Leukosis is a tumorous disease of the hematopoietic system and, unlike in dogs or cattle, is relatively rare in horses. Lymphatic leukosis is the most common form in horses and develops as a result of the degeneration of cells in the immune system.
As with many cancers, the causes or triggers of cell degeneration are unknown. Starting in the cells of the immune system, the disease first affects the lymphatic organs (lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow). If the bone marrow is involved, tumor cells colonize the blood, a condition known as lymphatic leukemia.
Depending on the main location of the tumor, a distinction is made between the multicentric or generalized form of leukemia and extranodal (outside the lymph nodes) leukemia, which in turn can be divided into intestinal (affecting the intestines), mediastinal (affecting the mediastinum), and cutaneous (affecting the skin) forms.
The disease manifests itself through a wide variety of predominantly non-specific symptoms. The first clinical signs may include fatigue, reduced performance, weakness, tiredness, weight loss, and fever. The more advanced the disease, the more noticeable these general symptoms become.
Swollen lymph nodes, swelling of the spleen, pale mucous membranes, and edema in the lower abdomen and limbs also occur. The lymph nodes in the head and neck area are most commonly affected, which is why distemper must always be considered during diagnosis. Huge tumors (primarily in the liver and spleen) can develop in the abdominal cavity, but these are not always accessible to the veterinarian even during a rectal examination and are therefore often discovered at a late stage.
Due to the diverse, gradually developing, and rather unspecific symptoms of leukosis, diagnosis is not always easy for veterinarians.
Based on their clinical examination and a detailed preliminary report, they can make an initial diagnosis. However, with regard to the clinical symptoms observed, all diseases with similar symptoms, such as distemper or chronic respiratory diseases, must first be ruled out.
A blood test is an important diagnostic tool that can provide the veterinarian with further valuable information about leukemia. However, in living animals, the diagnosis can only be confirmed by histological detection of tumor cells from a tissue sample. However, the altered lymph nodes and tumors are not always accessible for sampling, making a reliable diagnosis difficult. Tumor cells can also be detected by removing and examining fluid from the chest or abdominal cavity.
There are few reports of successful treatment of leukosis in horses, as the disease is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, meaning that appropriate medication can only achieve short-term success and no long-term cure. In rare cases, surgical removal of individual tumors can bring about short-term improvement and prolong the animal's survival. In the skin form, consistent and continuous treatment with immunosuppressive drugs can achieve good results in some cases. However, treatment that is too short or abruptly interrupted can result in relapses with even more aggressive and rapid tumor growth.
The prognosis for generalized leukosis is poor. Most horses die within a short period of time after the onset of symptoms or are euthanized due to the diagnosis. The survival rate of animals suffering from the skin form of leukosis is slightly longer than for horses in which internal organs are also affected.
It is something very special to buy a horse when it is still young or even a foal. Untrained and completely inexperienced, young horses need a lot of attention and knowledge, but ultimately it makes us riders very proud to work together with our beloved animals to become a great rider-horse team. However, any horse owner who plans to break in the horse themselves should first ask themselves critically whether they have the necessary riding skills and whether they have the time available. In any case, you should work hand in hand with a trainer to find solutions to even minor problems together. After all, it's about laying the foundation, which is essential for the horse's further training. Another option is to give the unbroken horse to a professional who has the necessary routine and experience in breaking in young horses. Often, just a few months are enough, and you can then bring the horse back and continue training it together with a trainer.
Tumors of the urinary bladder or urethra are relatively rare in dogs, but are often malignant. In most cases, they are transitional cell carcinomas. Older female dogs are primarily affected. A higher incidence has been observed in Scottish Terriers, Airedale Terriers, West Highland White Terriers, and Beagles.
This tumor, which originates in the spleen, is one of the most malignant cancers in dogs. The spleen tumor grows very quickly and spreads metastases to all other organs, often before the actual primary tumor is discovered. Older dogs between the ages of eight and ten are most commonly affected.
Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease is also known as aseptic (= without the involvement of pathogens) femoral head necrosis (= death of the femoral head) and describes a non-inflammatory growth disorder in young dogs. It mainly affects miniature dog breeds and small dogs between the ages of three and ten months.
Kidney disease is relatively rare in horses, but its symptoms are often nonspecific and therefore not always immediately recognized, meaning that treatment is often delayed. In many cases, kidney disease is a concomitant or secondary condition of other diseases.
This disease, often mistakenly referred to as feline leukemia, is caused by the feline leukemia virus. However, since the virus causes many other serious symptoms in addition to malignant tumors of the lymphatic tissue, the name is somewhat misleading
Tooth fractures are relatively common in dogs and are usually caused by playing with stones or sticks, biting, or accidents. This can result in small, sharp chips in the enamel or larger defects that expose the pulp (nerve and blood vessels). If the pulp cavity is exposed, the tooth should be treated as soon as possible to reduce the risk of infection and preserve the tooth. The incisors, canines, and fangs are primarily affected. Young dogs are particularly at risk because their teeth are still developing and are therefore much more unstable than those of adult dogs.
Just like us humans, our pets may also require surgical or diagnostic procedures that cannot be performed on an awake animal. Most operations and some diagnostic procedures, such as endoscopies or dental treatment, require anesthesia (a medically induced state of sleep), which carries certain risks even in healthy animals and during routine procedures. We will explain what you need to bear in mind before and after such a procedure in order to minimize these risks and what complications can arise during anesthesia.
Lens dislocation, medically known as luxatio lentis, is an eye condition in which the lens becomes detached and displaced from its natural position. By obstructing the flow of aqueous humor, this condition can quickly lead to a dangerous increase in intraocular pressure. If not treated in time, it can result in blindness.
The weather is beautiful this weekend and you are going for a long ride on your horse. But right at the start of the first gallop, the horse suddenly becomes very stiff and starts sweating unusually heavily. It hardly wants to move and is pressing its back down. However, these signs seem too severe for simple muscle soreness, especially since you haven't done anything with the horse in the last few days. Avoid any further movement of the horse and always contact a veterinarian immediately in such cases, as the symptoms described above are very painful and may be the first signs of a cross-ties. As this muscle disease occurs frequently after horses have not been worked for one or more days with the same feed ration, it is also known as "holiday sickness" or "Monday morning disease." However, horses that are worked regularly can also fall ill. Young horses of heavy breeds are particularly at risk. This disease was greatly feared in the days when carriage and work horses were heavily used. Today, it only occurs sporadically, mostly in easy-to-feed horses with good nutritional status.
This condition, which has been known since the Middle Ages, is a movement disorder that exclusively affects the hind legs of horses. When the horse is being presented, one or both hind legs are bent excessively and jerkily so that the fetlock almost touches the belly and is then brought down again just as abruptly. The staccato gait is reminiscent of a rooster strutting, which is where the name comes from.
Anthrax is an acute, often fatal infectious disease that mainly affects cattle and sheep, but horses are also highly susceptible. The disease gets its name from the "burnt" appearance of the spleen in infected animals. Anthrax is found worldwide and is considered a zoonosis, as it is also dangerous to humans. It is a notifiable animal disease, but is now rarely observed in Germany. The anthrax bacterium is considered one of the most dangerous pathogens and could also be used by terrorists as a biological weapon.
