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.
Kilic S, Dixon PM, Kempson SA.Ultrastructural examinations showed the diameter of cement lacunae to be greater in infundibular cement than in peripheral cement of upper cheek teeth, which in turn was greater than in the peripheral cement of the lower cheek teeth. However, numbers of lacunae/unit area remained similar in these 3 dentinal region. Two types of cemental hypoplasia were found in equine cheek teeth. The first type was termed central infundibular cemental hypoplasia and was confined to the central region of infundibular cement. The cement adjacent to these frequently large defects was very porous and contained la...
Baptiste K.The pharyngeal orifice of the equine auditory tube has not been adequately described. Its larger size and position, further rostral within the nasopharynx compared with other species, cannot be easily explained, but could be important for the proposed brain-cooling function of the guttural pouches; however, unlike other species, it may not be the sole regulator of auditory tube aeration. A 'second orifice' (representing the final entrance to the auditory tube diverticulum) deserves recognition in performing a role in air exchange between the auditory tube, diverticulum and middle ear. The resu...
Moore T, Wilcke J, Chilcoat C, Eyre P, Crisman M.Equine neutrophils (PMN) play a critical role in inflammatory processes in horses. The objective of this study was to characterize equine PMN function ex vivo following stimulation with calcium ionophore A23187 (A23187) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). These stimulants trigger different branches of the PMN activation process that occurs in vivo. Equine PMN were isolated from the whole blood of six clinically normal geldings using a one-step discontinuous Percoll gradient technique. Neutrophil aggregation, degranulation, and superoxide anion production were evaluated in assay systems which ...
Kilic S, Dixon PM, Kempson SA.Gross and microscopic examinations were undertaken on 46 cheek (molar and premolar) and 4 incisor equine teeth that were fractured, or sectioned either with a lathe or diamond saw. Specimens were examined without treatment, after decalcification or acid etching, utilising light, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. In some horses, the occlusal surface of the teeth were covered with an organic pellicle. The occlusal surface of the underlying equine enamel contained different wear patterns, including polished areas, local fractures, wedge-shaped pits, striations and depressions. Oc...
Jones PA, Tomasic M, Gentry PA.To evaluate the oncotic, hemodilutional, and hemostatic effects of IV infusions of a large volume of isotonic saline solution and 2 doses of 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in clinically normal ponies. Methods: 12 adult ponies. Methods: Ponies were assigned to 3 treatment groups and received the following IV infusions: 80 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride/kg; 10 ml of 6% HES (in 0.9% sodium chloride)/kg; or 20 ml of 6% HES (in 0.9% sodium chloride)/kg. Blood samples were collected for determination of colloid oncotic pressure (COP), PCV, plasma total protein concentration, platelet count, von Willebrand...
Kilic S, Dixon PM, Kempson SA.Ultrastructural examinations of equine dentine found that dentinal tubules extended from the amelodentinal junction towards the pulp forming primary curvatures. The number of dentinal tubules/unit area and their diameters increased significantly from the amelodentinal junction towards the pulp cavities, particularly in regular secondary dentine, but irregular secondary (tertiary) dentine contained no dentinal tubules. Dentinal tubules contained odontoblast processes that appeared to extend as far as the amelodentinal junction, but due to iatrogenic loss during specimen preparation, odontoblast...
Sailleau C, Moulay S, Cruciere C, Laegreid WW, Zientara S.A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay followed by dot-blot hybridisation was used to detect African horse sickness virus (AHSV); the primers employed amplified the S7 gene that encodes the VP7 protein. The RT-PCR assay was compared with virus isolation for detecting AHSV in blood samples form horses experimentally infected with AHSV-4 and AHSV-9. The influence of sample storage and transportation and the effects of two anticoagulants (EDTA and heparin) were also studied. RT-PCR results were obtained within 48 hours as opposed to a minimum of 15 days for virus isolati...
Firth EC, Hodge H.The possible relationship between physeal diseases and physeal form prompted investigation of change in steepness of the physis in young foals. The distal and proximal aspects of the longbones were sawn sagittally in the right and frontally in the left bones. The slabs were washed to remove saw debris, arranged in order and inspected. The proximal physes had a flat or gently arched form, without obvious inclination. In the distal physes there were distinct inclinations. Inspection of an identical slab from the medial aspect of the distal radius of two series of foals of different breeds showed...
Burn JF, Wilson A, Nason GP.Impact is implicated in the development of several types of musculoskeletal injury in the horse. Characterisation of impact experienced during strenuous exercise is an important first step towards understanding the mechanism for injury. Measurement and analysis of large, short duration impacts is difficult. The measurement system must be able to record transient peaks and high frequencies accurately. The analysis technique must be able to characterise the impact signal in time and frequency. This paper presents a measurement system and analysis technique for the characterisation of large impac...
Care AD, Abbas SK, Ousey J, Johnson L.Once lactation is established in mares, there is little change in the ionised calcium concentration in their milk. In contrast, the concentration of PTHrP(1-34) in the milk increases to a maximum level by the end of the second week of lactation, near which it remains for the rest of the lactation. As found in other species, the concentration of PTHrP(1-34) in mare's milk is considerably higher than that in plasma, sampled at the same time. No significant correlation could be demonstrated between the concentrations of PTHrP(1-34) and ionised calcium in the milk except during the last 10 weeks o...
Chesters PM, Allsop R, Purewal A, Edington N.Results from Southern hybridization and PCR amplification experiments using a randomly synthesized reverse transcription-PCR product showed that peripheral blood leukocytes from horses showing no clinical signs of disease expressed a putative latency-associated transcript antisense to and overlapping the 3' end of the equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) immediate-early gene (gene 64). A PCR product derived from this transcript has > or =96% identity with the published EHV-1 sequence. In situ hybridization studies of equine bronchial lymph nodes corroborated these findings and are consistent with re...
McAnulty JF, Stone WC, Darien BJ.The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ischemia and reperfusion on the biochemical integrity of equine colonic mucosa to assess the relative roles of ischemic- and reperfusion-induced damage. Methods: Two hours of no-flow ischemia experimentally induced by 720 degrees counterclockwise ascending colon volvulus followed by 2 hours reperfusion after derotation. Methods: Ten ponies. Methods: Ascending colon biopsies were obtained every hour for measurement of mucosal adenosine triphosphate (ATP), water, sodium, and potassium content. Additional samples were homogenized for assay o...
Colborne GR, Lanovaz JL, Sprigings EJ, Schamhardt HC, Clayton HM.A method is described for the estimation of segmental powers and power flow during the stance phase in the equine forelimb, to demonstrate the sources and paths of energy flow through the limb segments. S-VHS video and force platform data were collected for 5 walking trials in a sound Dutch Warmblood horse. Two camera views were combined using direct linear transformation and the resultant sagittal plane positional and angular data used together with the vertical and cranio-caudal ground reaction forces to calculate moments about the ends of the 4 lowermost segments of the forelimb, and the re...
Gravance CG, Champion Z, Liu IK, Casey PJ.The evaluation of seminal characteristics is important in the clinical detection of stallion subfertility. Conventional semen evaluation includes subjective determination of sperm concentration, motility, and gross morphology. Due to the subjectivity and variability of the manual morphology assessment, computer automated sperm morphology analyses has been developed. Computer automated sperm morphology analysis was applied in the current study to determine if the morphometric measurements of sperm heads from collected and dismount samples of the same ejaculate were similar. If the post-ejaculat...
Landolt G, Feige K, Grest P.A 13-year-old warmblood mare was presented because of progressive weight loss, general weakness and trembling. On examination the horse stood with its head lowered and the limbs placed under the body. On lifting its head spasms of the neck muscles could be observed. At the same time the horse developed trembling over the lower neck and muscle fasciculations continued over the whole body. Additional signs included frequent recumbency, polyphagia and facial hyperaesthesia. The horse showed no signs of ataxia. Haematology was normal. Blood biochemistry revealed slight increased aspartate aminotra...
Hanson PD, Hartwig H, Markel MD.This study compares the mechanical properties of three methods of equine ulnar fixation: dynamic compression plating, pins and wires tension band, and a prototype grip system. Methods: The mechanical properties of dynamic compression plating, pins and wires tension band, and a prototype grip system repair of equine ulnar fractures were evaluated in a cadaveric osteotomy model. Methods: Fifteen pairs of the radius and ulna from equine cadavers. Methods: The three repair techniques were evaluated to mimic the pull of the triceps brachii muscle in single cycle to failure and in cyclic fatigue loa...
Rizvi SM, Slater JD, Wolfinger U, Borchers K, Field HJ, Slade AJ.The distribution of equine herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) DNA within neurological and lymphoid tissues from 12 EHV-2 seropositive Welsh mountain ponies was determined by PCR. The lymphoid sites sampled in this study were almost universally PCR positive, thus confirming the existing virus co-cultivation data which suggest that the lymph nodes draining the respiratory tract are the main reservoirs of EHV-2 DNA. In addition, EHV-2 DNA was also detected, albeit with lower frequency, within both the peripheral and central nervous systems (PNS and CNS) of these animals. Of the CNS sites sampled 11% were PCR-...
Borchers K, Wolfinger U, Lawrenz B, Schellenbach A, Ludwig H.Neuronal and lymphoid tissues of 15 randomly selected horses were analysed post mortem by liquid nested-PCR to study the tropism of equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4). In four animals the trigeminal ganglia and in one case the lung were positive. Using a direct in situ PCR the EHV-4 genome was localized in the nuclei of neurons and in the bronchiolar as well as alveolar epithelium of the lung. In none of these tissues could infectious virus or viral antigens be detected. Applying the more sensitive liquid RT-PCR, however, an acute infection was demonstrated in one of the trigeminal ganglia by amplif...
Pourcelot P, Degueurce C, Audigié F, Denoix JM, Geiger D.This study of the locomotion symmetry was undertaken to provide standard symmetry indices of a group of sound horses at the trot. Using a 3D data collection system, the kinematics of the limb joints of 13 clinically nonlame horses were recorded while trotting in the standard conditions of the clinical lameness examination. A kinematic symmetry indice based on an inter-correlation method was defined and applied to the vertical displacement-time and joint angle-time diagrams of the left and right joints of the horses. For each horse, the mean symmetry indice of each joint was calculated using va...
Bullido R, Doménech N, Alvarez B, Alonso F, Babín M, Ezquerra A, Ortuño E, Domínguez J.A set of five monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against porcine major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or swine leukocyte antigens (SLA), class II molecules has been characterized. These mAbs appear to recognize monomorphic determinants on SLA-DR (2F4, 1F12 and 2E9/13) and SLA-DQ (BL2H5 and BL4H2) molecules, as assessed by flow cytometry and immunoprecipitation. By Western blot, the 2F4, 1F12, BL2H5 and BL4H2 epitopes were located on the beta-chains of these molecules. mAbs 2F4 and 1F12 crossreact with leucocytes of dog, cattle, horse and human; mAbs 2E9/13, BL2H5 and BL4H2 bind leucocytes of cattl...
Clayton HM.Six event horses jumped a 1.10 m high table fence 4 times under each of 2 conditions; the rider weight condition involved carrying the weight of the rider and saddle (61 kg), whereas the added weight condition included an additional 18 kg weight cloth. Sagittal view, 60 Hz video recordings were analysed using standard methods. Comparisons between the rider weight and added weight conditions using paired t tests (P<0.05) showed a number of significant differences. In the added weight condition the leading forelimb landed closer to the fence, and there were increases in the maximal extension ...
Cipone M, Pietra M, Gandini G, Boari A, Guglielmini C, Venturoli M.A pulsed wave-Doppler ultrasonographic evaluation of common carotid arterial blood flow was carried out on 63 healthy Italian Saddlebred horses. Vessel diameter and tracing morphology were evaluated and blood flow parameters (systolic, diastolic and mean velocity, acceleration and deceleration of the systolic wave, carotid pulse volume) were calculated and correlated with class variables (sex, age and body weight). On the basis of the presence of an incisure in the ascending branch of the systolic curve, subjects were divided in two groups: one with a bifid systolic curve and the other with a ...
Caudron I, Miesen M, Grulke S, Vanschepdael P, Leroy P, Serteyn D.The authors used a new radiological method to assess asymmetrical articular compression of the interphalangeal joints. This method was based on the measurements of 3 angles obtained on dorsopalmar radiographs. Variations of these angles were studied during experimental asymmetrical bearing on unshod feet. It was concluded that 2 angles were interesting parameters to assess asymmetrical articular compression and to define the position of the phalanx in the horny box. Furthermore, variations of these angles induced by experimental asymmetrical bearing were compared without shoe, with a standard ...
O'Sullivan BM, Goodwin JA.On 6 properties in south-western Queensland an outbreak of nervous disease occurred horses due to ingestion of Swainsonia (Darling pea). Loss of condition, depression, hyperaesthesia and hyperexcitability were seen in affected horses. At autopsy of 2 horses generalised c ytoplasmic vacuolation was seen in the neurones of the central nervous system and in the liver, adrenal and thyroid. The clinical and pathological features were similar to those described in horses suffering from Swainsona poisoning in Australia and Astragalus and Oxytropis in North America.
Benson GJ, Hartsfield SM, Manning JP, Thurmon JC.Succinylcholine chloride administered to horses anesthetized with halothane in oxygen and mechanically ventilated, caused slight but statistically insignificant (P less than 0.01) increases in creatine phosphokinase, lactic dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase activity. The increases in these enzymes have been explained on the basis of muscle damage resulting from succinylcholine chloride induced muscle fasciculations and by hypoperfusion of tissues due to depression of the cardiovascular system caused by general anesthesia. These changes were not clinically apparent based upon the ab...
Amann RP, Cristanelli MJ, Squires EL.Motility and fertility of frozen-thawed semen differs greatly amongst stallions. Differences in seminal plasma might be one cause of this variation. For 8 ejaculates from each of 17 stallions, seminal plasma was saved at -20 degrees C and spermatozoa were cryopreserved. Based on post-thaw sperm motility, seminal plasma samples from 7 stallions (2 good, 3 variable, 2 poor sperm motility) were selected for measurement of electrolytes, protein content and analysis by sodium dodecylsulphate gel electrophoresis (10% gel, Coomassie blue stain). Variation in seminal plasma was significant (P less tha...
Leach DH.Cells of the intertubular horn of the stratum medium of the equine hoof wall are joined by three types of junctions. Desmosomes and gap junctions were present in all strata. Septate-like junctions and an intercellular line were seen in the distal stratum spinosum subsequent to extrusion of the contents of membrane-coating granules. At a later stage of keratinization, non-membrane-bound acid phosphatase reaction product appeared to leak into the intercellular space except into areas occupied by septate-like junctions and the intercellular line. It is proposed that the formation of septate-like ...
Reef VB.Mitral valvular insufficiency associated with ruptured chordae tendineae was diagnosed in 3 foals with signs of congestive heart failure, which were believed to be secondary to the development of pulmonary hypertension associated with the valvular insufficiency. The septal leaflet of the mitral valve was affected in all 3 foals, and foal 2 also had ruptured chordae tendineae associated with the caudal mitral valve leaflet. Bacterial endocarditis and myocardial necrosis were associated with the ruptured chordae tendineae in foals 3 and 2, respectively. Idiopathic rupture was considered in foal ...
Winder NC, Hermann M, Grünig G, Hulliger C, Von Fellenberg R.Thirty-nine horses and 3 ponies underwent a thorough respiratory examination and were grouped as follows: healthy (4 horses and 1 pony); mild chronic pulmonary disease (CPD 11 horses); moderate CPD (16 horses and 1 pony); and severe CPD (8 horses and 1 pony). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid collected from all animals and respiratory secretions (RS) obtained from 39 of these animals were evaluated cytologically and the results were compared. It was concluded that cytological examination of either BAL fluid or RS was useful in diagnosing various equine pulmonary diseases. The only advantage t...
Song KD, Cho HW, Lee HK, Cho BW.The objective of this study was to determine the molecular characteristics of the horse vascular endothelial growth factor alpha gene (VEGFα) by constructing a phylogenetic tree, and to investigate gene expression profiles in tissues and blood leukocytes after exercise for development of suitable biomarkers. Using published amino acid sequences of other vertebrate species (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken and dog), we constructed a phylogenetic tree which showed that equine VEGFα belonged to the same clade of the pig VEGFα. Analysis for synonymous (Ks) and non-synonymous sub...
Lees P, Higgins AJ.Five matched pairs of horses were used to investigate the biochemical, haematological and general clinical effects of a new dosage schedule of a phenylbutazone paste administered under controlled feeding conditions. One group of horses received a loading dose (8.8 mg/kg) on day 1, followed by doses of 3.3 mg/kg daily on days 2 to 8, 10 and 12 with no treatment on days 9 and 11. The second group received equivalent doses of a placebo paste. Bodyweight, skin temperature, respiratory rate, glutamate dehydrogenase activity, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume and neutrophil count were alte...
Ho EN, Kwok WH, Lau MY, Wong AS, Lam KK, Stewart BD, Wan TS.Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a hematopoietic growth factor regulating granulopoiesis. The recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) is widely used for the treatment of granulopenia in humans. Filgrastim is a rhG-CSF analogue and is marketed under various brand names, including Neupogen(®) (Amgen), Imumax(®) (Abbott Laboratories), Neukine(®) (Intas Biopharmaceuticals) and others. It is banned in both human and equine sports owing to its potential for misuse. In order to control the abuse of filgrastim in equine sports, a method to identify unequivo...
King L, Cullen SJ, O'Connor S, McGoldrick A, Pugh J, Warrington G, Losty C.Racehorse trainers play an important role within the horseracing industry. Despite this, scarce empirical information exists regarding the mental health of this population. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to explore the prevalence of symptoms related to common mental disorders (CMDs) and their associations with specific risk factors for CMD. Participants completed an anonymous online questionnaire. CMDs were assessed including distress, depression, generalized anxiety and adverse alcohol use. The risk factors examined included career dissatisfaction, social support and financial dif...
Jaggard G.The major problems of racing in the United States at the present time are caused by too much racing. This has led to too few horses and small fields. Consequently many owners and trainers are trying to enter their horses too frequently and to race them when they are not really fit to run. The desire to race horses as frequently as possible has led to constant pressure from horsemen through their organizations for so called "permissive medication". Started in the state of Colorado approximately ten years ago this has grown until finally there are only a few states, notably New York and New Jers...
Thomas PG, Ball BA, Ignotz GG, Dobrinski I, Parks JE, Currie WB.Before fertilization, equine spermatozoa adhere to oviduct epithelial cells (OEC) of the mare. The biochemical basis for this adhesion has not been determined. Our objective was to produce an antiserum to block this interaction. Ejaculated spermatozoa were subjected to nitrogen cavitation and spermatozoal plasma membranes enriched by sucrose density gradient centrifugation; membrane enrichment was confirmed by comparative alkaline phosphatase analysis, electron microscopy, and one- and two-dimensional PAGE. Periacrosomal plasma membrane was used as an immunogen for the production of an antiser...
Watts AE, Ness SL, Divers TJ, Fubini SL, Frye AH, Stokol T, Cummings KJ, Brooks MB.To evaluate the effects of clopidogrel on clinical and clinicopathologic variables in healthy horses with experimentally induced endotoxemia. Methods: 12 adult mares. Procedures-Horses were assigned with a randomization procedure to receive clopidogrel (4 mg/kg, once, then 2 mg/kg, q 24 h; n = 6) or a placebo (6) through a nasogastric tube. After 72 hours of treatment, horses received lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 30 ng/kg, IV). Heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, CBC variables, plasma fibrinogen concentration, serum tumor necrosis factor-α concentration, plasma von Willebrand factor...
Rijkenhuizen AB, Németh F.The clinical signs, the radiographic appearance, and the treatment of two cases of fracture of the accessory carpal bone are described. The fractures were in the vertical plane. Surgical intervention consisted out of fixation of the fracture with two lag screws. Follow-up information revealed that one horse became sound and returned to complete athletic activity whereas the other horse remained lame. A brief literature review is given and the surgical treatment and the complications are discussed.
McCann JS, Meacham TN, Fontenot JP.The digestibility and heat production values for three fats of different origin were determined. Four pony geldings (225 kg) were used in a study consisting of four successive digestion trials utilizing a 4 X 4 Latin square design. The four dietary treatments were basal alone and supplemented with 15% corn oil, blended fat or inedible tallow. The blended fat was composed of a mixture of animal and vegetable fats. A 7-d preliminary period preceded a 7-d total fecal collection period for each trial. Heat production values were obtained by indirect calorimetry and calculated from oxygen consumpti...
Greening L, Allen S, McBride S.Sleep disturbance is observed across species, resulting in neurocognitive dysfunction and poor impulse control/regulation of negative emotion. Understanding animal sleep disturbance is thus important to understand how environmental factors influence animal sleep and day-to-day welfare. Self-reporting tools for sleep disturbance are commonly used in human research to determine sleep quality, that cannot be transferred to non-verbal animal species research. Human research has, however, successfully used frequency of awakenings to create an objective measurement of sleep quality. The aim of this ...
Coultous RM, Raftery AG, Shiels BR, Sutton DGM, Weir W.Sarcocystis fayeri is a canine protozoan parasite with an equine intermediate host. Historically classified as an incidental pathogen, recent literature has described the toxic effects of Sarcocystis fayeri in human food poisoning, and highlighted potential involvement in equine neuromuscular disease. Until now, horses were believed to be the exclusive intermediate host. This study reports the first molecular confirmation of S. fayeri in a donkey, and gives rise to the consideration of donkeys being a potential reservoir for the parasite. This finding is of particular importance in understandi...
Schultze AE, Sonea I, Bell TG.Although primary malignant pulmonary neoplasia of horses is rarely encountered, this diagnosis was confirmed in 2 horses on the basis of necropsy and histopathologic findings. One horse, with cystic mucinous adenocarcinoma, had respiratory tract and neurologic signs directly attributable to the neoplasm, and a tentative antemortem diagnosis of pulmonary neoplasia was made. The other horse, with anaplastic bronchogenic carcinoma, did not have clinical signs of pulmonary neoplasia.
Goetz TE, Coffman JR.Ulcerative colitis, protein losing enteropathy and intestinal histoplasmosis-salmonellosis were diagnosed in a six-year-old Quarterhorse stallion. For six months before examination, the horse experienced a slow continual loss of weight. During the 17 day period of hospitalisation the horse developed progressive generalised oedema. On the 12th day of hospitalisation a severe profuse watery diarrhoea began; the horse was killed five days later.
Dorsch M, Lovet DN, Bailey GD.Two strains of gram-negative, anaerobic, non-sporulating rod that were isolated from the normal oral cavity and oral-associated disease from horses and which phenotypically resembled Fusobacterium necrophorum were characterized by sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization and phenotypic characterization. The results placed the novel strains as distinct members of the genus Fusobacterium. The novel species Fusobacterium equinum sp. nov. is proposed, with strain VPB 4027T (= NCTC 13176T = JCM 11174T) as the type strain.
Zhang XY, Robinson NE, Wang ZW, Lu MC.We investigated the effects of catecholamines on acetylcholine (ACh) release from equine airway parasympathetic nerves. Trachealis strips were suspended in 2-ml tissue baths with Krebs-Henseleit solution containing atropine (10(-7) M), neostigmine (10(-6) M), and guanethidine (10(-5) M). Electrical field stimulation (20 V, 0.5 ms, 0.5 Hz, for 15 min) was applied, and ACh was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Epinephrine (Epi) and norepinephrine (NE) inhibited ACh release in a concentration-dependent manner. Inhibition was attenuated by the alpha...
Scherrer NM, Hopster K.To study the surgical, anesthetic and recovery qualities of horses receiving either a neuromuscular blocking agent (atracurium) or intravenous lidocaine (treatment groups A and L, respectively). Methods: A total of thirty horses presented for ocular surgery were used in this study. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to receive either atracurium (group A) or a lidocaine constant rate infusion (group L). Surgical quality was graded on a scale from 1 (excellent)-5 (poor). While anesthetized, the heart rate, oxygen saturation and mean arterial blood pressure, and end-expiratory carbon dioxide ...
Junnila M, Korkeala H, Rahko T, Salmi A.The kidney cortex of 32 Finnish horses was analysed chemically for cadmium (Cd) and selenium (Se) content and by light microscopy for histopathological changes of the tissues. Cd concentrations in kidney cortex ranged from 6.9 to 91.6 mg/kg wet weight with an average of 31.9 mg/kg. Se concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 mg/kg with an average of 1.0 mg/kg. The age of the horses varied from 1.5 to 32 years; mean age was 16 years. Cd levels in kidney cortex seemed to increase linearly up to an age of about 16 years. In old (over 16 years) horses no such correlation could be found. Se concentrat...
de Graaf-Roelfsema E, Back W, Keizer HA, Stout TA, van der Kolk JH.Serial blood samples were collected from three dwarf Friesian foals to examine their endogenous growth hormone (GH) profiles, and the integrity of the GH-insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis was tested in one of them by examining its responses to the administration of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and to 10 days of treatment with recombinant equine GH. The basal serum concentrations of IGF-1 in the three dwarf foals were compared with those in nine age-matched normal foals. All the dwarf foals secreted endogenous GH. Stimulation with 7.0 microg/kg GHRH led to a 1400 per cent increase in pla...
