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.
Zhou J, Spier SJ, Beech J, Hoffman EP.It is often suggested that polygenic or environmental factors are responsible for clinical variability between patients with identical mutations. However, most dominant diseases are caused by a change-of-function alteration in the mutant allele's protein product. All patients are heterozygous and presumably express both mutant and normal proteins from the corresponding genes. Thus, a possible molecular mechanism for clinical variability could be the difference in relative levels of mutant vs. normal mRNA in different patients with the same mutation. To investigate this hypothesis, it is necess...
Biswas B, Vemulapalli R, Dutta SK.Potomac horse fever, caused by Ehrlichia risticii, is an important disease of equines. The major features of the disease are fever, leukopenia, and diarrhea. The organism has been detected from the blood mononuclear cells of infected horses, but its presence in the feces has not been known. A method for immunomagnetic separation of E. risticii from the feces of infected horses was developed, and the separated organisms were detected by PCR. Coating immunomagnetic beads (Dynabeads) with a 1:5 dilution of rabbit anti-E. risticii serum and incubating the Dynabeads with fecal samples for 25 min at...
Dyhre-Poulsen P, Smedegaard HH, Roed J, Korsgaard E.The dampening of hoof impact was investigated by measuring the accelerations transmitted through structures of the hoof in horses trotting freely on an asphalt tarmac. The hoof dampened the vibrations transmitted to the first phalanx. Shoeing decreased the viscous dampening and increased the median power frequency and the maximal amplitude of the vibrations transmitted to the first phalanx. The pressure inside the digital cushion of the foreleg was recorded. The pressure dropped during the stance phase, indicating expansion of the hoof. The expansion of the hoof was not produced by frog or sol...
Kayar SR, Hoppeler H, Jones JH, Longworth K, Armstrong RB, Laughlin MH, Lindstedt SL, Bicudo JE, Groebe K, Taylor CR.The mean minimal transit time for blood in muscle capillaries (tc) was estimated in six species, spanning two orders of magnitude in body mass and aerobic capacity: horse, steer, dog, goat, fox and agouti. Arterial (CaO2) and mixed venous (CvO2) blood O2 concentrations, blood hemoglobin concentrations ([Hb]) and oxygen uptake rates were measured while the animals ran on a treadmill at a speed that elicited the maximal oxygen consumption rate (VO2max) from each animal. Blood flow to the muscles (Qm) was assumed to be 85% of cardiac output, which was calculated using the Fick relationship. Total...
Milne EM, Pemberton AD, McGorum BC, Dixon PM, Scudamore CL, Miller HR.The concentration of alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (API) was measured in the pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF) of horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) while they had clinical signs and while they had none. The concentrations of total protein, albumin and API were significantly higher in the PELF of animals with clinical signs of COPD. The correlation between albumin and API in the PELF suggested that most of the API was derived from the serum.
Amselgruber WM, Sinowatz F, Erhard M.The present study deals with the immunohistochemical localization of S-100 protein in the testes of seven mammalian species including rat, cat, dog, pig, sheep, cattle and horse. Significant differences are demonstrated in the cellular distribution and intensity of immunoreaction for the protein. In bull, ram, boar and cat testes S-100 protein was localized in the cytoplasm and nuclei of Sertoli cells. A particularly intense staining was seen in the modified Sertoli cells of the terminal tubular segment. With the exception of the cat and horse S-100 protein immunoreactivity was additionally fo...
Stockham SL, Harvey JW, Kinden DA.Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a well-characterized X-linked inherited disorder in humans but has not been reported in horses. We describe a persistent hemolytic anemia and hyperbilirubinemia due to a severe G6PD deficiency in an American Saddlebred colt. Other abnormalities in the colt's erythrocytes as compared with those of healthy horses (n = 22-35) included increased activities of hexokinase and pyruvate kinase, decreased concentrations of reduced glutathione and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), and increased concentration of oxidized NAD...
Lavoie JP, Fiset L, Laverty S.A retrospective study of 40 horses with primary lung abscesses without pleuropneumonia showed that lung abscesses occurred predominantly in young horses, usually in foals aged < or = 6 months. Hyperfibrinogenaemia was present in all but 2 horses, and other common clinical and haematological findings were hyperthermia, tachycardia, polypnoea, and neutrophilic leucocytosis. The most common bacterial species isolated from transtracheal aspirates were Streptococcus zooepidemicus (20/34) and Rhodococcus equi (13/34). Most horses (23/27) discharged from the hospital were long term survivors. Of t...
Sims D, Horne MM, Creighan M, Donald A.The objective of this ultrastructural investigation was to determine if populations of pericytes in equine dermal and skeletal muscle capillaries increase in a head-to-foot direction, as has been reported in human skeletal muscles. Samples of equine microvessels were obtained from the longissimus dorsi skeletal muscle 150 cm. from the ground, from the dermis above this muscle, from the extensor carpi radiali muscle at 55 cm. from the ground, from the dermis adjacent to that muscle, and from dermis 15 cm. from the ground, just above the hoof wall. Tissues were processed for transmission electro...
Smith BL, Jones JH, Carlson GP, Pascoe JR.It has been hypothesised that horses have a preference for facing backward in a trailer during road transport in order to minimise shifts of body weight due to accelerations and decelerations. To determine if horses have preferences for facing forward vs. backward in a horse trailer, the authors analysed the percentages of time horses spent in different body positions and directions while standing in a moving or parked horse trailer. Body positions and directions of 8 Thoroughbred geldings were videotaped while horses were transported singly and untethered in a 4-horse stock trailer over a 32 ...
Pollitt CC.In the equine hoof, the basement membrane connects the heavily keratinised hoof wall to the dense connective tissue of the distal phalanx, a region able to withstand considerable mechanical stress. This study investigated the properties of this important anatomical and physiological structure. In contrast to haematoxylin and eosin, the connective tissue stains, periodic acid Schiff, periodic acid silver methenamine and Azan showed good resolution of lamellar basement membrane. The lamellar basement membrane cross-reacted with mouse monoclonal antibodies raised against human laminin, thereby pr...
Newton-Clarke MJ, Divers TJ, Delahunta A, Mohammed HO.A study was conducted over a 12 month period to assess the specificity and sensitivity of the 'slap test', using endoscopic evaluation, in the detection of cervical spinal cord and caudal brainstem lesions in horses. Fifteen ataxic horses were subjected to the 'slap test' and subsequently examined post mortem. Twelve out of the 15 had histopathological lesions consistent with their clinical signs. Thirteen horses with no history of neurological dysfunction and no histopathological evidence of cervical spinal cord or brainstem disease were used as controls. The laryngeal adductory responses exh...
Moens Y, Lagerweij E, Gootjes P, Poortman J.Effects of differential ventilation on gas exchange were studied in 7 isoflurane-anesthetized, laterally recumbent horses, and were compared with effects of conventional ventilation, using similar minute volume. A tracheal tube-in-tube intubation technique allowed each lung to be connected separately to an anesthetic circle system with a ventilator. Two distribution patterns of tidal volume were investigated; half the tidal volume was distributed to each lung and two-thirds the tidal volume was distributed to the dependent lung. Effects of the combination of these patterns with positive end-ex...
Deregt D, de Vries AA, Raamsman MJ, Elmgren LD, Rottier PJ.Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to equine arteritis virus (EAV) proteins were produced and characterized. The protein specificities of eight MAbs were determined definitively by immunoprecipitation of EAV proteins expressed from vaccinia virus recombinants (VVRs). Included were two new VVRs produced for this study, expressing the M and the GL proteins, respectively. Three MAbs were determined to be N-specific and five MAbs recognized the GL protein. One GL-specific MAb, 17F5, of the IgA class, efficiently neutralized EAV infectivity. In competitive binding assays (CBAs), the N-specific MAbs defin...
Evans DL, Silverman EB, Hodgson DR, Eaton MD, Rose RJ.The relationship between gait and the respiratory response to exercise was examined in five standardbred racehorses which exercised on a treadmill at a pace and a gallop. After an initial warm-up, respiratory rate and stride frequency were measured after one and two minutes of treadmill exercise at 80 per cent of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), after one minute at 100 per cent VO2max and after two minutes at 100 per cent VO2max (galloping horses only). Exercise at 100 per cent VO2max continued until the horses showed signs of fatigue. Arterial blood was collected during exercise and when ...
Snijder EJ, Wassenaar AL, Spaan WJ.To study the proteolytic processing of the equine arteritis virus (EAV) replicase open reading frame 1a (ORF1a) protein, specific antisera were raised in rabbits, with six synthetic peptides and a bacterial fusion protein as antigens. The processing of the EAV ORF1a product in infected cells was analyzed with Western blot (immunoblot) and immunoprecipitation techniques. Additional information was obtained from transient expression of ORF1a cDNA constructs. The 187-kDa ORF1a protein was found to be subject to at least five proteolytic cleavages. The processing scheme, which covers the entire OR...
Newton-Clarke MJ, Guffoy MR, Dykes NL, Divers TJ.A haemangiosarcoma in a horse resulted in ataxia affecting all four legs, a low head carriage and a reluctance to flex the neck. Ancillary diagnostic procedures included the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, standing lateral cervical radiographs and a myelogram. Post mortem a tumour was found which involved the body of the second cervical vertebra and the associated hypaxial muscles, with secondary intravertebral extradural infiltration and focal compressive myelopathy. A histological examination showed that the tumour was a haemangiosarcoma.
Verma RD, Venkateswaran KS, Sharma JK, Agarwal GS.Malleo-proteins from synthetic broth mallein of six strains of Pseudomonas mallei were separated by trichloroacetic acid precipitation, ammonium sulfate precipitation and Ultrogel AcA 34 gel filtration chromatography. When tested comparatively with Dutch PPD mallein as standard on P. mallei-sensitized and normal horses all the strains were found to be malleinogenic, trichloroacetic acid precipitated proteins were comparable to Dutch PPD mallein in potency and innocuity whereas ammonium sulfate-precipitated proteins elicited non-specific reactions. Ultrogel AcA 34 chromatographed high molecular...
Yarbrough TB, Langer DL, Snyder JR, Gardner IA, O'Brien TR.Medical records of 245 horses that had been evaluated by use of abdominal radiography between January 1990 and December 1992 were reviewed. One hundred forty-one horses subsequently had a postmortem examination or surgical exploration performed for definitive lesion diagnosis. The signalment, diagnosis, site, and number of enteroliths were obtained from the medical records. Radiographs were evaluated individually by 3 reviewers for the presence of enteroliths, preferred diagnostic view, evidence of large colon tympany, and film quality. Of the 141 cases reviewed, 66.7% (94/141) had confirmed e...
Amory H, Lomba F, Lekeux PM, Solal AN, Jauniaux TP, Desmecht DJ.An adult pony had a 1-month history of severe respiratory distress that was resistant to treatment and environmental changes. Results of blood gas analysis were indicative of alveolar hypoventilation. Simultaneous recordings of thoracic and abdominal wall motion by inductance plethysmography, together with complete pulmonary mechanics evaluation that included transdiaphragmatic pressure monitoring, revealed complete passive behavior of the diaphragm during breathing. Because radiography, necropsy, and histologic examination did not reveal any major lesion to explain the clinical and functional...
Crenon I, Granon S, Chapus C, Kerfelec B.Pancreatic colipase plays an essential role in the intestinal fat digestion by anchoring lipase on lipid/water interfaces in the presence of bile salts. In contrast to other species, two molecular forms of colipase, A and B, have been found in horse. The two corresponding cDNAs were isolated from a horse pancreatic library and their nucleotide sequences were determined. Moreover, for the first time, active colipase has been obtained after transfection of COS cells by either colipase A or B cDNA.
McGorum BC, Jago RC, Cillan-Garcia E, Pirie RS, Keen JA, Reardon RJM, Saffu PY, Miller NJ.The aetiology of equine grass sickness (EGS) is currently unknown. We hypothesised that an acute deficiency of niacin (vitamin B3), which plays a key role in neural homeostasis, may contribute to neurodegeneration in EGS. Niacin deficiency can potentially result from ingestion of niacin antagonists produced by pasture mycotoxigenic fungi. Objective: To compare the niacin status of EGS and control grazing horses. A secondary objective was to compare blood concentrations of vitamins B1, B2 and B6 in EGS and control grazing horses to determine if the status of these vitamins was altered in EGS. M...
Henninger RW, Horst J.Magnesium sulfate, a saline laxative, is often used for treatment of intestinal impactions in horses. Clinical signs of hypermagnesemia are an uncommon complication following oral administration of magnesium sulfate. Overdose of magnesium sulfate in combination with renal insufficiency, hypocalcemia, or compromise of intestinal integrity may predispose horses to magnesium toxicosis. Establishment of diuresis with fluids and IV administration of calcium may provide successful treatment of magnesium toxicosis in horses.
Tanner SL, Wagner AL, Digianantonio RN, Harris PA, Sylvester JT, Urschel KL.The objective of this study was to measure whole-body protein kinetics in weanling horses receiving forage and one of two different concentrates: (1) commercial crude protein (CCP) concentrate, which with the forage provided 4.1 g CP/kg bodyweight (BW)/day (189 mg lysine (Lys)/kg BW/day), and (2) recommended crude protein (RCP) concentrate which, with the same forage, provided 3.1 g CP/kg BW/day (194 mg Lys/kg BW/day). Blood samples were taken to determine the response of plasma amino acid concentrations to half the daily concentrate allocation. The next day, a 2 h-primed, constant inf...
Watson ED, Aubrey ES, Zanecosky HG, Sertich PL.Glandular epithelial and stromal cells were isolated from the endometrium of mares by collagenase digestion and were incubated on plastic for 7-9 days until the cells formed confluent monolayers. The cells differed in morphology: epithelial cells appeared polyhedral and stromal cells were spindle like. The monolayers were incubated in the presence and absence of oxytocin. Medium was removed from wells after 2, 8 and 24 h of incubation. Concentrations of prostaglandin F (PGF) in the medium increased significantly during this time. Glandular epithelial cells produced significantly more PGF than ...
Lauderdale JW.Puberty: For the gilt and filly, the first corpus luteum (CL) appears to have a normal lifespan. For both species, first CL usually is associated with estrus but can form in the absence of estrus. For the ewe and cow, a transient (1 to 4 d, ewe; 3 to 10 d, cow) rise and fall of ovarian derived progesterone (P4) is detected in peripheral blood (80% of ewes; 50% of heifers) prior to first "normal" CL. The first CL of apparent normal lifespan is not accompanied by estrus in the ewe. The first CL in the cow may or may not be accompanied by estrus; first estrus in the cow can be anovulatory. Data a...
Pavone S, Gialletti R, Pepe M, Onofri A, Mandara MT.In this study we investigated the histological changes of the myenteric plexuses and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in gut samples from horses with colic to try to find results useful in the prognostic evaluation of enteric lesions. A morphologic and quantitative study of myenteric ganglia, ganglion cells and neuronal chromatolytic and necrotic changes of 24 horses with colic was performed. For ganglion cells, enteroglial cells and ICC immunolabeling was also performed to identify cell functional disorders. A significant increase of neuronal chromatolysis and necrosis occurred in horses suf...
Aitken MR.The following article provides an overview of the last 5 years of research and innovation within the field of equine colic surgery, focusing on new techniques, new or recently described lesions, prevention of lesion recurrence or postoperative complications, and updates in prognoses. Early surgical intervention is an important factor in horse survival.
Fuchs R, Militz H, Hoffmann M.The ascertainment of the digestibility of crude nutrients in rations for horses requires the inclusion of movement-based performance as influencing factor. Under the consideration of this requirement, indicator methods gain significance in comparison with the standard method of collecting faeces completely. In two experiments the digestion of the crude nutrients in rations for horses was tested according to the standard method (complete collection of faeces) and the indicator method 4 N HCl-insoluble ash). According to the indicator method the digestibility of crude nutrients was slightly high...
Maier FP, Wintzer HJ.In this paper the measurement technique pulse oximetry is examined in 25 halothane-anaesthetized horses. Furthermore measures are presented which lead to a successful sensor placement at the tongue of the horse. The hemoglobin saturation determined by the pulse oximeter (SaO2) correlated very well with the hemoglobin saturation calculated by blood gas analysis (sO2). Nevertheless in the range of low saturation the pulse oximeter increasingly overestimates sO2. Pulse oximetry is an important progress in equine patient monitoring. A decline of oxygen saturation in the blood is detected immediate...
Fletcher MA, Caldwell KE, Saez L, Latif Z.A sialoglycoprotein from horse erythrocytes was isolated in essentially homogeneous form and found to contain the neuraminidase-sensitive determinant of the horse erythrocyte for Paul-Bunnell heterophile antibodies of infectious mononucleosis. This reactivity was retained after covalent coupling of the antigen to latex particles. The latex reagent has greater stability (greater than 3 years) than either fresh or preserved horse erythrocytes. It can be used in a direct slide test; no absorption of the serum is necessary. The new test compared favorably with some standard tests for infectious mo...
Boyle MS, Cran DG, Allen WR, Hunter RH.The morphology of the uterotubal junction (UTJ) and caudal isthmus during the peri-ovulatory period, and the distribution of spermatozoa within the region, were studied in 10 Pony mares. The proximal tip of the uterine horn and caudal 1-2 cm of the isthmus were removed during oestrus or shortly after ovulation from animals mated or artificially inseminated within the previous 24 h. The tissues were incised longitudinally and fixed for scanning electron microscopy. Analysis of micrographs showed deep longitudinal and oedematous folds in the preovulatory samples. After ovulation, much of the fol...
Dinev D, Dzhurov A.An experiment in comparative developmental aspect was carried out with 5 horses and 5 cattle having a total of 60 skin and muscular wounds. Light microscopic studies on hematoxylin-eosin stained preparations revealed that the dystrophic changes in the underlying tissues were more strongly manifested in horses. This had to be taken into consideration in the surgical treatment of wounds with this animal species. The basic differences comprised the better manifested leukocytic reaction in horses and the more strongly expressed processes of growth and differentiation on the part of the connective ...
Mund SJK, Corbett C, MacPhee DJ, Campbell J, Honaramooz A, Wobeser B, Barber SM.Horses often sustain cutaneous wounds and healing can be prolonged and difficult to treat. Compared to body wounds, limb wounds heal slower and are more likely to develop exuberant granulation tissue. Differences in healing rates and exuberant granulation tissue formation is attributed to abnormal cytokine profiles. CXCL8 and its receptor CXCR2 are involved in acute inflammation whereas CXCL10 and its receptor CXCR3 are involved in inflammation resolution. β- arrestin-2 regulates inflammation through internalization of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) including CXCR2 and CXCR3. Gene expres...
Borrow HA.The history, clinical signs, post mortem and histopathological findings from two foals with perforating gastroduodenal ulcers and one foal with a non-perforating gastric ulcer are compared with those of other species with similar lesions. Two of the foals had several erosions in the oesophageal mucosa and the condition had been associated with strictures in the duodenum. The cause of the disease remains obscure but a possible connection with stress has been suggested.
Kuroda T, Nagata SI, Tamura N, Mita H, Kusano K, Mizobe F, Takizawa Y, Fukuda K, Kasashima Y.To investigate the pharmacokinetics and antihistaminic effects (pharmacodynamics) of olopatadine in a small population of healthy horses after administration via nasogastric tube. Methods: 4 healthy adult Thoroughbreds. Methods: Olopatadine (0.1 mg/kg, once) was administered via nasogastric tube. Blood samples were collected at predetermined time points for pharmacokinetic analyses of the drug in plasma. Olopatadine effects were investigated by measurement of cutaneous wheals induced by ID histamine injection (0.1 mL [10 μg]/injection) at predetermined time points. Inhibition effect ratios we...
Grubb T, Frendin JH, Edner A, Funkquist P, Hedenstierna G, Nyman G.Anaesthetized horses commonly become hypoxaemic due to ventilation/perfusion (V·A/Q·) mismatch and increased pulmonary shunt fraction (Qs·/Qt·). Pulse-delivered inhaled nitric oxide may improve oxygenation but may increase plasma concentration of the potent vasoconstrictor, endothelin-1 (ET-1). Objectives: Study 1) compare arterial oxygen concentration (PaO2) and saturation (SaO2), calculated Qs·/Qt· and ET-1 concentration; and Study 2) assess V·A/Q· matching and measured Qs·/Qt· in isoflurane-anaesthetized horses in left lateral recumbency receiving pulse-delivered inhaled nitric ox...
Troyer D, Howard D, Leipold HW, Smith JE.Southern blot analysis of equine DNA's digested with the restriction endonuclease Hinfl hybridized with a 32 PdCTP labeled human VNTR probe revealed a highly polymorphic pattern of restriction fragments upon autoradiography. The horses were unrelated individuals of the quarter horse breed. This heterologous probe can thus be used in the equine species for individual identification and pedigree analysis.
Hendrickson DA, Nixon AJ, Erb HN, Lust G.Equine neonatal chondrocytes were cultured in three-dimensional fibrin matrices under conditions of immediate implantation or implantation following monolayer culture for 6 days, and 3 cell concentrations (1 x 10(5), 1 x 10(6), and 5 x 10(6) chondrocytes/cm3). Equine fibrinogen was collected by cryoprecipitation and polymerized by use of activated bovine thrombin. The fibrin implants were harvested and analyzed histologically and biochemically at 3, 7, and 14 days after the chondrocytes were implanted in fibrin. The differentiation ratio (ratio of rounded, chondrocyte-like cells to stellate, f...
Han X, Fowden AL, Silver M, Holdstock N, McGladdery AJ, Ousey JC, Allen WR, Rossdale PD, Challis JR.An increase in fetal adrenal cortisol output signals the onset of parturition in many animal species but, in the fetal horse, plasma concentrations of cortisol remain low for much of late pregnancy, with a rise occurring only very close to the time of birth (term 320-360 days). Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the localisation and changes in distribution of key steroidogenic enzymes for cortisol production; P450scc, P450C17 and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta HSD) in adrenal tissue from fetal and newborn horses and these findings were correlated with the appearance of imm...
Gräfner G, Zimmermann H, Karge E, Münch J, Ribbeck R, Hiepe T.Systematic faunal studies in the district Schwerin showed at the present time there are 3 more or less damage-biotopes existing in the districts of Perleberg, Ludwigslust and Parchim; 5 river sources can be considered as potential sources, 5 are temporary and 2 are ephemeral whilst in 3 further areas environmental influences such as effluent impairs the flow of the river and the developmental stages of Simuliidae were not observed.--The following species were found: Boophthora erythrocephala, Wilhelmia salopiensis, Wilhelmia equina, Odagmia ornata, Eusimulium aureum and Eusimulium lundstroemi....
Ginther OJ, Bergfelt DR.The temporal associations between increases in FSH and growth of small follicles (2-20 mm) were studied during one oestrous cycle (ovulation to ovulation) in 15 horse mares. Follicular diameters were obtained ultrasonically. For each day, follicles were combined for both ovaries, grouped from largest to smallest (excluding dominant follicles), and divided into three to five tiers of six follicles for each mare (for example: tier 1, six largest follicles; tier 2, next six largest follicles). A significant increase in mean diameters followed by a significant decrease was used to define a follicu...
Evans JW, Hughes JP, Neely DP, Stabenfeldt GH, Winger CM.Jugular blood samples were obtained from 8 mares at 5- and/or 20-min intervals for 2 to 5 days during various phases of the oestrous cycle for plasma LH determination. An episodic release pattern was observed in 1 of 3 mares sampled during the ovulatory period. One mare had one secretory burst and the other mare had several periods of fluctuating plasma LH concentration. During dioestrus, episodic secretions were observed in 2 mares sampled 11 to 13 days before and, in 1 mare, 9 days after ovulation. During the 2 to 5-day period before ovulation, episodic secretion was not observed (3 mares) b...
Lloyd D, Johanson C, Phillips TJ.Minimally displaced condylar fractures propagating into the third metatarsal diaphysis were treated conservatively in one thoroughbred and two Arabian racehorses. In each case a neuroleptanalgesic protocol provided adequate pain relief for a rigid fibreglass cast to be applied in a weight-bearing position. The fractures healed completely and the three horses recovered uneventfully. Two of them returned successfully to racing and the third was used for breeding.
Salciccia A, Sandersen C, Grulke S, de la Rebière de Pouyade G, Caudron I, Serteyn D, Detilleux J.The objectives of this study were to describe and relate perioperative changes in blood leukocyte counts to the outcome of surgical colic horses, determine a cut-off value in the early postoperative period to obtain an indicator of the outcome, and compare the obtained value to a validation population of horses. Fifty-three horses undergoing colic surgery were included in the descriptive part of the study. Total leukocyte counts were performed before, during and serially after surgery. A receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed on the leukocyte counts of 45 of these horses to d...
