Topic:Body Weight
Body weight in horses is a fundamental parameter that influences various aspects of equine management and health. It is a measure of the horse's mass, often assessed using scales or estimated through body condition scoring and weight tapes. Body weight is integral for determining appropriate feed rations, medication dosages, and workload capacities. Variations in body weight can indicate changes in health status, nutritional adequacy, or fitness levels. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies for assessing body weight, its implications on equine health and performance, and its role in management practices.
[The effect of vitamin H substitution on the growth and condition of hooves]. A long-term treatment with biotin (vitamin H) in 5 warm-blooded horses and 10 trotter horses is reported. The dose of 0.031-0.037 mg/kg body weight was well tolerated, and with a therapy period up to 10 months an improvement of the horn quality of the growing hoof could be attained as it had not been possible before with other measures. Biotin (Gabiotan) is recommendable as a therapeutic in all cases of hoof problems which are based on disturbed horn elasticity.
Relationship between nutrient intake, growth and body composition of the nursing foal. The milk and nutrient intakes of 21 nursing foals of heavy breeds (adult weight: 800 kg) were determined at 1, 4 and 8 weeks of age. Lactose intake increased (P is less than 0.01) from 1 300 g/day at 1 week of age to 1 800 g/d at 8 weeks; fat decreased (P is less than 0.01) from 400 g/d to 300 g/d and protein did not vary (600 g/d). Energy and nitrogen intakes did not depend on the source of energy in the mother's diet. Milk, energy and nitrogen intakes were well related (r = 0.74 to 0.81) with foal growth between 1 and 4 weeks, but not between 4 and 8 weeks. The composition of weight gain sho...
Neostigmine methylsulfate delays gastric emptying of particulate markers in horses. Eight horses were allotted to 2 groups, each of 4 horses. All horses were given 100 plastic markers intragastrically via a nasogastric tube. One group of animals (control group) was not given medication after marker administration. The other group (test group) was given neostigmine methylsulfate (0.022 mg/kg of body weight) in the subcutaneous tissue at the time of marker administration and 30, 60, and 90 minutes later. All horses were killed 135 minutes after marker administration to locate the beads in the gastrointestinal tract. Gastric emptying of the markers was significantly delayed (P l...
Humoral, hormonal and behavioral correlates of feeding in ponies: the effects of meal frequency. The effect of meal frequency on body fluid, glucose, triiodothyronine (T3), heart rate and behavior was measured in 10 ponies. A simple reversal design was used in which each pony received one meal/day (1X) for 2 wk and six meals/day (6X) for 2 wk. The total intake/day was held constant. Feeding was followed by a rise in plasma levels of glucose, T3, protein and osmolality. One large meal was followed by significantly greater changes in all of the variables than was a meal one-sixth the size. Plasma T3 rose from 41 +/- 5 (SE) ng/liter before feeding to 43 +/- 5 ng/liter following a small meal,...
Effects of multiple intramuscular injections and doses of dexamethasone on plasma cortisol concentrations and adrenal responses to ACTH in horses. Adrenocortical function was assessed in horses given multiple IM doses of dexamethasone to determine the duration of adrenocortical suppression and insufficiency caused by 2 commonly used dosages of dexamethasone (0.044 and 0.088 mg/kg of body weight). Dexamethasone was administered at 5-day intervals for a total of 6 injections. Daily blood samples were collected. The plasma was frozen and later assayed for cortisol. An ACTH response test was determined 2 days before the first injection of dexamethasone and again 8 days after the last dexamethasone injection. Maximum suppression of plasma cor...
The effects of caloric dilution on meal patterns and food intake of ponies. In order to determine if horses will increase their intake in response to caloric dilution, four pony geldings were fed ad lib a mixed grain diet either undiluted (3.4 Mcal/kg of digestible energy) or diluted (wt/wt) with 25% sawdust (2.6 Mcal/kg) or with 50% sawdust (1.7 Mcal/kg). The mean daily caloric intake was 17,457 kcal (3.4 Mcal diet), 17,546 kcal (2.6 Mcal diet) and 12,844 kcal (1.7 Mcal). The mean time spent eating was 246 (3.4 Mcal), 351 (2.6 Mcal), and 408 (1.7 Mcal) minutes/day. Meal size increased and meal frequency decreased with increasing dilution. The median long survivorship...
Effects of level of dietary protein and exercise on growth rates of horses. Rates of growth were measured in two-year-old (Experiment 1) and nine-month-old (Experiment 2) horses fed high (12 or 14 per cent) or low (6 or 8 per cent) crude protein diets with one of two levels of exercise (0 or 12 km trotting per day at 12 km/h). In the non-exercised horses feed intakes and growth rates were greater on the high than on the low protein diets. Exercise increased feed intakes and growth rates of horses on the low but not the high protein diets, so that in the exercised groups there were no significant differences in feed intakes or growth rates between the horses on the two...
Effects of flunixin meglumine on blood pressure and fluid compartment volume changes in ponies given endotoxin. A study was conducted to determine whether body fluids undergo a net shift from one compartment to another during endotoxin-induced shock in the pony, and whether flunixin meglumine alters these endotoxin-induced changes in the volumes of body fluid compartments. Total blood, RBC, and plasma volumes were determined, using 51Cr-labeled RBC and PCV that were corrected for trapped plasma. Total body water was measured by distribution of 3HOH. Arterial blood pressure was measured directly, using a blood pressure transducer. Treatment (flunixin meglumine, 1.1 mg/kg of body weight) was given to 6 of...
Protein requirements of mature working horses. Eighteen mature horses were used to study proteins requirements of working horses. Treatments included intense exercise, medium exercise and maintenance in a 3 X 3 factorial arrangement with three levels of calculated dietary crude protein (CP; 8.5, 7.0 and 5.5%). The horses were on the various exercise-protein treatments for 60 d, then fasted 4 d to evaluate their N status after the treatment period. Exercise had no significant effect on body weight over the feeding and fasting periods. No one exercise or protein treatment expressed the classical low plasma albumin or total protein concentrat...
Alterations in coagulation and hemograms of horses given endotoxins for 24 hours via hepatic portal infusions. This experiment was designed to establish a model for the study of gastrointestinal disturbances as a result of prolonged endotoxin uptake in the horse. The hepatic portal vein of 7 horses was catheterized (through flank incisions) to give chronic hepatic portal infusions of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin). Lipopolysaccharide was infused at a rate of 1 microgram/kg of body weight/hr for 24 hours. Two of the horses were infused with saline solution for 12 hours before LPS infusions were given. Lipopolysaccharide was shown to affect behavior and hematologic and coagulation values. The 1st ho...
Roaring in Clydesdales. An endoscopic survey was performed to assess arytenoid cartilage movement during quiet respiration in 48 Clydesdale horses. Physical characteristics which could influence the length of the recurrent laryngeal nerves were also recorded from these horses and the relationship of these characteristics to the presence of abnormal left arytenoid cartilage movements was assessed statistically. Some degree of abnormal arytenoid movement was observed in 50% of the animals over one year of age. No significant correlation between sex, age, estimated weight, height, or neck length could be found although ...
Raising the orphan foal. Orphan foals are best reared by fostering them onto a brood mare of appropriate size. If no foster mother is available, they can be reared on 2 per cent fat skimmed cow's milk fortified with dextrose at the rate of 20 gm per L. This should be slowly increased from 10 per cent of body weight at 1 day of age to 25 per cent of body weight at 10 days of age. The amount should then be held constant until weaning. Alternatively, foals can be reared on milk replacers. Manufacturers' feeding instructions rarely mimic the milk intake obtained by a foal nursing her dam, and problems have been observed i...
Rifampin in the horse: comparison of intravenous, intramuscular, and oral administrations. The plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetics of rifampin disposition were determined after a single IV, IM, or oral dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight and an oral dose of 25 mg/kg. The overall elimination rate constants per minute were similar for the 10 mg/kg dose (0.0021 +/- 0.0004, IV; 0.0017 +/- 0.0002, IM; and 0.0023 +/- 0.0006, orally). The apparent bioavailability was moderate to low for IM and oral administrations (59.8% +/- 3.2% and 39.5% +/- 5.0%, respectively). The rate of absorption was most rapid for oral administration with an absorption half-life of 249.7 +/- 71.6 minutes as comp...
Physiological stimuli of thirst and drinking patterns in ponies. The stimuli that elicit thirst were studied in four ponies. Nineteen hours of water deprivation produced an increase in plasma protein from 67 +/- 0.1 g/litre to 72 +/- 2 g/litre, a mean (+/- se) increase in plasma sodium from 139 +/- 3 to 145 +/- 2 mmol/litre and an increase in plasma osmolality from 297 +/- 1 to 306 +/- 2 mosmol/litre. Undeprived ponies drank 1.5 +/- 0.9 kg/30 mins; 19 h deprived ponies drank 10.2 +/- 2.5 kg/30 mins and corrected the deficits in plasma protein, plasma sodium and plasma osmolality as well as compensating for the water they would have drunk during the deprivat...
The oxygen affinity of mammalian hemoglobins in the absence of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in relation to body weight. We studied the oxygenation of mammalian hemoglobins: mouse (Mus musculus molossinus), rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus), Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata), man (Homo sapiens), sheep (Ovis aries), llama (Lama glama), pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), cow (Bos taurus domesticus) and horse (Equus caballus), in the absence of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) and compared their oxygen affinity in relation to the body weight. The negative correlation between body weight and the oxygen affinity of the whole blood, observed by Schmidt-Nielsen and Larimer (1958), was not observed in the absence of DPG. O...
Activity of closantel in the prevention of Gasterophilus and Strongylus vulgaris larval infections in equine foals and yearlings. Two controlled tests were conducted in equine foals and yearlings to determine the optimal oral dosage and the duration of activity of closantel for the prevention of Gasterophilus spp larval infections. Additional data were collected on the activity of closantel against Strongylus vulgaris larval infections. In experiment 1, 12 foals and 12 yearlings were equally allocated to 4 experimental groups, and were given oral treatments with closantel at dosages of 0 (nontreated controls), 2, 5, or 8 mg/kg of body weight every 2 months during bot season. The foals and yearlings were allowed to graze ...
Gluconeogenesis from caecal propionate in the horse. The production of propionate in the caecum of the horse has been measured in two Shetland-type ponies fitted with caecal and colonic cannulas and fed on hay or on hay and wheat bran. A continuous intracaecal infusion of 14C-labelled sodium propionate was used and samples were obtained from a cannula at the origin of the right ventral colon. A simultaneous intravenous infusion of [2-3H]glucose was used to measure total glucose entry. On a hay diet which provided 177 kJ/kg body-weight per d, mean caecal propionate production was 19.6 (range 17.2-21.2) mg/h per kg body-weight and on a hay and whe...
The effect of artificial rearing on the growth of foals. Fourteen Quarter Horse foals were used to evaluate the effects of artificial rearing on growth. Seven foals were removed from their dams at 3 d of age and fed a reconstituted 26% crude protein (CP) milk replacer free choice for 1 mo, at which time ad libitum solid feeding began. Controls were weaned from their dams at 2 mo of age and fed a 21% CP concentrate ad libitum until the end of the trial. Variables measured during the 26-wk trial were live body weight, height at the withers and length of body from point of shoulder to point of hip. No significant differences were found between the two ...
An investigation of the effect of hesperidin complex and lemon bioflavonoid complex on growth and development of thoroughbred horses. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Hesperidin Complex and Lemon Bioflavonoid Complex (HC/LBC) on the growth and development of thoroughbred horses. The trial involved twenty-four foals (12 colts, 12 fillies) allotted to treatment shortly after weaning. The study was conducted for a 342-d growing phase and a 153-d training phase, or a total of 495-d. The HC/LBC was included in the test diet at a level calculated to supply the compound at 55 mg X kg body weight-1 X d-1. During the growing phase, average daily gain of colts that received HC/LBC was higher (P less than .05)...
Experimental cantharidiasis in the horse. Crystalline cantharidin in an alfalfa cake or in aqueous suspension was given to 8 horses at a dosage level of 450 to 489 micrograms/kg of body weight (group 1) and 2 horses at a dosage level of 720 micrograms/kg (group 2) via nasogastric tube. Both group 2 horses and 1 group 1 horse died. Horses were evaluated at 6-hour intervals for 36 hours and then again at postcantharidin hours 48. Data evaluation consisted of a comparison of the nonsurvival and survival data to one another and their respective base-line values at each sampling period, irrespective of the route of administration and dosag...
Dosage requirement of pancuronium in halothane-anesthetized ponies: a comparison of cumulative and single-dose administration. Cumulative vs single-bolus administration of pancuronium was studied in halothane-anesthetized ponies. Dosage levels were determined by giving small increments (0.01 to 0.04 mg/kg of body weight) until the desired relaxation occurred (0.125 +/- 0.038 mg/kg for 90% to 99% reduction of prerelaxant twitch height), then an additional 0.037 +/- 0.024 mg/kg for obliteration of twitch response. The dosage level defined by cumulative administration was then administered as a single bolus 2 more times, once on each of 2 days. Dosage requirements for the 2 methods correlated well. The difference in dura...
Renal clearance and fractional excretion of electrolytes over a 24-hour period in horses. Four consecutive 6-hour urine collections were obtained from 10 healthy adult horses given free access to a complete pelleted ration and water. Samples of blood were collected from the jugular vein at the start of the test period and then every 6 hours for 4 consecutive samples. Mean renal clearance of creatinine (CCr) varied significantly during the four, 6-hour collections, ranging from 1.474 in period II to 2.702 ml/min/kg of body weight during period III (P less than 0.05). The CCr in period III was significantly different from the 24-hour mean value of 1.877 ml/min/kg (P less than 0.05). ...
Effectiveness of ivermectin paste for removal of nematodes in the horse. Thirteen Standardbred horses, two to five years of age, were treated with ivermectin paste per os at 200 mug/kg of body weight and 13 were untreated. Two weeks after treatment, previously untreated horses were given the paste. Fecal samples were collected from all horses at the time of treatment and periodically thereafter up to 14 weeks and were examined for nematode eggs using the Cornell-McMaster dilution and the Cornell-Wisconsin double centrifugation procedures.All horses consumed the paste readily and had no signs of toxicosis. Strongyle eggs were found in the feces of all horses before ...
Echocardiography in foals from birth to three months old. Simultaneous echocardiograms, phonocardiograms and electrocardiograms were performed on 16 foals at the following times after birth: 15 mins, 60 mins, 2, 4, 12, 24, 48 h, four, seven, 14 days and four, eight and 12 weeks. Positive correlations were found between both age and body weight and the following measurements: left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, right ventricular end-diastolic dimension, left atrial dimension and aortic root dimension, posterior left ventricular wall thickness and interventricular septal thickness. Heart rate was negatively correlated with left ventricular electr...
Blood pressure, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram measurements in the growing pony foal. Twelve newborn pony foals underwent cardiovascular examinations (auscultation, arterial blood pressure measurements, electrocardiograms and M-mode echocardiograms) on their first day of life and then on Days 7, 14, 21, 30, 60 and 90. An age dependent, statistically significant, rapid increase of the arterial blood pressure in the first month was documented together with a slower decrease of the resting heart rate after two and three months of life. Innocent soft systolic murmurs were audible over the left heart base in a large number of the foals. The electrocardiograms showed age dependent in...
Active immunization of prepubertal colts against estrogens: hormonal and testicular responses after puberty. Prepubertal Quarter horse colts were immunized at 6 mo of age with either estrone-17-oxime-bovine serum albumin (n = 4; treated) or with albumin only (n = 5; controls). All colts received booster injections of the appropriate antigen at 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20 mo of age. Blood samples were drawn every 20 d from 6 to 26 mo of age; body weights were determined monthly. Immunization against estrone-albumin resulted in increased binding of [3H]-estradiol in serum within 40 d that was maintained through 24 mo of age. Antisera from treated colts crossreacted equally well with estrone and estradiol and ...
Critical test evaluations of oxfendazole and trichlorfon: effectiveness of a paste formulation in the horse. Critical tests were performed on 6 horses to evaluate the antiparasitic effectiveness of oxfendazole given in combination with trichlorfon in a paste formulation. Treatments were given orally as a single dose. The rates of active ingredient administration were 2.5 and 40 mg/kg of body weight for oxfendazole and trichlorfon, respectively. The combined activities of the 2 antiparasitic compounds proved 100% efficacious in the removal of adult Strongylus vulgaris, S edentatus, Oxyuris equi, and Parascaris equorum. Fourth stage O equi, and 2nd and 3rd instars of Gasterophilus nasalis also were com...