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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.
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...
Pemphigoid in domestic animals. Pemphigoid (from the Greek “resembling pemphigus”) has been recognized in humans for many years. The occurence of pemphigoid in domestic animals is a much more recent observation. In the dog, bullous pemphigoid was first documented in 1978.1 Equine bullous pemphigoid was originally reported in 1981.2 The purpose of this article is to review pemphigoid in domestic animals, compare the disease with its human counterpart, and alert the physician to an exciting area for comparative dermatologic research.
Early pregnancy loss in brood mares. During 1985, linear-array ultrasonography was used to study early pregnancy loss in commercial brood mares: 600/1115 (54%) of the cycles resulted in detected pregnancy at Week 2 after ovulation and 80 (13%) of these pregnancies resulted in early pregnancy loss. The pregnancy loss rate was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) for twin pregnancies (10/41) than for singleton pregnancies (70/559). The pregnancy loss rate was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) at 2-4 weeks (29/60) than at 6-8 weeks (12/60). The pregnancy rate was significantly less (P less than 0.05) for post-partum mares i...
Diagnostic and surgical arthroscopy of the equine shoulder joint. An arthroscopic technique for examination and surgical treatment of conditions of the shoulder joint was evaluated in eight normal horses and two horses with osteochondrosis lesions. A single arthroscope entry point caudal to the infraspinatus tendon allowed inspection of the cranial, lateral, and caudal surfaces of the shoulder joint. With the humeral head and glenoid cavity distracted by a curved forceps, the entire cartilage surface of the shoulder could be examined. The caudomedial portion of the humeral head was seen better with a 70 degree angled arthroscope. Instruments for intra-articu...
Transitory changes of hormones in the plasma of parturient pony mares. Frequent blood samples were collected from 8 pony mares before, during and after labour, parturition and placental expulsion and assayed for progesterone, oestradiol, androstenedione and LH concentrations by radioimmunoassay. A significant (P less than 0.05) decrease in progesterone, oestradiol and in the progesterone:oestradiol ratio was not detected until 0.5 h after foaling. Androstenedione concentrations rose before and peaked at parturition and then declined. A significant (P less than 0.05) rise in LH was detected 0.5 h after parturition. This LH peak was not detected in one mare and she...
Trabecular bone remodeling around smooth and porous implants in an equine patellar model. The objective of this investigation was to examine the stress-morphology relationships for trabecular bone around implants with different surface characteristics. Stainless steel spheres with either a polished surface or a sintered-bead porous coating were implanted unilaterally into equine patellae and maintained for a 6 month period. Stereological methods were used to quantify the trabecular bone morphology and finite element analyses were performed to predict the trabecular bone stresses. In general, the remodeling response around the smooth implants was greater than that around those porou...
The proteins of equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV 1) recognised by equine antisera and their ability to promote antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Equine sera were used to immunoprecipitate radiolabelled virus-infected cell proteins; subsequent resolution with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis identified the EHV-1 polypeptides VP 2, 10a, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21 and 23a. The humoral support of ADCC by these sera was examined in vitro. Cytotoxicity could be demonstrated against both subtypes irrespective of the immunising isolate. The implications of these results are discussed.
[Histogenesis of granulation tissue in wound healing by second intention in horses and cattle]. An experiment in comparative developmental aspect was carried out with 5 horses and 5 cattle having a total of 60 skin and muscular wounds. Light microscopic studies on hematoxylin-eosin stained preparations revealed that the dystrophic changes in the underlying tissues were more strongly manifested in horses. This had to be taken into consideration in the surgical treatment of wounds with this animal species. The basic differences comprised the better manifested leukocytic reaction in horses and the more strongly expressed processes of growth and differentiation on the part of the connective ...
Fertility of stallion semen frozen in 0.5-ml straws. Semen of 2 pony stallions was frozen by 2 methods in 0.5 ml PVC straws. The fertility of the frozen-thawed semen was evaluated by inseminating 60 mares during 69 oestrous cycles. An overall single cycle pregnancy rate of 55% was achieved. Freezing method, stallion, insemination during steroid-synchronized oestrus or insemination only every 2nd day during oestrus did not significantly influence pregnancy rates. Pregnancy rates were significantly improved from a mean 44% to a mean 73% when the mean number of progressively motile spermatozoa per insemination was increased from 175 x 10(6) to 249 ...
Biochemical polymorphism in relation to performance in horses. Investigations on relationships between biochemical polymorphism and variation in quantitative traits are of interest from the perspectives of both theoretical quantitative genetics and practical animal breeding. This subject was studied by using racing performance records of more than 25,000 horses of the Swedish Trotter breed born in the period 1970-1979. For all horses data on six blood group and nine electrophoretic loci were available. Two different performance traits were investigated. A racing performance index value was calculated for all individuals which had started in at least five ...
A newly recognized vesiculovirus, Calchaqui virus, and subtypes of Melao and Maguari viruses from Argentina, with serologic evidence for infections of humans and horses. In 1983, 17 virus strains were isolated from mosquitoes collected during an outbreak of western equine encephalitis in Santa Fe Province, Argentina. Strains of western equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, and Antequera viruses were isolated, as were several bunyaviruses of the California and Bunyamwera serogroups and a new vesiculovirus. Complement fixation and neutralization tests were used to identify the California serogroup virus as a subtype of Melao virus, the Bunyamwera serogroup virus as a subtype of both Maguari and Playas viruses, and the vesic...
Effects of cromolyn in horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The effect of disodium cromoglycate (cromolyn) in preventing the pulmonary dysfunction caused by the inhalation of barn and hay dust was studied in 5 horses with confirmed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The horses were studied before (Con) and after exposure to hay and dust allergens (Expos) and after pretreatment with cromolyn followed by exposure (Cr-Expos). There was a significant reduction in PaO2 from 86.8 +/- 8.3 to 73.1 +/- 8.8 when the horses were exposed to hay and dust allergens. The PaO2 after pretreatment with cromolyn and exposures was 78.1 +/- 5.5. There were no si...
