I do not need to tell everyone that late gestational abortion in mares can be so very upsetting. After all the effort, time, and resources that is spent on establishing pregnancy, it is really awful to lose one. Although nature sometimes terminates a pregnancy for unknown reasons, mares and their unborn foals can become subject to diseases like any other horse. Placentitis is the number one cause of infectious abortion in mares.
The placenta is the fetal organ which interacts with the mare's uterus for the delivery of nutrients and removal of wastes. Placentitis is inflammation of the placenta, which is most commonly caused by bacterial infection. There are three forms of placentitis: Ascending, Hematogenous, and Nocardioform. Briefly, Ascending comes from the vagina and cervix. Hematogenous is from the blood and Nocardioform is a very specific type caused by a single microorganism. This cause is almost only diagnosed in Kentucky. Advances in diagnostics have enabled veterinarians to detect the Ascending form of placentitis via ultrasound examination. Measurements are taken of the thickness of the uterus and placenta and these values let us know if problems are occurring. Treatments are aimed at antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and hormonal supplementation. Early treatment has been shown to lengthen gestation and have a more favorable outcome to the foals than untreated mares.
I strongly recommend to my clients and all horse owners to have their mares examined as part of a pre-natal health program. If anyone has any questions about this disease, please feel free to contact me.
Take care all and think healthy foals.
Justin T. Hayna, DVM, Dipl. ACT
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
End of the first season
Well, I want to thank all for a good kickoff to the practice this year. It was a lot of fun and very exciting for me to start my own practice. I do very much enjoy reproductive medicine and I again want to thank all of my clients for helping me bring these technologies to Chicagoland.
As the breeding season comes to a close, it is never too late to start planning for next year!
For those of you with stallions, now is the time to think about genetic preservation. As the show season closes, collection of semen for cryopreservation is the best way to insure you have genetic material into the future. If you have any questions, please call and we can discuss the logistics of semen cryopreservation.
The mares get to take a bit of a break. Most are hopefully enjoying the fall weather and getting a check or a shot here and there. I do want to remind owners of placentitis. Placentitis is the #1 cause of infectious abortion in horses and it is one of the few problems we can find and treat. Briefly, there are three kinds of placentitis, and we can detect the most common of those three with regular ultrasound. I recommend monthly examinations from 7 months gestation, especially in mares that have had previous pregnancy losses. The most common sign of placentitis that owners see is a growing mammary gland with milky production. The most successful outcomes are associated with early treatment. Preventative ultrasound exams are key to early detection. Clients with questions should give me a call and we can discuss.
Take care all until next time.
Justin T. Hayna, DVM, Dipl. ACT
As the breeding season comes to a close, it is never too late to start planning for next year!
For those of you with stallions, now is the time to think about genetic preservation. As the show season closes, collection of semen for cryopreservation is the best way to insure you have genetic material into the future. If you have any questions, please call and we can discuss the logistics of semen cryopreservation.
The mares get to take a bit of a break. Most are hopefully enjoying the fall weather and getting a check or a shot here and there. I do want to remind owners of placentitis. Placentitis is the #1 cause of infectious abortion in horses and it is one of the few problems we can find and treat. Briefly, there are three kinds of placentitis, and we can detect the most common of those three with regular ultrasound. I recommend monthly examinations from 7 months gestation, especially in mares that have had previous pregnancy losses. The most common sign of placentitis that owners see is a growing mammary gland with milky production. The most successful outcomes are associated with early treatment. Preventative ultrasound exams are key to early detection. Clients with questions should give me a call and we can discuss.
Take care all until next time.
Justin T. Hayna, DVM, Dipl. ACT
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