Disease management in horses encompasses the strategies and practices employed to prevent, control, and treat diseases affecting equine populations. This field involves understanding the etiology, transmission, and clinical presentation of various equine diseases, as well as implementing biosecurity measures and therapeutic interventions. Common diseases in horses include equine influenza, strangles, and equine herpesvirus. Effective disease management relies on accurate diagnosis, vaccination protocols, and the use of antimicrobials and other treatments. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, challenges, and advancements in managing diseases in equine health.
Rossdale PD, Pattle RE, Mahaffey LW.A SYNDROME in newborn thoroughbred foals, characterized by irregular respiration, convulsions, and lung pathology, has been described already1, and its resemblance to the respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn human noted. This latter condition is associated with the absence of the surface active lung lining complex, or lung surfactant2; this absence can be investigated by observation of bubbles obtained from the lung3. From normal lungs bubbles of very low surface tension which show great stability in air-saturated water can be obtained4,5. The present case demonstrates the common facto...
Johnson S, Symons J.Equine athletes can incur musculoskeletal injuries due to repetitive loading during training and competition. Prior to signs of lameness, horse trainers and veterinarians may observe swelling in the distal limbs, where injuries most frequently occur. Early observations may guide modulation of training to manage physiological stress and mitigate risk of injury. However, these observations of changing limb volume can be subjective and imprecise. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and applicability of a tablet-mounted, 3D scanner to measure and record distal limb volumes of horses b...
CRAWFORD M.This disease has a very long history, with the earliest written description by Vegetius in the fourth century A.D. It has many names, such as periodic ophthalmia, recurrent ophthalmia, iridocyclitis, uveitis, moon-blindness, etc. Periodic ophthalmia is perhaps the name more generally used, but I prefer to use recurrent iridocyclitis because (a) there is no definite fixed period between the recurrent attacks and (b) because the essential lesion is iridocyclitis.
Burn JF, Franklin SH.The presence of abnormal respiratory sounds is commonly associated with obstructions of the upper respiratory tract. In order to establish their clinical significance measurements are required of both normal and abnormal respiratory sounds produced by horses exercising over-ground. Objective: To determine whether high quality recordings of respiratory sound can be made during over-ground exercise, and to develop a convenient measurement system that can be used to obtain respiratory sounds from horses exercising in field conditions. Methods: A range of prototypes was evaluated against the requi...
Franken P, van Beukelen P, Blok G.Two horses became ill, and one died, after being fed onions, presumably over a long period. Their intake of grass was low at the time of illness because the pasture was covered with snow. Examination of blood and urine revealed signs of severe haemolytic anaemia.
In February 2021, a serious EHV-1 outbreak occurred at an international jumping competition in Valencia, with several subsequent outbreaks in various European countries. As a consequence, several equestrian associations introduced compulsory vaccination against EHV-1, and in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak, demand for EHV vaccinations increased sharply. The initial concern has now dissipated. One equestrian association has abolished the compulsory vaccination that had only been introduced a year before, and a general debate began questioning the efficacy and safety of EHV-vaccines. Thi...
