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.
Galey FD, Twardock AR, Goetz TE, Schaeffer DJ, Hall JO, Beasley VR.Twelve horses, with acute laminitis (primarily in the forefeet) at 12 hours after intragastric dosing with an aqueous extract of black walnut (Juglans nigra) heart-wood, were studied. The distribution of perfusion of blood to the foot and to outlined regions within the foot was quantified, using gamma scintigraphy of regionally infused 99mTc-labeled macroaggregated albumin, before and 12 hours after extract administration. Horses 1 to 3 were not studied further. Perfusion was quantified again for horses 4 to 12 at 84 hours after extract administration. At the onset of acute laminitis, horses 7...
Holmes RA, Klei TR, McClure JR, Turk MA, Watters JW, Chapman MR.Semiselective mesenteric arteriography was performed at regular intervals (inoculation weeks [IW] 0, 11, 18, and 24) in 9 of 10 pony foals raised to be free of parasites. Fifty infective larvae (L3) of Strongylus vulgaris were administered weekly for 4 weeks, then every 2 weeks through the 20th week. Three ponies were given ivermectin (oral paste, 0.2 mg/kg of body weight) treatment at IW 8, 16 and 24. Four ponies were inoculated, but did not receive ivermectin, and a third group of 2 ponies acted as uninoculated controls. Control ponies did not have gross or arteriographic lesions, whereas th...
Gaughan EM, Wallace RJ, Kallfelz FA.The effects of two local anesthetic agents on the diagnostic quality of nuclear medical bone images (NMBIs) of distal parts of the equine fore limb were investigated. Local effects on bone uptake of technetium 99m methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) 4 and 24 hours after perineural and intraarticular injection of mepivacaine hydrochloride and bupivacaine hydrochloride were evaluated in the carpal and metacarpophalangeal regions of 12 horses and ponies. Neither mepivacaine hydrochloride nor bupivacaine hydrochloride significantly altered the diagnostic quality of the NMBIs. The injection and sub...
Harrison LA, Squires EL, Nett TM, McKinnon AO.Natural GnRH and its analog have potential for hastening ovulation in mares. A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a GnRH agonist given either as an injectable or s.c. implant for induction of ovulation in mares. Forty-five seasonally anestrous mares (March) were assigned to one of three groups (n = 15/group): 1) untreated controls; 2) i.m. injection of the GnRH agonist buserelin at 12-h intervals (40 micrograms/injection for 28 d or until ovulation) and 3) GnRH agonist administered as a s.c. implant (approximately 100 micrograms/24 h for 28 d). Six mares per group were bled on d 0...
Auer DE, Ng JC, Seawright AA.Topically applied copper phenylbutazone, phenylbutazone, copper salicylate, salicylate and dimethylsulfoxide glycerol (80:20) were investigated as anti-inflammatory agents in rats and horses. Dimethylsulfoxide and glycerol (80:20) or dimethylsulfoxide, ethanol and glycerol (60:20:20) were used as the drug solvents. Subcutaneously administered carrageenin was used to induce inflammatory oedema, either in the paws of rats or the alar fold of the horse. The severity of the oedema and the anti-inflammatory effect of the drugs were assessed by measuring changes in the paw or alar-fold diameters. Co...
Auer DE, Ng JC, Seawright AA.Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) were isolated from an inflammatory exudate induced in the intercarpal joints of horses by an administration of carrageenin. Their superoxide production at rest and following stimulation with either serum-treated zymosan (STZ) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) was measured by cytochrome-c reduction. Stimulation of the cells increased the cytochrome-c reduction 10-15 times that of resting cells. The maxima were 20 nmol of reduced cytochrome-c per 10(6) cells per ml at 120 min (STZ) and 35 nmol of reduced cytochrome-c per 10(6) cells per ml at 60 min (PMA). T...
Pyörälä S, Kotilainen T, Silvennoinen P, Hänninen U, Mero M, Kaartinen L.Serum tinidazole concentrations were monitored in five clinically healthy adult horses after intravenous (i.v.) and oral administration of the drug (15 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg, respectively). After i.v. administration, the mean residence time was 7.0 h, the elimination half-life 5.2 h and the body clearance rate 1.6 ml/min/kg. The distribution volume was found to be 660 ml/kg. After oral administration, the mean residence time was 8.5 h, the absorption half-life 1.1 h and the bioavailability essentially 100%. In view of the in-vitro sensitivities of various anaerobic bacteria, a dosage of 10-15 mg/...
Hinrichs K, Riera FL.Ten mares were used to investigate the effect of administration of prostaglandin F2 alpha on uterine tubal motility, as reflected by embryo recovery from the uterus 5 days after ovulation (day 0). Mares were assigned to 3 groups: group A, uterine flush for embryo recovery on day 7; group B, uterine flush for embryo recovery on day 5; and group C, uterine flush for embryo recovery on day 5, after treatment with prostaglandin F2 alpha (10 mg, IM) on day 3. Each mare was assigned to each group once. Embryo recovery rates for the 3 groups were: A, 6 of 10; B, 2 of 8; and C, 0 of 10. The embryo rec...
Asmis R, Jörg A.Horse eosinophils preincubated with 3H-labelled acetate and stimulated with the Ca2+ ionophores ionomycin or A23187 form a radioactive compound, which we have shown to be 1-O-alkyl-2-[3H]acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (platelet-activating factor). We could detect no 1-O-acyl-2-[3H]acetyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine in the radioactive fraction. The formation of platelet-activating factor was strongly correlated to the generation of leukotriene C4, the main arachidonate metabolite in horse eosinophils, suggesting that platelet-activating factor and leukotriene C4 have a common precursor pool (1...
Schmidt-Oechtering GU, Alef M, Röcken M.Xylazine and Ketamine were used for anaesthesia in 250 adult horses. This combination is useful both for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. The induction with Xylazine and Ketamine has been successful not only with foals but also with high risk patients such as horses with colic. During the maintenance of anaesthesia Xylazine/Ketamine can be used with injectable anaesthetics as well as with volatile anaesthetics at the same time. A form of injection anaesthesia for short-time surgical procedures like castration and wound repair is presented. The maintenance of a Thiobarbiturate/Guaifene...
Love CC, Strzemienski PJ, Kenney RM.Serum concentration of ampicillin, a semisynthetic penicillin, was measured in mares at various time intervals up to 24 hours after intrauterine infusion of 3 g of ampicillin. Blood samples were drawn immediately before infusion and at 1-, 4-, 10- and 24-hour intervals after infusion. At postinfusion hour 24, two endometrial biopsy specimens were obtained to measure endometrial concentrations of ampicillin. Blood was drawn twice as part of the 24-hour postinfusion sample collection, once before removal of the biopsy specimens and again 5 minutes after removal of the biopsy specimens. After dru...
Goetz TE, Ogilvie GK, Keegan KG, Johnson PJ.Cimetidine, an H2 histamine antagonist, was used in the clinical management of progressive, multifocal melanomatosis in 3 adult gray horses. Prior to treatment, the tumors had increased rapidly in size and number in 2 horses (duration of 6 and 27 months, respectively) and slowly in the third horse (duration of 48 months). All 3 horses were treated with cimetidine (2.5 mg/kg of body weight, PO, q 8 h) for 2 months to 1 year. During treatment, the number and size of the melanomas decreased substantially (50 to 90%). The progression of the disease was halted in 2 horses and controlled in the thir...
Adam A, Ong H, Sondag D, Rapaille A, Marleau S, Bellemare M, Raymond P, Giroux D, Loo JK, Beaulieu N.A monoclonal antibody was synthesized in mouse against the O-(3-carboxypropionyl) derivative of albuterol linked to bovine serum albumin. Isotyping of this material revealed the IgG1 class characterized by an affinity constant of 1.03 nM-1 and a density of sites of 0.55 nM. This antibody was found specific as its cross-reactivity to structurally related molecules was less than 1% except for clenbuterol (75%). A radioimmunoassay was set up with culture supernatant (final dilution 1/1000) and [3H] albuterol. The calibration curve was characterized by a maximum binding of 28%, an ED50 of 1.15 pmo...
Naden J, Squires EL, Nett TM, Amann RP.The pituitary response to exogenous GnRH was studied in 8 colts of Quarter Horse phenotype from 32 to 96 weeks of age. Colts were from dams treated daily from Day 20 to 325 of gestation with (1) 2 ml neobee oil per 50 kg body weight (controls); or (2) 2 ml altrenogest per 50 kg body weight. GnRH challenges (5 micrograms/kg body weight) were administered every 8 weeks from 32 to 96 weeks of age to estimate pituitary content of LH. Blood samples were collected every 20 min for 4 h before GnRH and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 min after GnRH. Serum concentrations of LH and FSH were de...
Loch W, Worthy K, Ireland F.Sixteen non-pregnant pony mares were divided into four groups of similar age and bodyweight (bwt). Groups were randomly assigned to one of four treatments consisting of oral administration of perphenazine (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg bwt, phenothiazine (10 mg/kg bwt) and a control group. Blood samples were taken by jugular venepuncture and plasma prolactin concentrations measured using an homologous assay for equine prolactin. Analysis of variance was conducted on data designed as a split plot over time. Perphenazine given orally (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg bwt) increased plasma prolactin concentrations when mea...
Robertson SA, Carter SW, Donovan M, Steele C.The effects of intravenous xylazine hydrochloride on blood glucose, plasma insulin and rectal temperature were investigated in six foals at 10 and 28 days of age. These variables were also measured in three foals at 19 days of age when saline alone was injected. Rectal temperature fell significantly after 30 mins in both groups of xylazine treated foals and was still depressed after 120 mins. Hypothermia did not occur in the saline control group. There was no significant change in blood glucose or plasma insulin concentrations during the 120 mins following either xylazine or saline administrat...
Gill KK, Kroeger EA.Equine airway smooth muscle is innervated by vagal efferents and, in addition, displays spontaneous mechanical activity. The preparation thus appears to contain at least two discrete excitable components, the cholinergic neural elements and the smooth muscle membrane. Indomethacin (INDO), a cyclooxygenase (CO) inhibitor, exerts a considerable potentiation of function in this preparation. The latter may be effected indirectly, through loss of the inhibitory effect of endogenous prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on neural acetylcholine release and through direct effects on smooth muscle of the generally a...
Gasthuys F, Parmentier D, Goossens L, De Moor A.Romifidine (STH 2130-Cl or Sedivet) is an alpha 2-agonistic imino-imidazol sedative for intravenous use in horses recently developed by Boehringer Ingelheim, Vetmedica GmbH. An exploratory study was done in nine warm-blood horses, randomly divided into three groups, which received different dosages of romifidine (0.04, 0.08 and 0.12 mg/kg of body weight (BWT) intravenously (i.v.)) with at least one week's interval between tests. Romifidine induced a marked bradycardia accompanied by second degree atrioventricular (AV) block and some sinus blocks at all tested dosages. A placebo (NaCl 0.9% i.v....
Kaegi B.25 horses which entered the clinic for minor surgery, received ketamine (2.2 mg/kg i.v.) for induction of anesthesia after previous sedation with xylazine (1.1 mg/kg i.v.). As soon as the horses were in the lateral recumbency, the benzodiazepine derivate climazolam was administered at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg i.v. (10 horses) or 0.2 mg/kg i.v. (15 horses). The anesthesia was maintained with repeated injections of ketamine (1.1 mg/kg i.v. every 9-12 minutes). At the end of the surgery, 20 minutes after the last ketamine injection, Ro 15-3505, a benzodiazepine antagonist, was injected at a dose of 0....
Gasthuys F, De Moor A, Parmentier D.The cardiovascular changes induced by several sedatives were investigated in five ponies with a subcutaneously transposed carotid artery by means of cardiac output determinations (thermodilution technique), systemic and pulmonary artery pressure measurements (direct intravascular method) and arterial blood analysis (blood gases and packed cell volume). The cardiovascular depression (decrease in systemic blood pressure and cardiac output) was long lasting (greater than 90 min) after administration of propionylpromazine (0.08 mg/kg intravenous (i.v.)) together with promethazine (0.08 mg/kg i.v.)...
Lane PJ, Lees P, Fink-Gremmels J.In a crossover study in seven New Forest ponies the actions of dexamethasone, at a dose rate of 0.06 mg kg-1 administered intravenously, were compared with those of a placebo treatment. Dexamethasone exerted expected effects on plasma and inflammatory exudate concentrations of cortisol and on blood glucose concentration and circulating leucocyte numbers, but it failed to affect exudate concentrations of the eicosanoids, prostaglandin E2, thromboxane B2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and leukotriene B4. These findings do not support the hypothesis that the anti-inflammatory actions of dexamethasone in the ...
Galey FD, Beasley VR, Schaeffer D, Davis LE.An aqueous extract was made from black walnut (Juglans nigra) heartwood obtained in the fall of the year. Ten hours after nasogastric administration of 5 L of the extract, a 550-kg, 13-yr-old Quarter Horse gelding experienced Obel grade-3 laminitis. The effect of aqueous extract of black walnut on vascular contractility was then tested, using isolated equine digital arteries and veins. The vessels were maintained in Krebs bicarbonate buffer with 95% oxygen at 37 C. The extract did not induce a direct contractile effect. It did, however, reversibly enhance the vasoconstriction induced in the is...
Ellison RS, Jacobs RM.This study was undertaken to ascertain if the isoelectric focusing pattern of serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) from sick horses with high activity is useful for determining its tissue origin. The effect of oral prednisolone and phenylbutazone therapy on this enzyme in healthy horses was also investigated. The sick horses were divided into three groups: hepatic, intestinal and miscellaneous. All sera had approximately thirteen bands of AP activity when focused on agarose gels with a pH gradient of 3.5 to 9.5. All the horses in the liver disease group had greater than 65% of enzyme activity in ba...
Solti L, Eulenberger K, Kurth D, Schöne L.Anoestrous mares were treated with prostaglandin (n = 43) and those that did not respond to prostaglandin (n = 29) with a synthetic progestagen, allyloestrenol, at a dose of 0.05 mg/kg body mass for 12 days. After the cessation of the long-term per os gestagen blockade the animals were checked for heat and, if a preovulatory follicle could be palpated, 2000 IU hCG was administered to induce ovulation. In some animals the plasma 17 beta-oestradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) levels were also followed up throughout the gestagen treatment and for 10-14 days thereafter. As the favourable oestrus ra...
Gallivan GJ, Viel L, McDonell WN.Multiple-breath nitrogen washouts (MBNW) were performed with 29 light horses. Seven normal horses were used to examine the reproducibility, and 22, ranging from normal to severely diseased, were used to examine the changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the effect of a bronchodilator, salbutamol, on the distribution of ventilation. The MBNW were analyzed using the functional residual capacity (FRC), end-tidal N2 concentration of the final breath of the MBNW (FETN2,fb), end-tidal N2 concentration when the cumulative expired volume was equal to body weight (FETN2,bw), lung c...
Edlund O, Bowers L, Henion J, Covey TR.Urine samples were spiked with [17-methyl-2H3]methandrostenolone as internal standard and extracted with a mixture of dichloromethane and cyclohexane. The organic phase was concentrated and injected onto a short octyl-silica column (30 mm x 4.6 mm I.D.) for separation of methandrostenolone and 17-epimethandrostenolone. The effluent from the column was connected to a Sciex TAGA 6000E triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an atmospheric pressure ion source for sampling of ions generated by a heated pneumatic nebulizer with corona discharge ionization. This ion source produced abundan...
DiPietro JA, Lock TF, Todd KS, Davis JL.Eighteen pony foals inoculated with 1,500 +/- 109 infective Parascaris equorum eggs were given 0.02 ml of ivermectin vehicle (liquid)/kg of body weight, PO, (control); 0.2 mg of ivermectin paste/kg, PO; or 0.2 mg ivermectin liquid/kg, PO, on postinoculation day (PID) 28. Foals were euthanatized on PID 42, and the small intestinal contents were examined for P equorum larvae. The mean number of fourth-stage P equorum larvae in foals treated with ivermectin paste and liquid were 3.5 and 6, respectively. Significantly (P less than 0.01) higher mean numbers of larvae (1,250) were detected in foals ...
Noschka E, Moore JN, Peroni JF, Lewis SJ, Morrow JD, Robertson TP.Inflammation and vascular dysfunction occur concurrently during the prodromal stages of equine laminitis. The aim of this study was to provide insights into the role that thromboxane and isoprostanes may play in the development of black walnut heartwood extract (BWHE)-induced laminitis. Horses were divided into two groups, either control or BWHE-administered horses. Plasma concentrations of thromboxane increased transiently after administration of BWHE and coincided with the nadir in white blood cell counts, whereas plasma concentrations of iso-prostaglandin PGF(2alpha) (iso-PGF(2alpha)) did n...
McDonnell SM, Kenney RM, Meckley PE, Garcia MC.Pony stallions were given sexual behavior trials in experimental "home" and "novel" environments, similar in all major features except location. In the novel environment, erection latency was increased and erection time decreased. Treatment with an anxiolytic benzodiazepine derivative (diazepam) appeared to block these effects.
Fernandes I, Takehara HA, Mota I.Horse immunoglobulins were obtained from normal serum defatted with dextran sulfate and precipitated with ammonium sulfate. Eight mg of this preparation was submitted to affinity chromatography with protein A-Sepharose CL-4B. Low temperature (4 degrees C) and a starting buffer at pH 8.0 were conditions required for all IgG subclasses to bind to protein A, even those with low affinity. The IgGs bound to protein A were eluted with glycine buffer at pH 2.8. The yield was about 90%. It is suggested that isolated IgG, instead of whole Igs, be used in serum therapy, reducing the amount of Igs and di...
Foster WG, Jarrell JF, YoungLai EV.Developmental changes in immunostained gonadotropin releasing hormone neurons were demonstrated in female rabbits assigned to the following treatment groups: (i) tamoxifen citrate, 10 mg.kg-1 x day-1, in sesame seed oil (vehicle) (n = 24) or (ii) vehicle alone (control, n = 24) for 108 days; and (iii) 50 IU of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin on postnatal days 22 and 25 (n = 24) or vehicle on nontreatment days. Treatments had no effect on the total number of immunostained cells, but there was a significant (p = 0.0160) developmental shift from cells with smooth processes to rough. Group compar...
Sanders EA, Gleed RD, Hackett RP, Dobson A.In the quietly standing horse I.V. administration of adrenaline decreased, and of dobutamine increased, bronchial artery flow. These changes paralleled changes in arterial pressure. With phenylephrine and noradrenaline bronchial artery flow decreased while arterial pressure increased, indicating active vasoconstriction in the bronchial circulation. With clenbuterol an increase in bronchial artery flow was accompanied by a decrease in systemic blood pressure, indicating bronchial arterial vasodilatation. We conclude that alpha-constrictor and beta 2-dilator receptors are present in the bronchia...
Courtot D, Mouthon G, Roux L, Jeanin E.The practise of repeated doping of the sport horse led us to examine its effects on the health of the animal, and particularly on muscular activity. The main doping agent used at present (acepromazine) has already been studied (COURTOT et al., 1974). In this paper, we study the secondary effects of diazepam, a derivative of the benzodiazepine series, which is being used more and more frequently on horses. In treated animals as compared to controls, we observe: -- a slight respiratory depression related solely to effort, -- an increase in seric creatine phosphokinase rate with no apparent relat...
Schatzmann U, Girard P.The paper describes the problems of injection anaesthesia in the horse. Different commonly used methods, drugs and drug combinations are explained. Their actions and side-effects are compared and discussed.
Geor RJ, Weiss DJ.Pharmacologic alterations in the hematologic and rheologic properties of blood may have an important effect on transport and delivery of oxygen to working muscle during exercise. This article briefly reviews erythropoiesis, hematologic and rheologic responses to training and exercise, and the influence of these alterations on exercise performance. The hemorrheologic and performance effects of hematinics, hematopoietic stimulants, and alterations in blood rheology are discussed. The effects of exercise on blood coagulation, fibrinolysis and platelet function, and the effects of drugs that alter...