Prevalence of owner‐reported ocular problems and veterinary ocular findings in a population of horses aged ≥15 years

Abstract

This study showed a high prevalence of ocular lesions in aged horses which was not reflected in owner-reported disease. This has highlighted problems in obtaining information on ocular conditions from horse-owners.

The Prevalence and Molecular Biology of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Healthy and Diseased Equine Eyes in Egypt

“…Differences in weather, environment, management, the presence of other infectious diseases, insect populations, and horse breeds are additional factors that may alter S. aureus prevalence. The higher percent (73.8%) of positive S. aureus isolates from horses aged 5–20 years is consistent with a previous study that demonstrated a high rate of S. aureus infection (87.8%) in horses older than 15 years [ 37 ].…”

“…This may be related to the unique structure of the equine eye structure, which is larger, more ovoid, and prominent from the sides, all of which make it more prone to damage by grass or dust that results in more ocular infection [ 39 ]. The S. aureus isolation rate of 29.9% from apparently healthy equine eyes might be the result of subclinical infections [ 37 ] or the presence of S. aureus as a member of the eye microbiota [ 4 ].…”

Clinical insights: Ophthalmology in the eye of the beholder: Are we properly caring for horses with ocular disease?

“…The risk of uveitis increases with age in donkeys, and prevalence in donkeys appears similar to that for horses in the UK 1 . A recent study demonstrated that eye disease in horses 15 years of age or older is being greatly missed or underestimated by most horse owners 2 . While ophthalmic examination of this population of 327 older horses in Queensland, Australia, found abnormalities in 87.8%, only 3.3% of owners recognised their horse had an ocular problem.…”

Pain severity scores for common equine disorders as provided by horse owners and equine veterinarians

“…40 In contrast, equine veterinarians are more accurate overall at detection of health problems or ocular problems in geriatric horses than are horse owners. 41,42 While median scores did not differ greatly between horse owners and veterinarians, there was an extremely broad range of individual scores for each scenario among both horse owners and veterinarians. This broad range of scores among veterinarians has been observed in previous studies.…”