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Q&A With Leader In Equine Anesthesia

Dr. John Hubbell is considered one of the most experienced equine anesthesiologists in the industry. Currently the chief of anesthesia at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., Hubbell was interviewed by The Horse to learn more about equine sedation and anesthesia.

Hubbell told The Horse that the sedatives in use today include xylazine, acepromazine, detomidine, romifidine, and butorphanol, which were developed between the 1970s and 1990s. Prior to the introduction of these drugs, physical restraints were often used in many medical procedures.

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Hubbell reported that the sedatives used today take effect within three to five minutes. Adult horses often remain standing, even when heavily sedated.

With today's lessened reliance on physical restraints, the safety of the horse and the people surrounding him is heightened.

Though anesthesia is the safest it's ever been, there are still risks associated with laying the horse down on its side. Horses that are older (over 17 to 20 years old), those that are large, and those that aren't used to being handled are at the greatest risk of anesthesia complications. Horses in the last two categories, especially, can be difficult to help stand after anesthesia.

Hubbell said procedures that use short-term anesthesia, where the horse is recumbent for 20 to 30 minutes, do not present as many potential issues as procedures which require horses to be under anesthesia for more than 90 minutes.

There are no breed-specific dosing protocols, but Hubbell has found that American Saddlebreds and draft horses often need smaller doses of detomidine or xylazine as compared to Appaloosas, Arabians and Mustangs.

Hubbell has also found that the atmosphere in which he's performing the procedure will affect how much sedation is required. He noted that horses which have been handled regularly and that are taught to behave often require smaller doses of sedative.

Study: Massive Doses Of Antibiotics Many Not Be Needed Post-Surgery

Horses who undergo colic surgery are often given a five-day round of antibiotics to fight off possible infection after the surgery is complete. A new study has shown that a single antibiotic injection could provide the same amount of protection.

Dr. Sabita Diana Stöckle notes that many human and veterinary surgeries conclude with a round of short-term (24-hour) antibiotic treatment to reduce the risk of disease. For colic surgery, however, it's common for antibiotics to be administered for well over 24 hours.

Stöckle and her colleagues used 67 horses that had undergone colic surgery to compare the standard five-day course of antibiotics to a single-shot dose. Thirty of the horses received a single shot of penicillin and gentamicin once before the surgery. Some horses also received an additional shot during surgery if needed. The other 37 horses received the standard, five-day antibiotic protocol.

The study team found no significant differences in post-operative adverse issues between the two groups; there was minimal difference in the amount of colitis, hemolytic anemia or surgical site infections. They suggest that the single antibiotic dose may be an effective alternative to the common, five-day protocol, if proper hygiene and close patient monitoring also occurs.

Read the article here.

Flying High: New Study To Develop Guidelines For Horses Traveling By Air

Horses are one of the most frequently transported domestic species in the world; they are frequently moved by vans, ships and planes. Horses that travel between locations are at risk for disease, injury and welfare issues. Many studies have been done on how to alleviate the stresses caused by traveling by road, but little is known on how horses handle traveling by air.

A new study funded by Morris Animal Foundation and spearheaded by Dr. Barbara Padalino, an associate professor of animal science at Italy's Università di Bologna, will investigate what factors increase or decrease the risk of health and behavior issues.

The findings of the study, which involves both stakeholders and researchers, will be used to develop protocols for flight associations like the International Air Transportation Association (IATA). Currently, protocols focus on air safety and cargo requirements, not on equine welfare issues; they are based on experience, with little scientific backing.

It is estimated that nearly 30,000 horses are flown each year. A recent study used 81 flights to Hong Kong and found that for every 100 horses flown, about 11 percent got pneumonia from the flight and 60 percent of flights had at least one horse affected; horses flown in the spring were particularly at risk. That study concluded that flight duration and time of year were risk factors for horses getting sick.

Padalino and her research team hope to use 2,000 horses in their study; these horses will be flying between the United States, Europe, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia and New. The study will involve asking questions regarding horse's welfare before, during and up to five days after the flight. This will include questions about heart rate, alertness and body condition scores, among others.

Padalino hypothesizes that horses with less transport experience and training will be more at risk of transport-related problems, as will those horses who have different temperaments. She is hopeful that the study will assist in the creation of protocol to increase the welfare of horses shipping by air, as well as provide an economic benefit to horse owners by reducing health complications.

Ethical Assessment Of Wild Horse Welfare

Some people believe wild horses left to their own devices would live happy, healthy lives. While this might sound plausible, scientists and equine advocates have never had the ability to accurately assess the welfare of these free-roaming horses—until now.

Researchers in Australia and New Zealand have developed a protocol to assess the quality of life of wild horses and other free-roaming animals. Assessing a horse's welfare is not easy: Accurate welfare assessment requires objectivity, scientific validity and repeatability, says Dr. Andrea Harvey, a member of the research team who invented the protocol. She, along with colleagues Drs. Ngaio Beausoleil, Daniel Ramp and David Mellor created a process that will allow different people to reach the same assessment of an animal's welfare.

The team created a 10-step approach that will evaluate the physical and emotional status of free-roaming animals. The protocol uses the Five Domains Model with conservation in mind; the system details information that should be considered with different species, as well as how to observe and measure them.

The protocol then delves into specifics that are relatable to both scientists and lay people. They encompass measuring and validating welfare indicators and confidence levels, as well as creating “grades” for levels of welfare.

The scientists note that many well-meaning people project their own emotions and feelings onto the animal while trying to assess their welfare—this could lead the person to a very different conclusion than what the animal is actually feeling and is not an objective way to assess animal welfare.

The protocol has already been used to assess the welfare of brumbies in Australia, which, like Mustangs in the United States, has become politicized. The research team hopes that the creation of this protocol will assist in clear and ethical decision making regarding free-roaming horses.

Read more at Horses and People magazine.

Read the full article here.

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