Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
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.
Laboratory diagnosis. Diagnosis of internal parasitism is based on many factors, including clinical signs, case histories of individual animals and the herds of which they are a part, and, finally, specific laboratory findings. Laboratory methods used can be divided into those associated with the qualitative and quantitative examination of feces for parasite eggs, larvae, and oocysts, and laboratory findings on changes in physiologic status of individuals that may be produced by specific parasites.
Behavior and viability of the premature neonatal foal after induced parturition. Parturition was induced in 2 groups of mares, less than 300 (n = 49) and 300 to 320 days gestation (n = 31), by the administration of prostaglandin F2 alpha or fluprostenol and oxytocin. Foals were categorized into 4 groups according to their ability to adapt in, and survive, the neonatal period. Group A had no demonstrable coordinating reflexes, were weak from birth, and all died within 90 minutes. Group B had some righting reflexes, but had poor coordination and a weak suck reflex. They showed some improvement for about 2 hours, but all died within 9 hours. Group C foals had a good suck refl...
Diagnostic laparoscopy in the horse. Laparoscopy was performed in 5 clinically normal horses. Abdominal fluid protein content and WBC count increased markedly in all horses. Necropsy findings were confined to an increased amount of slightly turbid abdominal fluid. Five examples of applications of laparoscopy in horses with abdominal problems indicated that laparoscopy can be a valuable diagnostic procedure in the horse.
The effects of natural exposure to high levels of zinc and cadmium in the immature pony as a function of age. To study the effects of environmental exposure to zinc and cadmium in immature foals, five pregnant ponies were raised within 2.9 km of the New Jersey Zinc Smelter in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. The mares and their foals were kept outdoors on timothy hay and orchard grass. The foals were examined daily for signs of illness and blood samples were taken monthly for estimation of serum zinc, copper, and ceruloplasmin levels. The foals were sacrificed at 2.5, 4.5, 8.5, 13.5, and 18.5 months of age. Necropsy revealed generalized osteochondrosis in joints of the limbs and cervical vertebrae, lymphoid h...
Clinicopathologic study of horses surviving pyrrolizidine alkaloid (Senecio vulgaris) toxicosis. Twenty horses of various ages had inadvertently ingested alfalfa hay contaminated with Senecio vulgaris. Among them, 4 died of liver disease. Blood was collected from affected horses at monthly intervals for 7 months and at the 9th and 14th months. The following serum enzymes and chemical items were assayed: aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, total bilirubin, BUN, glucose, cholesterol, inorganic phosphate, calcium, total protein, and albumin. Amino acid profiles, conjugated bile acids, sulfobromophthalein...
[Effectiveness of ivermectin in Strongyloides westeri cases in foals]. Efficacy of Ivermectin in combating Strongyloides westeri infection of foal. The efficacy of Ivermectin and Mebendazol in combating spontaneous Strongyloides westeri infections in foals has been tested by examining faecal egg output reduction. Ivermectin as a paste formulation was given to sucking foals and pregnant mares in a single dosage of 200 micrograms/kg bodyweight by oral administration. A high efficacy of Ivermectin in combating patent Strongyloides westeri infection could be demonstrated; no side effects have been observed. Mebendazol at a dosage rate of 8 mg/kg did not yield satisfa...
A quantitative study of Sertoli cell and germ cell populations as related to sexual development and aging in the stallion. Testes from 47 stallions, 1-20 yr of age, were used to examine the influence of age on Sertoli and germ cell populations as well as on functional activity of Sertoli cells. For these stallions, the number of Sertoli cells per paired testes declined linearly with age, and was only 41.7% as great at age 20 as at age 2. However, development of reproductive organs proceeded until age 12-13, as evident from increases in paired testes weight and quantitative rates of spermatozoal production. Although the absolute number of Sertoli cells declined during this period of development, individual Sertoli ...
Strongylid parasites of horses: experimental ecology of the free-living stages on the Canadian prairie. Each month for a 1-year period (October through September), equine fecal masses containing eggs of strongylid nematodes were placed outdoors on small grass plots in Saskatchewan, Canada. Thereafter, feces and grass from the plots were sampled after intervals of 1 week or longer, and the strongylid eggs and larvae recovered were counted. These observations were made over a 2-year period. Development of eggs to infective larvae occurred in all experiments, except those established in October, December, and January. Infective larvae from experiments set up in April through September survived that...
Normal motility of the cecum and right ventral colon in ponies. To study the normal motility of the cecum and right ventral colon (RVC) in 3 mature Shetland ponies, a 6-part, indwelling, intraluminal catheter system was used to measure intraluminal pressure changes. Three catheters were placed in the cecum at 10, 25, and 40 cm from the cecocolic orifice, and 3 catheters were placed in the RVC at 10, 20, and 30 cm from the cecocolic orifice. Recordings were made during the interdigestive period beginning 2 weeks after surgical operation was done. Frequent, low-amplitude peaks (0.35 +/- 0.13 coordinated peaks/min) were seen involving the cecal body and cauda...
Clinical experiences with isoflurane in dogs and horses. The inhalational anaesthetic agent isoflurane was administered to 22 dogs and 21 horses undergoing a variety of surgical procedures. Satisfactory anaesthesia was produced in all the animals. The cardiopulmonary changes were similar to those observed with halothane. Rapid changes in the depth of anaesthesia were achieved and recovery from anaesthesia was rapid in both dogs and horses, which was a reflection of the relative insolubility of isoflurane. Recovery from anaesthesia in the horses was particularly smooth and rapid with the animals spending a greater part of their recumbency in the ster...
Pi granules and related intracytoplasmic inclusions in equine Schwann cells. Suchwann cells from a variety of nerves in two adult horses and one adult pony contained perinuclear intracytoplasmic inclusion complexes consisting of lipid droplets, variably electron-dense rounded to elongated bodies and rod-shaped multilamellar structures. The latter were characteristic of pi granules of Reich. There were no significant axonal or myelin alterations associated with these inclusions. It was concluded that the inclusions are a component of normal equine Schwann cells.
Surgical repair of a partial gastric rupture in a horse. RUPTURE of the stomach is a common complication of
gastric impaction and intestinal reflux or of gastric distention.
After rupture, the general condition of the horse deteriorates
and death follows within a few hours (Tennant, Wheat and
Meagher 1972; McIlwraith 1982).
Dietz and Wiesner (1982) state that partial rupture of the
stomach may result in severe blood loss with circulatory
collapse. In this report a partial rupture of the stomach was
surgically repaired during exploratory laparotomy.
Urinary enzyme concentrations in healthy horses. Urinary concentrations of gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), aspartate aminotransferase (AsAT), and alanine aminotransferase (AAT) were measured in 32 healthy horses (16 geldings and 16 females) at the same time on 2 consecutive days. The subjects were divided into 4 ages groups, each comprising 8 horses (4 of each sex). In 10 of the geldings, urine was collected continuously for 72 hours, with catheterized samples being obtained at 0800, 1400 and 2000 hours, and an aliquot of the pooled urine being taken every 24 hours. Urinary enzyme activity was found to be unrelat...
Prevention of retrosternal adhesions after pericardiotomy. Because repeat sternotomies are becoming much more prevalent with repeat coronary bypass operations, prevention of direct adhesions of the heart and grafts to the back of the sternum by use of synthetic or xenograft material to close the pericardiotomy has become a matter for investigation. In this study bovine and equine glutaraldehyde-processed xenografts were implanted bilaterally in dogs for implant intervals of 6 weeks and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The bovine and equine xenografts both performed well in resisting the adhesion of the heart to their inner surfaces and less well in resisting a...
Blood vitamin and choline concentrations in healthy domestic cats, dogs, and horses. Blood concentrations of thiamin, biotin, nicotinates, pantothenates, folates, riboflavin, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, E, beta-carotene and choline were analyzed in healthy animals (23 horses, 25 dogs, and 29 cats). B-Complex vitamins and choline also were analyzed in the liver of the dogs and cats. Vitamin concentrations in the blood and livers of dogs were similar; however, blood vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations were lower in the cat than in the dog. Horses had a higher B12 blood concentration than did the dogs and cats. These data can be useful for detecting overt and hidden vitamin de...
D-xylose absorption in the growing foal. Seven healthy foals (five ponies and two horses) were maintained on grass pasture with their dams. All foals had normal faeces at the time of testing. An oral xylose absorption test was performed on each foal at one, two and three months of age. Following an 8 h fast, 0.5 g/kg D-xylose as a 10 per cent solution was given via a nasogastric tube. Control and 30 min interval plasma samples were collected for 3 h and the plasma was analysed for xylose using the phloroglucinol microassay technique. Maximum xylose concentration levels were reached between 30 and 60 mins for each of the foals. The me...
Right heart pressures and blood-gas tensions in ponies during exercise and laryngeal hemiplegia. Right atrial, right ventricular, and pulmonary artery pressures, along with change in pleural pressure, were determined with catheter-tipped micromanometers in two groups of ponies at rest, as well as during moderate (trot; heart rate = 180 beats . min-1) and severe (gallop; heart rate = 220 beats . min-1) exercise performed on a treadmill. Group A (n = 8) ponies served as controls, and group B ponies (n = 6) had laryngeal hemiplegia (LH) induced by sectioning the left recurrent laryngeal nerve 20-29 days before the study. It was observed that LH ponies could not gallop for more than 45-90 s. ...
Review of large intestinal motility and mechanisms of impaction in the horse. The large intestine has distinct motility patterns which include non-rhythmic haustral kneading of ingesta and stronger rhythmic retropulsive and propulsive contractions which move ingesta along the tract. A variable site electrical pacemaker exists at the pelvic flexure where the strong rhythmic contractions begin. The large intestine can contract adequately with only the intrinsic nerve supply intact. Neurotransmitters have profound effects on large intestinal activity.
Exogenous corticosteroids increase serum iron concentrations in mature horses and ponies. Corticosteroid preparation was administered to 7 Shetland Ponies and 10 Quarter Horses. Serum iron concentration increased dramatically for 48 to 72 hours after the steroid treatment, whereas serum iron-binding capacity and serum ferritin concentration did not. An increase in available iron may allow bacteria to proliferate when ponies or horses are stressed or treated inappropriately with corticosteroids.
Adverse effects following intravenous fluid therapy in the horse using non-commercial fluids: preliminary findings. Non-commercial, endotoxin positive, intravenous fluids as well as a commercially available intravenous fluid were given to clinically normal horses. Endotoxin-positive fluids caused clinical signs attributable to endotoxaemia. Leukopenia, preceded by a fluctuating white cell count, was observed in horses showing clinical signs. The commercial intravenous fluid had no effect on the white cell count or on the clinical state. Precautions to be taken and recommendations are made with regard to the monitoring of horses in which one might be forced to use non-commercial intravenous fluids.
