Pharmacology in horses involves the study and application of drugs and medications to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases and conditions in equine species. This field encompasses the understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics specific to horses, including how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted by the equine body. Commonly studied pharmacological agents in horses include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, sedatives, and anthelmintics. Research in equine pharmacology focuses on determining appropriate dosages, understanding drug interactions, and minimizing adverse effects. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the efficacy, safety, and regulatory aspects of pharmacological interventions in equine veterinary practice.
Lisboa FP, Silvestre WP, Castro JO, Martins GV, Segabinazzi LGTM, Pauletti GF, Dell'Aqua JA.This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EO) from Ocimum basilicum (basil), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), and Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) on endometritis-causing microorganisms in mares. Serial concentrations of the EO from 30.00 mg/mL to 0.47 mg/mL were tested. The major compounds of O. basilicum EO were linalyl acetate (33.32 wt.%) and citronellal (25.06 wt.%); of R. officinalis EO were borneol (26.48 wt.%), trans-β-ocimene (16.76 wt.%), camphene (12.45 wt.%), and α-phellandrene (11.08 wt.%); and of C. citratus EO were geranial (45.96 ...
Spinaci M, Nerozzi C, Mislei B, Blanco-Prieto O, Mari G, Galeati G, Bucci D.The growing and widespread use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) has raised an intense public debate about the impact of environmental contamination on animal and human health, including male fertility. The aim of this study was to deepen the impact of glyphosate (Gly) and GBHs on mammalian sperm investigating the effect of in vitro exposure of stallion spermatozoa to Gly and to its commercial formulation Roundup® (R). Spermatozoa were incubated at 37 °C with different Gly or R concentrations (from 0.5 to 720 μg/mL Gly or R at the same Gly-equivalent concentrations). After 1 h of in...
Khanam A, Swelum AA, Khan FA.Pharmacologically induced ex copula ejaculation is a method used for collection of semen when the traditional methods of semen collection are not feasible. Common indications for this method include health issues that either preclude the physical act of mating or result in impaired erection and ejaculation. The method also offers an alternative when there is a lack of equipment and facilities required for semen collection using the conventional artificial vagina method. A variety of pharmacological protocols for ex copula ejaculation in stallions have been evaluated in both research and clinic...
Nichols CL, Doherty TJ, Schumacher J, Jones PD, Sun X.To determine whether palmar digital nerve (PDN) blockade in horses with a combination of dexmedetomidine and mepivacaine would block the response to mechanical force applied to the digit longer than would anesthetizing these nerves with mepivacaine alone or dexmedetomidine alone. Methods: 8 mares with no signs of lameness. Methods: In a randomized, crossover, blinded, experimental study, both PDNs of the same forelimb of each horse were anesthetized by perineural injection with either 30 mg mepivacaine alone, 250 µg of dexmedetomidine alone, or 30 mg mepivacaine combined with 250 µg of dexme...
Azimpour S, Emami Alagha H, Faghihi H, Rajaei SM, Shokoohimand A.The purpose of this study was to determine the effects and potential side effects of topical preservative-free (PF) tafluprost 0.0015% in ophthalmologically normal horses. Methods: Five adult grade horses. Methods: One of the eyes of each horse was randomly chosen as the "treatment" eye, and consequently, the contralateral eye served as the "control." A single dose of PF tafluprost 0.0015% (0.2 mL) was instilled in the treated eye of each horse. Intraocular pressure (IOP), Schirmer's tear test (STT) levels of each eye, and an ophthalmic examination were performed at T0 (baseline), T30, T120, ...
Hermans H, van den Berg EMH, Slenter IJM, Vendrig DJC, de Nijs-Tjon LJL, Vernooij JCM, Brommer H, Boevé MH, Gehring R.Topical dexamethasone and prednisolone are currently the mainstay treatment for equine ophthalmic inflammatory diseases, such as equine recurrent uveitis. Comparative pharmacokinetic studies in horses are lacking and current guidelines are mainly based on empirical data and extrapolation from other species. Objective: To investigate the penetration and local concentrations of topically applied dexamethasone and prednisolone in normal equine ocular fluids and serum. Methods: Prospective randomised experimental pharmacokinetic study. Methods: Twenty-one Shetland ponies without ophthalmic disease...
Ryan A, Gurney M, Steinbacher R.A 10-year-old 466 kg mustang gelding presented to an equine referral hospital for surgical repair of nasal, frontal and lacrimal bone fractures from an unknown trauma. Surgical repair was performed under general anaesthesia, including a right-sided maxillary regional anaesthetic block with mepivacaine hydrochloride. Progressive hyperkalaemia was documented perianaesthetically (T-3 mins; 134 mins after induction; potassium 6.4 mmol/L (ref 3.5-5.1 mmol/L). Perianaesthetic bradycardia was attributed to alpha -2 agonist infusion administration, and other characteristic ECG changes (flattened ...
Aldayarov N, Tulobaev A, Salykov R, Jumabekova J, Kydyralieva B, Omurzakova N, Kurmanbekova G, Imanberdieva N, Usubaliev B, Borkoev B, Salieva K....In their centuries-old nomadic life, since their livestock was the backbone of their lives, the Kyrgyz people used a variety of wild medicinal plants for ethnoveterinary practices. However, the plants used for the treatment of livestock ailments never have been recorded, except rarely in local publications. In this study, we present the HSHR (homemade single species herbal remedy reports), their methods of preparation and application, and the livestock ailments for which these remedies were used. Objective: The collect data from the five different high-altitude valleys of the Kyrgyz Republic o...
Leise BS, Fugler LA.Sepsis or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) -associated laminitis is a sequela to primary inflammatory conditions (eg, colitis, ischemic intestinal injury, pneumonia, metritis) and results from a dysregulated systemic inflammatory response that ultimately affects the digital lamellae. Local chemokine production, leukocyte migration, and proinflammatory mediator production occur within the lamellae that can lead to catastrophic lamellar failure. Controlling the primary disease, providing supportive care and anti-inflammatory therapy, applying digital cryotherapy, and providing mech...
Loomes K, Louro LF.The recovery phase after equine general anaesthesia (GA) is a time of considerable risk and therefore has been the subject of extensive research over the last 20 years. Various pharmacological interventions have been developed and studied with the objective of improving recovery quality and reducing anaesthetic-related mortality and morbidity. Nevertheless, some controversy remains regarding the influence of anaesthetic protocol choice on recovery quality from GA and its implications for recovery-related mortality and morbidity. A systematic review of the literature investigating the influenc...
Bishop RC, Kemper AM, Wilkins PA, McCoy AM.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a common and significant cause of morbidity in horses, with a range of clinical signs, including inappetence, colic and poor performance. Hospitalised horses are exposed to factors that may induce EGUS, including fasting and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) administration, and may be at risk for development of squamous (ESGD) and glandular gastric disease (EGGD). Prophylactic anti-ulcer medication is often prescribed for these patients, but drug selection is complicated by different aetiology and response to treatment of ESGD and EGGD. Objecti...
Ganeshpurkar A, Singh R, Kumar D, Gutti G, Sardana D, Shivhare S, Singh RB, Kumar A, Singh SK.Machine learning (ML), an emerging field in drug design, has the potential to predict toxicity, shape-based analysis of inhibitors, scoring function (SF) etc. In the present study, a homology model, docking protocol, and a dedicated SF have been developed to identify the inhibitors of horse butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzyme. Horse BChE enzyme has homology with human BChE and is a substitute for the screening of inhibitors. The developed homology model was validated and the active site residues were identified from Cavityplus to generate grid box for docking. The validation of docking invol...
Gong L, Shi F, Su S, Xie Q, Xian R, Hang B, Zhao Y.In recent years, due to the shortage of donkey skin resources, the price of Asini Corii Colla has seen a rapid increase. Consequently, fake gelatin prepared from horse, mules, pig, and cow skin has appeared in the market, resulting in unreliable quality of Asini Corii Colla. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient and accurate method for improving the quality of Asini Corii Colla. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was used to determine the donkey skin components in Asini Corii Colla. Accordingly, 0. l g of the evenly mixed sa...
Premont A, Balthes S, Marr CM, Jeevaratnam K.Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common pathological arrhythmia in horses. Although it is not usually a life-threatening condition on its own, it can cause poor performance and make the horse unsafe to ride. It is a complex multifactorial disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors including exercise training, comorbidities or ageing. The interactions between all these factors in horses are still not completely understood and the pathophysiology of AF remains poorly defined. Exciting progress has been recently made in equine cardiac electrophysiology in terms of diagnosis ...
Dupont J, Gougnard A, Salciccia A, Detilleux J, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.To compare the efficacy of single-breath continuous positive airway pressure manoeuvre (CPAP-M) with inhaled salbutamol, and a combination of both. Methods: Randomized, clinical study. Methods: A total of 62 client-owned horses (American Society of Anesthesiologists status III-V) anaesthetized for laparotomy. Methods: Horses were premedicated with intravenous (IV) xylazine (0.4-0.6 mg kg), anaesthesia was induced with midazolam (0.06 mg kg IV) and ketamine (2.2 mg kg IV) and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen using volume-controlled ventilation without positive end-expiratory pressure. If Pa...
Amaral A, Fernandes C, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Lukasik K, Rebordão MR, Pinto-Bravo P, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Cathepsin G (CAT) is a protease released by neutrophils when forming neutrophil extracellular traps that was already associated with inducing type I collagen (COL1) in equine endometrium in vitro. Endometrosis is a fibrotic condition mainly characterized by COL1 deposition in the equine endometrium. The objective was to evaluate if noscapine (an alkaloid for cough treatment with anti-neoplastic and anti-fibrotic properties) would reduce transcription (evaluated by qPCR) and COL1 protein relative abundance (evaluated by western blot) induced by CAT in equine endometrial explants from follicula...
Hopster K, Driessen B.One of the biggest challenges in managing laminitis in horses remains the control of pain. The best analgesic approach is a multimodal approach, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and/or constant rate infusions of α-2 agonists, ketamine, and lidocaine. Recent literature indicates that amitriptyline and soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor might be beneficial. Clinically oriented studies will be needed if they have a place in laminitis pain management. The systemic pain control can be combined with local techniques such as long-acting local anesthetics or epidural catheter...
Hansson E, Skiöldebrand E.To treat osteoarthritic chondrocytes and thereby reduce the inflammation with a drug combination that primarily affects 5-HT- and ATP-evoked Ca2+ signaling. In osteoarthritic chondrocytes, Ca2+ signaling is elevated, resulting in increased production of ATP and inflammatory mediators. The expression of TLR4 and Na+/K+-ATPase was used to evaluate the inflammatory status of the cells. Methods: Equine chondrocytes were collected from joints with mild structural osteoarthritic changes and cultured in monolayers. The cells were treated with a combination of bupivacaine (1 pM) and sildenafil (1 ...
Loomes K, Louro LF.In equine anaesthesia, the recovery period is a time of considerable risk and has been the focus of prolific research. Risk factors, including age, type and duration of procedure or temperament may influence recovery quality. Unfortunately, the anaesthetist is unable to control for these factors, therefore various pharmacological interventions and recovery methods have been developed with the objective of improving recovery quality. However, no consensus among anaesthetists has been reached for many of these interventions and their implications for recovery-related mortality and morbidity. Obj...
Dmitrović P, Vanaga J, Dupont J, Franck T, Gougnard A, Detilleux J, Kovalcuka L, Salciccia A, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.Controversy continues to surround the use of opioids in equine anaesthesia, with variable effects reported. This blinded clinical study aimed to investigate the influence of a low-dose fentanyl continuous rate infusion (CRI) on isoflurane requirements, parasympathetic tone activity (PTA), and anaesthetic parameters in horses during general anaesthesia. All of the twenty-two horses included in the research underwent a standard anaesthetic protocol. Eleven horses in the fentanyl group (Group F) received a loading dose of fentanyl at 6 µg/kg, followed by a CRI of 0.1 µg/kg/min during anaesthesi...
Ahuir-Baraja AE, Cibot F, Llobat L, Garijo MM.More than 50 years after anthelmintic resistance was first identified, its prevalence and impact on the animal production industry continues to increase across the world. The term "anthelmintic resistance" (AR) can be briefly defined as the reduction in efficacy of a certain dose of anthelmintic drugs (AH) in eliminating the presence of a parasite population that was previously susceptible. The main aim of this study is to examine anthelmintic resistance in domestic herbivores. There are numerous factors playing a role in the development of AR, but the most important is livestock management. T...
Kerr CL, Keating SCJ, Arroyo LG, Viel L.Neonatal foals may require prolonged sedation to permit ventilatory support in the first few days of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the cardiopulmonary effects and clinical recovery characteristics of 2 sedative/analgesia protocols in healthy foals receiving assisted ventilation. Foals were randomized to receive dexmedetomidine, butorphanol, and propofol (DBP) or midazolam, butorphanol, and propofol (MBP) during a 24-hour period. Infusion rates of dexmedetomidine, midazolam, and propofol were adjusted and propofol boluses administered according to set protocols t...
MacNicol JL, Pearson W. organ culture can provide insight into isolated mucosal responses to particular environmental stimuli. The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of a prolonged culturing time as well as the addition of acidic gastric fluid into the environment of cultured gastric antral tissue to evaluate how altering the commonly used neutral environment impacted tissue. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the impact of G's Formula, a dietary supplement for horses, on the secretion of gastrin, interleukin1-beta (IL-1β), and nitric oxide (NO). These biomarkers are of interest due to ...
Calvo-Santesmases A, Manso-Díaz G, Fores P, López-Sanromán J.Alpha-2-adrenergic drugs, such as detomidine, are commonly used to sedate lame horses during examination. However, the use of these drugs should be minimized, as they have numerous side-effects, like ataxia. Therefore, we wanted to test the effects, on the locomotor pattern, of low doses of detomidine (0.003 mg/kg). Six horses were sedated with 0.003 mg/kg of detomidine and compared with the same horses administered a saline solution. Using a triaxial accelerometer, data of kinetic, coordination and energetic locomotor parameters and the degree of sedation were collected. The effects were moni...
Pearson G, Goodale M, Wakshlag J, Fortier L.The objective of this study was to determine the effects of an oral, commercially available, marine based omega-3 fatty acid (n3-FA) supplement on fatty acid characteristics in horse whole blood. Fifty healthy, adult horses of various light breeds were assigned to one of two treatment groups: Group 1 receiving 7.5g/day of the test supplement, and Group 2 receiving 15g/day of the test supplement. The supplement contained 0.092g docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 0.148g eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) per gram. Therefore, Group 1 received 1.11g of EPA and 0.69g of DHA daily, while Group 2 received 2.22g...
Raidal SL, Catanchin CSM, Burgmeestre L, Quinn CT.Respiratory insufficiency and pulmonary health are important considerations in equine neonatal care. As the majority of foals are bred for athletic pursuits, strategies for respiratory support of compromised foals are of particular importance. The administration of supplementary oxygen is readily implemented in equine practice settings, but does not address respiratory insufficiency due to inadequate ventilation and is no longer considered optimal care for hypoxia in critical care settings. Non-invasive ventilatory strategies including continuous or bi-level positive airway pressure are effect...
Qin S, Huang Z, Wang Y, Pei L, Shen Y.Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a refractory disease that endangers both humans and animals. In recent times, Lactobacillus have been used to treat animal diseases. It may be a good choice to try to isolate Lactobacillus with probiotic potential to treat IBD. Equine, as a kind of hindgut fermentation animal has rich intestinal microflora, but data regarding this is scarce. The isolation of Lactobacillus with probiotic potential from equine may become a new method for the treatment of IBD. Four isolates of Lactobacillus were isolated from fresh feces of healthy male adult horses and analyze...
Cowling N, Woldeyohannes S, Sole Guitart A, Goodwin W.Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) noninvasively measures peripheral tissue oxygen saturation (StO) and may be useful to detect early changes in StO in anaesthetized and critically ill horses. This study aimed to identify the muscle belly that provided the highest percentage of successful StO readings and the highest mean StO value. Fifty adult horses were enrolled in a prospective controlled study. StO was measured at six different muscles in each horse, for each intervention: hair overlying the muscle was clipped (post clipping: PC), clipped skin was cleaned with chlorhexidine (post-surgical ...
Segabinazzi LGTM, Landers M, Kent A, Peterson E, Gilbert R, French H.Due to the limited literature available evaluating doses of Prostaglandin F2α in donkeys, doses for horses have been extrapolated and used as guidelines. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and side effects of four different cloprostenol sodium and dinoprost tromethamine doses to induce luteolysis in jennies. Sixty-three cycles of seven Jennies (nine cycles per jenny) were used in this study. Seven days after ovulation, jennies randomly received one of the treatments in a crossover design as follows: Control, no treatment was administered; C1, 250 µg of cloprostenol sodium (CS, Estrumate...
Hellstrom EA, Ziegler AL, Blikslager AT.Postoperative ileus (POI), a decrease in gastrointestinal motility after surgery, is an important problem facing human and veterinary patients. 37.5% of horses that develop POI following small intestinal (SI) resection will not survive to discharge. The two major components of POI pathophysiology are a neurogenic phase which is then propagated by an inflammatory phase. Perioperative care has been implicated, namely the use of opioid therapy, inappropriate fluid therapy and electrolyte imbalances. Current therapy for POI variably includes an early return to feeding to induce physiological motil...
Bennett RC, Steffey EP.REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION: There is limited, but convincing, evidence that epidural administration of morphine and some other mu-agonist opioids consistently relieves regional pain in horses. In addition, this effect is not accompanied by notable undesirable effects. On the other hand, a clinically important analgesic action has not been demonstrated for similarly administered kappa-agonist opioids. There has been little objective data presented to support the analgesic effectiveness of intra-articularly administered opioids in horses. However, the evidence of local opioid receptors legitimately...
Dechant JE, Baxter GM, Frisbie DD, Trotter GW, McIlwraith CW.Osteoarthritis is a frequent sequela of joint disease, especially with severe injuries or if attempts at therapy are unsuccessful. Negative and positive effects of corticosteroid treatment of articular cartilage have been demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo studies. Objective: To assess the metabolic effects of varying dosages of methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) and triamcinolone acetonide (TA) on interleukin-1alpha (IL-1) conditioned equine cartilage explants. Our hypothesis was that lower dosages of corticosteroids would be less detrimental to cartilage metabolism than higher dosages. TA wo...
Malone E, Ensink J, Turner T, Wilson J, Andrews F, Keegan K, Lumsden J.To determine if intravenous lidocaine is useful and safe as a treatment for equine ileus. Methods: Prospective double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Horses (n = 32) with a diagnosis of postoperative ileus (POI) or enteritis and that had refluxed >20 L or had been refluxing for >24 hours. Methods: Refluxing horses were administered lidocaine (1.3 mg/kg intravenously [IV] as a bolus followed by a 0.05 mg/kg/min infusion) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution placebo for 24 hours. Variables evaluated included volume and duration of reflux, time to 1st fecal passage, signs of pain, anal...
Busk P, Jacobsen S, Martinussen T.To compare postoperative inflammatory responses in horses administered perioperative procaine penicillin and those not administered penicillin using acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) as a marker of inflammation. Methods: Randomized clinical trial. Methods: Stallions (n=50) castrated under field conditions. Methods: SAA concentrations were determined on days 0, 3, and 8. Six horses were subsequently excluded because of elevated SAA concentrations on day 0. Of the remaining 50 horses, 26 were administered nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy and 24 were administered NSAID ...
Pearce JW, Giuliano EA, Moore CP.To evaluate and compare the in vitro susceptibility of Aspergillus and Fusarium spp. isolated from horses with ulcerative keratomycosis, address regional differences in equine keratomycosis isolates, and provide susceptibility data to update prior studies. Methods: Fourteen horses with ulcerative keratomycosis. Methods: Banked fungal isolates from equine corneal ulcers (eight Aspergillus spp. and six Fusarium spp.) were identified at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. In vitro minimum inhibitory concentration and susceptibility to natamycin, fluconazole, itraconazole...
Matusovsky OS, Kachmar L, Ijpma G, Bates G, Zitouni N, Benedetti A, Lavoie JP, Lauzon AM.Heaves is a naturally occurring equine disease that shares many similarities with human asthma, including reversible antigen-induced bronchoconstriction, airway inflammation, and remodeling. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the trachealis muscle is mechanically representative of the peripheral airway smooth muscle (ASM) in an equine model of asthma. Tracheal and peripheral ASM of heaves-affected horses under exacerbation, or under clinical remission of the disease, and control horses were dissected and freed of epithelium to measure unloaded shortening velocity (Vmax), stress...
Keilani ZM, Berne JD, Agko M.Blunt cerebrovascular injuries, defined as blunt injuries to the internal carotid or vertebral arteries, are uncommon and usually occur in victims of high-speed deceleration motor vehicle crashes. A blunt cerebrovascular injury after an equestrian accident is an extremely unusual presentation. In recent years, advances in screening and treatment with pharmacologic anticoagulation before the onset of neurologic symptoms have improved outcomes for these patients. Endovascular stenting and embolization, although unproven, offer a new potential approach for these complex injuries. We present a uni...
Dillon PF, Root-Bernstein R, Robinson NE, Abraham WM, Berney C.Previous in vitro research demonstrated that ascorbate enhances potency and duration of activity of agonists binding to alpha 1 adrenergic and histamine receptors. Objective: Extending this work to beta 2 adrenergic systems in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Ultraviolet spectroscopy was used to study ascorbate binding to adrenergic receptor preparations and peptides. Force transduction studies on acetylcholine-contracted trachealis preparations from pigs and guinea pigs measured the effect of ascorbate on relaxation due to submaximal doses of beta adrenergic agonists. The effect of inhaled albuter...
Sanders RK, Martyn B, Joseph R, Peacock ML.In a two-year study of 322 conservatively treated, consecutive cases of tetanus in a rural hospital (all over twelve months old), intrathecal administration of 200 units of antitetanus serum (A.T.S.) (horse) reduced the overall mortality of 4-5% (5/110) compared with 14-5% (16/111) in the control series. 200 units intrathecal A.T.S. (horse) gave better results than 1500 units A.T.S. (horse). The results with lumbar and cisternal administration did not differ. It is suggested that tetanus is a polysystemic condition requiring polysystemic therapy. A regimen in which intrathecal A.T.S. is given ...
Schwarzwald CC, Schober KE, Bonagura JD.Atrial contractile dysfunction occurs in some species after conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) to normal sinus rhythm (NSR) but has not been reported in horses with naturally occurring AF. Objective: Transthoracic echocardiography allows detection of left atrial (LA) mechanical dysfunction in horses after conversion of AF to NSR. Methods: Five Standardbreds with AF and 6 healthy Standardbreds of similar age, weight, and athletic condition were included in this study. Methods: Four horses were treated pharmacologically (quinidine), and 1 horse was treated by means of transvenous electrical ...
Ringer SK, Kalchofner K, Boller J, Fürst A, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R.To compare the effects of two balanced anaesthetic protocols on end-tidal isoflurane (Fe'ISO), cardiopulmonary performance and quality of recovery in horses. Methods: Prospective blinded randomized clinical study. Methods: Sixty-nine client-owned horses, American Society of Anesthesiologists category I and II, undergoing elective surgery. Methods: The horses were premedicated with acepromazine (0.03 mg kg(-1)) IM 30-60 minutes before induction of anaesthesia and were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: in group L (37 horses) xylazine (1 mg kg(-1)) and in group M (31 horses) medetomidin...
Calzetta L, Roncada P, di Cave D, Bonizzi L, Urbani A, Pistocchini E, Rogliani P, Matera MG.Equine asthma is a disease characterised by reversible airflow obstruction, bronchial hyper-responsiveness and airway inflammation following exposure of susceptible horses to specific airborne agents. Although clinical remission can be achieved in a low-airborne dust environment, repeated exacerbations may lead to irreversible airway remodelling. The available data on the pharmacotherapy of equine asthma result from several small studies, and no head-to-head clinical trials have been conducted among the available medications. Objective: To assess the impact of the pharmacological interventions...
Larsen ML, Ritz C, Petersen SL, Nielsen MK.Ivermectin resistance has recently been described in Parascaris equorum and there have been reports from several countries of a shortened egg reappearance period (ERP) following ivermectin treatment for cyathostomins. This study was aimed at determining the efficacy of ivermectin in treating cyathostomins and P. equorum in Danish horses. A total of 196 animals were selected from 52 farms, all of which were using a selective anthelmintic treatment strategy. ERP was investigated with weekly samples from 96 horses from nine farms. Horses were treated with ivermectin oral paste by their owners at ...
Kindig CA, Gallatin LL, Erickson HH, Fedde MR, Poole DC.To investigate the role of nitric oxide, NO, in facilitating cardiorespiratory function during exercise, five horses ran on a treadmill at speeds that yielded 50, 80 and 100% of peak pulmonary oxygen uptake (V(O(2)) peak) as determined on a maximal incremental test. Each horse underwent one control (C) and one (NO-synthase inhibitor; N(G)-L-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), 20 mg/kg) trial in randomized order. Pulmonary gas exchange (open flow system), arterial and mixed-venous blood gases, cardiac output (Fick Principle), and pulmonary and systemic conductances were determined. L-NAME red...
Valverde A, Giguère S, Sanchez LC, Shih A, Ryan C.To determine the effects of dobutamine, norepinephrine, and vasopressin on cardiovascular function and gastric mucosal perfusion in anesthetized foals during isoflurane-induced hypotension. Methods: 6 foals that were 1 to 5 days of age. Methods: 6 foals received 3 vasoactive drugs with at least 24 hours between treatments. Treatments consisted of dobutamine (4 and 8 Sang/kg/min), norepinephrine (0.3 and 1.0 Sang/kg/min), and vasopressin (0.3 and 1.0 mU/kg/min) administered IV. Foals were maintained at a steady hypotensive state induced by a deep level of isoflurane anesthesia for 30 minutes, a...
Vigani A, Garcia-Pereira FL.Morbidity and mortality rate in equine anesthesia is still unacceptably high. Thus it is critical contemplating whether the benefit of general anesthesia for a specific patient and procedure outweighs the risks. Sedative protocols that would allow performing diagnostic and surgical procedures with the patient remaining standing would therefore be ideal. Infusion of short-acting agents allows to rapidly achieve a titratable steady state of sedation. Supplementing sedatives and tranquilizers with systemic analgesic or regional anesthetic techniques (i.e. epidurals) facilitates standing surgical ...
Love S.In the horse, adenomata of the pairs intermedia of the pituitary gland have been associated with the distinct clinical entity of Cushing's disease which arises largely as a result of excessive secretion of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) or other proopiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides. Pars intermedia peptide secretion is under dopaminergic control and compounds such as pergolide or bromocriptine, which are dopamine agonists, can palliate the clinical signs. A variety of endocrinological abnormalities, relevant to both pathogenesis and diagnosis, may be demonstrated in equine Cushing's disease, includ...
Peiró JR, Barnabé PA, Cadioli FA, Cunha FQ, Lima VM, Mendonça VH, Santana AE, Malheiros EB, Perri SH, Valadão CA.The clinical efficacy of IV infusion of lidocaine for treatment of equine endotoxemia has not been studied. Objective: Lidocaine infusion after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) will inhibit the inflammatory response and have inhibitory effects on the hemodynamic and cytokine responses to endotoxemia. Methods: Twelve horses. Methods: Two equal groups (n=6): saline (GI) and lidocaine (GII). In all animals, endotoxin (500 ng/kg body weight [BW]) was injected intraperitoneally over 5 minutes. Twenty minutes later, animals received a bolus of GI or GII (1.3 mg/kg BW) over 5 minutes, followed by...
Lester GD, Merritt AM, Neuwirth L, Vetro-Widenhouse T, Steible C, Rice B.To determine effect of xylazine hydrochloride (XYL), yohimbine hydrochloride (YOH), bethanechol chloride (BET), neostigmine methyl sulfate (NEO), or flunixin meglumine (FLU) on ileocecocolic myoelectric activity and passage of radiolabeled markers from the cecum. Methods: 6 healthy adult ponies. Methods: A cecal cannula was surgically implanted, and 12 were sutured to the ileum, cecum, and right ventral colon. After a 12-hour nonfeeding period, 370 MBq of technetium 99m-labeled sulfur colloid in egg albumen and 37 MBq of indium 111-labeled diethyltriaminepentaacetic acid in 60 ml of water were...
Soma LR, Uboh CE, You Y, Guan F, Boston RC.To compare pharmacokinetics of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) following i.v., intra-articular (i.a.), and i.m. administration and determine its effect on plasma concentrations of hydrocortisone and cortisone. Methods: 6 Thoroughbreds. Methods: TA (0.04 mg/kg) was administered i.v., i.m., or i.a., and plasma TA, hydrocortisone, and cortisone concentrations were determined. Results: I.v. administration of TA was fitted to a 2-compartment model. Median distribution half-life was 0.50 hours (range, 0.24 to 0.67 hours); elimination half-life was 6.1 hours (range, 5.0 to 6.4 hours). Transfer half-life...
Buckley T, McManamon E, Stanbridge S.This study sought to determine whether an increase in resistance of Rhodococcus equi to the antibiotics rifampin and erythromycin occurred over a 10-year period. This was carried out by the use of E test strips for rifampin and erythromycin to determine the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values of Rhodococcus equi to this combination of antibiotics.The findings of this study indicated that there was an increase in resistance of Rhodococcus equi to rifampin and erythromycin over the 10-year period. The MIC for rifampin increased from 0.081 μg/ml in 1996 to 0.187 μg/ml in 2006 and from...
Fenton FH, Cherry EM, Kornreich BG.To perform the first optical mapping studies of equine atrium to assess the spatiotemporal dynamics of atrial fibrillation (AF) and of its termination by quinidine. Methods: Intact, perfused atrial preparations obtained from four horses with normal cardiovascular examinations. Methods: AF was induced by a rapid pacing protocol with or without acetylcholine perfusion, and optical mapping was used to determine spatial dominant frequency distributions, electrical activity maps, and single-pixel optical signals. Following induction of AF, quinidine gluconate was perfused into the preparation and t...
Parker RA, Clegg PD, Taylor SE.To investigate the effects of commonly used antibiotics on cell viability and gene expression of equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) in vitro. Methods: Bone marrow-derived MSC were cultured in media containing gentamicin, amikacin, penicillin, enrofloxacin or ceftiofur at concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 500 µg/ml. The alamarBlue fluorescence assay was used to assess cell viability over 48 h. After 5 days the cells were released and lysed prior to RNA extraction and reverse transcription. RNA levels were assessed using spectrophotometry and quantitative PCR was used...
van Loon G, Blissitt KJ, Keen JA, Young LE.It has been reported that i.v. flecainide has a high efficacy for the treatment of experimentally-induced acute atrial fibrillation (AF) in horses and that its use is associated with minimal toxic side effects. Objective: The objectives were to study the efficacy of i.v. flecainide as a treatment for atrial fibrillation in horses with naturally-occurring AF. Methods: Ten horses with naturally-occurring AF were treated with 2 mg/kg bwt flecainide i.v. at a rate of 0.2 mg/kg bwt/min. In 3 horses, the infusion was continued at 0.05-0.10 mg/kg bwt/min until a total dose of 3.0 mg/kg bwt had been a...
Lecoq L, Vincent P, Lavoie-Lamoureux A, Lavoie JP.Glucocorticoids have potent anti-inflammatory properties and are frequently used for the treatment of domestic animal species, including horses. They induce a down-regulation of multiple inflammatory pathways through both genomic and non-genomic effects. Currently, little is known on the effects of glucocorticoids on equine peripheral blood neutrophils. Objective: Dexamethasone (DEX), a potent synthetic glucocorticoid, inhibits the functions of equine peripheral blood neutrophils through both genomic and non-genomic effects. Methods: Six healthy adult mixed breed female horses. Methods: To ass...
Matera MG, Calzetta L, Rogliani P, Bardaro F, Page CP, Cazzola M.Equine obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as heaves or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a common equine pulmonary disease with some similarities to human asthma and COPD, which represents a major cause of morbidity and loss of lung performance. Salbutamol has been widely used for the treatment of human airway diseases and has usually been prepared as the racemic form of the drug. However, recently the R-enantiomer of salbutamol has been introduced into clinical practice in the treatment of asthma in humans and this has been suggested to be an improvement on the racemic form of the ...
Williams CA, Lamprecht ED.Most herbs and functional foods have not been scientifically tested; this is especially true for the horse. This paper reviews some of the literature pertinent to herbal supplementation in horses and other species. Common supplements like Echinacea, garlic, ginger, ginseng, and yucca are not regulated, and few studies have investigated safe, efficacious doses. Ginseng has been found to exert an inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory cytokines and cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Equine studies have tested the anti-inflammatory effects of a single dose of ginger, post-exercise. Echinacea has been re...
Venugopal CS, Eades S, Holmes EP, Beadle RE.One of the causes of equine laminitis is hyperinsulinaemia, which may be associated with endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance of vessels. Objective: Insulin resistance can be induced in palmar digital vessels by continued exposure to insulin in vitro. The objective was to evaluate this in vitro model for future studies. Methods: Palmar digital vessel segments were collected immediately after euthanasia from horses with normal insulin/glucose blood values. Four arterial and 4 venous rings (3 mm wide) were prepared and each ring mounted in a tissue bath, containing Tyrode's solution at...
dos Santos MC, D'Império Lima MR, Furtado GC, Colletto GM, Kipnis TL, Dias da Silva W.Pooled horse plasma containing antibodies against Crotalus durissus terrificus whole venom were digested with pepsin at an enzyme-substrate ratio of 8:1, pH 3.1, for 40 min and the F(ab')2M fragments purified by adding 8.7% caprylic acid (pH 5.0). For comparison, F(ab')2B purified by precipitation with ammonium sulphate and uncleaved IgG purified with caprylic acid were also prepared. Fab' fragments were obtained by reduction and alkylation of F(ab')2B. The anti-whole C.d. terrificus venom titers, determined by Dot-Blot were 12,800 (IgG), 6400 [F(ab')2B], 4800 [F(ab')2M] and 3200 (Fab'B). Immu...
Kooyman FN, van Doorn DC, Geurden T, Mughini-Gras L, Ploeger HW, Wagenaar JA.For the control of cyathostomins in horses, the macrocyclic lactones (MLs), moxidectin (MOX) and ivermectin (IVM) are the most commonly used anthelmintics. However, reduced activity, observed as shortening of the egg reappearance period (ERP) has been described. Shortening of the ERP may be caused by a decreased susceptibility of immature worms for MLs. Alternatively, immature worms may develop faster into egg producing adults as a result of repeated ML treatments. The species composition of the larval cultures obtained shortly after ML and pyrantel (PYR) treatment can confirm the hypothesis o...
