Back to Search Start Over

Fatal musculoskeletal injuries of Quarter Horse racehorses: 314 cases (1990-2007).

Authors :
Sarrafian, Tiffany L.
Case, James T.
Kinde, Hailu
Daft, Barbara M.
Read, Deryck H.
Moore, Janet D.
Uzal, Francisco A.
Stover, Susan M.
Source :
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 10/1/2012, Vol. 241 Issue 7, p935-942. 8p.
Publication Year :
2012

Abstract

Objective--To determine major causes of death and the anatomic location of musculoskel-etal injuries in Quarter Horse racehorses in California. Design--Retrospective case series. Animals--314 Quarter Horse racehorses with musculoskeletal injuries that were necrop-sied through the California Horse Racing Board Postmortem Program from 1990 to 2007. Procedures--Postmortem pathology reports were retrospectively reviewed. Musculoskel-etal injuries were categorized by anatomic region and described. The number of Quarter Horse starts and starters for the same period of time were obtained from a commercial database for determination of fatal injury incidence. Results--Musculoskeletal injuries accounted for 314 of the 443 (71 %) Quarter Horse race-horses that died during the 18-year study period. Fatal musculoskeletal injuries occurred at a rate of 2.0 deaths/1,000 race starts and 18.6 deaths/1,000 horses that started a race. Musculoskeletal injuries occurred predominantly during racing (84%) and in the forelimbs (81 %). The most common fatal musculoskeletal injuries were metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joint (fetlock) support injuries (40%) and carpal (24%), vertebral (10%), and scapular (8%) fractures. Proximal interphalangeal (pastern) joint luxations resulted in death of 3% of horses. Fracture configurations of some bones were consistent with those of Thoroughbred racehorses. Evidence of preexisting stress remodeling of bone was re-ported for some fractures. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance--Knowledge of common locations and types of fatal musculoskeletal injuries in racing Quarter Horses may enhance practitioners' ability to de-tect mild injuries early, rest horses, and help prevent catastrophic injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00031488
Volume :
241
Issue :
7
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
82215737
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.241.7.935