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.
Dicken M, Gee EK, Rogers CW, Mayhew IG.To examine the gestation lengths and occurrence of daytime foaling of Standardbred mares foaling outdoors at stud farms in Southland, New Zealand (latitude 45˚S). Methods: Data were collected prospectively at two commercial Standardbred stud farms (Farms A and B), during the 2008/9 and 2009/10 breeding seasons (October to February). For each foaling, the identity of the mare, date and time of foaling, gender of foal, time the mare passed the fetal membranes, time the foal stood, and foaling problems including dystocias, were recorded. The effect of farm, season, gender of foal, month of artif...
Becker AC, Stock KF, Distl O.Detailed movement evaluations of warmblood foals and mares were performed in connection with regular breeding events of the Oldenburg horse breeding societies in 2009 and 2010. Unfavourable movement characteristics considered indicative for impaired balance were noted by a special judge (SJ) and the regular judges of the breeding events (RJ) and served as the basis for definition of new movement traits. Detailed movement information on 3374 foals and 2844 mares showed that more severe findings like irregular motion pattern in hind legs or irregularity in general motion pattern occurred only sp...
Archer RM, Gordon SJ, Carslake HB, Collett MG.A 3-month-old female Warmblood foal was presented after displaying signs of colic with pyrexia for 5 days. Results: The foal continued to show signs of colic, frequently passed urine, and was pyrexic with an elevated white blood cell count. The umbilical stalk was thickened but there was no evidence of purulent material. Exploratory laparotomy revealed an enlarged left umbilical artery remnant tightly adhered to the bladder wall. The left umbilical artery continued to an aneurysm involving the distal aorta. The foal was subject to euthanasia and post-mortem examination confirmed a spherical ao...
Kotoyori Y, Yokoo N, Ito K, Murase H, Sato F, Korosue K, Nambo Y.The objective was to assess the optimal procedure for real-time, three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) imaging for assessing the equine fetus during the first half of gestation and the possibility of using 3D US imaging of the equine fetus in clinical applications. Seventeen pregnant mares were examined by 3D US between Days 35 and 180 of gestation. Abdominal and endo-vaginal real-time 3D transducers used in human medicine were used for transrectal and transvaginal examinations, respectively. Images were recorded by both 3D stationary and real-time movies. In a comparison of four methods, tra...
Galvão A, Skarzynski DJ, Szóstek A, Silva E, Tramontano A, Mollo A, Mateus L, Ferreira-Dias G.Knowledge on the regulation of corpus luteum (CL) function in the mare is scarce. In this study, the presence of cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) and interferon gamma (IFNG), and their receptors (TNFRI, TNFRII and IFNRI), was investigated in equine CL throughout the luteal phase. The effects of TNF and IFNG on secretory function and viability of luteal cells were defined in vitro. Cytokine ligands and receptors were present in steroidogenic and endothelial cells. Protein expression for TNF was greater in mid-phase and regressing CL, while TNFRI was increased in regressing CL and TNF...
Marsh GA, Haining J, Hancock TJ, Robinson R, Foord AJ, Barr JA, Riddell S, Heine HG, White JR, Crameri G, Field HE, Wang LF, Middleton D.Hendra virus (HeV) is a highly pathogenic zoonotic paramyxovirus harbored by Australian flying foxes with sporadic spillovers directly to horses. Although the mode and critical control points of HeV spillover to horses from flying foxes, and the risk for transmission from infected horses to other horses and humans, are poorly understood, we successfully established systemic HeV disease in 3 horses exposed to Hendra virus/Australia/Horse/2008/Redlands by the oronasal route, a plausible route for natural infection. In 2 of the 3 animals, HeV RNA was detected continually in nasal swabs from as ea...
Catt CJ, Schuurman W, Sengers BG, van Weeren PR, Dhert WJ, Please CP, Malda J.In the field of cartilage tissue engineering, filter cultures are a frequently used three-dimensional differentiation model. However, understanding of the governing processes of in vitro growth and development of tissue in these models is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to further characterise these processes by means of an approach combining both experimental and applied mathematical methods. A mathematical model was constructed, consisting of partial differential equations predicting the distribution of cells and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), as well as the overall thickness of the tissue....
García-Bocanegra I, Jaén-Téllez JA, Napp S, Arenas-Montes A, Fernández-Morente M, Fernández-Molera V, Arenas A.TO THE EDITOR: West Nile virus (WNV) is a member of the genus Flavivirus within the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex. The enzootic virus cycle involves transmission between avian hosts and ornithophilic mosquitoes, whereas humans and horses are considered dead-end hosts. Given the recent increase of WNV infection in humans and horses in Europe, concern has been raised regarding public and animal health.
Sherlock CE, Eggleston RB, Howerth EW.A 7-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was evaluated because of sudden onset of severe left forelimb lameness of 4 days' duration. Results: Clinical evaluation and diagnostic perineural analgesia localized the lameness to the distal portion of the left forelimb. Radiography revealed a transverse fracture of the distal phalanx of the left forelimb. Results: The horse was treated conservatively with stall rest and stabilization of the hoof with fiberglass cast material and an elevated heel support. These treatments improved the lameness considerably. Over the following 4 months, the horse was exerci...
Belock B, Kaiser LJ, Lavagnino M, Clayton HM.It can be a challenge to find a conventional saddle that is a good fit for both horse and rider. An increasing number of riders are purchasing treeless saddles because they are thought to fit a wider range of equine back shapes, but there is only limited research to support this theory. The objective of this study was to compare the total force and pressure distribution patterns on the horse's back with conventional and treeless saddles. The experimental hypotheses were that the conventional saddle would distribute the force over a larger area with lower mean and maximal pressures than the tre...
Furness JB, Poole DP.The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is under the control of the most extensive system of peripheral neurons in the body, the enteric nervous system, and the largest endocrine system of the body, the GEP endocrine system. The enteric nervous system in large mammals contains 500 million neurons, and the GEP endocrine system produces more than 30 hormones. Numerous enteric neuropathies affecting both humans and animals have been described and digestive disorders affect commercially important species, such as horses and cattle. The most severe enteric neuropathies (e.g., lethal white syn...
Kern JK, Fletcher CL, Garver CR, Mehta JA, Grannemann BD, Knox KR, Richardson TA, Trivedi MH.Anecdotal reports and some studies suggest that equine-assisted activities may be beneficial in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Objective: To examine the effects ofequine-assisted activities on overall severity of autism symptoms using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the quality ofparent-child interactions using the Timberlawn Parent-Child Interaction Scale. In addition, this study examined changes in sensory processing, quality of life, and parental treatment satisfaction. Methods: Children with ASD were evaluated at four time points: (1) before beginning a 3-to-6 month waiting ...
Walter J, Klein C, Wehrend A.Exfoliative endometrial cytology is an easy and valuable diagnostic tool for the detection of inflammatory processes of the uterus that correlates well to culture results. The practical use of this procedure is limited due to the time-consuming Papanicolaou-Shorr staining technique. In this study the suitability of the rapid eosin-thiazin staining for endometrial smears was investigated. Methods: Sample collection was carried out with a guarded culture swab (Knudsen-catheter) in 27 broodmares during routine gynaecological examination. Two smears were prepared from each collection. One was stai...
Draper AC, Bowen IM, Hallowell GD.The aims of this study were to establish a normal reference range (mean ± 2 SD) and assess reliability of renal dimensions obtained using transabdominal ultrasonography in Thoroughbred horses (n = 7). A minimum of three ultrasonographic cineloops were obtained from each intercostal space and the left paralumbar fossa by two observers daily for three consecutive days. Renal length, width, and thickness and cortex, medulla, and pelvic dimensions were obtained. Measurements were undertaken by both observers, who were unaware of prior measurements, to assess reproducibility and measured on three ...
Emmerich IU.In 2010, three new active pharmaceutical ingredients were released on the German market for horses and food-producing animals. These were gamithromycin (Zactran®), a new macrolide antibiotic, Monepantel (Zolvix®), a broad spectrum anthelmintic with a novel mechanism, and Pergolide (Prascend®), the first dopamine receptor agonist for animals. Two substances have been approved for additional species. The tetracycline antibiotic doxycycline is now also authorized for turkeys and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug firocoxib from the group of cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors is now avai...
Geburek F, Stadler P.Conventional treatments of equine tendon injuries lead to an unsatisfactory healing process that usually results in a relatively high recurrence rate. Therefore, in recent years so-called regenerative therapeutics were studied scientifically in vitro and in laboratory animals. These include substances that ideally lead to the formation of replacement tissue, which in contrast to the low quality scar, has similar functional properties as the original intact tendon. Currently, a plethora of different substrates is either commercially available or can be produced in practice with the help of kits...
Ansorge J, Sudres JL.The use of a horse or pony as a therapeutic tool is often presented in the media as a recent phenomenon. A survey of 103 institutions shows that it is in fact an approach well rooted in child and adolescent psychiatry. However, professionals who use equine-assisted therapy are calling for an assessment to be carried out enabling them to hone their practices.
Petzinger E.At the forefront of pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) poisoning is the chronic ingestion of contaminated hay, which causes liver damage resulting in an ongoing fatal liver cirrhosis or in the veno-occlusive disease in liver or lung, respectively. The symptomatology of PA-poisoning is not identical for all animal species, and also includes central nervous symptoms. In affected horses significantly elevated levels of hepatogenic serum enzymes and an increase of the retention time for bromosulfophthalein indicates the fatal outcome of the intoxication. Chronic seneciosis of horses is incurable. Rabbits...
Fowlie JG, Arnoczky SP, Lavagnino M, Stick JA.To identify potential functional-anatomical characteristics of the cranial horn attachment of the medial meniscus (MM) that may help explain the pathogenesis of the common tear patterns that have been reported. Objective: Full extension of the stifle generates a significant increase in tensile forces within the cranial meniscotibial ligament (CrMTL) of the MM, which may predispose this structure to injury. Methods: The effect of femorotibial angle (160°, 150°, 140° and 130°) on tensile forces in the axial and abaxial components of the CrMTL was examined in 6 mature cadaver stifles using an...
Deeg CA, Eberhardt C, Hofmaier F, Amann B, Hauck SM.Autoimmune uveitis is an intraocular inflammation that arises through autoreactive T-cells attacking the inner eye, eventually leading to blindness. However, the contributing molecular pathomechanisms within the affected tissues remain as yet elusive. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly dynamic structure that varies tremendously and influences the encompassing tissue. In order to assess ECM re-modeling in autoimmune uveitis, we investigated the expression of ECM molecules fibronectin and osteopontin in vitreous and retina samples. This was carried out in the only spontaneous animal mode...
Ringer SK, Portier KG, Fourel I, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R.To determine constant rate infusion (CRI) protocols for romifidine (R) and romifidine combined with butorphanol (RB) resulting in constant sedation and romifidine plasma concentrations. Methods: Blinded randomized crossover study. Methods: Ten adult research horses. Methods: Part I: After determining normal height of head above ground (HHAG = 100%), loading doses of romifidine (80 μg kg(-1)) with butorphanol (RB: 18 μg kg(-1)) or saline (R) were given intravenously (IV). Immediately afterwards, a butorphanol (RB: 25 μg kg(-1) hour(-1)) or saline (R) CRI was administered for 2 hours. The HHA...
Verheyen T, Decloedt A, De Clercq D, Sys S, Van Loon G.In human medicine, oesophageal electrocardiography (ECG) is a well-established technique that magnifies P waves with respect to the QRS complex. Objective: To investigate the feasibility of oesophageal ECG recording in horses and its ability to produce larger P waves compared with base-apex and unipolar recordings. Methods: Bipolar and unipolar ECG were performed using oesophageal and surface electrodes. Oesophageal ECG was obtained from 6 different recording configurations at different oesophageal depths. Amplitudes of P, Q, R, S and T waves were measured from 3 different cardiac cycles for e...
Peters J, Eggers K, Oswald S, Block W, Lütjohann D, Lämmer M, Venner M, Siegmund W.Pulmonary penetration of clarithromycin (CLR) in epithelial lining fluid (ELF) and bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BALCs) can be influenced by CYP3A4, by P-glycoprotein, and, according to our hypothesis, by a member of the organic anion-transporting protein (OATP) family, for which rifampicin (RIF) is inhibiting in single doses but inducing after long-term coadministration. To assess the partial inhibitory effect, we measured absorption and pulmonary distribution of CLR after short-term (2.5-day) coadministration of RIF, after which up-regulation is not expected. The drug interaction study was p...
Davis E, Rush BR, Herr LG, Ewert KM.Successful clinical management of bacterial pneumonia in horses depends on the administration of an appropriate antimicrobial agent at an adequate dosage and frequency, given by the correct route of administration for an adequate duration. Empiric antimicrobial therapy should be based on the clinician's experience and current veterinary literature. Based on the frequency of Gram-positive bacterial pathogens isolated from horses with bacterial pneumonia, every effort should be made to provide antimicrobial coverage for this class of pathogens. Gram-negative pathogens may co-exist; therefore, br...
Hilla D, Distl O.In this study, the prevalences of osteochondral fragments in the distal (DUI) and proximal interphalangeal joints (PIJ) as well as in the fetlock, hock and stifle joints, of palmar/plantar osteochondral fragments in the fetlock joints (POFs) and of osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) in fetlock, hock and stifle joints were estimated in a large sample of Hanoverian Warmblood horses. For this purpose, radiographic findings of 9478 Hanoverian Warmblood horses collected from 2005 to 2011 were analyzed. Overall 31.9% of the horses showed one or more osteochondral fragments in at least one joint. The fe...
Dimock AN, Hoffman KD, Puchalski SM, Stover SM.Veterinarians have observed a putative change in the location of humeral stress remodelling in Thoroughbred racehorses with change from dirt to synthetic racetrack surfaces. Objective: To determine whether the location and severity of humeral stress remodelling differs between Thoroughbred racehorses exercising on dirt and synthetic racetrack surfaces, the potential significance of different locations of stress remodelling, and the potential usefulness of scintigraphy for prevention of complete humeral fracture. Methods: Scintigraphic images of humeri from 841 Thoroughbred racehorses at 3 race...
Cattabiani F, Cabassi E, Allodi C, Gianelli F.The AA. report the results of taxonomic research conducted on the conjunctival sac of 59 horses for identification of the present bacterial flora. In the controlled animals, it was observed, at the level of the considered niche, a community constituted of normal bacterial populations, but not autochtonous in the significance they attributed from DUBOS et al., relative to the characterization of the indigenous microbiota of the intestine. The isolated normal bacterial flora seems to be constituted of: Micrococcus (subgroup 6 of Baird-Parker, M. luteus, Micrococcus spp.) isolated in 49,15% of th...
Ferlini Agne G, May BE, Lovett A, Simon O, Steel C, Santos L, Guedes do Carmo L, Barbosa B, Werner LC, Daros RR, Somogyi AA, Sykes B, Franklin S.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a highly prevalent and presumptively painful condition, although the amount of pain horses might experience is currently unknown. The aims of this study were to determine if the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) could identify pain behaviours in horses with and without EGUS and if severity would be positively associated with the HGS score. Horse grimace scale scores were assessed blindly using facial photographs by seven observers and involved evaluation of 6 facial action units as 0 (not present), 1 (moderately present) and 2 (obviously present). Lameness exami...
Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW, Firth EC.To determine the effects of exercise at an early age on tissues in the metacarpophalangeal joints of horses. Methods: Twelve 18-month-old horses. Methods: All horses were pasture reared, but 6 horses had additional exercise starting at 3 weeks of age until 18 months of age. At that time, computed tomography, articular cartilage metabolism evaluation, and histologic assessments of synovial membrane, articular cartilage, and subchondral bone were performed. Results: Exercised horses had fewer gross lesions, less articular cartilage matrix staining in the dorsal aspect of the condyle, greater bon...
Herrick WC, Kingsbury HB, Lou DY.This paper describes the result of an investigation of strains and strain rates which normally occur in the tendons of the equine foreleg and presents stress-strain curves and moduli for the tendons at these rates. It has previously been demonstrated that resistance to flexion of the joints of the distal part of the equine foreleg is provided by a passive system of tendons and ligaments. It is therefore possible, using a large displacement, high-rate testing machine, to duplicate in the laboratory the strain rates and forces which are normally produced in the tendons of the foreleg of the runn...
Toutain PL, Oukessou M, Autefage A, Alvinerie M.Using a specific high-performance liquid chromatographic technique, plasma hydrocortisone values were measured hourly in 6 horses and every 10 minutes in 4 horses over 24 hours. Both circadian and episodic variation was observed. The mean plasma hydrocortisone concentration was a maximum of 58.8 +/- 9.54 ng/ml at 9.19 +/- 0.59 hr and a minimum of 27.85 +/- 6.85 g/ml at 21.19 +/- 0.59 hr. The number of episodes of secretion was 10.0 +/- 1.41; the mean amplitude and duration of peak were 26.21 +/- 3.71 ng/ml and 105.25 +/- 21.24 min respectively.
Barclay WP, Foerner JJ, Phillips TN.Volvulus of the large colon was diagnosed at surgery in 25 horses during a 4-year period. Two horses had a recurrence of the condition after successful correction. Mucosal necrosis was found to be a grave prognostic sign, as it was a consistent finding in horses that died at the time of surgery. Long-term colon dysfunction was not clinically evident in surviving horses.
Shnaiderman-Torban A, Navon-Venezia S, Dahan R, Dor Z, Taulescu M, Paitan Y, Edery N, Steinman A.An eighteen-hour-old Tennessee walking horse foal was referred due to weakness and abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed dehydration, distended abdomen, and uveitis. Blood analysis revealed leukopenia, neutrophils' toxicity and left shift. The foal developed bloody diarrhea, gastric reflux, and was diagnosed with sepsis and enterocolitis. The foal was treated with intravenous fluids, plasma, antibiotics (ceftriaxone and metronidazole), partial parenteral nutrition (dextrose and amino acids), flunixin meglumine, and ophthalmic drops. Umbilical ultrasound revealed a fluid pocket adjacent...
Zhang YW, Davis EG, Blecha F, Wilkerson MJ.Innate immunity relies on a series of germline-encoded pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), to detect conserved microbial components. TLR9 is typically expressed intracellularly in immune cells such as dendritic cells and recognizes unmethylated bacterial or viral cytosine-phosphate-guanine DNA (CpG-DNA). To investigate innate immune responses through TLR9 signaling pathway in horses, we cloned and characterized equine TLR9. Protein sequence analysis shows that equine TLR9 has a typically conserved cytosolic Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain, three l...
Smith PJ, Samuelson DA, Brooks DE, Whitley RD.Normal drainage of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber of the equine eye occurred through conventional and unconventional routes. To determine the degree of uveoscleral outflow in the pony, 1- and 3-microns (diam) microspheres were perfused through the anterior chamber for 60 and 90 minutes. Two eyes were treated with pilocarpine before perfusion of spheres to observe any effect on outflow. Presence of spheres was detected by scanning electron microscopy and verified by light microscopy. By 60 minutes of the perfusion, 1- and 3-microns spheres thoroughly infiltrated the anterior uveal trab...
Chidlow H, Giguère S, Camus M, Wells B, Howerth E, Berghaus R, McConachie Beasley E.Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is an important component of the evaluation of horses with neurologic disease. Lumbosacral (LS) centesis is routine, but CSF is also collected from the space between the first and second cervical vertebrae (C1-C2). Objective: To compare collection times, CSF cytology results, and equine protozoal myelitis (EPM) titers of CSF collected from the C1-C2 and LS sites. Methods: Fifteen university-owned adult horses with no evidence of neurologic disease, and 9 horses with signs of neurologic disease: 3 university-owned and 6 client-owned. Methods: Prospective study...
General anaesthesia in horses is associated with elevated mortality rate in subjects suffering of heaves. Target-controlled infusion (TCI) of sedative-hypnotic medications and opioids represents a total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) method validated in veterinary medicine. Since there are no data concerning the impact of these classes of drugs in inducing bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in horses, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect propofol and remifentanil on the contractile response of equine airway smooth muscle. The influence of propofol and remifentanil on the contra...
Cuervo-Arango J, Claes AN, Stout TA.The aim of this study was to compare the success of embryo transfer (ET) performed by veterinarians with different degrees of experience using one of two ET techniques. Over three years, 179 embryos were transferred by three operators with moderate to high experience using a 'conventional' manual technique, and 170 embryos were transferred by four operators with little or no previous ET experience using a 'Wilsher' technique (Polansky speculum and Wilsher's cervical forceps). The pregnancy status of recipient mares at the first pregnancy diagnosis and the embryo loss by the last examination we...
Buechner-Maxwell V, Zhang C, Robertson J, Jain NC, Antczak DF, Feldman BF, Murray MJ.Leukemia is a neoplastic disease of one or more of the cell types of the hemopoietic system and is rarely diagnosed in the horse. This report describes a case of subleukemic acute myelomonocytic leukemia in an 11-year-old gelding. Preliminary cytological diagnosis was supported by two types of laboratory investigations. Cytochemical characterization of blood and bone marrow neoplastic cells was consistent with a myelomonocytic origin. Neoplastic blast cells in peripheral blood were labeled by monoclonal antibodies specific for cell surface molecules of horse granulocytes, but they were not lab...
Krzak WE, Gonyou HW, Lawrence LM.Nine yearling horses, stabled in individual stalls, were used in a trial to determine the diurnal pattern of wood chewing and the effects of exercise on this behavior. The trial was a Latin square design conducted over three 2-wk periods during which each horse was exposed to each of the three following treatments: 1) no exercise (NE), 2) exercise after the morning feeding (AM), and 3) exercise in the afternoon (PM). Horses were fed a complete pelleted feed in the morning and both pelleted feed and long-stemmed hay in the afternoon. Exercise consisted of 45 min on a mechanical walker followed ...
Nyman S, Jansson A, Dahlborn K, Lindholm A.To avoid dehydration and a decrease in performance capacity in horses, fluid and electrolyte losses need to be compensated for during long distance rides as well as on other occasions when sweat losses are high during exercise. Thirteen endurance-trained horses, age 5-14 years, were used to compare 3 strategies of voluntary rehydration during prolonged exercise, offering 1) water, 2) water after administering salt paste (3 x 30 g of NaCl) per os and 3) 0.9% saline. The ride covered 62 km and consisted of 3 rounds, of 20, 22 and 20 km, respectively. During the first 20 km, no fluid was offered ...
Buergelt CD, Cooley AJ, Hines SA, Pipers FS.Six horses (five males) aged three months to fourteen years had endocarditis at necropsy. Two of the horses had a clinical diagnosis of valvular endocarditis with negative blood cultures. Single or complex valvular involvement was present in five horses. One horse had non-infectious thrombi associated only with the chordae tendineae. Mitral valves were affected in four horses, and aortic semilunar valves were affected in two. Infarcts had occurred in the kidneys and the myocardium of four horses. Bacteria were isolated postmortem from the valvular vegetations of two horses; Candida parapsilosi...
Moyer W, Spencer PA, Kallish M.The relative incidence of dorsal metacarpal disease was examined in two groups of Thoroughbred racehorses training on dissimilar surfaces (dirt and wood fibre). The horses and training methods appeared to be similar. The incidence of disease was significantly greater in the group training on dirt. There was no significant difference in the age distribution of incidence between the two groups and there was no association of incidence with sex or age within the training group. The number of fast miles worked by the two groups prior to the onset of dorsal metacarpal disease was lower in the group...
Cribb NC, Bouré LP.To describe laparoscopic removal of a large testicular teratoma in a standing horse. Methods: Clinical report. Methods: Thoroughbred horse (11 months) with a testicular teratoma. Methods: A unilateral cryptorchid testicle could not be removed by an inguinal approach under general anesthesia because of it s large size. After recovery from general anesthesia, ultrasound evaluation revealed a 24 x 19 cm fluid-filled testicular mass. The mass was removed by paralumbar fossa laparoscopy with the horse in a standing position. After fluid aspiration of the mass, the mesorchium and ductus deferens wer...
Hann M, Timofte D, Isgren CM, Archer DC.Surgical site infection (SSI) is a leading cause of morbidity in horses undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy for the treatment of acute colic. The exact mechanism by which SSI develops in these cases is unclear. This prospective observational study investigated whether bacterial translocation occurs in horses with acute colic and if there is an association between bacterial translocation and development of SSI. Peripheral venous blood (PVB) and peritoneal fluid (PF) samples were collected on admission and PF samples were collected at the end of surgery from horses presenting for investi...
Engelking LR, Anwer MS, Lofstedt J.Fasting is associated with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in several species, including the horse. Studies in ponies showed that a 3-day fast decreased plasma clearance of bilirubin, cholic acid, and sulfobromophthalein (BSP). Since these organic anions are conjugated with different substrates, it is possible that observed differences in plasma clearance result from a general decrease in hepatic conjugating capacity during the animals' fasting. To test this hypothesis, the effects of a 3-day fast on plasma clearance of IV injected BSP (4.4 to 5.1 mg/kg), which is conjugated to glutathione, an...
Uquillas E, Dart CM, Perkins NR, Dart AJ.To compare the effects of two concentrations of oxygen delivered to the anaesthetic breathing circuit on oxygenation in mechanically ventilated horses anaesthetised with isoflurane and positioned in dorsal or lateral recumbency. Methods: Selected respiratory parameters and blood lactate were measured and oxygenation indices calculated, before and during general anaesthesia, in 24 laterally or dorsally recumbent horses. Horses were randomly assigned to receive 100% or 60% oxygen during anaesthesia. All horses were anaesthetised using the same protocol and intermittent positive pressure ventilat...
Gianino GM, Valberg SJ, Perumbakkam S, Henry ML, Gardner K, Penedo C, Finno CJ.Immune-mediated myositis (IMM) in American Quarter Horses (QHs) causes acute muscle atrophy and lymphocytic infiltration of myofibers. Recently, an E321G mutation in a highly conserved region of the myosin heavy chain 1 (MYH1) gene was associated with susceptibility to IMM and nonexertional rhabdomyolysis. Objective: To estimate prevalence of the E321G MYH1 variant in the QH breed and performance subgroups. Methods: Three-hundred seven elite performance QHs and 146 random registered QH controls. Methods: Prospective genetic survey. Elite QHs from barrel racing, cutting, halter, racing, reining...
Esteller-Vico A, Liu IK, Vaughan B, Steffey EP, Brosnan RJ.In the uterus of the mare, data obtained using transrectal Doppler ultrasonography indicate that uterine blood flow (UBF) is dynamic and changes throughout the estrous cycle. Degenerative lesions in the uterus are associated with subfertility and infertility. Among these lesions, vascular elastosis has been reported in aged, multiparous, and infertile mares. Angiosis of the uterine vasculature could potentially compromise UBF. The objectives of this experiment are to determine levels of UBF and perfusion of reproductively healthy mares and compare them to levels of subfertile/infertile mares a...
