Postoperative recumbency behavior in horses undergoing minimally invasive surgery

Recumbency behavior is an indicator of rest, comfort, pain, and welfare in horses during hospitalization and postoperative recovery. Although arthroscopy and laparoscopy are minimally invasive procedures, their effects on postoperative recumbency patterns remain poorly characterized.

To compare sternal and lateral recumbency times in horses undergoing arthroscopy or laparoscopy during the immediate postoperative period.

Recumbency data from two independent experiments were analyzed. Eight horses underwent arthroscopy for experimental induction of osteoarthritis, and eight mares underwent standing laparoscopic ovariectomy; in both experiments, each animal underwent two procedures at defined intervals. Sternal and lateral recumbency times were recorded by continuous video monitoring for four days after each procedure. Preoperative recumbency, when available, was included as a covariate. General linear models evaluated the effects of surgical technique, surgery order, and postoperative day. Estimated marginal means were calculated for significant effects.

Arthroscopy was associated with longer sternal (192.8 ± 20.2 vs. 85.0 ± 14.5 min; P < 0.001) and lateral recumbency times (38.3 ± 6.4 vs. 9.7 ± 4.7 min; P < 0.001) than laparoscopy. Postoperative day significantly influenced recumbency, with times increasing over the four-day period (P < 0.001). Surgery order had no significant effect. Preoperative sternal recumbency tended to persist postoperatively but did not explain differences between surgical techniques.

Despite both being minimally invasive, arthroscopy and laparoscopy had distinct effects on postoperative recumbency behavior in horses. These findings suggest that recumbency patterns reflect surgical characteristics and postoperative adaptation, supporting their use as complementary indicators of recovery and welfare.