The effects of a single acupuncture treatment in horses with severe recurrent airway obstruction

Horses Referred to a Teaching Hospital Exclusively for Acupuncture and Herbs: A Three-Year Retrospective Analysis

Equine acupuncture and herbal medicine are increasingly popular and have been anecdotally used in the treatment of a number of conditions. There is, however, a lack of data on the most commonly treated conditions in horses. The medical records of 164 horses presented exclusively for acupuncture and herbal therapy over a three-year period from October 2012 to October 2015 were evaluated from a mixed animal integrative medicine service at a veterinary academic teaching hospital. Horses were presented primarily for musculoskeletal conditions (62.0%), gastrointestinal disorders (9.5%), and anhydrosis (6.1%). Nearly half of all treated horses were geldings, and the mean age of treatment was 10.7 ± 6.5 years. The most common breeds were Warmbloods (28.2%), Quarter horses (20.2%), Thoroughbreds (17.8%), and Arabians (8.0%). Treatments included acupuncture (90.2%), herbal supplements (79.8%), electroacupuncture (69.9%), B12 injections (pharmacoacupuncture, 29.4%), or administration of autologous blood at acupuncture points (hemoacupuncture, 8.0%). Thirty-eight (38) different herbal formulas were recommended during the study period. Horses that were not provided herbal recommendations were more likely to present with gastrointestinal complaints (odds ratio = 11.2). Sex, breed, and presenting complaint had no or minimal impact on the types of treatments performed during the visit. However, data regarding patient characteristics and presenting complaints provide novel information which can be used to design prospective clinical trials.

How does multilevel upper airway surgery influence the lives of dogs with severe brachycephaly? Results of a structured pre- and postoperative owner questionnaire

Brachycephalic airway syndrome in dogs is typified by a variety of anatomical abnormalities causing a diverse spectrum of clinical signs of varying intensity. This variability makes the assessment of the surgical outcome after upper airway surgery difficult. Using a structured questionnaire, the present study investigated the dog owner-perceived severity and frequency of a broad spectrum of welfare-relevant impairments 2 weeks before and 6 months after brachycephalic dogs underwent a recently developed multi-level upper airway surgery. All dogs underwent surgical treatment of stenotic nares (ala-vestibuloplasty), the nasal cavity (laser-assisted turbinectomy, LATE), the pharynx (palatoplasty and tonsillotomy), and if indicated, laryngeal surgery (laser-assisted ablation of everted ventricles and partial cuneiformectomy). Owners of brachycephalic dogs (n = 102) referred for upper airway surgery were eligible to participate. Questionnaire data from owners of 37 Pugs and 25 French bulldogs were evaluated. In all dogs, the clinical signs associated with brachycephaly improved markedly after surgery. Most encouraging was the striking reduction in life-threatening events by 90% (choking fits decreased from 60% to 5% and collapse from 27% to 3%). The incidence of sleeping problems decreased from 55% to 3%, and the occurrence of breathing sounds declined by approximately 50%. There was a marked improvement in exercise tolerance and a modest improvement in heat tolerance. Dogs with severe brachycephaly benefitted substantially from multi-level surgery, and there were particular improvements in the incidences of severe impairment and life-threatening events. However, despite the marked improvement perceived by dog owners, these dogs remained clinically affected and continued to show welfare-relevant impairments caused by these hereditary disorders.

Recurrent airway obstruction: a review

Recurrent airway obstruction is a widely recognised airway disorder, characterised by hypersensitivity-mediated neutrophilic airway inflammation and lower airway obstruction in a subpopulation of horses when exposed to suboptimal environments high in airborne organic dust. Over the past decade, numerous studies have further advanced our understanding of different aspects of the disease. These include clarification of the important inhaled airborne agents responsible for disease induction, improving our understanding of the underlying genetic basis of disease susceptibility and unveiling the fundamental immunological mechanisms leading to establishment of the classic disease phenotype. This review, as well as giving a clinical overview of recurrent airway obstruction, summarises much of the work in these areas that have culminated in a more thorough understanding of this debilitating disease.

Veterinary clinical research database for homeopathy: placebo-controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Veterinary homeopathy has led a somewhat shadowy existence since its first introduction. Only in the last three decades has the number of clinical trials increased considerably. This literature is generally not well perceived, which may be partly a consequence of the diffuse and somewhat inaccessible nature of some of the relevant research publications. The Veterinary Clinical Research Database for Homeopathy (VetCR) was launched in 2006 to provide information on existing clinical research in veterinary homeopathy and to facilitate the preparation of systematic reviews.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present report is to provide an overview of this first database on clinical research in veterinary homeopathy, with a special focus on its content of placebo controlled clinical trials and summarising what is known about placebo effects in animals.

RESULTS

In April 2012, the VetCR database contained 302 data records. Among these, 203 controlled trials were identified: 146 randomised and 57 non-randomised. In 97 of those 203 trials, the homeopathic medical intervention was compared to placebo.

COMMENT

A program of formal systematic reviews of peer-reviewed randomised controlled trials in veterinary homeopathy is now underway; detailed findings from the program's data extraction and appraisal approach, including the assessment of trial quality (risk of bias), will be reported in due course.

Evidence-based respiratory medicine in horses

It is clear from a review of the current scientific literature that an evidence-based approach to medical treatment of equine respiratory disease can be applied, at least in the instance of common lower respiratory diseases. In particular, there is clear evidence for efficacious treatments for recurrent airway obstruction and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, and with the recognition of this evidence, these treatments should be the first to be considered by a practitioner when treating these conditions. The purpose of this article is not only to identify the existence of relevant high-quality studies for incorporation into an evidence-based veterinary medicine approach to patient care, but to highlight the features of those studies that should be considered when evaluating their value in individual situations.