- Email: [email protected]
Equine transportation problems and some preventives: A review
PROCEEDINGSOF THE 2ND INTERNATIONALCONFERENCEON EQUINERESCUE
References 1. Mansmann RA: Clinical Significance of Equine Rescue. 39th Proc Assoc Eq Pract 1993;147. 2. Mansmann RA, Mc Curdy B, O'Connor K, et al.: Disaster Planning model for an equine assistance and evacuation team. J Eq Vet Sci 1992;12:268-271.
EQUINE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS AND SOME PREVENTIVES: A review Richard A. Mansmann, VMD, PhD; Brett Woodie*
The area of equine transportation is becoming more intensely studied, l-a The goal of this paper is to review some of the obvious problems of transporting horses. Various portions of this review may be used as a guide for anyone involved with transporting large numbers of horses for slaughter, commercial transport of competition and pleasure horses, or personal transport of one to a few horses. The three common areas of equine transportation medical problems are traumatic injuries, dehydration, and pleuropneumonia. Some of the relationships developed between transport and non-transport research of these three medicalprocesses may be of benefit to shippers, clinicians, and researchers alike. Data collection to verify the medical transportation problems is virtually nonexistent. 9 There is no data related to highway accidents listing any injuries to horses. This has not been accomplished relative to records involving human accidents such as in various state transportation departAuthor's address: Department of Food Animal and Equine Medicine,
College of Veterinary Medicine, 4700 Hillsborough Street, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606. Dr. Mansmann's present address is: P.O. Box 1575, Apex, NC 27502. *Fourth year veterinary student. Volume 15, Number 4, 1995
I
I
Southern Pines, North Carolina. February 11-12, 1995
We are here to eventually help horse owners help themselves with their horses, and their neighbors in a disaster situation.
I
ments, insurance companies, trailer/truck manufacturers, or professional transportation companies. Records of specific horse transport problems are not available from transport companies, slaughter houses, or any horse owner or transport groups. Specific transport-related disease data is not available from the Veterinary Medical Data Base. a
Traumatic Injuries The simplest traumas are the minor abrasions acquired from horses being placed in an unusual environment. A specific type of abrasion would be from the halter rubbing at the poll or over the nasal area. These injuries occur from braking against a short tie rope and can be prevented by a more experienced driver, protection such as a head bumper or soft wrapping around the halter, and a longer tie rope. Tail rubbing can cause significant abrasions at the base of the tail. Careful protective bandaging and eliminating contact of the horse's tail with any fixed object can resolve this problem. Biting can occur if appropriate head ties or protective screens are not available. Wither wounds can present serious healing difficulties because of gravity drainage resulting in infection dissecting into the shoulder fascial planes. These wounds occur from vehicle ceilings which are inhumanely low or from accidents. Leg wounds can occur from loss of balance as a result of braking and cornering episodes. One leg will often strike another, most commonly in the pastern and coronet areas. These wounds need thorough cleaning and bandaging. 1~A "bell" cast applied a few days after infection has been controlled can be helpful in healing complex foot wounds. The cast is applied from the mid pastern area covering the hoof to the bearing surface and left on for 7-14 days. Protective bandaging including the hoof can help prevent these types of wounds. Horses that scramble and have shoes on may need protective taping or boots over their shoes. Horses when allowed to travel untied, often choose to ride backward 4 but one position may be less stressful for one particular horse or situation than another. 4,11 Transporting a horse with a front leg fracture should be done with the horse facing backward and a horse with a hind leg fracture facing forward, a This is done to protect the injured leg during deceleration of the transport vehicle. Any projecting loose metal or exposed nails can cause lacerations over large muscle masses in the shoulder or rump area. These wounds can be difficult to suture but usually heal well. Review of the hauling vehicle for exposed sharp objects would prevent these types of wounds. Reviewing the flooring should also be part of every pre"Alan Warble, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. 141
PROCEEDINGSOF THE 2ND INTERNATIONALCONFERENCEON EQUINERESCUE NON-REVIEWED load check. Certainly one of the most traumatic and serious accidents is a leg injury caused by road contact after the leg has fallen through a floor board. Improperly secured doors can cause horses to fall out of the transport vehicle. Another serious injury is vertebral injury caused by quick braking, when a horse has his head firmly tied and the vehicle rapidly decelerates. With this injury the vertebral column is whiplashed from a rapid stop causing serious muscle and ligamentous pulling as the hind legs whip under the horse's body. Vertebral fracture and dislocation can also occur. Head injuries from flipping over when loading or trauma during travel can be serious. Besides direct obvious trauma to the head and eye area, the optic nerve can become stretched in some accidents causing nonrepairable blindness, la Large muscle injury can occur with a collision in addition to all the possible injuries that have been mentioned. These injuries may have minimal clinical signs immediately following the accident, but become more obvious as the large muscle mass undergoes further internal damage. This situation would be similar to compartmental syndrome where the bruised muscle swells against the confining skin causing progressive vascular compression damage, less blood flow, and then more muscle ischemia) a
Dehydration Any departure from the ordinary routine of the horse, whether they be internal forces such as disease and/or external forces such as transportation, may initially trigger a change in water balance. There are varying degrees of travel stress. The well-travelled horse may experience very little stress while the never-travelled horse may be very stressed. One of the first responses to stress is to decrease water intake. 6 At the same time, for several reasons the requirement for water intake may be increased for that horse during that travel period. Dehydration can cascade into more serious metabolic situations. The earliest stages of dehydration are difficult to clinically determine. So a horse could have up to 5% dehydration without showing significant clinical signs.14 Yet for the athletic horse, 2-3 % dehydration can affect performance. 15 So prevention of slight dehydration may be extremely valuable to the competition horse. Moderate dehydration could initiate blood flow abnormalities to the hooves. This problem could be accentuated by the inflammation caused by removing shoes from a horse that normally wears shoes. Other compounding factors that may enhance the risk oflaminitis could be the length of shipment relative to the state of fitness of the horse, the level of carbohydrate diet main142
tained during shipment, and any potential endotoxic disorders initiated due to travel. 16 Preventive measures would include not changing the shoeing status of the horse, adding frog support to those higher risk horses, and reducing carbohydrate intake during transport. Large colon impaction ~7 is another problem that can occur during transport due to dehydrating ingesta in the large colon. There is a higher risk of colic in the horse that has one to six transports/year, as compared to the horse that is not transported, or one that is transported more than six times per year. 18 Another potential problem with dehydration would be decreased renal function in the horse but may be more significant to the horse that is receiving medication such as phenylbutazone. 19 There are several methods of preventing dehydration that can be considered. Preparing horses with a water normalizing substance such as apple flavoring has been suggested to offset the differences in water taste. 6 Mineral oil or electrolyte-enriched water via nasogastric tube has been accomplished pre-transport for the prevention of gastrointestinal impaction, z~ The recommendations for stopping during transport are every 4-6 hours and overnighting horses at least every 12-16 hours. During stops and overnighting, the horses have the potential to get some exercise. Also with increased private transport of horses, directory books are available that give names and addresses of stopovers and veterinarians who would come to examine and administer oral fluids to travelling horses, al,22 Oral electrolytes and water could be given easily via nasogastric tube to the mild to moderate dehydrating horse. More volume at less cost could be given by nasogastric tube than intravenously. A 450-500 kg horse's stomach can tolerate 6-8 liters of electrolyte enriched water every 15 minutes for 1 to 2 hours. 23
Pleuropneumonia (Shipping Fever) Shipping fever or pleuropneumonia is a mixed bacterial pneumonia with varying involvement of the pleural space that has been thoroughly described. 24,2s Since this disease has been described over the past three decades it has been related significantly to transporting horses, z8 The initial clinical signs of impending pleuropneumonia can be insidious. There is fever, depression, and possibly stiffness; however, lack of cough or nasal discharge is not uncommon. It is a respiratory emergency and needs to be diagnosed and treatment initiated as soon as possible. These clinical signs can mimic other shipping problems. The stiffness and shortening of gait from initial chest pain is similar to laminitis. Occasionally due to the potential of endotoxemia from pleuropneumonia, laminitis can occur JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE
PROCEEDINGSOF THE 2ND INTERNATIONALCONFERENCEON EQUINERESCUE Southern Pines, North Carolina. February 11-12, 1995
9
=
j
Figure1. Shows a horse in transport vehicle from three views. It shows screening that separates one horse from another, a hay bag attached to the chest bar with "drainage" and ventilation openings away from the horse's legs, and also the concept of giving the horse's head more mobility by tying via the "log and rope."
concurrently with pleuropneumonia. 16The chest pain may cause the horse to get up and lay down periodically mimicking an impaction colic. The horse that travels and is being medicated with phenylbutazone is at risk of delaying the signs ofpleuropneumonia since fever and early inflammation will be depressed even though the active pneumonia is progressing. There are several factors that have been shown to predispose the traveling horse to pleuropneumonia. In the traditional hauling of horses hay is placed in a net or manger at the horse's nostrils to allow for some nutrition and keeping the horse entertained. Normal, good quality hay has many dust particles and small mold spores that can be inhaled. 2r Having hay near the nostrils increases inhalation of potentially damaging particles. It has been shown that transport over a few hours diminishes the alveolar macrophages population, the main cellular defenders in the lungs. 7 Ventilation plays a role. In transport vehicles where ventilation can stagnate such as in a parked van or plane, besides the slowing of air currents, the heat and humidity in the vehicle can rise due to the horses' body temperature. This allows for the increased growth of bacteria and fungi. 2 Little has been studied about noxious gases that could be accumulating in a horse trailer immediately following a tow vehicle. It is known that these gases decrease respiratory clearance capacity by disrupting the barrier between alveoli and the capillary bed. This could increase the permeability to bacteria. 5 Horses with their heads crosstied standing in stocks for 24-48 hours had increased neutrophils and bacteria in their transtracheal washes. One third of the horses had mild respiratory disease and 12% Volume 15, Number 4, 1995
had evidence of systemic disease. All signs resolved when the horses were allowed to lower their heads. 28 The most significant potential for reducing respiratory stress would be to allow the horses' heads as much freedom as possible when travelling. This could be accomplished by off loading every 4-6 hours and offering water, an electrolyte-spiked wet bran mash, or wet hay placed on the ground. When overnighting every 12-24 hours, the same feeding procedure could be accomplished. To allow the horses' heads more freedom during travel variations on securing a horse by the "log and rope" method could be adapted. With this method instead of the horse being cross-tied, the horse's halter is attached to one rope that can slide up and down through a secured opening (such as a fixed screw-eye) with tension applied by a weight ("the log"). The weight cannot pass through the secured opening; thus, when the weight approaches the secured opening this is the limiting length that the horse' s head can move. 29 Head movement can be up and down as well as side to side. If hay were provided, a deeper manger/hay bag would encourage the horse to lower its head. If feeding from a hay bag, a canvas front would prevent front leg penetration if the horse paws. The lower back portion of the hay bag could be netted to allow particles and water to drop through to the floor. In the typical professional transport van the chest bar could hold the deeper hay bag as well as the secured opening for the "log and rope" tie. Screening could be placed between horses' heads to prevent biting if necessary (Figure 1). Other preventives for reducing shipping fever include not shipping horses on medications such as phenylbutazone which could mask the early signs of pneumonia and corticosteroids that would further decrease the horse' s defense mechanisms and may also increase the risk of laminitis. 16 Early recognition and treatment of a potential problem are the most important criteria in preventing problems related to horse transport. More research and data collection would be beneficial to provide less stressful transportation of horses.
REFERENCES 1. Cregier SE: Reducing Equine Hauling Stress: A Review. J Eq Vet Sci 1982;2,6:187-198. 2. Leadon DP, Frank C,Atock A: Recommendations to Horse Owners and their Representatives on the Transport of Horses. Berne, Switzerland, Federation Equestre Internationale, 1990;1-
8. 3. Leadon DP: Studies of the Effects of Transporting Horses: Better to Arrive than to Travel. Equine Vet J 1994;26,5:346-347.
143
II Il
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2ND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EQUINE RESCUE
4. Smith BL, Jones JH, Carlson GP, et al.: Body Position and Direction Preferences in Horses During Road Transport. Equine Vet J, 1994;26,5:374-377. 5. Smith BL, Jones JH, Carlson GP, et al.: Minimizing Transport Stress in Horses. Proc AESM, 1991; 39-42. 6. Mars LA, Kiesling HE, Ross TT, et al.: WaterAcceptance and Intake in Horse Under Shipping Stress. J Eq Vet Sci 1992;12,1:17-20. 7. Bayly WM, Liggitt HD, Huston LJ, et al.: Stress and its Effect on Equine Pulmonary Mucosal Defenses. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract, 1986;32:253-262. 8. Bramlage LR: Current Concepts of First Aid and Transportation of the Equine Fracture Patient. Comp ConUn Educ Pract Vet, 1983;5:$564-$573. 9. Reece VP: Equine Transport: The Auction/Slaughter Funnel or Out of Sight, Out of Mind. ProcAmAssoc Equine Pract, 1994;40:71. 10. Fessler JF: Hoof Injuries. In: LL Booth, (ed.) Wound Management Vet Clin NA - Equine. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co. 1989;5,3:643-664. 11. Roberts TDM: Staying Upright in a Moving Trailer. The Equine Athlete, 1990;3,3:1-8. 12. Rebhun WC: Diseases of the Ocular System. In: PT Colahan, IG Mayhew, AM Merritt, etal: (eds) Equine Medicine and Surgery, ed. 4. Goleta, CA, American Veterinary Publications, 1991 ; 1095-1096. 13. Lindsay WA, McDonell W, Bignell W: Equine Postanesthetic Forelimb Lameness: Intracompartmental Muscle Pressure Changes and Biochemical Patterns. Am Vet Res, 1980; 41,12:1919-1924. 14. Seahorn TL, Cornick-Seahorn J: Fluid Therapy. In: JA Bertone. Emergency Treatment in the Adult Horse. Vet Clin N.A. - Equine. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, Co. 1994; 10,3:517-534. 15. Ridgeway K J: Thermoregulation and Electrolyte Management in the Endurance Horse. In: AF Clarke and LB
NON-REVIEWED
Jeffcoat. On To Atlanta '96. Guelph, Ontario, Equine Research Center, 1994:110-119. 16. Baxter GM: Acute Laminitis. In: JJ Bertone (ed.) Emergency Treatment in the Adult Horse. Vet Clin N.A. - Equine. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, Co. 1994;10,3:627-642. 17. Dabareiner RM, White NA: Large Colon Impaction in Horses: 147 Cases (1985-1991 ) JAVMA 1995;206,5:679-685. 18. White NA, Tinker MK, Lessard Pet al.: Equine Colic Risk Assessment on Horse Farms: A Prospective Study. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract, 1993;39:97. 19. MacAllister CG, Taylor-MacAIlister C: Treating and Preventing the Adverse Effects of Non Steroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs in Horses. Vet Med 1994;241-246. 20. Marks D: International Shipping of Competition Horses. J Eq Vet Sci 1993; 13,11:609-614. 21. Hawkins Guide: Horse Trailering on the Road. Southern Pines, NC, Bluegreen Publishing, Inc. 1994. 22. McDaniel JL: Nationwide Overnight Stabling Directo~ Arkansas City, KS, Equine Travelers of America, Inc. 1993. 23. Carlson GP: Dynamics of Equine Athletic Performance. New Jersey, Vet Learning Systems, 1985:82. 24. Byars TD, Becht JL: Pleuropneumonia.ln:JT Robertson, SM Reed. Respiratory Disease: Medicine and Surgery. Vet Clin N.A. - Equine. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, Co. 1991 ; 7,1 : 63-78. 25. Schott HC, Mansmann RA: Thoracic Drainage in Horses. Comp on Con Educ 1990; 12,2:251-261. 26. Mansmann RA: The Stages of Equine Pleuropneumonia. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract, 1983;29: 61-63. 27. Clarke AF: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. In: NE Robsinson (ed). Current Therapy in Equine Medicine, ed 3. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, Co., 1992:329-332. 28. Racklyeft DJ, Love DN: Influence of Head Posture on the Respiratory Tract of Healthy Horses. Aust VetJ 1990;67:402-405. 29. Hadfield M: (ed) The Manual of Horsemanship ed. 9. London, Kenilworth Press Ltd., 1989:102-103.
. . . . ~ ~:
i 84 ~
i~
ii 84184184 ~:84184184
N O R M A N R A N T A N E N , DVM, MS ~ B
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology Consultant in Diagnostic Ultrasound
Presents 1995 2-Day Short Course for Veterinarians San Luis Rey Equine Clinic, Bonsall, California
/
144
. . . . . . . . . : The First Annual: DUBAI INTERNATIONALEQUINE SYMPOSIUM
Mo,ch 27-30' 1996 ~
City of Dubai United Arab Emirates
Internationally known speakers will present a program on
J u n e 23-24, 1995
Soft Tissue Injury in the Equine Athlete
Advance registration is required Course Fee $350.00 For more information please call 619-972-8662 or 619-728-0031; Fax 619-723-6994 or write: P.O. Box 1351, Fallbrook, CA 92088
For more information about the symposium, please call or write:
Dr. Norman W. Rantanen 5256 South Mission Road, Suite #1002-514 Bonsall, CA 92003 Phone: 619-728-0031; fax 619-723-6994
JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE
References 1. Mansmann RA: Clinical Significance of Equine Rescue. 39th Proc Assoc Eq Pract 1993;147. 2. Mansmann RA, Mc Curdy B, O'Connor K, et al.: Disaster Planning model for an equine assistance and evacuation team. J Eq Vet Sci 1992;12:268-271.
EQUINE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS AND SOME PREVENTIVES: A review Richard A. Mansmann, VMD, PhD; Brett Woodie*
The area of equine transportation is becoming more intensely studied, l-a The goal of this paper is to review some of the obvious problems of transporting horses. Various portions of this review may be used as a guide for anyone involved with transporting large numbers of horses for slaughter, commercial transport of competition and pleasure horses, or personal transport of one to a few horses. The three common areas of equine transportation medical problems are traumatic injuries, dehydration, and pleuropneumonia. Some of the relationships developed between transport and non-transport research of these three medicalprocesses may be of benefit to shippers, clinicians, and researchers alike. Data collection to verify the medical transportation problems is virtually nonexistent. 9 There is no data related to highway accidents listing any injuries to horses. This has not been accomplished relative to records involving human accidents such as in various state transportation departAuthor's address: Department of Food Animal and Equine Medicine,
College of Veterinary Medicine, 4700 Hillsborough Street, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606. Dr. Mansmann's present address is: P.O. Box 1575, Apex, NC 27502. *Fourth year veterinary student. Volume 15, Number 4, 1995
I
I
Southern Pines, North Carolina. February 11-12, 1995
We are here to eventually help horse owners help themselves with their horses, and their neighbors in a disaster situation.
I
ments, insurance companies, trailer/truck manufacturers, or professional transportation companies. Records of specific horse transport problems are not available from transport companies, slaughter houses, or any horse owner or transport groups. Specific transport-related disease data is not available from the Veterinary Medical Data Base. a
Traumatic Injuries The simplest traumas are the minor abrasions acquired from horses being placed in an unusual environment. A specific type of abrasion would be from the halter rubbing at the poll or over the nasal area. These injuries occur from braking against a short tie rope and can be prevented by a more experienced driver, protection such as a head bumper or soft wrapping around the halter, and a longer tie rope. Tail rubbing can cause significant abrasions at the base of the tail. Careful protective bandaging and eliminating contact of the horse's tail with any fixed object can resolve this problem. Biting can occur if appropriate head ties or protective screens are not available. Wither wounds can present serious healing difficulties because of gravity drainage resulting in infection dissecting into the shoulder fascial planes. These wounds occur from vehicle ceilings which are inhumanely low or from accidents. Leg wounds can occur from loss of balance as a result of braking and cornering episodes. One leg will often strike another, most commonly in the pastern and coronet areas. These wounds need thorough cleaning and bandaging. 1~A "bell" cast applied a few days after infection has been controlled can be helpful in healing complex foot wounds. The cast is applied from the mid pastern area covering the hoof to the bearing surface and left on for 7-14 days. Protective bandaging including the hoof can help prevent these types of wounds. Horses that scramble and have shoes on may need protective taping or boots over their shoes. Horses when allowed to travel untied, often choose to ride backward 4 but one position may be less stressful for one particular horse or situation than another. 4,11 Transporting a horse with a front leg fracture should be done with the horse facing backward and a horse with a hind leg fracture facing forward, a This is done to protect the injured leg during deceleration of the transport vehicle. Any projecting loose metal or exposed nails can cause lacerations over large muscle masses in the shoulder or rump area. These wounds can be difficult to suture but usually heal well. Review of the hauling vehicle for exposed sharp objects would prevent these types of wounds. Reviewing the flooring should also be part of every pre"Alan Warble, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. 141
PROCEEDINGSOF THE 2ND INTERNATIONALCONFERENCEON EQUINERESCUE NON-REVIEWED load check. Certainly one of the most traumatic and serious accidents is a leg injury caused by road contact after the leg has fallen through a floor board. Improperly secured doors can cause horses to fall out of the transport vehicle. Another serious injury is vertebral injury caused by quick braking, when a horse has his head firmly tied and the vehicle rapidly decelerates. With this injury the vertebral column is whiplashed from a rapid stop causing serious muscle and ligamentous pulling as the hind legs whip under the horse's body. Vertebral fracture and dislocation can also occur. Head injuries from flipping over when loading or trauma during travel can be serious. Besides direct obvious trauma to the head and eye area, the optic nerve can become stretched in some accidents causing nonrepairable blindness, la Large muscle injury can occur with a collision in addition to all the possible injuries that have been mentioned. These injuries may have minimal clinical signs immediately following the accident, but become more obvious as the large muscle mass undergoes further internal damage. This situation would be similar to compartmental syndrome where the bruised muscle swells against the confining skin causing progressive vascular compression damage, less blood flow, and then more muscle ischemia) a
Dehydration Any departure from the ordinary routine of the horse, whether they be internal forces such as disease and/or external forces such as transportation, may initially trigger a change in water balance. There are varying degrees of travel stress. The well-travelled horse may experience very little stress while the never-travelled horse may be very stressed. One of the first responses to stress is to decrease water intake. 6 At the same time, for several reasons the requirement for water intake may be increased for that horse during that travel period. Dehydration can cascade into more serious metabolic situations. The earliest stages of dehydration are difficult to clinically determine. So a horse could have up to 5% dehydration without showing significant clinical signs.14 Yet for the athletic horse, 2-3 % dehydration can affect performance. 15 So prevention of slight dehydration may be extremely valuable to the competition horse. Moderate dehydration could initiate blood flow abnormalities to the hooves. This problem could be accentuated by the inflammation caused by removing shoes from a horse that normally wears shoes. Other compounding factors that may enhance the risk oflaminitis could be the length of shipment relative to the state of fitness of the horse, the level of carbohydrate diet main142
tained during shipment, and any potential endotoxic disorders initiated due to travel. 16 Preventive measures would include not changing the shoeing status of the horse, adding frog support to those higher risk horses, and reducing carbohydrate intake during transport. Large colon impaction ~7 is another problem that can occur during transport due to dehydrating ingesta in the large colon. There is a higher risk of colic in the horse that has one to six transports/year, as compared to the horse that is not transported, or one that is transported more than six times per year. 18 Another potential problem with dehydration would be decreased renal function in the horse but may be more significant to the horse that is receiving medication such as phenylbutazone. 19 There are several methods of preventing dehydration that can be considered. Preparing horses with a water normalizing substance such as apple flavoring has been suggested to offset the differences in water taste. 6 Mineral oil or electrolyte-enriched water via nasogastric tube has been accomplished pre-transport for the prevention of gastrointestinal impaction, z~ The recommendations for stopping during transport are every 4-6 hours and overnighting horses at least every 12-16 hours. During stops and overnighting, the horses have the potential to get some exercise. Also with increased private transport of horses, directory books are available that give names and addresses of stopovers and veterinarians who would come to examine and administer oral fluids to travelling horses, al,22 Oral electrolytes and water could be given easily via nasogastric tube to the mild to moderate dehydrating horse. More volume at less cost could be given by nasogastric tube than intravenously. A 450-500 kg horse's stomach can tolerate 6-8 liters of electrolyte enriched water every 15 minutes for 1 to 2 hours. 23
Pleuropneumonia (Shipping Fever) Shipping fever or pleuropneumonia is a mixed bacterial pneumonia with varying involvement of the pleural space that has been thoroughly described. 24,2s Since this disease has been described over the past three decades it has been related significantly to transporting horses, z8 The initial clinical signs of impending pleuropneumonia can be insidious. There is fever, depression, and possibly stiffness; however, lack of cough or nasal discharge is not uncommon. It is a respiratory emergency and needs to be diagnosed and treatment initiated as soon as possible. These clinical signs can mimic other shipping problems. The stiffness and shortening of gait from initial chest pain is similar to laminitis. Occasionally due to the potential of endotoxemia from pleuropneumonia, laminitis can occur JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE
PROCEEDINGSOF THE 2ND INTERNATIONALCONFERENCEON EQUINERESCUE Southern Pines, North Carolina. February 11-12, 1995
9
=
j
Figure1. Shows a horse in transport vehicle from three views. It shows screening that separates one horse from another, a hay bag attached to the chest bar with "drainage" and ventilation openings away from the horse's legs, and also the concept of giving the horse's head more mobility by tying via the "log and rope."
concurrently with pleuropneumonia. 16The chest pain may cause the horse to get up and lay down periodically mimicking an impaction colic. The horse that travels and is being medicated with phenylbutazone is at risk of delaying the signs ofpleuropneumonia since fever and early inflammation will be depressed even though the active pneumonia is progressing. There are several factors that have been shown to predispose the traveling horse to pleuropneumonia. In the traditional hauling of horses hay is placed in a net or manger at the horse's nostrils to allow for some nutrition and keeping the horse entertained. Normal, good quality hay has many dust particles and small mold spores that can be inhaled. 2r Having hay near the nostrils increases inhalation of potentially damaging particles. It has been shown that transport over a few hours diminishes the alveolar macrophages population, the main cellular defenders in the lungs. 7 Ventilation plays a role. In transport vehicles where ventilation can stagnate such as in a parked van or plane, besides the slowing of air currents, the heat and humidity in the vehicle can rise due to the horses' body temperature. This allows for the increased growth of bacteria and fungi. 2 Little has been studied about noxious gases that could be accumulating in a horse trailer immediately following a tow vehicle. It is known that these gases decrease respiratory clearance capacity by disrupting the barrier between alveoli and the capillary bed. This could increase the permeability to bacteria. 5 Horses with their heads crosstied standing in stocks for 24-48 hours had increased neutrophils and bacteria in their transtracheal washes. One third of the horses had mild respiratory disease and 12% Volume 15, Number 4, 1995
had evidence of systemic disease. All signs resolved when the horses were allowed to lower their heads. 28 The most significant potential for reducing respiratory stress would be to allow the horses' heads as much freedom as possible when travelling. This could be accomplished by off loading every 4-6 hours and offering water, an electrolyte-spiked wet bran mash, or wet hay placed on the ground. When overnighting every 12-24 hours, the same feeding procedure could be accomplished. To allow the horses' heads more freedom during travel variations on securing a horse by the "log and rope" method could be adapted. With this method instead of the horse being cross-tied, the horse's halter is attached to one rope that can slide up and down through a secured opening (such as a fixed screw-eye) with tension applied by a weight ("the log"). The weight cannot pass through the secured opening; thus, when the weight approaches the secured opening this is the limiting length that the horse' s head can move. 29 Head movement can be up and down as well as side to side. If hay were provided, a deeper manger/hay bag would encourage the horse to lower its head. If feeding from a hay bag, a canvas front would prevent front leg penetration if the horse paws. The lower back portion of the hay bag could be netted to allow particles and water to drop through to the floor. In the typical professional transport van the chest bar could hold the deeper hay bag as well as the secured opening for the "log and rope" tie. Screening could be placed between horses' heads to prevent biting if necessary (Figure 1). Other preventives for reducing shipping fever include not shipping horses on medications such as phenylbutazone which could mask the early signs of pneumonia and corticosteroids that would further decrease the horse' s defense mechanisms and may also increase the risk of laminitis. 16 Early recognition and treatment of a potential problem are the most important criteria in preventing problems related to horse transport. More research and data collection would be beneficial to provide less stressful transportation of horses.
REFERENCES 1. Cregier SE: Reducing Equine Hauling Stress: A Review. J Eq Vet Sci 1982;2,6:187-198. 2. Leadon DP, Frank C,Atock A: Recommendations to Horse Owners and their Representatives on the Transport of Horses. Berne, Switzerland, Federation Equestre Internationale, 1990;1-
8. 3. Leadon DP: Studies of the Effects of Transporting Horses: Better to Arrive than to Travel. Equine Vet J 1994;26,5:346-347.
143
II Il
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2ND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EQUINE RESCUE
4. Smith BL, Jones JH, Carlson GP, et al.: Body Position and Direction Preferences in Horses During Road Transport. Equine Vet J, 1994;26,5:374-377. 5. Smith BL, Jones JH, Carlson GP, et al.: Minimizing Transport Stress in Horses. Proc AESM, 1991; 39-42. 6. Mars LA, Kiesling HE, Ross TT, et al.: WaterAcceptance and Intake in Horse Under Shipping Stress. J Eq Vet Sci 1992;12,1:17-20. 7. Bayly WM, Liggitt HD, Huston LJ, et al.: Stress and its Effect on Equine Pulmonary Mucosal Defenses. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract, 1986;32:253-262. 8. Bramlage LR: Current Concepts of First Aid and Transportation of the Equine Fracture Patient. Comp ConUn Educ Pract Vet, 1983;5:$564-$573. 9. Reece VP: Equine Transport: The Auction/Slaughter Funnel or Out of Sight, Out of Mind. ProcAmAssoc Equine Pract, 1994;40:71. 10. Fessler JF: Hoof Injuries. In: LL Booth, (ed.) Wound Management Vet Clin NA - Equine. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co. 1989;5,3:643-664. 11. Roberts TDM: Staying Upright in a Moving Trailer. The Equine Athlete, 1990;3,3:1-8. 12. Rebhun WC: Diseases of the Ocular System. In: PT Colahan, IG Mayhew, AM Merritt, etal: (eds) Equine Medicine and Surgery, ed. 4. Goleta, CA, American Veterinary Publications, 1991 ; 1095-1096. 13. Lindsay WA, McDonell W, Bignell W: Equine Postanesthetic Forelimb Lameness: Intracompartmental Muscle Pressure Changes and Biochemical Patterns. Am Vet Res, 1980; 41,12:1919-1924. 14. Seahorn TL, Cornick-Seahorn J: Fluid Therapy. In: JA Bertone. Emergency Treatment in the Adult Horse. Vet Clin N.A. - Equine. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, Co. 1994; 10,3:517-534. 15. Ridgeway K J: Thermoregulation and Electrolyte Management in the Endurance Horse. In: AF Clarke and LB
NON-REVIEWED
Jeffcoat. On To Atlanta '96. Guelph, Ontario, Equine Research Center, 1994:110-119. 16. Baxter GM: Acute Laminitis. In: JJ Bertone (ed.) Emergency Treatment in the Adult Horse. Vet Clin N.A. - Equine. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, Co. 1994;10,3:627-642. 17. Dabareiner RM, White NA: Large Colon Impaction in Horses: 147 Cases (1985-1991 ) JAVMA 1995;206,5:679-685. 18. White NA, Tinker MK, Lessard Pet al.: Equine Colic Risk Assessment on Horse Farms: A Prospective Study. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract, 1993;39:97. 19. MacAllister CG, Taylor-MacAIlister C: Treating and Preventing the Adverse Effects of Non Steroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs in Horses. Vet Med 1994;241-246. 20. Marks D: International Shipping of Competition Horses. J Eq Vet Sci 1993; 13,11:609-614. 21. Hawkins Guide: Horse Trailering on the Road. Southern Pines, NC, Bluegreen Publishing, Inc. 1994. 22. McDaniel JL: Nationwide Overnight Stabling Directo~ Arkansas City, KS, Equine Travelers of America, Inc. 1993. 23. Carlson GP: Dynamics of Equine Athletic Performance. New Jersey, Vet Learning Systems, 1985:82. 24. Byars TD, Becht JL: Pleuropneumonia.ln:JT Robertson, SM Reed. Respiratory Disease: Medicine and Surgery. Vet Clin N.A. - Equine. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, Co. 1991 ; 7,1 : 63-78. 25. Schott HC, Mansmann RA: Thoracic Drainage in Horses. Comp on Con Educ 1990; 12,2:251-261. 26. Mansmann RA: The Stages of Equine Pleuropneumonia. Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract, 1983;29: 61-63. 27. Clarke AF: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. In: NE Robsinson (ed). Current Therapy in Equine Medicine, ed 3. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, Co., 1992:329-332. 28. Racklyeft DJ, Love DN: Influence of Head Posture on the Respiratory Tract of Healthy Horses. Aust VetJ 1990;67:402-405. 29. Hadfield M: (ed) The Manual of Horsemanship ed. 9. London, Kenilworth Press Ltd., 1989:102-103.
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N O R M A N R A N T A N E N , DVM, MS ~ B
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Radiology Consultant in Diagnostic Ultrasound
Presents 1995 2-Day Short Course for Veterinarians San Luis Rey Equine Clinic, Bonsall, California
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144
. . . . . . . . . : The First Annual: DUBAI INTERNATIONALEQUINE SYMPOSIUM
Mo,ch 27-30' 1996 ~
City of Dubai United Arab Emirates
Internationally known speakers will present a program on
J u n e 23-24, 1995
Soft Tissue Injury in the Equine Athlete
Advance registration is required Course Fee $350.00 For more information please call 619-972-8662 or 619-728-0031; Fax 619-723-6994 or write: P.O. Box 1351, Fallbrook, CA 92088
For more information about the symposium, please call or write:
Dr. Norman W. Rantanen 5256 South Mission Road, Suite #1002-514 Bonsall, CA 92003 Phone: 619-728-0031; fax 619-723-6994
JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE