BackgroundDespite its widespread use in equine medicine, the clinical value of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) concept in horses remains unknown.ObjectivesTo study the prognostic value of measures of SIRS in horses and identify the best model of severe SIRS to predict outcome.AnimalsA total of 479 consecutive adult horse emergency admissions to a private primary referral practice.MethodsProspective observational study. All adult horses admitted for emergency treatment over the study period were included. Multivariate logistic regression and stepwise model selection were used.ResultsEach of the 4 SIRS criteria was associated with outcome in this population. Thirty‐one percent of emergency cases had 2 or more abnormal SIRS criteria on admission and were defined as SIRS cases. SIRS was associated with increased odds of death (odds ratio [OR] = 8.22; 95% CI, 4.61–15.18; P < .001), an effect mainly found for acute gastrointestinal cases. SIRS cases were assigned a SIRS score of 2, 3, or 4, according to the number of abnormal SIRS criteria fulfilled on admission, and SIRS3 and SIRS4 cases had increased odds of death compared to SIRS2 cases (OR = 4.45; 95% CI, 1.78–11.15; P = .002). A model of severe SIRS including the SIRS score, blood lactate concentration, and color of the mucous membranes best predicted outcome in this population of horses.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceSystemic inflammatory response syndrome is associated with an increased risk of death in adult horses presenting with acute gastrointestinal illnesses. The model of severe SIRS proposed in this study could be used to assess the status and prognosis of adult equine emergency admissions.

The Alberta Johne's Disease Initiative (AJDI) is a voluntary, management-based prevention and control program for Johne's disease (JD), a wasting disease in ruminants that causes substantial economic losses to the cattle industry. Despite extensive communication about the program's benefits and low cost to participating producers, approximately 35% of Alberta dairy farmers have not enrolled in the AJDI. Therefore, the objective was to identify differences between AJDI nonparticipants and participants that may influence enrollment. Standardized questionnaires were conducted in person on 163 farms not participating and 61 farms participating in the AJDI. Data collected included demographic characteristics, internal factors (e.g., attitudes and beliefs of the farmer toward JD and the AJDI), external factors (e.g., farmers' JD knowledge and on-farm goals and constraints), as well as farmers' use and influence of various information sources. Nonparticipants and participants differed in at least some aspects of all studied categories. Based on logistic regression, participating farms had larger herds, higher self-assessed knowledge of JD, better understanding of AJDI details before participation, and used their veterinarian more often to get information about new management practices and technologies when compared with nonparticipants. In contrast, nonparticipants indicated that time was a major on-farm constraint and that participation in the AJDI would take too much time. They also indicated that they preferred to wait and see how the program worked on other farms before they participated.

BackgroundDespite the use of water treadmills (WT) in conditioning horses, the intensity of WT exercise has not been well documented. The workload on a WT is a function of water height and treadmill speed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of these factors on workload during WT exercise.Fifteen client-owned Quarter Horses were used in a randomized, controlled study. Three belt speeds and three water heights (mid cannon, carpus and stifle), along with the control condition (dry treadmill, all three speeds), were tested. Measured outcomes were oxygen consumption (V̇O2), ventilation (respiratory frequency, tidal volume (VT)), heart rate (HR), and blood lactate. An ergospirometry system was used to measure V̇O2 and ventilation. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of presence or absence of water, water height and speed (as fixed effects) on measured outcomes.ResultsWater height and its interaction with speed had a significant effect on V̇O2, VT and HR, all peaking at the highest water level and speed (stifle at 1.39 m/s, median V̇O2 = 16.70 ml/(kg.min), VT = 6 L, HR = 69 bpm). Respiratory frequency peaked with water at the carpus at 1.39 m/s (median 49 breaths/min). For a given water height, the small increments in speed did not affect the measured outcomes. Post-exercise blood lactate concentration did not change.ConclusionsVarying water height and speed affects the workload associated with WT exercise. The conditions utilized in this study were associated with low intensity exercise. Water height had a greater impact on exercise intensity than speed.

Overall benefits of PI- and NNRTI-based ART in reducing mortality significantly outweigh any risks of AtD in the "short-term" follow-up of this study. Traditional cardiac risk factors play an important role in determining AtD risk status.

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