This past December, farm veterinarian Dr. Jorge Colòn, DVM presented his research that had been performed on Chesapeake Farm mares at the AAEP Annual Convention held in San Diego, CA.  Entitled “Trans-Rectal Ultrasonographic Appearance of Abnormal Combined Utero-Placental Thickness in Late-Term Gestation and its Incidence During Routine Survey in a Population of Thoroughbred Mares,” his goal was to diagnose potential cases of placentitis at an earlier time, and also to institute medical treatment in the early stages of the disease in order to reduce or eliminate the incidence of fetal disease and death secondary to placental failure.   Dr. Colòn examined the combined utero-placental thickness (CUPT) of 106 Thoroughbred mares over four years, and found that with early detection and treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ), pentoxifylline (Trentral), and altrenogest (Regimate) until foaling, he was able to delay the effects of placental failure in mares with placentitis, as all studied abnormal CUPT cases carried their pregnancies to term and delivered a live foal.  He also found during the study that the incidence of placentitis was much greater than previously assumed, as 15% of the cases that he examined had signs of abnormal CUPT.    In conclusion to his study, Dr. Colón recommended that CUPT measurements should be started at ~270 days gestation, treatment should be initiated when placentitis is first diagnosed, and this should be continued until the day of foaling in order to help prevent placental failur