The Heart
Whether a heart murmur or a rhythm disturbance is present, and whether this may need further investigation, can be clarified in the course of a cardiovascular examination.
Blood gas analysis can be used to determine whether the heart is adequately supplying the circulatory system with oxygen or whether there is a possible heart problem.
The heart ensures that blood is pumped into the circulation and that all organs are sufficiently supplied with oxygen and nutrients.
Heart murmurs are relatively common in horses and indicate that one of the heart valves is not closing properly. A cardiac ultrasound is necessary to clarify whether the murmur is unproblematic (innocent) or whether it can cause clinical problems.
The Lung
Whether there is enough oxygen in the blood also depends on lung function.
This can be investigated by blood gas analysis.
There are many different reasons for impaired lung function. One of the most common causes is equine asthma, formerly also known as COPD / COB / RAO. A bronchoscopy is often necessary to confirm the diagnosis of lower airway disease.
With our wireless endoscopes, endoscopies of the respiratory tract can be performed in the stable.
Frequent diseases and disorders of the upper respiratory tract originate in the guttural pouch (e.g. strangles) or the larynx (e.g. laryngeal hemiplegia). These can also be visualized by endoscopic examination.
Many diseases of the lung tissue (e.g. abscesses, tumors, fibroses, effusions) can be detected by ultrasound examination. Ultrasound guided lung tissue sampling can also be performed as further diagnostic.
Intestines, Liver
Intestinal and liver diseases such as recurrent colic or weight loss are also relatively common in horses.
In order to get to the bottom of the cause, various examinations such as blood tests, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, absorption tests, abdominocentesis or biopsies (rectal mucosa biopsy, liver biopsy) are available, which can all be performed at the stable.
Nervous system
Diseases that affect the nervous system can manifest themselves in changes in consciousness, behavior and / or gait.
The most feared infectious diseases are probably equine herpes myeloencephalopathy, tetanus or botulism. But non-infectious diseases such as “wobblers” also belong to the category of neurologic diseases.
The affected region of the nervous system can be localized with a detailed neurological examination. Further laboratory tests often provide information about the disease itself and are essential in the face of infectious events and outbreaks.
Skin
The skin is the body’s largest organ and is the target for a wide variety of diseases. Many horses suffer from skin parasites, pastern dermatitis, allergies (e.g. culicoides allergy) or tumors (e.g. sarcoids or melanomas).
For diagnostics, intracutaneous allergy testing (similar to prick test), skin scrapings and biopsies, among other things, are available. The intracutaneous skin test is still considered the golden standard in identifying relevant allergens, but serum tests can also be very helpful and together they form the basis for therapy and patient management.
Here as well we are happy to help and guide you with diagnostics, therapy and management.
