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.
Gronwall R, Engelking LR.The effects of several treatments and their routes of administration on the reduction of hyperbilirubinemia in 9 pony mares after a 3-day fast were studied. Treatments were as follows: glucose given at doses of 1.2, 2.4, and 3.7 mg/min/kg of body weight; refeeding the base-line diet; feeding straw; and IV administration of taurocholic acid at a dosage of 0.07 mumol/min/kg. The 3 glucose dosages were each given by 3 different routes: IV, intraduodenal, and intragastric. The smallest dosage of glucose given by IV route reduced the plasma bilirubin concentration only 7%, even though other measure...
McIlwraith CW.The postoperative management of the surgical colic patient varies according to the complications experienced. Many of these complications can be related to the time at which surgery is performed
relative to commencement of the problem, the condition of the patient at the time of surgery, the particular condition, and, last but not
least, the surgeon's performance. Some of the points have been discussed elsewhere in the symposium. The maintenance of asepsis, attention to minimizing trauma to the bowel, and appropriate attention
to visceral and parietal closures are all important principles. ...
Brundage-Anguish LJ, Holmes DF, Hosier NT, Murphy BR, Massicott JG, Appleyard G, Coggins L.Temperature-sensitive (ts) reassortants of an equine influenza virus, subtype A-1, were produced by mating a human influenza ts donor virus with an equine influenza A/Cornell/16/74 wild-type virus and by isolating a ts reassortant virus possessing the equine hemagglutinin and neuraminidase surface antigens. Two equine its reassortant clones, 8B1 and 71A1, were produced which had an in vitro shutoff temperature for plaque formation of 38 and 37 C, respectively. The human ts donor virus had ts mutation(s) on the polymerase 3 (P3) and nucleoprotein genes so that a ts equine reassortant virus coul...
Jagodzinski PW, Funk GF, Peticolas WL.The nature of the binding of aromatic aldehyde and aromatic alcohol substrates to the catalytic zinc of equine liver alcohol dehydrogenase has been studied by using resonance-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. When an excess of both enzyme and coenzyme to substrate is used, a stable ternary chemical intermediate is formed between liver alcohol dehydrogenase and the reduced coenzyme, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and the aldehyde, p-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde, in the pH range 8.5-0.6. Resonance-enhanced Raman spectra clearly show that this same intermediate is formed between the excess enzyme, ...
Jacobs KA, Bolton JR.The effect of altering the diet during the week preceding the administration of an oral glucose tolerance test was studied in 7 horses. The results indicated that substantially lower oral glucose tolerance test curves are observed in horses fed a stable diet comprised of oat hay, a commercially prepared complete feed, and oat and alfalfa chaff, when compared with the curves for horses grazing clover and kikuyu pasture. It was concluded that, in utilizing the oral glucose tolerance test to assess small intestinal function in the horse, it may be necessary to consider the dietary history.
Harrington DD.Acute accidental vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) toxicosis was diagnosed in a 6-month-old foal with extensive lesions of soft tissue mineralization. In an experimental study, three 18-month-old horses were given ergocalciferol per os at a rate of 9,300, 22,200, or 47,200 IU/kg of body weight/day for 21 days. Clinical signs or lesions were not seen in horses given the low and intermediate doses, whereas the horse receiving the highest dose developed clinical signs and lesions similar to those noted in the foal. Signs included depression, loss of appetite, weakness, limb stiffness with impaired mobi...
Raphel CF.Three horses with brain abscesses had different clinical manifestations: 1 had a protracted clinical course whereas 2 had a short clinical course. Clinical signs in 2 horses (1 acute case, 1 chronic case) included unilateral loss of vision, head tilt, circling, abnormal mental status, and ataxia. The 3rd horse had bilateral loss of vision, altered mental status, and apparent deafness. Results of cerebrospinal fluid analysis were inconsistent. The horse with the protracted clinical course had paradoxic central vestibular disease.
Brumbaugh GW, Thomas WP, Hodge TG.A 4-year-old Quarter Horse gelding with atrial fibrillation, mitral regurgitation, and signs of bilateral congestive heart failure was initially treated IV with digoxin and furosemide. After parenteral digitalization, a daily maintenance dose of digoxin was administered orally at a rate of 21.7 micrograms/kg of body weight. At this dosage, a steady-state serum digoxin concentration of 2.3 ng/ml was achieved without clinical signs of toxicosis. The furosemide dosage was decreased and eventually discontinued as clinical improvement occurred. Clinical signs of congestive heart failure were contro...
Brems DN, Liu YC, Stellwagen E.The heme iron of horse heart cytochrome c was selectively removed using anhydrous HF. The product, porphyrin c, exhibits the viscosity, far ultraviolet circular dichroic, and fluorescence properties characteristic for native cytochrome c. However, porphyrin c is more susceptible to denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride and by heat than is the parent cytochrome. All of the conformational parameters of porphyrin c exhibit a common reversible transition centered at 0.95 m guanidine hydrochloride at 23 degrees C and pH 7.0. Guanidine denatured porphyrin c refolds in two kinetic phases having tim...
Rossdale PD, Cash RS, Leadon DP, Jeffcott LB.Total protein content and a variety of enzyme activities and electrolyte values were determined in 73 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 66 horses and ponies. The foals (48) were divided into 3 categories-spontaneously delivered normal foals (Group A), full term induced normal foals (Group B) and premature induced non-surviving foals (Group C). CSF samples from a group of 18 normal adults (Group D) were included for comparison. Paired serum and CSF samples were collected on 32 occasions and subjected to similar analyses. CSF sodium and chloride were always higher than serum sodium and chlo...
Derksen FJ, Robinson NE, Slocombe RF, Hill RE.In unanesthetized ponies, arterial blood gas tensions, pulmonary mechanics, and lung volumes were determined before and 24 to 48 hours after oral administration of 500 ml of corn oil or 100 mg of 3-methylindole (3MI)/kg of body weight in 500 ml of corn oil. In the latter group, variables were also measured after bilateral cervical vagotomy. Respiratory rate and minute ventilation were increased by 3MI treatment and decreased after vagotomy, suggesting that the tachypnea induced by 3MI was vagally mediated. The arterial O2 tension (PaO2) was unaffected but arterial CO2 tension (PaCO2) decreased...
Visser S, Jenness R, Mullin RJ.Three groups of casein components were isolated from horse milk. Group I is almost insoluble at acid and neutral pH, and is rather heterogeneous on alkaline gels with or without sodium dodecyl sulphate. Group II shows strong similarity to beta-casein from other species, as concluded from its amino acid composition and its N- and C-terminal sequences. This group consists of five electrophoretically distinguishable forms, all containing ester phosphate groups but no carbohydrate. Group III is composed of C-terminal fragments of the beta-like (group II) fraction and probably arises from the actio...
Benson GJ, Manohar M, Kneller SK, Thurmon JC, Steffey EP.A radiograph technique for identification of diaphragmatic segments and quantitation of their contribution to total diaphragmatic function was developed. five anesthetized ponies were studied on 3 separate occasions. Studies were made of the ponies in left lateral recumbency at 2 anesthetic levels (1 and 2 minimal alveolar anesthetic concentrations; halothane) and under spontaneous and controlled ventilation systems. General pattern of diaphragmatic displacement was unchanged by increased depth of anesthesia. Controlled ventilation altered the pattern of diaphragmatic displacement. Diaphragmat...
Simon V, Dyson SJ.We compared the radiographic and scintigraphic findings in the third carpal bone of horses performing different work disciplines and investigated their relationship with lameness. Horses had undergone carpal radiography including acquisition of a dorsoproximal-dorsodistal oblique (DPr-DDiO) image of the distal row of carpal bones and/or scintigraphic examination of the carpi. Cause of lameness, breed, age, and work discipline were recorded. Increased opacity in the third carpal bone was graded, ratio of radiopharmaceutical uptake calculated objectively, and increased radiopharmaceutical uptake...
Morandi F, Frank N, Avenell J, Daniel GB.99mTc-mebrofenin is used in humans and small animals to assess hepatic function. This study was undertaken to measure hepatic clearance of 99mTc-mebrofenin in healthy horses and to determine whether feed deprivation and increased serum total bilirubin (TBIL) concentration alter 99mTc-mebrofenin clearance. Plasma clearance of 99mTc-mebrofenin was determirned in 7 healthy horses at 0, 48, and 96 hours of feed withholding. Serum TBIL and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations were measured every 24 hours. 99mTc-mebrofenin (4.16 +/- 0.62 mCi, mean +/- SD) was injected into a jugular vein, ...
McClintock SA, Hutchins DR, Laing EA, Brownlow MA.Six adult horses with normal blood gas values, normal thoracic radiographs and free from overt signs of respiratory disease were confined in flotation tanks for periods from one to seven weeks. With one exception, they all coughed, had a variable amount of nasal discharge and, at autopsy, showed cranio-ventral alterations to their lungs which were characterised by patchy irregular areas of absorption atelectasis with or without an inflammatory reaction and an accompanying alveolar emphysema.
Iff I, Mosing M, Lechner T, Moens Y.To determine the usefulness of an acoustic device to confirm correct placement of extradural needles in horses. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Twelve adult healthy horses weighing between 434 and 640 kg. Methods: Horses were sedated, placed in stocks and subjected to caudal extradural anaesthesia using lidocaine 2%. For extradural puncture an 18 gauge Tuohy needle connected to an acoustic device via an electronic pressure transducer was used. This device allowed recording of the extradural pressure profile and the transformation of pressure changes into an audible signal. Ex...
Heinze H, Klug E.Clinical tests with synthetic gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (Hoechst) were made during the breeding seasons of 1973 and 1974, using 128 mares injected with 1-0 to 4-0 mg of the substance intramuscularly. The mares were placed in one of five groups based on ovarian condition determined by clinical evidence. Some success was obtained in the induction of ovulation in mares with inactive and sub-normally active ovaries and in a small group having cystic ovaries. A large proportion of mares having a mature follicle responded within 48 hr, but others with atretic follicles failed to respond. The u...
Grøndahl AM, Jansen JH, Teige J.Fifty-six tarsocrural joints and 94 metatarsophalangeal joints were examined, at necropsy, from horses aged < or = 2 years. Osteochondral fragments at the cranial aspect of the intermediate ridge of the distal part of the tibia were seen in six horses, and at the proximoplantar aspect of the proximal phalanx in seven horses. Defects in the proximoplantar aspect of the proximal phalanx without osteochondral fragments were seen in a further two horses. Inflammatory and degenerative changes were not observed in any of the joints examined. From the incidence and natural course of these fragment...
Launois T, Hontoir F, Dugdale A, Dedieu M, Vandeweerd JM.Horses with recurrent uveitis can be treated by intravitreal injection of low dose gentamicin under sedation and after local anesthetic techniques including the retrobulbar nerve block. Since it is reported that retinal degeneration can be secondary to an acute increase of intraocular pressure (IOP), the current randomized controlled study was carried out in order to investigate the changes in IOP following retrobulbar anesthesia, with two different volumes of local anesthetic (lidocaine) solution (10 and 5 mL), and intravitreal injection of 6 mg gentamicin in two different volumes of solution...
Brama PA, Barneveld A, Karssenberg D, Van Kampen GP, van Weeren PR.A recently developed indenter system that aims at determination of local structural properties of the cartilage surface was evaluated for suitability in the horse. To this aim, maximum indenter force was measured of the articular surface and related to biochemical characteristics of the cartilage at different sites of the distal metacarpal bone (MC). Significant topographical variation exists in structural properties of the articular surface of the MC. The dorsal margin showed a significantly lower maximum indenter force than more centrally located areas, indicating an increased compliance und...
Giguère S, Macpherson ML, Benson SM, Cox S, McNaughten JW, Pozor MA.Pregnancy induces several physiologic changes that might impact the bioavailability, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of pregnancy on the disposition of oral firocoxib in mares. Seven pony mares received oral firocoxib paste at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg during late pregnancy and again 12 to 33 days postpartum. Firocoxib concentrations were measured in plasma by HPLC with ultraviolet detection. Maximum plasma concentrations were significantly lower in pregnant (50.0 ± 21.8 ng/mL) than in postpartum (73.7 ± 25.6 ng/mL) mares. ...
Fischer KD.A number of surgical interventions in ancient veterinary medicine were modelled on the same procedures in human medicine. This is discussed in some detail for the prolapse of the uterus and the couching of the cataract in horses. In the introductory section, the importance of Switzerland and neighbouring areas for the transmission of ancient veterinary medicine is highlighted.
Sinclair CD, Thompson D, Stevenson JS, Rozell T, Jager A, Kouba J.Introducing males to seasonally anestrous females has been shown to increase LH concentrations and hasten the first ovulation in ewes and goat does. Investigation of this sociosexual phenomenon in mares has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to determine if direct or indirect exposure of anestrous mares to a stallion would result in a similar increase in LH and hasten the first ovulation. In late February, mares were stratified by parity and age and assigned randomly to three treatments (n = 7/treatment): (1) DXP (direct exposure; mares housed adjacent to stallion and all...
Brown CM, Holmes JR.In horses experimental right and left heart catheterization using a catheter with two microtransducers 9 cm apart, usually in a transvalval position produced pressure and sound artifacts that confounded the diagnosis. Most were probably due to malpositioning resulting in movement through a valve during recording or impingement on the valve cusps or the chordae tendineae or lodgement in the apex of the heart. The recognition of these artifacts is particularly important in studies of large animals in which catheter siting cannot be monitored by radiography.
Voss JL, Pickett BW.The effect of rectal palpation of fertility of non-lactating, normal cyclic mares was studied over 3 years. During the first year (1971), the conception rates in mares after daily paplaption during oestrus only, and during oestrus and the first 50 days of pregnancy, were not significantly lower (P greater than 0-05) than the conception rates recorded in mares not palpated. No abortions could be attributed to palpation. Oestrus lasted longer (P less than 0-05) in non-palpated than palpated mares. During the second year (1972), first-cycle pregnancy rates in two groups of mares palpated daily du...
Calvo-Santesmases A, Manso-Díaz G, Fores P, López-Sanromán J.Alpha-2-adrenergic drugs, such as detomidine, are commonly used to sedate lame horses during examination. However, the use of these drugs should be minimized, as they have numerous side-effects, like ataxia. Therefore, we wanted to test the effects, on the locomotor pattern, of low doses of detomidine (0.003 mg/kg). Six horses were sedated with 0.003 mg/kg of detomidine and compared with the same horses administered a saline solution. Using a triaxial accelerometer, data of kinetic, coordination and energetic locomotor parameters and the degree of sedation were collected. The effects were moni...
Stolk PW, Lagerweij E.Using the semi-closed to-and-fro system, oxygen-halothane anaesthesia was produced in horses and ponies. It is concluded that the system described enables the equine veterinary practitioner to carry out moderately prolonged surgery (up to approximately 120 minutes) by a justifiable and relatively safe method.
Mattila M, Honkanen S, Sjögren T, Piirainen A, Aartolahti E.Interaction has a multidimensional role in equine-facilitated rehabilitation. Unassigned: The aim of this study was to understand rehabilitees' experiences of interaction during equine-facilitated rehabilitation. Unassigned: Six children and four adults with individual diagnoses or reasons to participate in equine-facilitated rehabilitation were included in this qualitative study. Data were collected by interviewing individually the rehabilitees. A phenomenological Spiegelberg's seven-phase meaning analysis was performed to reveal the meanings. Unassigned: Seven meanings were identified: 1) Tr...
Dowsett KF, Pattie WA.Semen was collected from 222 stallions of 13 breed or colour types in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. A total of 648 collection attempts were made, using an artificial vagina, during 4 consecutive breeding seasons (1974/5 to 1977/8). Modifications were made to the techniques used by previous workers because collections were made at commercial studs using minimal animal restraint. Of all collection attempts, 621 (96%) were successful, while at least one semen sample was collected from each of 216 stallions (97%). There were no significant relationships between stallion collect...
Jakop U, Hensel B, Czirják GÁ, Quirino M, Schröter F, Jung M, Schulze M.During insemination, bacterial contamination of the ejaculate can lead to reduced sperm quality and transmission of pathogens to the female, thus should be avoided. The semen of a variety of animal taxa possess antimicrobial properties against a wide range of bacterial species through antimicrobial molecules, such as lysozyme, but their variance and the factors influencing it are unknown for most species. In this study, the antibacterial defence (bacterial killing activity (BKA) against Escherichia (E.) coli and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus as well as lysozyme concentration) was studied in semin...
Simpson CF, Taylor WJ, Kitchen H.Four splenectomized Welsh ponies were infected with Babesia equi. Two ponies were treated with imidocarb dipropionate, and two were not treated. By light microscopic examination, 1% to 2% of the parasitized erythrocytes of treated ponies contained crystalline inclusions. The crystals were rectangular, diamond, or burr shaped. They occupied most of the erythrocytic cytoplasm, and, as a result, the remainder of the pale staining cytoplasm was inconspicuous in Wright-Giemsa-stained blood smears. The size and shape of intraerythrocytic inclusions varied when examined by electron microscopy, but in...
Schryver HF, Hintz HF, Lowe JE.Absorption excretion and tissue distribution of stable Zn and 65Zn in mature ponies were studied in three experiments. In the first experiment, the metabolism of stable, dietary Zn and intravenously administered 65Zn was studied in three ponies in a 3 X 3 Latin square design. The ponies were fed a corn and beet pulp diet containing 35 mg Zn/kg or the same diet with 250 or 520 mg of supplemental Zn as ZnO. The ponies absorbed and retained more stable Zn when fed 250 mg of supplemental Zn that when fed the basal diet alone or the basal diet plus 520 mg of supplemental Zn. The ponies retained mor...
Manohar M, Thurmon JC, Tranquilli WJ, Shawley RV, Froelich P.A technique was developed for long-term catheterization of the coronary sinus in calves and ponies. A catheter with a 10 to 12 cm-long stiff segment was implanted via right lateral thoracotomy. Catheters were kept patent up to 10 weeks after the surgical procedure. At that time, location of the catheter tip was confirmed both by determining oxygen tension of the anaerobically sampled blood and by radiography. Base-line values of oxygen venous blood of non-anesthetized calves and ponies are reported.
