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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.
Characterization of African horsesickness virus serotype 4-induced polypeptides in Vero cells and their reactivity in Western immunoblotting. The structural and non-structural proteins induced by African horsesickness virus serotype 4 (AHSV-4) in infected Vero cells were analysed by SDS-PAGE. Twenty-two virus-induced polypeptides were detected in infected cells by comparison with the polypeptides of mock-infected cells, of which four major (VP2, VP3, VP5 and VP7) and three minor (VP1, VP4 and VP6) structural proteins and four non-structural proteins (P58, P48, P21 and P20) were shown to be virus-coded, as deduced from electrophoretic and antigenic studies of purified virions and infected cells. The proteins that elicit the major ant...
Quantitative determination of equine alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes in foal and adult serum. Automated and semiautomated assays were developed and validated for the determination of equine alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes including intestinal (IALP), bone (BALP), and liver (LALP). The addition of levamisole selectively inhibited more than 97% of LALP while inhibiting only 55% of IALP. Because these percentages were highly reproducible in an automated system, the IALP activity could be calculated in a sample. Bone alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme was selectively precipitated by adding an equal volume of wheat germ agglutinin (5 mg/mL), incubating for 30 minutes at 37 degrees C, and centri...
[Ultrasonography in gynecologic diagnosis]. 1. At present there is a wide field of applications for ultrasonography in gynaecological examinations. 2. Pregnancy (under clinical conditions) may be diagnosed in mares from day 14, in cows from day 25/26, in small ruminants from day 35, in sows from day 28/30, in bitches from day 25/28 and in queens from day 20/25 on, either by demonstrating the embryonic vesicle or the embryo or fetus. 3. Control of ovulation is gaining importance in the mare, especially in artificial insemination. 4. The diagnosis of pathological processes in the uterus of mares, bitches and queens is improved considerabl...
Surface strain on the dorsal metacarpus of thoroughbreds at different speeds and gaits. Stacked rectangular rosette strain gages were used to measure surface bone strain on the dorsomedial cortex of the third metacarpal bones in 6 adult Thoroughbred horses during treadmill exercise. The peak principal compressive and tensile strains, angle of the peak strains and strain rate during loading were calculated and compared with speed and gait. At speeds from 4 to 14 m/s loading on the metacarpus resulted in compression of the dorsomedial cortex. Tension only occurred consistently in 1 forelimb of 1 horse at the walk (2 m/s). The angle of peak compression was within 10 degrees of the l...
Diurnal variation in plasma ir-beta-endorphin levels and experimental pain thresholds in the horse. Diurnal variation in nociceptive sensitivity and plasma immunoreactive beta-endorphin (ir-BEND) concentrations was examined in eight healthy Thoroughbred horses. Pain thresholds, ir-BEND concentrations, rectal temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and pupil diameter were measured over a 24 hour period. Nociceptive sensitivity was determined using two objective measures of pain: the skin-twitch reflex latency and the hoof withdrawal reflex latency. Significant variation in both nociceptive thresholds and ir-BEND concentrations were noted over the 24 hour period, with elevated pain threshold...
Group-reactive ELISAs for detecting antibodies to African horsesickness and equine encephalosis viruses in horse, donkey, and zebra sera. Group-reactive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed to selectively detect antibodies to African horsesickness virus (AHSV) and equine encephalosis virus (EEV), 2 orbiviruses that infect equids. In indirect ELISA, guinea pig antisera to all known AHSV or EEV serotypes recognized immobilized AHSV serotype 3 or EEV Cascara, respectively. Antisera from naturally infected animals did not cross-react with their respective heterologous viruses. The ELISA was used in parallel with the complement fixation (CF) and agar gel immunodiffusion tests to detect antibodies in sera from an...
Study on the energy and protein metabolism in horses. The present study focused on energy and protein metabolism in pregnant and lactating mares, including the suckling and weaned growing horses, in order to determine feed availability, as also the energy and protein requirements. The authors found that the feeding diets, consisting of alfalfa hay, oats and compounds, had different availability values in terms of energy and protein, according to animal physiological conditions and age. Thus, the pregnant mares utilized the metabolizable energy (ME) and digestible crude protein (DCP) intake in average proportions of 64.5 +/- 3.2%, 54.6 +/- 3.0%, r...
Detection of humoral antigen and antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in horses with experimentally induced Ehrlichia equi infection. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect antigen in plasma and antibody in serum of 3 horses inoculated with Ehrlichia equi. Clinical signs, including rectal temperature, were correlated with the antigen and antibody detection. ELISA was very efficient in detection of serum antibody. Antigen detection using monoclonal antibodies to E. equi and ELISA should be considered as a diagnostic method.
Clostridium difficile associated with typhlocolitis in an adult horse. No abstract available
Muscle histopathology and plasma aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase and myoglobin changes with exercise in horses with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis. Six horses with a history of recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER) (Horses A-F) and 7 control horses performed a submaximal and later a near-maximal treadmill exercise test. Blood samples were obtained before, during and after exercise and muscle biopsies were taken before and after exercise. At rest, plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities in horses with RER were above 95% confidence intervals for control horses. During submaximal exercise, 3 horses with RER (A, B and C) had much greater increases in plasma AST, creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin concentrations than did Horses ...
[Charcot and claudicatio intermittens – a footnote to the history of vascular surgery]. Jean Martin Charcot was the first to give a detailed description of intermittent claudication, and a correct interpretation of the mechanism behind the symptoms. He borrowed the name of the syndrome from the veterinarian literature, where it had been described to occur in horses, and caused by inflammatory changes in aorta at the origin of the large vessels to the extremities. The case presented by Charcot was a man with a traumatic pseudoaneurysm in his common iliac artery. He had in addition an arterio-enteric fistula, a condition which probably had not been described before.
Jejunal intussusception in adult horses: 11 cases (1981-1991). Medical records of 11 adult horses with jejunal intussusception examined at 5 veterinary teaching hospitals between 1981 and 1991 were reviewed. Nine of 11 horses had signs of acute abdominal discomfort for < 24 hours, whereas 2 horses had a history of chronic signs. Five of 11 horses had an intraluminal or intramural mass associated with the jejunal intussusception. Two horses died or were euthanatized prior to surgery. Partial jejunal resection and jejunojejunal anastomosis were performed in 9 horses. One horse died during surgery and 2 were euthanatized prior to hospital discharge because o...
Kinematic gait analysis in equine carpal lameness. Gait analysis plays a major role in the clinical evaluation of equine lameness. It is generally accepted that the clinician expresses the grade of lameness as a subjective score. In this study lameness was objectively assessed using a standardized transient lameness model, in which lameness was induced by intra-articular injection of bacterial endotoxin into the radiocarpal joint of ponies. Lameness was scored by an experienced clinician, and locomotion was recorded simultaneously using a CODA-3 apparatus. The obtained kinematic gait parameters correlated well with the clinical lameness score ...
Secretory patterns and rates of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone revealed by intensive sampling of pituitary venous blood in the luteal phase mare. We used our unique nonsurgical technique for collecting pituitary venous (pit) blood to study GnRH, FSH, and LH secretion patterns in midluteal phase mares. This method does not perturb endocrine function and allows continuous monitoring of GnRH and gonadotropin (Gn) secretion, determination of the amount of GnRH perfusing gonadotropes, and direct measurements of the amounts of Gn secreted. In a total of 80 h of 5-min sampling in four mares, eight Gn peaks occurred; however, more frequent sampling was needed to define secretory events precisely. Therefore, pit blood was collected continuously ...
A retrospective evaluation of laminitis in horses. Case records of 202 horses treated for laminitis were reviewed with the intent of determining the long-term outcome and correlating this with digital radiographic findings and with the degree of pain associated with the laminitis. At long-term follow-up 57 horses had returned to athletic soundness (Group 1), 20 horses were intermittently lame (Group 2), 19 horses had permanent severe lameness (Group 3), 97 were dead (Group 4), and 9 were lost to follow up. Using simple regression analysis, functional outcome did not correlate with the degree of rotation (R2 = 0.004) or the presence of distal d...
Structural changes in intercellular junctions during keratinization of the stratum medium of the equine hoof wall. 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 ...
Motor neuron degeneration in a horse. A 9-year-old Quarter Horse mare was examined because of progressive weight loss, weakness, muscle atrophy and tremors, and behavioral change. Selenium and glutathione peroxidase assays, blood lead analysis, erythrocyte transketolase analysis, pseudorabies and Borrelia burgdorferi serology, electromyography, and CSF analysis were performed. Motor neuron degeneration was diagnosed by microscopic examination of neural tissues. The cause of the disease was not substantiated, but several possibilities were excluded via diagnostic testing. Diagnosis of motor neuron degeneration in horses may be made...
Limits to maximal performance. Body size fundamentally affects maximal locomotor performance in mammals. Comparisons of performances of different-sized animals yield different results if made using relative, rather than absolute scales. Absolute speed may be a reasonable way to evaluate the locomotor performance of an animal that must escape predators in real time. However, comparisons of metabolic power in animals of different size can only be made meaningfully on a mass-specific basis. Numerous factors associated with the mechanics, energetics, and storage of elastic energy during locomotion change with body size, which r...
Determination of the center of pressure of the hoofs of the forelimbs of horses standing on a flat level surface. The pressure exerted on a flat level surface by recently trimmed, unshod hoofs of the front limbs of 23 sound, adult horses was measured using pressure-sensitive film and a specially built cassette. The horses were tranquilized and stood with one foot on the 2.9-cm-thick cassette and the other on a block of equal height. The hoofs were observed for motion during the measurement, and the developed film was examined for improper alignment of the film or slipping of the hoof. The center of pressure was located using the method of weighted proportions of Barrey. This static measurement system with...
Small intestinal incarceration through the lateral ligament of the urinary bladder in a horse. Small intestinal incarceration through the lateral ligament of the urinary bladder was diagnosed in a 14-year-old, 569-kg, castrated Quarter Horse. The incarceration was corrected by ventral midline celiotomy. Approximately 70 cm of the middle portion of the jejunum was resected and end-to-end, single-layer anastomosis was performed. After surgery, the horse developed signs of adynamic ileus and lameness in the right forelimb. The horse developed laminitis in all 4 feet within 24 hours of surgery. The horse was euthanatized because of poor prognosis for survival. At necropsy, a 4.5-cm rent was...
Relationship between locomotor forces, hoof position and joint motion during the support phase of the stride of galloping horses. Three methods were used simultaneously to determine the relationships between the vertical forces exerted on the hooves and the positions of the limbs and hooves at the times of peak vertical forces from 2 horses galloping on a track straightaway. Vertical forces were recorded from an instrumented shoe, fetlock joint motion was measured with an electrogoniometer and the angles of the carpus, fetlock and hoof were determined from slow-motion films. At hoof contact, the mean angles of the carpus and fetlock were 181-182 degrees and 199-206 degrees, respectively. Peak vertical forces on the heel ...
Kinematics of the standardbred trotter measured at 6, 7, 8 and 9 m/s on a treadmill, before and after 5 months of prerace training. A kinematic study was performed on a group of 8 Standardbred stallions. Recordings were done using a modified CODA-3 optoelectronic kinematic analysis system with the horses running on a treadmill at speeds of 6, 7, 8, or 9 m/s. Linear and temporal gait characteristics, joint angle diagrams and the trajectories of the hoof in a plane perpendicular to the direction of movement were studied. Two consecutive recording sessions were held at an age of 21-23 months, and a third was held 5 months later after an intensive training period. Joint angle diagrams appeared to show a similar pattern for all...
Mal seco, a grass sickness-like syndrome of horses in Argentina. Mal seco is a grass sickness-like syndrome of horses which has mainly been observed in Patagonia, Argentina, although some reports indicate that the disease may exist in other Argentinian provinces and in the south of Chile. The aetiology of mal seco remains unknown but the disease seems to be restricted to animals grazing on natural pastures and not receiving supplementary feeding. Mal seco is clinically characterized by total or partial bowel stasis and the main findings at post-mortem examination are almost exclusively restricted to the bowel. The most striking histopathological changes fou...
The extended canter: a comparison of some kinematic variables in horses trained for dressage and for racing. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that there is no significant difference in selected temporal and linear stride variables of the extended canter in horses bred and trained for dressage or racing. Nine advanced-level dressage horses and 7 Thoroughbred racehorses were filmed at a frame rate of 200 Hz at an extended canter on a sand track. Two strides were recorded per trial, and each horse performed 6 or 7 trials. Temporal and linear data were determined from the films, and descriptive statistics (mean, SD) were calculated. Strides were selected for analysis on the basis of having ...
Nutrient utilisation by the hindlimb of thoroughbred horses at rest. Nutrient uptake by the hindlimb was investigated utilising the arteriovenous difference technique in 5 Thoroughbred horses fed to maintenance a diet of 100% roughage or 52% oat grain and 48% roughage. Arterial blood was obtained from a catheter inserted into the carotid artery while venous blood was simultaneously collected from a catheter placed into the iliac vein via the medial saphenous vein. The arteriovenous difference for glucose was significant and represented a mean extraction of 10 +/- 1% with no effect of diet. If fully oxidised, glucose uptake (corrected for lactate and pyruvate ar...
[Comparison of the career profiles of racehorses over three decades]. To compare the career profiles of thoroughbred racehorses in Germany in different decades all horses which raced for the last time in the years 1966/67, 1976/77 and 1986/87 were selected from the annual report of the German Thoroughbred Racing Association. The number of racing horses increased within decades while the percentage of the horses which raced for the last time was equal in all years. It amounted yearly to about 30%. Most of the horses finished racing at three and four years of age. In 1966, 1967, 1976 and 1977 more than 50% of the horses began their career at the age of two years, ...
