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Gastrointestinal sand accumulation is a common cause of equine colic. Subjective assessment of sand accumulation on abdominal radiographs has been used as a diagnostic aid; however, there is poor correlation between clinical, diagnostic, and surgical findings. The purpose of this study was to develop an objective method of assessing radiographic sand accumulation in order to improve the diagnostic utility of radiography for sand colic. Fifty-one equine abdominal radiographic examinations were reviewed, with approximately half of the imaged patients having a clinical diagnosis of sand colic. Initially, four observers independently reviewed these radiographic studies to subjectively decide whether or not sand accumulation was sufficient to cause colic. Subsequently, an objective scoring system was developed using various radiographic parameters that yielded a score ranging from one to 12 for quantity and apparent density of sand accumulation. Inter- and intraobserver results using the subjective scoring method had significant differences among all observers. Subjective assessment was also deemed to be inaccurate for colic prediction. Using the objective scoring system, there were no significant differences between or within the observers' results. A score of seven out of 12 was found to have an 83% likelihood of being associated with a positive diagnosis of sand colic. The designed objective scoring method creates a more uniform and accurate method to assess the sand accumulation.

Objective: To study the effect of unilateral synovitis in the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints on locomotion, including the compensating effects within and between limbs., Animals: 4 clinically normal horses., Procedure: Gait analyses including kinematics, force plate, and inverse dynamic analysis were performed at the trot before lameness, after which synovitis was induced by injecting endotoxin into the right distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints. Gait analyses were repeated 24 to 30 hours later during lameness. Differences between the stride variables during the 2 conditions (lame and sound) were identified., Results: Tarsal joint range of motion, peak vertical force, and vertical impulse were decreased during lameness. Mechanical deficits included a decrease in negative work performed by the tarsal extensors during the early stance phase and a decrease in positive work by the tarsal extensors during push off. No compensatory changes in work were performed by other joints within the lame hind limb during the stance phase. Vertical impulse in the diagonal forelimb decreased, but there were no significant changes in forces or impulses in the ipsilateral forelimb or contralateral hind limb., Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Results indicate that horses are able to manage mild, unilateral hind limb lameness by reducing the airborne phase of the stride rather than by increased loading of the compensating limbs.