Researchers examined the mouths of 261 trotters, including 151 Standardbreds, 78 Finnhorses (a native lightweight draft), and 32 ponies, for bruises and wounds immediately following a race. They looked at specific bit-contact areas: the inner and outer corners of the lips, bars of the lower jaw, cheek tissue near the second premolar tooth, tongue, and roof of the mouth.

The researchers then collected information about the type of bit used for each horse, making special note of the thickness and composition of the mouthpiece. Details of other equipment were taken, when applicable, including the use of an overcheck, jaw strap, or tongue-tie. Past racing history was mined from a reliable online database.

Injuries were observed in 84 percent of the horses in the study, regardless of the type of bit worn, and half of those were classified as moderate or severe. Five horses (2 percent) had visual blood outside of the mouth from the wounds.

Compared with horses wearing a single-jointed, half-cheek snaffle, trotters that wore a Crescendo bit, Mullen-mouth regulator bit, or a straight plastic bit had a greater likelihood of moderate or severe injury to the mouth. Bar lesions were more common in horses outfitted with unjointed bits. Other tack and race performance did not factor into risk for oral lesions, according to the researchers.

“While this study serves to highlight the physical injuries caused by bits among specific high-performance horses, it is important to note that lesions may be severe enough to hinder comfortable chewing of forages, especially if hay or chaff is stemmy,” said Catherine Whitehouse, a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research. This in turn could affect forage consumption, leading to diminished body condition, onset of gastric ulcers, and loss of performance.

Further, mouth pain can be a source of worry or stress for horses, even while resting. “Racehorses have a high incidence of gastric ulceration, the effects of which can be assuaged by conscientious management, which may include the use of research-proven digestive supplements,” Whitehouse said.

^*Tuomola, K., N. Mäki-Kihniä, A. Valros, and A. Mykkänen. 2021. Risk factors for bit-related lesions in Finnish trotting horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 53:1132-1140.

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Reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research. Visit ker.com for the latest in equine nutrition and management, and subscribe to Equinews to receive these articles directly.

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Dr. Paula Alessandra Di Filippo and her Brazilian research team created a study to see if sunflower seed oil can assist with wound healing and prevent proud flesh development. They created two full-thickness wounds on the front cannon bones of eight horses to test potential wound healing protocols: On four horses, ozonated sunflower seed oil or pure sunflower seed oil was applied to the wounds on one limb and the other limb was treated with 0.9 percent sodium chloride. In the other four horses, a saline rinse was used on one limb and the others were treated with pure or ozonated oil.

Treatments were applied once daily on the wound area and contraction rates were measured on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21. At 21 days, the team found that treated wounds healed better — those treated with ozonated sunflower seed oil saw a 72 percent contraction rate while those treated with the pure sunflower seed oil contracted by 53 percent. The sodium chloride group contracted by 35 percent.

The team found that proud flesh developed only in the non-sunflower seed oil groups. The wounds using ozone oil-treatment healed on Day 25 and the pure sunflower oil group healed by Day 27. The saline group healed by Day 30. The ozonated oil significantly reduced wound size. The team determined that ozonated sunflower seed oil accelerates wound repair and prevents the formation of granulation tissue in horses.

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According to EQUUS magazine, there are three main considerations when trying to decide whether to reach for the bandaging supplies:

Mobility: A wound that pulls open with every step a horse takes will heal more rapidly if it's wrapped. Though often more difficult to keep in place if over a joint like the knee or hock, a bandage is beneficial.

Depth: If the wound is so deep the underlying structures can be seen, infection is a real risk. Bandaging the wound is the best bet until granulation tissue can fill in the gap.

Proximity to the ground: A wound near the hoof on a pastern or coronet band is more likely to get dirt, manure and debris in and on it than one located higher up the leg. Additionally, if it's a hind leg injury on a gelding or stallion, there's a risk urine will splash on the cut and irritate the tissues. These wounds benefit from bandaging.

Wounds that can remain open do well when covered at least twice daily in a thick ointment to keep bacteria, dirt and insects out.

Read more at EQUUS.

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The study used 261 racehorses on four Finnish tracks and found that 84 percent of the horses had moderate to severe mouth lesions. However, only 2 percent of the horses had blood that could be seen without opening the horse's mouth. 

All horses at the track were required to have an exam when the horse finished racing. The research team classified the horses into four categories based on the number, extent and severity of bruising and open wounds in the horse's mouth,

Researcher Dr. Kati Tuomola concluded that all bits could cause mouth lesions, including unjointed bits and Happy Mouth (bits with a rubber-wrapped mouthpiece) bits, whether or not blood was apparent on the horse. Bit type is the most significant factor affecting mouth lesions, with the worst lesions associated with the single-joint Crescendo bit, which places pressure on small surface areas. Horses that were raced in mild, unjointed bits had lesions on the bars of their mouth.  

The study team found no relation between the severity of lesions and the horse's race placings or if the horse broke stride. The team concluded that horses that race well aren't exempt from welfare concerns. The scientists also note that 16 percent of the study horses had no oral lesions, so it is possible to race without harming the horse's mouth. 

Read more at The Horse. 

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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. 

Read more at Equine Science Update. 

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Drs. Adelle Bowden, Polina Boynova, Marnie Louise Brennan, Gary England, Sarah Freeman, John Burford, Tim Mair and Wendy Furness found that 35 percent (923) of the emergency calls were placed for colic issues; after-hours calls for wounds encompasses 511 calls (11 percent). Emergency calls for lameness accounted for 288 calls (11 percent). Most of the calls (58 percent) needed only a single treatment, but a quarter of the calls needed follow-up treatments.

According to the veterinarians, only 480 of the 2,602 cases were considered critical; 43 percent of those were related to colic. In total, 13 percent of the horse's emergency calls were made for were euthanized. It is unclear if this was related to acute disease or the deterioration of a pre-existing condition.

The study team noted that many of the emergency calls had critical outcomes and the majority were euthanized. They note that this is an important welfare concern that requires additional investigation.

Read more at HorseTalk.

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Drs. Sarah L. Freeman, Neal M. Ashton, Yvonne Elce, Anna Hammond, Anna Hollis and Greg Quinn created guidelines for equine wound management based on evidence they collected from a set of questions proposed to a panel of veterinarians. The scientists also looked at human medicine if equine studies weren't available. In total, they used 306 veterinary studies and 25 human-focused papers to produce their recommendations, which included:

• Tap water is recommended for flushing wounds over saline
• The best pressure for washing wounds is 13 pounds per square inch (medium pressure)
• Contaminated wounds should be flushed with provide-iodine
• silver sulfadiazine may slow healing of acute wounds

Read more at HorseTalk.

Read the full article here.

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Drs. Jacintha Wilmink, Søren Ladefoged, Angelique Jongbloets and Johannes C. M. Vernooij used 29 horses with lower leg wounds that were less than 6 months old and were more than 1.5 square inches. Most of the wounds were caused by trauma, but some wounds were caused from pressure.

Fifteen wounds were treated with probiotics and 14 were treated with sterile saline. The wounds were categorized into those with an incomplete granulation bed and wounds with a complete granulation bed.

Horsed were evaluated for 24 days, with bandage changes nine times during the study. Wounds were cleaned with swabs moistened with sterile saline and debris was removed. Blood was drawn and wounds were swabbed to identify the bacteria present.

The study team found that wound area decreased faster when dressings that contained probiotics were applied; the rate to 50 percent healing of wounds with a complete granulation bed was 3.4 times faster when probiotics were used in the wound dressing. No systemic inflammation was found from using the dressing with probiotics.

Read more at HorseTalk.

Read the full study here.

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Drs. Ditte Marie Top Adler, Stine Østergaard, Elin Jørgensen and Stine Jacobsen, of the University of Copenhagen, wanted to compare a new, barbed suture martial to traditional suture material that requires the surgeon to make multiple knots to keep the stitches in place. The barbed suture material has tiny barbs on the surface that lock the material in place, eliminating the need for knots. Manufacturers claim the barbs make the material more secure and increase the speed at which the castration can be performed.

The research team used 45 horses that were brought to The Large Animal Teaching Hospital at the University of Copenhagen for inguinal castrations; 24 of the horses were sutured with smooth material and 21 were sutured with the barbed material. The scientists then evaluated any complications while the horse was in and out of the hospital. They also compared how long it took the veterinarian to close the surgical wounds.

There were minor short-term complications; swelling was noted in 29 percent of the stallions that had the barbed suture material and in 33 percent of the horses that had the smooth suture material. Three horses required follow-up care for castration complications. One had scrotal swelling (barbed suture material had been used); one had a weeping wound (smooth suture material had been used); and one had the wound reopen (smooth suture material had been used).

Veterinarians using the barbed suture material were able to close the wound six minutes faster than using smooth suture material.

Though the cost of barbed suture material is higher, it reduced surgery time by 40 percent and it did not result in increased post-op complications.

Read the full article here.

Read more at HorseTalk.

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Drs. Shauna Lawless, Noah Cohen, Sara Lawhon, Ana Chamoun-Emanuelli, Jing Wu, Andrés Rivera-Vélez, Brad Weeks and Canaan Whitfield-Cargile noted that wounds on the lower legs of horses are difficult to manage: they can be difficult to keep clean and can be difficult to manage.

Gallium possesses antimicrobial properties, but it had not been studied in relation to equine injuries. The scientists sought to compare healing rates between gallium-treated and untreated wounds to see if gallium could help heal wounds that were inoculated with the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.

The study team used six horses with induced injuries. The use of the gallium-infused ointment reduced healing time, saw less granular tissue growth and reduced the amount of bacteria in the wound when compared to wounds that were not treated with the element. The researchers concluded that its not just the antimicrobial properties of gallium that assist in healing; the element alters the expression of specific genes that aid in wound healing.

Read more at HorseTalk.

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