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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.
Feasibility and acceptability of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biosecurity measures in equine facilities: A cross-sectional study. Biosecurity measures are recommended in stables housing meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-positive horses, but their feasibility and acceptability, as well as their implementation barriers, remain unclear. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among clients of a veterinary teaching hospital using an online questionnaire. Information on horse activities, stable characteristics and perceptions (feasibility and acceptability scores) of recommended biosecurity measures for MRSA-positive horses was collected. Results: Fifty-seven horse and/or stable owners completed the que...
How to perform a venogram of the equine foot. The objective of this video is to demonstrate a reliable technique for obtaining diagnostic venogram images of the equine foot. Venogram studies are indicated to assess vascular contrast filling of the equine digit, primarily in cases of laminitis. Unassigned: A healthy university-owned horse was used for demonstration purposes. The protocol was approved by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University IACUC. Unassigned: The horse's shoes are removed, and the foot is cleaned of debris. The horse is sedated and a medial and lateral abaxial nerve block performed. The pastern is clipped...
Effective methods of horse reproduction in the production of mare’s milk. The research aims to study the dynamics of reproductive system pathologies in mares of Kazakh and Mugalzhar horse breeds and their impact on the reproductive traits of the breeding stock. The object of the research was horses of the Kazakh and Mugalzhar breeds. The formation of experimental groups was carried out using the pair-analog method. It was found that the frequency of detection of infertile mares is 13.8-25.0%. Subinvolution of the uterus from the total number of infertile mares is 8.3-10.7%, endometritis - 16.6-23.3%, atony and hypotonia of the uterus - 8.3-13.3%, ovarian diseases - ...
Ocular Causes for Undesired Behaviors in the Horse. Numerous ocular diseases cause visual impairment and induce ocular pain that may be associated with undesired behaviors in horses. Horses with ocular pain, indicated by the presence of blepharospasm, blepharoedema, ocular discharge or rubbing the eye, should be rested from work to avoid worsening the ocular disease and to avoid undesired behaviors associated with pain or vision impairment. Horses with ocular disease are frequently head shy. Some stoic horses may not have obvious outward clinical signs despite significant visual impairment, and as such, undesired behaviors such as spooking, bal...
Commentary on MacKechnie-Guire et al. Measuring Noseband Tightness on the Lateral Aspect of the Horse’s Face. Animals 2015, 15, 537. The use of horses for sport is under scrutiny due to evidence that common practices such as tight nosebands may impair horse welfare. Restrictive nosebands prevent horses from performing normal comfort behaviour such as coughing and yawning. To address these concerns, the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) developed a noseband tightness-checking device, the ISES "taper gauge," along with a validated method that assesses how far the device can be inserted beneath the noseband at the dorsal midline of the nasal planum. However, citing concerns about the reliability of dorsal mid...
Effects of a rehabilitative whole-body resistance band wrap on equine gait, posture, cortisol, and muscular function. Resistance bands used while horses are exercised with their handlers have shown benefits, but it is unknown if whole-body resistance bands used independently have therapeutic benefits. This study hypothesized that horses with varying gait asymmetries would experience improvements in lameness, muscular function, range of motion, posture, and cortisol following short-term use of a whole-body resistance band wrap (RBW). In this study, nine lame adult horses were evaluated with and without the RBW. The assessment included: objective gait analysis, acoustic myography, postural analysis, gait kinema...
Heritability Estimates of Traits Assessed in Field Performance Tests of Polish Warmblood Mares. : Knowledge of the genetic background of evaluated traits has been the basis for genetic progress in every horse-breeding population and is essential for precise breeding and up-to-date decision-making. The study aimed to estimate the heritability coefficients for field performance traits in mares. : The research was based on 1408 evaluations of mares conducted during the years 2002-2021 in 51 training centers in Poland. The preliminary analyses of the effects, significant for the investigated traits, were obtained using analysis of variance, and these additional data are also presented (SAS p...
Clostridioides difficile infection in animals: a literature review. Clostridioides difficile affects humans, and several other animal species, such as horses, pigs, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits. This microorganism has also been isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of healthy individuals of a wide variety of animal species in which its association with disease is not known. Traditionally, in most domestic animal species, C. difficile-infection disease (CDI) was antibiotic-associated, although in the past few years more cases in which no antibiotic association was known have been described. In addition, no antibiotic association has been descr...
Tafenoquine succinate inhibits the growth of the equine piroplasmosis hemoparasites Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease of equids caused by the intraerythrocytic apicomplexan parasites Theileria equi, Babesia caballi and the recently identified Theileria haneyi. Acute cases can be severe, with anemia, jaundice, abortion or sudden death. Survivors remain lifelong carriers, serving as reservoirs for tick-borne and iatrogenic transmission. No vaccines are currently available, and control strategies rely heavily on accurate diagnostics and chemotherapeutic intervention. Imidocarb dipropionate (ID) is the current standard of care for both acute treatment and radical ...
The trajectories of relative concentrations of antirhodococcal immunoglobulin A differ from those of immunoglobulin G subisotypes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid but not serum of foals. To characterize age-related trajectories of the relative concentrations of anti-virulence-associated protein A (VapA) immunoglobulin (Ig)-G1, IgG3/5, IgG4/7, and IgA in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as indicators of systemic and intrapulmonary immune responses in foals naturally exposed to Rhodococcus equi. Unassigned: Blood and BALF samples were collected at ages 4, 14, 28, and 56 days from healthy Quarter Horse foals (n = 19) naturally exposed to R equi. Samples were tested via ELISA for relative concentration of IgG1, IgG3/5, IgG4/7, and IgA recognizing the VapA of R equi. D...
A Novel Equine F[ab’]2 Veterinary Antivenom for North American Viperid Snake Envenomation Demonstrates Efficacy by Rapid Serum Venom Removal and Improvement in Snakebite Severity Score. To assess the efficacy of a new equine F[ab'] antivenom (US Department of Agriculture code 6101.05) in removing serum venom and lowering the snakebite severity score (SSS) in animals suffering from naturally occurring viperid envenomation. Methods: Retrospective study, April 2020 to October 2021. Methods: Veterinary hospitals across four North American regions. Methods: Twenty-two dogs, one cat, and one horse. Methods: All patients received the new antivenom intravenously and were assessed for clinical response. Most dogs required one vial for clinical control of signs. Results: Among the dogs...
Pharmacokinetics of Intragastric Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Its Impact on Bile Acid Profiles in Horses. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a secondary bile acid (BA) with therapeutic applications, is standard therapy for cholestatic hepatopathies in humans. In recent years, its use has been increasingly explored in equine medicine for similar indications. Pharmacokinetic data for UDCA in horses are currently lacking. This study aimed to describe the pharmacokinetic parameters following a single intragastric administration of 15 mg/kg in nine healthy, fasted horses and to characterize the changes in their BA profiles. Plasma concentrations of UDCA were measured at specific time points using liquid ch...
Development of an Explainable Machine Learning Computational Model for the Prediction of Severe Complications After Orchiectomy in Stallions. The objective of the present study was to apply supervised Machine Learning to predict severe complications after equine orchiectomy. A dataset of 612 cases of orchiectomies in stallions was used for the development of a computational model, among which in 8.5% of cases severe complications (colic, continued stallion-like behaviour, evisceration, funiculitis, haemorrhage, and scrotal infection) were diagnosed post-orchiectomy. Three supervised Machine Learning tools were employed: Logistic Regression (12 different models evaluated), Random Forest (64 models), and Gradient Boosting (8 models). ...
Antibody responses to equine parapoxvirus reveal a re-emerging pattern. Parapoxviruses (PPV) cause skin and mucous membrane signs to several animal species and humans worldwide. Equine parapoxvirus (EqPPV) was first detected in a sick horse in Finland in 2013. It is potentially zoonotic, and a similar virus has been detected in humans in the USA. In winter 2021–2022, EqPPV caused a large-scale pastern dermatitis epidemic in racehorses all over Finland. Field reports suggest that similar epidemics of unverified cause have also occurred in 2015 and 2019. The aim of this study was to develop a serological test and study the immune response, seroprevalence, and hist...
Barrel racing horses demonstrate a high incidence of nonclinical postrace airway disorders. To describe the prevalence of postrace airway abnormalities in a population of barrel racing horses competing in Oklahoma. Unassigned: A descriptive field study was conducted at a single event. Horses underwent resting endoscopy within 60 minutes of competition. Recordings were evaluated and numerical and/or binary scores assigned for pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia, recurrent laryngeal neuropathy, dorsal displacement of the soft palate, epiglottic entrapment, and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Clients completed a questionnaire detailing the horse's medical history and run time. A line...
Equine water treadmill. To describe the application of water treadmill exercise for equine fitness and/or rehabilitation in a scientific and clinically reasonable manner. Unassigned: Horses owned by Spy Coast Farm were used for video content. Unassigned: A literature review was performed and compiled in this brief video to provide veterinarians with a comprehensive, evidence-based guide for implementing water treadmill exercise within fitness and rehabilitation programs. Unassigned: Equine water treadmill exercise is an aerobic modality that increases distal limb flexion and range of motion, with no reported adverse ...
Feed intake, digestibility and passage kinetics in grazing horses. Feed intake and digestibility are important indicators for sufficient nutrient supply, but they can be assessed only to a limited extent in horses on pasture. In horses, feed intake is embedded in a complex behavioural pattern of searching, selecting, chewing and almost constant movement called foraging. The objectives of this study were to estimate organic matter intake (OMI) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) in six horses, 24 h/day on pasture, based on plant alkanes and synthetic n-hexatriacontane (C) excretion. A multi-compartmental model was fitted to the marker excretion and the C m...
Experimental infection of horses with African horse sickness virus results in overt disseminated intravascular coagulation. African horse sickness (AHS), caused by the vector-borne African horse sickness virus (AHSV), is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and infection results in high mortality in naïve equine populations. Clinical signs include submucosal petechiae and prolonged bleeding post venepuncture indicative of hypocoagulation. Pathological activation of haemostasis may result from tissue factor expression as a result of vascular endothelial damage or dysfunction, the proposed pathologic mechanism in AHS, potentially resulting in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Objective: To describe haemostatic ...
A narrative review of factors influencing rider performance and horse welfare in equestrian activities. Equestrian sport is a unique multi-species discipline in which the performance of a horse-rider dyad depends on the harmonious interaction of two athletes with distinct biomechanics and needs. Although the sport contributes substantially to the global economy and is the only Olympic event involving two species, research on rider-centered factors has been fragmented. Current narrative review centered peer-reviewed evidence addressing three questions: (RQ1) how rider biomechanics and posture influence horse performance and welfare; (RQ2) what causes and consequences rider asymmetry has; and (RQ3...
Complications Following Orchiectomy in Stallions in Field Conditions: Descriptive Results and Predictors in a Study of 612 Cases. The objectives of this work were (i) to evaluate the incidence of complications in male horses after orchiectomy performed in the field, i.e., away from a veterinary hospital, (ii) to describe the post-operative complications that occurred in these animals and (iii) to study the potential predictors for the development of such complications. This study involved 612 animals, on which orchiectomy was performed. The operative part of the study was carried out by one of three experienced veterinary surgeons. Standard pre-operative procedures were followed. Orchiectomy was performed using one of th...
Chromosome-scale nuclear genome and proteome of Anoplocephala perfoliata elucidate lineage-specific features of a ‘neglected’ equine tapeworm. is the most prevalent and pathogenic tapeworm (cestode) of horses worldwide, yet it remains molecularly understudied. Here, we present the mitochondrial and chromosome-scale nuclear genomes and matched somatic proteome for this parasite, establishing the first high-resolution molecular resource for the family Anoplocephalidae. This parasite was first characterised morphologically and then by its mitochondrial genome (size: 13,776 bp). Its complete nuclear genome (size: 372.3 Mb) was assembled and characterised; it encodes 9,711 protein-coding genes, 78.2% of which were functionally annotate...
Spatial strategies in non-territorial societies: how feral horses maintain boundaries with other groups. Encounters between competitive individuals or groups are common in social animals and can involve costly aggression; thus, animals often employ strategies to minimize direct conflict. However, research on whether and how animals adjust their group spatial structure when they encounter or spatially co-occur with a different group remains limited. We investigated how non-territorial units in feral horse multilevel societies manage spatial encounters with neighbouring units. We observed 25 reproductive units in northern Portugal, using drones, and employed statistical analyses to quantify spatial...
GnRH Administration Increases Synchronisation of Ovulation in Mares. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of exogenous GnRH administration at the beginning of estrus synchronisation in mares during the spring transitional period. Estrus was synchronised using a progesterone releasing intravaginal device (PRID). The PRID was left in the vagina for 10 days, followed by an injection of 0.4 mg of cloprostenol at PRID removal. The GnRH group (n = 32) was subjected to intramuscular administration of 100 μg of the GnRH agonist triptorelin at PRID insertion, while the control group (n = 32) received 1 mL of sterile physiological sali...
miRNAS and target genes are regulated post-training in quarter horse athletes. In the context of Brazilian equestrian sports, the Quarter Horse (QH) breed has the third largest population of registered horses and stands out for its numerous abilities in various disciplines. Studies on equine health and athletic performance parameters are scarce, especially involving molecular markers. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the differential expression of microRNAs and target genes involved in metabolic pathways of exercise and to assess hematological and clinical changes in 10 horses (Equus caballus Linnaeus) of the QH breed under different physiological conditions. H...
Evaluation of oxidative stress in the newborn foal: a multibiomarker approach. During the perinatal period, neonates experience a sudden increase in oxygen exposure, predisposing them to oxidative stress. Objective: This prospective, in vivo study aimed to evaluate biomarkers of oxidative stress and antioxidant defence in healthy neonatal foals during the first 48 hours of life. Methods: Ten Standardbred foals were enrolled. Blood samples were collected at birth, 24 hours, and 48 hours after birth and analyzed for biomarkers using spectrophotometry assays. Statistical analysis was performed using non-parametric tests and linear regression. Results: The results revealed s...
Left and right-side echocardiographic measurement of pulmonary artery stiffness in thoroughbred racehorses. Pulmonary Artery Stiffness (PAS) is a non-invasive echocardiographic index of pulmonary artery elasticity. In horses, PAS has been measured only from the right parasternal short-axis view, while the influence of alternative imaging windows remains unknown. Objective: To assess the repeatability and reproducibility of Acceleration Time (AT), Maximal Frequency Shift (MFS), and PAS measurements from the left parasternal angled view of the right ventricular inflow/outflow, and to compare these parameters with those obtained from the right parasternal short-axis view in Thoroughbred racehorses. Met...
Infertility in an American Quarter Horse mare with cervical duplication. Cervical duplication is a disorder of sexual development (DSD) that may be present in the absence of chromosomal aberrations. It is a rare cause of infertility in mares and is attributed to the failure of the Müllerian ducts to fuse properly, leading to the persistence of the median walls along the whole length of the cervix. This case report involves a 13-year-old American Quarter Horse mare with cervical duplication. Prior to this diagnostic, the mare was bred multiple times, but pregnancy was not achieved. The mare presented for a breeding soundness evaluation. During the examination an ab...
Scientific Evidence and Common Perceptions of Factors Affecting Sugar Content in Pasture Grass: Is There a Link With Pre-existing Horse-Related Experience? Several equine conditions are associated with and exacerbated by increased high-sugar grass intake. Knowing how climatic and biotic factors affect sugar content in grasses is important for decision-making by those involved in the management of equines. Objective: (1) To characterise equine owners' knowledge and perceptions of the factors affecting sugar content in grasses to inform in the management of grasses and equines. (2) To identify associations between pre-existing horse-related experience and level of knowledge about equine nutrition and health conditions. Methods: A questionnaire was ...
Evaluation of long-term postoperative morbidity and survival after equine colic surgery using a complication severity classification. Most studies on colic surgery outcome focus on short-term survival and complications. Long-term outcomes, particularly post-discharge morbidity, are poorly characterised despite their relevance. No standardised system has previously integrated both short- and long-term postoperative complications with survival outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate long-term survival and morbidity in horses after colic surgery using the equine postoperative complication score (EPOCS), and to assess the association between complications and survival. Methods: The medical records of horses undergoing ...
