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.
Catandi GD, LiPuma L, Obeidat YM, Maclellan LJ, Broeckling CD, Chen T, Chicco AJ, Carnevale EM.Dietary supplementation is the most feasible method to improve oocyte function and developmental potential . During three experiments, oocytes were collected from maturing, dominant follicles of older mares to determine whether short-term dietary supplements can alter oocyte metabolic function, lipid composition, and developmental potential. Over approximately 8 weeks, control mares were fed hay (CON) or hay and grain products (COB). Treated mares received supplements designed for equine wellness and gastrointestinal health, flaxseed oil, and a proprietary blend of fatty acid and antioxidant s...
Holyoak GR, Ma A.Historical evidence of acupuncture predates written history. It has been a component of Traditional Chinese veterinary medicine for many generations and is officially recognized in recorded history for treating equine disease in the Zhou Dynasty, circa 1050 BC. Drawing from a range of searchable databases, we present the use of veterinary acupuncture related to theriogenology. We touch on human-based medicine only as an introduction to current uses within veterinary medical acupuncture. This review is confined to the use of acupuncture encompassing dry needle, electroacupuncture, aquapuncture,...
Almazán C, Scimeca RC, Reichard MV, Mosqueda J.Babesia and Theileria are apicomplexan parasites that cause established and emerging diseases in humans, domestic and wild animals. These protozoans are transmitted by Ixodid ticks causing babesiosis or theileriosis, both characterized by fever, hemolytic anemia, jaundice, and splenomegaly. In North America (NA), the most common species affecting humans is B. microti, which is distributed in the Northeastern and Upper Midwestern United States (US), where the tick vector Ixodes scapularis is established. In livestock, B. bovis and B. bigemina are the most important pathogens causing bovine babe...
Knickelbein KE, Lassaline ME, Kim S, Scharbrough MS, Thomasy SM.To determine corneal thickness (CT) and axial anterior chamber depth (ACD) using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in normal adult horses. To compare corneal thickness measurements between UBM and ultrasonic pachymetry. Methods: Sixty eyes of 30 healthy adult horses aged 8-24 years. Methods: Ultrasonic pachymetry (velocity of 1640 m/s) was utilized to obtain measurements of the central, superior, temporal, inferior, and nasal cornea. Triplicate images of the same corneal locations were acquired using UBM (50 MHz). Images of the axial anterior chamber were used to measure ACD. Intraocular pres...
Lançoni R, Celeghini ECC, Gonella-Diaza AM, Júnior VG, de Carvalho CPT, Zoca GB, Garcia-Oliveros LN, Batissaco L, Oliveira LZ, de Arruda RP.This study aimed to assess the semen ubiquitin levels of stallions with good (GF) and poor semen freezability (PF) and to evaluate the relationship between sperm ubiquitination and sperm morphological defects. Five ejaculates from eight adult stallions (n = 40) were collected and cryopreserved. Then, the ubiquitin level in equine sperm cells was assessed by immunohistochemistry with epifluorescence microscopy, and sperm morphology was assessed by differential interference contrast microscopy. Sperm cells were classified according to the intensity (classification 1: from I to IV; I = very l...
Nitzsche AM, Fey K, Büttner K, Gröf M, Staszyk C.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is a common neurodegenerative disease mainly in horses older than 15 years. The domestic equine population is following the same demographic change as that seen in humans; it is aging and veterinarians are asked to attend to geriatric horses more frequently. Common problems seen regularly in older equines are dental disorders and especially periodontal disease. As a systemic and endocrine disease, associated with delayed wound healing and impaired immune function, PPID should be considered before major dental treatment in aged equines is started. Po...
Offer KS, Russell CM, Carrick JB, Wallington CE, Cudmore LA, Cuming RS, Collins NM.Peritoneal fluid analysis has both diagnostic and prognostic value in colic but is little reported in the post-partum mare. Multiple conditions may present similarly in this period, and peritoneal fluid findings may aid a prompt diagnosis. Objective: To describe the peritoneal fluid findings and their association with diagnosis in mares presenting to a single referral hospital for treatment of post-partum emergencies. Methods: A retrospective clinical study. Methods: Clinical records of 110 Thoroughbred mares were reviewed. Details of peritoneal fluid analysis from samples obtained at admissio...
Bergmann F, Trachsel DS, Stoeckle SD, Bernis Sierra J, Lübke S, Groschup MH, Gehlen H, Ziegler U.Following the introduction of the West Nile virus (WNV) into eastern Germany in 2018, increasing infections have been diagnosed in birds, equines, and humans over time, while the spread of WNV into western Germany remained unclear. We screened 437 equine sera from 2018 to 2020, excluding vaccinated horses, collected from convenience sampled patients in the eastern and western parts of Germany, for WNV-specific antibodies (ELISAs followed by virus/specific neutralization tests) and genomes (RT-qPCRs). Clinical presentations, final diagnoses, and demographic data were also recorded. In the easte...
Verney M, Gautron M, Lemans C, Rincé A, Hans A, Hébert L.Trypanozoon infections in equids are caused by three parasite species in the Trypanozoon subgenus: Trypanosoma equiperdum, T. brucei and T. evansi. They are respectively responsible for infectious diseases dourine, nagana and surra. Due to the threat that Trypanozoon infection represents for international horse trading, accurate diagnostic tests are crucial. Current tests suffer from poor sensitivity and specificity, due in the first case to the transient presence of parasites in the blood and in the second, to antigenic cross-reactivity among Trypanozoon subspecies. This study was designed to...
Abushhiwa MH, Elmeshreghi TN, Alrtib AM, Bennour EM, Oheida AH.Orthopedic diseases involving the forelimb fetlock joint of horses other than those used in professional racing have not been widely reported in the literature. One of these problems is the exostosis on the proximal forelimb phalanx (P1), which has not been reported previously in Western Libya. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of P1 exostosis in traditional equestrian horses (known locally as Sarj horses) of different breeds in Libya that participated in a special social event and described its clinical findings radiographic appearance. The current study involved 60 horses admitte...
Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Kusano K, Nagata SI.Processed pseudogenes, also known as retrocopy genes, are copies of messenger RNAs that have been reverse transcribed into DNA and inserted into the genome. In this study, we identified 62 processed pseudogene candidates as intron-less genes from whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of Thoroughbred horses using delly structural variation software. The 62 processed pseudogene candidates were confirmed by PCR amplification of intron-less products. A total of 11 processed pseudogenes were confirmed in the genome of all 23 analysed horses, whereas three processed pseudogenes with structures of ATP11...
Maśko M, Lewczuk D, Szarska E, Domino M.A horse learning about the entrance to narrow, cage-shaped places may be challenging both for the horses as well as for the owners. For some behaviors, such as loading into a trailer or climbing onto a treadmill, the final behavioral goal can be achieved by working towards it in stages. This study compared the successive approximation of horses to their first work on a treadmill with horses hardly ever loaded (HE L) and regularly loaded (R L) into a trailer. Fourteen horses were divided into two groups (HE L n = 7 and R L n = 7) based on their experiences of entering into a trailer. Al...
Dai F, Costa ED, Giordano A, Heinzl EUL, Giongo P, Pagnozzi G, Cannas S, Minozzi G, Minero M.Horses preparation for competition may cause psychological and physical stress. Physical vascular therapy BEMER® is reported to increase vasomotion and microcirculation, supporting body healing. This study aimed at assessing whether BEMER® physical vascular therapy in horses influences recovery rate of hematological and biochemical blood parameters within 1 h after moderate exercise and reduces stress measured by physiological and behavioral indicators. This prospective, randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study included twelve warmblood horses (3 mares, 8 geldings, 1 s...
Pringle J, Aspán A, Riihimäki M.The value of repeated nasopharyngeal lavage (NPL) to detect silent carriers of Streptococcus equi has not been investigated. Objective: Determine if results of serial testing for S. equi by NPL predicts subsequent true carrier status as determined by both NPL and guttural pouch lavage. Methods: An outbreak of strangles with 100% morbidity in 41 mature Icelandic horses was followed prospectively to investigate development of silent carriers. All were initially positive to S. equi on NPL. The farm was closed to horse movement during the entire study. Methods: Prospective observational study. Tes...
King MR, Seabaugh KA, Frisbie DD.Back pain and inflammation of the epaxial musculature is a significant problem in all equine athletes. Treatment of back pain can be challenging and often requires a multimodal approach. In humans, bio-electromagnetic energy regulation therapy (BEMER) has been reported to be effective in pain modulation. With its increased use in people comes a similar robust application in veterinary medicine unfortunately, there is unsubstantiated evidence for this type of therapy in horses. Objectives of this study were to assess analgesic responses and biomechanical outcome variables using a bio-electromag...
Murata D, Ishikawa S, Sunaga T, Saito Y, Sogawa T, Nakayama K, Hobo S, Hatazoe T.Medical interventions for subchondral bone cysts in horses have been extensively studied. This study investigated the regeneration of articular cartilage and subchondral bone with scaffold-free three-dimensional (3D) constructs of equine synovial membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SM-MSCs) isolated from three ponies and expanded until over 1.0 × 10 cells at passage 2 (P2). Results: SM-MSCs were strongly positive for CD11a/CD18, CD44, and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I; moderately positive for CD90, CD105, and MHC class II; and negative for CD34 and CD45 on flow cytom...
Straticò P, Guerri G, Palozzo A, Varasano V, Petrizzi L.(1) Background: Laparoscopic surgery replaced traditional invasive techniques for the treatment of common urogenital disorders in equids. The aim of this review is to evaluate applications and the development of urogenital laparoscopy from 2001 to 2021. (2) Methods: A scoping review of literature was undertaken according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines for scoping reviews on three databases (NCBI-PubMed, Web of Science-Thompson Reuters, and SciVerse Scopus). (3) Results: A total of 452 papers were identified. After duplicate removal...
Calzone S, Wilkins C, Deckers I, Nankervis K.The EquiAmi Training Aid (ETA) is a popular training and rehabilitation tool, however knowledge about its effect on the equine gait is lacking. Understanding of its effects on equine kinematics, and the clinical relevance of these effects is vital to promote optimal use of training aids within training and rehabilitation programmes. Therefore, this study aimed to determine how the ETA influences horses' gait kinematics at walk and trot. Eight horses walked and trotted in-hand with and without the ETA. Optical motion capture was used to measure forelimb and hindlimb pro- and retraction angles, ...
Fernández-Hernández P, García-Marín LJ, Bragado MJ, Domingo A, González-Fernández L, Macías-García B.In the horse, a repeatable protocol for in vitro fertilization has not been developed, possibly due to incomplete sperm capacitation. We have previously identified the metabolites present in equine oviductal fluid (OF). We aimed to test the effects of different metabolites found in equine oviductal fluid on quality parameters of frozen-thawed spermatozoa. Different concentrations of myoinositol (5-25 mM), lactate (6-60 mM), glycine (0.1-5 mM), β-alanine (1-6 mM), and histamine (0.05-0.4 mM) were added independently to modified Whitten's medium (pH = 7.25). Thawed equine spermatozoa (three s...
Scardia A, Mariani Pimenta EL, Ross Russell RI, Jones GJ, Staffieri F.The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the SpO/FiO diagram in estimating gas exchange in horses under general anaesthesia. In this prospective, controlled clinical study were included 10 horses under general anaesthesia. FiO was progressively reduced with the following steps: 0.6, 0.4, 0.3 and 0.21; SpO was recorded at each step. An arterial blood sample was collected at the steps of 1.0 and 0.21, to calculate intrapulmonary shunt with the Fshunt formula. The Fshunt value calculated at 0.21 FiO was defined as "Fshunt 0.21", the one calculated at 1.0 FiO as "Fshunt 1.0". The FiO ...
Hellings IR, Skjerve E, Karlstam E, Valheim M, Ihler CF, Fintl C.There are no reports on the number of fatalities or causes of death in the Norwegian and Swedish harness racehorses. Objective: The incidence rates (IRs), risk factors, and postmortem findings in horses that died or were euthanized associated with racing between 2014 and 2019 were investigated. Methods: Thirty-eight Standardbreds and 10 Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded Trotters died or were euthanized associated with racing. A total of 816 085 race-starts were recorded. Methods: Incidence rates were calculated for both countries and horse breeds. Risk factors for sudden death were identified us...
Schulze N, Werpy N, Gernhardt J, Fritsch G, Hildebrandt T, Vanderperren K, Klopfleisch R, Ben Romdhane R, Lischer C, Ehrle A.Dynamic computed tomography (CT) imaging has been introduced in human orthopaedics and is continuing to gain popularity. With dynamic CT, video sequences of anatomical structures can be evaluated in motion. Objective: To investigate the feasibility of dynamic CT for diagnostic imaging of the equine cervical articular process joints (APJs) and to give a detailed description of the APJ movement pattern. Methods: Descriptive cadaver imaging. Methods: Cervical specimens of twelve Warmblood horses were included. A custom-made motorised testing device was used to position and manipulate the neck spe...
Dohrmann J, Hildebrand F, Straub J, Wadephul R, Pusterla N, Freise F, Venner M.The goal of the current report was to describe the clinical signs, therapy and outcome of foals with suspected equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) due to an infection with Lawsonia intracellularis. Forty foals, born on the same breeding farm, were diagnosed with suspected clinical EPE between September 2019 and January 2020. Data of these cases were analyzed retrospectively regarding the course of the disease, treatment, outcome and long-term prognosis. All horses, including randomly selected control horses, were reassessed about nine months after the suspicion of EPE. The horses affected w...
Hain-Saunders NMR, Knight DR, Bruce M, Riley TV.Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile presents a significant health risk to humans and animals. The complexity of the bacterial-host interaction affecting pathogenesis and disease development creates an ongoing challenge for epidemiological studies, control strategies and prevention planning. The recent emergence of human disease caused by strains of C. difficile found in animals adds to mounting evidence that C. difficile infection (CDI) may be a zoonosis. In equine populations, C. difficile is a known cause of diarrhoea and gastrointestinal inflammation, with considerable mortality and morb...
Drabbe A, Janssens S, Blott S, Ducro BJ, Fontanel M, Francois L, Schurink A, Stinckens A, Lindgren G, Van Mol B, Pille F, Buys N, Velie BD.Osteochondrosis (OC) is an important skeletal disease causing profound welfare concerns in horses. Although numerous studies have explored the genetics underlying OC in various breeds, the Belgian Warmblood (BW) remains unstudied despite having a concerning prevalence of 32.0%. As a result, this study aimed to conduct genome-wide association (GWA) analyses to identify candidate variants associated with OC in BWs. To achieve this, blood samples and radiographs were collected from 407 Belgian Warmbloods registered to one of two BW studbooks (Belgisch Warmbloedpaard and Zangersheide), and genotyp...
Clothier J, Small A, Hinch G, Brown WY.The persistent endocrinological effects of perinatal stress due to gestational immaturity in horses are unknown, although effects have been reported in other livestock species. This pilot study tested the hypothesis that persistent adrenocortical dysregulation is present in horses that were gestationally immature at birth by assessing the salivary cortisol response to exogenous ACTH. Case horses (n = 10) were recruited with histories of gestation length < 315 d or dysmaturity observable through neonatal signs. Positive controls (n = 7) and negative controls (n = 5) were recruited wher...
Ablondi M, Johnsson M, Eriksson S, Sabbioni A, Viklund ÅG, Mikko S.Warmblood fragile foal syndrome (WFFS) is a monogenetic defect caused by a recessive lethal missense point mutation in the procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 1 gene (PLOD1, c.2032G>A). The majority of homozygous WFFS horses are aborted during gestation. Clinical signs of affected horses include fragile skin, skin and mucosa lacerations, hyperextension of the articulations, and hematomas. In spite of its harmful effect, a relatively high frequency of WFFS carriers has been found in Warmblood horses, suggesting a heterozygote advantage. Thus, in this study our aims were to: (1) est...
Riley CB, Rogers CW, Thompson KR, Guiver D, Padalino B.Negative outcomes associated with the road transport of horses are a significant welfare issue. This study aimed to describe the injuries sustained by horses during road transport in New Zealand and factors associated with trauma while in transit. New Zealand horse industry participants were surveyed on their horse transport experiences and equine industry involvement. Participants were solicited through horse organisations. The data were tabulated, and a logistic regression was performed to identify significant ( < 0.05) factors associated with transport-related injury. In total, 201/1133 ...
Wiggers N, Nauwelaerts SL, Hobbs SJ, Bool S, Wolschrijn CF, Back W.Left-right symmetrical distal limb conformation can be an important prerequisite for a successful performance, and it is often hypothesized that asymmetric or uneven feet are important enhancing factors for the development of lameness. On a population level, it has been demonstrated that uneven footed horses are retiring earlier from elite level competition, but the biomechanical consequences are not yet known. The objectives of this study were to compare the functional locomotor asymmetries of horses with uneven to those with even feet. Hoof kinetics and distal limb kinematics were collected ...
Ginther OJ.The mare is a good comparative model for study of ovarian follicles in women, owing to striking similarities in follicular waves and the mechanism for selection of a dominant follicle. Commonality in follicle dynamics between mares and women include: (1) a ratio of 2.2:1 (mare:woman) in diameter of the largest follicle at wave emergence when the wave-stimulating FSH surge reaches maximum, in diameter increase of the two largest follicles between emergence and the beginning of deviation between the future dominant and subordinate follicles, in diameter of each of the two largest follicles at th...
Capomaccio S, Cappelli K, Barrey E, Felicetti M, Silvestrelli M, Verini-Supplizi A.It is known that moderate physical activity may have beneficial effects on health, whereas strenuous effort induces a state resembling inflammation. The molecular mechanisms underlying the cellular response to exercise remain unclear, although it is clear that the immune system plays a key role. It has been hypothesized that the physio-pathological condition that develops in athletes subjected to heavy training is caused by derangement of cellular immune regulation. The purpose of the present study was to obtain information on endurance horse gene transcription under strenuous conditions and t...
Walton TE, Alvarez O, Buckwalter RM, Johnson KM.Ten horses (Equus caballus) were vaccinated with strain TC-83 Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus vaccine. Febrile responses and leukopenia due to a reduction of lymphocytes and neutrophils were observed in all animals. Viremias were demonstrable in eight horses, with a maximum of 10(3.5) median tissue culture infectious dose units per ml of serum in two horses. Clinical illness with depression and anorexia were observed in five horses. Neutralizing (N), hemagglutination-inhibiting, and complement-fixing antibodies to the vaccine virus were demonstrable by 5, 6.5, and 7 days, respe...
Corbin LJ, Kranis A, Blott SC, Swinburne JE, Vaudin M, Bishop SC, Woolliams JA.Despite the dramatic reduction in the cost of high-density genotyping that has occurred over the last decade, it remains one of the limiting factors for obtaining the large datasets required for genomic studies of disease in the horse. In this study, we investigated the potential for low-density genotyping and subsequent imputation to address this problem. Results: Using the haplotype phasing and imputation program, BEAGLE, it is possible to impute genotypes from low- to high-density (50K) in the Thoroughbred horse with reasonable to high accuracy. Analysis of the sources of variation in imput...
Theoret CL, Barber SM, Moyana TN, Gordon JR.To determine whether transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 and -beta3 expression differs between equine limb wounds healing normally and those healing with experimentally induced exuberant granulation tissue (EGT). Methods: Six wounds were created on the lateral aspect of both metacarpi of each horse; one forelimb was untreated, and the other was bandaged to stimulate the development of EGT. Sequential wound biopsies allowed comparison of growth factor expression between the two types of wound. Methods: Four horses (2 to 4 years of age; 350 to 420 kg). Methods: Wounds were assessed grossly, h...
Heleski CR, McGreevy PD, Kaiser LJ, Lavagnino M, Tans E, Bello N, Clayton HM.Unsteady hand position can cause discomfort to the horse, potentially leading to conflict behaviours (CB) such as head tossing or tail lashing. Some instructors feel that martingales or elastic rein inserts can reduce discomfort caused by inexperienced and unsteady hands. Others consider these devices to be inappropriate 'crutches'. Four horses and nine riders were tested under three conditions in random order: plain reins, adjustable training martingales (TM), and elasticised rein inserts (RI). Rein-tension data (7s) and behavioural data (30s) were collected in each direction. Rein-tension da...
Fenger CK, Granstrom DE, Gajadhar AA, Williams NM, McCrillis SA, Stamper S, Langemeier JL, Dubey JP.Sarcocystis sp. sporocysts isolated from eight feral opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were pooled and fed to 18 commercially reared budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), 14 wild-caught sparrows (Passer domesticus), one wild-caught slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis) and five weanling horses (Equus caballus). All budgerigars died within 5 weeks post inoculation (wpi). Histologic examination revealed meronts within the pulmonary epithelia and typical Sarcocystis falcatula sarcocysts developing in the leg muscles. Sparrows were euthanized 13 and 17 wpi and their carcasses were fed to four labora...
Mehdizadeh Gohari I, Unterer S, Whitehead AE, Prescott JF.The role of type A in canine acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome and foal necrotizing enteritis is poorly characterized. However, a highly significant association between the presence of novel toxigenic and these specific enteric diseases has been described. These novel toxigenic strains produce 3 novel putative toxins, which have been designated NetE, NetF, and NetG. Although not conclusively demonstrated, current evidence suggests that NetF is likely the major virulence factor in strains responsible for canine acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome and foal necrotizing enteritis. NetF is a be...
Leegwater PA, Vos-Loohuis M, Ducro BJ, Boegheim IJ, van Steenbeek FG, Nijman IJ, Monroe GR, Bastiaansen JW, Dibbits BW, van de Goor LH, Hellinga I....Inbreeding and population bottlenecks in the ancestry of Friesian horses has led to health issues such as dwarfism. The limbs of dwarfs are short and the ribs are protruding inwards at the costochondral junction, while the head and back appear normal. A striking feature of the condition is the flexor tendon laxity that leads to hyperextension of the fetlock joints. The growth plates of dwarfs display disorganized and thickened chondrocyte columns. The aim of this study was to identify the gene defect that causes the recessively inherited trait in Friesian horses to understand the disease proce...
Theoret CL.The equine practitioner who is presented with a wounded horse should fully understand the physiologic mechanisms involved in repair so as to design an appropriate treatment plan. In the following articles of this issue,experienced authors share their thoughts on the management of specific injuries, and the reader should benefit from acquisition of knowledge about the different phases of healing as well as the cytokines that regulate them,because these data dictate the approach to follow, particularly in com-plicated wounds, such as those afflicted by chronic inflammation and/or an excessive pr...
Burton AJ, Nydam DV, Dearen TK, Mitchell K, Bowman DD, Xiao L.To date, little is known about the prevalence, genotypes and zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium spp. affecting horses, especially in North America. A cross-sectional study was conducted in New York, USA between February 25th and May 1st 2009. Fecal samples were collected from three hundred and forty nine 1-10-week-old foals and their dams on 14 different broodmare farms. All fecal samples were screened for Cryptosporidium spp. using a direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA). DNA extraction and PCR-RFLP analysis of the small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene were performed on all the foal samples. PCR-p...
Marois P, Boudreault A, DiFranco E, Pavilanis V.Rhesus monkeys and ferrets were exposed to intranasal inoculation of several strains of egg-adapted avian, equine and human influenza viruses and to strains of mouse-adapted equine influenza viruses. Local replication of virus and seroconversion were observed in the majority of these animals. However, clinical infection was observed only in ferrets.
Cook VL, Jones Shults J, McDowell M, Campbell NB, Davis JL, Blikslager AT.Absorption of endotoxin across ischaemic-injured mucosa is a major cause of mortality after colic surgery. Recent studies have shown that flunixin meglumine retards mucosal repair. Systemic lidocaine has been used to treat post operative ileus, but it also has novel anti-inflammatory effects that could improve mucosal recovery after ischaemic injury. Objective: Systemic lidocaine ameliorates the deleterious negative effects of flunixin meglumine on recovery of mucosal barrier function. Methods: Horses were treated i.v. immediately before anaesthesia with either 0.9% saline 1 ml/50 kg bwt, flun...
Kang H, Zsoldos RR, Sole-Guitart A, Narayan E, Cawdell-Smith AJ, Gaughan JB.Healthy adult horses can balance accumulation and dissipation of body heat to maintain their body temperature between 37.5 and 38.5 °C, when they are in their thermoneutral zone (5 to 25 °C). However, under some circumstances, such as following strenuous exercise under hot, or hot and humid conditions, the accumulation of body heat exceeds dissipation and horses can suffer from heat stress. Prolonged or severe heat stress can lead to anhidrosis, heat stroke, or brain damage in the horse. To ameliorate the negative effects of high heat load in the body, early detection of heat stress and im...
Vallance SA, Entwistle RC, Hitchens PL, Gardner IA, Stover SM.Identification of exercise history patterns that are related to catastrophic scapular fracture will facilitate prevention of racehorse fatalities. Objective: To determine if exercise patterns are associated with scapular fracture in Thoroughbred (TB) and Quarter Horse (QH) racehorses. Methods: High-speed exercise histories for 65 TB and 26 QH racehorses that had a complete scapular fracture (cases) and 2 matched control racehorses were retrospectively studied. Exercise variables were created from lifetime race and official timed workout reports. Associations between exercise variables and scap...
Johnson AL, McAdams SC, Whitlock RH.The objective of the current retrospective study was to describe naturally occurring type A botulism in horses in the United States. In the past 10 years, the Botulism Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine has identified 3 isolated cases and 8 outbreaks of type A botulism in horses via samples positive for Clostridium botulinum type A toxin or spores using the mouse bioassay test. Additional information was obtained by review of submission forms and by telephone or email interviews. Almost all type A cases and outbreaks occurred in the western United Stat...
Timoney JF, Kumar P.Little is known about entry and subsequent multiplication of Streptococcus equi following exposure of a susceptible horse. This information would have value in design of intranasal vaccines and understanding of shedding and protective immune responses. Objective: To determine entry points and sites of subsequent replication and dispersion of S. equi at different times after intranasal infection or commingling exposure. Methods: Previously unexposed horses and ponies were subjected to euthanasia 1, 3, 20 or 48 h following intranasal inoculation with biotin labelled or unlabelled S. equi CF32. S...
Foland JW, McIlwraith CW, Trotter GW, Powers BE, Lamar CH.Osteochondral fragments were created arthroscopically on the distal aspect of both radial carpal bones in 12 horses. On day 14 after surgery, one middle carpal joint of each horse was injected with 2.5 mL Betavet Soluspan (3.9 mg betamethasone sodium phosphate and 12 mg betamethasone acetate per milliliter) and the contralateral joint was injected with 2.5 mL saline as a control. Intra-articular treatments were repeated on day 35. On day 17, six horses began exercising 5 days per week on a high-speed treadmill. The other six horses were kept in box stalls throughout the study as nonexercised c...
Daly K, Shirazi-Beechey SP.Nine oligonucleotide probes complementary to conserved regions of small subunit rRNA from phylogenetically defined clusters of intestinal anaerobic bacteria were designed and evaluated for use in quantitative analysis of intestinal microflora. Optimum wash temperatures (T(w)) were determined according to the temperature of dissociation (T(d)) of each probe and target group specificity was demonstrated by comparing hybridisation to target and non-target rRNA immobilised on nylon membranes. Three probes are targeted to phylogenetic clusters of Clostridiaceae, clusters III, IV and IX, with three ...
Tumas DB, Hines MT, Perryman LE, Davis WC, McGuire TC.The immune control of chronic equine infectious anaemia (EIA) lentiviral infection was investigated by specifically depleting CD5+ T lymphocytes in vivo with monoclonal antibody (MAb) or by immunosuppression with corticosteroids. MAb was given at 25 to 50 mg/day intravenously for 11 days. Murine IgG1 anti-equine CD2 MAb (n = 2 horses) or IgG1 (n = 2) and IgG2a control MAb (n = 2 normal; 2 EIA-infected) did not deplete CD2+ T lymphocytes in horses. Horses given murine IgG2a anti-CD5 MAb HB19A (n = 4 normal; 5 EIA-infected) had depletion of peripheral blood CD5+ T lymphocytes during treatment. T...
Steffey EP, Howland D.Circulatory and respiratory effects of alveolar concentrations of 1.31, 1.97, and 2.62 vol% of isoflurane in oxygen were studied in eight young, healthy horses during spontaneous and controlled ventilation. These isoflurane concentrations were equivalent, respectively, to 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 times the minimal alveolar concentration of isoflurane, which prevents movement in horses in response to a standard pain stimulus. Results of the isoflurane studies were compared with similarly derived findings in these same horses during equipotent halothane in oxygen anesthesia. Isoflurane, similar to halo...
Proops L, Rayner J, Taylor AM, McComb K.It has been suggested that the process of domestication, at least in some species, has led to an innate predisposition to be skilled at reading human communicative and attentional cues. Adult domestic horses (Equus caballus) are highly sensitive to subtle bodily cues when determining if a person is attending to them but they are less adept at using human communicative cues in object choice tasks. Here we provide the first study into the ontogeny of such skills in order to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying these abilities. Compared with adult horses, youngsters under the age of three...
The attention of sports community toward probiotic supplementation as a way to promote exercise and training performance, together with good health, has increased in recent years. This has applied also to horses, with promising results. Here, for the first time, we tested a probiotic mix of several strains of live bacteria typically employed for humans to improve the training performance of Standardbred horses in athletic activity. To evaluate its effects on the horse performance, we measured lactate concentration in blood, a translational outcome largely employed for the purpose, combined wit...
Sánchez de Medina A, Serrano-Rodríguez JM, Díez de Castro E, García-Valverde MT, Saitua A, Becero M, Muñoz A, Ferreiro-Vera C....Intravenous pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability of cannabidiol (CBD) with different formulations have not been investigated in horses and may represent a starting point for clinical studies. Objective: To describe pharmacokinetics after intravenous and oral administrations with oil and micellar formulations and simulate different treatments. Methods: Single intravenous experiment and two-way randomised oral experiments, Latin-square design. Methods: Eight healthy horses received intravenous CBD at 1.00 mg/kg dose, oral CBD in sesame oil and in micellar formulation, both at 10.00 mg/k...
Wagner B.Since the initial characterization of IgE by Ishizaka et al. (1966), IgE was described in several mammalian species. In horses, a single gene encoding the IgE heavy chain constant region (IGHE gene) exists per haploid genome and several allelic variants of the equine IGHE gene were found. IgE occurs in its soluble form in equine serum and physiological concentrations of total IgE are around 1000-fold higher in normal horse than in normal human serum. Maternal IgE is enriched in the colostrum and transferred to the neonatal foal after birth. Foals do not produce detectable concentrations of end...
Nuñez CM, Adelman JS, Rubenstein DI.Although the physiological effects of immunocontraceptive treatment with porcine zona pellucida (PZP) have been well studied, little is known about PZP's effects on the scheduling of reproductive cycling. Recent behavioral research has suggested that recipients of PZP extend the receptive breeding period into what is normally the non-breeding season. Results: To determine if this is the case, we compiled foaling data from wild horses (Equus caballus) living on Shackleford Banks, North Carolina for 4 years pre- and 8 years post-contraception management with PZP (pre-contraception, n = 65 births...
Nielsen MK, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Kuzmina TA, van Doorn DCK, Meana A, Rehbein S, Elliott T, Reinemeyer CR.This guideline have been developed to assist in the design, execution, and interpretation of studies to assess the efficacy of anthelmintic drugs against internal parasites of equines, including nematodes, cestodes, and larval instars of Gasterophilus spp. The design and execution of critical and controlled studies are outlined, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Unique considerations for specific target parasites are included. Information is also provided on selection of animals, procedures for randomization, housing, feeding, dosage titration, dosage confirmation and field...
