OSU Veterinarian Works to Save Horse's Life

Oklahoma Blood Bank Help Allows Plasma Exchange

Tom Johnston
Communications Services
Oklahoma State University
(405) 744-6260

White Beauty, a 6-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse at OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine hospital, undergoes plasmapheresis, a cleaning of her blood, in hopes her bone marrow will start manufacturing red blood cells. Watching the procedure are equine medicine clinician Dr. Rudolf Steiger and technicians from the Oklahoma Blood Bank.
White Beauty, a 6-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse, has a problem. A serious one. Her immune system has developed antibodies which prevent her bone marrow from producing red blood cells. Unless the antibodies are eliminated, she will die.

Her owner brought her to Oklahoma State University's veterinary medical teaching hospital about three weeks ago. Once her problem was diagnosed, the equine medicine clinician in charge of her case, Dr. Rudolf Steiger, started to treat the severely ill racehorse. However, after he learned that steroids had failed to suppress the unwanted immune response, he realized he would have to take some unusual measures to try to help the horse beat the odds.

"I knew that in cases of human immune problems, there is a procedure called plasmapheresis, which filters the unwanted antibodies out of the blood. Our hospital does not have such a machine, so I took a long shot and called the Oklahoma Blood Bank to see if they might direct me to one. They very graciously offered not only to loan us a machine, but also two technicians to operate it," Steiger said.

The doctor said the process involves pumping the blood out of the horse's body and into the machine, where the plasma, including the unwanted antibodies, is extracted from the blood. At the same time, new plasma, donated from donor horses at the OSU College of Veterinery Medicine Ranch, is pumped back into White Beauty's system. "What it amounts to," Steiger said, "is a 'washing' of the blood."

The doctor explained the cleaning operation is a "wait and see" proposition. "We're not sure what the outcome will be," he said. "We're hoping we can lower the level of antibodies to the extent that her bone marrow will start manufacturing red blood cells."

One thing is certain, however. The horse seems to be enjoying the attention being given to her by the technicians, doctors, and veterinary students. In addition to the best medical help, she's getting a lot of love. And she doesn't mind that at all.
For information about this page, send e-mail to Dr. Rudolf Steiger.

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