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Topic:Equine Health
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.
Electrochemotherapy of horses. A preliminary clinical report. Sarcoids are skin spontaneous tumours detected in horses. It can be cured by chemotherapy by using cisplatin. A multisequence treatment must be performed. Problems are present due to the poor diffusion of the hydrophilic product in the tumours. Electropulsation is known to drastically enhance the effect of antitumoral drugs in vivo. Taking into account the very successful results of the group in Ljubljana (Slovenia), we started a research clinical program where electropulsation was applied after local cisplatin injection. The size of sarcoids is large (several centimeters). A specially designe...
The C-terminal portion of the fibrinogen-binding protein of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi contains extensive alpha-helical coiled-coil structure and contributes to thermal stability. The major cell wall-associated protein of the equine pathogen Streptococcus equi subsp. equi is a fibrinogen-binding protein (FgBP) which binds horse fibrinogen and equine IgG-Fc avidly through residues located in the N-terminal half and central regions of the molecule, respectively. The molecule is a major virulence factor for the organism and displays protective potential. In the present study, we use circular dichroism spectroscopy to investigate the secondary structure of the protein and show through the analysis of a panel of recombinant FgBP truncates that the C-terminal portion of FgBP ...
[Eight polymorphic blood protein systems in Arab horses from Turkey]. Analysis of the blood protein system was used to study the genetic composition of Arabian horses. Biochemical markers of eight polymorphic loci (Tf, Al, Es, AlB, Gc, Hb, PGD, and PGM) were electrophoretically identified in blood samples. A total of 43 phenotypes were identified for these polymorphic systems. The Tf, Hb, and Es loci appeared to be more polymorphic than the other loci studied. Statistically significant differences between the observed and expected genotypic frequencies were found for the PGD and PGM loci (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Individual allele frequencies,...
Diagnosis and approach to poisoning in the horse. Poisoning in the horse can present a highly complex case. The practitioner, owner, toxicologist, and pathologist play important roles, and all contribute information that may be important to the case. Once all the information is available, all the evidence is collected (historical, clinical, pathologic, and analytic), and proper sampling of specimens has occurred, a complete summary of the findings can be provided to the client. Based on identification of a potential toxic source and, ultimately, the diagnosis, specific treatment of affected animals and prevention of additional cases can be in...
Horses damp the spring in their step. The muscular work of galloping in horses is halved by storing and returning elastic strain energy in spring-like muscle-tendon units.These make the legs act like a child's pogo stick that is tuned to stretch and recoil at 2.5 strides per second. This mechanism is optimized by unique musculoskeletal adaptations: the digital flexor muscles have extremely short fibres and significant passive properties, whereas the tendons are very long and span several joints. Length change occurs by a stretching of the spring-like digital flexor tendons rather than through energetically expensive length changes...
Fescue toxicosis. Most of the tall fescue pastures in the United States are infected by an endophyte, N. coenophialum. The fungus derives nutrients from the plant while supplying the plant with toxins for defense. The most detrimental toxins for animals in tall fescue are ergopeptine alkaloids, especially ergovaline. Ergovaline functions as a dopamine D2 agonist and alters prolactin and several other hormones in the body. Pregnant mares are most susceptible during their last month of gestation. Clinical signs include prolonged gestation, dystocia, retained placentas, agalactia, and dysmature foals that are eith...
Adverse drug reactions and interactions in the horse. Drugs undergo extensive evaluation before they are marketed. The occurrence of adverse reactions, however, may be so rare that thousands of patients must receive the drug before reliable data are available. It is necessary that veterinarians be informed about the drugs they use, be able to recognize drug-associated complications, know how to evaluate the patient for evidence of drug-associated toxicity, report adverse effects of drugs to the respective manufacturers, and be prepared to provide medical support and antidotal treatment (if it exists) for a patient if toxicosis occurs.
Botulism in the horse. Botulism should be considered in cases where weakness, paralysis, or intolerance to exercise might be seen in the horse. Dysphagia may also be present, although it is not a consistent finding. Potential sources include carrion in hay, moldy or otherwise rotted vegetation or forage, birds carrying material from animal burial or other similar sites, and contaminated carcasses on-site. Horses, especially foals, may also suffer from toxicoinfectious botulism, a condition where the C. botulinum might colonize and produce toxin within the gastrointestinal tract. Wounds also may harbor the organism a...
Toxic plants. What the horse practitioner needs to know. Horses poisoned by a plant may show a myriad of clinical signs. Awareness of the poisonous plants growing in a given area and those that are likely to appear in hay and their associated clinical signs can be instrumental in making diagnoses. More importantly, the information can be shared with clients to help prevent plant poisonings in horses.
Toxic feed constituents in the horse. Poisoning cases in horses associated with dietary exposures can encompass a wide variety of etiologies that can be caused by natural or man-made components. Feed mixing errors and ingestion of feed formulated for other species are the most common means by which poisonings from man-made materials occur. Ionophore feed additives and antibacterial agents are especially toxogenic to horses. Effects of ionophores in horses include clinical, clinicopathologic, and pathologic changes associated with cardiac, muscular, and neurologic tissues involvement. The acute effects of ionophores, however, can r...
Correspondence of human chromosomes 9, 12, 15, 16, 19 and 20 with donkey chromosomes refines homology between horse and donkey karyotypes. Whole chromosome paints for human (HSA) chromosomes 9, 12, 15 and 20 and arm-specific paints for HSA16p, 19p and 19q were applied on donkey metaphase spreads. All probes, except HSA19p, gave distinct hybridization signals on donkey chromosomes/chromosomal segments. The results show direct segmental homology between human and donkey genomes, and enable refinement of correspondence between donkey and horse karyotypes. Of specific interest is the identification of hitherto unknown correspondence between four equine acrocentric chromosomes (ECA22, 23, 25 and 28) and the donkey chromosomes. Overall...
Damper for bad vibrations. This research presents the hypothesis and findings that short muscle fibers in horses and other large mammals may protect bones and tendons from damaging vibrations during running, negating the previous [...]
Mycotoxins. Horses consume feed grains and forages that can produce a range of mycotoxins resulting from mold invasion. Toxicosis of horses often occurs from fumonisins or aflatoxin in grains, from the tremorgenic mycotoxins in dallis grass, or from slaframine in red clover. Fumonisin toxicosis often is severe and fatal, and aflatoxin can be acute or chronic and debilitating. Other mycotoxins reported in horses may cause moderate to mild signs that regress when the contaminated feedstuff is removed. Overall, horses appear to have a relatively low prevalence of reported mycotoxicoses among domestic animals...
Handling forensic necropsy cases. Immediately record the findings. A tape recorder would be excellent for this. If none is available, findings should be written down as soon as possible before memory of the examination fades. It is important to record comments on every organ that you examined. Three years from now in a court deposition, it may be difficult for the practitioner to remember if he looked at the adrenal glands or if there was no gross evidence of hyperplasia. When writing a report, it is a good idea to describe the tissue changes rather than just to give an interpretation. An example of the latter would be, "The h...
Subchondral bone thickness, hardness and remodelling are influenced by short-term exercise in a site-specific manner. It was hypothesised that subchondral bone thickness, hardness and remodelling are influenced by exercise intensity, and by location within a joint. Dorsal carpal osteochondral injury is a major cause of lameness in horses undergoing high intensity training. This project aimed to determine the subchondral bone thickness, formation, resorption and hardness at sites with high and low incidence of pathology in 2 year-old horses undergoing 19 weeks high intensity treadmill training or low intensity exercise, and to compare these factors between exercise groups. Dorsal and palmar test sites were ide...
Seasonal transmission of gastrointestinal parasites of equids in southern Louisiana. Parasite-naive pony foals were used as sentinels to monitor transmission of gastrointestinal parasites of equids in Louisiana during 4 seasons of the year. Two annual periods were studied, 1988-1989 and 1992-1993. Two or 3 foals each season were turned out to graze a contaminated pasture along with resident parasitized mares and their foals. After a grazing period of 8 wk, sentinel ponies were held in a parasite-free box stall for a period of 6 wk to allow parasites to develop, thus enhancing the evaluation of hypobiotic stages. Following this holding period, necropsies were performed for comp...
Epidemiology for the equine practitioner. In this article, I have discussed the principles and methods of outbreak investigation, reinforcing important concepts with examples from the veterinary literature. The approach presented is applicable to outbreaks caused by any agent whether it is infectious versus noninfectious or contagious versus noncontagious. The solutions vary. The experience of others presented with similar situations may be especially helpful. Because of their nature, outbreaks are difficult to prepare for. When faced with a potential outbreak, the best strategy is to approach it scientifically, systematically, and wi...
Detection of DNA damage in response to cooling injury in equine spermatozoa using single-cell gel electrophoresis. Single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), or comet assay, has the ability to detect damage at the single cell level and has not been reported for equine sperm. The ability to detect nuclear damage at the single cell level could aid in the advancement of protocols for optimal semen preservation. The goals of these experiments were to adapt this assay for use with equine sperm and to utilize the assay for determining the integrity of equine sperm DNA following treatments with storage at various decreased temperatures (-20 degrees C and 5 degrees C). Results from experiments in which sperm were fro...
Industrial chemicals and the horse. Poisoning resulting from exposure to a wide variety of industrial chemicals is not a common occurrence in horses, but it does happen on occasion. A wide range of toxicosis can occur from a wide range of industrial pollutants, such as dioxin, carbon tetrachloride, and tetrachloroethylene, to heavy metals, such as cadmium and zinc. The equine practitioner must consider industrial chemical toxicosis in differential diagnoses and work with a reputable veterinary diagnostic laboratory to confirm or rule out industrial chemical poisoning.
Risks associated with the use of herbs and other dietary supplements. The use of dietary supplements (herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and other compounds) is common in horses. They are heavily marketed in retail stores, magazines, and on the Internet. There is the perception that since these compounds are "natural" they are devoid of toxicity, and, therefore, they are safe to use. Some of the active compounds in supplements, however, have inherent toxicity, and using them may cause adverse effects. Even relatively non-toxic ingredients may be toxic if used over-zealously or for a long period of time. By and large, these compounds have not been t...
Residues and considerations for use of pharmaceutics in the performance horse. Analytic chemistry laboratories responding to the concerns of the industry over drug use and abuse in performance horses should continue to develop more sensitive methods of drug detection. The unwanted result of this increase in sensitivity is the detection of therapeutic medications days to weeks after administration. The adoption of decision or threshold concentrations for residues of nonpermitted medications should allow laboratories to focus their efforts on drugs of abuse in the performance horse industries and permit veterinarians to provide appropriate medical care to these equine athl...
Effects of exercise on biomechanical properties of the superficial digital flexor tendon in foals. To determine the effects of exercise on biomechanical properties of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) in foals. Methods: 43 Dutch Warmblood foals. Methods: From 1 week until 5 months of age, 14 foals were housed in stalls and not exercised, 14 foals were housed in stalls and exercised daily, and 15 foals were maintained at pasture. Eight foals in each group were euthanatized at 5 months, and remaining foals were housed together in a stall and paddock until euthanatized at 11 months. After euthanasia, SDFT were isolated and fit in a material testing system. Mean cross-sectional area ...
Human nutritional supplements in the horse. Dehydroepiandrosterone versus androstenedione: comparative effects on the androgen profile and consequences for doping analysis. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and androstenedione are weak androgens, which need conversion to more potent testosterone in order to enhance anabolic action. Consequences of oral dosing at 1 mg/kg on the urinary and plasma androgen profile of mare and gelding have been evaluated with an analytical method involving conjugate fractionation and selective hydrolysis, group separation, and quantitation by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring of trimethylsilyl ethers. Peak levels of testosterone total conjugates in urine (range 300-6000 microg/L) were attained a few hours...
Cultures of equine respiratory epithelial cells and organ explants as tools for the study of equine influenza virus infection. Equine nasal turbinate epithelial cells and tracheal rafts were maintained with sustained viability in culture. Both types of culture supported productive replication of equine influenza virus (equine-2, subtype H3N8) and cell death occurred through apoptosis following viral infection. Thus, primary respiratory epithelial cell and organ cultures of equine origin may be valuable as alternatives to the intact animal for studying the virus-host interaction of equine respiratory viruses including influenza.
A new modified live equine influenza virus vaccine: phenotypic stability, restricted spread and efficacy against heterologous virus challenge. Flu Avert IN vaccine is a new, live attenuated virus vaccine for equine influenza. We tested this vaccine in vivo to ascertain 1) its safety and stability when subjected to serial horse to horse passage, 2) whether it spread spontaneously from horse to horse and 3) its ability to protect against heterologous equine influenza challenge viruses of epidemiological relevance. For the stability study, the vaccine was administered to 5 ponies. Nasal swabs were collected and pooled fluids administered directly to 4 successive groups of naïve ponies by intranasal inoculation. Viruses isolated from th...
Treatment of a granuloma caused by Halicephalobus gingivalis in a horse. A 12-year-old Arabian gelding with a granuloma caused by the nematode Halicephalobus gingivalis caudal and dorsal to the left orbit was examined. There was no evidence of dissemination of the nematode to the kidneys or the CNS, and the horse was treated with ivermectin (1.2 mg/kg [0.55 mg/lb] of body weight, p.o., every 2 weeks for 3 treatments). The granuloma was surgically debulked 2 days after the first dose of ivermectin. The granuloma resolved with no evidence of nematode infection after 18 months. Halicephalobus gingivalis is a ubiquitous saprophytic nematode that has been reported to in...
Detection of IgG and IgE serum antibodies to Culicoides salivary gland antigens in horses with insect dermal hypersensitivity (sweet itch). We postulated that all horses exposed to the bites of Culcoides (midges) would have an antibody response to the antigen secreted in Culcoides saliva, but that IgE antibody would be restricted to allergic individuals. Using immunohistology on sections of fixed Culicoides, we have demonstrated the presence of antibodies in horse serum which recognise Culicoides salivary glands. Antibodies were detected in the serum of horses with insect dermal hypersensitivity and in the serum of normal horses exposed to Culicoides bites. In contrast, no antibodies were detected in serum from native Icelandic po...
Efficacy of a cold-adapted, intranasal, equine influenza vaccine: challenge trials. A randomised, controlled, double-blind, influenza virus, aerosol challenge of horses was undertaken to determine the efficacy of a cold-adapted, temperature sensitive, modified-live virus, intranasal, equine influenza vaccine. Ninety 11-month-old influenza-naïve foals were assigned randomly to 3 groups (20 vaccinates and 10 controls per group) and challenged 5 weeks, 6 and 12 months after a single vaccination. Challenges were performed on Day 0 in a plastic-lined chamber. Between Days 1 and 10, animals were examined daily for evidence of clinical signs of influenza. Nasal swabs for virus isol...
Arthrodesis of the equine proximal interphalangeal joint: a biomechanical comparison of two 7-hole 3.5-mm broad and two 5-hole 4.5-mm narrow dynamic compression plates. To compare the biomechanical characteristics and mode of failure of two different dynamic compression plate (DCP) techniques for proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) arthrodesis in horses. Methods: Randomized block-design blocking on horse (1-5), method of fixation (two 7-hole, 3.5-mm broad DCP vs two 5-hole, 4.5-mm narrow DCP), side (left, right), and end (front, hind). Constructs were loaded to failure in 3-point bending in a dorsal-to-palmar (plantar) direction. Methods: Ten paired limbs from 5 equine cadavers. Methods: Two 7-hole, 3.5-mm broad dynamic compression plates (bDCP) were used i...
