Equine Pathology

The individual equine companion animal patient and the racing and breeding industries both require a rapid and accurate pathology service to facilitate optimal treatment and disease control measures within the UK and overseas.

As well as the veterinary schools, there are pathology labs with specialised equine expertise and facilities embracing all aspects of pathology at some locations in England, Ireland and the USA where there are high equine populations.It is an advantage that equine pathology facilities are often geographically close to the equine clinicians and their increasingly specialised hospitals and have back-up research facilities directed at matters equine, including pathology, microbiology and epidemiology.

As with other companion animals, equine diagnostic pathology requires expertise in clinical chemistry, cytology and biopsy interpretation from the live animal as well as dissection and necropsy investigations (in custom-built facilities) on the dead. Reasons for requests for necropsies include insurance claims, unexpected deaths, racing fatalities, abortions, foal deaths and occasional forensic cases.

The need to protect in-contact horses and to maintain surveillance for exotic diseases in the international transport of horses are also important factors to consider, as is the need to provide evidence in cases where there are welfare implications.

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