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.
Dunn HO, Smiley D, Duncan JR, McEntee K.The karyotypes of a Welsh pony and a Standardbred were 64,XX/64,XY and 63,XO/64,XY respectively. Both intersexes were true hermaphrodites with bilateral ovotestes. Neither intersex showed stallion-like behaviour. Each one had an underdeveloped penis, bilateral seminal vesicles and uterine tissue. It would appear that the chimerism in these equine intersexes resulted from double fertilization or fusion of blastocysts. Mosaicism in the Standardbred is a possibility, resulting from loss of a Y chromosome by anaphase lag in an early embryonic XY cell.
Simpson CF, Buergelt CD.The alveoli of the lungs of 2 aborted foals contained elongated, dense bodies when examined histologically and by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. By light microscopy, the bodies (10 to 40 micrometers in size) stained intensely with the Gram stain, and up to 10 were present within an alveolus. Electron microscopy determined that such bodies were not cellular in origin but appeared to be a congealed fluid product composed of layers of fibrillar-like material. From the human literature, it was concluded that these intraalveolar bodies were probably congealed amniotic fluid.
McCullagh KG, Silver IA.The historical development of "firing" as a treatment for various complaints in animals and man is followed from the first surviving written account by Vegetius (approximately AD 500) to the present day. Changing concepts as to the mechanism of action of the actual cautery are examined in relation to physiological understanding at various times and conflicting views and evident fallacies are discussed. It is of particular interest that firing of "sinewes" (tendons and ligaments) was expressly forbidden until the 18th century. It is concluded that "firing" is an outmoded practice for which ther...
Mottironi VD, Perryman LE, Pollara B, Mickey MR, Swift R, McGrath P.Combined immunodeficiency disease (CID) is a genetic disorder of T and B lymphocyte production which results in a nonfunctional immune system. It is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and has been reported in humans and in horses of the Arabian breed. Arabian horses known to have the CID gene and horses of unknown carrier status were tested using a microlymphocytotoxicity technique. Computer chi 2 analysis distinguished six serologically defined specificities. The study of unrelated horses and a limited number of families showed that the specificities behave as codominant alleles segreg...
McGuire TC, Perryman LE, Banks KL.Following the descriptions of immunodeficiencies in horses beginning in 1973, there has been considerable effort to develop methods for differential diagnosis and to determine the cause and prevalence of the disorders. In addition, the equine immunodeficiencies, especially combined immunodeficiency, have been studied from a comparative viewpoint with the goal of finding information applicable to similar diseases of children. Coincident with the development of knowledge about the immunodeficiencies per se, considerable information about several aspects of immunology has been obtained. It is the...
Joyner LP, Donnelly J, Huck RA.The results of complement fixation (CF) test for equine piroplasmosis on sera from horses destined for international movement from Great Britain and Ireland are presented and analysed. No horses born and continuously resident in the British Isles were found carrying CF antibodies to either Babesia equi or B caballi. Positive animals were found to have association with the following countries where known tick vectors occur: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, Poland, USSR and Arabian Gulf countries. Data on the persistence of CF antibodies in animals subjected to repeated testing showed that some...
Webster JH, Baird JD, Gunawan M, Martin IC, Kelly JD.The susceptibility of a known thiabendazole-resistant population of small strongyles to anthelmintics of both benzimidazole and non-benzimidazole groups, was determined. In the first study, 42 horses infected with thiabendazole-resistant small strongyles were allocated to 6 groups. Treatment groups received one of the following anthelmintics: mebendazole, febantel, febantel plus trichlorphon, morantel tartrate, or a combination of thiabendazole, piperazine and trichlorphon. Morantel tartrate and the thiabendazole/piperazine/trichlorphon combination produced highly significant (p less than 0.00...
Dietz HH.Diagnostic tests in horses showing signs of gastrointestinal diseases are reviewed. The use of rectal exploration is emphasized, and paracentesis as a diagnostic aid is mentioned. Special attention is given to the absorption tests as they are easy to conduct and give a relative measure of the absorptive capability of the intestinal epithelium. Glucose, D(+)-xylose and carbohydrate digestion-absorption tests are compared, and the D(+)-xylose absorption test is preferred because of the univocal curve of absorption (see Figure 1 and 2). The absorption curve in a horse suffering from alimentary ly...
Mackay RJ, Iverson WO, Merritt AM.A 4-year-old stallion was examined because of a 2-month history of inappetance and weight loss. Diarrhoea had also developed a month before presentation. Abnormal clinical findings were emaciation, diarrhoea, ventral oedema, palpable mesenteric lymph node enlargement and a large mass in the left cranial portion of the abdomen. Significant laboratory findings were anaemia (packed cell volume 0.21 litres/litre), hypoalbuminaemia (16 g/litre) and xylose malabsorption. The horse was euthanased and at necropsy a 10.5 kg pendunculated mass composed of granulation tissue was found within and attached...
Rowlands IW.The world-wide foaling rate in the mare is low and in the Hannoverian breed has remained asymptotic at about 50 per cent for over 150 years. In an attempt to discover some of the possible reasons for this low fertility rate, the evolutionary history of the perissodactyls, the odd-toed ungulates, is reviewed here. Of the 156 genera of this order, 152 are in the fossil record; this gives them the highest extermination rate of all the mammal groups. Some of the unusual and unique features of the reproductive physiology of the mare and their possible association with low fertility are considered.
Kelly JD, Webster JH, Griffin DL, Whitlock HV, Martin IC, Gunawan M.A survey was conducted to determine whether benzimidazole resistant populations of equine strongyles are present in New South Wales and north central Victoria; what is their frequency and geographical distribution; which species are involved; and whether different methods of parasite control could be related to the occurrence and frequency of anthelmintic resistant populations. Resistant populations of strongyles were found over wide areas of New South Wales and in north central Victoria. There was no relationship between geographical location and the occurrence of benzimidazole resistance. Th...
Derksen FJ, Robinson NE, Stick JA.A surgical technique is described for preparation of chronic cervical vagal loops in ponies. Vagal blockade was induced by circulating methanol (-2 C) through coils which enclosed the loops. Vagal blockade increased tidal volume, heart rate, and systemic blood pressure and decreased respiratory rate. Atropine, given at a dose of 0.04 mg/kg IV, increased heart rate and systemic pressure but did not alter respiratory variables, indicating that vagal cooling caused both afferent and efferent blockade. The effects of vagal blockade were rapidly reversed when refrigerated coils were removed.
Irwin DH, Howell DW.An easy diagnostic technique for recognising fibrotic myopathy and scarring in the caudal popliteal area is described. A simplified corrective surgical technique is offered and discussed briefly. Some aspects of haematomas are reviewed.
Milde AK.The objective of this study was to establish whether the carpal joints in horses are subject to development of arthrosis to a larger extent than previously assumed. Furthermore, an attempt has been made to clarify whether clinical diagnostical resources presently available are sufficient for accurate evaluation of the status in carpus. The present results show that an analysis of the synovia fluid is of little value in case of chronica arthrosis in carpus. Histilogical examination of the synovia membrane has been of limited value in this cases as it has not been possible to arrive at a definit...
Mele M, Ramseyer A, Burger D, Brehm W, Rieder S, Marti E, Straub R, Gerber V.Many of the important diseases of sport and pleasure horses are thought to have a genetic component. The majority of these diseases, however, are multifactorial and are influenced not only by genetics, but also by environmental factors. In this review some of the most important multifactorial diseases are described and the current evidence for a genetic background is discussed.
Kumar S, Yokoyama N, Kim JY, Bork-Mimm S, Inoue N, Xuan X, Igarashi I, Sugimoto C.Theileria equi is a tick-transmitted intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite in equids. Equine merozoite antigen (EMA)-1 and EMA-2 of T. equi have been identified as immunodominant proteins co-expressed on the surface of extra-erythrocytic merozoites. Additionally, only the EMA-2 is shed into the cytoplasm of infected erythrocyte or inside the erythrocytic membrane during their early developmental stage. In this study, we initially performed West-Western blot analysis on Triton X-100-insoluble erythrocytic skeleton collected from a healthy horse, using a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-tagged rec...
Rinnovati R, Xenos S, Beltrame A, Marigo A, Forni G, Morini M.A neurofibroma was excised from the subcutis on the medial side of the left thigh of a 15-year-old Warmblood gelding, which had shown lameness of the left hind limb. No other source of lameness was found. Two weeks after surgery, the horse was sound at a lameness examination.
van 't Klooster AT, Hallebeek JM, Beynen AC.The diet of horses should cover the energy and nutrient requirements of these animals. The desired composition of the ration depends on its digestion in the equine gastrointestinal tract. Nutritional problems or diseases caused by incorrect composition of the ration or by incorrect feeding should be prevented. The digestion of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the different parts of the gastrointestinal tract is described. In addition, the recently introduced net energy and digestible protein evaluation systems for feeds, and the energy and protein requirements of horses are presented.
Menard L, Marcoux M, Halle G.A case of unilateral front leg lameness with bone changes in the pedal bone suggestive of osteodystrophia fibrosa cystica is reported in an eight year old crossbred gelding. The changes were diagnosed at postmortem examination. The known possible causes are briefly reviewed.
Craig AF, Packer GC, Guthrie AJ, Venter EH.A prospective study was undertaken during 2013 and 2014, to determine the prevalence of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) in Culicoides midges and the incidence of infection caused by the virus in 28 resident horses on two equine establishments on the East Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Field caught Culicoides midges together with whole blood samples from participating horses were collected every two weeks at each establishment. Culicoides midges and blood samples were tested for the presence of AHSV RNA by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Nine i...
Menzies-Gow NJ, Patterson-Kane JC, McGowan CM.The clinical signs of chronic nodular panniculitis in a three-year-old mare were consistent with a diagnosis of sterile nodular panniculitis, but the mare had histopathological signs of both generalised steatitis and sterile nodular panniculitis. The mare was deficient in vitamin E and selenium.