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.
Geor RJ.Epidemiologic studies indicate that most laminitis cases occur in horses and ponies kept at pasture, hence the term 'pasture-associated laminitis'. Clinical cases of laminitis most often occur under conditions that favor accumulation of rapidly fermentable nonstructural carbohydrates (fructans, simple sugars, or starches) in pasture, and animals with an equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) phenotype (insulin resistance, abnormal insulin dynamics, +/- obesity) seem to be at highest risk for developing the condition. Although the mechanisms linking consumption of pasture forage with development of la...
Morrison S.Laminitis is a disease of the suspensory apparatus of the distal phalanx, which can advance to the chronic stage with varying degrees of structural failure. Because the disease may ultimately lead to mechanical failure of the digit, a foot management plan is required to effectively and mechanically treat these cases. Many laminitis cases can be successfully rehabilitated back to athletic soundness, light use, breeding, or pasture soundness, whereas others suffer from permanent instability and never enjoy an acceptable level of comfort. To understand how to minimize damage in the acute laminiti...
Chiavaccini L, Hassel DM.Esophageal obstruction is common in horses and can result in life-threatening complications. Previous studies have described clinical findings in horses with esophageal obstruction, but there are no reports that attempt to make correlations of clinical findings with outcome. Objective: Specific clinical features of horses with esophageal obstruction are associated with increased likelihood of complications. Methods: One hundred and nine horses with esophageal obstruction. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study. All clinical records of horses admitted between April 1992 and February 2009 ...
Morello SL, Parente EJ.To report a technique for stoma creation into the conchofrontal sinus (CFS) through the dorsal turbinate and to evaluate stoma as a site for sinoscopy. Methods: Prospective experimental study. Methods: Cadaveric equine heads (n=2) and normal adult horses (5). Methods: Technique feasibility was established on 2 cadaver heads. A diode laser fiber with a contact probe was passed into the nasal passage through a custom built, laser introducer rod (LIR). A videoendoscope was passed ventral to the LIR. A site on the caudal, medial aspect of the turbinate overlying the dorsal conchal sinus (DCS) was ...
Eustace RA.The terminology relating to laminitis is confusing. This article describes how equine veterinarians, by using their eyes and fingers alone, can diagnose and evaluate a case of chronic laminitis. This evaluation will enable veterinarians to give a statistically significant prognosis that can be further refined by measurements taken from plain, weight-bearing lateromedial radiographs of the affected hooves. Should invasive techniques such as digital venography also be used, the results of both techniques are complementary.
O'Grady SE.Laminitis is considered chronic once the distal phalanx has displaced within the hoof capsule. Chronic laminitis generally occurs as a direct sequel to acute laminitis. Clinical evaluation of chronic laminitis is best performed with a thorough clinical examination and radiography. The mainstay of hoof care is therapeutic farriery. In this article, the goals and principles of hoof care, the appropriate trim and various shoes that form the bulk of farriery for chronic laminitis, and surgical treatments are discussed.
Morrison S.Maggot debridement therapy is a nontraumatic, minimally invasive method to treat infections in a foot compromised by chronic laminitis. A mechanical strategy must first be in place to address the instability of the distal phalanx and hoof capsule. Adverse reactions to maggot debridement therapy are uncommon and the only side effect observed has been irritation or hypersensitivity at the site. Chronic laminitic cases of sepsis/necrosis within the hoof benefit from this procedure due to the noninvasive, continuous debridement and healing properties provided by the larvae.
Watts K.The sugar, starch, and fructan content (collectively referred to as nonstructural carbohydrates [NSC]) of pasture plants is dependent on the environmental conditions under which they have grown. Pasture that is stressed by cold, drought, or lack of nutrients can be 2 to 3 times higher in NSC than pasture that grows quickly in warm weather and is adequately watered and fertilized. Horses at risk for laminitis should have access to pasture limited or be removed completely when environmental conditions are conducive to high levels of NSC accumulation.
van Eps A, Collins SN, Pollitt CC.Supporting limb laminitis poses a threat to all horses suffering from severe unilateral lameness. Despite its devastating effects, relatively little is known about the precise pathologic processes that lead to its development. This article reviews the potential mechanisms of supporting limb laminitis, and the authors present some preliminary data based on advanced imaging and computer-based modeling techniques aimed at further elucidating the etiology of this unique form of laminitis. Gaining a better understanding of the pathologic processes that lead to supporting limb laminitis is essential...
Kornreich B, Enyeart M, Jesty SA, Nydam DV, Divers T.Pentoxifylline (PTX) possesses a number of vasomotor, immunomodulatory, and hemorheologic properties. Based upon the hypothesis that equine laminitis and navicular disease result from microthrombosis, the inhibitory effects of PTX on inflammatory cytokines, and its inhibitory effects on human platelet aggregation, PTX has been widely used to treat equine endotoxemia, navicular disease, and laminitis. Despite this, the effects of PTX on equine platelet aggregation have not been investigated previously. Objective: PTX decreases platelet aggregation in equine whole blood at concentrations approxi...
van Eps A, Collins SN, Pollitt CC.Supporting limb laminitis poses a threat to all horses suffering from severe unilateral lameness. Despite its devastating effects, relatively little is known about the precise pathologic processes that lead to its development. This article reviews the potential mechanisms of supporting limb laminitis, and the authors present some preliminary data based on advanced imaging and computer-based modeling techniques aimed at further elucidating the etiology of this unique form of laminitis. Gaining a better understanding of the pathologic processes that lead to supporting limb laminitis is essential...
Tremaine WH, McCluskie LK.To describe surgical technique and outcome in 10 horses with impacted cheek teeth that were removed by a transcortical osteotomy and buccotomy technique. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=10) with impacted cheek teeth. Methods: Medical records (2002-2008) of horses with impacted cheek teeth requiring removal were reviewed; surgical technique and outcome were determined. Results: Exodontia of 11 cheek teeth was performed surgically in 10 horses; 3 horses had complications (residual swelling of the mandible) that resolved and all horses returned to their previous use. Conclusions: Transco...
Walsh DM.Endocrinopathic laminitis in horses and ponies has the potential to cause extensive damage to the feet before clinical signs of laminitis are apparent. Early diagnosis and intervention based on the detection and control of hyperinsulinemia are critical if the crippling changes that are seen in the disease are to be avoided. Preventing endocrinopathic laminitis, rather than treating it, is good practice management benefiting not only equine patients but also their owners.
D'Arpe L, Bernardini D.Clinical diagnostic venography allows in vivo visualization of the digital venous system and the effects of venocompression related to foot load and laminitis pathology. Venography has predictive potential and helps the clinician anticipate and treat laminitis tissue damage before it is detectable by plain radiography. The authors describe the podiatry radiographic technique to correctly perform digital venography and the modifications they have developed. The authors provide guidelines for the interpretation of laminitis venograms in the context of laminitis chronology. Frequent venographic m...
Alford C, Hanson R.To report natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) using laparoscopic and endoscopic instrumentation transvaginally into the mare's abdomen and identify structures visible using this approach. Methods: Descriptive experimental study. Methods: Mares (n=8). Methods: A standing, transvaginal approach was made in the cranial vaginal vault at either the 1 (right; 4 mares) or 11 (left; 4 mares) o'clock position relative to the cervix. The abdomen was visually explored and the viscera evaluated using a 2 m flexible endoscope followed by a 62 cm laparoscope. Incisional healing was monit...
Butcher MT, Chase PB, Hermanson JW, Clark AN, Brunet NM, Bertram JE.Equine digital flexor muscles have independent tendons but a nearly identical mechanical relationship to the main joint they act upon. Yet these muscles have remarkable diversity in architecture, ranging from long, unipennate fibers ("short" compartment of DDF) to very short, multipennate fibers (SDF). To investigate the functional relevance of the form of the digital flexor muscles, fiber contractile properties were analyzed in the context of architecture differences and in vivo function during locomotion. Myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform fiber type was studied, and in vitro motility assays w...
Kharchenko VA, Kuzmina TA.The fourth larval stage (L4) of Coronocyclus labratus (Looss, 1900) Hartwich, 1986, one of the common species of the Cyathostominae found in equids, is identified and described. The larvae found were identified as C. labratus by finding moulting forms possessing characters of both larval and adult stages. The larvae are similar to those of Cylicocyclus leptostomum (Kotlán, 1920) Foster, 1936, Cyathostomum catinatum Looss, 1900 and Cylicostephanus goldi (Boulenger, 1917) Lichtenfels, 1975. The buccal capsule (BC) wall of the L4 of Cylicocyclus leptostomum is thinner than that of Coronocyclus l...
McClure SR, Miles K, Vansickle D, South T.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of variable waveform low-intensity ultrasound on the healing of a fracture gap of the fourth metacarpal bone in horses. A randomized, blinded, controlled trial was conducted in eight healthy adult horses. In each horse, a 1-cm osteotomy of the fourth metacarpal bone was created. One randomly selected metacarpal gap was treated daily with a 40-min session of ultrasound and the opposite gap was managed similarly with an inactive transducer. The fourth metacarpal bones were radiographed weekly. Fluorescent markers were administered at 14, 28...
Latman NS, Keith N, Nicholson A, Davis M.A horse's hydration status is critical to its health. The accurate and quantitative determination of it has been problematic because of size, length and density of hair, and uneven topography. The objective of this study was to validate a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method for objectively quantifying hydration status. Monofrequency BIA values and simple biometric measurements were used to construct predictive equations for total body water, plasma, extracellular, and intra-cellular fluid volumes. These predictive equations were correlated with standard body fluid dilution reference ...
Shahriar F, Moore J.Thymic malignancy is rare in horses. Thymic epithelial tumor was diagnosed in an 18-year-old mare with invasion and metastasis to the pericardium and heart. At necropsy, the cranial thoracic cavity was obliterated by a large mass located in the thymic region and the right atrium was also expanded and effaced by a similar mass. Histologically, the neoplasm was composed of sheets of spindle cells with intraparenchymal Hassall's corpuscles and formation of pseudorosettes around blood vessels compatible with type A thymic epithelial tumor according to World Health Organization classification. The ...
Phalen DN, Drew ML, Simpson B, Roset K, Dubose K, Mora M.Cattle Egrets have a worldwide distribution, feed in proximity to cattle and other domestic animals, and often nest in large colonies in urban woodlots. Over a 3-yr period, nestlings from five Cattle Egret colonies from Central Texas, USA, were surveyed for salmonellosis. Prevalence of infection ranged from 29% to 95%. Seventeen Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotypes were isolated, of which the 4,5,12:i-monophasic serotype predominated in cultures of both the digestive tract and pooled spleen and liver. Of 11 4,5,12:i-monophasic isolates phage typed, eight were determinate type 193. The...
Lee HY, Kopesky PW, Plaas A, Sandy J, Kisiday J, Frisbie D, Grodzinsky AJ, Ortiz C.To quantify the structural characteristics and nanomechanical properties of aggrecan produced by adult bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in peptide hydrogel scaffolds and compare to aggrecan from adult articular cartilage. Methods: Adult equine BMSCs were encapsulated in 3D-peptide hydrogels and cultured for 21 days with TGF-β1 to induce chondrogenic differentiation. BMSC-aggrecan was extracted and compared with aggrecan from age-matched adult equine articular cartilage. Single molecules of aggrecan were visualized by atomic force microscopy-based imaging and aggrecan nanomechanical stiffness...
Metz GE, Ocampos GP, Serena MS, Gambaro SE, Nosetto E, EcheverrÃa MG.To perform genetic analysis of the ORF5 of equine arteritis virus (EAV) may provide new insights into the genetic evolution and origin of the Argentinean EAV sequences. Methods: A total of 76 sequences were analyzed by neighbor joining (NJ), maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood algorithms. The analysis of the selective pressures was performed using the Tajima's test. Results: The trees showed similar topologies. Two clades were identified: the first clade was formed by strains isolated mainly from a donkey, whereas the second clade presented four large groups from different geographic regi...
Ryan C, Giguère S, Fultz L, Long MT, Crawford PC.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of immunostimulants on neutrophil, macrophage, and lymphocyte function following ex vivo exposure to Rhodococcus equi. Eighteen foals were randomly assigned to one of 3 treatment groups. Treatment consisted of inactivated Propionibacterium acnes (PA), inactivated parapoxvirus ovis (PPVO), or saline (control) administered on days 0 (7 days of age), 2, and 8. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and blood were collected on days 0 (baseline), 12, 24 and 36. Intracellular replication of R. equi in macrophages, cytokine induction by R. equi-infe...
Katavolos P, Ackerley CA, Clark ME, Bienzle D.Horses suffer from recurrent airway obstruction, an asthma-like condition induced by repeat inhalation of environmental substances present in barn air. Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP) is much reduced during active inflammation when neutrophils predominate in the airways, and in chronic asthmatics. We sought to investigate morphologic and functional interactions of CCSP with neutrophils. Bronchoalveolar and blood neutrophils from healthy control animals, and from animals with recurrent airway obstruction in remission and exacerbation, were evaluated by immuno-cytochemistry and immuno-electr...
Bailly-Chouriberry L, Noguier F, Manchon L, Piquemal D, Garcia P, Popot MA, Bonnaire Y.Recombinant human erythropoietins (rHuEPOs) are glycoproteins drugs, produced by the pharmaceutical industry to restore production of red blood cells by stimulating human bone marrow for which this pathology has been diagnosed. It is suspected that these molecules are diverted as doping agents in horseracing to enhance oxygen transport and aerobic power in racehorses. Although indirect double-blotting or direct liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods have been developed to confirm the presence of rHuEPO in a sample, the short detection time (48 h) is still a problem for doping ...
Schuster RK, Sivakumar S, Kinne J, Babiker H, Traversa D, Buzzell GR.Nematode larvae found in histological cuts of lung tissue of a horse from a farm in Al Dhaid (UAE) were determined to belong to the Habronematidae family. The clinical examination of the other 18 horses present in the farm revealed summer sores (cutaneous habronemosis) in two stallions. Nematode larvae were found in 147 (=26.2%) out of 561 male but only in 64 (=8.7%) out of 739 female Musca domestica caught at the farm in November and December 2008. Conversely, all 15 Stomoxys calcitrans specimens caught in the farm resulted negative for nematode larvae. The housefly population caught in the b...
Ebert LC, Schön CA, Ruder TD, Thali MJ, Hatch GM.Horse kicks are rare incidents-especially, if they end in fatality. In this case, a 13-year-old girl collapsed 3 minutes after sustaining a kick to the chest from a pony. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. Postmortem computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were performed before autopsy.Imaging revealed a 3-cm long laceration of the left ventricle and a large pericardial effusion. Using segmentation techniques, the amount of blood inside the pericardium was determined. These findings correlated well with the autopsy findings. Pericardial tamponade was determined at autopsy to ...
Ibrahim A, Ahmed AF.The exact contribution of the orbital lacrimal gland (OLG) is unknown and is still a subject of debate and inconsistency in literature. Currently, there are no detailed studies addressing the influence of the OLG removal on tear production in equines. This study aimed to address the influence of surgical excision of the OLG on aqueous tear production and ocular surface health in donkeys. The study was conducted on six clinically healthy donkeys with no ophthalmic abnormalities. In each donkey, the OLG of the left eye was surgically excised, whereas the right eye was served as a control. Extern...
Clayton HM.The success of a clinical gait laboratory depends on choosing the right equipment, installing it correctly, running calibration checks, and having skilled technical and professional personnel. For kinematic analysis, videographic or optoelectronic systems are the method of choice, with 2-D data being adequate for the majority of equine evaluations. A force plate provides a precise description of the 3-D ground reaction force; transmission of the force through the body tissues is measured using strain gauges attached to the bones and tendons. Accelerometers bonded to the hoof wall provide infor...
Kitamura HP, Yanase H, Kitamura H, Iwanaga T.Fibroblast-like (Type B) synoviocytes are cells in the synovial membrane that are responsible for production of both synovial fluid and the extracellular matrix in the synovial intima. Immunostaining of the horse synovial membrane for protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, which is a neuron-specific ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase, demonstrated selective localization of the immunoreactivity in a synoviocyte population different from acid phosphatase-positive Type A synoviocytes. The immunoreactive cells were lined up in the synovial intima and extended dendritic processes towards the joint cavity to f...
Dyson SJ, Kidd L.Analgesia of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint and of the navicular bursa was performed independently in the lame or lamer forelimb of 59 horses, in which lameness was significantly improved by perineural analgesia of either the palmar digital or palmar (abaxial sesamoid) nerves. In 3 horses no improvement was detected. Lameness was improved by analgesia of the DIP joint but there was no response to analgesia of the navicular bursa in 3 horses. In 12 horses, lameness was improved by analgesia of the navicular bursa but intra-articular analgesia resulted in no change. Forty-one horses resp...
Todhunter RJ, Wootton JA, Lust G, Minor RR.Collagen type I was purified from equine skin and flexor tendon, and type II collagen was purified from equine articular cartilage. The proteoglycans in these tissues were extracted, using guanidine HCl; the collagens were solubilized, using pepsin digestion, then were selectively precipitated with NaCl. Gel electrophoresis indicated that the precipitates contained only type I or type II collagen. Amino acid analysis indicated that collagen constituted > 97% of the total protein in the precipitates. Hydroxylation of proline was 42.0 +/- 0.6% (mean +/- SEM) in alpha 1(I) and alpha 2(I), and was...
van Dorland A, Janett F, Bruckmaier R, Wach-Gygax L, Jeannerat E, Bollwein H, Sieme H, Burger D.Effects of a plasmolysed yeast product enriched with herbs, malt, honey and orange syrup on semen characteristics and oxidative status in stallions were evaluated. Twenty stallions (mean age ± standard deviation = 9.5 ± 4.5 years) were randomly divided into a treatment group (n = 10) receiving 0.06 mL/kg bodyweight of plasmolysed herbal yeast, and a control group (n = 10) receiving the same amount of placebo daily in the feed for 10 weeks. Ejaculates were collected weekly from all stallions starting at Week 0. Volume, sperm concentration, motility, and velocity were eva...
Pujar S, Meyers-Wallen VN.Inherited disorders of sexual development (DSD) cause sterility and infertility in horses. Mutations causing such disorders have been identified in other mammals, but there is little information on the molecular causes in horses. While the equine genome sequence has made it possible to identify candidate genes, additional tools are needed to routinely screen them for causative mutations. In this study, we designed a screening panel of polymerase chain reaction primer pairs for 15 equine genes. These are the candidate genes for testicular or ovotesticular XX DSD and XY DSD, the latter of which ...
Saville WJ, Sofaly CD, Reed SM, Dubey JP, Oglesbee MJ, Lacombe VA, Keene RO, Gugisberg KM, Swensen SW, Shipley RD, Chiang YW, Chu HJ, Ng T.Previous challenge studies performed at Ohio State University involved a transport-stress model where the study animals were dosed with Sarcocystis neurona sporocysts on the day of arrival. This study was to test a second transportation of horses after oral inoculation with S. neurona sporocysts. Horses were assigned randomly to groups: group 1, transported 4 days after inoculation (DAI); group 2, at 11 DAI; group 3, at 18 DAI; and group 4, horses were not transported a second time (controls). An overall neurologic score was determined on the basis of a standard numbering system used by veteri...
Sullins KE, Stashak TS, Mero KN.Arteriovenous (ischemic strangulation obstruction, ISO) or venous (hemorrhagic strangulation obstruction, HSO) occlusions were created in the jejunum of 5 anesthetized horses and were left in situ for 1-, 2-, or 3-hour intervals. Segments were evaluated grossly for color, thickness, and motility. The horses were euthanatized, and the degree of mucosal slough, edema, congestion, and hemorrhage was determined histologically. Segments subjected to ISO became dark, but did not contain edema or hemorrhage. Segments subjected to HSO were characterized by progressive congestion, edema, and hemorrhage...
Moraes EA, Matos WC, Graham JK, Ferrari WD.This study was to compare the effect of adding cholesterol or cholestanol loaded cyclodextrins in stallion sperm prior to cryopreservation to optimize sperm cryosurvival. Ejaculates from each of eight stallions were diluted to 120 million cells in a S-MEDIUM diluent. The diluted sperm were sub-divided into three treatments: no additive (control); 0.75mg of cyclodextrin pre-loaded with cholesterol (CLC)/120 million sperm (positive control); 1.5mg CLC/120 million sperm; 0.75mg of cyclodextrin pre-loaded with cholestanol (CnLC)/120 million sperm; and 1.5mg CnLC/120 million sperm. To set the exper...
Studer N, Bernal SD, Thormann W, Levionnois O, Spadavecchia C.To evaluate the antinociceptive effect of a bolus of intravenous levomethadone administered to horses during romifidine constant rate infusion (CRI). Methods: Prospective, randomized, masked, crossover experimental study. Methods: A group of eight adult Warmblood horses (seven geldings, one mare) aged 6.6 ± 4.4 years, weighing 548 ± 52 kg [mean ± standard deviation (SD)]. Methods: Levomethadone 0.1 mg kg or an equivalent volume of saline (control) was administered intravenously to standing horses 60 minutes after starting a romifidine CRI. Blood samples to quantify romifidine and levomethad...
Wilkins PA.Lower airway problems of the adult horse are commonly encountered by the practitioner. Particularly susceptible populations include horses transported for any significant distance and young horses grouped together for training and/or competition. This article presents some of the commonly encountered problems of this patient population, including bacterial pneumonia/pleuropneumonia and influenza, and some uncommon ones, including pulmonary edema, pneumothorax/hemothorax, and acuterespiratory distress syndrome. Information is presented that should allow the practitioner to diagnose these proble...
Ing NH, Forrest DW, Love CC, Varner DD.Stallions are unique among livestock in that, like men, they commonly receive medical treatment for subfertility. In both species, about 15% of individuals have normal semen parameters but are subfertile, indicating a need for novel analyses of spermatozoa function. One procedure for improving fertilizing capability of stallions and men is isolation of dense spermatozoa from an ejaculate for use in artificial insemination. In the current study, dense and less dense spermatozoa were purified by density gradient centrifugation from individual ejaculates from seven reproductively normal adult sta...
Stover SM.Racehorses are susceptible to bone fractures when damage from repetitive, high-magnitude loads incurred during training and racing exceed concurrent damage removal and replacement, resulting in transient periods of focal osteoporosis and bone weakening. Clinically, these events correspond to cortical stress fractures and subchondral bone stress remodeling. Evidence of these preexisting lesions include periosteal callus, endosteal callus, and intracortical focal hyperemia for cortical stress fractures; and subchondral focal hyperemia located superficial to sclerotic compacted trabecular bone ti...
Tyrnenopoulou P, Karayannopoulou M, Angelopoulou S, Pyrros A, Mparous E, Koliakos G, Diakakis N.Carpal chip fractures are common causes of lameness in racehorses. Due to disadvantages in surgical management, adjuvant treatment modalities are usually necessary. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have the potential to differentiate into other cell types including bone and cartilage cells. Adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is produced during ADSCs isolation from adipose tissue. The purpose of this report was to present the successful management of a grade III chip fracture in the right carpus of a 5-year-old Thoroughbred gelding by intra-articularly injected autologous SVF one...
The Journal of physiologyNovember 3, 2005
Volume 570, Issue Pt 2 397-405 doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2005.098723
Vengust M, Staempfli H, Viel L, Heigenhauser G.Exercise causes changes in pulmonary haemodynamics through redistribution of blood flow, increase in the pulmonary surface area, and increase in pulmonary vascular pressures. These changes contribute to the increase in fluid exchange across the alveolar-capillary barrier. To determine the extent of the fluid exchange across the alveolar-capillary barrier at rest and during exercise, six horses were exercised on a high-speed treadmill until fatigue. Arterial and mixed venous blood were sampled at rest and during exercise and recovery. Blood volume changes across the lung (DeltaBV; measured in p...
Eustace RA.The terminology relating to laminitis is confusing. This article describes how equine veterinarians, by using their eyes and fingers alone, can diagnose and evaluate a case of chronic laminitis. This evaluation will enable veterinarians to give a statistically significant prognosis that can be further refined by measurements taken from plain, weight-bearing lateromedial radiographs of the affected hooves. Should invasive techniques such as digital venography also be used, the results of both techniques are complementary.
Mackey VS, Wheat JD.PLEUROSCOPY is a diagnostic technique in which a flexible
or rigid endoscope is used to examine the pleural space.
Although pleuroscopy is a relatively new technique in equine
medicine, it has been used for some time in human medicine
(Jacobaeus 1910, 1925; Lloyd 1953). It is most often used in
human patients to explore the thoracic cavity of persons with
undiagnosed pleural effusions when more conservative
methods, such as percutaneous lung or pleural biopsy, have
been unsuccessful in providing a diagnosis (Hatch and
Decamp 1966; Decamp, Mosely, Scott and Hatch 1973;
Gwin et a1 1975...
Nguyen HS, Lew S.Equestrian activities can be undertaken for competition or leisure. Accidents can lead to bodily injuries. In particular, traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be devastating. Limited data exist regarding the pediatric population with respect to patterns of injury and related neurosurgical intervention. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data for all pediatric patients diagnosed with equestrian-related injuries with neurological injuries from 2005 through June 2015. Results: Nine patients (1 male and 8 females) had neurological injuries. Their mean age was 10.4 years (range 2.9-16.8 years). Intra...
Foreman JH, Ruemmler R.There are no peer reviewed, blinded controlled studies regarding the skeletal analgesic efficacy of intramuscularly administered meperidine in horses. Objective: Using an adjustable heart bar shoe model of equine foot pain, the objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that meperidine (pethidine) administered intramuscularly would prove more efficacious in alleviating lameness than a saline placebo. Methods: Crossover pharmacodynamic experiment. Methods: Eight healthy adult Thoroughbred horses randomly underwent weekly i.m. treatments 1 h after lameness induction: saline placebo (1â...
Nie GJ, Goodin AN, Braden TD, Wenzel JG.To determine whether administration of a microdose of prostaglandin at the BAI HUI acupuncture point offers any advantage over IM injections for luteolysis, ovulatory interval, or systemic response in mares. Methods: 17 mature cycling mares, 3 to 20 years of age and weighing 400 to 500 kg. Methods: Conventional and microdoses of the prostaglandin dinoprost tromethamine (PGF2alpha), the analogue cloprostenol, or sterile water (control) were administered to mares in 7 treatment groups. Treatments were assigned by dose, administration site (semimembranosus, semitendinosus, or lumbosacral region),...
Choi YH, Love CC, Varner DD, Hinrichs K.This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of thawing, division into aliquots and refreezing on fertilizing capacity (ability to support embryo development after intracytoplasmic sperm injection; ICSI) of frozen stallion semen. Frozen semen from a fertile stallion was thawed, diluted 1:100 with freezing extender, and refrozen (2F treatment). Control semen was frozen only once. In vitro matured equine oocytes were injected with: (1) motile control spermatozoa; (2) motile 2F spermatozoa; (3) non-motile 2F spermatozoa; or (4) non-motile 2F spermatozoa, followed by injection of sperm extract...
Kuwano A, Tanaka K, Kawabata M, Ooi Y, Takahashi T, Yoshihara T, Reilly JD.A survey was carried out into white line disease in 1781 Thoroughbred racehorses kept in stables at the Japan Racing Association (JRA) Miho Training Center (MTC) September-October 1996. The survey was conducted while horses were being shod by farriers. The horses that still exhibited damaged white lines after regular trimming were diagnosed as having white line disease. The factors recorded were age, sex, number of diseased horses, number of diseased hooves, number of lesions by region over the bearing border of the hoof and the classified length of such lesions. The percentage of total diseas...
Rijkenhuizen AB.The 21st century has heralded a reassessment of our ideas about
navicular disease. In particular, the proposal of different
pathological entities has led to alternative treatment regimes and a
sounder basis for reaching a prognosis. Further, recently generated
data have given grounds for reconsidering both terminology and
treatment. The impact of recent information on the clinical
approach to suspected navicular disease of concepts relating to
diagnostic analgesia, the evolution of diagnostic imaging
techniques, biomarkers, biomechanics and heritability require
placing into the contex...
Woodward AD, Fan MZ, Geor RJ, McCutcheon LJ, Taylor NP, Trottier NL.In nonruminant herbivores, microbially derived AA could contribute to whole-body AA homeostasis and thus decrease predicted AA requirements. However, postileal capacity of AA uptake is currently unknown. Therefore, to test the hypothesis that Lys is transported across the large colon mucosal apical membrane with capacity similar to that of the small intestinal mucosa in the pony and pig, we examined Lys transport in vitro using brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV). Mucosa was collected from the distal jejunum (DJ) and proximal large colon (PLC) of growing pigs (n = 3) and ponies (n = 4), flas...
Lu Z, Timoney PJ, White J, Balasuriya UB.Equine rhinitis viruses A and B (ERAV and ERBV) are common equine respiratory viruses belonging to the family Picornaviridae. Sero-surveillance studies have shown that these two viral infections are prevalent in many countries. Currently, the diagnosis of ERAV and ERBV infections in horses is mainly based on virus isolation (VI). However, the sensitivity of VI testing varies between laboratories due to inefficient viral growth in cell culture and lack of cytopathic effect. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop molecular diagnostic assays (real-time RT-PCR [rRT-PCR] and conventi...
Morales JL, Manchado M, Vivo J, Galisteo AM, Agüera E, Miró F.Normal speed videography was used to determine the angular parameters of 28 Spanish Thoroughbreds at trot. Horses were divided into 3 groups: Group UT, comprising 9 animals (provided by the VII National Stud, Cordoba, Spain) which had undergone no specific training programme and which were hand led at the trot; Group T, formed by 19 horses considered to be highly bred and trained, and which were also hand led; and Group RT, comprising the same horses as the latter group but this time trotted by a rider. Each animal was filmed 6 times from the right-hand side, using a Hi8 (25 Hz) video camera. ...
