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Topic:Animal Health
Animal Health encompasses a broad range of topics focused on maintaining and improving the well-being of equine species. This field addresses various aspects of horse care, including disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of health conditions. Key areas of interest include equine nutrition, vaccination protocols, parasite control, dental care, and the management of chronic conditions such as laminitis and colic. Additionally, animal health research in horses investigates the impact of exercise and training on physical health, the role of genetics in disease susceptibility, and the development of new therapeutic approaches. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the latest advancements, challenges, and best practices in preserving and enhancing the health of horses.
The influence of various confounding factors on mechanical nociceptive thresholds in the donkey. To evaluate a mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) testing device in the donkey, and to investigate the influence of potential confounders on MNTs generated. Methods: Prospective, randomised. Methods: Sixteen castrated male donkeys aged 4-9 years, weighing 105-170 kg. Methods: Mechanical nociceptive thresholds were measured using an actuator with three pins placed on the dorsal aspect of the distal limb, connected to a force meter. The pins (surface area 15 mm(2) ) were extruded onto the limb by pressurising an air-filled syringe, until the MNT force (when foot-lift was observed) or 25 N (cu...
Factors influencing total carbon dioxide concentrations in plasma of thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses. Horse racing authorities impose a limit on the concentration of plasma 'total carbon dioxide' (TCO2), typically 36 mM with action taken above 37 mM, as measured by an electrochemical gas analyzer. It is of interest to understand the distribution of TCO2 in a 'normal' population of racehorses and determine probabilities of members of this population exceeding these current regulatory and action limits. TCO2 levels in equine plasma samples have been modelled for 12 months (2011-2012) of thoroughbred (3076 measurements) and standardbred (3788 measurements) data in Australia. The two populations h...
Gross placental morphology and foal serum biochemistry as predictors of foal health. The aim of this study was to verify if changes in blood glucose, creatinine, urea, and fibrinogen concentrations evaluated at birth reflect gross placenta abnormalities, and are useful to identify foals that suffered from placental dysfunction. A total of 92 mares were included in the present study: 68 delivered healthy foals and they were included in group 1; 24 delivered sick foals and they were included in group 2. In group 2, foals' clinical diagnoses included perinatal asphyxia syndrome (PAS; n = 20) and prematurity and/or dysmaturity (n = 4). The proportion of sick foals was greater when...
The range and prevalence of clinical signs and conformation associated with lameness in working draught donkeys in Pakistan. Lameness is prevalent in working donkeys and has major welfare implications; however, a detailed study of the associated clinical signs is lacking. Objective: To describe the range and prevalence of clinical signs and conformation associated with lameness in working draught donkeys. Methods: Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study. Methods: Data were collected from 102 working draught donkeys in Pakistan. A lameness assessment adapted for working donkeys was used to record clinical signs of lameness, gait, limb conformation and pain responses in the feet, limbs and spine using observ...
Variation in salivary and pancreatic alpha-amylase genes in Italian horse breeds. The dietary demand of the modern horse relies on high-cereal feeding and limited forage compared with natural grazing conditions, predisposing the horse to several important diseases. Salivary and pancreatic alpha-amylases (coded by AMY1 and AMY2 genes, respectively) play a crucial role in carbohydrate digestion in nonruminants, but little is known about these 2 genes in the horse. Aim of this work has been to distinguish genomic sequences of horse AMY1 and AMY2 genes and to analyze any polymorphisms in breeds historically characterized by marked differences in nutritional management. A single...
Intravenous application of allogenic peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells: a safety assessment in 291 equine recipients. It has been reported that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have homing capacities and immunomodulating effects after an intravenous injection. However, transplanting MSCs in murine tail veins can result in pulmonary reactions and even death of the animals. Unfortunately, only a few intravenous MSC transplantations have been reported in large animal species and these were performed in a limited number of individuals. To assess the safety of MSC transplantations, a large study on 291 recipient horses is reported here. MSCs were isolated from the peripheral blood (PB) of a 4-year-old and 6-year-old ...
Effect of extender and amino acid supplementation on sperm quality of cooled-preserved Andalusian donkey (Equus asinus) spermatozoa. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two commercially available liquid stallion semen extenders for the preservation of Andalusian donkey semen at 5°C for up to 72h, and to evaluate the effect of amino acid addition on sperm quality of cooled donkey semen. In addition, this study investigated the effect of seasons on semen characteristics of Andalusian jackasses. Throughout a year, 50 ejaculates were collected from ten adult donkeys and a complete semen evaluation was performed immediately after collection. In Experiment 1, semen samples (n=32) were pooled, divided into ...
Standing diagnostic and therapeutic equine abdominal surgery. The widespread use of laparoscopy in equine surgery has increased interest in the standing approach to a wide range of procedures typically regarded as feasible only through a ventral midline incision. Although a commonly cited benefit of standing surgery relates to avoiding costs of general anesthesia and risks associated with it, some procedures and horses are not suitable candidates for standing abdominal procedures. Some procedures, such as nephrectomy, colostomy, and closure of the nephrosplenic space, are not only suitable for standing surgery but are performed more easily and more safel...
Controlled nail delivery of a novel lipophilic antifungal agent using various modern drug carrier systems as well as in vitro and ex vivo model systems. The penetration behavior into human nails and animal hoof membranes of a novel antifungal agent (EV-086K) for the treatment of onychomycosis was investigated in this study. The new drug provides a high lipophilicity which is adverse for penetration into nails. Therefore, four different formulations were developed, with particular focus on a colloidal carrier system (CCS) due to its penetration enhancing properties. On the one hand, ex vivo penetration experiments on human nails were performed. Afterwards the human nail plates were cut by cryomicrotome in order to quantify the drug concentratio...
Standing ophthalmic surgeries in horses. Standing ophthalmic surgery without general anesthesia allows for several routine ophthalmic procedures including eyelid lacerations and enucleations to be performed in the horse, but does contain increased risk of causing tissue damage arising from the inability to eliminate eye and head movements. Heavy sedation and local nerve blocks of the involved motor and sensory nerves are essential in achieving a good outcome from ophthalmic surgery in the nonanesthetized horse. The inability to use an operating microscope in standing surgery in horses prevents performing precise corneal and intraocul...
Clinical ophthalmic challenges in the horse: a retrospective view forward. The author reviews some aspects of vision and ophthalmic disease in the horse and considers how some recent developments in ocular immunobiology and molecular pathology in other species may give pointers toward an understanding of disease processes in the horse.
Identification of sample donor by 24-plex short tandem repeat in a post-race equine plasma containing dexamethasone. Animal sport such as horseracing is tainted with drug abuse as are human sports. Treatment of racehorses on race day with therapeutic medications in most cases is banned, and thus, it is essential to monitor the illicit use of drugs in the racing horse to maintain integrity of racing, ensure fair competition and protect the health, safety and welfare of the horse, jockeys and drivers. In the event of a dispute over the identity of the sample donor, if the regulator can provide evidence that the DNA genotype profile of the post-race sample matched that of the alleged donor, then the potential d...
The Equine PeptideAtlas: a resource for developing proteomics-based veterinary research. Progress in MS-based methods for veterinary research and diagnostics is lagging behind compared to the human research, and proteome data of domestic animals is still not well represented in open source data repositories. This is particularly true for the equine species. Here we present a first Equine PeptideAtlas encompassing high-resolution tandem MS analyses of 51 samples representing a selection of equine tissues and body fluids from healthy and diseased animals. The raw data were processed through the Trans-Proteomic Pipeline to yield high quality identification of proteins and peptides. T...
Hypothalamic distribution, adenohypophyseal receptor expression, and ligand functionality of RFamide-related peptide 3 in the mare during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. RFamide-related peptide 3 (RFRP3), the mammalian homologue of avian gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone, has been shown to negatively regulate the secretion of LH and may contribute to reproductive seasonality in some species. Herein, we examined the presence and potential role of the RFRP3-signaling system in regulating LH secretion in the mare during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Hypothalamic NPVF mRNA (the precursor mRNA for RFRP3) was detected at the level of the dorsomedial nucleus and paraventricular nucleus, but expression did not change with season. A greater number of RFRP3-expres...
Visual attention, an indicator of human-animal relationships? A study of domestic horses (Equus caballus). As visual attention is an intrinsic part of social relationships, and because relationships are built on a succession of interactions, their establishment involves learning and attention. The emotional, rewarding or punishing, content can modulate selective attention. In horses, the use of positive/negative reinforcement during training determines short and long-term human-horse relationships. In a recent study in horses, where either food or withers' grooming were used as a reward, it appeared that only the food-rewarded horses learned the task and show better relationship with humans. In the...
Exotic rotaviruses in animals and rotaviruses in exotic animals. Group A rotaviruses (RVA) are a major cause of viral diarrhea in the young of mammals and birds. RVA strains with certain genotype constellations or VP7-VP4 (G-P) genotype combinations are commonly found in a particular host species, whilst unusual or exotic RVAs have also been reported. In most cases, these exotic rotaviruses are derived from RVA strains common to other host species, possibly through interspecies transmission coupled with reassortment events, whilst a few other strains exhibit novel genotypes/genetic constellations rarely found in other RVAs. The epidemiology and evolutionary...
Effects of hyperflexion on acute stress responses in ridden dressage horses. The effects of hyperflexion on the welfare of dressage horses have been debated. This study aimed to investigate acute stress responses of dressage horses ridden in three different Head-and-Neck-positions (HNPs). Fifteen dressage horses were ridden by their usual rider in a standardised 10-min dressage programme in either the competition frame (CF), hyperflexion ("Low-Deep-and-Round"; LDR) or a looser frame (LF) in a balanced order on three separate test days. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability parameters (HRV), behaviour and rein tension were recorded during the test. Salivary cortisol c...
Sperm abnormalities in post-thawed semen of Tunisian Arab stallions. The study was undertaken in order to evaluate sperm morphology features of post-thawed semen of Tunisian Arab stallions. Forty two ejaculates was collected and frozen, during years 2009 and 2010, from 9 stallions aged between 9 to 24 years. After thawing, sperm morphology was studied after eosin-nigrosin stain. The percentages of abnormal head, mid piece, flagella, sperm with droplets and the total abnormal sperm were determined. Analysis of variance was carried out using SAS software. The results showed that all sperm morphology features varied among ejaculates within stallion and among stall...
Equine epidermis: a source of epithelial-like stem/progenitor cells with in vitro and in vivo regenerative capacities. Besides the presence of somatic stem cells in hair follicles and dermis, the epidermis also contains a subpopulation of stem cells, reflecting its high regenerative capacity. However, only limited information concerning epidermis-derived epithelial-like stem/progenitor cells (EpSCs) is available to date. Nonetheless, this stem cell type could prove itself useful in skin reconstitution after injury. After harvesting from equine epidermis, the purified cells were characterized as EpSCs by means of positive expression for CD29, CD44, CD49f, CD90, Casein Kinase 2β, p63, and Ki67, low expression f...
Jejunal perforation due to porcupine quill ingestion in a horse. An 8-month-old Andalusian filly was treated for jejunal perforations due to ingestion of a porcupine quill. During exploratory laparotomy, 2 separate stapled side-to-side jejunojejunal resection and anastomoses were performed. Post-operative complications after 2 years follow-up included mild incisional herniation following incisional infection and chronic intermittent colic. Perforation jéjunale causée par l’ingestion d’une aiguille de porc-épic chez un cheval. Une pouliche d’Andalousie âgée de 8 mois a été traitée pour des perforations jéjunales causées par l’ingestion d’...
Characterization of a reversible lameness model in the horse. Characterization of a model of reversible foot lameness in the horse. Methods: Both forelimb hooves were fitted with a circumferential clamp. After three baseline measurements utilizing a force platform, one clamp was tightened to induce a grade 2.5/5 lameness and left in place for 120 hours. Serial heart rate and force platform measurements were obtained and the asymmetry index was calculated. After 120 hours, the clamp was released and force platform data recorded until the horse returned to soundness. The procedure was repeated for the opposite forelimb. The responses of treatment compared ...
Phylogenetic analysis of Staphylococcus aureus CC398 reveals a sub-lineage epidemiologically associated with infections in horses. In the early 2000s, a particular MRSA clonal complex (CC398) was found mainly in pigs and pig farmers in Europe. Since then, CC398 has been detected among a wide variety of animal species worldwide. We investigated the population structure of CC398 through mutation discovery at 97 genetic housekeeping loci, which are distributed along the CC398 chromosome within 195 CC398 isolates, collected from various countries and host species, including humans. Most of the isolates in this collection were received from collaborating microbiologists, who had preserved them over years. We discovered 96 bi-a...
Extended-spectrum β-lactamase, carbapenemase and AmpC producing Enterobacteriaceae in companion animals. Organisms in the family Enterobactericeae including, Escherichia coli, commonly cause community and hospital-associated infections in both humans and companion animals. The increasing prevalence of infections with organisms producing broad spectrum β-lactamses such as the ESBLs (particularly the CTX-M type), AmpC and carbapenemase enzymes are threatening the future of the β-lactam drugs. While a number of organisms within the Enterobacteriaceae producing these enzymes have been isolated from cats, dogs and horses, E. coli, including isolates indistinguishable from strains found in people, ha...
