Resources

Ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that uses high frequency sound waves to image soft tissue structures in the body. The sound waves are translated into a black and white picture. With this technique it is therefore possible from the outside to investigate several disease processes in organs that are in the belly and the chest of the horse. Evaluation usually includes assessment of the location and size of an organ and changes in its tissue structure. In addition, in several organs (e.g. heart and kidney) blood flow can be visualised in a coloured picture using a technique called colour-Doppler ultrasound. Ultrasound can be used as an aid to pinpoint the location and depth of biopsy sites and needles.

Ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that uses high frequency sound waves to image soft tissue structures in the body. The sound waves are translated into a black and white picture. With this technique it is therefore possible from the outside to investigate several disease processes in organs that are in the belly and the chest of the horse.

A bacterium called Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia (APP) can cause clinical disease in grower and finisher pigs. It is a highly contagious disease, spreading easily between pigs and resulting in a mortality rate of 30-50% in an acute, sudden outbreak. Chronic disease can also result, leading to decreased growth rates.

Horses’ eyes are easily damaged as their position on the head means they are at risk when the horse grazes near hedges or brushes past trees. A painful eye in the horse is a veterinary emergency. Most conditions are easily treated but if untreated severe disease can occur which may threaten the horse’s sight in the future.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is caused by an iridovirus, of which there are many different strains, and can result in a mortality of up to 90-100%. ASF is a notifiable disease, so any suspicion must be reported to a police constable officially, although in practice this is via your Vet or a Government Veterinary Officer. Strict movement restrictions will apply until results from samples are known.

Angular limb deformities (ALDs), often referred to as bent legs, are a relatively common condition, most frequently affecting new born or relatively young, growing foals during the first few months of life. When viewed from in front or behind, the lower limbs either divert towards or away from midline. The knee (carpus), fetlock, and hock are the most frequently affected joints. ALDs usually develop due to a difference in the rate of bone growth across the growth plate adjacent to the affected joint. A growth plate is an area of cartilage within the bone of young animals that is responsible for the increase in bone length as the animal grows.

Clinically and economically, the most important parasite of the pig in the UK is the large roundworm, Ascaris suum. The disease seldom has a high mortality, only in the most extreme cases will it cause death, but it will affect daily gain (worsening it by up to 10% across an animals lifetime) and feed efficiency (up to a 13% decrease).