Ann. Méd. Vét., 2001, 145 (2), pp 122 - 129 Descriptive epidemiology of death in horses: results from a survey of French speaking equine practitioners in four countries.LEBLOND A., LEBLOND L., SABATIER P., SASCO A. J.Abstract :
This retrospective study aimed at describing the causes of death in horses in four countries: Belgium, France, Quebec and Switzerland. The study population was made of equine practices of veterinarians members of the French-speaking Equine Veterinary Association (AVEF). The data gathered cases which occurred in 1996. Adequate answers were obtained for 50% of the questionnaires that were sent. The crude mortality rate was 20,4 deaths per 1000 horses for all countries. The main causes of death were colic (7,7 per 1000 horses per year), followed by fracture (3,1 per 1000 horses per year). The mortality rate for colic was lower in France and higher in Belgium than in other countries (p < 0.01). The main activity of the followed horses and the size of the practice were taken into account as a confounding factor for the analysis of mortality. The crude mortality rate was lower in large practices than in practices of middle and small size. The specific mortality rates were lower for colic in leisure horses, higher for fracture and laminitis in racehorses and for foaling and infectious diseases in breeding horses. Get the PDF Contact person : a.leblond@vet-lyon.fr |