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.
Pilsworth RC.Pelvic fracture is a relatively common spontaneous fracture in thoroughbred racehorses. Its diagnosis can be difficult, and radiography in the acute phase carries the risks associated with anaesthesia and recumbency. This paper describes the use of a hand-held probe for point counting after the injection of technetium-99m in the investigation of four cases of pelvic fracture. The level of increased uptake of radioactivity was lower (40 to 61 per cent increase) than for distal limb bone fractures.
Bennett DG.Routine examination of the digestive system relevant to purchase includes gross examination of the feces, auscultation of the abdomen, and examination of the oral cavity and teeth for verification of age and identification of any gross abnormality. Further examination is indicated only when there is a history of diseases such as colic, especially colic surgery, or esophageal obstruction. Special procedures that might be indicated, depending upon the history and findings on the routine physical examination, include rectal palpation of the abdominal viscera; endoscopic examination of the esophag...
Lavach D.Performance and pleasure horses depend upon their ability to see and assess the environment. Thus, the veterinarian must be able to examine the eyes and recognize abnormalities so that the owner or purchaser can be informed about the visual status and prognosis for the horse's vision. If the veterinarian encounters suspicious or abnormal findings during the examination, a more detailed examination and/or referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist can be recommended to the owner or purchaser.
Morris DD, Crowe N, Moore JN, Moldawer LL.A study was performed to determine whether equine peritoneal macrophages produce interleukin 6 (IL-6) in vitro in response to endotoxin. Peritoneal fluid was collected from 14 clinically normal adult horses and was used as the source of peritoneal macrophages. Macrophages from each horse were isolated and cultured separately in vitro in the absence or presence of various concentrations (0.5, 5, 500 ng/ml) of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli 055:B5). Culture medium supernatants were collected after 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours' incubation and were frozen at -70 C until assayed for ...
Zaugg JL, Lane VM.We evaluated the efficacy of buparvaquone in eliminating infection with Babesia equi of European origin in carrier horses and in splenectomized horses with experimentally induced acute infection. When administered at the rate of 5 mg/kg of body weight, IV, 4 times at 48-hour intervals, buparvaquone prompted rapid abatement of parasitemia. However, secondary and tertiary recrudescent parasitemias invariably returned with establishment of the carrier state. Buparvaquone, at the dosage evaluated, had transitory therapeutic efficacy against acute B equi infection in splenectomized horses, but was ...
Freeman DE, Ferrante PL, Palmer JE.A Latin square design was used to compare the effects of laxatives and a corresponding volume of water on gastrointestinal tract function in 4 healthy horses. Horses were intragastrically infused with each of the following: dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS; 50 mg/kg of body weight); magnesium sulfate (0.5 g/kg--low dosage); magnesium sulfate (1.0 g/kg--high dosage); and an equal volume of water (6 L) given as a control infusion. From 5 to 33 hours after the high dosage of magnesium sulfate, feces were slightly softer than usual in all horses. In 1 horse, DSS caused mild colic, hyperpnea, and...
Hardy J, Stewart RH, Beard WL, Yvorchuk-St-Jean K.Pharyngeal or esophageal trauma was diagnosed in 9 horses after nasogastric intubation. Evidence of trauma (edema or ulceration) was detected in the pharynx of 3 horses and in the esophagus of 6 horses. Complications associated with nasogastric intubation were first observed in 5 horses while they were intubated and in 4 horses after extubation. Clinical signs of pharyngeal or esophageal trauma were similar, and included salivation, bruxism, coughing, and nasal discharge. Treatment, including extubation, enteral feeding through a small nasogastric tube, or esophagostomy distal to the affected ...
Lyster RL.The three aspartic acid residues that form part of the Ca-binding site of mares' milk lysozyme have apparent pK values of 4.9, 4.3 and 4.1. The fluorescence of tryptophan has been used to compare the denaturation of mares' milk lysozyme by guanidinium chloride at various concentrations of Ca with that of hens' egg-white lysozyme (EC 3.2.1.17) and alpha-lactalbumin. Fluorescence revealed an intermediate stage in the denaturation of mares' milk lysozyme. The Ca-free form of mares' milk lysozyme is slightly more stable than that of alpha-lactalbumin, but its interaction with Ca is similar to that...
Hohenhaus MU, Bostedt H.108 mares with a total of 135 oestrous cycles were examined. 30% of the mares showed development of double follicles, found by palpation and ultrasonography. Eight cases of double ovulation, four of them synchronous and four asynchronous, were examined closely. These cases of double ovulation showed different growth and different development of the follicular wall. This occurred at the same time in cases of synchronous double ovulation whereas it differed in case of asynchronous double ovulation. The later ovulating follicle was still growing while the first one had already burst. With both fo...
Shoemaker RS, Bertone AL, Martin GS, McIlwraith CW, Roberts ED, Pechman R, Kearney MT.The effects of intra-articular administration of methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) on the healing of full-thickness osteochondral defects and on normal cartilage were evaluated in 8 horses. In group-1 horses (n = 4), a 1-cm-diameter, full-thickness defect was created bilaterally in the articular cartilage on the dorsal distal surface of the radial carpal bone. Cartilage defects were not created in group-2 horses (n = 4). One middle carpal joint was randomly selected in each horse (groups 1 and 2), and treated with an intra-articular injection of 100 mg of MPA, once a week for 4 treatments. Inje...
Beech J, Fletcher JE, Tripolitis L, Lindborgh S.The effects of phenytoin treatment were evaluated in 2 myotonic horses with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP). Phenytoin treatment abolished the clinical signs of muscle fasciculations following oral potassium challenge and decreased or abolished repetitive firing and myotonic discharges found on electromyographic examination. In both horses, an abnormally low threshold for calcium-induced calcium release was measured in heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum fractions from skeletal muscle, and this threshold increased with phenytoin treatment. Results suggest phenytoin is useful in modifying disord...
Evans DR.In reporting the results of the medical examination for purchase, the veterinarian should not make an evaluation as to the animal's suitability for the purpose intended but should rather reveal all of the abnormal and undesirable findings and give his or her opinion as to the effect these findings will have on the performance of the horse for the purpose intended. A written report should be provided, and any factors that have had an influence on the opinion rendered should be a part of the report. A record of all procedures performed, the results of these procedures, the names and addresses of...
Olson LE.We evaluated the pressure-flow relationships in collaterally ventilating segments of excised pony lungs by infusing N2, He, Ne, or SF6 at known flows (V) through a catheter wedged in a peripheral airway. Measurements were made at segment- (Ps) to-airway opening (Pao) pressure differentials of 3-15 cmH2O when the lungs were held at transpulmonary pressures of 5, 10, and 15 cmH2O. The data were analyzed both by calculating collateral resistance (Ps-Pao/V) and by constructing Moody-type plots of normalized pressure drop [(Ps-Pao)/(1/2 rho U2, where rho is density and U is velocity)] against Reyno...
McKeever KH, Hinchcliff KW, Schmall LM, Reed SM, Lamb DR, Muir WW.Six untrained mares were subjected to incremental treadmill exercise to examine exercise-induced changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone (ALDO) and plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations. Plasma renin activity, ALDO and AVP concentrations, and heart rate (HR) were measured at each step of an incremental maximal exercise test. Mares ran up a 6 degree slope on a treadmill set at an initial speed of 4 m/s. Speed was increased 1 m/s each minute until HR reached a plateau. Plasma obtained was stored at -80 C and later was thawed, extracted, and assayed for PRA and AL...
Fincham DA, Ellory JC, Young JD.In thoroughbred horses, red blood cell amino acid transport activity is Na(+)-independent and controlled by three codominant genetic alleles (h, l, s), coding for high-affinity system asc1 (L-alanine apparent Km for influx at 37 degrees C congruent to 0.35 mM), low-affinity system asc2 (L-alanine Km congruent to 14 mM), and transport deficiency, respectively. The present study investigated amino acid transport mechanisms in red cells from four wild species: Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii), Hartmann's zebra (Zebra hartmannae), Grevy's zebra (Zebra grevyi), and onager (Equus hemonius). Re...
Böse R, Daemen K.Babesia caballi-infected or normal equine erythrocytes were solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) buffer and analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. Antigens were allowed to react with sera from horses experimentally or field-infected with B. caballi and with sera from non-infected horses. Major babesial antigens recognized by immune sera had apparent mol. wts of 141, 112, 70, 50, 48, 34, and 30 kDa. The polypeptides at 50 and 48 kDa were recognized earliest and throughout infection, but also weakly by 3/100 equine sera tested negative and 1/33...
Tsunemitsu H, Jiang B, Saif LJ.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed to detect group (gp) C rotavirus antigens and antibodies. Both assays were confirmed to be specific for gp C rotavirus by using serogroup A, B, and C rotaviruses; hyperimmune antisera to these serogroups of rotaviruses; and paired serum specimens from animals infected with gp C rotaviruses. The ELISA for antigen detection reacted not only with porcine gp C rotaviruses but also with human and bovine gp C rotaviruses. Following experimental challenge of gnotobiotic pigs with porcine gp C rotavirus, the virus was found by ELISA in all dia...
MacKay RJ, Lester GD.Because hepatocyte-stimulating factor/interleukin 6 (IL-6) is the principal inducer of acute-phase protein synthesis in the liver, quantification of its activity in blood provides an early and sensitive assessment of the acute-phase response. Circulating IL-6 activity was monitored in 4 adult horses for 72 hours after IV administration of endotoxin. In 4 experiments performed at weekly intervals and in randomized order, each horse was given endotoxin--1,000 30, 1, and 0 ng/kg of body weight. Plasma IL-6 activity was quantified as the ability to promote growth of the IL-6-dependent B-cell hybri...
Bonnie ES.This article should be of interest to every veterinarian who performs pre-purchase examinations. Important definitions are included that describe the legal relationship between the buyer, seller, and veterinarian. The author recommends that all examination agreements should be made in writing, signed by the buyer and seller, and include factual representations with respect to the animal to be examined. Copies of sample agreements are included in the Appendix.
McClay CB, Weiss DJ, Smith CM, Gordon B.Hematologic and rheologic changes were examined in 49 Thoroughbreds before and after competitive racing. Mean postrace values for RBC count, hemoglobin concentration, and PCV increased by 58 to 61%, whereas blood viscosity increased 2 to 3 times. Postrace echinocyte numbers were 162% greater than prerace values. Smaller, but statistically significant, changes were found for mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, red cell distribution width, plasma total protein concentration, total WBC count, neutrophil count, and lymphocyte count. Variables measured did not predict whether a horse was a b...
Hoch DH, Salazar AM, Cabin HS, Young LH.Angiography in a 30-year-old man revealed the unique combination of aortic coarctation and an unusual arch anomaly. Proximal to the coarctation, a single arch vessel trifurcated into the brachiocephalic, left common carotid and left subclavian arteries. This anomalous arch vessel is a normal equine variant.
van Duijkeren E, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Rijkenhuizen AB, Ensink JM.An obstruction of the small intestine was suspected in two ponies with colic. At surgery and at necropsy, the cause of the colic appeared to be an inflammation process caused by perforation of the jejunum by a piece of wire. One pony recovered after laparotomy and enterectomy, but had to be put down eight weeks later because of severe laminitis. The other pony was euthanized immediately after clinical evaluation.
Sertich PL, Watson ED.Twelve mares were allowed to foal naturally, after which they were monitored to study uterine involution. Starting on day 3 after parturition, the internal genital tract was examined per rectum manually and ultrasonographically every other day for changes in uterine characteristics and ovarian activity. By day 5, gravid and nongravid uterine horns were similar in size, and by day 7, uterine fluid was absent. On day 7 after parturition, endometrial biopsy samples were obtained for histologic evaluation, and uterine swab specimens were obtained for microbiologic culture. Uterine swab specimens f...
Beeman GM, Soule SG, Swanson TD.This article reviews the history of the medical evaluation of the horse for purchase and the gradual development of definitions and guidelines for performing such an examination. The philosophy of pre-purchase examinations, including potential conflicts of interest, recording methods, and procedures, is discussed. The AAEP guidelines for reporting purchase evaluations are also included.
Goble DO.With recent advances in diagnostic techniques associated with equine lameness, there is a tendency to reduce our reliance on the most important part of purchase evaluation of the horse-the hands-on physical examination. This article stresses the importance of the physical examination and advises less dependence on involved diagnostic procedures.
Watson ED, Sertich PL.Endometrial biopsy specimens (4 or 5 on each occasion) were collected from 7 mares 2, 3, or 4 times over a 50-day period prior to breeding. Four of the collection days were within 6 days of breeding. Six of the 7 mares were diagnosed as pregnant by use of ultrasonography at day 14 after ovulation. This pregnancy rate was the same as that achieved by these mares when they were bred at estrus before the start of the study. It appeared that repeated collection of multiple endometrial biopsy specimens from genitally normal mares did not adversely affect pregnancy rate.
Vasconcelos AB, Santana MA, Santos AM, Santoro MM, Lagares MA.Microscopy has been used in the routine evaluation of sperm metabolism. Nevertheless, it has limited capacity to preview male fertility. As calorimetry may be used to evaluate directly the metabolic activity of a biological system, the aim of this study was to use microcalorimetry as an additive method for sperm metabolism evaluation of cooled equine semen. Two ejaculates of four stallions were collected and motility, viability (eosin 3%) and membrane functional integrity (hyposmotic swelling test) of spermatozoa were evaluated. Sperm samples were processed following different protocols and th...
Pascoe RR.An instrument has been designed to measure the effective length (l) and angle of declination (a) of the vulva in the mare. The product, la, provides an index (Caslick Index) suitable for determining the necessity for Caslick's operation in mares not exhibiting the classical symptoms associated with pneumovagina. The value l showed a significant increase (P less than 0.05) with increased age in breeding mares. Studies on 9020 mares revealed that all caslicked mares, and mares with a Caslick Index of less than 150, had a significantly higher pregnancy rate than non-caslicked mares of similar age...
McKeever KH, Hinchcliff KW, Schmall LM, Reed SM, Lamb DR, Muir WW.Six untrained mares were subjected to incremental treadmill exercise to examine exercise-induced changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone (ALDO) and plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations. Plasma renin activity, ALDO and AVP concentrations, and heart rate (HR) were measured at each step of an incremental maximal exercise test. Mares ran up a 6 degree slope on a treadmill set at an initial speed of 4 m/s. Speed was increased 1 m/s each minute until HR reached a plateau. Plasma obtained was stored at -80 C and later was thawed, extracted, and assayed for PRA and AL...
Petz V, Khiaosa-Ard R, Iben C, Zebeli Q.Chewing is an essential physiological process in horses; yet, the physical form of feeds may affect their chewing and feeding behaviour with consequences for equine digestion and health. The present study evaluated the potential of a commercial forage cubes made from alfalfa and mixed meadow grasses to maintain chewing activity when compared with a traditional long and fibre-rich hay. An additional aim was to measure the dust formation during feeding. The experiment was a crossover design with six horses (11 ± 4 years old, mean ± SD), fed with 5 kg (as-fed basis) of their feed (long hay...
Boersema JH, Borgsteede FH, Eysker M, Elema TE, Gaasenbeek CP, van der Burg WP.A survey to determine the prevalence of anthelmintic resistance of horse strongyles was carried out with 616 horses on 22 farms. The tested drugs were cambendazole, pyrantel pamaote and ivermectin. Based on egg count reduction tests the efficacy of cambendazole varied from 0% to 93% and of pyrantel from 93% to 100%. Ivermectin treatments were 100% effective on all farms. Larval cultures after cambendazole treatments revealed exclusively cyathostome larvae. After pyrantel treatments besides cyathostome larvae other types of larvae were also found. After ivermectin treatments only a few cyathost...
Schryver HF, Millis DL, Soderholm LV, Williams J, Hintz HF.The effect of dietary aluminum on the absorption, retention and pathways of excretion of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron and copper was studied in balance trials in mature ponies in a three by three latin square experiment. A basal diet consisting of one third each of oats, beet pulp and a commercial pelleted, complete horse ration and containing 336 ppm aluminum was supplemented with AlC1(3) . 6H2O. The middle and high level aluminum diets contained 1370 and 4500 ppm aluminum respectively. There was little difference in effect between the middle level aluminum and basal diets. The ...
Waelchli RO, Betteridge KJ.Twin ovulations are common in horses, but twin pregnancies are rarely carried to term. Theories of how one or both twins is/are naturally eliminated in early pregnancy, termed 'embryo reduction', have been based on ultrasonographic, not morphological, studies. Here we describe conceptuses recovered transcervically between Days 15 and 28 from 31 twin and two triplet pregnancies. Signs of contact between conceptuses were deduced from those seen in one pair that remained attached by their capsules on Day 18. Signs were found on capsules in two of 10 pairs before or during fixation (immobilisation...
Tofflemire K, Whitley EM, Allbaugh R, Ben-Shlomo G, Griggs A, Strong T, Whitley RD.To evaluate the effect of topical ophthalmic 0.005% latanoprost alone and in combination with 0.1% diclofenac on healthy horses. Methods: Twelve healthy adult horses. Methods: A randomized, masked crossover design was used with horses divided into three groups for once daily treatment in one randomly selected eye. For arm 1 of the study, Group D (n = 3) received 0.1% diclofenac, Group L (n = 3) received 0.005% latanoprost, and Group DL (n = 6) received 0.005% latanoprost and 0.2 ml of 0.1% diclofenac. For arm 2 of the study, horses from Group D and L were placed into Group DL and horses from G...
ELKhamary AN, Keenihan EK, Schnabel LV, Redding WR, Schumacher J.While MRI is the modality of choice for the diagnosis of longitudinal tears (LTs) of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) of horses, differentiating between various grades of tears based on imaging characteristics is challenging due to overlapping imaging features. In this retrospective, exploratory, diagnostic accuracy study, a machine learning (ML) scheme was applied to link quantitative features and qualitative descriptors to leverage MRI characteristics of different grades of tearing of the DDFT of horses. A qualitative MRI characteristic scheme, combining tendon morphologic features, alt...
Critchley KL.A 6 month Welsh pony filly with an interventricular septal defect in conjunction with a pulmonary stenosis due to a bicuspid pulmonary valve is described. The animal had poor exercise tolerance, a loud pansystolic murmur and a precordial thrill. Blood pressure and oxygen tension values obtained during cardiac catheterization suggested the diagnosis which was confirmed at autopsy.
Lin HC, Wallace SS, Robbins RL, Harrison IW, Thurmon JC.In 4 mares suffering from dystocia, general anesthesia was induced with xylazine (1.1 mg/kg, IV) and ketamine (2.2 mg/kg, IV) and maintained with continuous intravenous infusion of ketamine (2 mg/ml), xylazine (0.5 mg/ml) and guaifenesin (50 mg/ml) in 1 L of 5% dextrose. The duration of the procedure of these mares were 40, 45, 180, and 35 minutes, respectively. For procedures required more than 1 hour (Mare 3), the dose of ketamine and xylazine in the mixture was reduced to 1 mg/ml and 0.25 mg/ml, respectively. Average infusion rate of the mixture used to maintain anesthesia for each mare was...
Klier J, Fuchs S, Winter G, Gehlen H.Severe equine asthma is the most common globally widespread non-infectious equine respiratory disease (together with its mild and moderate form), which is associated with exposure to hay dust and mold spores, has certain similarities to human asthma, and continues to represent a therapeutic problem. Immunomodulatory CpG-ODN, bound to gelatin nanoparticles as a drug delivery system, were successfully administered by inhalation to severe equine asthmatic patients in several studies. It was possible to demonstrate a significant, sustained, and allergen-independent one-to-eight-week improvement in...
Chapuis RJJ, Ragno VM, Ariza CA, Movasseghi AR, Sayi S, Uehlinger FD, Montgomery JB.In the summer of 2017, 4 horses were diagnosed with septic fibrinous pericarditis at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon. This case series occurred after a significant outbreak of forest tent caterpillars in the province during that spring. Three horses were immediately euthanized, and treatment was attempted in 1 mare. This is the first case series of pericarditis possibly associated with the ingestion of forest tent caterpillars to be reported in western Canada. Although cause-effect is not proven, it is prudent to prevent the ingestion of caterpillars by horses. Key clini...
Latman NS, Keith N, Nicholson A, Davis M.A horse's hydration status is critical to its health. The accurate and quantitative determination of it has been problematic because of size, length and density of hair, and uneven topography. The objective of this study was to validate a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method for objectively quantifying hydration status. Monofrequency BIA values and simple biometric measurements were used to construct predictive equations for total body water, plasma, extracellular, and intra-cellular fluid volumes. These predictive equations were correlated with standard body fluid dilution reference ...
Raizner NT, Gedon NKY, Zablotski Y, Kania SA, Kühnle HF, Kühnle C, Mueller RS.Equine pastern dermatitis (EPD) is a common multifactorial clinical syndrome in horses. Treatment can be difficult; pathogenesis and triggering factors cannot always be determined. Objective: To assess risk factors for developing EPD in a large group of horses kept under the same conditions and to analyse whether or not a spot-on containing essential fatty acids and antimicrobial agents is able to prevent the development of EPD or accelerate the healing process. Methods: Each year 50 young, privately owned, warmblood horses were prospectively included. Methods: All horses were examined weekly ...
Domańska D, Trela M, Pawliński B, Podeszewski B, Domino M.The somatic cell count in milk (SCC) and electrical conductivity of milk (ECM) are indicators of the health status of the mammary gland. Among somatic cells, mainly polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), macrophages (MAC), and lymphocytes (LYM) are rated. This study aimed to determine the SCC, PMN, MAC, LYM, ECM, and bacteriological index (BII) in milk collected from mares with (CM) and without (NCM) clinical symptoms of mastitis concerning mares with (SM) and without (NSM) subclinical mastitis. Milk samples were collected from 27 mares divided into NCM (n = 12) and CM (n = 15) groups. In sample...
Houghton E.1. The metabolism of 19-nortestosterone in a cross-bred horse has been studied using 14C-labelled material. 2. Two neutral metabolites isolated from urinary extracts by column chromatography were identified as isomers of 3-hydroxyestran-17-one and estrane-3,17-diol by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry. 3. The stereochemistry of the two metabolites has been investigated by comparison of the retention times of their trimethylsilyl derivatives with those of standard steroids of known configuration.
Skarda RT, Muir WW.Six adult horses were used to compare the effects of segmental epidural analgesia (SEA) and segmental subarachnoid analgesia (SSA). A 17-gauge Huber point directional needle was used to place a catheter with stylet into the epidural space or the subarachnoid space at the lumbosacral intervertebral junction and to catheterize the thoracolumbar epidural or subarachnoid space. The position of the catheter was confirmed radiographically. A 2% solution of mepivacaine hydrochloride was used at average doses of 80 mg (4 ml) to produce SEA and 30 mg (1.5 ml) to produce SSA. Onset of analgesia in respo...
Knottenbelt DC.Twenty-four foals were confirmed to be infected with Rhodococcus equi on a private stud in Zimbabwe over a two-year period. Six mares had foals which were affected in each of the two years. All the foals were febrile and early cases were detected by this pyrexia. Bronchopneumonia was only clinically detectable in advanced cases. In spite of energetic hygiene measures relating to pasture and housing management, the incidence was higher in the second year (23 per cent of foals born) than in the first (15 per cent of foals born). The mean age of the foals was significantly greater in the second y...
Klide AM.Fifteen horses with chronic back pain for 1/2 to 9 years, who could not function normally, who did not obtain any lasting improvement from other previous treatments, were treated with acupuncture. The treatments were 20 minutes of manual acupuncture. The average number of treatments was 7.9 times administered at weekly intervals. After the acupuncture treatments were completed, 13 of the 15 horses were able to function normally.
Yamada M, Aramaki S, Kurosawa M, Saito K, Nakazawa H.Methandienone, methandriol, and oxymetholone, which are anabolic steroids possessing 17alpha-methyl and 17beta-hydroxy groups, were developed as oral formulations for therapeutic purposes. However, they have been used in racehorses to enhance racing performance. In humans, it has been reported that structurally related anabolic steroids having the 17alpha-methyl and 17beta-hydroxy groups, including 17alpha-methyltestosterone, mestanolone, methandienone, methandriol, and oxymetholone, have metabolites in common. In this study, we found that metabolites common to those of 17alpha-methyltestoster...
Hintz HF, Kallfelz FA.The effects of overfeeding, calcium-phosphorus imbalance, misuse of supplements and false advertising on equine nutrition are discussed. Overfeeding is known to cause disorders in several species but, although a similar relationship has been suggested on clinical evidence, no controlled trials on horses have been reported. It has also been suggested that overfeeding is a problem only for those horses with a genetic predisposition to skeletal problems. The importance of adequate calcium and phosphorus levels has been known for many years but severe cases of calcium deficiency still occur. Clien...
ter Braake F, Hesselink JW, Jonker FH.An eleven year old warmblood mare was referred to Dierenkliniek Emmeloord because of recurrent cyclic behavioral problems. A standing bilateral laparoscopic ovariectomy was performed. Due to this minimal invasive technique a quick return to training was possible.
Trigo P, Muñoz A, Castejón F, Riber C, Hassel DM.We describe a fatal case, in which a horse suffered a fall and as a consequence, rib fractures. Diagnosis was made postmortem and the horse died without showing clear signs of respiratory dysfunction. The retrospective reports of injuries can be important to reduce these traumatic events and to avoid fatalities. Nous décrivons un cas mortel, chez un cheval ayant subi une chute qui a causé des fractures des côtes. Un diagnostic a été posé à l’autopsie et le cheval est mort sans avoir montré de symptômes évidents de troubles respiratoires. Les rapports rétrospectifs de blessures pe...
Sharp DC, Grubaugh WR, Weithenauer J, Davis SD, Wilcox CJ.These experiments tested the hypothesis that administration of steroid hormones to ovariectomized (OVX) mares during the vernal transition to the breeding season would influence LH and FSH secretion. Circulating gonadotropin concentrations, response to exogenous GnRH, and pituitary gonadotropin content were monitored. Experiments 1 and 2 were conducted, beginning 10 March, and 3 February, respectively, utilizing a total of 30 long-term OVX pony mares. In experiment 1, mares were administered vehicle (n = 5) or estradiol-17 beta (E2, n = 5, 5 mg/3 ml sesame oil), twice daily for 16 days. Blood ...
