Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Q Lowder.
Equine practitioners should be knowledgeable of dental anatomy and development to enhance their skill of age estimation of horses. The permanent teeth of horses are continually undergoing changes in shape and appearance. These changes may be used to suggest a reasonable age range for a horse.
Dental sepsis or periapical abscess formation constitutes a large percentage of dental conditions that afflict horses. Dental sepsis occurs when the pulp chamber of the tooth is exposed to the oral cavity or external environment, allowing bacterial localization with resulting infection. Although acute, primary, septic pulpitis in horses is rare, dental sepsis often results from colonization of the pulp chamber with pathogenic bacteria secondary to maleruption or impaction of teeth with secondary alveolar bone lysis, primary fractures of the tooth, mandible, or maxilla, periodontal disease, or infundibular necrosis. The sequela to pulpal infection are extensions into the periradicular tissues and mandibular or maxillary periapical abscess formation.
The dental management of geriatric horses can be a rewarding challenge to the practitioner. Owners become dissatisfied when their expectations are unrealistic. Consequently, communication between the owner and the practitioner is essential prior to the start of any dental procedure in a geriatric horse. Owners often expect the practitioner to correct what has been neglected for years. It is critical that the owner understand the possible complications associated with dental procedures and that some procedures (e.g., trephination) may necessitate protracted care. Often, when a tooth has been removed, there is a need for more frequent masticatory examinations to curtail any potential problems (i.e., development of step mouth). The owner needs to be aware of the extra dental maintenance costs that must be included in the upkeep of the horse.
Case records of post partum metritis in cows were obtained from Auburn University (42 cases) and Tuskegee University (36 cases) Large Animal Hospital files. Dairy cows (n=68) comprised 87.2% of the cases and beef (n=10) 12.8%. Age did not differ between the types, but the number of postpartum days at admission (mean+/-1 SD) differed significantly (P=0.02) between dairy (7.3+/-4.27) and beef (3.7+/-4.06) cows. Older cows and those with hyperthermia were less likely to recover from puerperal metritis (P=0.07 and 0.03, respectively). Type of treatment had no significant association with survival. The number of days of hospitalization was associated with institution (P<0.001), number of postpartum days at admission (P=0.001), history of predisposing factors (P=0.0006), hyperthermia (P=0.006), and length of various treatments (P<0.001). However, the type of treatment had no significant association with length of hospitalization. This study suggests that the necessity for or type of therapy has little effect on the outcome of postpartum metritis.