Disease prevention in horses encompasses strategies and practices aimed at minimizing the occurrence and spread of infectious and non-infectious diseases within equine populations. These practices include vaccination programs, biosecurity measures, and regular health monitoring. Vaccination helps to stimulate the horse's immune system to protect against specific pathogens, while biosecurity measures, such as quarantine and sanitation, reduce the risk of disease transmission. Regular health monitoring, including physical examinations and diagnostic testing, aids in early detection and management of potential health issues. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various methods and their effectiveness in preventing diseases in horses, as well as the development and implementation of prevention programs in different equine settings.
Rose RJ.Over the last 10 years, there has been a great increase in information on the physiological effects of endurance exercise in horses reflecting the increase in popularity of endurance riding throughout the world. This review, which is in two parts, examines energy considerations, fluid and electrolyte balance, acid-base balance, hormonal and metabolic changes, muscle function, renal and hepatic function, haematological changes and clinical problems encountered in endurance rides. Additionally, relevant information from studies in man is included.
Herd RP.Seasonal rises in mean faecal egg output were observed in grazing ponies in spring (578 eggs per gram) and in summer (930 epg) on 30 April and 2 September, respectively, in untreated ponies. Pasture infectivity reached a peak of 18,486 third stage larvae (L3)/kg on 17 September, two weeks after peak egg counts, coincidental with abundant September rainfall (103.0 mm). Differentiation of infective larvae from pasture showed the cyathostomes (small strongyles) to be predominant, but Trichostrongylus axei assumed major importance from late August to October. The large strongyles were rarely detec...
Aguilar CM, Rangel EF, Deane LM.In an endemic area of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Rio de Janeiro State where a mule had been found infected, a systematic search among equines was performed, resulting in the detection of Leishmania parasites in skin lesions of 30.8% of the animals, which included horses and mules. The eventual role of equines in the epidemiology of the human disease is being investigated.
McCollum WH.Nineteen horses with no prior experience with equine arteritis virus (EAV) were inoculated IM with an avirulent live-virus vaccine against equine viral arteritis; the vaccinal virus had been passaged serially 131 times in primary cell cultures of equine kidney, 111 times in primary cell cultures of rabbit kidney, and 16 times in an equine dermis cell line (EAV HK-131/RK-111/ED-16). Three or 4 of the vaccinated horses each, along with appropriate nonvaccinated controls, were inoculated nasally with virulent EAV at each of months 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 after they were vaccinated. The following ...
Craig TM, Courtney CH.The kind of parasites a horse acquires depends upon its environment. Because patterns of transmission vary greatly with climate and management, no one worming program has universal applications. This article discusses epidemiology and control of equine parasites in the southern United States, where climates vary from warm temperate to subtropical and from humid in the southeast to arid in the southwest.
Klei TR.This article will focus on current information available on the equine immune response to helminth parasites as it relates to acquired resistance, hypersensitivity reactions, and vaccine development.
Herd RP.The serious and widespread problem of drug resistance has forced a re-thinking of basic philosophy regarding control of equine parasites. It has illustrated the dangers of total reliance on chemical control and stimulated the use of alternate strategies. Two new approaches are described. Prophylactic treatments in the spring and summer provide effective strongyle and colic control with less selection pressure for drug resistance. A nonchemical approach of pasture cleaning twice a week offers the same advantages with the added bonus of a 50 per cent increase in grazing area.
Wescott RB.Equine anthelmintics and the resistance of nematode parasites to anthelmintics are reviewed. Recommendations are made for effective treatment of these parasites and for procedures that can be performed to minimize the problem in the future.
Foil L, Foil C.In this discussion of parasitic skin diseases of horses, details on life cycles are given to aid the understanding and development of control strategies.
Clayton HM.P. equorum is a common and ubiquitous parasite that persists for many years in stables and on pasture in spite of good hygiene and anthelmintic control programs. Foals are usually infected early in life. During the migratory phase of the infection, clinical signs include coughing and a nasal discharge followed by depression and unthriftiness as the worms mature in the gut. Some foals die as a result of intestinal impaction or rupture. Patency is established around 3 months of age, and fecal egg counts may rise to very high levels. From 6 months of age onwards, the ascarid burden diminishes as ...
Puotunen-Reinert A.In a retrospective study, the prognostic value and individual merit of seven variables, used in routine examination of colic cases, were tested. The following variables proved to be significant in discriminating between horses which survived and those which died: heart rate (P less than 0.00005), packed cell volume (P less than 0.00005) and intensity of colic signs (P less than 0.0001).
LeBlanc MM, McLaurin BI, Boswell R.Postpartum, presuckle, colostrum samples were collected from 100 mares. Colostral specific gravities significantly correlated (r = 0.9) with colostral immunoglobulin (Ig)G concentrations. Foal serum IgG concentrations highly correlated (r = 0.82) with specific gravities of the colostrum each foal ingested. Eight of 48 foals (17%) had serum IgG concentrations less than 400 mg/dl. The dams of these 8 foals had colostral sp gr less than 1.06 and colostral IgG concentrations less than 3,000 mg/dl. Foals had serum IgG concentrations greater than 520 mg/dl 24 hours after parturition, when the colost...
Mathisen SR, Wu HD, Sauvage LR, Walker MW.Because repeat sternotomies are becoming much more prevalent with repeat coronary bypass operations, prevention of direct adhesions of the heart and grafts to the back of the sternum by use of synthetic or xenograft material to close the pericardiotomy has become a matter for investigation. In this study bovine and equine glutaraldehyde-processed xenografts were implanted bilaterally in dogs for implant intervals of 6 weeks and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The bovine and equine xenografts both performed well in resisting the adhesion of the heart to their inner surfaces and less well in resisting a...
Ahmed H, Chatterjee BP, Kelm S, Schauer R.A sialic acid-specific lectin, scorpin, has been purified to apparent homogeneity from the Indian scorpion Heterometrus granulomanus by affinity chromatography on equine submandibular gland glycopeptides linked to Sepharose and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. The lectin has a molecular mass of 500 000 Da and was dissociated into single polypeptide chains of 15 000 Da, as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. Scorpin is a glycoprotein containing 2.8% sugars. Its specificity was investigated by the inhibition of hemagglutination with various derivatives of...
DiPietro JA, Todd KS, Reuter V.Four groups of 10 horses (mares) each were treated with a 1% solution of ivermectin (200 micrograms/kg of body weight) in a propylene glycol-glycerol formal base orally, a 1% solution of ivermectin (200 micrograms/kg) in a propylene glycol-glycerol formal base via nasogastric tube, a 1.87% paste of ivermectin (200 micrograms/kg) orally, or a 22.7% paste of oxibendazole (10 mg/kg) orally. Fecal examinations were done before treatment and on posttreatment days (PTD) 14, 28, 42, 56, and 70. Strongyle egg per gram counts and sugar flotation fecal examinations were performed. Results of fecal exami...
Grahwit G.A historical review is given on the reasons to use restraint measures in animals, their definitions and classifications as well as their mode of action. An attempt is made to give an assessment of these measures according to animal welfare aspects formerly and today. Special emphasis is put on considerations in conformity with the "reasonable reason", as required in the German Animal Welfare Act.
Sainsbury DW.The physiological requirements of the horse appear to be reasonably well established and should be adequately provided by ventilation based on straightforward principles, relying largely on natural air flow. On the other hand, there are few objective values for ventilation required to promote good health or alleviate equine respiratory disease. In the absence of such knowledge it is only possible to rely on a logical application of sound principles and experience. Both indicate the satisfactory nature of ventilation by stack effect, aspiration and perflation. Buildings should be well insulated...
Mill G.Official Veterinarians (OVs) from across the U.K. came together recently at conference organised to provide targeted CPD for their particular roles. With the theme of 'Reducing the impact of notifiable diseases in the UK', the meeting considered a wide range of topics, spanning large animal, small animal and equine issues. Georgina Mills reports on some of the sessions.
McClure JJ.Diagnostic criteria should be carefully defined and described in disease association studies to allow (1) comparison among studies from different laboratories evaluating the same disease, (2) critical evaluation of selection procedures of patients, and (3) to strengthen genuine associations with any genetic marker system. Factors to consider include age at onset of disease, specialized diagnostic methods necessary to diagnose or eliminate patients with a selected disease, ranges of affectedness and differences in sex expression.
Andersson-Eklund L, Andersson L, Sandberg K.A study was carried out to attempt to explain the basis of the association between the Es locus and starting proportion in Swedish Trotters which had been observed previously. The effect of Es genotype on starting proportion has diminished among horses born in the late 1970s. There are indications that the incidence of leg lesions varies between Es genotypes. If this is true, it is possible that the decreasing effect of the Es locus on starting proportion is due to the environmental changes which have been made at race tracks in the early 1980s to reduce the strain on the legs of the trotters....