23 Disorders of the Gravid Uterus

Abortion storm

What is it called when an individual farm has a ton of abortions?

Placental insufficiency (twinning, uterine body pregnancy, endometrial atrophy), twisted umbilical cord, trauma, poor nutrition

Name some causes of non-infectious abortions in mares

1. bacterial: streptococcus zooepidemicus, CEM, lepto, Nocardioform actinomycetes

2. viral: EHV-1, EVA

3. protozoal: trypanosoma equine, babesia

Name some causes of infectious abortions in mares

Transcervical, hematogenous, previous intrauterine infection

What are the three routes of infection for bacterial causes of equine abortion?

Based on where infection is = if you see pus at cervical star, then infection was thru the cervix

How can you tell if abortion is from a transcervical infection in horses?

Placentits

A mare presenting with inappropriate lactation and vulvar discharge around 8 months of gestation may put what at the top of your differentials list?

1. Ascending

2. nocardioform

3. hematogenous

What are the 3 types of placentitis?

Ascending placentitis caused by Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus

What is the most common type of placentitis and what causes it?

Crossiella equi

What typically causes nocardioform infectious infertility (placentitis) in mares? What organism?

Base of gravid uterus and non-gravid horns or between the body/horn

Where does nocardioform placentitis occur?

Cervical star (this is ascending placentitis)

What is this red arrow pointing to?

Ascending

What type of placentitis is this?

Nocardioform actinomycetes

What type of placentitis is this?

nocardioform actinomycetes

What type of placentitis causes late term abortion, stillbirths, and premature births in horses, ascending placentitis or nocardioform actinomycetes

Barren mares (a mare who did not conceive or carry her pregnancy out to term last breeding season)

Which mares are more prone to abortion, barren mares or maiden mares

Older

Abortion in horses is more often in younger or older mares

Placentitis

What problem is diagnosed thru combined measurement of thickness of the uterus and placenta in horses?

GIVING ALL:

1. altrenogest (progesterone)

2. broad spectrum antibiotics: potassium penicillin, trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole

3. banamine

4. pentoxifylline

What is the gold standard for treating placentitis in horses?

EHV 1

What is the most IMPORTANT CAUSE of equine herpes abortion?

EHV1, EHV3, and EHV4

What are the equine herpes viruses?

EHV3

Which equine herpes viruses causes coital exanthema and vesicles, but NOT abortion?

EHV4

Which equine herpes virus causes rhinopneumonitis and sporadic abortion?

EHV1

A broodmare is housed with yearlings. You find she is stressed due to the large herd. She has no clinical signs, but late term aborts at 7 months. Thoughts?

EHV1

What should be your NUMBER 1 DIFFERENTIAL on a farm when mares are aborting?

EHV1

On a horse farm, foals and yearlings have a respiratory disease outbreak in march. In may, the broodmares have late term abortions. You see intranuclear eosinophilic inclusion bodies in white foci spots on the liver. Thoughts?

At 3, 5, 7, and 9 months of gestation

You can vaccinate mares with pneumabort to prevent EHV. When do you vaccinate them?

Mummification

This is the death of a fetus in the absence of bacterial infection, so there is loss of fetal fluid but the tissue is still on them

Maceration

This is the death of a fetus with bacterial contamination, so only the bones will remain

Mummy

Mummy or macerated?

Macerated

Mummy or macerated?

No, you just need to remove the fetus and do uterine therapy

Are mares systemically ill if their babies are macerated?

Dorsal uterine attachment of the broad ligament

Why is uterine torsion considered rare in horses?

MORE THAN

More than or less than 180 degree uterine torsion in horses is known to be painful and create low grade colic that doesn't respond well to analgesics?

Vaginal Varicose veins

What is the most common cause of slight recurrent vaginal bleeding in horses?

Vaginal varicose veins

This problem is more common in older, multiparous mares near the end of gestation