"Horses" is a broad topic that encompasses various aspects of equine biology, behavior, and management. This category includes studies on the anatomy, physiology, and genetics of horses, as well as their behavior, nutrition, and care. Research in this area may also cover the historical and cultural significance of horses, their roles in agriculture, sport, and therapy, and the challenges associated with their conservation and welfare. The page aggregates peer-reviewed research articles and scholarly studies that explore the multifaceted relationships between humans and horses, examining both scientific and socio-economic perspectives.
Bauquier JR, Tennent-Brown BS, Tudor E, Bailey SR.Polymyxin-B is used to treat equine systemic inflammation. Bacterial toxins other than lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contribute to systemic inflammation but the effects of polymyxin-B on these are poorly defined. Whole blood aliquots from six healthy horses diluted 1:1 with RPMI were incubated for 21 hr with 1 μg/ml of LPS, lipoteichoic acid (LTA) or peptidoglycan (PGN) in the presence of increasing concentrations of polymyxin-B (10-3000 μg/ml). A murine L929 fibroblast bioassay was used to measure TNF-α activity. Polymyxin-B significantly inhibited the effects of all three bacterial toxins. ...
Starke SD, May SA.The development of perceptual skills is an important aspect of veterinary education. The authors investigated veterinary student competency in lameness evaluation at two stages, before (third year) and during (fourth/fifth year) clinical rotations. Students evaluated horses in videos, where horses were presented during trot on a straight line and in circles. Eye-tracking data were recorded during assessment on the straight line to follow student gaze. On completing the task, students filled in a structured questionnaire. Results showed that the experienced students outperformed inexperienced s...
Haspel AD, Giguère S, Hart KA, Berghaus LJ, Davis JL.Nebulisation of the injectable dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) would offer an inexpensive way of delivering a potent corticosteroid directly to the lungs of horses with asthma. However, this approach would be advantageous only if systemic absorption is minimal and if the preservatives present in the formulation do not induce airway inflammation. Objective: To investigate the bioavailability of nebulised DSP and determine whether it induces airway inflammation or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression in healthy adult horses. Methods: Randomised crossover experiment. Methods...
Segabinazzi LG, Friso AM, Correal SB, Crespilho AM, Dell'Aqua JA, Miró J, Papa FO, Alvarenga MA.Persistent mating-induced endometritis (PMIE) results in decreased fertility in horses, thereby causing a significant impact in the horse market. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a modulator of the inflammatory response, has been largely used in veterinary medicine. Here, we investigated the effects of PRP on uterine inflammation, conception rate, endometrial polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) migration, and COX-2 protein levels in the endometrial tissue. Thirteen PMIE-susceptible mares were used for artificial insemination (AI). The mares were inseminated with fresh semen in three consecutive cycl...
De-Simone SG, Souza ALA, Aguiar AS, Melgarejo AR, Provance DW.Hypersensitive diseases that involve IgE reactivity are important concern of public, especially those encompassing the potential pathogenesis from the administration of horse serum-based therapeutics such as antivenoms. A method for the definitive diagnosis of reactive IgE is important for identifying allergic patients to control severe collateral effects during planned and emergency application of immunotherapies when the allergy source cannot be avoided for treatment. To date, no tests have been developed to accompany the wide range of antivenoms produced from horse sera. The aim of this was...
Weber CD, Nguyen AR, Lefering R, Hofman M, Hildebrand F, Pape HC.The objective of this study was to investigate the nature, management, and outcome of major injuries related to equestrian sports and to define the at-risk groups for serious and life-threatening injuries. We analyzed demographic, pre-hospital, clinical, and outcome data from an international population-based prospective trauma database (TraumaRegister DGU®). Patients with major injuries (Injury Severity Score [ISS] ≥9 points) related to equestrian sports activities were included (January 1, 1993, to December 31, 2012). Clinical and outcome parameters were stratified for four different type...
Hwang JM, Seo MJ, Yeh JY.Proliferative enteropathy is a global enteric disease of particular importance in pigs. The causative bacterium, Lawsonia intracellularis, has a wide range of susceptible host species. Recently, L. intracellularis has been recognized as an etiologic agent of an emerging enteric disease in foals called equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE). The presence of L. intracellularis in nonruminant wildlife has raised questions regarding the role of these species in EPE transmission. Results: This study investigated exposure to L. intracellularis in wild rodents and feral cats from eight farms with con...
Bolwell C, Rogers C, Gee E, McIlwraith W.The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of veterinary events that resulted in a horse failing to finish a race and identify risk factors for musculoskeletal injury (MSI) during a race. Data were obtained on Thoroughbred flat race starts in New Zealand between 1 August 2005 and 31 July 2011 (six racing seasons). Stipendiary Steward's reports were key-word searched to identify veterinary events that prevented a horse from finishing a race. Race data were used calculate the incidence of veterinary events per 1000 horse starts and Poisson regression was used to investigate risk f...
Dougal K, Harris PA, Girdwood SE, Creevey CJ, Curtis GC, Barfoot CF, Argo CM, Newbold CJ.Twelve mature (aged 5-16 years) horses and ponies of mixed breed and type were fed restricted (1.25% BM Dry matter) quantities of one of two fiber based diets formulated to be iso-caloric. Diet 1 comprised of 0.8% body mass (BM) of chaff based complete feed plus 0.45% BM low energy grass hay (the same hay used for both diets). Diet 2 comprised 0.1% BM of a nutrient balancer plus 1.15% BM grass hay. Fecal samples were collected at week 10 and week 16. DNA was extracted and the V1-V2 regions of 16SrDNA were 454-pyrosequenced to investigate the bacterial microbiome of the horse. The two most abun...
Lindåse S, Nostell K, Söder J, Bröjer J.A hyperbolic relationship between β-cell response and insulin sensitivity (IS) has been described in several species including rodents, dogs, and humans. This relationship has not been elucidated in the horse. Objective: To determine whether the hyperbolic relationship between β-cell response and IS exists in horses by using indices of β-cell response from the oral sugar test (OST) and IS measurements from the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp (EHC). A second aim was to compare how well IS estimates from the OST and EHC correlate. Methods: Forty-nine horses with different degrees of insulin...
Herteman N, Vargas A, Lavoie JP.Low-density neutrophils (LDNs) are a subset of neutrophils first described in the bloodstream upon pathological conditions, and recently, in the blood of healthy humans. LDNs may have an enhanced pro-inflammatory (low-density granulocytes, LDGs) or an immunosuppressive (Granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells, G-MDSCs) profile. Whether these characteristics are specific to LDNs or related to disease states is unknown. Thus, we sought to investigate the properties of LDNs in both health and disease states, and to compare them to those of autologous normal-density neutrophils (NDNs). We st...
Gao JF, Liu GH, Duan H, Gao Y, Zhang Y, Chang QC, Fang M, Wang CR.Triodontophorus serratus and Triodontophorus nipponicus are two of the most common nematodes inhabiting in the large intestine of horse. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome sequences of T. serratus and T. nipponicus have been determined. The mt genomes of T. serratus and T. nipponicus are circular molecules with 13,794 bp and 13,701 bp in size, respectively. These circular mt genomes encode 36 genes, including 12 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes. All of these genes are transcribed in the same direction and gene arrangements are consistent with...
Bryan K, McGivney BA, Farries G, McGettigan PA, McGivney CL, Gough KF, MacHugh DE, Katz LM, Hill EW.A single bout of exercise induces changes in gene expression in skeletal muscle. Regular exercise results in an adaptive response involving changes in muscle architecture and biochemistry, and is an effective way to manage and prevent common human diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disorders and type II diabetes. However, the biomolecular mechanisms underlying such responses still need to be fully elucidated. Here we performed a transcriptome-wide analysis of skeletal muscle tissue in a large cohort of untrained Thoroughbred horses (n = 51) before and after a bout of high-intensity exe...
Hernández-Mora G, Bonilla-Montoya R, Barrantes-Granados O, Esquivel-Suárez A, Montero-Caballero D, González-Barrientos R, Fallas-Monge Z....Brucellosis has been an endemic disease of cattle and humans in Costa Rica since the beginning of XX century. However, brucellosis in sheep, goats, pigs, water buffaloes, horses and cetaceans, has not been reported in the country. We have performed a brucellosis survey in these host mammal species, from 1999-2016. In addition, we have documented the number of human brucellosis reported cases, from 2003-2016. The brucellosis seroprevalence in goat and sheep herds was 0.98% and 0.7% respectively, with no Brucella isolation. Antibodies against Brucella were not detected in feral or domestic pigs....
Berryhill EH, Magdesian KG, Kass PH, Edman JE.Few studies have evaluated the effects of age and illness on serum triglyceride concentrations in neonatal foals. The objectives of this study were to evaluate triglyceride concentrations in neonatal foals and their dams through serial measurement immediately postpartum and at 1-2 days and 10-12 days of age, as well as to measure them in sick foals. Serially measured serum triglycerides in seven healthy foals varied with age. Median (range) triglyceride concentrations were 28mg/dL (12-50mg/dL), 89mg/dL (51-264mg/dL), and 60mg/dL (28-135mg/dL) immediately postpartum, at 1-2 days of age, and 10-...
Huxford KE, Dart AJ, Perkins NR, Bell R, Jeffcott LB.AIMS To compare the efficacy of an enteric coated esomeprazole paste with an enteric coated omeprazole paste to increase gastric pH after oral administration in horses. METHODS Nine adult Standardbred horses were randomly assigned to three groups, each containing three horses, for a study comprising three phases of 10 days, with an 18-day washout period between each phase. In each phase, three horses received either 0.5 mg/kg esomeprazole, 1 mg/kg omeprazole or a placebo, as an oral paste, once daily for 10 days (Days 0-9). Over the course of study all horses received all three treatments....
Decloedt A, De Clercq D, Ven S, Vera L, van Loon G.The disproportionate rise of pulmonary artery pressure compared to systemic blood pressure during exercise can lead to detrimental right ventricular remodelling in endurance athletes. Horses may act as an extreme model of these athletic cardiovascular adaptations, as they show a three fold increase in pulmonary pressures during exercise. Right ventricular function was examined in ten healthy horses using post-exercise and pharmacological stress echocardiography in a randomised cross-over design. Exercise testing was performed on a treadmill while pharmacological testing was performed using an ...
Mack M, Kowalski E, Grahn R, Bras D, Penedo MCT, Bellone R.A unique eye color, called tiger-eye, segregates in the Puerto Rican Paso Fino (PRPF) horse breed and is characterized by a bright yellow, amber, or orange iris. Pedigree analysis identified a simple autosomal recessive mode of inheritance for this trait. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) with 24 individuals identified a locus on ECA 1 reaching genome-wide significance ( = 1.32 × 10). This ECA1 locus harbors the candidate gene, (), (), with known roles in pigmentation in humans, mice, and zebrafish. Humans with compound heterozygous mutations in have oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) type...
Cowled C, Foo CH, Deffrasnes C, Rootes CL, Williams DT, Middleton D, Wang LF, Bean AGD, Stewart CR.Hendra virus (HeV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen harbored by Australian mainland flying foxes. HeV infection can cause lethal disease in humans and horses, and to date all cases of human HeV disease have resulted from contact with infected horses. Currently, diagnosis of acute HeV infections in horses relies on the productive phase of infection when virus shedding may occur. An assay that identifies infected horses during the preclinical phase of infection would reduce the risk of zoonotic viral transmission during management of HeV outbreaks. Having previously shown that the host microRNA ...
Dunkel B, Buonpane A, Chang YM.Clinical impression suggests that some gastrointestinal lesions are more common in certain horse types. The study tested the hypothesis that relative prevalence of acute gastrointestinal lesions differs between equid types. In a retrospective caseâ€"control study, records (2010â€"2015) were reviewed for equids with acute gastrointestinal disease. Signalment, details of gastrointestinal lesions and diagnoses were recorded. Animals were categorised as miniature type, pony, Arabian, light breed or draft type. Exclusion criteria were no recorded breed/size/diagnosis, age less than one year a...
Bullone M, Pouyet M, Lavoie JP.Peripheral airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass is increased in severe equine asthma, but no information is available on age related changes in ASM. In this study, peripheral ASM dimensions were determined in healthy horses of different ages. The thickness of the peripheral ASM layer was constant in horses of different ages, but ASM occupied a greater proportion of the inner wall area in young horses compared to older horses. This finding suggests that equine airways experience a decrease in the relative abundance of ASM with age.
El-Shahat MF, Sadek MA, Salem WM, Embaby AA, Mohamed FA.The northwestern coast of Sinai is home to many economic activities and development programs, thus evaluation of the potentiality and vulnerability of water resources is important. The present work has been conducted on the groundwater resources of this area for describing the major features of groundwater quality and the principal factors that control salinity evolution. The major ionic content of 39 groundwater samples collected from the Quaternary aquifer shows high coefficients of variation reflecting asymmetry of aquifer recharge. The groundwater samples have been classified into four clu...
Stevenson K.As a recipient of the Worshipful Company of Farriers' equine veterinary studies award, Edinburgh vet student Karis Stevenson got the opportunity to learn firsthand what farriers do. She spent a week with Stephen Newman near Paisley. Here, she gives a snapshot of what she learnt.
Current and emerging issues: reminder of the notifiable status of porcine epidemic diarrhoeaHighlights from the scanning surveillance networkUpdate on international disease threatsReview of animal health threats by the Veterinary Risk Group These are among matters discussed in the Animal and Plant Health Agency's (APHA's) disease surveillance report for July 2017.
Haq I, Durrani AZ, Khan MS, Mushtaq MH, Ahmad I.Antimicrobial resistance results in selective colonization in animals. In the present study, 447 diarrheic foals (235 horse foals, 165 donkey foals and 47 mule foal) were selected from Lahore and Sahiwal districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Fresh fecal and blood samples from diarrheic foals were collected for isolation and confirmation of Salmonella Polymerase chain reaction. Results revealed that 50 (11.25%) foals (horse n=29, donkey n=12 and mule n=9) were positive. Fifty Salmonella enterica isolates belonging to 7 serovars S. Paratyphi B (15), S. Saintpaul (7), S. Newport (6), S. Typhimu-rium (11...
Nawrocka D, Kornicka K, Śmieszek A, Marycz K.Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a steadily growing life-threatening endocrine disorder linked to insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and systemic inflammation. Inflammatory microenvironment of adipose tissue constitutes the direct tissue milieu for various cell populations, including adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs), widely considered as a potential therapeutic cell source in the course of the treatment of metabolic disorders. Moreover, elevated oxidative stress induces inflammation in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs)-the first-line cells exposed to dietary compounds. In...
Cousty M, David Stack J, Tricaud C, David F.To evaluate the effect of arthroscopic lavage and repeated intra-articular administration of antibiotic in adult horses and foals with septic arthritis. Methods: Retrospective clinical study. Methods: Adult horses and foals with septic arthritis (n = 62). Methods: Age, sex, cause of septic synovitis, joint involved, hospitalization time, and outcome were recorded. Arthroscopic lavage was performed at day 0 (D 0). Synovial fluid was collected every 48 hours prior to intra-articular administration of antibiotic, and until hospital discharge. Synovial nucleated cell count, total protein, and ...
Nemoto M, Bannai H, Ochi A, Niwa H, Murakami S, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kokado H, Kondo T.Getah virus is mosquito-borne and causes disease in horses and pigs. We sequenced and analyzed the complete genomes of three strains isolated from horses in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, in 2016. They were almost identical to the genomes of strains recently isolated from horses, pigs, and mosquitoes in Japan.
Gao Y, Zhang Y, Yang X, Qiu JH, Duan H, Xu WW, Chang QC, Wang CR.Equine strongyles, the significant nematode pathogens of horses, are characterized by high quantities and species abundance, but classification of this group of parasitic nematodes is debated. Mitochondrial (mt) genome DNA data are often used to address classification controversies. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the complete mt genomes of three Cyathostominae nematode species (, and ) of horses and reconstruct the phylogenetic relationship of Strongylidae with other nematodes in Strongyloidea to test the hypothesis that spp. belong to Cyathostominae using the mt genomes...
Kieson E, Goma AA, Radi M.Studies show that horses express favoritism through shared proximity and time and demonstrate unique affiliative behaviors such as allogrooming (mutual scratching) with favorite conspecifics. Allogrooming also occurs more frequently during stress and has been observed to occur more frequently in domestic herds than feral. The role of partner preference, lateralization, and duration of allogrooming as measures of social bonding has remained unclear. The present study looked at two socially stable herds of mares (n = 85, n = 115) to determine the frequency, duration, visual field of view and par...
Oreff GL, Dahan R, Tatz AJ, Raz T, Britzi M, Kelmer G.To determine the influence of 3 perfusate volumes on amikacin concentration in the metacarpophalangeal joint following cephalic regional limb perfusion (RLP) in standing horses. Methods: Seven healthy horses. Methods: Three perfusate volumes (100, 60, and 30 mL), containing 2 grams of amikacin, were tested during intravenous RLP at the cephalic vein, placing the tourniquet at mid antebrachium, in standing sedated horses. Synovial fluid was collected from the metacarpophalangeal joint before perfusion and at 30 and 120 minutes after perfusion. Serum samples were taken from the jugular vein at t...
Galinelli N, Wambacq W, Broeckx BJG, Hesta M.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a pathological condition affecting the glandular and squamous regions of the stomach. It is characterized by non-specific clinical signs, behavioural changes or can also be found without any overt clinical manifestations. Nutritional factors such as intermittent feeding, high sugars and starch intake, large amounts of straw as forage and prolonged time without access to forage have all been associated with an increased risk of equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). The aim of this study was to investigate which nutritional practices are commonly seen in...
Fradinho MJ, Correia MJ, Grácio V, Bliebernicht M, Farrim A, Mateus L, Martin-Rosset W, Bessa RJ, Caldeira RM, Ferreira-Dias G.The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of body condition (BC), BC changes, and plasma leptin concentrations on the reproductive performance of Lusitano broodmares on extensive systems. Data from 119 mares (ranging from 4 to 22 years of age) were collected over a period of four consecutive breeding seasons. Each case was considered as one foaled mare bred in 1 year. Body condition changes at conception (ΔBCScon) showed a strong effect on fertility at the first two postpartum estrous cycles and a significant interaction with body condition score at conception (BCScon) was observed...
Sherlock CE, Mair TS, Ter Braake F.We report the use of low-field standing magnetic resonance imaging in the standing horse for the diagnosis of osseous lesions in the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) or metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint that were not apparent using standard radiography. Thirteen horses were studied and all had thickening of the subchondral bone plate and abnormal signal intensity in the adjacent spongiosa in either the condyles of metacarpal/metatarsal III or the proximal phalanx or both. Abnormalities were characterized by diffuse decreased signal intensity on T1-weighting adjacent to the subchondral bone and within t...
Metcalf ES.Despite the numerous benefits of having the capability to transport semen internationally, there are serious potential ramifications if that semen is contaminated with a communicable disease. Bacteria: Many commensal bacteria colonize the exterior of the stallion penis and are not regarded as pathogenic. They may be cultured from an ejaculate. Alterations of the normal bacterial flora on the exterior genitalia may cause the growth of opportunistic bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus zooepidemicus, which, if inseminated, may cause infertility in suscepti...
Michau TM.Glaucoma is a multifactorial neurodegenerative ocular disease leading to progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells and their axons that form the optic nerve, causing blindness. Knowledge of the pathogenesis and development of equine glaucoma is in its infancy compared with human glaucoma. Glaucoma occurs most commonly secondary to uveitis and may be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed in horses suffering from uveitis. Recognition and clinical diagnosis of glaucoma in the horse is improved with clinician awareness and the availability of handheld tonometers. Therapy for glaucoma is aimed at decreas...
McCue ME, Ribeiro WP, Valberg SJ.Controversy exists as to the prevalence of polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in breeds of horses and its impact on performance. Objective: To determine 1) the prevalence of PSSM in horses that presented with a neuromuscular disorder, as well as breed, sex and age distributions and clinical signs 2) effect of diagnostic criteria on prevalence, breed distribution and age of horses diagnosed with PSSM. Methods: Fresh frozen biopsies (n = 1426) submitted to the Neuromuscular Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota were searched to identify horses diagnosed with PSSM. Horses with ...
Colles CM, Hickman J.Macroscopic, microscopic and radiological examinations of the navicular bones of 83 horses and ponies showed that the navicular bone in the adult horse has 2 principal routes of blood supply. One supply is present at birth, the other develops within the first 2 to 3 years of life, in response to increasing activity. The size of the nutrient foramina, as seen on radiographs, is related to the type, frequency and regularity of work done by the horse. These foramina are normally conical in shape, alteration to a circular, or mushroom-shape being evidence of occlusive vascular disease in the navic...
Brama PA, TeKoppele JM, Bank RA, van Weeren PR, Barneveld A.To determine variations in biochemical characteristics of equine articular cartilage in relation to age and the degree of predisposition for osteochondral disease at a specific site. Methods: Articular cartilage specimens from 53 horses 4 to 30 years old. Methods: Healthy specimens were obtained from 2 locations on the proximal articular surface of the first phalanx that had different disease prevalences (site 1 at the mediodorsal margin and site 2 at the center of the medial cavity). Water, total collagen, and hydroxylysine contents and enzymatic (hydroxylysylpyridinoline [HP]) and nonenzymat...
Gibson JS, O'Neill T, Thackray A, Hannant D, Field HJ.Serum antibody (virus neutralisation, complement fixation, IgM and IgG) responses to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection were measured in six foals which were initially free from EHV-1 and EHV-4 infection and maternally-derived antibodies. Following primary infection, high titres of virus neutralisation and complement fixation antibodies were detectable against EHV-1, however, corresponding antibody levels against EHV-4 were low or inapparent, although the two viruses share a number of cross-reactive epitopes. In addition, following the primary infection with EHV-1, IgM levels increased bef...
Traversa D, Iorio R, Petrizzi L, De Amicis I, Brandt S, Meana A, Giangaspero A, Otranto D.Equine cutaneous habronemosis, also known as "summer sores", is a parasitic infection caused by larvae of Habronema microstoma and Habronema muscae (Nematoda, Spirurida) released by dung-inhabiting fly vectors on abraded skin, skin wounds or muco-cutaneous transition sites. Larvae induce a local inflammatory reaction characterised by itching, granulomatous, ulcerated and, often non-healing, lesions. The diagnosis of summer sores may be unreliable mainly because of the limits of clinical and microscopic examination. The applicability of a semi-nested PCR assay developed for the diagnosis of gas...
Animals must attend to a diverse array of stimuli in their environments. The emotional valence and salience of a stimulus can affect how this information is processed in the brain. Many species preferentially attend to negatively valent stimuli using the sensory organs on the left side of their body and hence the right hemisphere of their brain. Here, we investigated the lateralisation of visual attention to the rapid appearance of a stimulus (an inflated balloon) designed to induce an avoidance reaction and a negatively valent emotional state in 77 Italian saddle horses. Horses' eyes are late...
Yi Z, Gao Y, Yu F, Zhu Y, Liu H, Li J, Murua Escobar H.Several therapies have been developed to treat equine cutaneous melanoma, but formal comparisons among different treatment options are currently unavailable. It was our intent to assess the efficacy of different treatment protocols and the quality of the studies based on the original published data, and summarize the knowledge concerning the outcome after equine cutaneous melanoma management. This structured review followed PRISMA procedure to search for treatment protocols on equine cutaneous melanoma published from 1960 until June 2021. Studies were assessed for the risk of bias. A descripti...
Stewart AJ.Magnesium (Mg) is an essential macroelement that is required for cellular energy-dependent reactions involving adenosine triphosphate and for the regulation of calcium channel function. Subclinical hypomagnesemia is common in critically ill humans and animals and increases the severity of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome; worsens the systemic response to endotoxins; and can lead to ileus, cardiac arrhythmias, refractory hypokalemia, and hypocalcemia. This article discusses the clinical signs, consequences, and treatment of hypomagnesemia in horses and describes the association of Mg...
Barton MH, Moore JN, Norton N.To evaluate the effect of pentoxifylline on response of horses to in vivo challenge exposure with endotoxin. Methods: 24 healthy horses in 3 treatment groups: pentoxifylline, endotoxin, or endotoxin and pentoxifylline. Methods: Horses of the pentoxifylline group were given a bolus of pentoxifylline (7.5 mg/kg of body weight, i.v.), followed by an infusion (3 mg/kg/h) over 3 hours, and those of the endotoxin group were given 20 ng of endotoxin/kg i.v. over 30 minutes. Those of the combination group were given both of the aforementioned compounds; pentoxifylline was administered immediately afte...
Davis JL, Salmon JH, Papich MG.To determine the pharmacokinetics of itraconazole after IV or oral administration of a solution or capsules to horses and to examine disposition of itraconazole in the interstitial fluid (ISF), aqueous humor, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes after oral administration of the solution. Methods: 6 healthy horses. Methods: Horses were administered itraconazole solution (5 mg/kg) by nasogastric tube, and samples of plasma, ISF, aqueous humor, and leukocytes were obtained. Horses were then administered itraconazole capsules (5 mg/kg), and plasma was obtained. Three horses were administered itraconaz...
Kraus-Hansen AE, Fackelman GE, Becker C, Williams RM, Pipers FS.The vascular and microvascular anatomy of normal equine superficial digital flexor tendons was studied by dissection of vinyl-perfused specimens and by microangiography on high detail film. The presence of an extensive intratendinous vascular latticework was confirmed, and a 'nutrient artery' described closely associated with the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor tendon (proximal check ligament). Circumferential stripping of the paratenon from the tendon to eliminate afferent vessels was performed bilaterally in three horses and unilaterally in a fourth, followed by a treadm...
García ME, Blanco JL.In the present paper we will present a general view of the main mycoses affecting domestic animals. In the dog, we show the importance of the dermatophytoses, increased by its zoonosic character and the problem of the false negatives in the traditional microbiological culture. Under the general term of systemic mycoses we include a series of conditions considered usually as aspergillosis, bat with more and more fungal species implicated as possible etiological agents. In addition, fungi, especially yeasts, are being implicated in canine otitis; in our laboratory 86 % of canine chronic otitis i...
Holcomb KE, Tucker CB, Stull CL.Provision of shade is recommended by best practice guidelines for horses living in hot, sunny environments despite a lack of research focused on potential benefits. We found in a previous study that horses without access to shade showed greater rectal temperature (RT), respiration rate (RR), and skin temperature (SK) and exhibited more sweat than horses that were completely shaded. Yet not known is whether horses will choose to stand in the shade when given a choice of areas with and without this resource. Our objective was to assess horse preference for shaded and unshaded areas in the hot an...
Allen AL, Townsend HG, Doige CE, Fretz PB.A case-control study was conducted to identify risk factors for the congenital hypothyroidism and dysmaturity syndrome of foals. A questionnaire was used during personal interviews of foal owners and farm managers to collect information on animal signalment, farm environment, and mare management. Information on 39 foals with the congenital hypothyroidism and dysmaturity syndrome were compared with 39 control foals. Foals with the syndrome had a significantly (P < 0.0001) longer gestation (357.6 d) than control foals (338.9 d). Pregnant mares that were fed greenfeed, did not receive any supplem...
van Loon G, Fonteyne W, Rottiers H, Tavernier R, Deprez P.A five-year-old gelding suffered syncope at the end of a period of exercise. A 24-hour electrocardiogram recording revealed intermittent pauses in the sinus rhythm of up to 10 seconds, indicating sinus node disease; the pauses occurred repeatedly, particularly after exercise. A dual-chamber, rate-adaptive pacemaker was successfully implanted, which prevented excessive postexercise bradycardia and syncope, and allowed the horse to return to work.
Trommershausen Bowling A, Clark RS.Gene frequencies at 20 blood group and protein polymorphism loci (A, C, D, K, P, Q, U, Al, Tf, Pi, Xk, Es, Gc, PGD, CA, Cat, PGM, AP, Hb and PHI) are given for seven horse breeds in the United States (Thoroughbred, Arabian, Standardbred, Morgan, Quarter Horse, Paso Fino and Peruvian Paso). These data are used to calculate that the battery of tests is at least 96% effective for recognizing incorrect paternity in these breeds. In addition to paternity testing, these tests can be applied to studies of breed relationships.
Wylie CE, Collins SN, Verheyen KL, Newton JR.A previous systematic review highlighted a lack of good evidence regarding the frequency of equine laminitis in Great Britain. Objective: To estimate the frequency of veterinary-diagnosed active laminitis in the general horse population of Great Britain and to describe the clinical signs present in cases. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Methods: Data on active episodes of equine laminitis were collected from veterinary practitioners. Results: The prevalence of veterinary-diagnosed active laminitis was 0.47% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.42-0.52%) for the veterinary-attended population and...
Tucker RL, Sande RD.There is a growing interest in the use of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in equine orthopedic patients. It is well established that CT and MR imaging offer superior diagnostic information in a wide variety of musculoskeletal injuries in human beings and small animals. The highly detailed cross-sectional images obtained with these two modalities can often demonstrate pathologic changes undetected with other common imaging techniques. Based on their multiple applications in human beings and small animals, CT or MR imaging may prove to be the optimal diagnostic imagi...
Johnson PJ, Tyagi SC, Katwa LC, Ganjam VK, Moore LA, Kreeger JM, Messer NT.Samples of connective tissue obtained from the hoof of six laminitic and eight non-laminitic adult horses were analysed zymographically to investigate whether connective tissue matrix metalloproteinases are activated or induced during laminitis. The activity or matrix metalloproteinases was substantially greater in the tissues from the laminitic horses than in the tissues from the non-laminitic horses. A comparison of the collagenolytic activity in the laminitic and control tissues showed that collagenolytic activities corresponding to the 92 kDa (P < 0.001), 72 kDa (P < 0.01) and 66 kDa (P < ...
Brandão JS, Alvarenga ML, Pfeifer JPH, Dos Santos VH, Fonseca-Alves CE, Rodrigues M, Laufer-Amorim R, Castillo JAL, Alves ALG.The superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is a structure frequently affected by injuries in high-performance athletic horses, and there are limited therapeutic options. Regenerative medicine has evolved significantly in treating different illnesses. However, understanding the cellular behaviour during mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation in healthy tissues is not fully known yet. To address the inflammatory response induced by allogeneic MSC transplantation, this study evaluated the local inflammatory response after the application of allogeneic adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal ste...
Nilsson O, Lindholm A, Christensson D.A field evaluation of anthelmintics in 336 horses on 37 farms was conducted between February and May 1986 in Sweden. The herds, each comprising at least eight horses, had histories of grazing on permanent pastures and receiving regular treatments against parasites at least three times a year. Small strongyles were refractory to (pro)-benzimidazole drugs in all but one of 23 herds examined. There was an average reduction in egg output of approximately 60%, and approximately 30% of 205 horses examined were shedding less than 100 eggs g-1 7 days after treatment. There was great between-herd varia...
