Serum amyloid A (SAA) is one of the major acute phase proteins in horses. It serves as a marker for systemic inflammation and infection, as the concentration can increase 100- to even 1000-fold during systemic disease processes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sedation, oral examination, and odontoplasty on systemic inflammation as measured by SAA in the adult performance horse. This study included 32 clinically healthy adult performance horses. Blood samples were collected immediately prior to sedation, oral examination, and odontoplasty and 48 and 72 hours afterward. Serum amyloid A levels were measured directly after venipuncture using a commercially available stall-side lateral flow immunoassay test developed and validated for equine SAA levels. Serum amyloid A values were within normal limits for each of the time periods and there were no significant differences in SAA values between the time periods. The results of this study suggest that sedation, oral examination, and odontoplasty have no systemic inflammatory effects as measured by SAA.
