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.
Steffey EP, Farver T, Zinkl J, Wheat JD, Meagher DM, Brown MP.Quantitative changes in hematologic and serum biochemical values associated with prolonged general anesthesia produced by known alveolar doses of halothane in oxygen were determined in six young, healthy horses under laboratory conditions. In addition, 25 young equine patients anesthetized for shorter periods under clinical conditions were similarly (except hematologic values) prospectively evaluated. In normal horses, muscle- and hepatic-derived serum biochemical values were mildly increased immediately after anesthesia. Values after anesthesia remained at greater than base-line values for up...
Plopper CG, Mariassy AT, Hill LH.Two morphologic characteristics have been used to define the nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial cell: abundant agranular endoplasmic reticulum (AER) and membrane-bound avoid granules. To assess the ultrastructural homogeneity of this cell type in the lungs of large domestic mammals used as experimental models in pulmonary research, we evaluated lungs of horse, steer, sheep, dog, and cat. Bronchioles of known anatomic location were examined by electron microscopy following fixation by airway infusion at standard pressure and processing by selective embedding techniques. Nonciliated bronchiolar ...
Tinling SP, Cardinet GH, Blythe LL, Cohen M, Vonderfecht SL.The structure of sarcocysts in a horse is presented. Light microscopic examination revealed that the maximum cyst dimensions were 136 X 990 micrometers and the cyst walls were striated and 1 to 3 micrometers thick. Electron microscopic examination revealed that the "cyst wall" was formed by villuslike protrusions of the parasitophorous vacuole's primary wall. A unique feature was the presence and arrangement of microtubules within the parasitophorous vacuole. Thirty-four to 55 microtubules extended from the apical tips and sides of each villus and passed through the ground matrix to form junct...
Lang DC.A beam of pulsed ultrasound was used to treat musculoskeletal disorders in 53 horses and 143 dogs and cats. The cases were spread over seven years and 533 separate insonations were made. Doses, which varied according to the lesion, ranged from 0.2 to 3 watts/cm2 for five minutes in each treatment. In 63 per cent of the cases, rapid and complete resolution occurred.
Bramlage LR, Gabel AA, Hackett RP.Five horses with avulsion fractures of the proximal origin of the suspensory ligament were examined for lameness. The horses in the series each had lameness of acute onset; four were severely lame, and one was moderately lame. The condition was difficult to diagnose because commonly used local anesthetic blocks did not result in improvement during the routine examination. Local infiltration of the area with local anesthetic returned the horses to soundness. After a period of rest, varying from a few weeks in the acute injury to 6 months in the chronic injuries, the horses were returned to raci...
Lucke JN, Hall GM.As part of a study of the metabolic effects of long distance riding the results of biochemical analyses of blood samples taken from horses before, immediately after and one hour after an 80 km ride are reported. The results show that the horses were moderately dehydrated, they were working aerobically using fats as metabolic substrates and blood glucose was reduced. There was no evidence of post exercise ketosis and circulating alanine levels fell. Metabolic hormone levels are reported and are related to the availability of substrates for gluconeogenesis. There was evidence of reduced kidney a...
Dusek J, Munk Z.The breeding documentation of the English Thoroughbred horse breeding farm at Napajedla was analyzed to study some effects acting upon the fertility of studs and mares and the length of gravidity. The heritability of fertility is the subject of this report. The normality of the distribution of fertility was tested by processing 300 data on fertility at the given significance level sup / Fn(xi) - F(xi) / less than or equal to Dn(a). The value of the supreme D(300) = 0.108 is lower than the critical level for alpha 0.05. The estimation of fertility heritability coefficient indicates that h2 = 0....
McGowan JJ, Allen GP, Barnett JM, Gentry GA.Infection of horse KyED cells with equine herpesvirus type 3 (EHV-3) resulted in a sevenfold increase in cytosol deoxythymidine kinase (dTK) activity. The EHV-3 dTK was purified from KyED cytosol dTK by affinity chromatography on deoxythymidine-Sepharose and characterized with respect to its electrophoretic mobility, molecular weight, substrate specificity, phosphate donor specificity, and immunological specificity. The purified EHV-3 dTK migrated in polyacrylamide gels with an Rf of 0.30 and sedimented in glycerol gradients with an S value of 5.13, corresponding to a molecular weight of 83,00...
Benson GJ, Hartsfield SM, Manning JP, Thurmon JC.Succinylcholine chloride administered to horses anesthetized with halothane in oxygen and mechanically ventilated, caused slight but statistically insignificant (P less than 0.01) increases in creatine phosphokinase, lactic dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase activity. The increases in these enzymes have been explained on the basis of muscle damage resulting from succinylcholine chloride induced muscle fasciculations and by hypoperfusion of tissues due to depression of the cardiovascular system caused by general anesthesia. These changes were not clinically apparent based upon the ab...
Arnbjerg J.With reference to previous reports on hypocalcemia in horses special attention is given to the principal symptoms such as anxiety, increased muscular tension, esp. of the musculature of the extremities, in severe cases leading to ataxia, and to a pulse-synchronized respiration (Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter). The time of appearance of the symptoms are much more variable than it is the case for hypocalcemic agalactia in cows. Furthermore the condition has been reported in foals as well as in geldings. Thus the triggering factor seems to be somewhat different from that of agalactia. Hypocalc...
Downing DT, Colton SW.Skin surface lipids from the sides of male and female horses (Equus caballus) were collected in acetone and analyzed by thin layer chromatography and gas liquid chromatography. The sole components in both sexes were cholesterol, cholesteryl esters and the lactones of 32-, 32- and 36-carbon omega-hydroxy acids, each including a methyl group in the n-1 position. Most of the lactones were monounsaturated (either n-8 or n-10), but small amounts of saturated and dienoic species were present. A pooled sample of the skin surface lipids contained 14% cholesterol, 38% cholesteryl esters and 48% lactone...
Slone DE, Vaughan JT, Garrett PD, Vaden MF, Purohit RC.The vascular anatomy of the adrenal glands and a surgical technique for bilateral adrenalectomy in the equid are described. Bilateral adrenalectomy was performed in six ponies and one horse via bilateral transcostal retroperitoneal approaches through the 18th rib during a single anesthetic period. Complications included hemorrhage from the right side only and pneumothorax which usually occurred on the right side. One pony died as a result of the surgical technique. Maintenance of adrenal function was accomplished with desoxycorticosterone pivilate and prednisolone.
Mouren MC, Ohayon M, Tatossian A.Animals have always occupied a privileged place beside man and with him form a couple, a duality. In the first part the authors study the psychology of the adopted animal. Then they look at greater length into the personality of his owner, with particular insistence on the reasons for acquiring it, on the choice of animal (dog, cat, horses), on the part it plays in the life of its master, and on the latter's reaction at his companion's death. They also tackle the problem of man's abnormal behaviour in relation to animals, especially bestiality.
Houghton E, Dumasia MC.1. The metabolism of 19-nor[4-14C]testosterone in a thoroughbred horse has been studied and neutral urinary metabolites obtained after enzyme hydrolysis have been investigated by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry. 2. 3-Hydroxyestran-17-one, 17 alpha- and 17 beta-nortestosterone, estrane-3,17-diol (two isomers), 3,16-dihydroxyestran-17-one (two isomers), 3,17-dihydroxyestran-16-one (two isomers) and estrane-3,16,17-triol were identified in the neutral urinary extracts.
Fernie DS, Batty I, Walker PD, Platt H, Mackintosh ME, Simpson DJ.The vaccination of four ponies on two occasions with a formolised culture of Haemophilus equigenitalis produced a high circulating antibody titre to the organism in each pony. Three out of four vaccinated and all of three unvaccinated ponies developed typical symptoms of contagious equine metritis (CEM) when subsequently challenged with a vaginal exudate containing H equigenitalis. Similarly, three ponies which had previously been infected with H equigenitalis and which had recovered spontaneously also developed contagious equine metritis when rechallenged with the organism. The clinical and b...
Rose RJ, Ilkiw JE, Sampson D, Backhouse JW.Sixteen horses competing in a three-day event had venous blood samples collected during the speed and endurance test (day 2) to examine changes in blood gas ands acid-base balance, and the concentrations of lactate, pyruvate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, alpha-ketoglutarate and cortisol. Following the roads and tracks and steeplechase phases there was a significant metabolic and respiratory alkalosis despite a rise in lactate. After completion of the cross country section, although there was a significant decrease in total base, there was no significant change in pH from pre-event value...
Roberts MC, Kelly WR.Granulomatous enteritis was diagnosed in a 4-year-old Standarbred mare suffering from chronic weight loss, depression, dependent oedema but not diarrhoea. There was hypoproteinaemia (hypoalbuminaemia), lymphocytopaenia and neglibible carbohydrate absorption from the small intestine. Pathological changes in almost the entire small intestine included proprial infiltration resulting in partial villous atrophy, and granuloma formation beneath the muscularis which was most severe in the ileum. Slight infiltration occurred in the stomach and the colon. The cells were predominantly lymphocytes and hi...
Harmegnies NF, Duvivier DH, Vandenput SN, Art T, Lekeux PM, Votion DM.This study aimed to compare exercise-induced pulmonary perfusion redistribution in healthy vs. 'heavey' horses using scintigraphy, a minimally invasive technique. Six healthy (A) and 5 'heavey' horses in remission (B(I)) and during clinical signs of disease (B(II)) were investigated. Dimensions of the exercising pulmonary perfusion (QE) images were expressed in percent of the resting perfusion (QR) images. Computed QE to QR ratios (QE/QR) images enabled the definition of the region more perfused at exercise than at rest (R1). In all groups, exercise induced a major enlargement of the Q image b...
Koljonen V, Söderlund T, Mäkisalo H, Gissler M.Contacts between humans and animals inevitably involve encounters possibly resulting in the human being injured. During the period of 2000 to 2014 almost 90 people died in this kind of conflict in Finland. Of these deaths, one third were associated with horses. In addition, over the same period 85 people died in traffic accidents in which an animal was hit by a car. Accidents requiring hospitalization occurred for approx. 8 000 people.
Wrangberg T, Kendall A. Proper identification of healthy subjects is essential in case-control studies. However, standardized definitions of healthy controls are lacking in equine orthopaedic research. Objective: The aim of this study was to define the non-invasive methods used for selecting healthy control horses in osteoarthritis (OA), desmitis and tendinitis research. Methods: Systematic review. Case-control studies with a healthy control group and longitudinal studies where horses had to be healthy at the start were included. Studies where joints were visualized by arthroscopy or post-mortem examination ...
Fitzgerald SD, Braselton WE.Diagnostic evaluation of a mildly ataxic young gelding Quarterhorse included a contrast myelogram. Unfortunately, sodium diatrizoate was inappropriately administered by intrathecal injection resulting in severe unrelenting seizure activity and necessitated the destruction of the animal. The contrast agent was identified by analyzing cerebrospinal fluid by high-performance liquid chromatography and confirmed with probe mass spectrometric analysis. This contrast agent is highly ionic, has high osmolarity, and also blocks neurotransmission at specific receptors; for these reasons it is contraindi...
Sławomirski J, Flieger S, Jastrzebski M, Boratyński Z.The studies carried out on 2 spinal cords of horses showed that cells of the medial motor nucleus (nucleus motorius medialis) are present in all neuromers of the lumbar and sacral segment of the spinal cord. It lies in the medial part of grey matter of the ventral column, neighbouring laterally and ventrally with cells of the lateral motor nucleus, whereas dorsally with cells of the nucleus of the ventral commissural horn. Along the nucleus numerous constrictions and intervals are found, which are connected with various numbers of nerve cells in particular cross-sections.
Mizobe M, Kondo F, Kumamoto K, Terada T, Nasu H.Rapid and quantitative analytical methods for bilirubin using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection were developed for samples from equines at a meat inspection site. Sharp HPLC peaks for bilirubins, unconjugated bilirubin (UCBL) and conjugated bilirubin (CBL), were obtained using a simple mobile phase of methanol:0.5 M Tris-HCl buffer (65:35, v/v, pH 7.4). A variable wavelength detector set at 450 nm, 0.01 AUFS and a recorder set at 4 cm/min were used for detection. Peaks for UCBL and CBL occurred at 7.1 min and 4.9 min, the lower limits of detection ranged between 0...
Mobarak MS, Ryan MF.Adult Strongylus vulgaris, collected from the caecum of infected horses and embedded in paraplast using standard methods, were sectioned for immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies. Antibodies were raised in rabbit against the excretory-secretory product (ESP) and against two constituent protein bands (28-30 kDa). The use of sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting indicated the immunogenicity of ESP and of the subunits (28-30 kDa). In ELISA, both rabbit hyperimmune sera recognized the ESP and (28-30 kDa) ban...
Sinclair J.Veterinary students with a particular interest in equine medicine and surgery gathered at Nottingham vet school recently to further their knowledge and skills in these areas. Jordan Sinclair, editor of the Journal of the Association of Veterinary Students, reports.
Buntain B, Greig WA, Thompson H.The clinical and pathological features of a case of chronic nephritis in a 17-year-old pony was described. Measurement of fluid intake and laboratory analysis of sequential blood and urine samples helped in establishing an accurate diagnosis. The case demonstrates that although chronic renal disease is not well documented in the horse it should nevertheless be considered in the differential diagnosis of conditions characterised by progressive loss of weight.
Willink DL, Smeenk LA, van Oyen PW, de Kruif A.Data from the literature and own data for 67 twin pregnancies were used to establish the factors essential to the decision on how to treat twins at different gestational ages. Spontaneous (natural) reduction was compared with manual embryo reduction. Manual embryo reduction is always indicated when a twin is diagnosed before day 16 after ovulation. Thereafter, the type of fixation is the main determinant. Manual embryo reduction is always first choice for bilateral and unilateral non adjacent embryos and must be applied as early as possible. The change of natural reduction up to day 30, is hig...
Díez E, López I, Pérez C, Pineda C, Aguilera-Tejero E.Donkeys appear to be more predisposed than large breed horses to suffer from hyperlipemia. The reason for that predisposition is unknown but anorexia is a consistent feature of the disease. Leptin, a protein synthesized in fat tissue, is one of the major inhibitors of appetite in mammals. Objective: We hypothesized that donkeys could have elevated plasma leptin concentrations compared to horses. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 50 donkeys for measurement of leptin, triglycerides (TGs), glucose, and insulin. Glucose/insulin ratio, modified insulin to glucose ratio, and reciprocal of th...
Wright JA, Fordyce P, Edington N.Ultrastructural lesions of the cranial nerves and their ganglia and the autonomic nervous system from 5 cases of neuritis of the cauda equina in the horse are described. They include lysosomal inclusions within the semilunar, geniculate and sympathetic chain ganglia, granulomatous involvement of the coeliaco-mesenteric ganglion and accumulation of axonal organelles in unmyelinated fibres of the great splanchnic nerve, sympathetic chain and oesophageal vagus.
Stick JA, Borg LA, Nickels FA, Peloso JG, Perau DL.An osteochondral fragment was removed from the caudal pouch of the lateral femorotibial joint in a 2-year-old Trakehner colt by use of arthroscopic surgery and a lateral approach. The approach to this aspect of the femorotibial joints was developed in another horse. The fragment was not attached and resembled an osteochondritis dissecans lesion. The intermittent lameness associated with the fragment resolved after surgical removal. A positive response to diagnostic anesthesia of the femorotibial joint in the absence of a confirmed diagnosis (following radiographic and arthroscopic evaluations ...
Petersen A, Schott HC.To determine whether dexamethasone or hydroxyzine affect intradermal testing (IDT) and allergen-specific IgE serum testing (ASIST) results in horses, these tests were performed serially in five horses without signs of atopic dermatitis before and after treatment with the drugs. IDT consisted of saline, histamine (1:100,000 w/v) and eight commercial extracts; results were evaluated as subjective scores by comparison to saline (0) and histamine (4) and as objective measurement of wheal diameter (mm). After baseline testing, dexamethasone (20 mg) was administered intramuscularly daily for 7 days....
Trolldenier H, Klarmann D, Krabisch P, Rohde J, Steiner A, Verspohl J.368 streptococcal strains from udder secretions of cattle (Sc. agalactiae, Sc. dysgalactiae, Sc. uberis) and 191 streptococcal isolates from horse specimens (Sc. equi ssp. zooepidemicus, Sc. equi ssp. equi) originating from different agricultural regions in Germany (Lower Saxony, in particular the region of Weser-Ems, Bavaria, Altmark) were investigated for their sensitivity to 4 beta-lactam antibiotics (benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, cefotaxime). Two different test methods were applied: the agar diffusion test for determination of the diameter of the zone of inhibition and the E-tes...