A document by Callum Haseler. Click on the document to view its contents.

Amidst discourse surrounding the racing industry’s social license to operate, the welfare of racehorses and jockeys is often at the forefront of discussions. Specifically, catastrophic events and the sudden death (SD) of horses on race days tend to capture media attention and often place the racing industry under public scrutiny. While such occurrences are not frequent, they have negative ramifications on the welfare of both racehorses and jockeys. The development of advanced diagnostic technology is therefore paramount to bettering the safety and welfare of horses and jockeys, as well as maintaining the integrity of the racing industry. Most importantly, the application of such technology could reduce the prevalence of avoidable injuries and SD. This review discusses the relevance of monitoring horses’ cardiovascular, respiratory, and thermometry biometrics and examines the currently available commercial devices capable of doing so. The review also explores the relevance and application of such devices within the racing industry and suggests how they may fit in with currently-available tools for monitoring the musculoskeletal health of racehorses.

Equine septic fungal arthritis is poorly documented in the literature. There is absence of efficacy and safety data for anti-fungal medications, highlighting the importance of documenting this case. A 15-year-old Irish sport horse gelding presented moderately lame at the walk on the left hindlimb 13 days after intra-articular medication of the left tarso-crural joint with triamcinolone and hyaluronic acid. Radiography revealed an osteochondral fragment at the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia and shallow subchondral bone defect on the medial trochlear ridge. Synoviocentesis yielded a turbid sample with an elevated total nucleated cell count (49x109cells/L; total neutrophil count of 62.8%). Arthroscopic lavage of the tarsocrural joint (TCJ) was performed. Ceftriaxone was administered and systemic antimicrobials initiated. The fungus Wickerhamomyces anomalus was identified on culture. The horse was subsequently intensively treated with antimicrobial and anti-fungal medications, both systemically and intra-articularly over the following 60 plus days. Multiple subsequent synovial cultures revealed the persistence of the fungal organism, until a negative culture on day 55. However, on day 113, a non-weight bearing lameness at trot was present, and a further positive synovial fungal culture. Radiographs revealed a lytic lesion at the distal tibia with marked progression. The horse was euthanised on day 126.

This report describes the evisceration of the jejunum following acute dehiscence of the abdominal wall in an 18 year old gelding which had undergone treatment for suspected sarcoids on the ventral abdomen with a topical caustic/chemotherapy agent 6 weeks previously. The sarcoid lesions appeared to be responding appropriately to the topical therapy until the day of presentation. The jejunum was safely contained in an abdominal bandage and the horse underwent emergency referral before immediate anaesthesia and further assessment. The horse was euthanased at the owners’ request following a guarded prognosis.