Joint capsule rupture is an uncommon pathology that leads to intense pain, lameness and is related to the athletic performance impossibility of the animal. This pathology presents controversial therapeutic protocols in the equine clinic and surgery. Therefore, this study aimed to report the use of mesenchymal stem cells associated with arthroscopy and rehabilitation to improve the treatment of joint capsule rupture in equine. A three-year-old, male, Quarter Horse, presenting grade 5 lameness, with four months of evolution, was diagnosed with tibiotarsal joint capsule rupture. The patient underwent arthroscopic surgery, received an intra articular application of mesenchymal stem cells, and a rehabilitation protocol was performed. One year after the treatment and rehabilitation, the horse reestablished its athletic performance, thus indicating the success of the therapy using mesenchymal stem cells associated with surgical treatment and rehabilitation.

Background: Guttural pouch empyema in horses is a disease described by the accumulation of purulent/mucopurulent exudate, which with chronification of the disease can become chondroids, affecting horses of any age and not presenting breed predisposition. The main cause of empyema is upper respiratory infection, associated or not with failure in the defense mechanisms, as well as drainage to the guttural pouch of retropharyngeal lymph node abscesses; the main pathogen related to this condition is Streptococcus equi. This paper aims to describes a case of a filly that presented a mucopurulent nasal discharge, five months of evolution, and irresponsive to antibiotic therapy.Case: A 2.5-year-old quarter filly was referred to the veterinary hospital presenting a five months evolution mucopurulent nasal discharge, irresponsive to gentamicin and ceftiofur, and later doxycycline, acetylcysteine and clenbuterol that were instituted on the farm. Throw the endoscopic examination of the upper respiratory tract, was observed the presence of mucopurulent content and chondroids inside the right guttural pouch. This material was collected and sent for culture and antibiogram tests. Streptococcus equi was isolated, and was only sensitive to ceftiofur. The treatment included the guttural pouches flushes with warm saline solution (0.9%) associated with Lauryl Dietylene Glycol Ether Sulfate Sodium (28%) and acetylcysteine (10%). In addition to topical treatment, 5 mg/kg of ceftiofur was administered intramuscularly daily for 7 days. After 10 flushes of the guttural pouch, was observed a total absence of chondroid and mucopurulent contents.Discussion: The treatment of the guttural pouch empyema can be performed either by conservative methods or by the surgical drainage. Among the benefits of the conservative treatment are the absence of the risks related to the surgical procedure and the possibility of doing the treatment without a surgical facility. On the other hand, it usually presents a longer time to the remission of the clinical signs compared with the surgical drainage, since the mucopurulent content and the chondroids have to be disassembled and dissolved before being able to be drained from the guttural pouch. Even though, the conservative treatment is effective to a large number of cases, and with the utilization of agents to dissolve the chondroids can be performed with success in cases with a large number and size of chondroids. The surgical treatment is considered the gold standard in chronic cases, due to the difficult of removal of the chondroids with the conservative methods. The main complications related with the method are the iatrogenic lesions to noble structures present inside the guttural pouches, as cranial nerves and arteries. The decision of the treatment, surgical or conservative, must consider the risks to the patient, the facilities, and the costs of the procedure. The present study demonstrates that agents as lauryl-diethylene-glycol-ether sodium sulfate (28%) and acetyl cysteine can be effective as diluents for thick secretions and organic contents, and for that reason, increase the success of the conservative treatment of guttural pouch empyema. Consequently, improving the outcome and the rate of remission in cases of guttural pouch empyema that have a large number of chondroids, and are located remotely from referring veterinary hospitals or that cannot afford the surgical procedure.

To compare follicular dynamics after treatment with low doses of equine pituitary extract obtained during winter and summer and to study the relationship between follicular dynamic and environmental parameters, 21 mares were evaluated to follow follicular dynamic and ovulation, from the final of the spring transitional up to the beginning of autumnal transitional period. Mares were randomly designed to one of three treatments: Equine Pituitary Extract from summer (EPE-S), Equine Pituitary Extract from winter (EPE-W) or saline (Control). Treatments were repeated twice: March/2017, after autumnal equinox and April/2017. Temperature, humidity, solar radiation and hours/ light/day were recorded and Temperature Humidity Index (THI) was calculated. Pre-ovulatory follicles reached the greatest diameter (40.7 mm) in December (p<0.05), following the increase in light/hours/day. The smallest pre-ovulatory follicles were verified in February (34.6 mm) and March (35.0 mm) (p>0.05). After EPE, days for ovulation differed, as well as the diameter of pre-ovulatory follicles (p<0.05). EPE-W showed similar follicular dynamics as Control, ovulating smaller follicles (p<0.05) and later (p<0.05) than EPE-S. Temperature and solar radiation did not differ (p>0.05), but humidity and THI differed (p<0.05). THI was not correlated to the diameter of pre-ovulatory follicles (p=0.37), diameter of subordinate follicles (p=0.80), or number/ follicles per ovulatory wave (p=0.98). In conclusion, daylight duration influenced ovarian function; low doses of EPE-S improvede follicular growth and ovulation rate during autumnal transition period of mares; pre-ovulatory follicle diameter increased from the spring to summer, but the time required to reach ovulation decreased.

This study evaluated the action of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on cutaneous wounds, containing skin autografts, in the gluteal region of horses. Seven healthy horses were used. Two 6 x 6cm cutaneous wounds were produced on each side of the gluteal region. Eight days after wound induction, grafts were performed with skin fragments harvested from the neck, as well as the application of PRP, prepared by double-centrifugation protocol. Wounds with autografts on the left side received PRP (group T), and those with autografts on the right side did not receive treatment (group C). Macroscopic and microscopic evaluations were performed, considering the integration of autografts and retraction of wound edges, as well as neovascularization, inflammatory infiltrate, young fibroblasts, collagenization, reepithelization and autografts integration. There was no difference between the groups (P > 0.05) in relation to most macroscopic and microscopic variables. However, neovascularization was significantly greater (p = 0.0191) in group T, on the 14th day after grafting. It is concluded that PRP favors the process of skin repair with autografts in horses, since it increases the neovascularization in the initial phase of wound healing. Furthermore, the PRP seems to positively influence the integration of the skin autografts and the retraction of the wound edges.