Effects of pulmonary abscesses on racing performance of horses treated at referral veterinary medical teaching hospitals: 45 cases (1985-1997)

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether results of physical or radiographic examination or biochemical analyses in adult racehorses with primary lung abscesses were associated with ability to race following treatment.

DESIGN

Multiple-center retrospective study.

ANIMALS

25 Standardbreds and 20 Thoroughbreds.

PROCEDURE

Medical records of horses with a primary lung abscess that were admitted to any of 4 veterinary teaching hospitals were reviewed. Results of physical examination, laboratory testing, and thoracic radiography were reviewed. Racing performance after treatment was compared with performance before illness and with performance of the general population of racehorses of similar age, sex, and breed.

RESULTS

23 of 25 Standardbreds and 13 of 20 Thoroughbreds raced after diagnosis and treatment of a lung abscess. Most horses had a solitary abscess in the dorsal to caudodorsal lung fields. Results of initial physical examination, biochemical analyses, and culture and identification of the microbial isolate were not associated with whether a horse returned to racing. For horses that had raced prior to the illness, race performance after treatment of the lung abscess was not significantly different from performance before the illness.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

On the basis of racing performance in those horses that resumed racing after treatment, long-term residual lung damage did not develop in horses with primary lung abscesses that were treated appropriately. It is not known whether horses that recovered would be more likely to bleed from the site of a prior infection when resuming strenuous exercise and whether lung abscesses contributed to a failure to resume racing.

Associations between physical examination, laboratory, and radiographic findings and outcome and subsequent racing performance of foals with Rhodococcus equi infection: 115 cases (1984-1992)

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether physical examination, laboratory, or radiographic abnormalities in foals with Rhodococcus equi infection were associated with survival, ability to race at least once after recovery, or, for foals that survived and went on to race, subsequent racing performance.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

ANIMALS

49 Thoroughbreds and 66 Standardbreds admitted to 1 of 6 veterinary teaching hospitals between 1984 and 1992 in which R equi infection was positively diagnosed.

PROCEDURE

Results of physical examination, laboratory testing, and thoracic radiography were reviewed. Indices of racing performance were obtained for foals that recovered and eventually raced and compared with values for the US racing population.

RESULTS

83 (72%) foals survived. Foals that did not survive were more likely to have extreme tachycardia (heart rate > 100 beats/min), be in respiratory distress, and have severe radiographic abnormalities on thoracic radiographs at the time of initial examination than were foals that survived. Clinicopathologic abnormalities were not associated with whether foals did or did not survive. Forty-five of the 83 surviving foals (54%) eventually raced at least once, but none of the factors examined was associated with whether foals went on to race. Racing performance of foals that raced as adults was not significantly different from that of the US racing population.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

R equi infection in foals is associated with a decreased chance of racing as an adult; however, foals that eventually go on to race perform comparably to the US racing population.