Findings during the preoperative and intraoperative periods can be used to identify horses at increased risk of POI. Reducing surgical and anesthetic duration should decrease the incidence of POI.

During the study period, microbial resistance to antimicrobials commonly used to treat bacteremic foals did not develop. Surviving bacteremic Thoroughbred foals were as likely to start races as their siblings but earned less money.

Summary Reasons for performing study: Commonly used analgesics (nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory agents, opioids and α2‐agonists) have unwanted side effects. An effective alternative with minimal adverse effects would benefit clinical equine pain management. Objectives: To compare the effect of lidocaine or saline on duodenal and rectal distension threshold pressure and somatic thermal threshold in conscious mature horses. Hypothesis: Systemically administered lidocaine would increase somatic and visceral nociceptive thresholds. Methods: Lidocaine (2 mg/kg bwt bolus followed by 50 μg/kg bwt/min for 2 h) or saline was administered to 6 horses each carrying a permanently implanted gastric cannula, in a randomised, blinded cross‐over design. Thermal threshold was measured using a probe containing a heater element placed over the withers which supplied heat until the horse responded. A barostatically controlled intraduodenal balloon was distended until a discomfort response was obtained. A rectal balloon was inflated until extruded or signs of discomfort noted. Results: Thermal threshold was increased significantly 30 and 90 mins after the start of lidocaine infusion. There was no change in duodenal distension pressure and a small but clinically insignificant change in colorectal distension pressure in the lidocaine group. Conclusions: At the dose used, systemically administered lidocaine produced thermal antinociception but minimal changes in visceral nociception. Potential relevance: At these doses, lidocaine may play a role in somatic analgesia in horses.

Background: Diarrhea is common in foals but there are no studies investigating the relative prevalence of common infectious agents in a population of hospitalized diarrheic foals.Objectives: To determine the frequency of detection of infectious agents in a population of hospitalized foals with diarrhea and to determine if detection of specific pathogens is associated with age, outcome, or clinicopathologic data.Animals: Two hundred and thirty-three foals 10 months of age with diarrhea examined at a referral institution. Methods: Retrospective case series. Each foal was examined for Salmonella spp., viruses, Clostridium difficile toxins, Clostridium perfringens culture, C. perfringens enterotoxin, Cryptosporidium spp., and metazoan parasites in feces collected at admission or at the onset of diarrhea.Results: At least 1 infectious agent was detected in 122 foals (55%). Rotavirus was most frequently detected (20%) followed by C. perfringens (18%), Salmonella spp. (12%), and C. difficile (5%). Foals o 1 month of age were significantly more likely to be positive for C. perfringens (odds ratio [OR] 5 15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5 3.5-66) or to have negative fecal diagnostic results (OR 5 3.0, 95% CI 5 1.7-5.2) than older foals. Foals 4 1 month of age were significantly more likely to have Salmonella spp. (OR 5 2.6, 95% CI 5 1.2-6.0), rotavirus (OR 5 13.3, 95% CI 5 5.3-33), and parasites (OR 5 23, 95% CI 5 3.1-185) detected compared with younger foals. Overall 191 of the 223 foals (87%) survived. The type of infectious agent identified in the feces or bacteremia was not significantly associated with survival.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: In the population studied, foals with diarrhea had a good prognosis regardless of which infectious agent was identified in the feces.

Norepinephrine and dobutamine are better alternatives than vasopressin for restoring cardiovascular function and maintaining splanchnic circulation during isoflurane-induced hypotension in neonatal foals.

No abstract

SummaryCurrently, approaches to pain control in horses are a mixture of art and science. Recognition of overt pain behaviours, such as rolling, kicking at the abdomen, flank watching, lameness or blepharospasm, may be obvious; subtle signs of pain can include changes in facial expression or head position, location in the stall and response to palpation or human interaction. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (i.e. phenylbutazone, flunixin meglumine and firocoxib), opioids (i.e. butorphanol, morphine and buprenorphine) and α2-adrenergic agonists (i.e. xylazine, detomidine, romifidine and medetomidine) are the most commonly used therapeutic options. Multimodal therapy using constant-rate infusions of lidocaine, ketamine and/or butorphanol has gained popularity for severe pain in hospitalised cases. Drugs targeting neuropathic pain, such as gabapentin, are increasingly used for conditions such as laminitis. Optimal strategies for management of pain are based upon severity and chronicity, including special considerations for use of intra-articular or epidural delivery and therapy in foals. Strategies that aim to mitigate adverse effects associated with use of various analgesic agents are briefly discussed.

Primary disorders, sepsis, temperature, acid base status and neutropenia are the main factors that affect outcome in this population of equine neonates. The survival of foals admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit has increased dramatically over a 26 year period.