood glucose concentrations o2.8 mmol/L (50 mg/dL) or 410 mmol/L (180 mg/dL) at admission were less likely to survive. Hypoglycemia at admission was associated with sepsis, a positive blood culture, and SIRS.Conclusions and Potential Relevance: Derangements of blood glucose concentration are common in critically ill foals. Controlling blood glucose concentrations may therefore be beneficial in the critically ill neonatal foal, and this warrants further investigation.

Recognising particular patterns of clinical and clinicopathological findings associated with infection with specific groups of bacteria may, in the future, aid antimicrobial selection and influence prognosis in bacteraemic foals.

Background: Hyperglycemia in critically ill humans is associated with increased glucose production and insulin resistance and is associated with death. This might also be true in horses presenting with acute abdominal disease.Hypothesis: Throughout hospitalization, hyperglycemia will be common in adult horses presenting with acute abdominal disease. Hyperglycemia will be associated with a worse prognosis for survival to hospital discharge.Animals: Two hundred sixty-nine adult horses with acute abdominal disease. Methods: Observational retrospective study. Records were reviewed for 269 horses that had glucose data analysed and recorded at the time of hospital admission: 154 horses had a first sample after admission; 110 horses at 24 hours after admission; 74 horses at 36 hours after admission; and 49 horses at 48 hours after admission. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association of glucose concentrations with survival, in addition to the association of glucose concentrations with surgical, small intestinal, strangulating lesions, and lesions requiring a resection.Results: Of 269 horses presenting with acute abdominal disease, 50.2% had blood glucose concentrations greater than the reference range (75.6-131.4 mg/dL); 0.4%, below the reference range; and 49.4%, within the reference range at admission. Of 269 horses, 2.3% had blood glucose concentrations below the reference range at some point during the first 48 hours of hospitalization, all of which had strangulating intestinal lesions. Horses that did not survive to hospital discharge had a higher mean blood glucose concentration at admission; at the first sample after admission; at 24, 36, and 48 hours after admission; and higher maximum and minimum blood glucose concentrations in the first 24 hours after admission.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Derangements of blood glucose concentration are common in horses with acute abdominal disease. Hyperglycemia is much more common than hypoglycemia in these animals. Hyperglycemia in the first 48 hours of hospitalization is associated with a worse prognosis for survival to hospital discharge.

A retrospective study was carried out to investigate the causes of disease and death in a population of foals in Ireland during their first 12 months post partum. Foaling and veterinary records from 343 foals on four farms born between January 1, 2004 and May 30, 2008 were reviewed. Among 343 foals, 22 did not survive to 12 months of age. Over the five-year period, the incidence of stillbirth was 1.5% (5/343), mortality 5% (17/338) and overall morbidity was 88.5% (299/338). Morbidity was calculated to include all new conditions brought to the attention of the attending veterinary surgeon, no matter how minor. Of foals born alive: congenital abnormalities were the most common cause of death (35.3% 6/17 foals) followed by musculoskeletal trauma (5/17, 29.4%). Of 711 separate incidents of disease, 46.5% (331/711) were due to an infectious process, 25% (178/711) due to non-infectious musculoskeletal issues; and 14.9% (106/711) related to non-infectious gastrointestinal problems. Respiratory infection was the single most common disease accounting for 27.8% (178/711) of all disease incidents in this population. Findings from this study provide information regarding the causes and incidence of death and disease in the young Irish Thoroughbred population.

Background: Hyperglycemia in critically ill humans is associated with increased glucose production and insulin resistance and is associated with death. This might also be true in horses presenting with acute abdominal disease.Hypothesis: Throughout hospitalization, hyperglycemia will be common in adult horses presenting with acute abdominal disease. Hyperglycemia will be associated with a worse prognosis for survival to hospital discharge.Animals: Two hundred sixty-nine adult horses with acute abdominal disease. Methods: Observational retrospective study. Records were reviewed for 269 horses that had glucose data analysed and recorded at the time of hospital admission: 154 horses had a first sample after admission; 110 horses at 24 hours after admission; 74 horses at 36 hours after admission; and 49 horses at 48 hours after admission. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association of glucose concentrations with survival, in addition to the association of glucose concentrations with surgical, small intestinal, strangulating lesions, and lesions requiring a resection.Results: Of 269 horses presenting with acute abdominal disease, 50.2% had blood glucose concentrations greater than the reference range (75.6-131.4 mg/dL); 0.4%, below the reference range; and 49.4%, within the reference range at admission. Of 269 horses, 2.3% had blood glucose concentrations below the reference range at some point during the first 48 hours of hospitalization, all of which had strangulating intestinal lesions. Horses that did not survive to hospital discharge had a higher mean blood glucose concentration at admission; at the first sample after admission; at 24, 36, and 48 hours after admission; and higher maximum and minimum blood glucose concentrations in the first 24 hours after admission.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Derangements of blood glucose concentration are common in horses with acute abdominal disease. Hyperglycemia is much more common than hypoglycemia in these animals. Hyperglycemia in the first 48 hours of hospitalization is associated with a worse prognosis for survival to hospital discharge.

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Summary There are several differences in treatment of neonatal foals with antimicrobials, compared to mature horses. Firstly, the dose of many antimicrobials is different in the foal. For orally administered drugs, this may also affect their efficacy, due to different enteral absorption. Secondly, neonatal foals are not yet hindgut fermentors and this allows antimicrobials with a high propensity to cause colitis in mature horses to be used. Thirdly, toxicities are different and some antimicrobials used in mature horses, such as enrofloxacin, are not suitable for use in foals. Foal‐specific information is therefore needed for their safe and effective treatment with antimicrobials.

Foal fecal group A rotavirus strains were characterized by electropherotype, serotype, and subgroup and shown to be distinctly different from rotaviruses of other mammals. Of 86 strains that were electropherotyped, 98% had similar profiles, with gene segments 3 and 4 close together and segments 7, 8, and 9 widely spaced. Of 70 strains that had sufficient detectable VP7 antigen to be serotyped by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), 63% were serotype G3 (39% were subtype G3A and 24% were subtype G3B), 4% were serotype G13, and 33% were untypeable. Serotypes G1, G2, G4, G5, G6, G9, G10, and G14 were not detected, although G5 and G14 strains have been identified among cultivable equine strains. Of 50 strains that had sufficient detectable VP6 antigen to be subgrouped by ELISAs, only 12% were able to be assigned to either subgroup I or II, with the remaining 88% belonging to neither subgroup.