PLoS ONE (Jan 2024)

Treatment approaches to horses with acute diarrhea admitted to referral institutions: A multicenter retrospective study.

  • Diego E Gomez,
  • Jamie J Kopper,
  • David P Byrne,
  • David L Renaud,
  • Angelika Schoster,
  • Bettina Dunkel,
  • Luis G Arroyo,
  • Anna Mykkanen,
  • William F Gilsenan,
  • Tina H Pihl,
  • Gabriela Lopez-Navarro,
  • Brett S Tennent-Brown,
  • Laura D Hostnik,
  • Mariano Mora-Pereira,
  • Fernando Marques,
  • Jenifer R Gold,
  • Sally L DeNotta,
  • Isabelle Desjardins,
  • Allison J Stewart,
  • Taisuke Kuroda,
  • Emily Schaefer,
  • Olimpo J Oliver-Espinosa,
  • Gustavo Ferlini Agne,
  • Benjamin Uberti,
  • Pablo Veiras,
  • Katie M Delph Miller,
  • Rodolfo Gialleti,
  • Emily John,
  • Ramiro E Toribio

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313783
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 11
p. e0313783

Abstract

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BackgroundThis study aimed to describe and compare therapeutic approaches for horses with acute diarrhea in different geographic regions worldwide.MethodsClinical information was retrospectively collected from diarrheic horses presented to participating institutions between 2016 and 2020, including fluid therapy on admission, antimicrobial drugs, probiotics, anti-endotoxic medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, gastroprotectants, digital cryotherapy, and toxin-binding agents. Seasonal and geographic differences were investigated.Results1438 horses from 26 participating hospitals from 5 continents were included. On admission, 65% (926/1419) of horses were administered a fluid bolus. Antimicrobial drugs were administered to 55% (792/1419) within the first 24 hours of admission, with penicillin and gentamicin being the most used combination (25%, 198/792). Horses with leukopenia (OR: 2.264, 95%CI: 1.754 to 2.921; PLimitationsDue to the retrospective nature of the study, the rationale for treatment decisions was unavailable, and associations with survival could not be evaluated.ConclusionsTreatments varied between hospitals from different geographic regions. Prospective clinical trials are required to evaluate the effects of various treatments on survival.