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.
Fritsch R.Ultrasonography has established itself as an invaluable diagnostic aid in surgical diseases. In addition to the diagnosis of thoracic and abdominal disease, ultrasonography is increasing in importance in the examination of muscles, tendons and joints in small animals. In the horse, the application of the technique is being extended from tendon conditions to organ diseases. The optimal diagnostic information can only be achieved through the use of different scanner types.
Olson KN, Klein LV, Nann LE, Soma LR.Six horses were administered isoflurane anesthesia by liquid injection into a closed breathing circuit according to the square root of time model. The unit dose (UD) was calculated using Lowe's formula to provide an end-tidal concentration of 1.3%, or the minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane. The mean UD was 4.2 +/- 0.2 mL. The mean end-tidal isoflurane concentration (ETiso) for each interval after injection, and the peak and minimum concentrations for each injection interval, did not change beginning with the second injection, indicating that the square root of time model accurately p...
DeVico AL, Issel CJ, Le Grice SF, Payne SL, Montelaro RC, Sarngadharan MG.The immunogenicity of the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) reverse transcriptase (RT) was examined by immunoblot assay with recombinant EIAV RT. All of the 19 sera from EIAV-infected horses tested contained antibodies that recognized EIAV RT and directly inhibited the polymerase activity of the enzyme. An examination of sera obtained sequentially from two experimentally infected animals revealed that anti-RT antibodies arise early in infection and increase in level. The appearance of the antibodies correlated with progression toward the asymptomatic period of infection.
Argue CK, Clayton HM.The object of this study was to determine the limb support sequence during the transitions from walk to trot and from trot to walk in dressage horses under saddle and to test the null hypothesis that the limb support sequence during the transitions is not related to the level of training. Sixteen dressage horses training at novice to FEI Grand Prix level were videotaped performing an average of 9 transitions each from walk to trot and from trot to walk. The 30-Hz videotapes were viewed in slow motion, and based on the limb support sequence the transitions were categorized into two types. In ty...
Eades SC, Moore JN.Changes in lateral cecal arterial blood flow, mean internal carotid arterial pressure, and heart rate caused by nasogastric administration of fenoldopam (3, 6, and 9 mg/kg of body weight), a selective agonist of dopaminergic receptors, were recorded in 7 healthy horses. Cecal arterial blood flow was significantly increased within 30 minutes after administration of fenoldopam at all 3 dosages, with the peak increases from baseline (67.8 +/- 17.5 ml/min) being 125 +/- 28, 120 +/- 22, and 153 +/- 32 ml/min for 3, 6, and 9 mg/kg, respectively. Although carotid arterial pressure did not change sign...
van de Moer A, Rice M, Wilks CR.A type-specific monoclonal antibody was produced by immunizing mice with purified equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). The EHV-1 specific mAb reacted with all the EHV-1 strains tested so far by indirect ELISA, immunofluorescence, and immunoperoxidase tests. No reactions were detected with the EHV-4, EHV-2, or EHV-3 strains tested. The indirect immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase tests showed that the nuclei of infected cells were predominantly stained by this mAb. Triton treatment of the virus and immunogold labeling experiments indicated that the nucleocapsid of EHV-1 was the target antigen of th...
Brown MP, Gronwall RR, Cook LK, Houston AE.Ormetoprim (OMP)/sulphadimethoxine (SDM) combinations
have been used in the treatment of fowl cholera, colibacillosis,
salmonellosis, infectious coryza, and other bacterial infections in
poultry (Mitrovic et al. 1969; Maestrone et al. 1979). The drug
combination has also been used in the treatment of colibacillosis
in neonatal pigs (Brandt and Maestrone 1980) and Pasteurella
pneumonia in cattle (Ames et al. 1987). Serum concentrations and
pharmacokinetics of SDM (Oh-Ishi and Nakajima 1964; Durr et
al. 1980) and OMP/SDM (Brown et al. 1989) after intravenous or
oral administration to ad...
Raisbeck MF, Dahl ER, Sanchez DA, Belden EL, O'Toole D.A review of Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory records for 1947-1987 revealed no substantiated cases of naturally occurring selenosis. However, older reports attributed thousands of animal deaths to selenium each year in this area. Beginning in August 1988, cases of suspected selenosis and selenium deficiency were solicited from veterinarians and producers by announcements in various statewide livestock publications. As of August 1991, 4 cases (all horses) of naturally occurring selenosis have been confirmed. Clinical signs were most often referable to epithelial damage, e.g., hoof lesions an...
Kramer J, Tornquist S, Erfle J, Sloeojan G.Large granular lymphocytes (LGL) occur as a leukemic or aleukemic neoplasia in humans,(1) rats,(2) cats,(3,4) dogs,(5) and horses.(6) The single case of equine LGL previously reported was aleukemic.(5) In contrast to this previous report of aleukemic equine LGL neoplasia, the leukemia in the case presented here established the antemortem diagnosis of LGL.
Sojka JE, Johnson MA, Bottoms GD.This study was conducted to investigate the effect of starting time on dexamethasone suppression test results in horses. Eight adult horses were used throughout the trial. Baseline cortisol levels were established by collecting cortisol levels twice daily, at 8:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M. for 4 consecutive days. Morning baseline cortisol levels were 46.3 +/- 5.94 ng/ml, and evening baseline cortisol levels were 32.8 +/- 5.59 ng/ml. Although lower, the evening cortisol levels were not statistically different (P = 0.154) from the morning levels. Dexamethasone suppression tests initiated at either 9:00...
Baba SS, Olaleye OD, Ayanbadejo OA.A sero-epidemiological survey of African horse sickness (AHS) virus in 261 animals which included 96 camels, 81 horses, 80 dogs and 4 donkeys was carried out in Nigeria. The animals had no history of vaccination against AHS. Sera were tested by the haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test for the presence of antibody against AHS virus. Of these, 77 (95.1%) horse, 4 (100%) donkey, 10 (10.4%) camel and 28 (35%) dog sera samples tested were recorded as positive. The prevalence of antibody in samples taken from horses in different regions was similar. The prevalence of antibody to AHS virus detected...
Popović N, Djuricić B, Valcić M.A study of literature concerning Lyme borreliosis related to animals was done. In the research work the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of horses, cattle and dogs affected with Lyme borreliosis have been discussed. The clinical signs of Lyme borreliosis in horses are: chronic weight loss, sporadic lameness, laminitis, low grade fever, swollen joints, muscle tenderness and anterior uvetitis. In addition to these clinical sings, neurological sings such as depression, behavioral changes, dysphagia and encephalitis can be seen in chronic cases. Cattle affected with acute Lyme b...
Linford RL, O'Brien TR, Trout DR.Lameness examinations and radiography of the distal phalanx and associated soft-tissue structures of the front feet of 103 Thoroughbred racehorses, 4 to 9 years old, were performed to determine normal radiographic appearance and morphometry. Of 103 horses examined, 41 were used in the study that were without clinical signs of foot problems or lameness, had raced at least twice prior to radiography, and had raced at least twice more in the 6 months after radiography. Lateromedial and dorsoproximal-palmarodistal radiographic views of each front distal phalanx were used to measure 28 bone and sof...
Chambers JP, Livingston A, Waterman AE, Goodship AE.This study was undertaken to assess the analgesia provided by detomidine (20 micrograms kg-1 intravenously) in thoroughbred horses. Pain thresholds to a mechanical noxious stimulus were measured before and after a period of mild chronic pain in one foreleg. Detomidine was a good analgesic in control animals; their pain thresholds were significantly elevated for about 60 minutes. After injury, the injured leg had a significantly lower pain threshold and the intensity and duration of analgesia provided by detomidine were significantly reduced. The analgesia in the opposite (sound) leg was also r...
Benoit P, Barrey E, Regnault JC, Brochet JL.The purpose of this study was to compare the damping effect of 16 types of shoeing by measuring hoof acceleration parameters on two trotting horses. At impact, maximal deceleration had extreme values such as 188 m/s2 (+/- 55) for the most damping combination (p < 0.01) and 746 m/s2 (+/- 14) for the steel shoe (mean = 551 m/s2 +/- 125). After the shock, the hoof was exposed to a mean vibrating acceleration at 418 Hz (+/- 84) which was progressively damped in 37.3 ms (+/- 10.5). According to these results, the damping ability of different farriery products significantly reduces (p < 0.05) shocks...
Poole AW, Heath MF, Sage SO, Evans RJ.Equine platelets in platelet-rich plasma were incubated with the fluorescent indicator dye, Fura-2-AM (Fura-2-acetoxymethyl ester) and the degree of loading of the cells with the dye and the extent of hydrolysis of the ester was assessed by quantitative fluorimetry and by thin-layer chromatography respectively. Under these conditions the cells loaded poorly with Fura-2 to a concentration of 4 microM. The technique was validated by demonstrating adequate loading of human platelets with Fura-2, to a concentration of 250-300 microM, using the same method. The removal of plasma from the extracellu...
Webster RG, Thomas TL.A new H3N8 equine influenza virus [A/Equine/Jilin/1/89 (Eq/Jilin)] appeared in Northeastern China in 1989 and caused high mortality in horses; the available evidence indicates that it has not yet spread outside this region of the world. Serological analysis with postinfection ferret sera in haemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests confirmed that Eq/Jilin is antigenically distinct from H3N8 equine influenza viruses isolated between 1963 and 1991 and also showed that a current equine influenza virus [A/Equine/Alaska/1/91 (H3N8)] had undergone antigenic drift. In the present study we determine if ...
Oakenfull EA, Buckle VJ, Clegg JB.The alpha-globin gene complex in Equus caballus has been mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization to the telomeric region of the long arm of chromosome 13. This is the first equine gene to be mapped to this chromosome.
Zamos DT, Ford TS, Cohen ND, Crossland LE.Two mares developed segmental ischemic necrosis of the small intestine after parturition. In one mare, the mesentery of the small intestine apparently tore during parturition, after which necrosis developed in a 52-cm segment of the distal portion of jejunum. In the other mare, a 52-cm segment of the proximal portion of ileum tore during parturition. Three weeks later, a 40-cm segment of the distal portion of jejunum became incarcerated in the mesenteric rent and twisted 360 degrees on its mesentery. Both mares recovered after resection of affected intestine and are functioning as broodmares.
Alstad AD, Sahu SP, Pedersen DD, Saari DA, Kawaoka Y, Webster RG.An influenza virus, A/equine/Alaska/1/91 (H3N8), was isolated from horses from Alaska with an acute respiratory infection. Pathogenic and serologic studies revealed that this virus is similar to previously isolated equine H3N8 influenza viruses. Antigenic analyses utilizing hemagglutination inhibition and neuraminidase inhibition assays indicated an antigenic drift from the prototype equine H3N8 influenza virus, A/equine/Miami/1/63. Partial sequence analysis of the A/equine/Alaska influenza virus indicated that each of 8 gene sequences are of equine origin.
Condie C, Rivara FP, Bergman AB.Although the risk of serious head injury for horse riders is higher than for most other sports, few equestrians regularly wear protective headgear. This study indicates that riders are well informed about the need for helmets and that the main reason for nonuse is inadequate helmet design. In particular, riders perceive that existing helmets are uncomfortable, expensive, and inappropriate for some riding styles. Based on these findings, the authors developed strategies to increase usage and incorporated them into a successful program. These strategies included working with manufacturers to dev...
Deuel NR, Park J.Limb contact variables of the gallop of 3-day event horses were determined for competitors in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games. Horses were filmed during the steeplechase, phase B of the speed and endurance test on day 2 of competition. Two 16-mm high-speed cameras were aimed perpendicularly to the direction of subject motion along a straightaway on the steeplechase track, filmed at 200 frames/s. Thirty-four of 48 competitors were filmed and 108 gallop strides analyzed. Velocity (VEL) averaged 12.09 +/- 0.10 m/s (mean +/- SE), stride length (SL) 6.04 +/- 0.05 m and stride frequency (SF) 2.0...
Valberg S, Häggendal J, Lindholm A.Six horses with a history of recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER) and 7 control horses performed both a 55-min submaximal and later a 10-min near-maximal exercise test on a treadmill. Blood samples were obtained during exercise and gluteus medius muscle biopsies were obtained before and immediately after each exercise test and at 24 h after completion of the submaximal test. Rhabdomyolysis was developed by 3 of 6 RER horses during submaximal exercise and in 1 of the RER horses during near-maximal exercise. Concentrations of potassium, glucose, free fatty acids, ammonia, lactate, cortisol,...
Roepstorff L, Drevemo S.To further develop objective methods in the field of gait analysis a force-measuring horseshoe (FM shoe) has been developed. The ground reaction forces were determined by measuring the degree of displacement between the two solid parts of the shoe. This was done by three removable measuring units (MUs) that were equipped with strain gauges and placed in the toe and in each of the quarter parts. Before performing force recordings the sensors were calibrated with the actual MUs mounted on the shoe. This can be done in the field with a specially developed equipment. The shape of the signal genera...
Riemersma DJ, van den Bogert AJ.A procedure is described by which the length of a tendon at the onset of loading is determined objectively. The procedure includes the fitting of third-order polynomial functions on the load-elongation data. The onset of loading is detected by an increasing fit of the polynomial by selective data reduction of the initial part of the load-elongation curve. The procedure results in an objective and reproducible definition of the zero strain level of a tendon.
Corstvet RE, Gaunt SD, Karns PA, Burgermeister D, McBride JW, Nicholson SM, Battistini RA.Four horses were inoculated with Ehrlichia risticii contained in either infected murine P388 D1 cells or heparinized blood from an infected horse. All 4 horses produced serum antibody, plasma antigen, and clinical signs of the disease. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect antibody in the serum and was also used in conjunction with an anti-E. risticii monoclonal antibody to detect antigenemia. These laboratory and clinical findings were correlated to determine the efficiency of the antigen detection method for discerning E. risticii infection.
Prange T, Holcombe SJ, Brown JA, Dechant JE, Fubini SL, Embertson RM, Peroni J, Rakestraw PC, Hauptman JG.To determine (1) the short- (to hospital discharge) and long- (>6 months) term survival, (2) factors associated with short-term survival, and (3) the perioperative course for horses with resection and anastomosis of the descending colon. Methods: Multicentered case series. Methods: Horses (n=43) that had descending colon resection and anastomosis. Methods: Medical records (January 1995-June 2009) of 7 equine referral hospitals were reviewed for horses that had descending colon resection and anastomosis and were recovered from anesthesia. Retrieved data included history, results of clinical and...
Schusser GE, White NA.To determine the number of myenteric plexuses and neurons in the large colon of clinically normal horses and whether the number was decreased in the large colon of horses with colon disease. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: Colon samples from 15 clinically normal horses and 31 horses with colon disease. Methods: Samples were obtained, fixed, and stained with H&E. The number of myenteric plexuses and neurons and longitudinal muscle thickness were determined in each segment of colon for clinically normal horses. Counts for segments were compared with each other and with counts in the sam...
Secombe CJ, Firth EC, Perkins NR, Bailey D, Anderson BH.To determine whether variation in x-ray-beam angle significantly affected photodensity of the third carpal bone (C3) in the horse using the tangential radiographic view, and indirectly determine whether radioabsorptiometry (RA) could be used to assess differences in bone mineral density (BMD) of C3 between exercised and non-exercised horses. Methods: The left distal carpal row was isolated post-mortem from 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses that had been either exercised (n=7) for up to 14 weeks using a standard training regimen for racehorses, or not exercised (n=7). The effect of variation in x-...
Roser JF, Hughes JP.Hormonal effects of prolonged administration of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) were investigated in 7 fertile stallions in winter and summer. The stallions were divided into 4 groups so that 1 animal received 0.625 micrograms of GnRH and each of 2 animals received 1.25, 2.5 or 5.0 micrograms of GnRH subcutaneously every 30 min for 5 days. Daily blood samples were collected from 5 days before to 5 days after treatment for measurement of plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T) and oestrogen conjugates (EC). Five-minute blood...
Perrin R, Diguet AC, Cantet P, Bailly C, Brogniez L, Dugdale A, Nisolle JF, Vandeweerd JM.Synovitis of the navicular bursa is common in performance horses. The objective of this study was to describe an ultrasound-guided technique to inject a distended navicular bursa and to evaluate its feasibility for use by a clinician not trained in the technique. Twenty distal limbs of horses of various breeds and sizes were used. To produce synovial distension, the navicular bursa of each limb was injected with contrast medium using a lateral approach and radiography was performed to confirm that the contrast medium was distending the bursa. The digit was positioned with the distal interphala...
Ganiev I, Alexandrova N, Aimaletdinov A, Rutland C, Malanyeva A, Rizvanov A, Zakirova E.One of the major problems observed in veterinary practice is articular cartilage injuries in animals. In terms of agriculture, it leads to their culling from the herd, even if they are highly productive animals. With companion animals, owners usually have to decide between euthanasia or long-term sometimes lifelong treatment of the injury by a veterinarian. The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of cartilage injury in veterinary medicine is based on the good results observed in preclinical studies, where large animals have been used as experimental models to study the regen...
Lescun TB, Hoffseth K, Yang HT, Hansma PK, Kopeikin HS, Chandrasekar S.To compare results obtained with a handheld reference point indentation instrument for bone material strength index (BMSi) measurements in the equine third metacarpal bone for various testing conditions. Methods: 24 third metacarpal bones. Methods: Third metacarpal bones from both forelimbs of 12 horses were obtained. The dorsal surface of each bone was divided into 6 testing regions. In vivo and ex vivo measurements of BMSi were obtained through the skin and on exposed bone, respectively, to determine effects of each testing condition. Difference plots were used to assess agreement between BM...
Kania M, Mikołajewska D, Marycz K, Kobielarz M.The aim of this research was to assess the effect of diet supplementation with zinc and copper, in different chemical forms (organic and inorganic), on the mechanical properties of the hair of healthy English thoroughbred horses. Hairs were taken from 18 horses which had been fed with oats and hay for a period of 110 days. Twelve of the horses had been additionally given a daily dose of 700 g of highquality 44-ingredients Fohlengold St-Hippolyt muesli made by Muhle Ebert Dilheim. Six of them had received the muesli-containing organic zinc and copper (OS), while the other six horses had receive...
Current drug metabolismDecember 19, 2020
Volume 22, Issue 3 215-223 doi: 10.2174/1389200221666201217141025
Hu SX, Ernst K, Benner CP, Feenstra KL.Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic assessment of ester-containing drugs can be impacted by hydrolysis of the drugs in plasma samples post blood collection. The impact is different in the plasma of different species. Objective: This study evaluated the stability of a prodrug, ketoprofen methylester (KME), in commercially purchased and freshly collected plasma of mouse, rat, dog, cat, pig, sheep, cattle and horse. Methods: KME hydrolysis was determined following its incubation in commercially purchased and freshly collected plasma of those species. Different esterase inhibitors were evaluated f...
Trope GD, Whitton RC.A 12-year-old show-jumping mare was presented for investigation of a chronic hindlimb lameness of 16 weeks duration. Perineural anaesthesia and ultrasonography localised the lesion to the medial collateral ligament of the distal interphalangeal joint of the left hindlimb. Treatment consisted of a heavily padded distal limb cast for 6 weeks, strict box rest and a strictly regulated hand walking program. Serial ultrasonographic examinations were performed throughout the rehabilitation period. Collateral ligament desmitis of the distal interphalangeal joint is a commonly diagnosed condition of th...
Fock U, Jockusch BM, Schubert WD, Hinssen H.The actin-binding protein gelsolin is highly conserved in vertebrates and exists in two isoforms, a cytoplasmic and an extracellular variant, generated by alternative splicing. In mammals, these isoforms differ only by an N-terminal extension in plasma gelsolin, a short sequence of up to 25 amino acids. Cells and tissues may contain both variants, as plasma gelsolin is secreted by many cell types. The tertiary structure of equine plasma gelsolin has been elucidated, but without any information on the N-terminal extension. In this paper, we present topographical data on the N-terminal extension...
Väihkönen LK, Pösö AR.To study in standardbred horses interindividual variation in the influx of lactate into red blood cells, venous blood samples were collected from 89 horses from 2 wk to 9 yr of age. For 62 horses, the rate of influx was normally distributed with a mean rate of 4.09 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1 at a lactate concentration of 10 mM, and the respective value for the other 27 horses was 0.58 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1. At 30 mM of lactate, the rates were 8.71 and 1.97 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1, respectively. This bimodal distribution was independent of age. In horses with high transport activity, the monocar...
Sancler-Silva YFR, Silva-Junior ER, Fedorka CE, Scheeren VFC, Cavalero TS, Papa PM, Alvarenga MA, Dell'Aqua JA, Papa FO.The aim of this report is to describe a new methodology to successfully treat stallions diagnosed with urethral rent. Four stallions of ages ranging from 7 to 12 years (median 9) with hemospermia were admitted for clinical evaluation, breeding soundness examination, and urethroscopy for inspection of the urethra and vesicular glands. Once the presence of urethral rent was identified and/or other sources of hemorrhage were excluded, a topical treatment was performed with 4% Policresulen solution (Albocresil). The treatment was carried out by infusing 100 mL of the solution into the lumen of t...
Aarnes TK, Bednarski RM, Bertone AL, Hubbell JA, Lerche P.The objective of this study was to compare recovery from desflurane anesthesia in horses with or without post-anesthetic xylazine. Six adult horses were anesthetized on 2 occasions, 14 d apart using a prospective, randomized crossover design. Horses were sedated with xylazine, induced to lateral recumbency with ketamine and diazepam, and anesthesia was maintained with desflurane. One of 2 treatments was administered intravenously at the end of anesthesia: xylazine [0.2 mg/kg body weight (BW)] or an equivalent volume of saline. Recovery parameters were recorded and assessed by 2 blinded observe...
Pozor MA, Zambrano G, Roser J, Hess R, Runyon S, Runcan E, Thomas BF, Dymock D, Macpherson ML, Troedsson MH, Kelleman A.The objective of this study was to evaluate acute endocrine effects as well as histological changes in testicular parenchyma induced by the contraceptive compound RTI-4587-073(l). Six miniature stallions were used in this experiment. The treatment group (n = 3) received one oral dose of 12.5 mg/kg of RTI-4587-073(l), and the control group (n = 3) received placebo only. The stallions' baseline parameters (semen, testicular dimensions, endocrine values) were collected and recorded for 5 weeks before treatment and for 6 weeks after treatment. Multiple blood samples were collected for endoc...
Ho EN, Leung DK, Leung GN, Wan TS, Wong HN, Xu X, Yeung JH.Mesterolone (1alpha-methyl-5alpha-androstan-17beta-ol-3-one) is a synthetic anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) with reported abuses in human sports. As for other AAS, mesterolone is also a potential doping agent in equine sports. Metabolic studies on mesterolone have been reported for humans, whereas little is known about its metabolic fate in horses. This paper describes the studies of both the in vitro and in vivo metabolism of mesterolone in racehorses with an objective to identify the most appropriate target metabolites for detecting mesterolone administration. In vitro biotransformation st...
Edwards RB, Ducharme NG, Fubini SL, Yeager AE, Kallfelz FA.The medical records of 34 horses with a diagnosis of avulsion of the origin of the suspensory ligament that had been admitted to the veterinary medical teaching hospital between 1980 and 1993 were identified. In addition to clinical examination, 21 of 34 horses had scintigraphy and radiography performed during their examination. The usefulness of scintigraphy and radiography were assessed by comparing the initial findings reported in the medical record to those obtained in a retrospective review of the images. Thirty other horses with scintigraphic lesions of the proximal aspect of the third m...
Adams R, Mayhew IG.The responses of apparently healthy newborn foals to neurologic testing differ significantly from those of adult horses. These responses and the diagnostic techniques pertinent to neurologic problems are reviewed as a basis for evaluation of the compromised neonatal foal. The more frequently encountered neurologic diseases are discussed in a problem-oriented format. These clinical problems include behavioral abnormalities, convulsions, changes in consciousness, blindness, ataxia without loss of strength, ataxia with weakness and paralysis, and the floppy foal.
Govaere JL, Hoogewijs MK, De Schauwer C, De Vliegher S, Van Soom A, Duchateau L, de Kruif A.Deep intra-uterine insemination is commonly accepted as a routine procedure for artificial insemination in horses. The motives and principles of deep insemination are well described, but the equipment used may differ. In this trial, the efficiency of two different insemination pipettes for deep intra-uterine insemination in the mare was compared with insemination into the uterine body using commercially available frozen-thawed semen of two stallions of proven fertility. These inseminations were performed using two different doses. The semi-flexible Minitube pipette was compared with a newly de...
Dixon PM, Loh N, Barakzai SZ.Disorders of the horizontal ramus (body) of the equine mandible are well reported, but there is minimal documentation of disorders of the angle of mandible. A retrospective examination of the records of Edinburgh University Equine Hospital (1997-2011) showed that 32 horses were referred due to swellings of the angle of the mandible. The aetiology of these swellings was identified in just 13/32 cases (41%) including fractures (n=2), traumatic, localised periosteal/cortical lesions (n=4), traumatic soft tissue lesions (n=2), neoplasia (n=3), and inflammation of the adjacent salivary gland (n=1) ...
Heiskanen ML, Hilden L, Hyyppä S, Kangasniemi A, Pirhonen A, Mäenpää PH.The first (1 to 3) sperm-rich fractions of the ejaculate were collected from 4 stallions using an open-ended vagina. The volume of the collected fractions was 12 +/- 8 ml with a density of 475 +/- 200 million spermatozoa/ml. Before freezing, the semen was diluted with a skim-milk based extender 1:1 to 1:8 (volume of semen: volume of extender), depending on the initial sperm concentration to achieve a final concentration of 100 million/ml. The total number of spermatozoa in an insemination dose ranged from 0.7 to 1 billion spermatozoa. Within 12 h after ovulation, 48 mares were inseminated in 7...
Levine JF, Levy MG, Nicholson WL, Gager RB.Larval Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (n = 327) were fed on Balb/C mice inoculated with Ehrlichia risticii, the etiologic agent of equine monocytic ehrlichiosis (Potomac horse fever). All mice displayed clinical signs of E. risticii infection at the time of feeding. After molting, resulting nymphs (n = 74) were fed on susceptible mice. No clinical signs were observed, and the mice remained seronegative for 6 wk after feeding.
