Omneity® Pellets
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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.
Alimentary lymphomas in the horse. A series of 9 cases of primary diffuse alimentary lymphoma of the equine small intestine is described. Clinically, the principal effects were attributable to malabsorption and disordered alimentary function and several cases had severe anaemia; in four this was of the haemolytic type. Hypoalbuminaemia and elevated gamma globulin levels were often present. The neoplasms were confined mainly to the small intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes, sometimes with some involvement of other lymph nodes as well. The large bowel was affected in one horse, but none of the cases showed detectable invasion of...
Use of different nonglycolysable sugars to maintain stallion sperm viability when frozen or stored at 37 degrees C and 5 degrees C in a bovine serum albumin medium. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) diluents containing lactose, raffinose or sucrose were not different (P greater than 0.05) in their ability to maintain stallion sperm viability, as determined by percentage motile spermatozoa (PMS) and their rate of forward movement (RFM), when stored at 37 or 5 degrees C for 24 h. These diluents did promote a higher (P greater than 0.05) PMS and RFM, when compared with BSA diluents containing arabinose or galactose. The BSA-arabinose and BSA-galactose diluents did not differ (P less than 0.05) in their ability to support sperm viability and were detrimental to sper...
Phagocytosis of horse erythrocytes treated with equine infectious anemia virus by cultivated horse leukocytes. Horse erythrocytes treated with equine infectious anemia virus hemagglutinin were phagocytized by cultivated horse leukocytes (mainly macrophage-like cells and partly polymorphonuclear cells) after incubation with fresh horse serum but not with inactivated horse serum. The phagocytosis began as soon as the erythrocytes were added to the leukocyte cultures, and the majority of the reaction proceeded within 30 minutes. Addition of antiserum showed a slightly suppressing but no enhancing effect on the phagocytosis. Phagocytosis seemed to be caused by the recognition of the third complement compon...
Circadian, circhoral and seasonal variation in patterns of gonadotrophin secretion in geldings. Blood samples were obtained from 5 mixed-breed, long-term castrated geldings during five 24-h periods between May 1984 and April 1985. Blood samples were collected, beginning at 09:00 h, at 15-min intervals for 8 h and hourly for the remaining 16 h. Plasma concentrations of LH and FSH were determined by RIA. Seasonal changes in hormone concentrations and frequency and amplitude of secretory pulses were evaluated. No diurnal variation in either LH or FSH secretion was observed: however, marked circhoral fluctuations in LH and FSH secretion were noted. Mean LH and FSH concentrations in these lon...
Use of a novel non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in the horse. In a two-part cross-over experiment in six ponies, an acute inflammatory reaction was generated by injecting carrageenin solution into subcutaneously-implanted tissue-cages lined with fibrovascular granulation tissue. In each part of the cross-over, half of the ponies received a novel phenylpyrazoline anti-inflammatory agent (BW540C) orally and half received a placebo treatment. BW540C inhibited platelet cyclo-oxygenase for 24 h but the reductions in exudate eicosanoid concentrations were less pronounced. A significant suppression in the rise of surface skin temperature in BW540C-treated ponie...
Comparison by three different radioimmunoassay systems of the polymorphism of plasma FSH in mares in various reproductive states. FSH was measured in the pituitary, and in pituitary venous and jugular blood collected at frequent intervals from mares in various reproductive states, using 3 validated and highly specific radioimmunoassay systems based on different antibodies, 'o', 'h' and 'e'. In the pituitary, 4 forms of FSH were found which differed in isoelectric point and relative potency in the 3 assays. In jugular blood, mean FSH concentrations and short-term patterns depended on the assay used and the reproductive state of the mare. In pituitary venous blood, although FSH concentrations were greatly elevated above ju...
Clinical and hematologic variables in ponies with experimentally induced equine ehrlichial colitis (Potomac horse fever). The clinical and hematologic variables of 10 ponies with experimentally induced equine ehrlichial colitis (EEC; syn: Potomac horse fever) were studied for a 30-day period (6 ponies) or until death (4 ponies). The earliest clinical sign indicative of EEC was fever (rectal temperature exceeding 39 C). All ponies became depressed (CNS) at various times during the disease, and 90% of the ponies developed diarrhea between 9 and 15 days after infection was induced. The most significant hematologic change was an increase in plasma protein concentration after the onset of fever (P less than 0.05). The...
Cardiopathology of sudden cardiac death in the race horse. Twenty thoroughbred race horses were selected for postmortem cardiopathological study of sudden cardiac death; ten of the twenty horses died suddenly. In order to define accurately the morphological changes observed in these ten hearts, ten other thoroughbred race horses considered to have normal hearts were selected as a control group and studied by postmortem coronary angiography. Of the ten horses that died suddenly, eight were witnessed to have died either during or shortly after training or racing. The death was instantaneous except in one horse, which showed ventricular tachycardia and d...
Meningocerebral hemangiomatosis resembling Sturge-Weber disease in a horse. A 3-year-old horse presented with intermittent generalized seizures of 2-month duration. During interictal periods, the horse appeared normal and a cause for the seizures could not be identified. Necropsy revealed opacity of the leptomeninges, covering most of one cerebral hemisphere along with thinning and collapse of the cortex in the ipsilateral pyriform lobe. Histopathology demonstrated leptomeningeal vascular proliferation and meningothelial hyperplasia. Prominent tortuous vessels of the gyri and sulci extended into some regions of the subjacent cortex, where there was neuronal loss, ecto...
Observations on tracheal mucociliary clearance in horses. The rate of movement up the mucociliary escalator of Technetium99m tagged to macroaggregated albumin was measured in 7 normal horses and 8 with respiratory disease. The activity at 2 sites in the neck, separated by 12-15 cm, was measured using a hand held scintillation counter and rate meter. In normal horses the Technetium complex moved as a bolus up the neck with a mean rate of 1.58 cm/min. In the horses with respiratory disease the Technetium complex was less likely to move as a discrete bolus and in three horses it was not possible to measure the transport rate. The remainder had a mean tr...
Acid-stable protease inhibiting polypeptides formed from denatured horse plasma by proteolysis. 1. Trypsin digestion of perchloric acid precipitated horse plasma yielded polypeptides with inhibitory properties for trypsin, chymotrypsin and, to a small extent, kallikrein. 2. The Mr of the inhibitory polypeptides were 73,000 and 24,000. 3. The number, enzyme specificity and Mr of the inhibitory polypeptides differed from the values known for the human being. 4. The inhibitory polypeptides were purified by affinity chromatography on Sepharose-trypsin and by gel filtration through Sephadex G-75. 5. Protease inhibitory polypeptides were generated in the same manner by chymotrypsin, elastase, ...
Radionuclide, radiographic, and histomorphometric evaluation of healing of surgically created subchondral defects in equine bone. In the present study, radionuclide scintigraphy and radiography were used to evaluate the rate and degree of healing that occurred in surgically created subchondral bone defects in horses. Following radionuclide scintigraphy and radiography the horses were killed, and histomorphometric analysis was performed on the defect sites. The histomorphometric results were compared to the radionuclide scintigraphic and radiographic results to determine which noninvasive technique provided the most accurate information concerning healing of the bone defects. It was concluded that radionuclide scintigraph...
Genetic and temporal variation in serum concentrations and biological activity of horse chorionic gonadotrophin. The variation in the quantity of circulating chorionic gonadotrophin (CG) and its follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) activity in rodent bioassay systems was investigated. A portion of the variability in total CG could be attributed to the stallion that sired the pregnancy and it was possible to select sires and mares to increase CG production. It was further demonstrated that FSH activity per unit of CG was greater at Days 71 and 104 of gestation than at Day 39. LH activity per unit of CG varied with the sire, but no effect of day of gestation could be shown. It wa...
The effects of ammonium sulfate and acid on horse and human serum butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8). 1. Results of laboratory experiments which compared horse and human serum butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) with respect to their acid inactivation and ammonium sulfate protection show: 2. Horse serum butyrylcholinesterase is more resistant to inactivation at pH 3.0 than human serum butyrylcholinesterase. 3. The loss of activity at pH 3.0 for both horse and human butyrylcholinesterase does not follow first order kinetics. 4. Both human and horse serum butyrylcholinesterase are protected from pH 3.0 inactivation by ammonium sulfate concentrations up to 33% saturation (1.37 M).
[Management of chronic obstructive lung diseases]. In 183 cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COB, COPD) grades I to IV horses were treated with bronchospasmolytic and secretolytic drugs, corticosteroids, mass infusions of physiological saline solution and with combinations of these treatments. The long-term effects of the above described methods of treatment based on questionnaire with the owners will be discussed. The results are to be considered successful if there is no evidence of irreversible alterations of the lungs, and if the horse is kept away from dust as much as possible.
Cartilage thickness measurement in foals. The talus and proximal and distal epiphysis of the humerus, radius, femur, tibia and distal metacarpus of 20 foals aged 0 to 150 days were obtained at necropsy and sawn sagittally into slabs 4 to 8 mm thick. The thickness of the cartilage (articular cartilage and unossified epiphyseal cartilage) was measured in three to five places in each slab, using a sliding calliper. In most epiphyses, the site, or sites, of thickest cartilage was constant in all foals examined. The difference between thickest and thinnest cartilage within one epiphysis was greatest in distal femora and least in distal met...
Serum immunoreactive gastrin activity in horses: basal and postprandial values. Using commercially available diagnostic reagents, serum immunoreactive gastrin activity was measured in five normal horses that were starved of food and water for 24 hours. Blood samples were taken every 15 minutes for two hours. The horses were then fed a pelleted diet for 15 minutes and samples were taken every 15 minutes for a further two hours. Three further samples were taken at hourly intervals. The total sampling period was seven hours. Basal immunoreactive gastrin activity was lower than that reported in other mammals, ranging from a mean of 7.0 pg/ml to 13.8 pg/ml. At 30, 60 and 75 mi...
Contribution of whole blood L-lactate, pyruvate, D-lactate, acetoacetate, and 3-hydroxybutyrate concentrations to the plasma anion gap in horses with intestinal disorders. Increased anion gap (AG) was due, in part, to L-lactic acidosis in 14 of 14 horses with intestinal disorders. In a few horses, increased whole blood concentrations of D-lactate made a minor contribution to the AG. However, the increase in AG was often greater than the sum of the increases in these 2 acid anions. This unexplained increase was not a result of increases in whole blood pyruvate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, or acetoacetate concentrations or serum albumin or phosphate concentrations. Identification of other anions causing increased AG could lead to better understanding, diagnosis, and treatm...
[Respiratory infectious diseases in horses]. Among all infectious diseases affecting horses, respiratory disease pose the greatest threat to horses kept in stables, horses used for breeding and race horses. Here a distinction should be made between the so-called monocausal infectious diseases (so-called Henle-Koch postulates) and multicausal infectious diseases which are the result of the synergistic interaction of different processes, that alone do not lead to disease. There is no clearcut distinction between the two groups. The most important monocausal respiratory infections of horses are caused by equine influenza virus (subtypes 1 a...
Antipyrine and lidocaine are cleared faster in horses than in humans: acetaminophen may be handled similarly. The following studies were designed to evaluate plasma elimination kinetics of intravenously administered antipyrine, acetaminophen and lidocaine among 9 healthy adult horses and 9 healthy drug-free humans (3 each per drug group), in order to compare potential species differences in drug-metabolizing ability. Acetaminophen is largely biotransformed in humans by hepatic glucuronide and sulfate conjugation, whereas both antipyrine and lidocaine are oxidized by hepatic microsomal mixed-function oxidases. Thus, plasma clearances of these drugs are thought to reflect differences in hepatic oxidativ...
Myospherulosis in the subcutis of a pony. Myospherulosis was diagnosed in a mature pony. Several parent bodies containing many spherules were observed microscopically in biopsy material from an area of cellulitis. The spherules are altered red blood cells that form as the result of prolonged contact with necrotic fat or petrolatum-based ointments. These structures must be differentiated from fungal elements. The recommended treatment is surgical excision.
Influence of season and frequency of ejaculation on production of stallion semen for freezing. In an attempt to define optimal season and ejaculation frequency for frozen semen, semen was collected from 6 stallions (3 horses and 3 ponies) 3 times per week or every day, alternating every week, for 1 year. The semen was evaluated and frozen. All the samples were thawed at the end of the experiment. At collection, fresh semen evaluations showed that winter (as opposed to spring and summer) was associated with low sexual behaviour, small volumes of spermatozoa and gel, high sperm concentration and lower motility. The high ejaculation frequency yielded a decreased volume, concentration of sp...
Assessment of fertility and semen evaluations of stallions. (1) Various estimations of motility (subjective appreciation, count on video record, Doppler laser apparatus and optic-microcomputer analyser) or percentage of live spermatozoa (eosin-nigrosin staining) showed a higher repeatability for measurements of a same sample than for straws of a same ejaculate: the values were high (respectively greater than 0.78 and greater than 0.69) except for the optical analyser and staining. (2) Semen samples were collected from 80 stallions 5 times at 24-h intervals. The repeatability varied from 0.37 to 0.69 for gel-free volume, concentration, total sperm numbe...
Bronchoalveolar lavage in the newborn foal. Two bronchoalveolar lavages, 24 h apart, were performed on 15 foals, ranging in age from 1 to 21 days. In the first lavage, a numerical deficiency in alveolar macrophages was demonstrated in foals up to 2 weeks of age when compared with older (2-3 years of age) horses. Alveolar macrophages obtained from the lungs of 2-3-day-old foals also demonstrated significant impaired chemotactic function. In the second lavage, although an increase of alveolar macrophages was noted, a dramatic increase of polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) mobilization occurred in the foals, thus providing a phagocytic bac...
Effects of susceptibility of mares to endometritis and stage of cycle on phagocytic activity of uterine-derived neutrophils. Fourteen mares, 7 susceptible and 7 resistant to bacterial endometritis, were used to provide circulating and uterine-derived neutrophils. Uterine neutrophils were recruited by inoculating cell-free filtrates of Streptococcus zooepidemicus, or control vehicle. Mares were assigned to schedules for collection of neutrophils at oestrus or dioestrus. Phagocytic activity of circulating and uterine cells was evaluated by an assay for chemiluminescence after addition of opsonized streptococci. Chemiluminescence generated by circulating neutrophils was greater (P less than 0.05) for susceptible mares ...
Quantification of equine ground reaction force patterns. A method was developed to quantify the ground reaction force pattern of the horse. A number of selected force amplitudes and peak-time positions in the normalized stance phase of left and right contralateral limbs were used to calculate symmetry indices. Data from each limb were compared with those of a 'standard horse' resulting in limb indices. The combination of amplitude and peak-time symmetry and limb indices yielded one H(orse)INDEX. These indices were useful for comparison of different horses and for the evaluation of lameness and treatment.
[Endometrial cysts in the mare. 2. Clinical studies: occurrence and significance]. Endometrial cysts were found in 11 (13.4%) of 82 mares of various breeds by clinical examinations. Endometrial cysts were diagnosed by hysteroscopy and ultrasonic echography. Typical images are described. The importance of endometrial cysts is discussed with regard to differential diagnosis of early pregnancy and uterine pathology. There was no evidence of cysts in mares under 10 years of age. Mares with endometrial cysts had a 10% higher history of disturbed fertility than mares without endometrial cysts. Seven of nine mares with cystic structures in the uterus became pregnant. Endometrial cy...
