A retrospective study of the medical records of 33 horses was performed to determine the clinical and diagnostic abnormalities associated with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy. Data collected from medical records included signalment, presenting complaints, history, physical examination findings, laboratory data, results of diagnostic imaging studies, and treatments. Follow-up information was obtained from a review of case records; by telephone conversation with the owner, veterinarian, or trainer; or by both methods. Of 33 horses with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy, 29 presented with facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) deficits and 23 presented with vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII) deficits. Guttural pouch endoscopy was more reliable than radiography for diagnosis. Of horses with unilateral clinical signs, 22.6% actually had bilateral disease. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography identified the lesions in all horses in which these tests were performed. Of 30 horses for which follow-up information was obtained, 20 (67%) were alive. Eight horses were euthanized and 1 died because of problems associated with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy. Nineteen of 20 surviving horses (95%) were considered by the owner or trainer to be suitable for athletic use. Twelve surviving horses (60%) had residual facial nerve deficits; 11 horses (55%) had residual vestibulocochlear nerve deficits. Horses with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy have a fair prognosis for return to some type of athletic function, but there is risk of acute death. The majority of horses would be expected to have some residual cranial nerve dysfunction, and it could take a year or longer for maximal improvement to occur.

BackgroundIdiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common chronic enteropathy in dogs. There are no published studies regarding the use of probiotics in the treatment of canine IBD. The objectives were to compare responses to treatment with either combination therapy (prednisone and metronidazole) or probiotic strains (VSL#3) in dogs with IBD.Methodology and Principal FindingsTwenty pet dogs with a diagnosis of IBD, ten healthy pet dogs, and archived control intestinal tissues from three euthanized dogs were used in this open label study. Dogs with IBD were randomized to receive either probiotic (D-VSL#3, n = 10) or combination drug therapy (D-CT, n = 10). Dogs were monitored for 60 days (during treatment) and re-evaluated 30 days after completing treatment. The CIBDAI (P<0.001), duodenal histology scores (P<0.001), and CD3+ cells decreased post-treatment in both treatment groups. FoxP3+ cells (p<0.002) increased in the D-VSL#3 group after treatment but not in the D-CT group. TGF-β+ cells increased in both groups after treatment (P = 0.0043) with the magnitude of this increase being significantly greater for dogs in the D-VSL#3 group compared to the D-CT group. Changes in apical junction complex molecules occludin and claudin-2 differed depending on treatment. Faecalibacterium and Turicibacter were significantly decreased in dogs with IBD at T0, with a significant increase in Faecalibacterium abundance observed in the animals treated with VSL#3 strains.ConclusionsA protective effect of VSL#3 strains was observed in dogs with IBD, with a significant decrease in clinical and histological scores and a decrease in CD3+ T-cell infiltration. Protection was associated with an enhancement of regulatory T-cell markers (FoxP3+ and TGF-β+), specifically observed in the probiotic-treated group and not in animals receiving combination therapy. A normalization of dysbiosis after long-term therapy was observed in the probiotic group. Larger scale studies are warranted to evaluate the clinical efficacy of VSL#3 in canine IBD.

Practitioners should recognize that extrapulmonary manifestations of R equi occur with high prevalence affecting diverse organ systems, that multiple systems are generally affected when EPDs occur, and that suspicion of R equi infection should prompt evaluation and monitoring of extrapulmonary sites. Improved recognition of the presence of these disorders will help practitioners to better advise their clients in the treatment and outcome of foals with R equi infections.

Results suggest that by evaluating certain factors, horses at increased risk of postoperative ileus may be recognized before the condition develops. Preventative treatment and early intervention may be instituted in these horses. Shortening surgery time and performing an enterotomy may decrease the probability of horses developing postoperative ileus.

A review of reported cases of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) of horses for which no etiology was identified included cases of granulomatous enteritis (GE), multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease (MEED), lymphocytic-plasmacytic enterocolitis (LPE), and idiopathic eosinophilic enterocolitis (EC). The terms EC and MEED were both used to describe a disease in horses characterized by infiltration of intestine and extraintestinal tissues with eosinophils. We use EC to describe IBD characterized by only intestinal infiltration by eosinophils. Horses with GE, MEED, or LPE are usually examined because of weight loss and depression, but horses with EC are usually examined because of signs of abdominal pain. Typically, horses with IBD have low concentrations of serumal proteins, especially albumin, and fail to adequately absorb glucose or xylose. Antemortem diagnosis of IBD can only be made by histologic examination of affected intestine. In some cases, antemortem diagnosis is made from histologic examination of rectal mucosa obtained by biopsy. Suspected causes of IBD in the horse include abnormal immune response to bacterial, viral, parasitic, or dietary antigens. Most horses with IBD do not survive, but horses with EC are more likely than those with LPE, MEED, or GE to respond to treatment. Successful treatments of horses with IBD include resection of grossly affected intestine and administration of corticosteroids.Key words: Eosinophilic enterocolitis; Granulomatous enteritis; Lymphocytic-plasmacytic enterocolitis; Multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease.C hronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are associated with dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract due to infiltration of the mucosa and submucosa with populations of eosinophils, plasma cells, lymphocytes, basophils, or macrophages. 1,2 Clinical signs of IBD in the horse include weight loss, dependent edema, and lethargy and are usually associated with protein-losing enteropathy and malabsorption of nutrients, including glucose. Affected horses may have diarrhea or signs of abdominal pain. Signalment, clinical signs, clinicopathologic findings, and postmortem lesions may be highly characteristic of some types of IBD in the horse, but, in general, clinical and gross pathologic features of these diseases are similar, and a final morphologic diagnosis is based on histologic examination. When an etiologic diagnosis of IBD has been reported, mycobacterial 3-12 or parasitic infections, 13,14 or toxins 15 have been identified. The purpose of this report is to describe distinguishing features and discuss possible etiologies of the idiopathic IBDs and to discuss treatment of affected horses. Granulomatous Enteritis (GE)This idiopathic condition was 1st reported in 1974 by Cimprich, 7 who noted the histologic similarity between this disease and Crohn's disease in humans. In our review of the reports of idiopathic GE, we found detailed descriptions of 47 affected horses. 6,7,9,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Of these, 32 were Standardbr...