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.
Derksen FJ, Stick JA, Scott EA, Robinson NE, Slocombe RF.The effect of left laryngeal hemiplegia on airway flow mechanics in 5 exercising horses was examined, and the efficacy of surgical repair by prosthetic laryngoplasty was evaluated. Measurements of the upper airway flow mechanics were made with horses on a treadmill (incline 6.38 degrees) while standing (period A); walking at 1.3 m/s (period B); trotting at 2.6 m/s (period C); trotting at 4.3 m/s (period D); and standing after exercise (period E). Experiments were done on healthy horses before any surgical manipulation (control), at 10 days after left recurrent laryngeal neurectomy, and at leas...
Short CE, Stauffer JL, Goldberg G, Vainio O.Detomidine is a sedative-analgesic which has a pharmacological profile similar to xylazine. There is evidence that the sedative effects are mediated through alpha-2 adrenoceptors. Cardiopulmonary responses were determined using detomidine as the principal agent and as a preanesthetic prior to the induction of general anesthesia. Compatibility with guaifenesin, sodium thia-mylal and halothane were determined. As in the case of xylazine, detomidine produces a slowing of heart rates. This was found to be either sinus bradycardia or heart block. There may be a corresponding increase in systolic bl...
Bailey E.Segregation distortion was found for a haplotype of the equine lymphocyte antigen (ELA) system in an extended family of American Standardbred horses. In one sire family, consisting of a stallion and his 17 sons and grandsons, the gene for ELA-A10 (A10) was transmitted to 57.7% of 638 offspring scored (P = 0.001). Significant segregation distortion was not seen for mares or for unrelated stallions, regardless of the ELA markers they possessed. Since the effect was seen for this one sire family and not seen for other stallions with A10, it is unlikely that the gene for A10 is the cause of this p...
Holmes JR, Henigan M, Williams RB, Witherington DH.The paper describes five cases of atrial fibrillation detected after racing. In four of them, the arrhythmia disappeared spontaneously within 24 h and they were regarded as paroxysmal in type. In the fifth case, which won its race, the arrhythmia persisted for at least 45 h after racing. It was therefore regarded as an example of persistent atrial fibrillation. It was then treated with quinidine sulphate which restored sinus rhythm. It would seem that paroxysmal atrial fibrillation may be a cause of sudden decrease in racing performance.
Fleitman J, Neu D, Benjamin E.A reverse phase liquid chromatographic procedure is described for the simultaneous determination of oxfendazole [2-(methoxycarbonylamino)-5-phenylsulfinylbenzimidazole] and trichlorfon [(2,2,2-trichloro-1-hydroxyethyl)phosphonic acid dimethyl ester] in equine paste. The sample is extracted by sonication in methanol. Insoluble excipients are removed by centrifugation and an aliquot plus internal standard are diluted with dilution solvent (water-acetonitrile-phosphoric acid, 80 + 20 + 1). The samples are filtered and injected onto a Partisil-5 ODS-3 column with acetonitrile-0.01 M phosphate buff...
Eysker M, Mirck MH.The distribution of inhibited early third stage Cyathostominae larvae in different parts of the large intestine of the horse was studied in 20 Shetland ponies necropsied in autumn 1982, 1983 and 1984. The location of the larvae in the large intestinal wall was studied by histological examination of the intestines of the eight ponies from 1984. Inhibited larvae were located predominantly and more or less equally in the caecum and the ventral colon. Generally fewer early L3 were in the dorsal colon. In 1984 a considerable proportion (mean 17%, range 9.7-36.9%) of the inhibited larvae was found i...
McDonough PL, Shin SJ, Timoney JF.The salmonella serotypes isolated during 1978 to 1983 at the diagnostic and clinical laboratories of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine from animal sources in New York state were reviewed and compared to earlier data from New York state animals and to national data for both human and animal sources. A total of 255 salmonella strains were studied from the six year period and included 33 serotypes. Salmonella enteritidis ser Typhimurium continued to be the most commonly reported serotype followed by serotype Anatum. Generally serotypes from New York state animals reflected nationa...
Todhunter RJ, Stick JA, Slocombe RF.The effects of 3 feeding techniques on healing of a cervical esophageal mucosal resection and anastomosis were investigated in 16 horses. Horses were fed a moistened pelleted diet 1 of 3 ways: 1) per os (n = 5), 2) by nasogastric (n = 5) or 3) by esophagostomy tube (n = 6) until the 14th postoperative day. The pelleted diet was then fed orally in all horses until euthanasia on the 60th postoperative day. Immediate postoperative feeding per os was unsatisfactory, as only 2 of 5 horses survived in this group. Endoscopic evaluation revealed that mucosal dehiscence of varying degrees occurred, wit...
Palmieri G, Panu R, Asole A, Farina V, Sanna L, Gabbi C.The most developed and organized lamina running trough the biceps brachii muscle belly forms a well-marked tendinous intersection connecting the proximal tendon with the distal one. Moreover, the lacertus fibrosus arises from this lamina close to the distal tendon and blends with the fascia of the forearm and joins the extensor carpi radialis muscle. The nerve supply for the biceps tendinous intersection arises from the intramuscular rami of the musculo-cutaneous nerve, whereas the lacertus fibrosus is provided with some cutaneous rami of the same nerve. The biceps brachii tendinous intersecti...
Salinovich O, Payne SL, Montelaro RC, Hussain KA, Issel CJ, Schnorr KL.Previous results from our laboratory have demonstrated that equine infectious anemia virus displays structural variations in its surface glycoproteins and RNA genome during passage and chronic infections in experimentally infected Shetland ponies (Montelaro et al., J. Biol. Chem. 259:10539-10544, 1984; Payne et al., J. Gen. Virol. 65:1395-1399, 1984). The present study was undertaken to obtain an antigenic and biochemical characterization of equine infectious anemia virus isolates recovered from an experimentally infected pony during sequential disease episodes, each separated by intervals of ...
Widders PR, Stokes CR, David JS, Bourne FJ.Antibody in serum, uterine and vaginal secretions was measured following local immunisation and experimental infection with the organism of contagious equine metritis (Taylorella equigenitalis). Intrauterine immunisation with killed T equigenitalis stimulated a systemic IgG titre and a uterine IgA and IgM response. Subsequent challenge with the organism, however, resulted in a characteristic metritis in both control and vaccinated mares. Antibody in serum and secretions was increased following challenge infection, dwarfing the response to immunisation. The local response was restricted to the ...
Yamamoto K.Monospecific (MSp-) antisera against E1 and E2 glycoproteins of western equine encephalitis (WEE) virus were prepared and examined for binding activities to whole virions, hemagglutination-inhibition (HI), neutralization (NT) and protection. Both anti-E1 and anti-E2 MSp-Abs protected mice against WEE virus challenge. A competition experiment with monoclonal antibodies showed that these MSp-antisera appear to lack the antibody population for some epitopes involved in viral neutralization.
Johansson IM, Anlér EL, Bondesson U, Schubert B.Two metabolites of meclofenamic acid have been isolated from equine urine. Both metabolites are found to be monohydroxylated forms of meclofenamic acid by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after extractive alkylation. The parent drug and the metabolites are separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography on a Spherisorb ODS column, using methanol-phosphate buffer eluents and UV detection at 280 nm. The structure of the metabolites is discussed on the basis of LC, TLC and GC-MS data.
Ronéus BO, Hakkarainen RV, Lindholm CA, Työppönen JT.Vitamin E requirements of adult Standardbred horses were evaluated by tissue depletion and repletion. All the horses used in the study were given the same basal feed low in vitamin E during the eight months of the experiment. After an initial depletion period of two-and-a-half months the horses were divided into groups according to the amounts of DL alpha-tocopheryl acetate given (0 mg, control; 200, 600, 1800 and 5400 mg, respectively) as a daily oral supplement. The supplement study was followed by a second depletion period. Total vitamin E content and individual natural tocopherol isomers a...
Brayton CF.Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a very simple compound that has stimulated much controversy in the scientific and popular literature. Fig. 1 It is an aprotic solvent. Therapeutic and toxic agents that are not soluble in water are often soluble in DMSO. DMSO has a very strong affinity for water; on exposure to air, pure DMSO is rapidly diluted. DMSO's physiologic and pharmacologic properties and effects are incompletely understood. Properties that are considered to be particularly important to its therapeutic and toxic effects include: its own rapid penetration and enhanced penetration of other su...
De Waal A, Littlejohn A, Potgieter GM, Van der Berg J, Minnaar PI, Smith A.An apparatus was designed to collect four consecutive blood samples from exercising horses. The collection of each sample was controlled by valves activated by radiotelemetry signals transmitted by an observer. Using the device, venous blood samples were collected from ten thoroughbred racehorses before, during and after a 400 m training gallop. Blood glucose increased markedly post-exercise. Both phosphorus and potassium concentrations increased during exercise, decreased post-exercise and recovered to pre-exercise levels within 120 minutes. The system was modified to collect anaerobic sample...
Meinecke B.The present study comprises 31 mares, that showed a permanent unilateral enlargement of the ovary. In 29 patients the ovary in question was removed by a flanc laparotomy in the standing animal. In the histopathologic examination a granulosa cell tumor was diagnosed in 23 cases, a fibroma twice and a teratoma, hematoma, leiomyoma and a cystic ovary each once. Due to the endocrine activity of the granulosa cell tumor, the clinical picture was characterized by changed behaviour and atrophy of the contralateral ovary. Clinically the ovarial blastomas (teratoma, leiomyoma, fibroma) could not be dif...
Skrabalak DS, Henion JD.Betamethasone and its major unconjugated metabolite, 6-beta-hydroxybetamethasone, were detected in equine urine by thin-layer chromatography and characterized by micro-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (micro-LC/MS). Their structures were confirmed by a combination of infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Köhler H, Oberlojer HG, Schönbauer M.In the ampulla roof of the wave-like extending horse rectum the muscular coat is only weakly developed as a deltoid-shaped tuna muscularis area, thus forming a place of minor resistance. With regard to the degree of development of the muscular coat a rectal ampulla with a stable form and strong muscles can be distinguished from an ampulla with a labile form and weak muscles. The rupture of the intestinal wall in this region in the case of rupture-experiments as well as the frequent occurrence of diverticula reveals this area as being a place of minor resistance which requires extreme caution d...
Rabinovsky ED, Yang TJ.A tumor antigen (TA) associated with murine leukemia-lymphoma L5178Y cells has been identified by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) techniques. The antigen was present in both non-solubilized and 0.5% NP-40 solubilized membrane extracts. Rabbit anti-L5178Y lymphoma serum (RALS), extensively absorbed with normal mouse tissues, identified TA in extracts of L5178Y lymphoma and L5178Y leukemia cells grown in horse serum (L5178Y/HS), but not in extracts of L5178Y cells grown in fetal calf serum (L5178Y/FCS). Similarly, absorbed rabbit anti-L5178Y/HS...
Donecker JM, Sams RA, Ashcraft SM.The pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of probenecid given IV and orally at the dosage level of 10 mg/kg of body weight to mares were investigated. Probenecid given IV was characterized by a rapid disposition phase with a mean half-life of 14.0 minutes and a subsequent slower elimination phase with a mean half-life of 87.8 minutes in 5 of 6 mares. In the remaining mare, a rapid disposition phase was not observed, and the half-life of the elimination phase was slower (172 minutes). The mean residence time of probenecid averaged 116 minutes for all 6 mares and 89.2 minutes for the 5 mares with...
Harrison IW.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.
Vázquez JM, Rivero M, Gil F, Ramírez JA, Ramírez G, Vilar JM, Arencibia A.Magnetic resonance images were obtained from two isolated horses' heads. Ten mm thick, T1-weighted images were taken with a 1.5 Tesla magnet and a body coil, and compared with the corresponding frozen cross-sections of the heads, relevant structures being identified and labelled at each level. The images should provide reference material for clinical magnetic imaging studies of horses' heads.
Equine lentivirus receptor-1 (ELR1) has been characterized as the specific functional receptor that mediates equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) entrance to horse macrophages. This receptor is tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 14 (TNFRSF14). The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of allelic variants in the coding sequence of equine TNFRSF14 gene by screening for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in different equine populations. Forty seven horse samples were randomly selected from a reservoir of EIAV-seropositive and seronegative samples collected from d...
Salamanca-Carreño A, Parés-Casanova PM, Crosby-Granados RA, Vélez-Terranova M, Bentez-Molano J.The skull is divided into neurocranium and splanchnocranium, and its variation allows ecomorphological studies to learn about possible evolutionary and adaptive characteristics. The basicranial organization of the neurocranium and splanchnocranium modules was studied in a sample of 31 skulls from adult Araucanian horses by means of 2D geometric morphometric techniques. The neurocranium and splanchnocranium modules on the ventral aspect were analyzed separately using a set of 31 landmarks. The RV coefficient (the multivariate analog of a correlation) was estimated to analyze the independence of...
Kovár J.The possibility of using the test for pulse-rate response to gradated load in the evaluation of the endurance component of horse performance (in other words, response to the degree of horse adaptation to load) is discussed in detail. A mathematic-statistical analysis of regression coefficients is performed in the equations of the dependence of pulse rate on speed obtained in 278 three years old horses in the period following the termination of the basic training (145 Bohemian Warm-Blooded horses, 115 Kladrub Black horses and 18 English Half-Breds). A ten-score scale is calculated on the basis ...
Busschers E, Richardson DW, Hogan PM, Leitch M.To describe the characteristics of unilateral mid-body proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) fractures, to determine factors associated with the outcome of horses after surgical repair, and to describe a technique for arthroscopically assisted screw fixation in lag fashion. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Horses (n=25) with unilateral mid-body PSB fracture. Methods: Medical records (1996-2006), radiographs, and arthroscopic videos of horses with surgically repaired unilateral mid-body PSB fractures were reviewed. Retrieved data included signalment, affected limb and PSB, fracture character...
Carstanjen B, Sulon J, Banga-Mboko H, Beckers JF, Remy B.This study describes for the first time the development and validation of a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) for equine osteocalcin (OC) quantification using purified equine OC as standard, tracer, and immunogen for antibody formation in rabbits. The assay allowed to measure equine serum OC levels with a sensitivity of 0.2 ng/mL. Immunoreactive serum OC values of clinically normal, different-aged horses ranged from 3.68 to 127.31 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV) were 6.2 and 8.2%, respectively. Serial equine serum sample dilutions were linear. The recov...
Valberg SJ, Baird JD.Pelvic limb movement disorders unrelated to lameness or proprioceptive ataxia have been described in horses for centuries. The two best described are Shivering and Stringhalt. Shivering is unique in that it is primarily apparent when horses are asked to walk backward, without affecting forward gaits until quite advanced. Horses exhibit abduction and either hyperflexion or marked hyperextension of one or both pelvic limbs when walking backward, resulting in a pause at the peak of the stride cycle and reluctance to move backward. Generally, Stringhalt differs from Shivering in that it produces c...
Dargatz DA, Salman MD.Epidemiology is a tool much like any other diagnostic tool that the practitioner uses as an aid in the complete physical examination of the group of animals. It can be used to generate a specific differential diagnosis list. Epidemiology is especially useful to design a disease control and prevention program by helping to elucidate the key determinants of disease occurrence.
Moss A, Leise B, Hackett E.Laminitis is a complex and debilitating disease of horses. Numerous predisposing factors contribute to laminitis development, however the exact pathogenesis remains undetermined. Serum T4, cortisol, and histamine are components of the innate stress response and could play a causative or contributory role. Stress hormone concentrations in laminitis are largely unknown. Objective: To evaluate parameters associated with stress response in horses with laminitis, and compare these to healthy horses and horses with gastrointestinal (GI) disease. Methods: Thirty-eight adult horses presenting for non-...
Hoffman AM, Viel L, Staempfli HR, Muckle CA, Yager JA.One indication for referral of horses to veterinary hospitals is for diagnosis of the microbiologic cause of pneumonia, particularly when the initial treatment fails. Although endoscopic methods have long been available for microbiologic sample collection, accuracy of these methods under these conditions have not been studied in detail. We compared the bacteria isolated from samples obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) with those obtained by protected catheter brush (PCB) from foals with unilateral pneumonia induced by inoculation with Klebsiella pneumoniae. As part of previously described...
Lamas LP, Giovagnoli G, Heath MF, Jeffcott LB.Height is the only factor used to differentiate horses and ponies for competitive purposes; any horse without shoes that is less than 148 cm at the highest point of the withers can be classified as a pony. However, variations in height associated with anatomical and other factors can occur. In this study the accuracy of the most commonly used measuring procedure and seven independent factors that might affect apparent height were evaluated in skeletally mature horses that were less than 155 cm in height. The results indicated that there was an improvement of 57 per cent in the accuracy of meas...