Ulcerative lymphangitis, a bacterial infection primarily caused byCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is an important infectious disease of horses and ruminants affecting the cutaneous lymphatic vessels. Differential diagnosis of ulcerative lymphangitis include epizootic lymphangitis, a fungal infection, sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii, pyoderma, and glanders. The aim of this study is to describe the successful management protocol of ulcerative lymphangitis in a stallion in Ibadan, Nigeria. A 12 year old Arewa stallion was presented in December 2019 with cutaneous lesions, ulcerated wounds, anorexia, and weight loss. The lesions were present around the limbs, chest, facial and abdominal regions. Based on case history, the client previously had a mare presenting similar conditions, and decided to manage the mare according to his knowledge. Due to the unresponsiveness of the mare to the protocol incorporated by the client, resulted in the death of the mare. Furthermore, the client reported that three months earlier, the stallion had previously been managed for cutaneous myiasis with forceful expulsion of worms from the skin and the administration of ivermectin. Based on clinical and laboratory examinations, the case was diagnosed as ulcerative lymphangitis. Therapeutic management protocol includes the use of levofloxacin, an antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone drug class, diclofenac, tetanus antitoxin, and supportive therapy. The management protocol proved successful, with the stallion recovering 3 weeks posttreatment.

Helminthic infections are one of the most common problems that horses encounter, and they frequently result in poor body condition, which limits their work potential and efficiency. The present study was designed to investigate the prevalence, severity and predisposing factors (age, sex and breed) of gastrointestinal parasites of polo horses in Ibadan, Oyo state. Faecal samples were collected from a total of 56 polo horses in Ibadan. The samples were analysed for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) using sodium chloride flotation technique. Parasites were identified using standard method and faecal egg count was estimated using the modified McMaster technique. The egg per gram (EPG) of infected horses was classified as light (50-799 eggs), moderate (800-1200 eggs), and severe (over 1200 eggs). Information on age, sex and breed were documented to establish their association with faecal egg count. An overall prevalence of 92.9% GIPs was observed. Four GIPs comprising of three nematodes which are Strongylus spp, Strongyloides spp and Parascaris equorum and one protozoan Eimeria spp was seen. Strongylus spp (89.3.1%) and Strongloides spp (3.6%) occurred as single infection while a mixed infection of Strongylus spp with Parascaris equorum (1.8%); Strongylus spp with Strongyloides spp (1.8%), and Strongylus spp (1.8%) with Eimeria spp were also seen. There was no association between the prevalence/EPG and age, sex and breed of horses. However, there was higher occurrence and severe infection in adults, females and exotic breeds of horses. There is high prevalence of severe gastrointestinal parasite infection in polo horses in Ibadan which often occurred in some instances as mixed infections. There is need for improved veterinary care, investigation of the efficacy of available anthelminthics and susceptibility of parasites for improved horse health and optimal performance.

Colic is one of the most common medical problems that horse handlers or owners encounter, and also one of the most prevalent emergency conditions of veterinarians concern. The capacity of a handler or owner to recognize colic and seek help is a crucial step in determining the outcome of a case. The purpose of this study was to evaluate horse handlers' knowledge and opinions on recognizing colic. Structured open and close ended questionnaires were used to obtain information from 77 participants. Information on demographic, understanding and recognition of the normal horse, understanding and recognition of colic in the horse, personal experiences with colic and sources of information on colic were obtained. Free text box was also provided. Descriptive statistics and Chi square were the analytic methods used. Most horse handlers did not know or gave erroneous values for their horse's normal clinical parameters. Only 5% (n= 4/77), 12% (n=9/77) and 3% (n=2/77) of participants gave answers that fell within the reference range values for heart rate, rectal temperature and respiratory rate respectively. There was a significant association between knowledge of normal heart rate (P<0.05), respiratory rate (P<0.05) and rectal temperature (P<0.05), and participants level of education. Most horse handlers indicated they would check fecal output (90%; n = 70/77) and appetite (88%; n = 68/77) if they felt their horse had colic. Also, majority of the respondents said unless colic signs were severe and continuous, they would not call a veterinarian and prefer to ask other handlers or use their personal experience to get information on colic. In conclusion, horse handlers have a poor understanding of colic, with misunderstandings and gaps in their knowledge. Hence, the need for trainings and educational programmes are recommended for horse handlers to assist them in making decisions.

Welding fumes are composed of fine and ultrafine particles, which when it gained access to the body system either via inhalation or as food or water contaminants can elicit various haematological and biochemical changes. In order to determine the haematological changes elicited by welding fumes and it's mitigation by ascorbic acid, a total of fifteen male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups (A, B and C) of five animals per group. Group A served as the control while group B were kept in enclosed welding environment for adequate inhalation of the welding fume. Group C were equally kept in the enclosed welding environment but were daily orally administered 100mg of ascorbic acid for two weeks. At the end of two weeks of exposure, blood samples were obtained for haematological analyses. It was observed that exposure to the welding fumes predisposes the rats to macrocytic hypochromic anaemia and stress with evidence of neutrophilia and lymphopenia. These observed haematological perturbations were reversed by ascorbic acid back similar to that of the control group. It can be concluded that haematological perturbation induced by welding fume can be mitigated effectively by ascorbic acid without any deleterious effects.