Equine health encompasses the study and management of diseases, disorders, and overall well-being of horses. It involves understanding various physiological systems, preventive care, and treatment strategies to maintain optimal health in equine populations. Common areas of focus include nutrition, infectious diseases, orthopedic conditions, and reproductive health. Research in equine health aims to advance knowledge on diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions, and management practices that improve horse welfare and performance. This page collects peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the diverse aspects of equine health, offering insights into current findings and advancements in the field.
Dionne RM, Vrins A, Doucet MY, Paré J.This study was performed to estimate the prevalence of gastric ulcers in Standardbred racehorses, to describe the lesion score and location, and to identify potential risk factors. Two hundred seventy-five (275) Standardbred horses from 5 training centers and 2 racetracks in Quebec, Canada, were studied. Historical data for the 2 months before examination were recorded for each horse, and the presence of gastric ulcers was determined by gastroscopy. A previously reported scoring system that used grades 0-3 for gastric lesions was used. Overall, 121 horses (44.0%; 95% CI, 38.1-50.1%) had gastri...
Fielding CL, Magdesian KG, Elliott DA, Craigmill AL, Wilson WD, Carlson GP.The purpose of this study was to describe the pharmacokinetics of bromide in horses and to evaluate the corrected bromide space as an indicator of extracellular fluid volume (ECFV) in horses after the administration of a single dose of bromide by intravenous infusion. Sodium bromide (30 mg/kg of body weight, IV) was administered to 6 clinically healthy mares over a period of 3 minutes. Blood samples were collected before infusion and at intervals between 0.5 hours and 53 days after infusion. Mean elimination half-life (harmonic mean) was 126 hours (5.2 days), clearance was 1.4 +/- 0.09 mL/(kg ...
Wijnberg ID, Franssen H, Jansen GH, Back W, van der Kolk JH.Electromyographic needle examination (EMG), including the semiautomatic quantitative analysis of motor unit action potential (MUAP), is an important diagnostic tool for myopathy in humans. The diagnostic possibilities of this technique have not been fully explored in horses; however, recent studies have shown that MUAP analysis can be performed in conscious horses. To determine the diagnostic possibilities of EMG in horses, we compared the EMG results of the subclavian muscle, the triceps, and the lateral vastus muscle in 6 equine patients thought to have myogenic disorders with those in 7 nor...
Li X, Tremoleda JL, Allen WR.The effects of repeated passage in vitro of fetal fibroblast cells (FFC) and adult fibroblast cells (AFC) on nuclear remodelling and first embryonic division when used to reconstruct horse oocytes, and the reasons for the developmental block in progression to the two-cell stage were investigated. A total of 463 metaphase II oocytes produced 427 fibroblast-cytoplasm couplets after nuclear transfer, which finally resulted in 319 reconstructed oocytes. With increasing numbers of passages, the rates of nuclear remodelling decreased in both types of donor cell; about half of the fused donor cell nu...
Lensing HH, Behr-Gross ME, Daas A, Spieser JM.The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) has organised an international collaborative study, divided into two phases, aimed at producing and establishing two suitable reference sera for serological potency testing of tetanus vaccines for veterinary use for batch consistency demonstration. In phase I pools of sera were produced by immunising guinea pigs and rabbits with tetanus toxoid using the immunisation schedule prescribed by the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) for potency testing of tenanus vaccines for veterinary use. Following aliquoting and freeze-drying, character...
Lucken R, Daas A, Behr-Gross ME.The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) has organised an international collaborative study, divided in two phases, aimed at producing and establishing a suitable reference serum for serological potency testing of clostridial vaccines for batch consistency demonstration. In phase 1 a series of pools produced from sera provided by each manufacturer and raised against the broadest range of antigens possible were blended to obtain TN titres which were representative of the range normally elicited by the vaccines under test. Detailed statistical analysis of the data was not pos...
Carroll J, Murphy CJ, Neitz M, Hoeve JN, Neitz J.Horses, like other ungulates, are active in the day, at dusk, dawn, and night; and, they have eyes designed to have both high sensitivity for vision in dim light and good visual acuity under higher light levels (Walls, 1942). Typically, daytime activity is associated with the presence of multiple cone classes and color-vision capacity (Jacobs, 1993). Previous studies in other ungulates, such as pigs, goats, cows, sheep and deer, have shown that they have two spectrally different cone types, and hence, at least the photopigment basis for dichromatic color vision (Neitz & Jacobs, 1989; Jacob...
Bailey SR, Baillon ML, Rycroft AN, Harris PA, Elliott J.Acute laminitis has been associated with the overgrowth of gram-positive bacteria within the equine hindgut, causing the release of factor(s) leading to ischemia-reperfusion of the digits. The products of fermentation which trigger acute laminitis are, as yet, unknown; however, vasoactive amines are possible candidates. The objectives of this study were to use an in vitro model of carbohydrate overload to study the change in populations of cecal streptococci and lactobacilli and to establish whether certain species of these bacteria were capable of producing vasoactive amines from amino acids....
Wagner HM, Balasuriya UB, James MacLachlan N.In an effort to further characterize the humoral immune response of horses to equine arteritis virus (EAV), direct and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (c-ELISAs) were developed using monoclonal and polyclonal anti-sera to structural (G(L), N and M) and non-structural (nsp1) viral proteins. A nsp1-specific monoclonal antibody was produced to facilitate development of a c-ELISA to this protein. Data obtained using the various c-ELISAs confirm that the M protein is a major target of the antibody response of horses to EAV. However, none of the c-ELISAs that were developed were as se...
Giguère S, Hernandez J, Gaskin J, Miller C, Bowman JL.To evaluate WBC concentration, plasma fibrinogen concentration, and an agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for early identification of Rhodococcus equi-infected foals. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 162 foals from a farm with enzootic R equi infection. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from each foal at 4-week intervals for measurement of WBC and plasma fibrinogen concentrations and at 2-week intervals for detection of anti-R equi antibody by an AGID assay. Diagnostic performance of WBC and fibrinogen concentrations was assessed by use of receiver operating characteristic curve analy...
Golland LC, Evans DL, McGowan CM, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ.Red blood cell hypervolaemia has been used for diagnosis of overtraining in racehorses, and has been suggested as a mechanism of this cause of loss of racing performance. The effects of overload training (OLT) on the plasma, blood and red cell volumes were investigated in a prospective study in 12 Standardbred horses. Measurements of blood volumes were made after eight and 32 weeks of an exercise training study. Horses were randomly allocated to OLT and control groups (n=6) after 16 weeks of training. Training duration and intensity were increased more rapidly for the OLT group from week 16, u...
Beekley MD, Ideus JM, Brechue WF, Kearns CF, McKeever KH.The purpose of this study was to examine changes in myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition due to chronic clenbuterol administration with or without exercise in mares. Unfit Standardbred mares (aged 10+/-3 years) were divided into four groups: clenbuterol (2.4 micro/kg BW twice daily) plus exercise (3 days/week for 20 min at 50% VO(2max); CLENEX; n=6), clenbuterol only (CLEN; n=6), exercise only (EX; n=5), and control (CON; n=6). Muscle biopsies were obtained from gluteus medius muscle before and after the eight-week training/administration period. MHC composition was determined via SDS gel elec...
Chowdhary BP, Raudsepp T, Kata SR, Goh G, Millon LV, Allan V, Piumi F, Guérin G, Swinburne J, Binns M, Lear TL, Mickelson J, Murray J, Antczak DF....A first-generation radiation hybrid (RH) map of the equine (Equus caballus) genome was assembled using 92 horse x hamster hybrid cell lines and 730 equine markers. The map is the first comprehensive framework map of the horse that (1) incorporates type I as well as type II markers, (2) integrates synteny, cytogenetic, and meiotic maps into a consensus map, and (3) provides the most detailed genome-wide information to date on the organization and comparative status of the equine genome. The 730 loci (258 type I and 472 type II) included in the final map are clustered in 101 RH groups distribute...
Ashour J, Hondalus MK.Rhodococcus equi is a facultative intracellular opportunistic pathogen of immunocompromised people and a major cause of pneumonia in young horses. An effective live attenuated vaccine would be extremely useful in the prevention of R. equi disease in horses. Toward that end, we have developed an efficient transposon mutagenesis system that makes use of a Himar1 minitransposon delivered by a conditionally replicating plasmid for construction of R. equi mutants. We show that Himar1 transposition in R. equi is random and needs no apparent consensus sequence beyond the required TA dinucleotide. The...
Törneke K, Ingvast-Larsson C, Pettersson K, Bergvall K, Hedeland M, Bondesson U, Broström H.Clemastine is an H1 antagonist used in certain allergic disorders in humans and tentatively also in horses, although the pharmacology of the drug in this species has not yet been investigated. In the present study we determined basic pharmacokinetic parameters and compared the effect of the drug measured as inhibition of histamine-induced cutaneous wheal formation in six horses. The most prominent feature of drug disposition after intravenous dose of 50 microg/kg bw was a very rapid initial decline in plasma concentration, followed by a terminal phase with a half-life of 5.4 h. The volume of d...
Peters M, Graf G, Pohlenz J.A 14-year-old standardbred mare with clinically suspected acute bronchitis was killed because of rapidly progressing central nervous disturbances. Necropsy revealed systemic granulomatous inflammation and vasculitis involving the lungs, thoracic lymph nodes, ribs, and liver. In the cerebrum there was a severe subacute bilateral encephalitis and malacia predominately affecting the white matter, and vasculitis with perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes, macrophages, and giant cells. A causative infectious agent could not be detected by Ziehl-Neelsen, Grocott, or Giemsa stains, by periodic aci...
Solbrig MV, Koob GF.Borna Disease Virus (BDV) is a neurotropic RNA virus that is worldwide in distribution, causing movement and behavior disorders in a wide range of animal species. BDV has also been reported to be associated with neuropsychiatric diseases of humans by serologic study and by recovery of nucleic acid or virus from blood or brain. Natural infections of horses and sheep produce encephalitis with erratic excited behaviors, hyperkinetic movement or gait abnormalities; naturally infected cats have ataxic "staggering disease." Experimentally infected primates develop hyperactivity, aggression, disinhib...
Foster AP, Cunningham FM.The tachykinin, substance P (SP), affects eosinophil function by direct and indirect mechanisms and has been shown to cause equine eosinophils to adhere to vascular endothelium and to release cytokines that increase cell adherence. The aim of this study was to determine whether SP could act directly on equine eosinophils in vitro. Eosinophil activation was also compared in cells from normal ponies and those with insect hypersensitivity as SP may be released in the skin of hypersensitive animals. SP caused equine eosinophils to adhere, migrate and produce superoxide, although high concentration...
Rickards KJ, Page CP, Lees P, Gettinby G, Cunningham FM.Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors have been shown to inhibit equine neutrophil function in vitro and may be of benefit in recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), an allergy-based respiratory disease characterized by inflammatory cell recruitment and activation within the lungs following exposure of susceptible horses to allergens in mouldy hay. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of the PDE4 inhibitor, rolipram, in an in vitro assay of thromboxane (Tx) production. The assay was then used to monitor the activity of this compound in vivo in normal and RAO-affected horses...
Johnson CB, Bloomfield M, Taylor PM.The electroencephalographic (EEG) effects of a rapid infusion of midazolam and sarmazenil following a bolus of midazolam were investigated in eight Welsh mountain ponies anaesthetized with 0.8% halothane in oxygen. The peak plasma concentration of midazolam was 2.13 +/- 0.34 ng/mL (mean +/- SD) occurring 5 min after the start of the infusion. Sarmazenil concentrations were not measured. The 95% spectral edge frequency of the EEG decreased by a maximum of 39.8 +/- 15.8%, 10 min after the start of the midazolam infusion. No changes were seen in median frequency of the EEG or the second different...
Bartmann CP, Schiemann V.Diagnostic and operative hysteroscopy have offered an advance in equine fertility diagnostic and equine fertility surgery. A distension of the uterine cavity and an establishment of a continuous intrauterine pressure are basic requirements for complete visualisation of intrauterine structures and safe and efficient surgical procedures. Superelevated pressure and resorption of distension media may result in fatal complications. Intrauterine pressure was monitored in 28 healthy di- or anestrus mares during hysteroscopy via a transcervically inserted catheter. Mares were sedated with xylazine and...
Matthee S, Dreyer FH, Hoffmann WA, van Niekerk FE.Fifty-one per cent of 110 questionnaires, designed for obtaining information on helminth control practices and management on Thoroughbred stud farms in South Africa, were completed by farmers during 2000. The number of horses per farm included in the questionnaire survey ranged from 15 to 410. Foals, yearlings and adult horses were treated with anthelmintics at a mean of 7.3 +/- 3.0, 6.6 +/- 2.7 and 5.3 +/- 2.3 times per year, respectively. An average of 3.4 different drugs were used annually, with ivermectin being used bymost farmers during 1997-2000. On 43% of farms the weights of horses wer...
Schulman ML, Harper CK, Bell E, Nel A, Guthrie AJ.The aim of this study was to establish and validate a method to permit microsatellite analysis of DNA profiles obtained from frozen-thawed stallion sperm cells. This would provide reliable and accurate verification of the identification of a semen donor. Ejaculates from 5 pony stallions were collected, processed and frozen in 0.5 ml plastic straws. Aliquots of 100 microl of the frozen-thawed semen thus obtained were either placed directly, or diluted (1:10; 1:100; and 1:1000) and placed on slides of FTA paper. Similarly, blood samples obtained from each of the stallions were placed onto slides...
Hunter RP.Inflammation is a process consisting of a complex of cytological and chemical reactions which occur in and around affected blood vessels and adjacent tissues in response to an injury caused by a physical, chemical or biological insult. Much work has been performed in the past several years investigating inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS, EC 1.14.13.39) and nitric oxide in inflammation. This has resulted in a rapid increase in knowledge about iNOS and nitric oxide. Nitric oxide formation from inducible NOS is regulated by numerous inflammatory mediators, often with contradictory effects, dep...
Naidoo V, Gehring R.An overview of reports of suspected adverse drug reactions received by the Veterinary Pharmacovigilance and Medicines Information Centre during the period March 2001 to February 2002 is given. A total of 77 reports were received. The majority of reports involved suspected adverse reactions that occurred in dogs and cats. Most products implicated in the reports were Stock Remedies. The products were predominantly administered either by veterinarians or trained paraveterinary professionals. Although the majority of reports were received from veterinary pharmaceutical companies, the proportion of...
McKenzie EC, Valberg SJ, Godden SM, Pagan JD, Carlson GP, MacLeay JM, DeLaCorte FD.To determine daily variation in urinary clearance and fractional excretion (FE) of electrolytes and minerals within and between horses and to compare volumetric and single-sample urine collection for determining FE values of diets with a range of dietary cation-anion balance (DCAB). Methods: 5 Thoroughbred and 6 mixed-breed mares. Methods: 3 isocaloric diets with low, medium, and high DCAB values (85, 190, and 380 mEq/kg of dry matter, respectively) were each fed for 14 days. Daily blood samples, single urine samples collected by using a urinary catheter (5 mares), and volumetric urine collect...
Dumasia MC, Houghton E.A method for the screening and confirmatory analysis of beta-agonists and -antagonists in equine urine is described. Following initial enzymic hydrolysis, the basic drugs and metabolites are extracted using Clean Screen DAU or Bond Elut Certify cartridges, and analysed as their trimethylsilyl ether or 2-(dimethyl) silamorpholine derivatives by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The method proved to be very sensitive and selective for basic drugs. After administration of therapeutic doses of propranolol, metoprolol, timolol, isoxsuprine and clenbuterol to thoroughbred horses, the p...
Houghton E, Teale P, Dumasia MC.For almost two decades we have known that enzymatic hydrolysis of "normal" urine samples from the entire male horse using Escherichia coli (E. coli) followed by solvolysis (ethyl acetate:methanol:sulphuric acid) results in the detection of significant amounts of estr-4-ene-3,17-dione (19-norandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione) along with estr-4-en-17beta-ol-3-one (19-nortestosterone, nandrolone) in extracts of the hydrolysed urine and that both steroids are isolated from the solvolysis fraction. This solvolysis process is targeted at the steroid sulphates. Also we have shown that 19-norandrost-4-ene-3,17...
Symons JE, Entwistle RC, Arens AM, Garcia TC, Christiansen BA, Fyhrie DP, Stover SM.To determine morphological and mechanical properties of trabecular bone of horses with a bone fragility syndrome (BFS; including silicate-associated osteoporosis). Methods: Cylindrical trabecular bone samples from the distal aspects of cadaveric third metacarpal bones of 39 horses (19 horses with a BFS [BFS bone samples] and 20 horses without a BFS [control bone samples]). Methods: Bone samples were imaged via micro-CT for determination of bone volume fraction; apparent and mean mineralized bone densities; and trabecular number, thickness, and separation. Bone samples were compressed to failur...
Hobo S, Niwa H, Anzai T.The reactivity of the proline-glutamic acid-proline-lysine (PEPK) repetition peptide antigen in 3176 serum samples was investigated to evaluate its utility as an antigen for the serological diagnosis of strangles. The reactivity of the sera of horses infected with Streptococcus equi subspecies equi was high when the peptide had several PEPK repetitions. However, as the number of PEPK repetitions increased, the reactivity of the antigen with the sera of horses infected with Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus also increased. In horses infected experimentally with S equi, the reactivity ...
Trauma case reportsFebruary 21, 2019
Volume 20 100179 doi: 10.1016/j.tcr.2019.100179
van Delft EAK, Thomassen I, Schreuder AMM, Sosef NL.Every year patients present to the emergency department due to bites, scratches and falls caused by animals. Although bite and scratch injuries have been described in literature, the exact number of patients that visit the emergency department due to all animal related injuries has never been described before. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all emergency department visits throughout a 1-year period was performed from April 2015 until March 2016. Results: 516 Patients were treated at the emergency department because of animal related injuries. Most were female and the median age was 38 ...
Maldonado MD, Parkinson SD, Story MR, Haussler KK.Chiropractic care is a common treatment modality used in equine practice to manage back pain and stiffness but has limited evidence for treating lameness. The objective of this blinded, controlled clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of chiropractic treatment on chronic lameness and concurrent axial skeleton pain and dysfunction. Two groups of horses with multiple limb lameness (polo) or isolated hind limb lameness (Quarter Horses) were enrolled. Outcome measures included subjective and objective measures of lameness, spinal pain and stiffness, epaxial muscle hypertonicity, and mechanical...
Dyson S, Lakhani K, Wood J.It was hypothesised that exercise may promote perfusion of the distal part of the limbs and enhance uptake of radiopharmaceutical into bone, but bandaging and lameness would have no effect. Two hundred and two horses undergoing routine nuclear scintigraphic examination for assessment of lameness or poor performance between November 1998 and November 1999 were assigned randomly to one of 4 groups: no bandages and no exercise (NB/NE); bandages and no exercise (B/NE); no bandages and exercise (NB/E); bandages and exercise (B/E). In the bandage groups, the distal forelimbs were bandaged for at lea...
Ben Hamouda S, Vargas A, Boivin R, Miglino MA, da Palma RK, Lavoie JP.Severe asthma is associated with an increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass and altered composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Studies have indicated that ECM-ASM cell interactions contribute to this remodeling and its limited reversibility with current therapy. Three-dimensional matrices allow the study of complex cellular responses to different stimuli in an almost natural environment. Our goal was to obtain acellular bronchial matrices and then develop a recellularization protocol with ASM cells. We studied equine bronchi as horses spontaneously develop a human asthma-like disease...
Bauquier JR, Tennent-Brown BS, Tudor E, Bailey SR.Doramapimod (BIRB-796-BS), is an anti-inflammatory compound, acting through p38 MAPK inhibition, but its anti-inflammatory effects have not previously been studied in the horse. Whole blood aliquots from healthy horses diluted 1:1 with cell culture medium were incubated for 21 h with 1 μg/ml of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipoteichoic acid (LTA) or peptidoglycan (PGN) in the presence of increasing concentrations of doramapimod (3 × 10 M to 10 M). Cell bioassays were used to measure TNF-α and IL-1β activity. Doramapimod significantly and potently inhibited TNF-α and IL-1β activity induced b...
Ebani VV, Nardoni S, Bertelloni F, Pollera C, Pistelli L, Mancianti F.The aim of the present study, the first to test clinical equine isolates, was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of commercial essential oils (EOs) obtained from and against spp., spp., and spp. previously isolated from uteri of mares with reproductive disorders. showed the best antibacterial activity against all the selected agents, with MICs ranging from 0.07 mg/mL for subsp. to 0.29 mg/mL versus sp. and spp. isolates and versus and spp., with MICs of 0.46 mg/mL and 1.86 mg/mL, respectively. EOs showed good antibacterial activity with MICs ranging from 0.07 mg/mL ...
Faehrmann P, Riddell K, Read AJ.We describe the clinical signs and disease course during an outbreak of equine influenza (EI) in naïve horses in a police stables in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Infernuso T, Watts AE, Ducharme NG.Septic epiglottic chondritis with abscessation diagnosed in 2 Thoroughbred racehorses. Infected cartilage removed videoendoscopically followed by systemic antibiotics. The infectious process was successfully controlled, but permanent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) with a shortened, deformed epiglottic cartilage developed. Surgery for the DDSP using bilateral partial sternothyroidectomy or laryngeal tie-forward failed. Chondrite septique abcédée de l’épiglotte chez 2 jeunes chevaux de course Thoroughbred. Une chondrite septique abcédée de l’épiglotte a été diagnostiqu...
Rosser JM, Brounts S, Livesey M, Wiedmeyer K.Our objective was to compare thoracoabdominal (TA Premium™ 90) stapled enterotomy closure to traditional hand-sewn closure, using time to perform the technique, luminal diameter, and bursting pressure in ex-vivo specimens. The pelvic flexures of 13 client-owned horses were harvested. Each pelvic flexure had 1 enterotomy performed; 6 were closed via staples, 7 closures were hand-sewn. Luminal diameter at the enterotomy site was assessed via contrast radiography performed pre-and post-enterotomy. Bursting pressure of the closure was assessed by continuous manometry during rapid infusion. Time ...
Pirie RS, McGorum BC, Owen C, Carr O, Oakley H, McLachlan G.Despite frequent use of metered dose inhalers (MDIs) and spacers in equine practice, limited information exists on the efficiency of aerosol delivery using such devices. We determined the particle size distribution within an MDI-generated salbutamol aerosol delivered via an equine spacer using 'best practice' delivery technique and assessed the effect of variations in MDI use technique (shaking prior to each actuation, rapid repetitive actuations, and MDI angulation) on aerosol delivery efficiency. Under optimal conditions, only 53(±18) μg salbutamol per 100 μg actuation was delivered bey...
Bürki F, Rossmanith E.Selected sets of serum samples of horses were tested blindly in a comparative investigation for antibodies against Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) virus. Three commercial kits were used, a well-established agar-gel immuno-diffusion kit which our laboratory has been using routinely for 14 years on one hand, a competitive ELISA kit (CELISA) and a non-competitive ELISA kit on the other hand. The American EIA Reference Laboratory in Ames cotested 56 serum samples with the same 3 products, with highest-level correlation, thereby ascertaining full dependability of our own results. Five EIA experts su...
Baragli P, Pacchini S, Gatta D, Ducci M, Sighieri C.Four untrained standardbred horses performed a standardized exercise test on the treadmill and an automated blood collection system programmed to obtain blood samples every 15 s was used for blood collection in order to evaluate the kinetics of adrenaline and noradrenaline. The highest average values obtained for adrenaline and noradrenaline were 15.0 +/- 3.0 and 15.8 +/- 2.8 nmol/l respectively, with exponential accumulation of adrenaline (r = 0.977) and noradrenaline (r = 0.976) during the test. Analysis of the correlation between noradrenaline and adrenaline for each phase of the test shows...
Daels PF, Stabenfeldt GH, Hughes JP, Odensvik K, Kindahl H.The role of decreased luteal activity in embryonic loss after induced endotoxemia was studied in mares 21 to 35 days pregnant. Fourteen pregnant mares were treated daily with 44 mg of altrenogest to compensate for the loss of endogenous progesterone secretion caused by prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) synthesis and release following intravenous administration of Salmonella typhimurium endotoxin. Altrenogest was administered daily from the day of endotoxin injection until day 40 of gestation (group 1; n = 7), until day 70 (group 2; n = 5), or until day 50 (group 3; n = 2). In all mares, secr...
Daniels S, Hepworth J, Moore-Colyer M.Respirable dust in conserved forages can pose problems with equid respiratory health, thus soaking (W) and high temperature steaming (HTS) are employed to reduce the levels in hay. The aim of this study was to characterize the viable bacterial community profile of four hays from two different locations in UK following pre-feeding wetting regimens. Hypothesis: (1) Viable microbial community profile of hays will not differ between different pre-feeding regimens. (2) Hay type and location will not influence microbial community profile. Replicates of each of the four hays were subjected to dry (D)...
Rakestraw PC, Nixon AJ, Kaderly RE, Ducharme NG.A cranial approach to the humerus was developed for application of a compression plate for repair of comminuted humeral fractures in a weanling foal, a calf, a heifer, and a mature cow. An incision was made from the cranial portion of the greater tubercle of the humerus to the radius. The cranial aspect of the humerus was exposed by retraction of the brachiocephalicus muscle and blunt dissection between the biceps brachii and brachialis muscles. A second plate was applied laterally in the heifer and cow by retraction of the brachialis muscle and elevation of the extensor carpi radialis muscle....
Yates KM, Stilwell NK, Fontenot RL, Betbeze CM.To determine the in vitro antibacterial efficacy of equine and canine autologous conditioned plasma (ACP) and amniotic membrane extract eye drops (AMEED) against aerobic bacteria common to the corneal surface. Methods: Canine (n = 4) and equine (n = 4) anticoagulated whole blood samples were sterilely collected, pooled for each species, and processed using the Arthrex ACP® Double-Syringe System. Platelet counts were performed on ACP and pooled blood. AMEED were obtained from a commercial source. An electronic medical records search (2013-2022) identified aerobic bacteria cultured from...
Rosychuk RA.Noninflammatory, nonpruritic alopecias are uncommonly encountered in the horse. Alopecia areata, an apparently autoimmune hair follicle bulbitis produces focal, multifocal to widespread hair loss. The skin is otherwise normal. Diseases that can mimic the widespread hair loss associated with alopecia areata include telogen and anagen effluvium, seasonal alopecias, follicular dysplasias (including color dilution alopecia), various nutritional deficiencies and chemical toxicosis, and diseases that result in defective hair shafts (eg, trichorrhexis nodosa and piedra). These problems are differenti...
Spurlock SL, Spurlock GH, Parker G, Ward MV.The use of soft catheter materials in large-bore veins has allowed safe long-term venous access in human patients. Similar principles were applied to groups of horses; the jugular vein was catheterized for 14 days (group 1) and for 30 days (group 2). Three catheter materials were compared, and the clinical and histologic findings indicated that the least reaction was associated with silastic, followed by polyurethane; polytetraflouroethylene caused marked reaction. Our results suggest that by using catheters made of materials (especially silastic) that are less stiff or rigid, the duration of ...
Ullrey DE.Selenium was discovered 174 yr ago but, until 1957, was given little notice by biologists or was vilified as an agent that caused toxicity in grazing ruminants and horses in the northern Great Plains. After its status as an essential nutrient was established, Se received intense scrutiny, and hundreds of papers have been published dealing with its metabolic functions and the consequences of a Se deficiency. Because regions of Se deficiency are so extensive in the United States, great efforts have been made to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Se supplementation of animal die...
Morandi L, Sabattini S, Renzi A, Rigillo A, Bettini G, Dervas E, Schauer A, Morandi M, Gissi DB, Tarsitano A, Evangelisti S, Tonon C.Ultra-conserved non-coding elements (UCNEs) are genomic sequences that exhibit > 95% sequence identity between humans, mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish. Recent findings reported their functional role in cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the DNA methylation modifications of UNCEs in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from different mammal species. Fifty SCCs from 26 humans, 17 cats, 3 dogs, 1 horse, 1 bovine, 1 badger, and 1 porcupine were investigated. Fourteen feline stomatitis and normal samples from 36 healthy human donors, 7 cats, 5 dogs, 5 horses, 2 bovines and 1 badger were c...
