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.
Cheney JA, Liou SY, Wheat JD.Abstract
The high incidence of lameness in thoroughbred racehorses in California led to a study which indicated a relationship between track hardness and the percentage of occurrence of lameness. One type of lameness is due to a longitudinal fracture of the foreleg cannon bone (third metacarpal). A study was made to obtain the compressive strength of cannon bonein vitro due to single and cyclical loading, and material properties of bone material in the longitudinal and transverse directions in the bone. A theory for the interaction of bone-marrow fluid with the longitudinal compression predic...
Mackay RJ, Iverson WO, Merritt AM.A 4-year-old stallion was examined because of a 2-month history of inappetance and weight loss. Diarrhoea had also developed a month before presentation. Abnormal clinical findings were emaciation, diarrhoea, ventral oedema, palpable mesenteric lymph node enlargement and a large mass in the left cranial portion of the abdomen. Significant laboratory findings were anaemia (packed cell volume 0.21 litres/litre), hypoalbuminaemia (16 g/litre) and xylose malabsorption. The horse was euthanased and at necropsy a 10.5 kg pendunculated mass composed of granulation tissue was found within and attached...
Röthlisberger U, Kaegi B, Geyer H, Auer JA.The annular ligament constriction is characterized by a disproportion between the available space and the contents within the fetlock tunnel. The main symptoms are a persisting lameness, distention of the tendon sheath, a typical "notch" when the fetlock is viewed from the side and a hyperflexion pain in the fetlock. The surgical treatment consists of the transection of the fetlock annular ligament. The conservative management can be considered as a independent therapy or as a preparation for a subsequent desmotomy. The medical records of 75 horses suffering from fetlock tunnel syndrome presen...
Saint-Dizier M, Chopineau M, Dupont J, Combarnous Y.The full-length equine luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin (LH/CG) receptor (eLH/CG-RA) cDNA and two alternatively spliced isoforms (eLH/CG-RB,C) were isolated from luteal tissue and characterized using a combination of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The 680-amino acid full sequence of eLH/CG-RA displayed 87-92% homology with other mammalian LH/CG-Rs. The eLH/CG-RB and eLH/CG-RC cDNA isoforms were truncated from the 3'-end of exon X: eLH/CG-RB spliced out of frame into the last exon whereas eLH/CG-RC contained an in-fram...
Niyom S, Mama KR, King M, Contino E, Ferris D, Valdes-Martinez A, Frisbie DD, McIlwraith W, Zumbrunnen J.This study investigated the influence of changing recumbency and mode of ventilation over repeated anesthesias on the alveolar to arterial oxygen tension gradient (PO) and laboratory analytes in eight horses during a year-long imaging study. Anesthesia was induced with xylazine, diazepam or guaifenesin, and ketamine and maintained with isoflurane. Horses were positioned in right or left lateral recumbency for computed tomography. Ventilation was controlled during 47% of the anesthetics. Blood was sampled from an arterial catheter prior to (30 ± 5 min from connection to anesthetic circuit), wi...
Dorado J, Anaya G, Bugno-Poniewierska M, Molina A, Mendez-Sanchez A, Ortiz I, Moreno-Millán M, Hidalgo M, Peral García P, Demyda-Peyrás S.Chromosomal abnormalities are one of the main causes of genetic infertility in horses. Currently, their detection rate is rising due to the use of new diagnostic tools employing molecular markers linked to the sex chromosome pair. Despite genetic similarities, there are no previous reports of sterility associated with chromosomal abnormalities in the domestic donkey (Equus asinus). Hereby, we determined the presence of a chromosomal mosaicism in a female donkey with reproductive problems using molecular methodologies developed for horses. A two-and-a-half-year-old jenny characterized by morpho...
Nyack B, Padmore CL, Dunn D, Kufuor-Mensan E, Mobini S.A 10-year-old Tennessee Walker gelding, with a history of progressive weight loss, intermittent colic and lethargy, had a slight fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, pallor, ascites and marked ventral edema. Blood analyses revealed anemia, leukocytosis, neutrophilia with a left shift, lymphopenia, monocytosis, hypoproteinemia and a slightly increased SDH level. Abdominocentesis produced red-orange fluid with many RBC and an increased fibrinogen content. Rectal palpation revealed a large mass in the left caudal abdominal quadrant. The animal died shortly after resection of the mass. The histopatholog...
Melrose PA, Douglas RH.Scanning electron microscopy showed that cells in the infundibular recess of prepubertal female horses were devoid of cilia and sparsely covered with stubby microvilli and small blebs, whereas superior ventricular areas were covered with cilia. Ciliated ependymal cells in supraoptic-suprachiasmatic areas were associated with extensive blebbing, and folded tissue adjacent to the inferior borders of the mamillary body displayed distinct bands of cilia regularly interrupted by areas of sparsely ciliated cells which appeared to be undergoing ciliogenesis. Arcuate ependymal areas had well developed...
Hinchcliff KW, Mitten LA.Furosemide and, less commonly, bumetanide and ethacrynic acid are potent diuretics administered to horses for a variety of reasons, including prophylaxis of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. These drugs affect urine volume and composition, and furosemide has marked effects on plasma volume and composition and on systemic hemodynamics at rest and during exercise.
Cohausz O, Müntener CR, Trachsel D, Wimmershoff J, Eser MW.A 15 year old Oldenburger gelding was treated during 3 weeks for laminitis with the anticoagulant phenprocoumone (27 mg orally, once daily) and concurrent administration of phenylbutazone (2-4 g orally, twice daily). After this treatment the animal was presented to the Equine Clinic University of Zurich with a history of acute colic and advanced symptoms of shock. On the basis of the clinical signs and laboratory values, a diagnosis of combined drug induced coagulopathy was made. The horse was treated with the antidote Vitamine-K1 (0.5 mg/kg, subcutaneously). Eventually, the general condition ...
Specht TE, Colahan PT, Nixon AJ, Brown MP, Turner TA, Peyton LC, Schneider RK.Ethmoidal hematoma was diagnosed in 9 horses by results of physical examination, endoscopy, radiography, and histologic examination of tissues. The horses had stertorous breathing (n = 4) or intermittently sanguineous nasal discharge (n = 7). All horses underwent sinusotomy and extirpation of the lesion. At reexamination 15 to 104 months after surgery (mean, 61 months), 3 horses had recurrence of ethmoidal hematoma, and 1 horse had ethmoidal hematoma involving the contralateral ethmoturbinates. One of the horses with recurrence of ethmoidal hematoma also developed a contralateral lesion; both ...
Miller RL, Webster JK, Mariger SC.The purposes of this study were to identify the source and frequency of agricultural injuries in Utah, and determine an injury rate for common agricultural activities. Previous studies conducted in Utah examined injury rates by utilizing emergency room logs. This study collected data directly from the source, farmers and ranchers in Utah, and included all modes of treatment. A random sample of Utah Farm Bureau members were mailed questionnaires to assess the number of injuries occurring during the past three years, the mode of treatment for the most recent injury, and the percentage of time sp...
Oldenkamp EP.A suspension based on the antibiotic, natamycin, was applied by sponging to 83 horses of various breeds and ages with signs of clinical ringworm. A number of different causative agents were involved of which Trichophyton equinum was the most common. Treatment successfully eliminated the disease within 4 weeks. After treatment the recovered animals did not show any evidence of re-infection for up to 6 months. The mycological clearance rate was 97 per cent and apart from the efficacy against ringworm, the preparation had the advantage of being non-irritant and odourless. It was also useful for t...
