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.
Diaw OT, Bayssade-Dufour C, Pino De Morales LA, Albaret JL, Vassiliades G.Cercarial chaetotaxy of Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus (Paramphistomoidea), parasite of the Horse, is described. Cercariae were shed by experimentally infected Bulinus forskalii. This description is the first one of a Gastrodiscidae. The cercarial chaetotaxy of the Gastrodiscidae is quite different from those of Paramphistomoidea and Diplodiscidae.
Timoney JF.An R antigen of the group C streptococcus S. equi that cross reacts with a similar antigen of S. zooepidemicus has been identified and characterized. It is acid, heat and trypsin resistant, but pepsin sensitive and has an isoelectric point of 4.8. The amino acids in highest concentration are glutamic, aspartic, alanine, leucine, and valine. Bacterial components released in a French Press contain large amounts of R antigen, which is present also in culture supernatants and acid extracts. It has a molecular weight of about 82,000. Trypsin extraction of cells yields molecules of predominantly 56,...
Whyte A, Ockleford CD, Wooding FB, Hamon M, Allen WR, Kellie S.The establishment of a monolayer culture of cells derived from the girdle region of a 34-day-old donkey conceptus is described. These cells have had over 100 repeated passages in culture. Low levels of pregnant mares' serum gonadotrophin (PMSG, eCG) could be detected in the cells by indirect immunofluorescence using some monoclonal anti-eCG antibodies, but the cells did not secrete eCG as measured by radioimmunoassay or inhibition of haemagglutination. There was marked nuclear polymorphism with binucleate and occasional multinucleate cells. The cells were strongly reactive with wheatgerm agglu...
Klein WR, Bras GE, Misdorp W, Steerenberg PA, de Jong WH, Tiesjema RH, Kersjes AW, Ruitenberg EJ.A total of 30 horses with single or multiple sarcoid tumors of the skin were randomly divided into three treatment groups: (i) cryosurgical treatment, (ii) intralesional immunotherapy with a live BCG vaccine, (iii) intralesional immunotherapy with a BCG cell wall preparation. Complete tumour regression was obtained in all 10 cryosurgically treated horses, in 6 of 10 live BCG treated horses, and in 7 of 10 BCG cell wall treated horses. One live BCG and 2 BCG cell wall treated horses showed partial tumour regression of more than 50% of the tumour area. Eleven horses with sarcoid tumours were not...
Biology of the cellJanuary 1, 1986
Volume 57, Issue 2 147-152 doi: 10.1111/j.1768-322x.1986.tb00471.x
Wojczyk B.Lysosomal arylsulfatases A and B (aryl-sulfate sulfohydrolases, EC 3.1.6.1) from horse leukocytes were purified about 680-fold and 70-fold, respectively, starting from a crude extract of the azurophil and specific granules of leukocytes, by affinity, ion exchange, and gel filtration chromatography. Purified arylsulfatase A displayed anomalous kinetics, a pH optimum at 5.2, an isoelectric point at 4.3, and a Km value for p-nitrocatechol sulfate (pNCS) of 0.37 mM. This enzyme was found to exist in two association states depending on pH: a high molecular weight form at pH 5.0 and a low molecular ...
Skarda RT, Muir WW, Swanson CR, Hubbell JA.Seven adult horses were used to compare the cardiovascular and respiratory effects of unilateral (right side) and bilateral cervicothoracic ganglion (CTG) blockade. An 18-gauge, 25-cm needle was placed midventrally between articulations of the 1st and 2nd ribs from a cranial and paratracheal site. One gram of lidocaine HCl in aqueous solution (100 ml) was used to infiltrate the CTG. Cervicothoracic sympathetic blockade was characterized by Horner's syndrome, increased skin temperature and profuse sweating over the face, neck, and thoracic limb. Comparison of base-line data with data obtained d...
van Weeren PR, Barneveld A.A method is presented for quantitative determination of skin movement over the underlying skeletal structures during normal locomotion of the horse. The principle of the method is simultaneous visualization of the position of the skin and the underlying bony structures, by marking the bones with implanted light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the skin with self adhesive spot labels. Recordings were made using photography.
McDonnell SM, Kenney RM, Meckley PE, Garcia MC.Pony stallions were given sexual behavior trials in experimental "home" and "novel" environments, similar in all major features except location. In the novel environment, erection latency was increased and erection time decreased. Treatment with an anxiolytic benzodiazepine derivative (diazepam) appeared to block these effects.
Stanek C, Hantak E.POLYDACTYLY is perhaps the most frequently reported congenital phalangeal anomaly in horses and, with reference to the stallion Boukephalos ridden by Alexander the Great, it has commanded attention since antiquity (Leipold and MacDonald 1971). Polydactylism is defined as the occurrence of a larger number of digits than typical for a certain species. It has been described in horse, cattle, swine, dog, cat, pigeon, poultry and guinea pig as well as in man (Wiesner and Willer 1974). In horses, the supernumerary digit is found in the forelimb in about 80 per cent of cases, and mainly on the medial...
Wintzer HJ.A long-term treatment with biotin (vitamin H) in 5 warm-blooded horses and 10 trotter horses is reported. The dose of 0.031-0.037 mg/kg body weight was well tolerated, and with a therapy period up to 10 months an improvement of the horn quality of the growing hoof could be attained as it had not been possible before with other measures. Biotin (Gabiotan) is recommendable as a therapeutic in all cases of hoof problems which are based on disturbed horn elasticity.
Johnson L, Nguyen HB.Stereological methods were employed in two experiments with adult stallions: to confirm seasonal variation in number of Sertoli cells and to characterize the annual cycle of the Sertoli cell population. In the first experiment, testes from 28 adult (4-20 years old) horses obtained in the non-breeding season (December-January) were compared to testes from 28 adult horses in the breeding season (June-July). Sertoli cell numbers were calculated from the nuclear volume density, parenchymal volume, and volume of an individual Sertoli cell nucleus determined by reconstruction of serial sections or f...
Kold SE, Hickman J, Melsen F.Four full thickness cartilage defects, two linear and two elliptical, and four subchondral cavity defects were created at the point of weightbearing of the medial femoral condyle in four experimental ponies. This study showed that subchondral bone cysts can develop following full thickness (cartilage only) linear cartilage defects at a weightbearing location. Subchondral bone cysts did not develop following the removal of an elliptical piece of cartilage, exposing the subchondral bone. Primary subchondral defects created in communication with the joint cavity did not heal by replacement with b...
Lauderdale JW.Puberty: For the gilt and filly, the first corpus luteum (CL) appears to have a normal lifespan. For both species, first CL usually is associated with estrus but can form in the absence of estrus. For the ewe and cow, a transient (1 to 4 d, ewe; 3 to 10 d, cow) rise and fall of ovarian derived progesterone (P4) is detected in peripheral blood (80% of ewes; 50% of heifers) prior to first "normal" CL. The first CL of apparent normal lifespan is not accompanied by estrus in the ewe. The first CL in the cow may or may not be accompanied by estrus; first estrus in the cow can be anovulatory. Data a...
Berry CR, Merritt AM, Burrows CF, Campbell M, Drudge JH.Five weanling ponies were subjected to an intensive 6-week deworming program after which 4 Ag-AgCl bipolar electrodes were implanted surgically on the distal ileum. For 3 hours each day for 5 consecutive days, ileal myoelectrical activity was recorded from fed ponies under 3 sequential conditions: preinoculation, after oral administration of 1,000 killed Strongylus vulgaris infective larvae (3 ponies), and after oral administration of 1,000 live S vulgaris infective larvae. Recordings were analyzed for slow wave frequency, percentage duration of phases I, II, and III of the migrating myoelectr...
Hon WK, Ng TB.Equine pancreatic acetone powder was extracted with an acetone-water-HCl mixture. An acid acetone powder resulted by adding a copious volume of acetone to the extract. The powder was subjected to salt fractionation, gel filtration and chromatography on CM-cellulose. Steroidogenic activity, ACTH-like immunoreactivity and opiate receptor binding activity were distributed among the CM-cellulose chromatographic fractions derived from material unretarded as well as from material retarded on Sephadex G-25. The data indicates a separation of steroidogenic and opiate receptor binding activities, and t...
Dinev D, Khubenov KhD.Studied were a total of 85 (33 male and 52 female) donkeys of the Martina Franca breed of the domestic ass, aged from one to twelve years. Stated are the results for the normal values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, ESR, total erythrocyte and leukocyte counts, leukocyte formula, blood sugar, cholesterin, urea, total protein and protein fractions, some micro- and macroelements, and enzymes as tabulated in four diagrams. No differences have been established with regard to sex. It has been found that with young animals the normal values of hemoglobin and erythrocytes are lower than with adult ones. Wi...
Davison KL, Rowe LD, Witzel DD.To measure absorption of monensin or its metabolites and its elimination from the body, [14C]monensin sodium was given orally (1 mg/kg body wt) to two bile-fistulated ponies and iv (8.7 mg) to one bile-fistulated pony. For one orally-dosed pony, 4.7% of the 14C was eliminated in bile, 52% in feces, .7% in urine and 33% remained in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract after 3 d. Total 14C recovery was 90%. For the other orally-dosed pony, 18.3% of the 14C was eliminated in bile, 69% in feces, 1.7% in urine and 7% remained in the GI tract after 4 d. Total 14C recovery was 98%. For the iv-dosed pony, ...
Hnátková Z, Vraný B, Hnátek J, Lettl A.The preparation of toxic cultures of Clostridium septicum is described, using an apparatus with a straight dialysis tubing, where the medium is filled both into the nutrition and cultivation space of the apparatus. Using the cultivation to nutrition volume rate 1:2, mean titre of lethal antigen in filtrates 3.86 limes mortis per mL and 300 dosis lethalis minima per Lm was obtained in comparison with the values of 2.22 and 150 respectively in flask filtrates. Native filtrates of dialyzed cultures were better antigens for hyperimmunization of horses than the culture filtrates from flasks.
Hodgson DR, Rose RJ, Dimauro J, Allen JR.Biopsy samples were obtained from the middle gluteal muscle of 10 Thoroughbred horses undergoing a commercial race-training program. Samples were obtained before the program began and again after 6 and 12 weeks of training. All horses had raced at least once by the 12th week of training. Serial sections of muscle were examined histochemically for myosin adenosinetriphosphatase after either acid (pH 4.3 and 4.6) or alkaline (pH 10.3) preincubation, and then muscle fibers were identified as types I, IIA, IIB, or IIC. The oxidative capacity of individual fibers was assessed, using the reduced nic...
Dyson S.Methods of investigating horses with suspected shoulder lameness are described and discussed. The gait of shoulder lameness is characterised and compared with that of lower forelimb lameness. If lameness is slight, differentiation may be difficult, but if moderate, upper forelimb lameness usually results in shortening of the cranial phase of the stride and a low limb flight. Clinically, it may not be possible to differentiate between shoulder and elbow lameness without intra-articular anaesthesia. Practical aspects of intra-articular anaesthesia of the shoulder joint are reviewed. Synovial flu...
Doreau M, Boulot S, Martin-Rosset W, Robelin J.The milk and nutrient intakes of 21 nursing foals of heavy breeds (adult weight: 800 kg) were determined at 1, 4 and 8 weeks of age. Lactose intake increased (P is less than 0.01) from 1 300 g/day at 1 week of age to 1 800 g/d at 8 weeks; fat decreased (P is less than 0.01) from 400 g/d to 300 g/d and protein did not vary (600 g/d). Energy and nitrogen intakes did not depend on the source of energy in the mother's diet. Milk, energy and nitrogen intakes were well related (r = 0.74 to 0.81) with foal growth between 1 and 4 weeks, but not between 4 and 8 weeks. The composition of weight gain sho...
Hutchins DR, McClintock SA, Brownlow MA.THE technique of partially immersing a horse in a tank of normal saline was originally suggested by Smith (1978) and subsequently used in the management of clinical cases by Smith (1981) and J. R. Biffin (1980, personal communication) as a means of providing long term confinement and effective weight reduction. The term flotation is not strictly accurate because the patient is not made to float but is merely partially immersed to cause a predetermined reduction of its effective weight. The technique has potential clinical application in any situation where a conventional sling may have been us...
Nishita T, Deutsch HF.Equine muscle carbonic anhydrase (CA-III) behaves like ubiquitin in undergoing extensive acylation of N epsilon-lysine residues upon reacting with p-nitrophenyl esters. The enzyme undergoes extensive carbamoylation of lysine residues when reacted with carbamoyl phosphate. The modification of from 6 to 7 lysine residues results in the production of a series of more anodic electrophoretic components. The derivatization of the lysine residues leads to a marked decrease in the enzyme's ability to hydrate CO2. The equine CA-III possesses both acid and alkaline phosphatase activities in contrast to ...
Lew AM, Valas RB, Maloy WL, Coligan JE.Horse serum is shown to contain a soluble class I molecule analogous to the secreted Q10 molecule in the mouse. This molecule has several similarities to the recently described mouse Q10 molecule: it is smaller than membrane-bound equine class I molecules; it occurs in a high molecular mass complex of 200-300 kd in serum; and the serum levels of the equine molecule are similar to that of the Q10 molecule (about 30 micrograms/ml). A soluble molecule is also detected in the sera of species related to the horse; it has in fact been found in all the wild members of the order Perissodactyla so far ...
Orsini JA, Roby KA.A modified surgical procedure for creation of a carotid loop for repeated percutaneous sampling of arterial blood gas was performed on 8 Holstein heifers and 14 horses. This approach permitted sampling of blood gas via fine-needle aspiration (one to three times daily) and/or catheterization for extended periods. It offers several advantages over previously reported techniques, including greater accessibility, absence of postoperative complications such as hematoma formation, and absence of foreign materials supporting the loop.
Althouse GC, Seager SW, Varner DD, Webb GW.An experiment was conducted to evaluate three commercially available test kits, the Azostix, Multistix and Uric-acid test, for the detection of urine in the equine ejaculate. Azostix, which tests for urea nitrogen, consistently detected urine in the equine ejaculate. Urine contamination was evident when a color change occurred in the reagent pad, going from yellow to green after 10 sec of exposure. The sensitivity of Azostix to urea nitrogen in contaminated samples was 39 mg/dl. The Multistix test kit also successfully detected urine in semen. In the Multistix nitrite pad the color changed fro...
Albrecht BA, MacLeod JN, Daels PF.At the onset of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) secretion, eCG stimulates luteal androgen and oestrogen production. Although eCG concentrations increase exponentially from day 37 to day 60 of gestation and eCG is detectable in maternal serum until about day 120-150 of gestation, luteal androgen and oestrogen production peaks between 5 and 10 days after initial exposure to eCG and then decreases gradually. It is not clear how eCG regulates luteal androgen and oestrogen production. In the present study, the steady-state mRNA expression of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD), cyto...
Blikslager AT, Tate LP, Weinstock D.Effects of neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser irradiation on equine endometrium were evaluated in vitro and in six mares with endometrial cysts. The Nd:YAG laser was applied to six endometrial sites, in each of five uterine specimens, with power densities of 5659 to 33,954 J/cm2. Depth of tissue ablation was measured and graded on histologic sections of the tissue lesions. Power density had a significant effect on the depth of tissue ablation (p < .001). Grade 3 lesions (full-thickness ablation of the endometrium) were created with energy densities of 16,977 to 33,954 J/cm2. Six ...
Andersson B, Augustinsson O, Bademo E, Junkergård J, Kvart C, Nyman G, Wiberg M.The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the potential value of intravenous (i.v.) infusion of angiotensin II (AII) for phonocardiographic differential diagnosis of equine valvular insufficiency. Ten-minute AII infusions at 4.5-33 pmol kg-1 min-1 induced clear-cut dose-dependent rises in systemic arterial blood pressure (aBP), whereas the pulmonary aBP remained largely unaffected. It implies that i.v. infusion of AII at about 10 pmol kg-1 min-1 could be a valuable tool for the acoustic differentiation between mitral and tricuspid valvular dysfunction in the horse. The infusion at, and abov...
Love CC, Blanchard TL, Varner DD, Brinsko SP, Voge J, Bliss S, Sudderth K, Teague S, LaCaze K.An experiment was conducted to determine whether cooled semen quality could be maintained for a longer interval by conducting daily centrifugation of extended semen, with resuspension of the sperm pellet in fresh extender. Semen treatments included SP10NC and SP50NC which contained 10 and 50% seminal plasma, respectively, were not centrifuged (NC), and were stored at 4 to 7 °C for 96 h. Treatments SP10C and SP50C contained 10 and 50% seminal plasma, respectively, but were centrifuged (C) after 24, 48, and 72 h of cooled storage, with daily resuspension in fresh extender containing 10% seminal...
Yoxall AT.The principles of radiological protection are summarised and consideration is then given to problems, which may confront the equine practitioner, in the fulfillment of these principles during diagnostic radiography of the limbs, head, and spine of the horse. The place of anaesthesia in such procedures is discussed and the special problems associated with therapeutic radiography of the horse are considered.
Denyer MS, Crowther JR.Antigenic differences within equine-1 and equine-2 isolates of influenza were studied by haemagglutination inhibition tests, indirect ELISA and competition ELISA, using the same antisera. Better differentiation was obtained with the competition ELISA than with the other two tests. All three methods produced similar relationships within the equine-1 isolates but differed in their ability to differentiate the equine-2 isolates where the competition ELISA was superior and produced epidemiologically sensible results. In all three tests, post-infection ferret and horse sera were more useful in disc...
Van Hoogmoed L, Rakestraw PC, Snyder JR, Harmon FA.To determine the in vitro effect of various prostaglandins (PG) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) on contractile activity of the large-colon taenia of horses. Methods: 14 healthy horses. Methods: The taenia was collected from the ventral colon, cut into strips (2 X 10 mm), and mounted in a tissue bath system (20-ml capacity) that contained oxygenated Krebs buffer solution warmed to 37.5+/-0.5 C. After equilibration, incremental doses of PGE2, PGF2alpha, PGl2, flunixin meglumine, carprofen, ketoprofen, and phenylbutazone were added to the baths, and contractile activity was recor...
Marr CM.The digital storage and transfer of images coupled with the development of the Internet have revolutionized diagnostic imaging. With the press of a button, practitioners can exploit the diagnostic skills of specialists anywhere in the world and enlist their help with challenging cases. This easy transfer of images and digital data should stimulate a greater number of multicenter studies so that the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonographic techniques can be established in larger and more meaningful cohorts of patients. There is now no doubt that we can identify a plethora of conditions o...
Kaps M, Curik I, Baban M.Heterogeneity of variance of growth traits over age is a common issue in estimating genetic parameters and is addressed in this study by selecting appropriate variance structure models for additive genetic and environmental variances. Modeling and partitioning those variances connected with analyzing small data sets were demonstrated on Lipizzan horses. The following traits were analyzed: withers height, chest girth, and cannon bone circumference. The measurements were taken at birth, and at approximately 6, 12, 24, and 36 mo of age of 660 Lipizzan horses born in Croatia between 1948 and 2000....
Röcken H, Wenz C.A unilateral malformation of the eye of a thoroughbred foal is described. The specific form of the tiny lens we named, "lenticulus". It is correlated with a maximal unchangeable mydriasis. The bulb shows physiological size. A brown-black pigmented mass inhibited (internal) inspection and examination of the middle and rear part of the eye. Special emphasis is laid on the insecure behaviour of the foal. A connection with an iridocyclochoroiditis, which was treated in the mare about a year ago, and the pathological changes in the eye of the foal is not evident.
Kozlov SA.The results of applying N. N. Sirotinin's concept of the use of hypoxic adaptation to enhance working capacity are given. There is evidence for the efficiency of adaptation of trotters to two hypoxias: to hypoxic hypoxia (in the midmountains) and to exercise hypoxia (during interval training under the conditions of Moscow) for increasing their performance. These studies demonstrated that in the midmountains, the trotters had more infrequent respiration, increased respiratory and minute respiratory volumes which were more obvious by the end of a monthly mountain stay. The monthly training of tr...
Lakritz J, Wisner ER, Finucane T, O'Brien TR, Tyler WS, Pascoe JR, Plopper CG.Interstitial and bronchointerstitial pulmonary patterns are commonly observed in thoracic radiographs of Thoroughbreds. Prominent interstitial and bronchointerstitial pulmonary patterns are observed in clinically normal horses, and in horses with respiratory tract disease. Until recently, the relevance of these pulmonary patterns was not known. Previous studies indicated that bronchiolitis, bronchiolar epithelial hyperplasia, epithelial metaplasia, and bronchial arteriolar recruitment correlated strongly with the prominence of the interstitial and bronchointerstitial pulmonary patterns observe...