Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
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.
A technique for elective splenectomy of equidae using a transthoracic approach. Splenectomy was performed electively on 80 ponies, horses, and donkeys for preparation in collecting Babesia antigens. Access to the abdomen was by resection of the sixteenth left rib and incision of the diaphragm. The technique afforded good exposure of the splenic vessels and attachments. Closure was facilitated by preservation of the periosteum of the resected rib. Difficulty was encountered both in surgical technique and postoperative complications in obese animals. The transthoracic approach was found to be a useful technique for equine splenectomy.
The ovulated ovum of the horse: cytology of nonfertilized ova to pronuclear stage ova. Fertilization and early development in the horse were studied by recovering oviductal ova at various times after postovulatory mating. Ova collected between 7 and 22 h post coitum (pc) were examined for evidence of fertilizing sperm, cellular changes accompanying fertilization, and pronuclear development. Five ova collected between 7 and 9 h pc contained a marginal metaphase plate, but had no indication of sperm components; three of these, however, showed reduced numbers of cortical granules. Two activated ova (10 and 14 h pc) were in telophase of the second meiotic division, following incorpo...
Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage in the horse: results of a detailed clinical, post mortem and imaging study. I. Clinical profile of horses. Detailed physical and clinical examinations were performed on 26 Thoroughbred racehorses which were used subsequently in a series of studies to investigate the contribution of the pulmonary and bronchial arterial circulations to the pathophysiology of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH). Twenty-five of the horses had been retired from race training in Hong Kong during the 1984-85 season, all but four raced that season; one horse had been retired the previous season. The average number of races for the group that season was 4.1 +/- 2 with an average distance of 1502 +/- 216 metres, me...
Ventilatory responses of the horse to exercise: effect of gas collection systems. Experiments were undertaken to determine whether respiratory masks worn by horses exercising strenuously on a treadmill may interfere with normal gas exchange. Four collection systems, two flow-through systems and two incorporating one-way valve systems with subject-generated airflow were studied. Six horses performed standard treadmill exercise tests consisting of a 2-min warm up followed by galloping 1 min each at 8,9, and 10 m/s. Each horse exercised six times while wearing each of the four respiratory masks. Each flow-through system was used twice with flow rates of 2,360 and 3,840 l/min f...
Outcome of treatment in 35 cases of guttural pouch mycosis. This paper describes the outcome of treatment of 30 cases of guttural pouch mycosis by ligation of the internal carotid artery on the cardiac side of the lesion and lavage of the affected pouch with natamycin. Twenty-three horses recovered fully following this treatment while laryngeal hemiplegia persisted in one case and slight dysphagia caused by pharyngeal hemiplegia in another. The remaining five horses died or were destroyed. Five horses with guttural pouch mycosis, which had shown no epistaxis but had pharyngeal hemiplegia, were treated by topical natamycin alone. Only two of these survi...
Distribution of cephapirin into a tissue chamber implanted subcutaneously in horses. The pharmacokinetics of cephapirin sodium and its distribution into a tissue chamber implanted subcutaneously in the neck of mature horses are described. Cephapirin was administered as an intravenous bolus dose of 20 mg/kg. The serum concentration vs time curve was best described by a two-compartment open model. Cephapirin disappeared from serum rapidly (t1/2 beta = 18.8 min), and had only a modest volume of distribution (Vd(area) approximately equal to 346 mg/kg, Vd(ss) approximately equal to 204 ml/kg). Total clearance was also rapid (approximately equal to 13 ml/min.kg). Concentrations of t...
Secretion rates and short-term patterns of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, FSH and LH throughout the periovulatory period in the mare. We have developed a non-surgical technique for long-term collection of pituitary venous blood which consists of slightly diluted hypophysial portal blood into which pituitary hormones have been secreted. In these experiments jugular and pituitary venous blood samples were collected from five unmedicated, ambulatory mares at 5-min intervals for 2-6 h on 11 occasions during the 6 days surrounding the ovulatory LH peak. Jugular blood only was collected from another five periovulatory mares without pituitary cannulae. The duration of oestrus was similar in mares with and without pituitary cannulae...
Immunoassay detection of drugs in horses. I. Particle concentration fluoroimmunoassay detection of fentanyl and its congeners. We investigated the use of particle concentration fluorescence immunoassay (PCFIA) as a technique for drug detection in racing horses. The test was constructed from an antiserum to a carboxyfentanyl-BSA conjugate and carboxyfentanyl linked to b-Phycoerythrin. Using these reagents and a PCFIA apparatus levels of fentanyl as low as 0.1 ng/ml could be detected by the assay. In addition, cross-reactivity studies on this assay showed that the anti-serum cross-reacted well with carfentanil, sufentanil and the methylated analogs of fentanyl. We therefore evaluated the ability of these agents to produ...
A review of environmental and host factors in relation to equine respiratory disease. This paper reviews the environmental and host factors which interact to affect the incidence and severity of episodes of respiratory disease in stabled horses. The folly of accepting housing criteria and management practices for the horse, based on direct extrapolations from intensive housing of meat producing animals, is discussed. The factors which affect air hygiene and physical environment of stables are considered in terms of short-term athletic performance and long-term welfare.
Air hygiene in stables. 1: Effects of stable design, ventilation and management on the concentration of respirable dust. The concentration of fungal spores, the main constituents of respirable dust in stables, is determined by rates of release from fodder and bedding and rate of clearance, principally by ventilation. This paper outlines the principles that govern the application of natural ventilation to the control of air hygiene in barns and individual boxes for horses. When release rates are low, ventilation rates over four air changes per hour are satisfactory. Ventilation was satisfactory in individual boxes but usually unsatisfactory in barns and specific recommendations are made for improvement. Prelimina...
Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage in the horse: results of a detailed clinical, post mortem and imaging study. VI. Radiological/pathological correlations. This study was initiated to determine if the extent and intensity of lung lesions associated with exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) in horses could be predicted from thoracic radiographs. Sets of thoracic radiographs from 24 horses with varied histories of EIPH were subjectively coded for radiographic quality, and perceived extent and intensity of diffuse interstitial opacity by three radiologists who had no knowledge of the corresponding autopsy results. Codes assigned from radiographs for the chosen parameters were compared with coded estimates of lung surface staining assigned a...
Monitoring the progression of renal failure in a horse with polycystic kidney disease: use of the reciprocal of serum creatinine concentration and sodium sulfanilate clearance half-time. Sequential reciprocals of serum creatinine concentration and sodium sulfanilate clearance half-times were used to monitor a horse with chronic renal failure. The horse was diagnosed as having polycystic kidney disease; at least one cyst was of distal tubular origin. Using the plots of the sequential data, a reasonably accurate prediction was made for complete renal decompensation to develop.
Definition of 15 equine leucocyte antigens. Fifteen equine leucocyte antigens were defined by absorption and titration analysis of alloantisera obtained by natural sensitisation through pregnancy and by planned experimental immunisation. Definitive sera were tested on the cells of 90 unrelated horses and members of eight equine families. The family data suggested that 13 specificities were coded by a single locus (first locus) and one specificity (Eq 14) was coded by a second linked locus. The remaining specificity (Eq 7) was controlled by a third locus unlinked to the first or second loci. Tests on the cells of unrelated horses showed ...
Effects of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan on chemical and physical defects in equine articular cartilage. The effect of intra-articular polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSG) on repair of chemical and physical articular cartilage injuries was evaluated in 8 horses. In each horse, a partial- and a full-thickness articular cartilage defect was made on the distal articular surface of the radial carpal bone. In the contralateral middle carpal joint, a chemical articular cartilage injury was induced by injecting 50 mg of Na monoiodoacetate (MIA). Four of the 8 horses were not treated (controls), and 4 horses were treated by intra-articular injection of 250 mg of PSG into both middle carpal joints once a ...
Ultrastructure of equine endothelial cells exposed to endotoxin and flunixin meglumine and equine neutrophils. An in vitro system of cultured equine endothelial cells was evaluated as a model for endotoxin (ET) exposure in the horse. Primary cell lines from pulmonary vessels and aortas were cultured from tissues of 6 horses. Effects of ET alone with and without serum and in combination with the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor flunixin meglumine and isolated equine neutrophils were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy. Cells plus serum were incubated with 10, 25, 50, or 100 micrograms of ET/ml of incubation medium for 1, 3, 8, or 24 hours. Cells without serum were cultured for 1 and 3 hours. Flunixin...
Effects of a specific thromboxane synthetase inhibitor in equine endotoxaemia. Thromboxane A2 may play a major role in circulatory shock. In some species, thromboxane synthetase inhibitors have a beneficial effect on shock induced by endotoxin, trauma, sepsis and administration of arachidonate. In some shock models, however, results with thromboxane synthetase inhibitors have been conflicting. The effect of UK-38,485, a selective thromboxane inhibitor, was evaluated in ponies injected with endotoxin intraperitoneally. Four groups of ponies were used to compare the effects of endotoxin alone, UK-38,485 alone, treatment with UK-38,485 before endotoxin challenge and treatme...
Use of a bone plate for treatment of middle phalangeal fractures in horses: seven cases (1979-1984). Four adult horses and 3 foals with middle phalangeal fractures were treated by arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint, using a bone plate. Six of the 7 horses survived greater than 2 years; 2 of the 6 horses had intermittent lameness after hard work, and 4 horses didn't have evidence of lameness. The use of a bone plate for arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint was a successful treatment alternative for middle phalangeal fractures in horses.
Technique for assessing respiratory health hazards from hay and other source materials. This paper describes and compares three techniques of categorisation of hay, straw and other feeds and beddings collected from stables. A hand-held sampler was used to categorise samples according to the presence of plant material, fungal spores and dust mites. An Andersen sampler was used to categorise samples according to the thermotolerances of fungi and actinomycetes. An aerodynamic particle sizer was used to categorise samples according to respirable particle release rates. The highest burden of respirable particles was associated with the presence of thermophilic and thermotolerant actin...
Paranasal sinusitis complicated by inspissated exudate in the ventral conchal sinus. Primary paranasal sinusitis complicated by inspissated exudate within the ventral conchal sinus was diagnosed in five horses. Clinical signs included a unilateral, foul-smelling, mucopurulent nasal exudate of 2 to 7 months' duration. Two of the horses had partial nasal obstruction from distortion of the ventral concha. Radiographs of the skull showed a mass of soft tissue density dorsal to the roots of the superior third and fourth or fourth and fifth cheek teeth. Treatment included bone flap maxillary sinusotomy with exposure of the ventral nasal concha and removal of inspissated exudate. Res...
Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage in the horse: results of a detailed clinical, post mortem and imaging study. III. Subgross findings in lungs subjected to latex perfusions of the bronchial and pulmonary arteries. Latex was injected under pressure into bronchial and pulmonary arteries of the inflated lungs of Thoroughbreds and transverse sections taken to calculate the area of lesions resulting from exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage. Extensive areas of dense brown haemosiderin varying from 0 to 45 per cent of total lung volume were identified, predominantly in the dorsocaudal lungfields. Bronchial arterial proliferation appeared to have replaced the pulmonary supply in affected areas of the lung. Closely associated with the staining and bronchial arterialisation, there was widespread small airway d...
Pharmacokinetics of xylazine in ponies: influence of yohimbine. Twenty healthy ponies were given i.v. 1.1 mg/kg of xylazine from 2 manufacturers and the pharmacokinetic parameters calculated from the disposition curves. The disposition curves for the 2 commercial preparations were not different. Yohimbine, an antagonist of the pharmacologic effects produced by xylazine, did not alter the disposition of xylazine in the plasma. A single i.v. bolus of xylazine was completely described in 17 of 20 animals by the biexponential equation: Cp = 1.30e(-0.3955t) + 0.58e(-0.033t) where Cp represents the concentration of xylazine in the plasma at time t (min). The t1/...
Influence of arachidonic acid metabolites in vitro and in uterine washings on migration of equine neutrophils under agarose. The influence of arachidonic acid metabolites on migration of equine neutrophils under agarose was investigated. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was chemotactic at concentrations between 0.1 and 1000 ng ml-1 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) at 1 and 10 ng ml-1 but not at higher or lower concentrations. Prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) was not chemotactic for equine neutrophils at any concentration. Random migration was significantly inhibited (P less than 0.05) by suspension of neutrophils in LTB4 (0.1 to 1000 ng ml-1) and PGF2 alpha (0.1 ng ml-1) but not at high concentrations. There was a significant po...
Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage in the horse: results of a detailed clinical, post mortem and imaging study. V. Microscopic observations. Lungs from 19 Thoroughbred racehorses with a history of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) were studied using several forms of microscopy. Light microscopy of paraffin sections revealed three lesions in the caudodorsal region of the lungs from each horse. These correspond with the location of blue to brown stains seen at necropsy. These lesions include sequelae of bronchiolitis, hemosiderophages and increased connective tissue. Much of each of the lungs appeared normal, especially the more cranial or ventral portions. Foci of eosinophil infiltration were found in seven of the 19 lun...
Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage in the horse: results of a detailed clinical, post mortem and imaging study. II. Gross lung pathology. Gross post mortem examinations were performed on the lungs of 26 Thoroughbred horses of known exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) status. The most consistent finding was a variable degree of bilaterally symmetrical, dark discolouration of the dorsocaudal regions of the caudal lung lobes. In more severely affected lungs, the stained areas extended cranially along the dorsal surfaces of the lungs, and in some cases affected approximately one third of the lung surface. Discoloured areas of lung were denser than normal, collapsed less readily, often contained trapped air and were slow to...
Preputial hematoma in a stallion. An 8-year-old Quarter Horse stallion was admitted with a swelling involving the prepuce, dorsal part of the scrotum, and root of the penis. The swelling was first noticed 10 days after breeding, with no evidence that it had resulted from a kick by the mare. The penis was retracted into the prepuce, except for a 10- to 15-cm protrusion of the glans penis. Treatment included warm hydrotherapy, massage, stockinette compression, antidiuretics, antibiotics, penile support, and exercise, without success. At necropsy, a massive preputial hematoma was found extending forward from the root of the penis...
Survey of the designs of racehorse stables in the south west of England. The design of 96 racehorse stables in the south west of England were surveyed. The 'typical' racehorse is kept in a loose box, bedded on straw and remains indoors while the stable is cleaned. It is given a floor area of 12 m2 and shares its airspace of 39 m3 with seven other horses. Overall, the predicted minimum rate of air change by natural convection in calm winds is 6.6 air changes/h but this is reduced to 2.2 if the top door of the stable is closed. On balance, racehorse stables in use today are based on designs which are worse overall than the best available in the 19th century.
Induction and characterization of acrosome reaction in equine spermatozoa. Equine spermatozoa were incubated in a chemically defined medium for 8 hours. The medium preserved spermatozoal viability, as assessed by total spermatozoal motility, progressive spermatozoal motility, and spermatozoal exclusion of eosin stain. Effects of time and divalent cation ionophore, A23187, on the occurrence and character of the spermatozoal acrosome reaction were determined. Two light microscopic assays, a triple-stain technique and a chlortetracycline fluorescence assay, were calibrated with transmission electron microscopy for detection of the acrosome reaction. Incubation time and ...
