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Topic:Metabolic Health
Metabolic health in horses refers to the physiological processes that manage energy production, utilization, and storage in equine bodies. These processes are critical for maintaining overall health, performance, and well-being. Metabolic health encompasses various aspects, including glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and lipid regulation. Conditions such as Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and insulin dysregulation are common metabolic disorders that affect horses, impacting their ability to process and store energy efficiently. This topic compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, diagnostic approaches, and management strategies related to metabolic health in horses.
Equine laminitis–another hypothesis for pathogenesis. Laminitis is an important condition in horses and ponies, not just because of the seriousness of the clinical signs and systemic changes involved, but because of the potentially poor prognosis and likelihood of recurrence. Laminitis is particularly prevalent in ponies and involves a multiplicity of aetiological factors. Fat ponies and those having previously suffered laminitis were found to be far more intolerant to oral glucose loading (1 g/kg bwt) than normal ponies or Standardbred horses. These ponies also exhibited a far greater response in plasma insulin levels after glucose loading. Insu...
Hypertrophic osteopathy in a pony with a pituitary adenoma. Hypertrophic osteopathy was diagnosed in a pony that had no antemortem or postmortem evidence of an intrathoracic lesion. With a history of hirsutism in an aged pony, a pituitary adenoma was suspected, and evaluation of plasma cortisol and insulin values and their response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone supported the diagnosis.
Effects of phenylbutazone on glucose tolerance and on secretion of insulin in healthy geldings. The effect of phenylbutazone (4.4 mg/kg of body weight, IV, q 24 h, for 5 days) on glucose tolerance and on secretion of insulin in 6 healthy geldings was determined. Phenylbutazone significantly lowered fasting concentrations of glucose in plasma but did not significantly change the concentration of insulin in serum. There was no significant effect of phenylbutazone on glucose tolerance, on secretion of insulin, or on the area under the insulin/glucose ratio vs time curve in healthy geldings, as determined by paired t test analysis.
Plasma and liver copper values in horses with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy. Equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) is a common spinal cord disease in the horse. The etiology of EDM currently is unknown. In other species, there are similarities in the clinical signs and neuropathological changes observed in EDM and in copper deficiency. The objective of this study was to determine if horses affected with EDM had low levels of plasma or liver copper. Plasma copper values were determined in 25 EDM affected horses and 35 normal horses. Liver copper levels were determined on 13 EDM affected horses and 22 normal horses. Plasma and liver copper values were not signifi...
[Histochemical changes in skeletal muscles of racehorses susceptible to rhabdomyolysis after exertion. I. Early myopathological changes]. In this communication, the results of an enzyme histochemical study on m. gluteus medius of horses, sensitive to exertional myopathy, during attacks of rhabdomyolysis are presented. The activity and location of about 25 enzymes were examined. In the present report, the early metabolic changes are discussed. Within 6 min after an attack, some large rounded fibres (approximately 2%) were seen, which showed an intense red staining in the haematoxylin and eosin sections. These hypercontracted fibres showed an increase in activity of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase, indicating the presence o...
Prokinetic effects of cisapride, naloxone and parasympathetic stimulation at the equine ileo-caeco-colonic junction. The electromyogram of the terminal ileum, the caecum and the proximal right ventral colon was recorded in fasted conscious ponies receiving intravenously equiactive doses of pilocarpine (0.05 mg/kg) and carbachol (0.01 mg/kg) as acetylcholine analogues; cisapride (0.1 mg/kg) and metoclopramide (2 mg/kg) facilitating acetylcholine release from myenteric neurones and naloxone (0.05 mg/kg) as an antagonist of the endogenous inhibitory opioid system. Both cisapride and naloxone induced typical migrating spike bursts in the colon associated with contractions of caecal body and caecal base. Both pil...
Circulatory and muscle metabolic responses to draught work compared to increasing trotting velocities. Circulatory and muscle metabolic responses were studied in 10 horses which all performed incremental draught work at a low trotting speed on a treadmill (D-test) and also exercise with gradually increasing velocities (S-test). Exercise was continued until the horses could no longer maintain the weights above the floor or maintain speed trotting without changing gait to a gallop. Muscle biopsies were taken from the gluteus and the semitendinosus muscles before, and immediately after, exercise. The heart rate (HR) increased linearly with both increasing draught resistance and velocity and reache...
The influence of high planes of nutrition on skeletal growth and development of weanling horses. Effects of high dietary levels of energy, protein and Ca and deficient levels of Ca on skeletal growth and development in the equine were studied in two experiments. The weanlings were fed grain-based diets. In Exp. 1, Group 1 (Ctl) received all nutrients at NRC recommended levels for growth; Group 2 (HE) received 150% of their digestible energy (DE) requirement; Group 3 (LC) received 150% of DE and 35% of Ca requirements. In Exp. 2, Group 1 (Ctl) again received all nutrients at NRC recommended levels for growth; Group 2 (HEP) received 150% of DE and 275% of CP requirements; Group 3 (HEPC) rec...
The effect of dietary protein level on exercising horses. Six mature Quarter Horse mares were used in a crossover design to assess the effect of dietary protein level on metabolic response to exercise. After a 2-wk adaptation period to either a 12.9% (control) or an 18.5% CP (high-protein) diet, each mare performed a standard exercise test. The test consisted of a 15-min exercise period at 4.5 m/sec on a 9% grade motorized treadmill. Exercise resulted in an increase in heart rate (P less than .001), but there was no difference (P less than .05) between dietary treatments. In the jugular vein, lactate increased (P less than .01) from 6.3 to 52.0 mg/10...
Differences in diagnostic test results and hematologic data between aged and young horses. Hematologic data and results of diagnostic tests were compared between aged (greater than or equal to 20 years old) and young (less than or equal to 5 years old) horses to identify hematologic and metabolic changes associated with aging. Initial data were obtained from 8 aged and 6 young mares (group 1). Similar data were collected from a second group of aged (3 mares and 3 geldings) and young (1 mare and 5 geldings) horses (group 2). Dexamethasone suppression tests (DST) and necropsies were performed on 6 additional mares and mare 8 from group 1 (group 3). Complete blood counts and serum bioc...
Nonsystemic causes of the downer cow syndrome. Traditionally, the downer cow has been considered a metabolic problem. This viewpoint cannot account for the pelvic limb predilection of the condition. Whatever the primary cause of recumbency, all recumbent animals are susceptible to pressure damage. The extensive literature on pressure damage in human beings and horses is reviewed. Miscellaneous causes of and contributing factors to bovine recumbency are reviewed. Concepts and details of diagnosis, prevention, management, and therapy are discussed.
The influence of supplemental feed on growth and bone development of nursing foals. Thirty foals of mixed breeding, from two consecutive years, were used in two 120-d experiments to evaluate the effects of supplemental feeding (creep feed) on growth in nursing foals. At 10 d postpartum, foals were randomly assigned either to a creep-fed group (CF) or an unsupplemented group (NCF). Initial measurements of body weight (BW), height at the withers (WH), third metatarsal length (MtIII) and third metacarpal length (McIII) were made at 10 d of age and at 30-d intervals thereafter. Medial and lateral cortical peak values for radiographic bone density, cortical width and cortical area...
Effect of exercise on the partitioning of equine respiratory resistance. Pleural, tracheal, pharyngeal and mask pressures as well as airflow and tidal volume of five ponies on a treadmill (incline 8.3 degrees) were recorded simultaneously while resting, walking, trotting slowly, trotting fast, after standing for 30 secs and 5 mins after the end of the exercise. The curves obtained were used to calculate total pulmonary resistance (RL), lower airway resistance (RLA) and upper airway resistance (RUA). The latter was also divided into nasal resistance (Rnas) and laryngeal plus extrathoracic tracheal resistance (Retr + lar). Furthermore, the inspiratory and expiratory ...
Recognition and management of ileus. Ileus may occur in horses of all ages secondarily to drug administration, colic, exhaustion, peritonitis, or metabolic disorders. Ileus most commonly occurs following abdominal surgery for colic and is a significant cause of postoperative mortality in these horses. The most common clinical signs of ileus are decreased or absent intestinal sounds and gastric reflux. Ileus is treated by eliminating the initiating causes, correcting metabolic imbalances, decompressing distended bowel, providing analgesia, stimulating motility with drugs, and regulating exercise and feed and water intake.
Polysaccharide storage myopathy. In a woman with a slowly progressive adult onset proximal myopathy, muscle biopsy showed storage of PAS positive material in type 1 fibers. This material consisted of a branched chain polysaccharide associated with a mucoprotein. No abnormality of glycogen-pathway enzymes was detected. This suggested that this polysaccharide accumulation occurred because the polysaccharide was laid down in a non-bioavailable form. The clinical and histochemical features in this patient and in the few similar reported cases indicate that polysaccharide storage myopathy is a distinct entity that is allied to the...
Diaphragmatic O2 and lactate extraction during submaximal and maximal exertion in ponies. Diaphragmatic O2 and lactate extraction were studied in 10 healthy ponies at rest and during treadmill exercise. The phrenic vein was aseptically catheterized via a lateral thoracotomy 8-35 days before the study. Arterial and phrenic venous blood samples were obtained simultaneously at rest and at 30-s intervals during 4 min of exertion. Three levels of exertion were studied (moderate, 10 mi/h; heavy, 15 mi/h; maximal, 20 mi/h), and a rest period of at least 90 min was allowed between them. Each pony was studied twice at least 2-3 days apart. At rest the diaphragmatic venous PO2, O2 saturation...
Nitrogen metabolism in mature horses at varying levels of work. Nitrogen metabolism was measured in five mature geldings performing varying levels of work that simulated race training. Following an initial maintenance period without forced exercise, workload was increased in succeeding 18-d periods by doubling the distance the horses were galloped in each period from period 2 through 4. A 4-d N balance experiment was conducted at the end of each 18-d period. The maximum distance galloped daily, which was in period 4, was repeated in period 5. Then, workloads were decreased through period 7. Nitrogen balance was determined in two additional periods, 8 and 9...
Changes in the metabolic profile of the equine gluteus medius as a function of sampling depth. 1. Cross sections from the middle of the gluteus medius were removed from 10 adult horses and used to evaluate changes in histochemically determined muscle fiber type and biochemically determined metabolic enzyme activities as a function of sample depth. 2. Muscle fiber types determined using histochemical methods for myosin ATPase (pH 9.4) and succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) activity indicated percent fast-twitch glycolytic (FG) muscle fibers decreased and slow-twitch oxidative (SO) fibers increased as a function of increasing sampling depth. 3. Percent histochemically determined fast-twitch oxi...
Circulatory, respiratory and metabolic responses in Thoroughbred horses during the first 400 meters of exercise. These studies investigated circulatory, respiratory and metabolic responses in four Thoroughbred geldings during the first 400 metres of galloping (mean speed 14.4 +/- 0.38 m.s-1), cantering (mean speed 10.0 +/- 0.61 m.s-1) and walking (mean speed 1.58 +/- 0.05 m.s-1) from a standing start. A radio-controlled device which collected blood samples anaerobically during each 100 m section of the exercise track allowed analyses of changes in and functional relationships of the variables measured. During the 400 m gallop, the mean heart rate (HR) increased from 125 to 201 beats.min-1 and the haemato...
Blood gas and acid-base changes in the neonatal foal. This article reviews what are considered the basic concepts of gas transport, blood gases, and acid-base physiology is most mammalian species. Techniques for the appropriate collection of blood samples for blood gas and acid-base determinations in the newborn foal are described. Guidelines for interpretation of these values in the normal foal and those animals undergoing respiratory and metabolic derangements are provided.
Lactate kinetics in exercising Thoroughbred horses: regulation of turnover rate in plasma. Plasma lactate turnover rate of Thoroughbred racehorses was measured by bolus injection of [U-14C]lactate at rest and two levels of submaximal treadmill exercise (3-4 m/s trot, 6% incline, and 6.5 m/s horizontal canter). Our goals were 1) to determine the relative effects of changes in cardiac output and in plasma lactate concentration on turnover rate [using cardiac output data from Weber et al. (28)] and 2) to assess the importance of lactate as a metabolic fuel in a trained animal athlete. Lactate turnover rates were 9.3 mumol.min-1.kg-1 (rest), 75.9 mumol.min-1.kg-1 at the beginning of the...
Oxygen deficit-oxygen debt relationships in ponies during submaximal treadmill exercise. The O2 deficit-O2 debt relationship in ponies was examined at two levels of treadmill exercise. Five healthy ponies exercised for 8 min at two work rates (WR):(1) 50 m/min at 6% grade and (2) 70 m/min at 12% grade. The O2 deficit and O2 debt were calculated using open-circuit measurement of pulmonary gas exchange during the transition from rest to steady-state exercise and during recovery from exercise. The O2 deficit was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) than the O2 debt at each of the two work rates. The means (+/- SEM) for the deficit and the O2 debt, respectively, in liters were: (1) ...
Energy utilization and blood traits of ponies fed fat-supplemented diets. The digestibility and heat production values for three fats of different origin were determined. Four pony geldings (225 kg) were used in a study consisting of four successive digestion trials utilizing a 4 X 4 Latin square design. The four dietary treatments were basal alone and supplemented with 15% corn oil, blended fat or inedible tallow. The blended fat was composed of a mixture of animal and vegetable fats. A 7-d preliminary period preceded a 7-d total fecal collection period for each trial. Heat production values were obtained by indirect calorimetry and calculated from oxygen consumpti...
