Respiratory Diseases of the Horse: A Problem-Oriented Approach to Diagnosis and Management PDF

PREFACE

THIS BOOK is the result of the career-long interests of the two authors in diseases of the equine respiratory tract, from both medical (LC) and surgical (JH) perspectives. The equine respiratory tract presents unique questions and challenges that equine practitioners struggle with daily. For example: Where is the abnormal breathing sound coming from? Why does this horse have a nasal discharge? Why is this horse not performing up to expectations?

This book attempts to provide a framework to help equine practitioners systematically evaluate, diagnose, and treat the most common (and some not so common) disorders of the equine respiratory tract. It is organized in a way that emulates the approach that a clinician would use to assess a horse with a suspected respiratory abnormality. Hence, the book starts with a detailed description of anatomic features and pulmonary function, followed by an in-depth discussion of clinical examination methods and the use of appropriate diagnostic tests to help arrive at a clinical diagnosis. A novel modus operandi taken by the authors is the use of a problem-oriented approach to the diagnosis of equine respiratory diseases.

With this in mind, there are chapters dedicated to the evaluation of a horse presenting with a complaint of coughing, nasal discharge, increased respiratory effort, abnormal respiratory noise, or congenital respiratory abnormalities. Each starts by discussing the pathophysiology of a particular respiratory disease manifestation and then suggests an approach to reaching a diagnosis. Once a presumptive diagnosis is obtained, the reader can refer to the comprehensive discussion of each particular respiratory disease, including medical and/or surgical therapy.