Four cases in cattle of omental herniation through an acquired omental rent are described. Clinical signs were indistinguishable from other causes of mechanical ileus and exploratory laparotomy was necessary to establish a diagnosis. In all cases a variably sized portion of jejunal loops was obstructed in an omental rent in the deep layer of the greater omentum. In two cases simple reduction was possible, and in one case incision of the hernial ring was necessary before reduction could be performed. Resection was necessary only in a calf, in which the incarceration was complicated by severe abomasal distension and local peritonitis. In all four cases the omental rent was closed by a serosa-serosa suture. Three cases made an uneventful recovery and returned to normal production, but one of these animals died three months postoperatively from an unknown cause. The calf was euthanased two days postoperatively because of persistent ileus.

This is the first study that rigorously describes a large population of equids affected by tetanus. The information provided is potentially useful to clinicians for early recognition and case management of tetanus in adult horses and foals. Tetanus affects multiple organ systems, requiring broad supportive and intensive care. Neonatal and adult tetanus in the horse should be considered as distinct syndromes, as in human medicine.

Summary An 18‐year‐old Warmblood gelding was presented with a recent, abrupt onset of ataxia. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was performed and revealed a delayed response in both thoracic and pelvic limbs. Radiographic examination of the cervical region demonstrated osteolytic lesions in the vertebral body and arch of the third cervical vertebra (C3). A cervical myelogram revealed spinal cord swelling in this region on the lateral projection. Computed tomographic (CT) myelography was performed, which showed osteolytic lesions and circumferential thinning of the contrast column due to extra‐dural compression at the cranial cervical region. These findings were compatible with an aggressive bone lesion compressing the spinal cord. Primary or secondary neoplasia and osteomyelitis were considered in the differential diagnosis. Because of the severity of the findings and poor prognosis, the horse underwent euthanasia. Post mortem histopathological diagnosis was a haemangiosarcoma involving the cranial cervical vertebrae and epidural space. This report demonstrates the additional value of CT myelography on the extent and exact location of cervical vertebral compressive lesions in the horse. This information can be useful for prognosis, biopsy and/or planned surgery of these lesions.

Little information is available on medical imaging of the adrenal glands in horses. We investigated the feasibility of transrectal ultrasonography to characterize the normal equine adrenal gland. Transrectal ultrasonography was performed in 25 healthy horses using a 7.5 MHz linear array probe at a displayed depth of 8 cm. Transrectal ultrasonography of the right adrenal gland was not feasible. For the left adrenal gland, the left kidney, the abdominal aorta, the left renal artery, the left renal vein, and the cranial mesenteric artery were used as landmarks. The size of the left adrenal gland was variable, but it generally appeared as a long, flat structure with a hyperechoic medulla surrounded by a hypoechoic cortex. The most cranial part of the gland could not be delineated appropriately in 11 horses (44%). The mean (+/-SD) thickness of the gland and medulla was 0.66 +/- 0.15cm (n = 25) and 0.28 +/- 0.09 cm (n = 25) near the caudal pole, 0.87 +/- 0.25 cm (n = 14) and 0.40 +/- 0.18 cm (n = 12) near the cranial pole, and 0.89 +/- 0.18 cm (n = 25) and 0.36 +/- 0.13 cm (n = 25) in the middle of the gland, respectively. The mean (+/-SD) length of the entire adrenal gland and of the medulla was 6.22 +/- 0.77 cm (n = 14) and 5.45 +/- 0.71 cm (n = 6), respectively. Transrectal ultrasonography allowed adequate visualization of the left adrenal gland in horses.

Background It is highly desirable to assess the probability of survival in sick neonatal foals upon admission. The foal survival score (FSS) is a published scoring system used to estimate the probability of survival in hospitalized neonatal foals <4 days old. Hypothesis/Objectives To evaluate the ability of the FSS to predict survival in older foals from a geographically different area compared to the original study. Animals Five‐hundred ninety hospitalized neonatal foals ≤14 days of age. Methods Retrospective Danish‐Swedish multicenter study that included details of signalment, history, clinical examination, laboratory results, necropsy findings, and outcome. Scores and score variables were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors using logistic regression. The optimal cutoff and its test parameters were calculated using a receiver operator characteristic curve. Results Prematurity, cold extremities, ≥2 infectious or inflammatory sites, blood glucose concentration, and total white blood cell counts were significantly associated with nonsurvival ( P ≤ .02). The optimal cutoff to predict survival was ≥6, resulting in sensitivity 78%, specificity 58%, 92% positive predictive value, and 31% negative predictive value. The test performed equally well in foals <4 days old compared to those 4‐14 days old. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Using the suggested optimal cutoff of ≥6, the FSS performed moderately well and may aid in early determination of prognosis for survival. However, the FSS did perform differently in another population and therefore should be assessed under local conditions so that its diagnostic potential is not overestimated.