Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival and laminitis risks in horses with acute diarrhea
By Gomez, Diego E et al.·Published in Equine veterinary journal·2024·Department of Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Survival rates and factors associated with survival and laminitis of horses with acute diarrhoea admitted to referral institutions.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A group of horses with acute diarrhea was studied to see how many survived and what factors affected their recovery. Overall, 76% of the horses survived, but those with higher levels of certain blood markers had lower survival rates. Interestingly, fewer horses developed laminitis (a painful hoof condition) in Europe compared to other regions, and more cases occurred in the summer. Horses that developed laminitis had a significantly higher chance of not surviving. The findings suggest that while survival rates are generally similar worldwide, the risk of laminitis varies by location and season.
People also search for: horse diarrhea treatment · laminitis in horses · horse survival rates diarrhea · acute diarrhea in horses · summer laminitis risk in horses
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Clinicopathological findings and their association with the outcome and development of laminitis in horses with acute diarrhoea has not been investigated in a multicentre study across different geographic regions. OBJECTIVES: Describe and compare clinicopathologic findings of diarrhoeic horses between different geographic regions, survival rates and factors associated with non-survival and laminitis. STUDY DESIGN: Multicentre retrospective case series. METHODS: Information from horses with acute diarrhoea presenting to participating institutions between 2016 and 2020 was collected, and clinicopathological data were compared between surviving and non-surviving horses and horses that did and did not develop laminitis. Survival rates and seasonal and geographic differences were also investigated. RESULTS: One thousand four hundred thirty-eight horses from 26 participating institutions from 4 continents were included; 76% survived to discharge with no differences identified between geographic regions. The survival proportion of horses with SIRS and creatinine concentrations > 159 μmol/L was 55% (154/279) compared with 81% (358/437) for those with SIRS and creatinine concentrations < 159 μmol/L (p < 0.001). The survival proportion of horses with SIRS that had an L-lactate concentration > 2.8 mmol/L was 59% (175/298) compared with 81% (240/296) in horses with SIRS and L-lactate concentration < 2.8 mmol/L (p < 0.001). The proportion of horses that developed laminitis was lower in Europe (4%, 19/479) compared with North America (8%, 52/619), Australia (8%, 12/138) and Latin America (11%, 16/146) (p < 0.05). More horses developed laminitis in the summer (46%, 39/85) compared with winter (18%, 15/85), spring (18%, 15/85) and fall (19%, 16/85) (p < 0.01). Horses with laminitis had greater odds of non-survival than those without laminitis (OR: 3.73, 95% CI: 2.47-5.65). MAIN LIMITATIONS: Not all variables were available for all horses due to the retrospective nature. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicopathological findings in horses with acute diarrhoea and their association with survival are similar across geographic regions. However, developing laminitis secondary to diarrhoea is less common in Europe. In addition, factors associated with non-survival were indicative of disease severity and subsequent cardiovascular compromise.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38083907/