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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.
Genomic loci associated with performance limiting equine overriding spinous processes (kissing spines). Commonly known as "Kissing Spines" (KS), the pathological mechanisms underlying impingement and overriding of spinous processes (ORSPs) in horses are poorly understood. Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, and stock-type breeds, including Paint Horses and Quarter Horses are at increased risk for developing clinical signs of KS. A total of 155 stock-type and Warmblood horses presented at collaborating veterinary clinics and hospitals were examined using a strict clinical and radiographical phenotyping scheme to grade each horse from 0 for unaffected controls to 4 for severe KS. Following genotyping with ...
Review of anthrax: A disease of farm animals. Anthrax is a rapidly fatal infectious disease affecting herbivores and people. In the farm animals, cattle and sheep are more susceptible, followed by goats and horses, while dwarf pigs and Algerian sheep are relatively resistant. Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, produces spores and persists for decades in the soil, initiating an outbreak through a favorable climate shift. Anthrax is enzootic in many Asian and African countries, and is reported in Australia, some parts of Europe, and America. The clinical courses of this disease in animals are peracute, acute, subacute, and ...
Inbreeding depression and the probability of racing in the Thoroughbred horse. Small effective population sizes and active inbreeding can lead to inbreeding depression due to deleterious recessive mutations exposed in the homozygous state. The Thoroughbred racehorse has low levels of population genetic diversity, but the effects of genomic inbreeding in the population are unknown. Here, we quantified inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity (ROH) using 297 K SNP genotypes from 6128 horses born in Europe and Australia, of which 13.2% were unraced. We show that a 10% increase in inbreeding () is associated with a 7% lower probability of ever racing. Moreover, a ROH-based g...
Biomechanical and Microstructural Properties of Subchondral Bone From Three Metacarpophalangeal Joint Sites in Thoroughbred Racehorses. Fatigue-induced subchondral bone (SCB) injury is common in racehorses. Understanding how subchondral microstructure and microdamage influence mechanical properties is important for developing injury prevention strategies. Mechanical properties of the disto-palmar third metacarpal condyle (MCIII) correlate poorly with microstructure, and it is unknown whether the properties of other sites within the metacarpophalangeal (fetlock) joint are similarly complex. We aimed to investigate the mechanical and structural properties of equine SCB from specimens with minimal evidence of macroscopic disease....
Profiling of genetic markers useful for breeding decision in Selle Francais horse. Genetic disorders are recognised as hereditary diseases with the most significant economic impact on horse breeding, causing important foal losses, costs of treatments of horses, and maintenance of the mare during the pregnancy. The Selle Francais horses are recognized in many countries and are showing great results in equestrian sports around the world (dressage, show jumping and eventing). The study aimed to detect the presence of three mutant alleles associated with inherited diseases including Fragile Foal Syndrome (FFS), Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA), Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM1) ...
Efficacy of Lidocaine Topical Solution in Reducing Discomfort Reaction of Horses to Intramuscular Vaccination. Vaccinations via intramuscular injection are a key component of preventative health care in horses. Development of problematic behavioral aversion to injections is quite common. Our clinical impression has been that topical anesthetic applied to injection sites can reduce the behavioral reaction; however, this has not been critically tested. To blindly evaluate efficacy, either 5% or 10% topical lidocaine solution or 0% control was applied to injection sites for 78 ponies two minutes before intramuscular vaccination. Mean reaction scores on a scale of 0-3 were 0.84 (se 0.18) for 5% lidocaine s...
Contrasting Volatilomes of Livestock Dung Drive Preference of the Dung Beetle Bubas bison (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Volatile cues can play a significant role in the location and discrimination of food resources by insects. Dung beetles have been reported to discriminate among dung types produced by different species, thereby exhibiting behavioral preferences. However, the role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in dung localization and preference remains largely unexplored in dung beetles. Here we performed several studies: firstly, cage olfactometer bioassays were performed to evaluate the behavioral responses of (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) to VOCs emanating from fresh horse, sheep, and cattle dung; seco...
Control of ticks on horses using abamectin-impregnated ear tags. A pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study. Several different tick species are known to infest horses. Aside from causing serious health and welfare issues, including anaemia, ill thrift, and immunosuppression, ticks can transmit a variety of important, sometimes zoonotic, pathogens. The successful prevention and treatment of tick infestations have been described, but the information is scarce and, in many instances, anecdotal. Here we describe a practical and affordable prevention of tick infestation by using abamectin-impregnated cattle ear tags affixed to a safety collar. We have assessed the radial distribution of abamectin by analy...
Site- and Zone-Dependent Changes in Proteoglycan Content and Biomechanical Properties of Bluntly and Sharply Grooved Equine Articular Cartilage. In this study, we mapped and quantified changes of proteoglycan (PG) content and biomechanical properties in articular cartilage in which either blunt or sharp grooves had been made, both close to the groove and more remote of it, and at the opposing joint surface (kissing site) in equine carpal joints. In nine adult Shetland ponies, standardized blunt and sharp grooves were surgically made in the radiocarpal and middle carpal joints of a randomly chosen front limb. The contralateral control limb was sham-operated. At 39 weeks after surgery, ponies were euthanized. In 10 regions of interest (...
Effect of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) on cyathostomin eggs excretion, larval development, larval community structure and efficacy of ivermectin treatment in horses. Alternative strategies to chemical anthelmintics are needed for the sustainable control of equine strongylids. Bioactive forages like sainfoin () could contribute to reducing drug use, with the first hints of activity against cyathostomin free-living stages observed in the past. We analysed the effect of a sainfoin-rich diet on cyathostomin population and the efficacy of oral ivermectin treatment. Two groups of 10 naturally infected horses were enrolled in a 78-day experimental trial. Following a 1-week adaptation period, they were either fed with dehydrated sainfoin pellets (70% of their die...
Severe Skin Lesions Caused by Persistent Bites of the Stable Fly Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) in a Donkey Sanctuary of Western Spain. Animal sanctuaries are important organisations that promote animal welfare and health as well as social awareness. Following the appearance of several donkeys with severe and distinctive skin lesions in a sanctuary from western Spain in 2021, a multicomponent study was performed to rule out the possible causes. The lesions were mainly concentrated on the extremities and, to a lesser extent, on the face and/or chest. The use of cotton leggings on their extremities as an external barrier to prevent them from bites and treatments with antiparasitic, antiseptic washes and dermatitis lotion showed ...
Lacrimal Secretion Variation and Menace Response Appearance in Healthy Standardbred Foals From Birth to Four Weeks of Age. This study assesses lacrimal secretion in healthy foals within 48 hours after birth and evaluates their variations in lacrimal secretion and menace response appearance during the first month of life. A total of 31 Standardbred foals were evaluated. Foals were housed with their dams in 4 × 4 m boxes throughout the study. A complete ophthalmic examination was performed for each animal enrolled in the study, including the foals' dams which were used as a control group to compare the lacrimal secretion of foals at birth with that of adult horses. In foals, the Schirmer Tear Test I (STT I) and m...
Short communication: Utilisation of n-alkanes to estimate feed intake in horses fed known amounts of a labelled concentrate supplement. The assessment of feed intake in stabled horses is a difficult task to accomplish. Faecal markers, namely n-alkanes, have been used successfully for the estimation of this important nutritional parameter. This usually involves the dosing of synthetic n-alkanes via different matrices, a laborious task that may also influence the animal normal foraging behaviour. An experiment was conducted to evaluate a relative simple methodology to quantify feed intake in horses, based on the provision of measured amounts of a concentrate supplement labelled with beeswax and the utilisation of n-alkanes as fa...
Tracking the Impact of Weather on Equine Activity While Pastured. Keeping horses outdoors on pasture full-time with free access to shelter holds numerous advantages over housing in stalls, promoting both better mental and physical health. One reason for these benefits is the potential for increased physical activity in horses outdoors on pasture versus those confined to stalls. However, it is not guaranteed the horse will take advantage of this opportunity for greater movement. For this reason, it is important to understand the various reasons why horse activity patterns change. The objective of this study was to investigate how various weather factors - inc...
Binding and structural basis of equine ACE2 to RBDs from SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses. The origin and host range of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), are important scientific questions as they might provide insight into understanding of the potential future spillover to infect humans. Here, we tested the binding between equine angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (eqACE2) and the receptor binding domains (RBDs) of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 prototype (PT) and variant of concerns (VOCs), as well as their close relatives bat-origin coronavirus (CoV) RaTG13 and pangolin-origin CoVs GX/P2V/2017 and GD/1/2019. We also determined the crystal structures of eq...
Early castration in foals: Consequences on physical and behavioural development. The impact of very early castration of foals has not yet been studied despite the many positive effects observed in dogs and cats. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare castration at 3 days and 18 months and assess their subsequent morphological and behavioural development. Methods: This was a randomised, blinded clinical study. Methods: Twenty-two Welsh ponies underwent either early (3-day old, EC group, n = 11) or traditional (18-month old, TC group, n = 11) castration. Animals were followed up to 3 years of age. All ponies were castrated using a primary closure techn...
Surveillance of hepatitis E virus in the horse population of Korea: A serological and molecular approach. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen causing hepatitis worldwide. Despite the prevalent evidence of interspecies HEV infection in various animal species, the role of horses in HEV epidemiology remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of HEV infection in 283 blood and 114 fecal samples from 397 horses using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Among the 283 serum samples, 35 were positive for anti-HEV antibodies (12.4%; 95% confidence interval: 8.8-16.8), and four of the five sampling reg...
Characterization of growth hormone secretagogue small molecule ibutamoren (MK-0677) and its possible metabolites in thoroughbred horses for doping control. It is important to remember that performance-enhancing agents such as non-peptide growth hormone secretagogues present a significant risk of abuse. Ibutamoren (MK-0677) is a potent, long-acting, selective non-peptide growth hormone secretagogue that can be taken orally. Methods: This study examines ibutamoren and its metabolites in thoroughbred horses after oral administration. Liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to determine the probable structures of the detected metabolites. Results: In this study, 22 metabolites of ibutamoren were identified (17 phase I and 5 p...
Cannabidiol and the possibilities of its use in veterinary medicine of dogs and horses: A brief review. In connection with the use of cannabinoids for therapeutic purposes in human medicine, there is increased attention for their use in veterinary medicine, particularly by the owners of companion animals and horses. Therefore, veterinarians are expected to face this interest and have the corresponding knowledge on these substances. Presently, it is not possible to use medical marijuana (in terms of the dried cannabis flowers) for veterinary purposes in many countries, but there is increasing evidence that isolated cannabinoids also have beneficial effects (namely cannabidiol - CBD)...
The Gut Microbiome of 54 Mammalian Species. The gut microbiome plays a critical role in many aspects of host life, and the microbial community composition is heavily influenced by the prevailing conditions in the gut environment. Community composition has been suggested to have large implications for conservation efforts, and gut health has become of interest for optimizing animal care in captivity. In this study, we explore the gut microbiome of a wide range of animals in the context of conservation biology. The composition of the gut microbial community of 54 mammalian animal species was investigated using 16S rRNA gene amplicon seque...
Scoping review of end-of-life decision-making models used in dogs, cats and equids. End-of-life decisions for companion animals can be stressful for veterinarians and owners, and when delayed result in poor animal welfare. Delayed euthanasia has been identified as a particularly prominent issue for horses. This scoping review aimed to identify the available literature on veterinary decision-making models, which can support end-of-life planning. A protocol was preregistered, and a structured literature search was performed on six electronic databases. Publications were reviewed against specifically developed eligibility criteria. Data from original studies and narrative-type r...
The Kisspeptin analogue C6 induces ovulation in jennies. Kisspeptins (KPs) are the most potent stimulating neurotransmitters of GnRH release, and consequently KP administration triggers LH and/or FSH release. In small ruminants, KP or its analogs induced an LH surge followed by ovulation in both cyclic and acyclic animals, while in the mare KP only increased LH plasma levels but failed to induce ovulation. This study in jennies compares the endocrinological effects, ovulatory and pregnancy rates of the KP analog C6 and the GnRH analog buserelin acetate. The ovarian activity of nine Amiata jennies was monitored daily by transrectal ultrasound for thr...
Antimicrobial use and resistance in food-producing animals-How can we protect the efficacy of antibiotics for reproductive diseases? The ongoing emergence of antibiotic resistance jeopardizes efficacy of antibiotics in curing animals from bacterial infections that threaten their health, welfare and productivity. This review gives an overview of antimicrobial use data in food-producing animals, a discussion on how antimicrobials are used for some infections in the reproductive system in cattle, the horse and pig in Europe where there are differences in treatment practices including options to refine the use of antibiotics, and finally, a presentation of the antibiotic resistance for some bacteria collected from the reproduct...
A high-throughput DNA sequencing study of fecal bacteria of seven Mexican horse breeds. Horses are non-ruminant, herbivorous mammals, been used through history for various purposes, with a gut microbiota from cecum to the colon, possessing remarkable fermentative capacity. We studied the fecal microbiota of Azteca, Criollo, Frisian, Iberian, Pinto, Quarter and Spanish horse breeds living in Mexico by next-generation DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA gene libraries. Dominant phyla Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes, Fibrobacteres, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia have different relative abundances among breeds, with contrasted alpha and beta diversities as well. He...
Occurrence of Strongylid Nematode Parasites on Horse Farms in Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany, With High Seroprevalence of Strongylus vulgaris Infection. The infection of horses with strongylid nematodes is highly prevalent, with multi-species infections being the rule. spp. and in particular are amongst the most pathogenic strongyle equine parasites. Presumably due to regular strategic anthelmintic treatments in combination with long prepatencies, prevalence of these worms was severely reduced in past decades. In this study, 484 horses from 48 farms in Berlin/Brandenburg, Germany were sampled between May 2017 and January 2018. Mini-FLOTAC and combined sedimentation/flotation were used to analyse faecal samples and larval cultures were carrie...
Applicability of the auricular temperature for the assessment of body temperature in healthy large and small domestic species, in a normal metabolic state and in controlled environmental conditions. In clinical practice, an important aspect of animal health status evaluation is the body temperature recording obtained using different methods. Within them, the non-contact and non-invasive infrared thermometer can provide an accurate estimation of body temperature improving the quality of care and medical decision. To evaluate the use of the monitoring of auricular temperature to improve the quality of care and medical decision. To evaluate the use of the monitoring of auricular temperature as indices of body temperature, as well as rectal temperature in eleven clinically healthy mixed bred ...
