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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.
Comparison of the morphology of the limbs of juvenile and adult horses (Equus caballus) and their implications on the locomotor biomechanics. We analyzed the morphology and the walk-trot and trot-gallop transition velocities of nine juvenile horses and compared them with their mothers. We also compared the relative stride length and the duty factor of the juveniles with respect to adults at three equivalent trotting speeds (Froude numbers 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0), to determine dynamic similarity. Juveniles had a negative allometry in their leg bones, mainly because of little size changes of the distal portions. The negative allometry of extremities allows juveniles to increase stride length without increasing step frequency, which can be...
Virulence determinants of equine infectious anemia virus. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a macrophage-tropic lentivirus that rapidly Induces disease in experimentally infected horses. Because EIAV infection and replication is centered on the monocyte/macrophage and has a pronounced acute disease stage, it is a useful model system for understanding the contribution of monocyte/macrophages to other lentivirus-induced diseases. Genetic mapping studies utilizing chimeric proviruses in which parental viruses are acutely virulent or avirulent have allowed the identification of important regions that influence acute virulence. U3 regions in the vi...
Changes in serum mineral concentrations, biochemical and hematological parameters in horses with pica. The aim of this study was to compare hematological, some biochemical parameters, and serum trace element concentrations in horses with or without pica. Fifteen horses with pica (group I) and another 15 healthy horses without pica (group II) were used. The hematological parameters were not changed between the two groups. In group I, hemoglobin values were lower than those of group II. However, the difference in hemoglobin values between the two groups was not significant (P > 0.05). Serum iron and copper concentrations and the copper/zinc ratio were lower in group I than those of group I...
Probiotics in animal nutrition and health. The use of probiotics for farm animals has increased considerably over the last 15 years. Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which can confer a health benefit for the host when administered in appropriate and regular quantities. Once ingested, the probiotic microorganisms can modulate the balance and activities of the gastrointestinal microbiota, whose role is fundamental to gut homeostasis. It has been demonstrated that numerous factors, such as dietary and management constraints, can strongly affect the structure and activities of the gut microbial communities, leading to impaired...
Influence of sward structure on daily intake and foraging behaviour by horses. The spatial heterogeneity of grasslands determines the abundance and quality of food resources for grazing animals. As plants mature, they increase in mass, which allows greater instantaneous intake rates, but the cell wall concentrations increase too, reducing diet quality. In ruminants, daily intake rates are often constrained by the time needed for the ingesta to pass through the rumen, which is influenced by the rate of digestion. It has been suggested that the digestive constraint should have much less effect on hindgut fermenters such as equids. Horses play an increasing role in the mana...
An open study to evaluate topical treatment of equine chorioptic mange with shampooing and lime sulphur solution. Chorioptic mange caused by Chorioptes bovis is a common pruritic skin condition of the horse. This surface-browsing parasite usually affects the lower legs (leg mange) but can present as a generalized skin disease. Numerous anecdotal reports exist in the literature about the benefit of lime sulphur as a treatment for surface ectoparasites in the horse. This report studies the use of lime sulphur when applied as a 5% solution, some with and some without prior shampooing and clipping, to treat confirmed cases of chorioptic mange in 22 horses. Horses included in the trial had clinical signs indic...
Risk of equine infectious disease transmission by non-race horse movements in Japan. For determining surveillance programs or infectious disease countermeasures, risk evaluation approaches have been recently undertaken in the field of animal health. In the present study, to help establish efficient and effective surveillance and countermeasures for equine infectious diseases, we evaluated the potential risk of equine infectious disease transmission in non-race horses from the viewpoints of horse movements and health management practices by conducting a survey of non-race horse holdings. From the survey, the non-race horse population was classified into the following five secto...
Comparative rheumatology: what can be learnt from naturally occurring musculoskeletal disorders in domestic animals? Examples of naturally occurring musculoskeletal disorders are extremely common in veterinary species and provide a valuable comparative research resource, which can provide compelling comparative data on the aetiopathogenesis and treatment of many common human musculoskeletal diseases. In particular, orthopaedic diseases are a common morbidity in both dogs and horses. In this review, we give an overview of the common musculoskeletal diseases encountered in these species: for instance, tendon and ligament injuries, arthropathies and stress fractures, as well as an insight into the basic biology...
Lectin-binding sites on ejaculated stallion sperm during breeding and non-breeding periods. Stallion sperm from semen collected in Southern Italy during the breeding (June-July) and non-breeding (December-January) periods were analyzed by means of twelve lectins to evaluate the glycoconjugate pattern and to verify whether there are any seasonal differences in the glycosylation pattern of the sperm glycocalyx. The acrosomal cap showed reactivity for Maackia amurensis (MAL II), Sambucus nigra (SNA), Arachis hypogaea (PNA), Glycine max (SBA), Helix pomatia (HPA), Canavalia ensiformis (Con A) Triticum vulgaris (WGA), and Griffonia simplicifolia isolectin II (GSA II) in breeding and non-b...
Dysautonomia in a six-year-old mule in the United States. Equine dysautonomia, also known as equine grass sickness (EGS), is a well documented disease in several countries. To the authors' knowledge, EGS has not been reported previously in North America. This report describes EGS in a 6-year-old female mule in the USA. Failure initially to consider EGS resulted in a delayed diagnosis. EGS should be considered as a differential diagnosis and appropriate diagnostic tests performed in similar cases in North America.
Evaluation of current equine welfare issues in Ireland: causes, desirability, feasibility and means of raising standards. Significant potential threats to the health and welfare of horses exist in Ireland when supply exceeds demand and the identification system for horses is not yet robust. Objective: To secure engagement with stakeholder groups and determine their perception of equine welfare in Ireland and encourage the development of inclusive, rather than imposed, policy solutions. Methods: A 3 round, web-based Policy Delphi incorporating novel vignette methodology was conducted from November 2007-March 2008 to canvass opinion (in both quantitative and qualitative forms) on the perceived most significant equi...
The effects of different saddle pads on forces and pressure distribution beneath a fitting saddle. Saddle pads are widely used in riding sports but their influence on saddle pressures is poorly understood. Objective: To evaluate the forces acting on the horse's back, and the eventual pressure distribution by using different saddle pads underneath a fitting saddle. Methods: Sixteen sound horses of different breeds and ages were ridden on a treadmill at walk and sitting trot. The horses were wearing a dressage saddle with a fitting saddle tree and 4 different saddle pads (gel, leather, foam and reindeer fur) successively. For comparison, measurements were made without any saddle pad. Right fo...
A survey on two years of medication regulation in horse races in Iran. The present survey evaluated the use of prohibited substances cases in the first 2 years of medication regulation in horseracing in Iran so that the impact of these regulations on the level of positive cases over the period could be assessed. Objective: To determine the prevalence of positive tests for prohibited substances in horse races during 2 years of a drugs testing programme in Iran. Methods: A total of 656 horses that were winners or second in races were tested during the 2 year study. In the first year 354 horses (209 males and 145 females) and in the second year 302 horses (155 males...
Morphological study of tracheal shape in donkeys with and without tracheal obstruction. There is limited information on the gross tracheal morphology of donkeys with or without tracheal abnormalities. Objective: To: 1) examine the morphology of tracheas of donkeys with and without clinical and/or post mortem evidence of tracheal obstruction; 2) record the cross-sectional dimensions and shapes of tracheal rings at fixed sites; and 3) document prevalence, sites and characteristics of detected tracheal abnormalities. Methods: The tracheas of 75, predominantly aged (median age 30 years, range 7-48 years) donkeys that died or were subjected to euthanasia on humane grounds were examine...
Return to work following unilateral enucleation in 34 horses (2000-2008). REASONS FOR STUDY: The effect of unilateral enucleation on vision and potential loss of performance in horses has received little study. Objective: To evaluate the likelihood of return to prior discipline following unilateral enucleation in horses, assessing the role of age at enucleation, equine discipline, reason for enucleation, time to vision loss and eye enucleated. Objective: Unilateral enucleation has no significant effect on likelihood of return to work in horses, for both right and left eyes, across age and discipline. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records identified 92 h...
Measurement of C-peptide concentrations and responses to somatostatin, glucose infusion, and insulin resistance in horses. Hyperinsulinaemia is detected in horses with insulin resistance (IR) and has previously been attributed to increased pancreatic insulin secretion. Connecting peptide (C-peptide) can be measured to assess pancreatic function because it is secreted in equimolar amounts with insulin and does not undergo hepatic clearance. Objective: A human double antibody radioimmunoassay (RIA) detects C-peptide in equine serum and concentrations would reflect responses to different stimuli and conditions. Methods: A validation procedure was performed to assess the RIA. Six mature mares were selected and somatos...
Isolation and cultivation of equine corneal keratocytes, fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. To establish an in vitro model for the investigation of equine corneal wound healing. To accomplish this goal, a protocol to isolate and culture equine corneal keratocytes, fibroblasts and myofibroblasts was developed. ANIMAL MATERIAL: Equine corneal buttons were aseptically harvested from healthy research horses undergoing humane euthanasia for reasons unrelated to this study. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy was performed prior to euthanasia by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist to ensure that all samples were harvested from horses free of anterior segment disease. Methods: Equine corneal s...
Gene-based vaccines: Recent developments. Gene-based vaccines are under development for a broad variety of applications, ranging from vaccines to immunotherapies for infectious diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases and allergy. In addition, following the licensing of DNA vaccines for use in fish and horses, and DNA immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer in dogs, several veterinary uses of vaccines have been demonstrated for species ranging from fish and shrimp to cattle and horses. A variety of publications describing preclinical and clinical studies of the technologies used to increase the potency of gene-based vaccines, and resea...
Clinical update on the use of mesenchymal stem cells in equine orthopaedics. Stem cells have received much attention in recent times because of their potential to improve healing of othropaedic problems. This manuscript presents the genesis, issues and current state of stem cell treatment in equine medicine. Current literature supports the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for treatment of orthopaedic problems.
ELISA-seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in draught horses in Greater Cairo, Egypt. Toxoplasma gondii is one of the important zoonotic parasites of worldwide. In this paper the seroprevalence of T. gondii in draught horses (3-15 years) including 90 males and 10 females in the first half of the year 2009 was studied. The result showed that the overall ELISA-T. gondii antibodies were 25% of the horses in Greater Cairo, 50% (females) and 22.2% (males).
Plasma disposition and fecal elimination of doramectin after oral or intramuscular administration in horses. A study was done to compare plasma disposition kinetics and the fecal elimination profile of doramectin (DRM) after oral or intramuscular (IM) administration in horses. Ten clinically healthy horses, 328-502 kg body weight (bw), were assigned to 2 experimental groups of 5 horses each. Group 1 was treated with an oral dose of 0.2 mg DRM/kg bw, while Group 2 was treated with 0.2 mg DRM/kg bw by IM route. Blood and fecal samples were collected at different times between 0.5h and 60 days post-treatment. After plasma and fecal drug extraction and derivatization, samples were analysed by high perfor...
An unexpected advantage of whiteness in horses: the most horsefly-proof horse has a depolarizing white coat. White horses frequently suffer from malign skin cancer and visual deficiencies owing to their high sensitivity to the ultraviolet solar radiation. Furthermore, in the wild, white horses suffer a larger predation risk than dark individuals because they can more easily be detected. In spite of their greater vulnerability, white horses have been highly appreciated for centuries owing to their natural rarity. Here, we show that blood-sucking tabanid flies, known to transmit disease agents to mammals, are less attracted to white than dark horses. We also demonstrate that tabanids use reflected pola...
An inactivated Vero cell-grown Japanese encephalitis vaccine formulated with Advax, a novel inulin-based adjuvant, induces protective neutralizing antibody against homologous and heterologous flaviviruses. Advax is a polysaccharide-based adjuvant that potently stimulates vaccine immunogenicity without the increased reactogenicity seen with other adjuvants. This study investigated the immunogenicity of a novel Advax-adjuvanted Vero cell culture candidate vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in mice and horses. The results showed that, in mice, a two-immunization, low-dose (50 ng JEV antigen) regimen with adjuvanted vaccine produced solid neutralizing immunity comparable to that elicited with live ChimeriVax-JE immunization and superior to that elicited with tenfold higher doses of a ...
Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in horses in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. This study estimated the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in nasal swabs of 458 horses in western Canada. The rate of colonization was 1.3% +/- 5.84% [95% confidence interval (CI)], a rate similar to those reported elsewhere. Colonization tended to be transient and seemed unrelated to stress or administration of antimicrobials. Five of the 6 isolates were Canadian epidemic MRSA-5, a human clone that appears to predominate in horses in North America. The other isolate was spa type 539 (t034), a sequence type 398 strain, and this is the first report of this clone ...
Effect of diet on plasma tryptophan and serotonin in trained mares and geldings. Concentrations of tryptophan (TRP) and serotonin (5-HT) in plasma were measured in 36 moderately trained Dutch warmblood horses after eight weeks on a high fibre (n=18) or high starch (n=18) diet. Samples were taken three hours after feeding, when the horse was at rest, either at 11.00 or 14.00 hours. Plasma 5-HT and pH were significantly higher in horses fed a high fibre diet than those fed a high starch diet (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively), and significantly higher levels of TRP were found in mares than geldings (P<0.05). Plasma 5-HT may therefore be a good marker of serotonergic ...
Effect of treatment with a topical ophthalmic preparation of 1% nalbuphine solution on corneal sensitivity in clinically normal horses. To assess the effect of treatment with a topical ophthalmic preparation of 1.2% nalbuphine solution on corneal sensitivity in clinically normal horses. Methods: 8 horses. Methods: Baseline corneal touch threshold (CTT) was measured (defined as the mean filament length [mm] at which a consistent blink response was elicited) for both eyes of each horse by use of a Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer. Subsequently, 0.2 mL of 1.2% nalbuphine solution was instilled in 1 randomly selected eye of each horse, and 0.2 mL of artificial tears solution was instilled in the contralateral eye (control treatment). ...
