The company reports that the feed offers a full range of vitamins and minerals, prebiotic FOS (fructooligosaccharides) and probiotic live yeast for digestive health and contains protein to help ...maintain topline and muscle tone. Research and development manager, Clare Barfoot, said: 'There is something very comforting about feeding soaked feeds, which is why bran mashes and sugar beet have been so popular in years gone by, but these traditional practices take time and don't provide a balanced ration.
Annette Trunschke
Angewandte Chemie (International ed.),
September 28, 2015, Volume:
54, Issue:
40
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
“My favorite food is Japanese noodle soup, preferably with udon. My favorite song is Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones ...” This and more about Annette Trunschke can be found on page 11608.
REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Blackthorn (Prunus spinosus) is recognised as causing infections and tissue reactions. OBJECTIVES: To describe the presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of ...blackthorn plant thorn synovitis in the horse. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. METHODS: All cases in this prospective study presented with acute onset synovitis within 24 h of thorn penetration, had a standardised clinical assessment, surgical treatment and aftercare. Surgical treatment was performed within 24 h of presentation under general anaesthesia, using a 2‐stage procedure: Stage 1: perisynovial technique. Ultrasound guided placement of a 20 gauge 35 mm needle marker that is used as a guide for electrosurgical dissection onto perisynovial thorn fragments. Stage 2: endoscopic technique. Using standard and novel portals to locate and remove thorn fragments and debris from synovial structures. RESULTS: Thirty‐five cases met the study inclusion criteria over a 24 month period. Mean lameness score on presentation was 4/5 (range 1–5). The most commonly affected structures were fetlock joints (11/35) and tendon sheaths (10/35). Mean synovial fluid total protein was 50.5 g/l (range 18–116), and TNCC was 158 x 10⁹ (range 21–412) on presentation and 12 x 10⁹ (range 1–46) at 48 h post operatively. All synovial fluid cultures were negative. All horses were sound (grade 0) at 5 days post operatively and all returned to full work. CONCLUSIONS: There are a limited number of case series of blackthorn injury in humans; however, the consensus is that surgical treatment is required for a successful outcome. The 2‐stage surgical procedure described, achieved accurate identification and removal of thorn material in all cases. In contrast to previous studies on synovial sepsis, these cases had a positive outcome despite high pre‐ and post operative synovial fluid total protein and TNCC. These findings suggest that thorn synovitis cases have a different aetiology from synovitis originating from sepsis or contamination. Ethical animal research: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham. Owners gave informed consent for their horses' inclusion in the study. Source of funding: None. Competing interests: None declared.
REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: While open reduction and internal fixation is the treatment of choice for most ulnar fractures conservative treatment is sometimes chosen due to financial constraints. ...Additional motives for the choice of treatment may be present, and the clients perception is therefore of interest. OBJECTIVES: To compare survival and outcome between horses treated for an ulnar fracture, either surgically or conservatively and to assess clients perception of treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. METHODS: Medical records and radiographs of horses treated between January 2002 and December 2012, with a diagnosis of ulnar fracture were reviewed. Information regarding short‐ (within 1 year) and long‐term (>1 year) outcome and owner satisfaction with treatment was obtained via telephone questionnaires. Differences between groups were investigated using a chi‐square or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Fracture types included 11 type 4, 7 type 5, one type 2, and one type 1b fracture. Eleven horses were treated surgically (Group 1). Nine horses were managed conservatively (Group 2). Group 1: 7/11 (64%) survived >1 year, 5/11 (45%) returned to previous athletic level. In Group 2: 6/9 (67%) survived >1 year, 4/9 (43%) returned to previous athletic level. No significant difference in outcome could be detected. There was no difference in the total treatment cost for horses that stayed at the hospital (P = 0.22). Owners in Group 1 expressed more satisfaction with the treatment than owners in Group 2. Several of the latter expressed welfare concerns regarding the prolonged stall confinement in harness involved with this treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Veterinarians recommending therapy for cases of ulnar fractures should be aware that many can be treated surgically with a good outcome. Prolonged hospitalisation and stall confinement of horses treated conservatively was a major welfare concern of the owners interviewed and had the same total cost as surgical treatment. Ethical animal research: Ethical review not currently required by this conference: retrospective clinical study. Explicit owner informed consent for inclusion of animals in this study was not stated. Source of funding: None. Competing interests: None declared.
REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: When managing strangles in horses, it is crucial to detect chronic infection with Streptococcus equi (SE), i.e. silent carriers. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate diagnostics for SE ...carriers over time in a farm. STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal observational study. METHODS: Sixty‐three Icelandic horses isolated on an island were studied 4 to 26 months after remission of acute strangles, including repeated clinical examination and collection of blood, nasopharyngeal lavage (NPL), and guttural pouch lavage (GPL) samples. Twenty‐two horses were treated with penicillin locally and systemically. Serology for S. equi was examined by iELISA 1. Nasopharyngeal lavage and GPL samples were investigated for S. equi and S. zooepidemicus by real‐time PCR 2. RESULTS: Thirty‐three per cent were SE carriers after 15 months, despite repeated penicillin treatment. In 16/18 carriers, GPL samples were PCR‐positive, but not NPL samples, whereas the opposite was true in 2 horses. Several carriers with persistent aerocystitis were not detected by 3 consecutive NPL samples. Five of 18 carriers were seronegative (27.8%) at 15 months. Following conservative treatment, 7 of these 18 carriers were still carriers at 20 months, 8 were negative, and 3 were lost for sampling. Only GPL samples were positive at this point, and only 1/7 carriers were seropositive. CONCLUSIONS: To detect chronic carriers of strangles, RT‐PCR analysis from both GPL and NPL samples may be necessary. Serological screening at individual level often misses individual carriers in long‐term cases. Ethical animal research: The testing was approved by the Swedish Ethical Committee on Animal Experiments and horse owners gave their informed consent for inclusion of animals in the study. Source of funding: The Swedish‐Norwegian Foundation for Equine Research. Competing interests: None declared.
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