Page 785 - Equine Clinical Medicine, Surgery and Reproduction, 2nd Edition

760 CHAPTER 4

VetBooks.ir self-limiting in adult horses. Migrating Gastrophilus treatments, such as broad-spectrum antibiotics, soft
diet and mouthwashes, can be useful.
larvae in the oral mucosa may also cause a painful
stomatitis. Stomatitis may also result from ingestion
of caustic chemicals, severe periodontal disease sec- LAMPUS
ondary to food impaction in the interdontium and
trauma. Definition
This term describes the condition of swollen soft
Clinical presentation tissues covering the hard palate resulting in loss of
Increased salivation may be observed. The presence occlusion of the incisors.
of raised vesicles on the lips or tongue, gingival red-
dening or haemorrhage, ulceration of the tongue Aetiology/pathogenesis
and lips and reluctance to masticate can all indicate Historically, the hyperaemia and swelling of the
stomatitis (Fig. 4.81). gingiva on the ventral aspect of the hard palate was
observed in young horses that were in the process
Differential diagnosis of shedding their deciduous incisors and typically
Inflammatory disease of the oral cavity may be were grazing coarse forage. The transient hyperae-
easily confused with neoplastic conditions such as mia and inflammation of the gingival tissues coin-
squamous cell carcinoma, and the presence of the cidental with dental eruption is now considered to
primary cause (e.g. dental disease) must be identified. be a normal physiological condition in a percentage
of horses. The condition was historically treated by
Diagnosis cauterising the hard palate to induce cicatrisation
Clinical findings can be confirmed by oral endos- or by making incisions caudal to the upper incisors
copy, radiography to eliminate the presence of den- resulting in haemorrhage, which reduced any venous
tal apical disease and biopsy of any lesions suspected congestion.
to be neoplastic.
Differential diagnosis
Management In the older horse, oedema of the hard palate asso-
Treatment of any inciting cause, such as dental over- ciated with certain abrasive or spikey leaves is very
growths, diastema or caries is essential. Symptomatic similar in appearance to the juvenile condition.

Management
4.81 No pathological lesions have been identified with
this condition and the current view is that there is
no justification for any treatment. The swellings
almost invariably recede spontaneously and without
any negative consequences. Slight oedema or loose
palatal gingival mucosa may ensue in a few cases.
Treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) may be useful if the condition is
judged to be sufficiently painful to impede eating.

MANDIBULAR AND INCISIVE
BONE FRACTURES

Definition
Fig. 4.81 Acute stomatitis is rare but extremely Both mandibles, incisive bone and palatine bone
painful. are related to the oral cavity and fractures involving