Omneity® Pellets
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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.
Antimicrobial Resistance of Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus Isolated From Healthy Crioulo Horses and Associated Risk Factors. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern that must be addressed from a one health perspective. Horses are companion animals and their contact with humans facilitates exchange of resistant bacteria. This study aimed to evaluate AMR of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CoPS), including Staphylococcus aureus, isolated from healthy Crioulo horses. Swab samples from nostrils (n = 214) and skin (n = 107) of 107 horses from Porto Alegre, South Brazil, were used for CoPS isolation. The isolates were evaluated for AMR and a multivariate logistic regression was applied to identify the ris...
Preliminary Efficacy of Occupational Therapy in an Equine Environment for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The purpose of this study was to identify appropriate outcome measures and assess preliminary efficacy of occupational therapy in an equine environment (OT HORSPLAY) for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-four youth with ASD aged 6-13 were randomized to 10 weeks of OT HORSPLAY or to a waitlist control condition, occupational therapy in a garden. Youth demonstrated significantly improved goal attainment and social motivation, and decreased irritability after OT HORSPLAY. When compared to the subset of participants who completed the waitlist control condition, the OT HORSPLAY gro...
A Fibre- vs. cereal grain-based diet: Which is better for horse welfare? Effects on intestinal permeability, muscle characteristics and oxidative status in horses reared for meat production. Horses reared for meat production are fed high amounts of cereal grains in comparison with horses raised for other purposes. Such feeding practice may lead to risk of poor welfare consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two feeding practices on selected metabolic parameters and production aspects. Nineteen Bardigiano horses, 14.3 ± 0.7 months of age, were randomly assigned to two groups-one fed with high amounts of cereal grains (HCG; n = 9; 43% hay plus 57% cereal grain-based pelleted feed) vs. one fed with high amounts of fibre (HFG; n = 10; 70% hay plus...
Equine Herpesvirus 1 Variant and New Marker for Epidemiologic Surveillance, Europe, 2021. Equine herpesvirus 1 isolates from a 2021 outbreak of neurologic disease in Europe have a mutation, A713G, in open reading frame 11 not detected in 249 other sequences from equine herpesvirus 1 isolates. This single-nucleotide polymorphism could help identify horses infected with the virus strain linked to this outbreak.
Development and Evaluation of a Muscle Atrophy Scoring System (MASS) for Horses. Loss of skeletal muscle mass likely compromises performance and welfare in horses and thus routine monitoring would be valuable. Currently available methods to assess muscle mass require expert knowledge and are often expensive. To provide a simple method, a muscle atrophy scoring system (MASS) was created and tested by three evaluators (raters) in 38 horses of varying age, breed, and health status. Inter-rater agreement on atrophy scores was in the good-to-excellent range for ratings of the neck (ICC = 0.62), back (ICC = 0.62) and hind (ICC = 0.76) regions but was poor for the abdominal...
Efficacy and Side Effects of Low Single Doses of Cloprostenol Sodium or Dinoprost Tromethamine to Induce Luteolysis in Donkeys. Due to the limited literature available evaluating doses of Prostaglandin F2α in donkeys, doses for horses have been extrapolated and used as guidelines. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and side effects of four different cloprostenol sodium and dinoprost tromethamine doses to induce luteolysis in jennies. Sixty-three cycles of seven Jennies (nine cycles per jenny) were used in this study. Seven days after ovulation, jennies randomly received one of the treatments in a crossover design as follows: Control, no treatment was administered; C1, 250 µg of cloprostenol sodium (CS, Estrumate...
Feed Intake Parameters of Horses Fed Soaked or Steamed Hay and Hygienic Quality of Hay Stored following Treatment. Horses suffering from equine asthma must consume low-dust forage, with soaking and steaming being suitable methods of hay treatment. The impacts of this treated hay's subsequent storage and effects on the horses' chewing activity are largely unknown. Meadow hay was soaked (10-15 °C, 15 min) or steamed (100 °C, 60 min). Microbial counts (colony forming units (CFU)) were determined by culture before and after soaking or steaming, and subsequent storage at 10 and 25 °C for 6, 12 and 24 h (three replicates each). Six horses were fed native, soaked and steamed hay, according to a cross-over desi...
Phylogenetic analysis of West Nile virus: first report of lineage 1 in donkey in Turkey. West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae, is a major arbovirus that causes West Nile fever. Previous data showed the prevalence of the WNV serologically and molecular in Turkey, and the presence of lineage 1 in horses and humans has been reported. This is the first notification of partial phylogeny of WNV detected in donkeys in the northeast of Turkey (on the Iranian border). Blood serum samples collected from 25 donkeys without clinical symptoms were tested by RT-PCR. Sequence analysis of the sample detected as positive was performed. Multiple sequence alignments of reference seque...
Aspects of Breeding Stallion Management with Specific Focus on Animal Welfare. Risk prevention is often counterproductive to stallions' living conditions when assessed under welfare aspects. In the wild, stallions live in social groups, but under domestic conditions, the majority of breeding stallions live in individual boxes with limited social contact. This stimulates aggressiveness and the incidence of stereotypic behavior. While racehorse stallions start their breeding career after having finished their performance career, riding horse stallions are often simultaneously used for breeding and performance. Training, performance, and the associated stress are unlikely t...
Effect of Dose and Fasting on Oral Sugar Test Responses in Insulin Dysregulated Horses. The oral sugar test (OST) is frequently used to identify insulin dysregulated (ID) equines. The effect of fasting and varying sugar dose for the OST has been investigated in the pony but little work has been done in the horse. This study aimed to investigate (1) an OST response with access to forage continued until the time of the OST or prevented for 3 hours prior to the OST and (2) responses of ID and non-insulin dysregulated (NID) horses to two different OST doses. Twenty-one mixed-breed horses (14.8 ± 3.2 years; 574.3 ± 83.3 kg) were used in two randomized crossover studies. Seven ID and...
Genome collinearity analysis illuminates the evolution of donkey chromosome 1 and horse chromosome 5 in perissodactyls: A comparative study. It is important to resolve the evolutionary history of species genomes as it has affected both genome organization and chromosomal architecture. The rapid innovation in sequencing technologies and the improvement in assembly algorithms have enabled the creation of highly contiguous genomes. DNA Zoo, a global organization dedicated to animal conservation, offers more than 150 chromosome-length genome assemblies. This database has great potential in the comparative genomics field. Results: Using the donkey (Equus asinus asinus, EAS) genome provided by DNA Zoo as an example, the scaffold N50 leng...
Behavioural and Physiological Changes in a Herd of Arabian Mares after the Separation of Individuals Differently Ranked within the Dominance Hierarchy. Horses in a herd develop and maintain a dominance hierarchy between all individuals. There are many situations in riding facilities and studs in which horses have to be separated out of a group. The aim of the study was to determine the rate of behaviours, level of locomotor activity and cardiac activity variables in a herd of horses during a short social separation of individuals differently ranked in the dominance hierarchy. Twelve adult Arabian mares were involved. A behavioural test had been performed before the main experiment to determine the rank order of the mares in this social herd. ...
A stallion spermatozoon’s journey through the mare’s genital tract: In vivo and in vitro aspects of sperm capacitation. Conventional in vitro fertilization is not efficacious when working with equine gametes. Although stallion spermatozoa bind to the zona pellucida in vitro, these gametes fail to initiate the acrosome reaction in the vicinity of the oocyte and cannot, therefore, penetrate into the perivitelline space. Failure of sperm penetration most likely relates to the absence of optimized in vitro fertilization media containing molecules essential to support stallion sperm capacitation. In vivo, the female reproductive tract, especially the oviductal lumen, provides an environmental milieu that appropriate...
β-Hydroxy β-methylbutyrate supplementation to adult Thoroughbred geldings increases type IIA fiber content in the gluteus medius. Consumption of β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB) alters muscle composition and metabolism leading to strength and agility improvements in human athletes. To determine if HMB affects athletic performance and muscle function in horses, Thoroughbred geldings were fed a control (CON; n = 5) or HMB (n = 6) supplement for 6 wk prior to completing a standardized exercise test (SET). Gluteus medius (GM) muscle biopsies were obtained before the SET for fiber typing. Heart rate, biceps femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (ST) surface electromyograms (EMG), and fore and hind limbs metacarpophalangeal joint ...
The Use of Draught Animals in Rural Labour. This study discusses scientific findings on the use of draught animals such as equids (i.e., horses, mules, and donkeys) and bovids (i.e., cattle and water buffaloes) in rural labours. Relevant peer-reviewed literature published between 1980 and 2021 was retrieved from CAB Abstracts, PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus databases. Although animals were used to produce draught power since their domestication and are still being used for this purpose, mechanisation has markedly reduced animal labour demand in agriculture. However, the process was uneven across continents according to economi...
Exercise-induced airflow changes in horses with asthma measured by electrical impedance tomography. Equine asthma (EA) causes airflow impairment, which increases in severity with exercise. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an imaging technique that can detect airflow changes in standing healthy horses during a histamine provocation test. Objective: To explore EIT-calculated flow variables before and after exercise in healthy horses and horses with mild-to-moderate (MEA) and severe equine asthma (SEA). Methods: Nine healthy horses 9 horses diagnosed with MEA and 5 with SEA were prospectively included. Methods: Recordings were performed before and after 15 minutes of lunging. Absolute...
Sustained Intra-Articular Release and Biocompatibility of Tacrolimus (FK506) Loaded Monospheres Composed of [PDLA-PEG1000]-b-[PLLA] Multi-Block Copolymers in Healthy Horse Joints. There is an increasing interest in controlled release systems for local therapy in the treatment of human and equine joint diseases, aiming for optimal intra-articular concentrations with no systemic side effects. In this study, the intra-articular tolerability and suitability for local and sustained release of tacrolimus (FK506) from monospheres composed of [PDLA-PEG1000]-b-PLLA multiblock copolymers were investigated. Unloaded and tacrolimus-loaded (18.4 mg tacrolimus/joint) monospheres were injected into the joints of six healthy horses, with saline and hyaluronic acid (HA) in the contralat...
The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Eimeria leuckarti (Eimeriidae, Coccidia, Apicomplexa) infecting domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus). The complete mitochondrial genome of (Eimeriidae, Coccidia, Apicomplexa) was obtained. This morphologically distinctive coccidium is considered to be the only valid species of equids and it infects a range of both domestic and wild horses and their relatives. Despite the distinctive appearance of the oocysts of , the mitochondrial genome organization and gene contents were comparable to other spp. and related eimeriid coccidia infecting a range of mammals and birds. The greatly reduced 6242 bp genome is circular-mapping and contains three protein-coding genes (COI, COIII, CytB), 18 fragme...
Practical Review of the Management of Animal Bites. Animal bites are common worldwide. Due to the plethora of animals, there are diverse pathogens with specific associated risks and treatment algorithms. It is crucial to understand these to develop and execute appropriate management plans. This practical review was designed to amalgamate the most common bites worldwide and synthesize data to help guide treatment plans. Methods: A PubMed literature search was performed focusing on the major animal bites. High-level studies were preferred and analyzed but lower-level studies were also used if high-level studies did not exist. Results: The tables ...
Measurement properties of grimace scales for pain assessment in nonhuman mammals: a systematic review. Facial expressions of pain have been identified in several animal species. The aim of this systematic review was to provide evidence on the measurement properties of grimace scales for pain assessment. The protocol was registered (SyRF#21-November-2019), and the study is reported according to the PRISMA guidelines. Studies reporting the development, validation, and the assessment of measurement properties of grimace scales were included. Data extraction and assessment were performed by 2 investigators, following the COnsensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement INstruments ...
Equine spinal kinematics derived from different riding positions during asymmetrical bareback riding. Hippotherapy in patients with neuromuscular dysfunction creates high focal pressure on the pony's back due to bareback riding and an asymmetrical riding position. This study aimed to investigate the acute effect of asymmetrical bareback riding on the pony's spinal kinematics, blood lactate, serum creatine kinase, heart rate, and temperament score. Eight ponies were selected, and they were walked on a treadmill for 45 min on each experimental day, including warm-up (5 min), weight-loading by mannequin (30 min), and cool-down (10 min) sessions. During the weight-loading session, three different ...
Persistence of virus-neutralizing antibodies in horses inoculated with two doses of a live equine herpesvirus type 1 vaccine with different vaccination intervals. The antibody response in horses inoculated with 2 doses of a live equine herpesvirus type 1 vaccine with different vaccination intervals (1 to 3 months) was evaluated with regard to the persistence of virus-neutralizing (VN) antibodies. The durations for which the geometric mean VN titers were maintained significantly higher than those before the first vaccination (P<0.05) were up to 5 months in horses that received the vaccination with a 1-month interval (n=17) and 7 months for those that received it with a 2-month (n=17) or 3-month interval (n=14 or 17). The vaccination program with the 2...
Demographic, preoperative and anaesthesia-related risk factors for unsatisfactory recovery quality in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. To determine demographic, preoperative and anaesthesia-related variables that may be associated with unsatisfactory recovery quality in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery (colic) in an equine teaching hospital. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: A total of 313 horses. Methods: The anaesthetic records of horses admitted for surgical treatment of colic between 2005 and 2018 were examined. Overall quality of recovery was assessed as dangerous, poor, fair, good or excellent. The following categories were constructed as a dichotomic variable: unsatisfactory recovery (poor and d...
Rhodococcus equi-Occurrence in Goats and Clinical Case Report. infection is commonly known in equine medicine to cause frequently fatal rhodococcosis. Infections in other species and people are also reported. Clinical manifestation in goats is relatively similar to horses and humans, but data regarding bacterium prevalence are scarce. Thus, the study aimed to estimate the occurrence of in goats. Methods: During post mortem examination, submandibular, mediastinal, and mesenteric lymph nodes were collected. Standard methods were used for bacteria isolation and identification. Results: A total of 134 goats were examined, and 272 lymph node samples were col...
Effects of steam-flaked grains on foals’ growth and faecal microbiota. There is little objective information concerning the effect of steam-flaked grains on foal's growth performance and faecal microbiota. To determine the effects of steam-flaked grains on foal's growth performance and faecal microbiota, faecal samples were collection from 18 foals which had been fed either corn, oat or barley diets over the 60 days of the experiment. Body weight and conformation measurements were collected. Next-generation sequencing of the V3 + V4 region of the 16 S rRNA gene was used to assess the microbial composition of faeces. Alpha diversity, Venn graph, Relative abun...
Challenges in navigating molecular diagnostics for common equine respiratory viruses. Equine respiratory viruses remain a leading cause of equine morbidity and mortality, with the resurgence of certain infections, an increasing population of elderly, more susceptible horses, the growth of international equine commerce, and an expansion in geographic distribution of pathogens. The focus of rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases has also shifted recently, with the appearance and increasing importance of nucleic acid amplification-based techniques, primarily polymerase chain reaction (PCR), at the expense of traditional methods such as clinical microbiology. While PCR is fast, rel...
