Septic fibrinous pericarditis in 4 horses in Saskatchewan following an outbreak of forest tent caterpillars in 2017

In the summer of 2017, 4 horses were diagnosed with septic fibrinous pericarditis at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon. This case series occurred after a significant outbreak of forest tent caterpillars in the province during that spring. Three horses were immediately euthanized,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian veterinary journal 2020-07, Vol.61 (7), p.724-730
Main Authors: Chapuis, Ronan J J, Ragno, Valentina M, Ariza, Cristian A, Movasseghi, Ahmad R, Sayi, Soraya, Uehlinger, Fabienne D, Montgomery, Julia B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Disease Outbreaks - veterinary
Euthanasia, Animal
Female
Forests
Horse Diseases - epidemiology
Horses
Larva
Pericarditis - epidemiology
Pericarditis - veterinary
Saskatchewan - epidemiology
Scientific
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Summary:In the summer of 2017, 4 horses were diagnosed with septic fibrinous pericarditis at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon. This case series occurred after a significant outbreak of forest tent caterpillars in the province during that spring. Three horses were immediately euthanized, and treatment was attempted in 1 mare. This is the first case series of pericarditis possibly associated with the ingestion of forest tent caterpillars to be reported in western Canada. Although cause-effect is not proven, it is prudent to prevent the ingestion of caterpillars by horses. Key clinical message: Septic fibrinous pericarditis, a rare condition in horses, has previously been linked to outbreaks of eastern tent caterpillars. A similar link might exist in this case series.
ISSN:0008-5286