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Study: Does Light Therapy Assist With Wound Healing?

Different forms of light therapy have been touted to have many benefits for equine health, including assisting with healing soft tissue injuries and infections, as well as addressing sprains, strains, arthritis and swellings. But can it assist in healing wounds?

Drs. Peter Michanek, Tamás Toth, Evelina Bergström, Helena Treffenberg‐Pettersson and Anna Bergh used eight Standardbreds to test the effects of pulsating visible red light and near infrared light on skin wounds.

The research team made small, circular wounds on each side of the study horse's neck. The wound on one side was given one light treatment; the wound on the other side was left untreated. The light therapy was given by the same operator throughout the study and followed a standardized protocol: treatment was given five days a week for four weeks.

Healing was monitored by someone who was unaware of which treatment, if any, the wounds had been given. The research team found little difference in the treated and control wounds in any phase of the study. The treated wounds took longer to completely heal than the untreated wounds.

The team concludes that in this study, pulsating visible red light and near infrared light do not speed healing of experimental skin wounds.

Read the study here.

Keep An Eye Out: Three Common Equine Cancers

Though cancer is less common in horses than in humans, it's still possible for equines to develop various forms of the deadly disease. Because horses are so large, it can be difficult to actually locate the cancer that is affecting the horse. The most obvious signs of equine cancer are typically scaly areas of hair loss, growing and changing lumps, and swollen lymph nodes, but cancer can also take on other forms.

At its most basic, cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. The three main types of cancer found in horses include:

Melanomas. Melanoma is the type of cancer most people visualize when they think of cancer in horses. This cancer causes skin tumors; it's estimated that nearly 80 percent of grey horses over the age of 12 will develop melanomas around the tail, perineum, sheath, eyelids or mouth. Once found, melanomas should be removed when they're still small; this is often done by laser surgery.
Sarcoids. Although a benign cancer, sarcoids can spread rapidly. There are various different forms of this cancer, each with a characteristic appearance. To add to the trickiness of the disease, individual sarcoids can change forms. Though the growth rate and number of tumors per horse can vary, the tumors tend to grow in size and multiply over time.
Sarcoids can be found nearly anywhere on the horse, but the location of some tumors make them more-difficult to treat. Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Sarcoids should be treated early; the bigger the sarcoids become, the harder they are to treat. Once a horse has developed a sarcoid, it is prone to developing more, even if they are removed.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Squamous Cell Carcinoma generally affects horse's eyes, eyelids and penis. Though slow growing, this cancer is invasive and can spread internally. Treatment generally includes surgery, radiation or chemotherapy; early diagnosis and treatment is key. Older geldings are more prone to the penile form of this cancer; regular sheath inspection can help locate lesions before they become extensive.

Update: Mineralization Of Neck Ligament Not Related To Headshaking

Headshaking in horses remains a frustrating mystery for the most part, with little relief for the horses it affects. One recent hypothesis was that headshaking was caused by the mineralization of the longitudinal odontoid ligament, a fan-shaped ligament in the neck. In a study published in 2020, three headshaking horses showed mineralization of this ligament in CT scans.

Much remains unknown about headshaking other than it is assumed that trigeminal neuralgia is the underlying cause. Other veterinarians and scientists suggest that musculoskeletal pain may also cause head shaking.

Imaging a horse's cervical spine used to be difficult, but diagnostic equipment has improved to the point where imaging this portion of a horse's spine is now possible. Drs. Alison Talbot, Miguel Rodrigues and Thomas Maddox re-examined CT scans of 97 horses that came through the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital, a part of the University of Liverpool.

They looked for records to indicate any relationship between the mineralization of that ligament and the primary issue, as well as breed, age, sex and use. They also looked for any association with neck pain, head shaking or restricted range of motion in the neck.

They team found that 25 of the 96 horses (26 percent) had some mineralization of the ligament, but they found no association between mineralization and either idiopathic head shaking or any other clinical signs. They did discover that increasing mineralization was linked to age and sex: it primarily affected mares.

They determined that the mineralization of the ligament had nothing to do with head shaking or neck pain. They recommended that the significance of the mineralization be interpreted cautiously.

Reade the study here.

Treatment Options For Horses With Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart arrhythmia found in horses, but it's also the one that most impacts a horse's athletic performance. The University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana offers a unique way to treat the condition: transvenous electrical cardioversion (TVEC).

Atrial fibrillation, commonly known as “AFib,” is an electrical disorder that affects the heart's rhythm; the top two chambers of the heart (the atria) don't contract properly, preventing blood from moving to the rest of the body efficiently. This affects how hard a horse can work before he tires. It isn't known why horses get AFib, but their large hearts and slow heart rate could predispose them to loss of electrical coordination.

The most common sign of AFib is a sudden, dramatic decrease in performance. Occasionally a nosebleed can also be seen. A veterinarian should be contacted when this occurs. As part of the exam, the vet will listen to the horse's heart, which is how most AFib in horses is detected. The vet can confirm that the horse is experiencing AFib by performing an electrocardiogram (ECG).

Horses with AFib can be given oral quinidine to restore proper heart rhythm, but this medication does have side effects, including laminitis, swelling of the nose and even death. Horses given this medication that don't have heart disease typically return to the correct heart rhythm.

The TVEC procedure can also return a horse's heart to a normal rhythm. This treatment only takes place at specialty equine hospitals, including the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Once the horse has had a full work-up and been deemed clear for surgery, a catheter is placed in the horse's jugular vein, though which two small electrodes are fed. The electrodes then administer a shock to the heart to convert it back to its normal rhythm.

This is the same shock given to humans with AFib via paddles—horses have too much muscle to let the paddles work from the outside. Delivering the shock directly to a horse's heart muscle is effective; TVEC has a 95 percent success rate in converting the heart back to its normal rhythm.

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