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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.
Coprophagy in animals: a review. Coprophagy is performed by rodents and lagomorphs and to a lesser degree by piglets, foals, dogs and nonhuman primates. Due to the construction of the digestive system of rodents and rabbits, coprophagy is necessary to supply many essential nutrients. Bacterial synthesis of nutrients occurs in the lower gastrointestinal tract in these animals where little absorption is realized. The eating of their feces provides a method for obtaining these nutrients.
Metabolic responses to ammonium acetate infusion in exercising horses. The relationship between elevated plasma ammonia (NH3) levels, fatigue development and muscle metabolism were examined in horses during a submaximal fatigue test. Eight Quarter Horse mares were intravenously infused prior to exercise with either sodium acetate (control) or ammonium acetate (AMINF), and exercised to fatigue on an 11% grade treadmill, carrying 27 kg of lead. Time to fatigue was not different (P greater than 0.05) between groups. Intramuscular NH3 and lactate increased (P less than 0.001) during exercise; however, the treatment did not (P greater than 0.05) affect either. A treat...
[Radiographic studies of ossification of the hoof cartilage of horses and its clinical evaluation]. Radiographic examination is a valuable means for the identification of ossified lateral cartilage. The extent and stages of development of the ossification can be determined. The active stage of development of ossified lateral cartilage, which by itself can provoke lameness, can be defined. By means of the X-ray it is tried to differentiate the three kinds of ossification: the enchondral, the peri- and parachondral ossification of the lateral cartilage. Centres of ossification and fractures of the ossified lateral cartilage are described.
Use of nonimaging nuclear medicine techniques to assess the effect of flunixin meglumine on effective renal plasma flow and effective renal blood flow in healthy horses. The effect of flunixin meglumine on renal function was studied in 6 healthy horses by use of nonimaging nuclear medicine techniques. Effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) and effective renal blood flow (ERBF) were determined by plasma clearance of 131I-orthoiodohippuric acid before and after administration of flunixin meglumine. Mean ERPF and ERBF was 6.03 ml/min/kg and 10.7 ml/min/kg, respectively, before treatment and was 5.7 ml/min/kg and 9.7 ml/min/kg, respectively, after treatment. Although ERPF and ERBF decreased after flunixin meglumine administration, the difference was not statistically ...
[Estimation of the occupational radiation exposure during radiographic studies of horses]. Radiography of horses in veterinary practice is done normally with quite simple equipment. Thereby radiation protection is easily neglected. In this investigation sources of mistakes are demonstrated. The possible exposure of staff is evaluated by dose measuring over a long period of time. It can be stated that following the most simple radiation protection there will never be a significant exposure of staff.
Persistent cryptosporidiosis in horses with severe combined immunodeficiency. Cryptosporidial infections were established in five young foals with severe combined immunodeficiency following oral administration of 10(8) Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. All foals shed oocysts (average of 8 x 10(6) to 2 x 10(8)/g of feces) until death. Inflammation and C. parvum organisms were observed in the common bile duct, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Since foals with severe combined immunodeficiency lack functional T and B lymphocytes and are incapable of antigen-specific immune responses, they are well suited for evaluating the pathogenesis and treatment of persistent cryptosporidios...
The equine major plasma serpin multigene family: partial characterization including sequence of the reactive-site regions. The equine Pi system, which is highly polymorphic and was considered to be controlled by a single locus, has been shown to be controlled by four loci (named Spi 1-4). This system is the equine equivalent of the major human plasma serpin (serine protease inhibitor), human alpha 1 PI. Twenty-two haplotypes of the equine Pi system have been characterized by two-dimensional electrophoresis, resulting in the assignment of pI, Mr, and bovine trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibition characteristics to 109 proteins. These proteins have been analyzed further to determine their relatedness to each other as w...
[Monitoring of the oxygen saturation of horses during halothane anesthesia using pulse oximetry in the nasal septum]. The use of pulse oximetry for on-line monitoring of oxygen saturation of arterial blood using a probe on the nasal septum is described in the horse. When compared to the results of blood gas analysis an excellent correlation between the two methods for measuring oxygen saturation is found. Nevertheless a discrepancy between the values for oxygen saturation provided by either method is found. This can lead to misinterpretation of oxygen saturation values generated by the pulse oximeter. The cause of this discrepancy is not clear but differences in measuring principle, presence of dyshemoglobins...
Xanthine oxidase formation during experimental ischemia of the equine small intestine. We hypothesized that xanthine oxidase plays a role in the postischemic reperfusion injury in the equine small intestine. Under anesthesia, four horses and two ponies underwent ischemic strangulating obstructions of segments of the proximal jejunum, mid-jejunum and ileum. Prior to vascular occlusion, and at 1 h and 2 h of ischemia, full-thickness intestinal biopsies were collected for histopathological evaluation and for determination of combined xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) plus xanthine oxidase (XO) activity, and XO activity alone. The level of XO activity was expressed in percentage accordin...
Influence of digoxin followed by dopamine on the cardiovascular depression during a standard halothane anaesthesia in dorsally recumbent, ventilated ponies. The influence of digoxin (0.01 mg/kg) given as an intravenous bolus followed by dopamine at different infusion rates (1.25, 2.5 and 5.0 micrograms/kg/min) on the cardiovascular depression during a standard halothane anaesthesia was studied in dorsally recumbent ventilated ponies. Preanaesthetic digitalization induced no clear positive cardiovascular effects over 30 minutes, except for non-significant increases in mean pulmonary artery pressure and total pulmonary resistance. These changes were probably time-related. No specific side-effects related to the fast intravenous digitalization were n...
[Postanesthetic complications in the horse. Evaluation of anesthesia in the last 28 years (1962-1989)]. The anesthesia routine in the horse is briefly explained. 35 postanesthetic complications resulted from the total of 4364 cases of anesthesia. They are evaluated by means of the duration of anesthesia, the time of paresis, the exemplary courses of enzymes as well as the distribution of race and sex and their ratio towards all cases of anesthesia. Finally a list of demands concerning the operative and postoperative phases is compiled to minimize postoperative myositis (PAM) and lameness (PAL).
Evaluation of a guarded bronchoscopic method for microbial sampling of the lower airways in foals. A novel method to reduce contamination of the bronchoscope during microbial sampling of the lower airways of foals was evaluated. Methylene blue (MB) was used as a nasopharyngeal dye marker to assess the relative contamination from the upper airways of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens obtained by standard bronchoscopy (SB) and a "guarded" bronchoscopic method (GB). For GB, a clear sterile cellulose sheath was fitted over the bronchoscope in an effort to protect the endoscope tip and channel from contamination. Methylene blue was detected visually in seven of eight BAL samples from foals ...
Serum tumor necrosis factor activity in horses with colic attributable to gastrointestinal tract disease. Over a 24-month period, serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity was determined in 289 horses with colic attributable to gastrointestinal tract disease. Serum TNF activity was quantitated by use of a modified in vitro cytotoxicity bioassay, using WEHI 164 clone-13 murine fibrosarcoma cells. Causes for colic, determined by clinical and laboratory evaluation, exploratory celiotomy, or necropsy included: gastrointestinal tract rupture (GTR); ileal impaction; small intestinal strangulating obstruction (SIO); proximal enteritis (PE); transient small intestinal distention; large-colon displacement...
Intranasal infection of Getah virus in experimental horses. Aerosol transmission in equine Getah virus (GV) infection was examined by intranasal inoculation with 10(3.0) to 10(7.0) TCID50 of the MI-110 strain in 7 experimental horses. The establishment of intranasal infection of GV was confirmed in all these horses by detecting serum neutralizing antibody against the MI-110 strain. Horses inoculated with more than 10(4.0) TCID50 of the virus manifested mild pyrexia, eruptions, serous nasal discharge, lymphopenia or monocytosis. Viremia ranging from 10(1.0) to 10(3.5) TCID50/0.2 ml occurred in horses inoculated with 10(5.0) TCID50, or more. Virus recove...
Identification and comparative sequence analysis of a gene in equine herpesvirus 1 with homology to the herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D gene. A homologue of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoprotein D gene has been identified in the genome of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1, equine abortion virus). An open reading frame in the middle of the short unique (US) region is capable of encoding a polypeptide of 402 amino acids that has 26% and 20% of its residues matching pseudorabies virus (PRV) gp50 and HSV-1 gD, respectively. Despite this low level of similarity, the positional identity of six cysteine residues and certain motifs, and the location of the EHV-1 gene, clearly define the EHV-1 polypeptide as one of a family of "gD-like" prot...
[Neonatal isoerythrolysis in newborn foals]. Aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, prophylaxis and therapy of neonatal isoerythrolysis in foals are presented. Neonatal isoerythrolysis is caused by isoimmunisation of a brood mare to the Aa and Qa erythrocyte antigens of the foal. The disease can develop, when the mare does not possess Aa resp. Qa blood group antigens, is sensitized to the Aa or Qa erythrocyte antigens--i.e. through pregnancy, parturition, blood resp. plasma transfusions, etc.--and the foal suckles colostral antibodies to its own blood cells. Aa and Qa antibodies can cause haemagglutination and haemolysis ...
Common horse sense. This research article corrects a common misconception about the energy metabolism in horses during short sprinting and long-distance running events, emphasizing that short sprints are primarily powered by anaerobic activity, […]
Influence of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan on equine articular cartilage in explant culture. Articular cartilage explants from 3 horses were maintained in tissue culture to test the effects of a polysulfated glycosaminoglycan on proteoglycan biosynthesis. Cultures were exposed to concentrations of 0, 50, or 200 micrograms of the drug/ml for either 2 days or 6 days, and labeled with 35S, before measuring the content of sulfated proteoglycan in the culture media and in extracts of cartilage. In a second experiment, the explants were incubated with the isotope and subsequently exposed to the same concentrations of the polysulfated glycosaminoglycan for 4 days. Subsequently, the amount of...
Effects of carbohydrates on the pharmacokinetics and biological activity of equine chorionic gonadotropin in vivo. The sialylation of eCG was examined to determine its influence on the in vivo metabolism and biological activity of the molecule. Sialic acid was decrementally removed from eCG by incubation with agarose-linked neuraminidase for varying time periods. Pharmacokinetic parameters for the disappearance of 4,000 IU (267 micrograms) of three desialylated eCG preparations (20%, 53%, and 80% sialic acid removed) and control eCG were determined in sheep. The clearance rate of eCG increased (p less than 0.05) with each decrement of sialic acid. The removal of 53% sialic acid enhanced the distribution of...
Prostaglandin E2 secretion by oviductal transport-stage equine embryos. This study was conducted to identify embryonic products whose secretion was temporally associated with the oviductal transport period of the mare. Chemicals secreted by oviductal-transport-stage equine embryos were identified by incubating Day 6 or Day 7 early uterine embryos with 35S-methionine/cysteine, 3H-progesterone, or 3H-arachidonic acid for 24 h, and subsequently identifying radioactively labeled proteins (SDS-PAGE; n = 3 embryos), steroids (HPLC; n = 3 embryos), or prostaglandins (HPLC; n = 3 embryos) in the culture medium. Early uterine embryos secreted 116.1 +/- 45.5 pg of prostagla...
Changes of plasma concentrations of steroid hormones, prostaglandin F2 alpha-metabolite and pregnant mare serum gonadotropin during pregnancy in thoroughbred mares. Plasma concentrations of estrogens, gestagens, cortisol (F), 13, 14-dihydro, 15-keto PGF2 alpha (PGFM) and pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) in 10 Thoroughbred mares were measured for a 11-month pregnancy period. Estrone (E1) and estradiol-17 beta (E2) levels gradually increased as the pregnancy advanced, showing a peak around Month 8 and decreased thereafter. Progesterone (P) levels increased on Months 3 and 11, and 17 alpha-OH-progesterone (17 alpha-OHP) levels peaked on Month 3, whereas 20 alpha-OH-progesterone (20 alpha-OHP) levels increased sharply after Month 6. PGFM indicated peak...
Hepatic disease in Alberta horses: A retrospective study of ‘alsike clover poisoning’ (1973-1988). Over sixteen years, 49 horses were diagnosed by Alberta Agriculture Animal Health laboratories as having "alsike clover poisoning". There was a distinct northwestern distribution of cases, the majority coming from the Peace River district. This distribution is opposite to that of the Alberta horse population, but coincides with areas of alsike clover cultivation. Cases could be divided into chronic or nervous clinical presentations, as described by Schofield. Tissues from 45 animals were retrieved and examined microscopically. Significant histological lesions were confined to the liver and con...
T-plate repair of fracture of the nasal bones in a horse. A 5-hole T-plate was used to repair an unstable compound depression fracture of the nasal bones in a horse. Substantial bone loss was evident as a result of severe trauma. Satisfactory bone healing, facial contour, and airway function were achieved. The use of a T-plate can be an alternative means of repair of a nasal bone fracture in a situation in which instability and/or bone loss exists.
Investigating equine ingestive, maternal, and sexual behavior in the field and in the laboratory. Some of the techniques that may be used to study social, reproductive, and ingestive behavior in horses are described in this paper. One of the aspects of equine social behavior is the dominance hierarchy or patterns of agonistic behavior. Paired or group feeding from a single food source may be used to determine dominance hierarchies quickly. Focal animal studies of undisturbed groups of horses may also be used; this method takes longer, but may reveal affiliative as well as agonistic relationships among the horses. Reproductive behavior includes flehmen, the functional significance of which ...
In vitro cultivation of Sarcocystis neurona from the spinal cord of a horse with equine protozoal myelitis. Asexual stages of Sarcocystis neurona were seen in cultured bovine monocytes (M617) inoculated with tissue homogenates from the spinal cord of a horse with naturally acquired protozoal myelitis. Organisms first were observed as intracytoplasmic schizonts and later as motile extracellular zoites capable of infecting surrounding M617 cells. Parasites most often occurred as clusters of merozoites dispersed throughout the host cell cytoplasm; however, schizonts also contained merozoites arranged in a radial fashion surrounding a prominent residual body. Schizonts divided by endopolygeny. The paras...
[Heart arrhythmias in horses caused by delays of conduction in the atrioventricular nodes and in the bundle of His]. The clinical importance of the AV blocks in horses discussed. The second degree AV block is a symptom of the adaptation of the heart to increased workload and it is not an indication of a good performance.
Effects of a highly concentrated hypertonic saline-dextran volume expander on cardiopulmonary function in anesthetized normovolemic horses. Conventional fluid resuscitation is unsatisfactory in a small percentage of equine emergency surgical cases because the large volumes of fluids required cannot be given rapidly enough to adequately stabilize the horse. In anesthetized horses, the volume expansion and cardiopulmonary effects of a small volume of highly concentrated hypertonic saline-dextran solution were evaluated as an alternative initial fluid choice. Seven halothane-anesthetized, laterally recumbent, spontaneously ventilating, normovolemic horses were treated with a 25% NaCl-24% dextran 70 solution (HSD) at a dosage of 1.0 m...
Presuturing as a means of reducing skin tension in excisional biopsy wounds in four horses. Excisional biopsy of a skin lesion was performed in 4 horses after stretching the surrounding skin with mattress sutures. The technique of presuturing allowed all biopsy wounds to be closed without excessive tension on the suture lines.
[The effect of nutrition on the origin of colic (digestive disorders) in horses]. Colics are often initiated by mistakes in feeding inadequate feed quality or quantity or poor feeding technique. The consequences are obstruction, impaction or dysbiosis with increased production of organic acids, gas or toxins. Nutritional anamnesis in patients with colic may give information on the pathogenesis of the disease.
