Equine diseases encompass a wide range of health conditions that can affect horses, including infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and genetic conditions. These diseases can impact the overall health, performance, and well-being of horses. Common equine diseases include equine influenza, equine herpesvirus, laminitis, and equine metabolic syndrome. Diagnosis and management of these diseases often require a combination of clinical evaluation, laboratory testing, and appropriate treatment strategies. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment options for various equine diseases, providing valuable insights for veterinarians and researchers in the field.
Beech J, Boston RC, McFarlane D, Lindborg S.To measure plasma ACTH, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (aloha-MSH), and insulin concentrations during various photoperiods between February and October in horses and ponies with and without pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Methods: Cohort study. Methods: 13 clinically normal (control) ponies, 14 clinically normal (control) horses, 7 ponies with PPID, and 8 horses with PPID. Methods: Blood samples were collected from February through October during 8 photoperiods: 1, February 13 through March 2; 2, April 4 through 6; 3, June 19 through 22; 4, August 6 through 7; 5, August 14 ...
Pearce JW, Giuliano EA, Moore CP.To evaluate and compare the in vitro susceptibility of Aspergillus and Fusarium spp. isolated from horses with ulcerative keratomycosis, address regional differences in equine keratomycosis isolates, and provide susceptibility data to update prior studies. Methods: Fourteen horses with ulcerative keratomycosis. Methods: Banked fungal isolates from equine corneal ulcers (eight Aspergillus spp. and six Fusarium spp.) were identified at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. In vitro minimum inhibitory concentration and susceptibility to natamycin, fluconazole, itraconazole...
Delgado MA, Monreal L, Armengou L, Segura D, Ríos J.Peritoneal D-Dimer concentration can be determined to assess peritoneal fibrinolysis activity in horses with gastrointestinal disorders. However, blood contamination of peritoneal fluid may occur during collection and could alter peritoneal D-Dimer concentration. Objective: Blood contamination in peritoneal fluid does not affect interpretation of peritoneal D-Dimer concentration in horses with colic. Methods: Thirty-four horses with colic and 4 healthy horses. Methods: Peritoneal fluid and blood samples were simultaneously collected upon admission. Then, peritoneal fluid was serially contamina...
Müller N, Welle M, Lobsiger L, Stoffel MH, Boghenbor KK, Hilbe M, Gottstein B, Frey CF, Geyer C, von Bomhard W.The present report describes a novel etiological agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in horses that, at least for some cases, sporadically appeared as autochthonous infections in geographically distant regions of Germany and Switzerland. The infection was initially diagnosed upon clinical and immunohistological findings. Subsequent comparative sequence analysis of diagnostic PCR products from the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of ssrRNA classified the respective isolates as neither Old World nor New World Leishmania species. However, four isolates subjected to molecular analyses all exhibit...
Cowled B, Ward MP, Hamilton S, Garner G.Australia experienced a large outbreak of equine influenza in August 2007. Nearly 10000 premises were infected during the epidemic. We used spatial and temporal analytical techniques to describe the epidemic, to quantify important descriptors of the epidemic, and to generate hypotheses about how the epidemic progressed and which control tools assisted in eradication. Spatio-temporal epidemic curves revealed three phases in the epidemic: dispersal, local spread and disease fade out. Spatial dispersal of infection rapidly declined immediately after national movement restrictions were introduced....
Capucchio MT, Márquez M, Pregel P, Foradada L, Bravo M, Mattutino G, Torre C, Schiffer D, Catalano D, Valenza F, Guarda F, Pumarola M.Many age-related changes are described in the nervous system of different species, but detailed studies of brain lesions in ageing horses are lacking. The aim of the present study was to systematically characterize lesions in the brains of 60 horses aged from 7 to 23 years. No gross changes were present in any brain. Microscopically, spongiform changes, lipofuscin storage, corpora amylacea, gliosis and satellitosis were common, together with axonal and neuronal swellings. The most important findings were the presence of pseudocalcium-calcium (pCa-Ca) deposits and arterial wall degeneration. Sc...
Barakzai SZ, Finnegan C, Dixon PM, Hillyer MH, Boden LA.The prevalence of the use of tongue ties, calculated from 60 randomly selected race meetings held in the UK during 2001 to 2003, was 5.0 per cent. After its first use on an individual horse a tongue tie was used in an average of 77 per cent of its races during the first 12 months, but after this time period, in only 55 per cent of its races. Thirty-nine per cent of horses that underwent surgery for dorsal displacement of the soft palate raced with a tongue tie preoperatively, and 41 per cent of these surgical cases raced with a tongue tie postoperatively.
Vonaparti A, Lyris E, Panderi I, Koupparis M, Georgakopoulos C.In equine sport, salicylic acid is prohibited with a threshold level of 750 microg mL(-1) in urine; hence, doping control laboratories have to establish quantitative and qualitative methods for its determination. A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for the quantification and identification of salicylic acid. Urine samples after 900-fold dilution and addition of the internal standard (4-methylsalicylic acid) were directly injected to the liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry system. Electrospray ionization i...
Musilova P, Kubickova S, Horin P, Vodicka R, Rubes J.Cross-species chromosome painting has been applied to most of the species making up the numerically small family Equidae. However, comparative mapping data were still lacking in Asiatic asses kulan (Equus hemionus kulan) and kiang (E. kiang). The set of horse arm-specific probes generated by laser microdissection was hybridized onto kulan (E. hemionus kulan) and kiang (E. kiang) chromosomes in order to establish a genome-wide chromosomal correspondence between these Asiatic asses and the horse. Moreover, region-specific probes were generated to determine fusion configuration and orientation of...
Moorman VJ, Jann HW.A 2-day-old Thoroughbred intact female was presented for a large subcutaneous swelling in the right inguinal region. Surgical repair was performed using a double layer polypropylene mesh. To the authors' knowledge, there have been no previous reports of surgical repair of congenital body wall hernias with polypropylene mesh in foals. Une femelle pur sang intacte âgée de deux jours est présentée pour de l’enflure sous-cutanée importante dans la région inguinale droite. Une réparation chirurgicale est réalisée en utilisant une double couche de maille de polypropylène. À la connaiss...
Zaneb H, Kaufmann V, Stanek C, Peham C, Licka TF.To assess differences in activities of back and pelvic limb muscles by use of surface electromyography (SEMG) in chronically lame and nonlame horses during walking and trotting. Methods: 12 nonlame horses and 12 horses with unilateral chronic mild to moderate pelvic limb lameness. Methods: On each horse, bipolar electrodes were attached to the skin over the midpoints of the right and left longissimus thoracis (Lot), semitendinosus (Set), biceps femoris (Bif), gluteus medius (Glm), and extensor digitorum longus (Edl) muscles. For each muscle, synchronous kinematic and SEMG recordings were made ...
Peretich AL, Abbott LL, Andrews FM, Dhar MS.To determine whether expression of mRNA for sodium-potassium adenosine-triphosphatase (NAKA) and sodium-hydrogen exchanger (NHE) in samples of the nonglandular portion of the equine gastric mucosa was altered by exposure to volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in an acidic environment. Methods: 10 horses (5 or = 12 years old). Methods: Samples of the nonglandular portion of the gastric mucosa were collected and exposed in Ussing chambers to Ringer's solution (control samples), Ringer's solution containing a mixture of VFAs (pH, 1.5 or 4.0), or Ringer's solution containing acetic acid (pH, 1.5 or 4.0)....
Williams LA.Many skin disorders in horses share the same appearance-hair loss of various degrees, itchiness, lesions that may or may not be painful to the touch, oozing sores, or skin that is reddened, crusty, scaly, flaky, thickened or swollen- making diagnosis sometimes difficult. A horse owner's documentation of a horse's medical history, the history of the skin disorder, and the horse's environment assists veterinarians and compounding pharmacists in their diagnosis and treatment. This article discusses some of the common skin problems that affect horses, takes a look at causes, and provides a case re...
Lampe V, Dierks C, Distl O.Osteochondrosis (OC) is an inherited developmental disease in young horses most frequently observed in thoroughbreds, trotters, warmblood and coldblood horses. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for equine OC have been identified in Hanoverian warmblood horses employing a whole genome scan with microsatellites. A QTL on ECA16 reached the genome-wide significance level for hock osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD). The aim of this study was to refine this QTL on ECA16 using an extended marker set of 34 newly developed microsatellites and 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We used the same 14 pate...
Goehring LS, van Maanen C, Berendsen M, Cullinane A, de Groot RJ, Rottier PJ, Wesselingh JJ, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1)-associated myeloencephalopathy (EHM) may follow an infection with the virus in horses. This study tested three hypotheses: (1) a large inhaled dose of a neuropathogenic EHV-1 strain would induce a cell-associated viraemia in all infected horses; (2) neurological disease will only occur in viraemic horses, and (3) the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition following EHV-1 viraemia will be an indicator for EHM. Four EHV-1 seronegative horses were inoculated with EHV-1 by inhalation. Three developed clinical signs of neurological disease, which were mild in two hor...
Bugno M, Slota E, Witarski W, Gerber V, Klukowska-Roetzler J.The results obtained in the present study enabled the physical map of the donkey genome to be extended with markers associated with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), a major performance-limiting disease of Equidae. The equine BAC clone containing the IL4R and CLCA1 genes were localized to EAS 14q13 and EAS 6q15 respectlivy by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Identification of their locus confirmed the distribution of syntenic regions between the domestic horse and the domestic donkey within the chromosomes analysed.
Bosch G, van Schie HT, de Groot MW, Cadby JA, van de Lest CH, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR.Tendon injuries are notorious for their slow and functionally inferior healing. Intratendinous application of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been reported to stimulate the repair process of tendon injuries, but there is little conclusive evidence for its effectiveness. A placebo-controlled experimental trial was performed to test the hypothesis that a single intratendinous PRP treatment enhances the quality of tendon repair, as evidenced by improved biochemical, biomechanical, and histological tissue properties. In six horses, tendon lesions were created surgically in the Superficial Digital F...
Reardon R, Bailey R, Walmsley J, Heller J, Lischer C.The mechanical properties of equine cervical vertebrae joined by implants have not yet been reported. Locking compression plates (LCP) may provide a useful alternative system to the commonly used stainless steel kerf-cut cylinders (KCC) currently used for fixation of cervical vertebrae in horses. Objective: The objectives of this study were to establish a method for biomechanical testing of equine C4-C5 articulations and to compare the biomechanical properties of cadaveric spines stabilised with KCC and LCP. Methods: Twenty-four equine cadaveric cervical spines were size measured from radiogra...
Tatarniuk DM, Bell C, Carmalt JL.Disease of the paranasal sinuses of the horse is common and treatment often involves lavage and sometimes surgery. The development of minimally-invasive, sinus-specific treatments, such as balloon sinuplasty, requires a thorough understanding of this complex anatomical region. To improve this understanding, 10 heads from dead horses of various ages were grossly dissected. The heads were transected sagittally and each half was dissected to expose the left and right nasomaxillary apertures and associated structures which were then photographed and measured. Entrances from the rostral and caudal ...
Berg L, Koch T, Heerkens T, Bessonov K, Thomsen P, Betts D.Orthopaedic injury is the most common cause of lost training days or premature retirement in the equine athlete. Cell-based therapies are a potential new treatment option in musculo-skeletal diseases. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been derived from multiple sources in the horse including bone marrow and umbilical cord blood. The objective of this study was to provide an in vitro comparison of the chondrogenic potential in MSC derived from adult bone marrow (BM-MSC) and umbilical cord blood (CB-MSC). Results: MSC from both sources produced tissue with cartilage-like morphology that stain...
Fintl C, Pearson GT, Mayhew IG, Stewart Lowden C, Hopwood PA, Palgrave CJ, Proudman CJ, Barrie Edwards G, Taylor SE, Hudson NP.Previous immunohistochemical studies targeting the receptor tyrosine kinase (c-Kit) have demonstrated an apparent reduction in the number of gastrointestinal pacemaker cells--the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC)--in horses with intestinal motility disorders. This study compared the level of transcription of the c-kit gene encoding this receptor in horses with and without such motility disorders. Transcription levels of this gene were also compared to the density of ICC immunohistochemically positive for the c-Kit antigen. Intestinal samples were collected from 18 horses with intestinal diseas...
DeRossi R, Coelho AC, Mello GS, Frazílio FO, Leal CR, Facco GG, Brum KB.To establish a low-cost method to prepare platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and evaluates the potential of platelet derived factors to enhance wound healing in the surgical wounds in equine. Methods: To obtain a PRP gel, calcium gluconate and autologous thrombin were added to platelet-rich plasma. For the tests six saddle horses were used and two surgical incisions were made in each animal. Wounds were treated with PRP gel or untreated. Sequential wound biopsies collected at Treatment 1: at days 5 and 30 and Treatment 2: at days 15 and 45 post wounding permitted comparison of differentiation markers ...
Giesecke K, Sieme H, Distl O.Stallion fertility is of high economic importance for the horse industry. The discovery of molecular mechanisms affecting fertility will be facilitated by the horse genome assembly and the development of novel tools for analysing complex genetic traits. Genetic markers in candidate genes, such as CRISP3, SPATA1 and INHBA, in breeding stallions have been associated with pregnancy rate per oestrus in mares. This paper reviews candidate autosomal, X and Y genes for stallion fertility, including genes encoding hormones and their receptors of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, proteins of the seminal...
Raeside JI, Christie HL, Waelchli RO, Betteridge KJ.Estrogen production by the trophoblast is considered important in early equine pregnancy and leads to high concentrations in yolk-sac (Y-S) fluid. The embryo proper is a potential site for their action. We examined estrogen metabolism in the embryo proper because some actions of estrogens are derived from locally formed metabolites. The embryo proper, as well as separated extraembryonic tissues, of conceptuses collected about day 25 of pregnancy, were incubated with (3)[H]-estrone (E(1)) and (3)[H]-estradiol (E(2)). Steroids were recovered from media by solid-phase extraction and eluted separa...
Kihurani DO, Carstens A, Saulez MN, Donnellan CM.Gastroscopy with air insufflation was performed in 10 ponies, after which a transcutaneous ultrasound examination of the stomach and duodenum was performed immediately and at 1, 2, and 4 h postgastroscopy, and 24 h after feeding. Stomach measurements included the dorsoventral and craniocaudal dimensions, as well as the stomach depth from the skin surface and stomach wall thickness at the different time periods. Gastric wall folding was observed in one pony, becoming most distinct 2-4 h postgastroscopy. An undulating stomach wall was noted in eight other ponies postgastroscopy. These observatio...
Greet TR, Curtis SJ.Foot management and hoof care of foals, weanlings, and yearlings tends to be considered a specialist job. Many farriers and veterinary surgeons have little exposure to young and growing stock. Nevertheless, a variety of angular and flexural limb deformities can benefit from simple podiatry techniques, which can be performed provided that a few basic rules are followed. The combined skills of the farrier and veterinary surgeon offer many young horses with angular or flexural limb deformities a chance of a future athletic career.
Hahn NE, Fletcher M, Rice RM, Kocan KM, Hansen JW, Hair JA, Barker RW, Perry BD.Dermacentor variabilis, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Amblyomma americanum, and Ixodes scapularis ticks were investigated for their ability to transmit Potomac horse fever. Larval and nymphal ticks were exposed to Ehrlichia risticii by feeding on mice inoculated with the organism. Molted exposed ticks were then allowed to feed on susceptible ponies or mice. No evidence of transmission, either clinically or by detection of antibodies to E. risticii in mice or ponies, was observed for any tick species examined.
Zhao G, Wu K, Cui L, Zhao L, Liu Y, Tan X, Zhou H.Three media were evaluated for their ability to support in vitro maturation of donkey (Equus asinus) oocytes and their development after parthenogenetic activation. The basal medium for Medium 1 (M1) and Medium 2 (M2) was M199 and DMEM/F12 respectively, whereas, Medium 3 (M3) consisted of equal parts (v/v) of M199 and DMEM/F12. All three media were supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal calf serum, 0.01 units/mL porcine FSH, 0.01 units/mL equine LH, 200 ng/mL insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-I), 10 μl/mL insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS), 0.1 mg/mL taurine, 0.1 mg/mL L-cysteine, 0.05 mg/mL L-glut...
Walker VA, Dyson SJ, Murray RC.Development of core muscle strength is important for training and during rehabilitation following injury. A Pessoa training aid (PTA) is a system of ropes and pulleys which is commonly used during equine training and rehabilitation, but there is limited information on its effectiveness. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of the PTA on the temporal, linear and angular kinematics of the working trot. Influence of testing order on effect of a PTA was assessed in four horses. Twelve riding horses were lunged at working trot on a 16 m diameter circle without (WO) and with a PTA ...
Kawcak CE, Trotter GW, Powers BE, Park RD, Turner AS.The purpose of this study was to compare bone healing induced by equine demineralized bone matrix (DBM) to autogenous cancellous bone graft (ACB) or no graft (control) in a rib-defect model in horses. Methods: The osteogenic properties of ACB and DBM were evaluated in bilateral 19-mm circular defects created in the outer cortex of the 6th and 8th ribs of each horse. Methods: Eight mature horses. Methods: Three rib defects in each horse were randomly treated with each of the 3 treatment groups, and the fourth rib defect received a random treatment. Rib sections, including the defects, were harv...
Ousey JC, Palmer L, Cash RS, Grimes KJ, Fletcher AP, Barrelet A, Foote AK, Manning FM, Ricketts SW.Standard bacteriological methods for identifying Taylorella equigenitalis in cervical smears are time consuming. Therefore, a more rapid real-time PCR assay was evaluated for its suitability in screening swabs. Objective: To compare the results of a commercially available real-time PCR assay with routine microbiological culture for the identification of T. equigenitalis, the causative organism of contagious equine metritis, in equine genital swab samples, under 'field trial' conditions. Methods: Routine prebreeding genital swabs (n=2072) collected from Thoroughbred mares and stallions during 2...
Rütten M, Lehner A, Pospischil A, Sydler T.Listeria monocytogenes infection, although rare in horses, can lead to septicaemia, gastroenteritis and abortion or stillborn foals. Equine cerebral listeriosis has been reported, but only in newborn animals. This report describes a Freiberger gelding with severe neuronal symptoms of sudden onset. The animal collapsed within 24 h and was humanely killed. Necropsy revealed multiple small brown to reddish foci within the brain stem and pons. Histopathology demonstrated multifocal suppurative meningoencephalitis with microabscesses and occasional intra-lesional, coccoid to rod-shaped, bacteria. T...
Setterbo JJ, Chau A, Fyhrie PB, Hubbard M, Upadhyaya SK, Symons JE, Stover SM.Racetrack surface is a risk factor for racehorse injuries and fatalities. Current research indicates that race surface mechanical properties may be influenced by material composition, moisture content, temperature, and maintenance. Race surface mechanical testing in a controlled laboratory setting would allow for objective evaluation of dynamic properties of surface and factors that affect surface behavior. Objective: To develop a method for reconstruction of race surfaces in the laboratory and validate the method by comparison with racetrack measurements of dynamic surface properties. Methods...
Falco MJ, Whitwell K, Palmer AC.Sixty-seven TB horses in Britain suffering from clinical wobbler disease were divided into 5 groups, based on the presence or absence of pathological lesions and their nature. These groups were compared genetically with a control group of 67 TBs known not to exhibit signs of wobbling. Though analysed for both simple and complex modes of inheritance no evidence of a genetic basis was found in any group. The high breed incidence in TBs may be real or apparent. Considerably more male than female wobblers are reported. Other forms of possibly inherited ataxia in equidae are reviewed and reference ...
Faleiros RR, Stokes AM, Eades SC, Kim DY, Paulsen DB, Moore RM.To determine and compare the number, type, location, and distribution of apoptotic epidermal cells in the laminae of clinically normal horses and horses with laminitis. Methods: Formalin-fixed samples of digital lamellar tissue from 47 horses (including clinically normal horses [controls; n = 7], horses with acute [4] and chronic [7] naturally acquired laminitis, and horses with black walnut extract-induced [11] or carbohydrate overload-induced [18] laminitis). Methods: Blocks of paraffin-embedded lamellar tissues were stained for DNA fragmentation with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferas...
Bianco C, Pirrone A, Boldini S, Sarli G, Castagnetti C.Computer-based digital image analysis of tissue samples shows promise both to reduce the subjectivity of traditional manual tissue assessments and potentially to shorten the time required to analyze each sample. The present study used digital image analysis to investigate the histomorphometric parameters and fractal complexity of the equine placenta from healthy and sick foals. We hypothesized that the placentas of sick foals could have a different growth pattern and complexity that could be objectively estimated by their fractal dimension (FD). Fourteen placentas from 30 mares were selected i...
Magee C, Bruemmer JE, Kirkley KS, Sylvester LA, Runyan B, Nett TM, Squires EL, Clay CM.To more clearly understand the equine gonadotrope response to kisspeptin and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), peripheral LH and FSH were quantified in diestrous mares after treatment with either equine kisspeptide (eKp-10, 0.5 mg iv), GnRH (25 μg iv), or a combination thereof every 4 h for 3 days. The following observations were made: 1) a diminished LH and FSH response to eKp-10 and GnRH was observed by Day 3, but was not different by treatment, 2) a decrease in basal LH concentration was observed from Day 1 to Day 3 for the eKp-10, but not the GnRH treated mares, 3) there was no ch...
Moore BR.Interferons are efficacious therapeutic agents for treatment of several clinically important diseases in cattle and horses. In some instances, the therapeutic goal of IFN administration is prevention or clinical cure of acute viral infections. On the other hand, IFN may serve as adjunctive treatment to diminish clinical manifestations of disease and improve the quality of life. Oral administration of IFN alpha appears to be a safe and convenient route of administration, and the therapeutic benefit likely develops via unique mechanisms involving oropharyngeal-associated lymphoid tissue for diss...
Fowden AL, Silver M.With the use of [U-14C]glucose tracer methodology, the rates of umbilical uptake, utilization, oxidation, and production of glucose were determined in nine chronically catheterized fetal foals in the fed state between 268 and 325 days of gestation (term approximately 335 days). At the same time, the rates of umbilical O2 and lactate uptake were measured in all nine fetuses by Fick principle. The mean fetal rates of umbilical glucose uptake, glucose utilization, and CO2 production from glucose carbon were 36.9 +/- 2.5, 36.4 +/- 1.7, and 117.7 +/- 17.4 mumol.min-1.kg fetal body wt-1, respectivel...
Klei TR, Torbert B, Chapman MR, Foil L.Microfilariae of Onchocerca cervicalis were detected in midventral skin biopsy samples in 64 of 84 (76%) mixed-breed ponies greater than 2 years old from the Gulf Coast area and in 42 of 51 (82.4%) horses from Louisiana breeding herds. The number of microfilariae per 8 mm of biopsied skin (ponies) ranged from 1 to 21,570. The number of microfilariae per 6 mm of biopsied skin (horses) ranged from 8 to 55,600.
Cassotis NJ, Schiffman P.A 12-year-old Paso Fino mare was evaluated for a chronic nasal and ocular discharge. A calcification was identified eroding through the nasal mucosa of the middle meatus. Differential considerations for this mass included dacryolith, nasal calculus, or calcified tooth root abscess. Anatomical location and case history and progression supported a dacryolith. Following removal, the calculus was submitted for mineralogic analysis. The calculus was primarily carbonate hydroxylapatite (Ca10(PO4)3(CO3)3(OH)2) with a minor NaCl halite constituent. Dacryoliths, or nasolacrimal calculi, are an uncommon...
Slovis NM, Browne N, Bozorgmanesh R.Point-of-care testing (POCT) refers to benchtop diagnostic modalities that have been translated into portable and easy-to-use formats suitable for patient-side use. Recent advances in diagnostic technology have allowed the development of a growing collection of POCT assays available to equine practitioners. Advantages include rapid results that reduce initial guesswork and promote diagnosis-targeted patient care, which may ultimately provide better clinical outcomes. Small handheld devices comprise most POCT technologies, providing qualitative or quantitative determination of an increasing ran...