Topic:Blood Analysis
Blood analysis in horses involves the examination of blood samples to assess various physiological and pathological conditions. This process provides insights into the health status of horses by evaluating components such as red and white blood cells, platelets, and various biochemical parameters. Blood analysis can help identify infections, anemia, metabolic disorders, and other health issues. Common tests include complete blood counts (CBC) and blood chemistry panels, which measure electrolytes, enzymes, and other substances. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore methodologies, findings, and implications of blood analysis in equine veterinary medicine.
The repeatability of an oral glucose test in ponies. Insulin dysregulation can be difficult to diagnose from basal insulin and glucose concentrations, so a field-based oral glucose test (OGT) is preferred. However, the repeatability of this test has not been reported. Objective: To determine the repeatability of an in-feed OGT in ponies and examine some factors affecting the palatability of the test meal. Methods: A repeated measures, longitudinal study. Methods: An in-feed OGT was performed at 08.00 h on 3 consecutive occasions under controlled conditions in 8 mixed breed ponies. d-glucose (0.75 g/kg bwt) was dissolved in water and combined wit...
Pharmacokinetics of ketoprofen enantiomers following intravenous and oral administration to exercised Thoroughbred horses. Ketoprofen (KTP) is currently only available as an injectable formulation for intravenous administration to horses. The primary goal of the study reported here was to characterize the pharmacokinetics of KTP, including determination of bioavailability following oral administration of the currently available injectable formulation as well as a paste formulation. KTP was administered intravenously and orally, and blood and urine samples were collected at various time points up to 96 h. KTP enantiomer concentrations were determined using LC–MS/MS, and pharmacokinetic analyses were performed. Me...
Randomised clinical trial on the effect of a single oral administration of l-tryptophan, at three dose rates, on reaction speed, plasma concentration and haemolysis in horses. Tryptophan (TRP) is marketed as a calmative for horses despite reservations about its efficacy. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of oral TRP administration on the reaction speed of horses. Sixty mature horses were used in a two stage randomised, blind, cross-over study, receiving a placebo and an oral dose of TRP (30, 60 or 120 mg/kg body weight), before undergoing a reaction speed test. Blood samples were taken up to 96 h after TRP administration, to identify signs of acute haemolytic anaemia. Plasma TRP concentrations were increased (P <0.001) by the administration of...
Elimination of cetirizine following administration of multiple doses to exercised thoroughbred horses. Cetirizine is an antihistamine used in performance horses for the treatment of hypersensitivity reactions and as such a withdrawal time is necessary prior to competition. The objective of the current study was to describe the disposition and elimination of cetirizine following oral administration in order to provide additional serum concentration data upon which appropriate regulatory recommendations can be established. Nine exercised thoroughbred horses were administered 0.4Â mg/kg of cetirizine orally BID for a total of five doses. Blood samples were collected immediately prior to drug admin...
Antioxidant and haematological biomarkers in different groups of horses supplemented with polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E. Oxidative stress has been correlated with pathologies that impair the performance of athlete horses. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of supplementation with a mixture of polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E on the antioxidant and haematological biomarkers of horses. Horses under maintenance care (n = 6) and horses in training (n = 10) received 100 and 300 ml of the oil mixture respectively. Supplementation was provided for a period of 8 weeks, together with isocaloric inclusion. Blood samples were collected at three time periods (pretest, after 4 weeks and after 8 weeks) t...
Serum levels of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1, leptin, and lipids during late pregnancy and the early postpartum period in mares. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of serum mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and leptin levels as well as of lipid and lipoprotein profiles in mares during the peripartum period. Ten pregnant mares (group A) were monitored from 15 ± 3 days of pregnancy until 15 days after foaling, and 10 nonpregnant nonlactating mares constituted the control (group B). In group A, blood sampling was performed on Days 15 ± 3 and 7 ± 3 before foaling, on the day of foaling, and on Days 7 and 15 after foaling. In group B, blood sampling was performed on the same days as in gr...
Effects of age on the pharmacokinetics of tramadol and its active metabolite, O-desmethyltramadol following intravenous administration to foals. Tramadol is an analgesic agent used in man and a number of veterinary species. The pharmacokinetics and behavioural effects of tramadol and its active metabolite have been described in mature horses, but not in young foals. Objective: To characterise the pharmacokinetics, metabolism and some induced behavioural and physiological responses following i.v. tramadol administration in the same group of foals on 4 different occasions, from a few days after birth to age 43 days. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Tramadol was administered i.v. (3 mg/kg bwt) to a group of 8 foals on 4 separate occasion...
Repeated measurements of blood lactate concentration as a prognostic marker in horses with acute colitis evaluated with classification and regression trees (CART) and random forest analysis. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of single and repeated measurements of blood l-lactate (Lac) and ionised calcium (iCa) concentrations, packed cell volume (PCV) and plasma total protein (TP) concentration in horses with acute colitis. A total of 66 adult horses admitted with acute colitis (<24 h) to a referral hospital in the 2002-2011 period were included. The prognostic value of Lac, iCa, PCV and TP recorded at admission and 6 h post admission was analysed with univariate analysis, logistic regression, classification and regression trees, as well as ran...
Pharmacokinetics of methocarbamol and phenylbutazone in exercised Thoroughbred horses. Methocarbamol (MCBL) is commonly used in performance horses for the treatment of skeletal muscle disorders. Current regulatory recommendations for show horses and racehorses are based on a single oral dose of 5Â g, although doses in excess of this are often administered. The goal of the current study was to characterize the disposition of MCBL following higher dose administration and administration in combination with another commonly used drug in performance horses, phenylbutazone (PBZ). Exercised Thoroughbred horses were administered various doses of MCBL as a sole agent and MCBL in combinat...
Iron profile in Thoroughbreds during a standard training program. The aim of this study was to evaluate the modifications of some haematological parameters and iron profile during an 80-day training program and their relationship with athletic performance of performance horses. Methods: During the training period, 20 Thoroughbreds were subjected to a standardised exercise test, previously standardised for gallopers to evaluate athletic performance. The test was performed immediately before the beginning of the training program (T0) and after 30 days (T30), 60 days (T60) and 90 days (T90). For each horse, their velocities at blood lactate concentrations of 2 ...
Serological Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi among Horses in Korea. Lyme disease is a tick-borne zoonotic infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The present study assessed the infection status of B. burgdorferi among horses reared in Korea using ELISA and PCR. Between 2009 and 2013, blood samples were collected from 727 horses throughout Korea. Data for each animal including age, gender, breed, and region of sample collection were used for epidemiological analysis. Overall, 38 (5.2%; true prevalence: 5.5%) of 727 horses were seropositive by ELISA. There were statistically significant differences according to breed and region (P<0.001) whose diff...
Cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic responses to apnea induced by atlanto-occipital intrathecal lidocaine injection in anesthetized horses. To determine physiologic responses to apnea-induced severe hypoxemia in anesthetized horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Six university-owned horses with a median (range) body weight of 500 (220-510) kg and aged 13.5 (0.8-24.0) years scheduled for euthanasia. Methods: Xylazine-midazolam-ketamine-anesthetized horses breathing room air spontaneously were instrumented with a facial artery catheter for pressure measurement and blood sampling, and were made apneic with atlanto-occipital intrathecal lidocaine (4 mg kg ). Cardiopulmonary, biochemical and hematologic variable...
Circadian rhythm of calciotropic hormones, serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium during the shortest and longest days of the year in horses in New Zealand. A study was conducted to determine the circadian rhythms and trends of vitamin D metabolites including 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 , 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 , 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone, in addition to serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium concentrations in horses over 48Â h on the shortest and longest days of the year in 2013. Five healthy adult horses (Equus caballus) were on a constant pasture feeding regimen, and blood samples were collected from each horse every 3Â h over a 48-h period, starting at 07:00Â PM on day one and finishing at 07:00Â PM on day three, for the measurem...
Pharmacokinetics of guaifenesin following administration of multiple doses to exercised Thoroughbred horses. Guaifenesin is an expectorant commonly used in performance horses to aid in the clearance of mucus from the airways. Guaifenesin is also a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant and as such is a prohibited drug with withdrawal necessary prior to competition. To the authors' knowledge, there are no reports in the literature describing single or multiple oral administrations of guaifenesin in the horse to determine a regulatory threshold and related withdrawal time. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to describe the pharmacokinetics of guaifenesin following oral administration ...
[Reference ranges of insulin, insulin like growth factor-1 and adrenocorticotropic hormone in ponies]. The aim of this study was to validate a chemiluminescence immunometric assay using the IMMULITE 2000® for the determination of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) from which reference ranges were calculated for ponies. Methods: Blood samples of 130 ponies aged 3-32 years were collected in the afternoon. The reference ranges were calculated according to the Guideline EP28-A3C of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) from 2010. Results: The determined intraday precision for insulin was 3.28%, for ACTH 3...
Concentrations of progesterone, a metabolite of PGF2α, prolactin, and luteinizing hormone during development of idiopathic persistent corpus luteum in mares. In experiment 1, daily blood samples were available from Days 0 to 20 (Day 0 = ovulation) in mares with an interovulatory interval (IOI, n = 5) and in mares that developed idiopathic persistent corpus luteum (PCL, n = 5). The PCL was confirmed by maintenance of progesterone (P4) concentration until end of the experiment (Day 20). Significant interactions of group and day revealed the novel findings that luteinizing hormone (LH) was lower (P < 0.05) in the PCL group than that in the IOI group on Days 0 to 4, and prolactin was lower (P < 0.05) on Days 1, 4, 6, and 7. In experiment 2, treat...
Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in horses from Southern Punjab (Pakistan). The present study was designed to optimize a PCR-RFLP protocol for the molecular detection of Anaplasma sp. and to compare its prevalence in blood samples of equines from Southern Punjab (Pakistan) and to find out the risk factors involved in the spread of anaplasmosis. A total of 210 blood samples were collected from equines from 2 sampling sites (Dera Ghazi Khan and Khanewal districts). Data on the animals' characteristics (age, species and gender) were collected through survey. PCR amplified the 577bp product specific for 16S rRNA gene of Anaplasma spp. in 9 blood samples (4.3% of total), [...
Evaluation of coagulation via thromboelastography in healthy horses administered dexamethasone. Dexamethasone was administered to healthy horses daily for 7 days. Blood samples were collected at 3 time points from both treatment and non-treatment groups, and analyzed via thromboelastography (TEG). There were no significant differences in TEG parameters between treated and untreated horses, or within treatment groups over time. La dexaméthasone a été administrée à des chevaux en santé pendant 7 jours. Des échantillons de sang ont été prélevés à trois moments auprès des groupes de traitement et des groupes sans traitement et ensuite analysés par thrombo-élastographie (TEG)....
The area under the curve of L-lactate in neonatal foals from birth to 14 days of age. Prior studies have shown the prognostic utility of measuring L-lactate in critically ill neonatal foals, both as single (at admission) and serial measurements. Greater prognostic sensitivity and specificity may be achieved by use of the area under the L-lactate versus time curve (LACArea ) over the first 24 hours of hospitalization, which captures both severity and duration of hyperlactatemia. Prior to application of this concept in sick equine neonates, a reference interval for LACArea should be determined. Methods: The concentration of lactate [LAC] was measured in blood obtained via direct ...
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ramipril and ramiprilat after intravenous and oral doses of ramipril in healthy horses. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) ramiprilat after intravenous (IV) and oral (PO) administration of ramipril have not been evaluated in horses. This study was designed to establish PK profiles for ramipril and ramiprilat as well as to determine the effects of ramiprilat on serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and to select the most appropriate ramipril dose that suppresses ACE activity. Six healthy horses in a cross-over design received IV ramipril 0.050 mg/kg, PO at a dose of 0 (placebo), and 0.050, 0.10, 0.20, 0.40 ...
Biological variation of thromboelastrography variables in 10 clinically healthy horses. To assess the utility of population-based reference intervals (PRIs) for interpreting thromboelastography (TEG) variables in horses using biological variation data. Methods: Prospective cohort biologic variation study conducted over a 5-week period. Methods: Veterinary teaching hospital and research facility. Methods: Ten clinically healthy horses randomly selected from a veterinary school research and teaching herd. Methods: Horse health was determined using physical examination, CBC, and biochemical and coagulation profiles prior to the start of the study. Subsequently, once weekly blood sam...
Postprandial glucose, insulin, and glucagon-like peptide-1 responses of different equine breeds adapted to meals containing micronized maize. The enteroinsular axis is a complex system that includes the release of incretin hormones from the gut to promote the absorption and utilization of glucose after a meal. The insulinogenic effect of incretin hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) remains poorly characterized in the horse. The aim of this study was to compare postprandial glucose, insulin, and GLP-1 responses of different equine breeds adapted to twice-daily meals containing micronized maize. Four Standardbred horses, 4 mixed-breed ponies, and 4 Andalusian cross horses in moderate BCS (5.5 ± 0.2 out of 9) were fed mea...
Perioperative trends in plasma colloid osmotic pressure in horses undergoing surgery. To compare perioperative trends in plasma colloid osmotic pressure (COP) between horses undergoing orthopedic and colic surgery. Methods: Prospective clinical study September 2009-January 2011. Methods: Veterinary university teaching hospital. Methods: Thirty-three healthy, client-owned horses presenting for orthopedic surgery (non-GI) and 85 client-owned horses presenting for emergency exploratory celiotomy (GI, gastrointestinal). Methods: None. Methods: Data relating to the horse's parameters on presentation, surgical lesion, post-operative management and survival were extracted from compute...
Clinical Research Abstracts of the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress 2015. Atrial fibrillation is a common equine arrhythmia. Quinidine alone, or with digoxin are common treatments. Studies on outcome in Warmblood populations in which duration of the AF is often unknown are limited. Objective: To identify the factors that are associated with the success of full treatment cardioversion with oral medication, and establish whether there are differences in these factors between institutions. Methods: Retrospective case series using patient records of Equine University Clinic of Utrecht University and Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket. Methods: Forty-nine horses treate...
Clinical Research Abstracts of the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress 2015. Atrial fibrillation is a common equine arrhythmia. Quinidine alone, or with digoxin are common treatments. Studies on outcome in Warmblood populations in which duration of the AF is often unknown are limited. Objective: To identify the factors that are associated with the success of full treatment cardioversion with oral medication, and establish whether there are differences in these factors between institutions. Methods: Retrospective case series using patient records of Equine University Clinic of Utrecht University and Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket. Methods: Forty-nine horses treate...
The prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in horses in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, northwestern China. Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect warm-blooded animals and humans. The present study was performed to investigate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in horses in Xinjiang, northwestern China. A total of 637 blood samples were collected from seven regions in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang in 2011 and assayed for T. gondiiantibodies using the modified agglutination test (MAT). Risk factors (age, gender, and region) related to seroprevalence were determined by a multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 200 horses (31.4%, 95%...
Metabolic studies of oxyguno in horses. Oxyguno (4-chloro-17α-methyl-17β-hydroxy-androst-4-ene-3,11-dione) is a synthetic oral anabolic androgenic steroid commercially available without a prescription. Manufacturers of oxyguno claim that its anabolic effect in metabolic enhancement exceeds that of the classic anabolic steroid testosterone by seven times, but its androgenic side-effects are only twelve percent of testosterone. Like other anabolic androgenic steroids, oxyguno is prohibited in equine sports. The metabolism of oxyguno in either human or horse has not been reported and therefore little is known about its metabolic fate...
Pharmacokinetics and disposition of flupirtine in the horse. Flupirtine (FLU) is a non-opioid analgesic drug, with no antipyretic or anti-inflammatory effects, used in the treatment of a wide range of pain states in human beings. It does not induce the side effects associated with the classical drugs used as pain relievers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profiles of FLU after IV and PO administration in healthy horses. Six mixed breed adult mares were randomly assigned to two treatment groups using an open, single-dose, two-treatment, two-phase, paired, cross-over design (2 × 2 Latin-square). Group 1 (n = 3) received ...