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.
Goachet AG, Harris P, Philippeau C, Julliand V.This study aimed at evaluating, in previously inactive Standardbreds horses, the effect of 5 weeks of an exercise training programme on nutrient digestibility and faecal fermentative parameters (FFPs). As an increase in digestibility had previously been reported in trained endurance horses, we hypothesized that similar results would be found in horses being trained for other types of exercise on a different type of diet. After 3 weeks of dietary adaptation, a digestibility trial (DT1) was undertaken, over 3 days, in eight untrained Standardbreds with a fresh faecal sample being collected on th...
Stefanetti V, Marenzoni ML, Lepri E, Coletti M, Casagrande Proietti P, Agnetti F, Crotti S, Pitzurra L, Del Sero A, Passamonti F.Ascending infections of equine uterus frequently result in placentitis and abortions; most of these infections are bacterial and are less commonly due to fungi. This report describes an abortion case in an Arab mare due to Candida guilliermondii that was diagnosed via cytological, histological, cultural and biomolecular assays. The histological lesions found were severe necrotizing placentitis associated with fetal pneumonia. To our knowledge this is the first case of C. guilliermondii abortion reported in equine species.
Holland C, Vollrath F, Gill HS.Our comparative study of the knees of horses and cows (paraphrased as highly evolved joggers and as domesticated couch-potatoes, respectively) demonstrates significant differences in the posterior sections of bovine and equine tibial cartilage, which are consistent with specialisation for gait. These insights were possible using a novel analytical measuring technique based on the shearing of small biopsy samples, called dynamic shear analysis. We assert that this technique could provide a powerful new tool to precisely quantify the pathology of osteoarthritis for the medical field.
Kampmann S, Hampson BA, Pollitt CC.Recent record rainfall in much of semi-arid Central Australia is the most likely reason for a feral horse population increase in excess of normal. Uncontrolled numbers of feral horses have habitat degradation and animal welfare implications. Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate the social structure of feral horses and assess their population growth rate following unseasonably high rainfall. Methods: The study area was 4000 km(2) of unmanaged, semi-arid country in Central Australia (latitude 24.50°S, longitude 132.10°E). Horses were identified by descriptive features from g...
Ho EN, Kwok WH, Lau MY, Wong AS, Lam KK, Stewart BD, Wan TS.Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a hematopoietic growth factor regulating granulopoiesis. The recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) is widely used for the treatment of granulopenia in humans. Filgrastim is a rhG-CSF analogue and is marketed under various brand names, including Neupogen(®) (Amgen), Imumax(®) (Abbott Laboratories), Neukine(®) (Intas Biopharmaceuticals) and others. It is banned in both human and equine sports owing to its potential for misuse. In order to control the abuse of filgrastim in equine sports, a method to identify unequivo...
Kudrnáčová M, Langrová I, Maršálek M, Jankovská I, Scháňková S, Brožová A, Truněčková J.The occurrence of Hypoderma diana (Diptera: Hypodermatidae) in a herd of 15 horses was observed during a 4-year period (2010-2013) in northwest Bohemia. During this period, infestation by the warble fly H. diana increased from 12.5% in 2010 to 53.3% in 2013. Nodules were observed on the neck, back, stomach, legs, and head. The incidence of H. diana was probably influenced by the presence of a specific host mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon).
Waghmare AB, Salvi NC, Deopurkar RL, Shenoy PA, Sonpetkar JM.Several biochemical and hematological changes in horses are observed during production of snake antivenom. Although conventional adjuvants like Freund's (Complete and Incomplete) are good immunopotentiators, they produce considerable local reactions in animals. Variety of commercial adjuvants, like montanide adjuvants, having high immunopotentiation and showing lesser side effects are available. The prime objective during antivenom production is to strike a balance between safety of immunized horses and efficacy of the product. In our earlier work, efficacy of montanide group of adjuvants in a...
Szóstek AZ, Galvão AM, Hojo T, Okuda K, Skarzynski DJ.The aim of the present study was to investigate the interaction between ovarian steroids, interleukins and prostaglandins (PG) in equine epithelial and stromal cells in vitro. In Experiment 1, cells were exposed to IL-1α (10 ng/mL), IL-1β (10 ng/mL) or IL-6 (10 ng/mL) for 24 h and cell proliferation was determined using MTT. In Experiment 2, cells were exposed to progesterone (P4; 10(-7) M); 17-β estradiol (E2; 10(-9) M) or P4+E2 for 24 h and later medium was replaced with a fresh one treated with IL-1α, IL-1β or IL-6 (10 ng/mL, each) for 24 h. The oxytocin (OT; 10(-7)...
Greve L, Dyson SJ.Saddle slip is usually blamed on saddle fit, crooked riders or horse shape, but may reflect hindlimb lameness. There are no studies of the frequency of occurrence of saddle slip and risk factors within a tested sample population of the general sports horse population. Objective: To quantify the frequency of saddle slip and to describe the association with lameness, thoracolumbar shape/symmetry, crooked riders and ill-fitting saddles. Methods: Nonrandom, cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling. Methods: Five hundred and six sports horses in normal work were assessed prospectively. Tho...
Martin-Flores M, Campoy L, Kinsley MA, Mohammed HO, Gleed RD, Cheetham J.To evaluate the hypothesis that epidural morphine (0.1 mg kg(-1) ) decreases pain in horses after laparoscopic surgery without adversely affecting gastrointestinal (GI) motility. Methods: Randomized clinical trial. Methods: Eighteen horses undergoing laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy under general anesthesia. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to receive either epidural morphine (0.1 mg kg(-1) ) or no epidural before the start of surgery. Pain behaviors were assessed during the first two post-operative days using a numerical rating scale. Barium-filled spheres were administered through a naso...
Ferris RA, Frisbie DD, McCue PM.Current treatments for Persistent mating-induced endometritis such as uterine lavage and oxytocin therapy focus on aiding the uterus in removal of inflammatory products, but these treatments do not modulate the inciting inflammatory response. Biological treatments, such as autologous conditioned serum (ACS) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have been used in human and veterinary medicine for immunomodulation for over 10 years. The objectives of this project were to evaluate the ability of ACS or MSCs to modulate the inflammatory response to spermatozoa after breeding. Two experiments were pe...
Winfield LS, Brooks MB.A 23-year-old Thoroughbred mare was evaluated because of a coagulopathy causing hemoperitoneum, hematomas, and signs of blood loss-induced anemia. Results: The mare had tachycardia, pallor, hypoperfusion, and a large mass in the right flank. The mass was further characterized ultrasonographically as an extensive hematoma in the body wall with associated hemoabdomen. Coagulation testing revealed persistent, specific prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time (> 100 seconds; reference interval, 24 to 44 seconds) attributable to severe factor VIII deficiency (12%; reference inte...
Mercati F, Pascucci L, Curina G, Scocco P, Tardella FM, Dall'aglio C, Marini C, Ceccarelli P.The transplantation of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a potentially promising therapy for the treatment of tendon and ligament injuries and some forms of articular pathology in horses. This study investigated the effects of storage conditions on MSCs. Equine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (eAd-MSCs) were stored at 4 °C and at room temperature (RT) for 24 and 48 h, and viability, doubling time, expression of CD44 and CD90 antigens, clonogenic/differentiation potentials, and karyotype were subsequently evaluated. The eAd-MSC viability was significantly affected by the storage ...
Grint NJ, Beths T, Yvorchuk K, Taylor PM, Dixon M, Whay HR, Murrell JC.To evaluate a mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) testing device in the donkey, and to investigate the influence of potential confounders on MNTs generated. Methods: Prospective, randomised. Methods: Sixteen castrated male donkeys aged 4-9 years, weighing 105-170 kg. Methods: Mechanical nociceptive thresholds were measured using an actuator with three pins placed on the dorsal aspect of the distal limb, connected to a force meter. The pins (surface area 15 mm(2) ) were extruded onto the limb by pressurising an air-filled syringe, until the MNT force (when foot-lift was observed) or 25 N (cu...
Zhang L, Wang X, Zhan Q, Wang Z, Xu M, Zhu D, He F, Liu X, Huang R, Li D, Lei Y, Xie P.Borna disease virus (BDV) is a non-cytolytic, neurotropic RNA virus that can infect many vertebrate species, including humans. To date, BDV infection has been reported in a range of animal species across a broad global geographic distribution. However, a systematic epidemiological survey of BDV infection in domesticated animals in China has yet to be performed. In current study, BDV RNA and antibodies in 2353 blood samples from apparently healthy animals of eight species (horse, donkey, dog, pig, rabbit, cattle, goat, sheep) from three areas in western China (Xinjiang province, Chongqing munic...
Williams KJ.Progressive lung fibrosis in humans, typified by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in people. Similar diseases have been described in dogs, cats, and horses. The cause and pathogenesis of such diseases in all species is poorly understood. There is growing evidence in human medicine that IPF is a manifestation of abnormal wound repair in response to epithelial injury. Because viruses can contribute to epithelial injury, there is increasing interest in a possible role of viruses, particularly gammaherpesviruses, in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fi...
Perotta JH, Canola PA, Lopes MC, Evora PM, Martinez PE, Escobar A, Valadão CA.To evaluate the effects of intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) hyoscine premedication on physiologic variables following IV administration of medetomidine in horses. Methods: Randomized, crossover experimental study. Methods: Eight healthy crossbred horses weighing 330 ± 39 kg and aged 7 ± 4 years. Methods: Baseline measurements of heart rate (HR), cardiac index (CI), respiratory rate, systemic vascular resistance (SVR), percentage of patients with second degree atrioventricular (2(o) AV) block, mean arterial pressure (MAP), pH, and arterial partial pressures of carbon dioxide (PaCO2 ) an...
Famoso NA, Davis EB.Four groups of equids, "Anchitheriinae," Merychippine-grade Equinae, Hipparionini, and Equini, coexisted in the middle Miocene, but only the Equini remains after 16 Myr of evolution and extinction. Each group is distinct in its occlusal enamel pattern. These patterns have been compared qualitatively but rarely quantitatively. The processes influencing the evolution of these occlusal patterns have not been thoroughly investigated with respect to phylogeny, tooth position, and climate through geologic time. We investigated Occlusal Enamel Index, a quantitative method for the analysis of the comp...
Sporn A, Berner D, Winter K, Mageed M, Brehm W, Gerlach K.Scintigraphic examination of the thoracic spine is well documented. However, there is limited information about the effects of time on image quality in the period following injection of radionuclide. This study aimed to determine the optimal time point after injection of (99m)Tc-HDP (hydroxymethylene-diphosphonate) to achieve scintigraphic images with the best possible contrast and adequate count rates. Scintigraphic images of the thoracic spine of 21 horses were acquired two, four and six hours after administering (99m)Tc-HDP. Eight regions of interest were drawn in the images, four in the sp...
Scott VH, Williams JM, Mudge MC, Hurcombe SD.To assess effects of body position on direct measurements of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and abdominal perfusion pressure (APP) in horses anesthetized with total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA). Methods: 9 healthy adult horses. Methods: Instrumentation in unsedated standing horses involved insertion of an arterial catheter for blood pressure measurements and 3 intraperitoneal cannulas (left flank, right flank, and ventral abdomen) for IAP measurements. Baseline values were measured for heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic arterial blood pressure, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), diastoli...
Wiese AJ, Brosnan RJ, Barter LS.To compare effects of 2 acetylcholinesterase inhibitors on recovery quality of horses anesthetized with isoflurane. Methods: 6 horses in phase 1, 7 horses in phase 2A, and 14 horses in phase 2B. Methods: The study comprised 3 phases (2 randomized, blinded crossover phases in horses undergoing orthopedic procedures and 1 prospective dose-determining phase). In phase 1, horses were anesthetized with isoflurane and received neostigmine or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution prior to anesthetic recovery. Phase 2A was a physostigmine dose-determining phase. In phase 2B, horses were anesthetized with isoflu...
Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD, Santos MP, White NA, Brown JA, Adams MN, McKnight AL, Schaeffer DJ.To determine the safety and short-term efficacy of intrabursal administration of botulinum toxin type B (BTXB) to alleviate lameness in horses with degenerative injury to the podotrochlear apparatus (PA). Methods: 10 Quarter Horses with degenerative injury to the PA. Methods: Degenerative injury to the PA was confirmed with diagnostic analgesia and imaging. Then, BTXB (3.8 to 4.5 U/kg) was injected into the podotrochlear (navicular) bursa of each horse. Three horses were used in a safety evaluation. Subsequently, video recordings of lameness evaluations were obtained for 7 client-owned horses ...
Kilcoyne I, Watson JL, Spier SJ, Whitcomb MB, Vaughan B.Septic sialoadenitis, although uncommonly reported in equids, is a significant cause of pain, inappetence, dysphagia and discomfort. There are currently few reported cases possibly as a result of its infrequent occurrence. Objective: To review cases presenting with sialoadenitis and describe the presenting complaints, results of diagnostic tests, treatment and outcome. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Records were reviewed for equids presenting to the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital between 1998 and 2010 for salivary gland swelling. Equids were in...
de Lagarde M, Rodrigues N, Chevigny M, Beauchamp G, Albrecht B, Lavoie JP.Bronchospasm results in airway obstruction in horses with heaves. Atropine is the most potent bronchodilator drug currently available for horses, but is associated with side effects that limit its use. Like atropine, N-butylscopolammonium bromide (NBB) is an anticholinergic agent with bronchodilatory properties. Objective: To compare the bronchodilating effects and side effects of atropine and NBB in horses with heaves. Methods: Cross-over experiment using horses with heaves. Methods: Eight horses with heaves were administered atropine and NBB, using a cross-over design. Heart rate, pupillary ...
Raś A, Rapacz-Leonard A, Raś-Noryńska M, Barański W.Although fetotomy is recommended for all mares when the fetus is dead and difficult to extract, little has been written about fetotomy and heavy draft mares. This lack includes indications for fetotomy in heavy draft mares, differences in treatment and prognosis of heavy mares kept by farmers of low socioeconomic status, and how this procedure affects the mare's further fertility. The literature on mares, in general, also differs on the survival rate of mares that undergo fetotomy, the prevalence of postpartum complications, and further fertility. To answer these questions, we reviewed the me...
Reardon RJ, Boden L, Stirk AJ, Parkin TD.Accurate diagnosis of racing injuries can be difficult. The objectives of this study were to describe the postmortem (PM) defined distribution of fatal distal limb fractures (DLF) affecting Thoroughbreds racing in Great Britain between February 1999 and August 2005 and then assess the accuracy of veterinary racecourse diagnoses and examine whether these improved following introduction of a computerised recording system. PM examinations were performed on limbs distal to radius or tibia from all cases of fatal DLF occurring on British racecourses during the study period. Results of these examina...
Nielsen TD, Dean RS, Robinson NJ, Massey A, Brennan ML.The practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine involves the utilisation of scientific evidence for clinical decision making. To enable this, research topics pertinent to clinical practice need to be identified, and veterinary clinicians are best placed to do this. The main aim of this study was to describe the veterinary population, the common species and conditions veterinary clinicians nominated they saw in practice and how much information clinicians perceived was available in the literature for these. A questionnaire was distributed to all Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons registere...
Alexander SL, Irvine CH.Alpha-2-adrenoceptor activation may lower adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by reducing secretagogue input and/or increasing the release of an inhibitory factor (CIF). To investigate this, we gave clonidine, an alpha-2-agonist, to seven horses, and collected pituitary venous blood every minute for 20 min before treatment and 40 min after treatment. Six horses were given saline vehicle. Mean secretion rates of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and ACTH were calculated before and during four 5-min then two 10-min periods after clonidine or saline. Reduction in A...
Bayly WM, Reed SM, Leathers CW, Brown CM, Traub JL, Paradis MR, Palmer GH.Five Arabian or half-Arabian foals with suspected multiple cardiac anomalies were examined. Various combinations of clinical examination, electrocardiography, angiocardiography, cardiac catheterization, blood gas analysis, radiography, and echocardiography resulted in clinical data that allowed accurate antemortem diagnoses to be made. In 4 cases, the clinical diagnosis was substantiated by postmortem findings. The confirmed diagnoses were: pseudotruncus arteriosus, a combination of patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonic stenosis, and tricuspid stenosis, pentalogy of Fallot, and tricuspid atresia....
Verkade ME, Back W, Birch HL.Throughout the ages, human subjects have selected horse breeds for their locomotor capacities. Concurrently, tissue properties may have diversified because of specific requirements of different disciplines. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical properties of tendons with different functions between equine breeds traditionally selected for racing or sport. Methods: This study used ex vivo tendons and compared the mechanical properties of the common digital extensor tendon (CDET) and superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) between racehorses (Thoroughbred [TB]) and s...
Audigié F, Tapprest J, George C, Didierlaurent D, Foucher N, Faurie F, Houssin M, Denoix JM.The purpose of this paper was to correlate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of a mature brain abscess in a horse with histopathologic alterations of brain tissue. Eight months after the onset of clinical signs, MRI of the brain of a 10-month-old filly was performed. A large space-occupying lesion in the right cerebral hemisphere was identified. This space-occupying lesion was delineated by a thick and well-defined capsule that was isointense to brain parenchyma on the T1-weighted images and with a markedly hypointense on the T2-weighted images. The identification of such a ...
Rola J, Larska M, Rola JG, Belák S, Autorino GL.The aim of the study was to determine the situation of equine arteritis virus (EAV) infections in hucul horses. A total of 176 horses (154 mares and 22 stallions) from the biggest hucul horse stud in Poland were tested. Antibodies against EAV were detected in 97 (55.1%) horses. The EAV seroprevalence among mares was 53.2% while in stallions - 68.2%. The percentage of positive mares increased with their age, thus amongst the mares of less than 2 years of age the percentage was 32.5%, while in the group of 3-5 years old increased to 59.4% and in the mares in the age of 6-10 years and older than ...
Boström A, Asplund K, Bergh A, Hyytiäinen H.To explore the scientific evidence for therapeutic ultrasound (TU), we conducted a systematic review of the literature on TU in dogs, horses, donkeys, and cats. Methods: In three major databases, relevant articles published in 1980-2020 were identified. The risk of bias in each article was evaluated. Results: Twenty-four relevant articles on the effects of TU in dogs, nine in horses, two in donkeys, and one in cats were identified. TU usually involved 2-6 treatments weekly for up to 4 weeks. Articles on tendon, ligament, and bone healing, acute aseptic arthritis, osteoarthritis, paraparesis, h...
Marlin DJ, Schrotert RC, Cashman PM, Deaton CM, Poole DC, Kindig CA, McDonough P, Erickson HH.The present investigation utilised simultaneous measurements of chest (Ch) and abdominal (Ab) circumferences and respiratory airflow to test the hypothesis that Ch circumferential expansion contributes proportionally little to tidal volume in the running Thoroughbred. During exercise, there were only small changes in Ch and Ab circumference and no increase with increasing tidal volume. At rest, walk and trot, the flow, Ch and Ab signals were in phase. However, during canter and gallop, the Ch and Ab changes were 180 degrees out of phase with each other and both were out of phase with airflow. ...
Klebe EA, Holcombe SJ, Rosenstein D, Boruta D, Bartner LR, Tessier C.Dysfunction of the glossopharyngeal nerve has been implicated as a cause of dysphagia in horses. However, recent studies have indicated that this is not the case. Objective: To determine whether bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve anaesthesia would cause dysphagia in horses or result in measurable alterations in the timing, function, or sequence of swallowing. Methods: Swallowing was evaluated in 6 normal horses with and without bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve anaesthesia. Swallowing dynamics were assessed subjectively and objectively based on time from prehension of food until swallowing, numbe...
Brooks DE, Plummer CE, Kallberg ME, Barrie KP, Ollivier FJ, Hendrix DV, Baker A, Scotty NC, Utter ME, Blackwood SE, Nunnery CM, Ben-Shlomo G....To evaluate the visual outcome of three techniques of corneal transplantation surgery in treating severe inflammatory keratopathies in the horse. Methods: Retrospective medical records study. Methods: Medical records of 206 horses that received corneal transplantation surgery at the University of Florida Veterinary Medical Center from 1993 to 2007 were reviewed. Methods: Data collected from the medical records included signalment, types of ocular lesions, type of transplant surgery performed, length of follow-up, complications, and visual outcomes. Results: Full thickness penetrating keratopla...
Babesia caballi and Theileria equi are widely recognized as causative agents of equine pirolasmosis (EP), an acute, sub-acute, and chronic disease of equines, with relevant economic impact on horse trade worldwide. Although several studies on EP prevalence from central Italy have been published, data on ticks responsible for its transmission are still lacking. In this study, we identified a potential competent vector, investigating main features of its ecology together with EP infection rates. A two-year sampling of questing ticks was carried out for the first time in Italy in an area known fo...
Eerdekens A, Deruyck M, Fontaine J, Damiaans B, Martens L, De Poorter E, Govaere J, Plets D, Joseph W.Equine training activity detection will help to track and enhance the performance and fitness level of riders and their horses. Currently, the equestrian world is eager for a simple solution that goes beyond detecting basic gaits, yet current technologies fall short on the level of user friendliness and detection of main horse training activities. To this end, we collected leg accelerometer data of 14 well-trained horses during jumping and dressage trainings. For the first time, 6 jumping training and 25 advanced horse dressage activities are classified using specifically developed models base...
Berti A, Degl'Innocenti D, Stefani M, Liguri G, Ramponi G.A non competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific for horse muscle acylphosphatase (E.C. 3.6.1.7.) has been developed. The purified anti-acylphosphatase antibodies were immobilized by passive absorption to a solid-phase support and incubated with known and unknown amounts of antigen. The antibody-acylphosphatase complex was quantified using the same antibody conjugated to horseradish peroxidase. The assay yields positive reactions with as little as 0.05 ng of antigen, with intra- and interassay coefficients of variation of 5% and 7%, respectively. On the basis of this assay ...
Kwiatkowska-Stenzel A, Witkowska D, Sowińska J, Stopyra A.The choice of bedding material affects the quality of air in a stable and, consequently, the respiratory health of horses and humans. The risk of respiratory problems can be mitigated by improving the quality of air in the stable. The choice of bedding material is particularly important in cold climate conditions where horses are kept indoors throughout the year. This study examined the impact of three bedding materials: straw (S), peat with shavings (PS), and crushed wood pellets (CWP). The investigated factors were air contamination, including dust contamination and microbial (bacterial and ...
Kim CH, Casey JW.The distribution and replicative status of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) DNA in the tissues of a well-characterized inapparent carrier horse were established by using the PCR technique. The EIAV pol region could be amplified in all of the tissues tested, including the cerebellum and periventricular tissue, at concentrations approximately 10(5)-fold less than in the same tissue from an acutely infected horse. Further analysis of the EIAV genome, with primer pairs diagnostic for sequential stages of reverse transcription, suggests that EIAV DNA in the brain, liver, and lymph nodes was in...
Dijkstra A, Cuervo-Arango J, Stout TAE, Claes A.Monozygotic multiple pregnancy is rare in horses, but may be more common after transfer of an in vitro produced (IVP) embryo. Objective: To determine the occurrence, incidence, characteristics and outcome of monozygotic siblings arising from in vivo and IVP equine embryos. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: A total of 496 fresh in vivo and 410 frozen-thawed IVP blastocysts, produced by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) of in vitro matured oocytes from Warmblood mares, were transferred into recipient mares. The likelihoods of pregnancy and multiple pregnancy were calculated, and...
Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Bowen IM, Freeman SL, Weller R, Clarke KW.To search for long-term total i.v. anaesthesia techniques as a potential alternative to inhalation anaesthesia. Objective: To determine cardiopulmonary effects and anaesthesia quality of medetomidine-ketamine anaesthesia induction followed by 4 h of medetomidine-propofol anaesthesia in 6 ponies. Methods: Sedation consisted of 7 microg/kg bwt medetomidine i.v. followed after 10 min by 2 mg/kg bwt i.v. ketamine. Anaesthesia was maintained for 4 h with 3.5 microg/kg bwt/h medetomidine and propofol at minimum infusion dose rates determined by application of supramaximal electrical pain stimuli. Ve...
Mizushima D, Amgalanbaatar T, Davaasuren B, Molefe NI, Battur B, Battsetseg B, Inoue N, Yokoyama N, Suganuma K.Our previous studies report epidemics of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis in Mongolia. However, the current status of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis endemicity remains to be clarified in some parts of Mongolia. We previously reported the potential application of rTeGM6-4r-based diagnostic tools, an rTeGM6-4r-based immunochromatographic test (ICT) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in the serological surveillance of equine trypanosomosis in Mongolia. In the present study, the utility of the rTeGM6-4r-based ICT was validated. The rTeGM6-4r-based ICT accur...
Martin EM, Jones SL.Inhibition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production effectively limits inflammation in horses, however nonspecific prostaglandin blockade via cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition elicits deleterious gastrointestinal side effects in equine patients. Thus, more selective PGE2 targeting therapeutics are needed to treat inflammatory disease in horses. One potential target is microsomal prostaglandin E-synthase-1 (mPGES-1), which is the terminal enzyme downstream of COX-2 in the inducible PGE2 synthesis cascade. This enzyme has yet to be studied in equine leukocytes, which play a pivotal role in equine inf...
Freeman DE, Cimprich RE, Richardson DW, Gentile DG, Orsini JA, Tulleners EP, Fetrow JP.Strangulation obstruction was induced in anesthetized ponies for periods of 2 and 3 hours by clamping 45-cm segments of jejunum and their veins only (venous strangulation obstruction, VSO) and arteries and veins (arterial and venous strangulation obstruction, AVSO). These types of strangulation obstruction were studied in 4 segments in each of 4 ponies allowed to survive 12 hours (group 1) and in a single segment in each of 10 ponies allowed to survive 42 days (group 2) after the strangulation period ended. On visual inspection, segments subjected to VSO had hemorrhage and edema in the bowel w...
Klei TR, Rehbein S, Visser M, Langholff WK, Chapman MR, French DD, Hanson P.Two trials were conducted to confirm the efficacy of ivermectin paste against endoparasites of horses. In these trials, 20 ponies were treated with ivermectin oral paste at 200 mcg x kg body weight once on Day 0, and 20 ponies served as unmedicated controls. The animals carried naturally acquired parasite infections as confirmed by pretrial fecal examination. The animals were necropsied for worm recovery on Days 14, 15 or 16. Parasites recovered were identified to species. Horses treated with ivermectin had significantly (P99.0% reduction) adult small strongyles (Coronocyclus spp including C. ...
Cassimeris L, Armstrong C, Burger QC, Stokes S, van Eps A, Galantino-Homer H.The euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp model (EHC) of equine endocrinopathic laminitis induces rapid loss of lamellar tissue integrity, disrupts keratinocyte functions, and induces inflammation similar to natural disease. Continuous digital hypothermia (CDH) blocks tissue damage in this experimental model, allowing identification of specific genes or molecular pathways contributing to disease initiation or early progression. Archived lamellar tissues (8 horses, 48 h EHC treatment, including CDH-treated front limbs) were used to measure relative expression levels of genes encoding keratin 17 (KR...
Suzuki T, Mizukami H, Nambo Y, Ishimaru M, Miyata K, Akiyama K, Korosue K, Naito H, Nagaoka K, Watanabe G, Taya K.One- to two-year-old Thoroughbred colts and fillies being reared in Miyazaki (warm climate) and Hidaka (cold climate), Japan, were administered extended photoperiod (EP) treatment between December 20 and the following April 10, and its effect on growth, endocrine changes, gonadal activation, and hair coat condition was investigated. In colts reared in Miyazaki, no effect of EP treatment was noted on the growth indices, including body weight (BW), height at withers (HW), girth, and cannon circumference (CC), whereas the BWs and CCs of fillies were significantly higher in the EP treatment group ...
Johnson CB, Bloomfield M, Taylor PM.To investigate the effects of ketamine on the electroencephalogram (EEG) of the horse. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Eight Welsh mountain pony geldings weighing between 280 and 330 kg, 5 to 9 years old. Methods: During halothane anesthesia at an end-tidal halothane concentration between 0.75 and 0.85%, the EEG frequency power spectrum and the auditory evoked potential were recorded while an infusion of ketamine was given. Ketamine 200 mg was infused over 5 minutes in 8 ponies. The effects of ketamine on the EEG were recorded continuously during the infusion and for a furthe...
Traub-Dargatz JL, Gay CC, Evermann JF, Ward AC, Zeglen ME, Gallina AM, Salman MD.Epidemiologic and etiologic data about diarrhea in foals were collected under a planned prospective recording and monitoring study. The survey and monitoring procedures included a survey to obtain an overview of current horse management practices on participating farms, a daily health record survey to obtain information on mares and their foals, and collection of feces from 19 of 144 diarrheic foals and 10 age-matched nondiarrheic foals for electron microscopy, ELISA for rotavirus, and bacteriologic culture. Coronavirus was detected in the feces of diarrheic as well as clinically normal foals....
Nankervis KJ, Williams RJ.The use of water treadmill exercise in horses is popular, although little is known about the physiological responses to this form of exercise. No information exists regarding the time taken to acclimate to water treadmill exercise compared to that of high-speed treadmill exercise, for both physiological and biomechanical parameters. Objective: To determine heart rate responses during acclimation to water treadmill exercise with and without sedation on first time exposure. Methods: All horses were exercised on a water treadmill at the walk for 15 min once a day for 4 days. Fourteen horses (mean...
Théon AP, Pascoe JR, Madigan JE, Carlson G, Metzger L.To compare therapeutic benefits of intratumoral administration of cisplatin and bleomycin for squamous cell carcinoma of the eyelids in horses. Methods: 25 horses with 27 T2-stage periocular squamous cell carcinomas. Methods: Horses were treated 4 times at 2-week intervals with a slow-release formulation of cisplatin (1 mg/cm3 of tissue) or bleomycin (1 IU/cm3 of tissue). A two-stage design was used to minimize the sample size in each treatment arm. Results: The local control rate at 1 year for lesions treated with cisplatin was 93 +/- 6%, and with bleomycin was 78 +/- 10%. Difference in local...
Sekiguchi K, Sugita S, Fukunaga Y, Kondo T, Wada R, Kamada M, Yamaguchi S.A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assay capable of detecting and differentiating seven strains of equine arteritis virus (EAV) from around the world was developed. The primers for the PCR were chosen from the ORF6 gene encoding the unglycosylated membrane protein (M). Viral RNA from cell culture fluids infected with each of the seven EAV strains and RNA from the live vaccine, Arvac, was detected by PCR using four sets of primers. The sensitivity of detection was increased from 100 to 1,000 times by performing nested PCR enabling the detection of RNA at a level of 0.5-5 PFU. Differentiati...
