Veterinary care in horses encompasses the medical and preventive measures taken to maintain and improve the health and well-being of equine patients. It includes a wide range of practices such as routine health examinations, vaccinations, dental care, parasite control, and management of injuries and diseases. Veterinary care also involves diagnostic procedures, surgical interventions, and therapeutic treatments tailored to the specific needs of horses. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of equine veterinary care, including advancements in diagnostic techniques, treatment protocols, and health management strategies to support the well-being and performance of horses.
Latham CM, Wagner AL, Urschel KL.The objective of this study was to examine markers of whole-body and muscle protein metabolism in aged horses fed a diet typical for North American aged horses, supplemented with amino acids. In a replicated Latin square design, six aged horses (20 ± 1.1 years) were studied while receiving each of three isocaloric, isonitrogenous diets, a control treatment concentrate (CON; 100 mg/kg BW day lysine, 84 mg kg day threonine, 51 mg kg day methionine), LYS/THR (134 mg kg BW day lysine, 110 mg kg BW day threonine, 52 mg kg BW day methionine) and LYS/THR/MET (132 mg kg BW da...
Proctor-Brown L, Hicks R, Colmer S, Guilfoyle D, Dallap-Schaer B, Johnson AL, Tomlinson J.Digital cryotherapy (DC) is frequently used as laminitis prophylaxis for horses. While DC with ice-water slurries is reported to be safe for up to 48 h, the safety of sleeve-style digital cryotherapy (SSDC) with ice in direct contact with the distal limb has not been evaluated. Our objective was to determine the incidence of distal limb pathologic conditions (DLPC) among horses treated with SSDC. A retrospective study of cases from 2011 to 2015 identified 285 horses treated with SSDC for a minimum of 12 h. Data collected from medical records included demographic, treatment, diagnostic, and...
Dupont J, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.Horses are susceptible to developing large areas of pulmonary atelectasis during recumbency and anesthesia. The subsequent pulmonary shunt is responsible for significant impairment of oxygenation. Since ventilation perfusion mismatch persists into the post-operative period, hypoxemia remains an important concern in the recovery stall. This case report describes the diagnosis and supportive therapy of persistent hypoxemia in a 914 kg draft horse after isoflurane anesthesia. It highlights how challenging it can be to deal with hypoxemia after disconnection from the anesthesia machine and how lif...
McGlinchey L, Hanson RR, Boone LH, Rosanowski SM, Coleridge M, Souza C, Munsterman AS.To compare the bursting strength and failure mode of ventral midline celiotomy closed with a simple continuous suture pattern with 1 of 2 knot combinations, a novel self-locking knot combination of a forwarder start with an Aberdeen end knot (F-A) and a traditional combination of a surgeon's start with a surgeon's end knot (S-S). Methods: Ex vivo experimental. Methods: Equine cadavers (n = 14). Methods: A 20-cm ventral midline celiotomy was created in 14 equine cadavers. Horses were assigned to celiotomy closure with an F-A or S-S knot combination. Prior to closure, a 200-L inflatable blad...
Reig Codina L, Werre SR, Brown JA.Umbilical remnant infection and patent urachus are an important cause of morbidity for the equine neonate. Left untreated, fatal complications can develop. Identifying risk factors for post-operative complications after surgery are important for estimating prognosis. Objective: To identify risk factors associated with post-operative complications in foals undergoing umbilical remnant resection due to patent and/or infected umbilical remnants. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Foals undergoing umbilical remnant resection due to patent urachus or infected remnants at the Marion duPont...
Claffey EF, Brust K, Hackett RP, Fubini S.To report the surgical management and the short- and long-term follow-up of postcastration spermatic cord infection in horses. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Twenty-three client-owned horses. Methods: Medical records (2001-2017) of horses that had been surgically treated for spermatic cord stump infection after castration were reviewed. Time from castration to presentation, diagnostic procedures, surgical complications, bacterial culture and ancillary testing, and survival to discharge were collected. Long-term follow-up was obtained by owner survey when possible. Descriptive sta...
Shmalberg J, Xie H, Memon MA.Equine acupuncture and herbal medicine are increasingly popular and have been anecdotally used in the treatment of a number of conditions. There is, however, a lack of data on the most commonly treated conditions in horses. The medical records of 164 horses presented exclusively for acupuncture and herbal therapy over a three-year period from October 2012 to October 2015 were evaluated from a mixed animal integrative medicine service at a veterinary academic teaching hospital. Horses were presented primarily for musculoskeletal conditions (62.0%), gastrointestinal disorders (9.5%), and anhydro...
Sandersen C, Ceusters J, Fourez A, Tosi I, Graide H, Lejeune JP, Serteyn D.Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) commonly affects horses and is characterized by abnormal respiratory sounds and exercise intolerance. The recurrent laryngeal nerve shows lesions of demyelination. The benefit of applying stem cells to demyelinated nerves has been demonstrated in various animal models. The aim of the study was to test the feasibility and safety of a peri-neuronal injection of autologous muscle-derived mesenchymal stem cells to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve in healthy horses by using an electrical nerve stimulator. Muscle-derived stems cell are obtained from five health...
Okada CTC, Andrade VP, Freitas-Dell'Aqua CP, Nichi M, Fernandes CB, Papa FO, Alvarenga MA.Embryo mobility occurs as a result of prostaglandin production by the embryo and endometrium, promoting uterine smooth muscle contractions, which propels the embryonic vesicle through the lumen. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as flunixin meglumine, are routinely used in equine medicine and can alter the conceptus mobility if applied in early pregnancy, which may impair maternal recognition of pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the effect of flunixin meglumine (FM; 1.1 mg/kg IV), firocoxib (FIRO; 0.2 mg/kg PO), and meloxicam (ML; 0.6 mg/kg,...
Rebollo B, Sarraseca J, Lecollinet S, Abouchoaib N, Alonso J, García-Bocanegra I, Sanz AJ, Venteo Á, Jiménez-Clavero MA.West Nile virus (WNV) is a zoonotic arboviral pathogen affecting humans, birds, and horses. Vaccines are available for veterinary use, which efficiently prevent the infection in horses. Most common diagnostic tools rely on the identification of the agent (RT-PCR, virus isolation), or on the detection of antibodies (IgM and IgG) recognizing structural proteins of the virus or neutralizing virus infection in cell cultures (virus-neutralization tests). The recent emergence of WNV in different parts of the world has resulted in an increase in the vaccination of horses in many countries. Methods fo...
Kadic DTN, Minshall GJ, Wright IM.Suspensory ligament branch injuries are common in horses. Most of these injuries are grouped together and considered as a single pathologic entity. Objective: To report a specific injury of the abaxial margin of the suspensory ligament branches and to report its surgical management and outcome. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: All horses with suspensory ligament branch injuries over a 9-year period (2007-2015) were identified. Horses with injuries which, on ultrasonographic examination, appeared to have defects in the abaxial margin of the suspensory ligament branch, that were subs...
Starke SD, Oosterlinck M.Visual equine lameness assessment is often unreliable, yet the full understanding of this issue is missing. Here, we investigate visual lameness assessment using near-realistic, three-dimensional horse animations presenting with 0-60 per cent movement asymmetry. Animations were scored at an equine veterinary seminar by attendees with various expertise levels. Results showed that years of experience and exposure to a low, medium or high case load had no significant effect on correct assessment of lame (P>0.149) or sound horses (P≥0.412), with the exception of a significant effect of case l...
Zuber N, Zuber M, Schwarzwald CC.Assessment of cardiac electromechanical function in horses requires training, experience and specialised equipment and does not allow continuous monitoring over time. Objective: The objective of this study was to establish the use of an acoustic ECG monitor (Audicor ) in healthy horses. It provides noninvasive, examiner-independent, continuous analyses combining ECG and phonocardiography to calculate indices of cardiac mechanical activity and haemodynamics. Device usability was investigated, reference intervals calculated and reproducibility of analyses assessed. Methods: Prospective descripti...
Nomura M, Mizobe F, Kato T, Kuroda T, Urayama S, Muranaka M.Although severe blood coagulopathy in horses with acute colitis causes multiple organ failure, which may be fatal, few studies have focused on the correlation between the fluctuations of coagulation parameters and severity of colitis. In this study, we evaluated the fluctuations of coagulation parameters in 14 Thoroughbred racehorses with acute colitis for 5 days from the day of hospitalization and compared them between 5 survivors and 9 non-survivors. Noteworthy features in the non-survivors were that antithrombin activity and fibrin degradation products continuously decreased and increased, ...
Schauvliege S, Cuypers C, Michielsen A, Gasthuys F, Gozalo-Marcilla M.To summarize the different methods used to assess sedation and/or adjust the dose or administration rate of alpha-2 agonists in horses and to propose an algorithm to adjust the administration rate of a constant rate infusion of an alpha-2 agonist in horses. Methods: PubMed and Web of Science; search terms: horse, sedation and score. Conclusions: Most authors distinguish between sedation depth, sedation quality and degree of ataxia. These three features are evaluated using scoring systems similar to those classically used to assess pain, i.e. simple descriptive scales, numerical rating scales (...
Murase H, Matsui A, Endo Y, Sato F, Hada T.The lying behavior of Thoroughbred foals on breeding farms was continuously measured using triaxial accelerometers. Accelerometers were attached on the side of the hind limb cannon and under the halter of six foals to record triaxial angle data every 10 sec for a period of 24 hr. Lying behavior was divided into sternal lying and lateral lying based on head angle. Sampling was performed for two consecutive days each week until weaning. Sampling periods were divided into two periods on the basis of pasturing time: daytime pasturing (period A: 7-hr pasturing period, 2-60 days of age) and overnigh...
Plevin S, McLellan J, van Schie H, Parkin T.Injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) are one of the leading causes of Thoroughbred (TB) wastage. Increasingly, the aim is to prevent injury rather than treat it. Conventional ultrasonography is not sufficiently sensitive to accurately monitor tendon and predict injury. Ultrasound tissue characterisation (UTC) is a relatively new technique, which improves tendon characterisation by providing a 3-dimensional (3D) SDFT reconstruction and objective calculation of fibre alignment by classifying fibres into one of 4 echo-types. Objective: To report a reference range of echo-types...
Crosa AT, Desjardins MR.OBJECTIVE To describe use of a modified open castration technique with a scrotal approach and primary closure in equids. DESIGN Prospective case series. ANIMALS 38 client-owned, sexually intact male equids. PROCEDURES With owner consent, elective castration was performed with a modified open technique on patients (1 pony, 1 miniature horse, and 36 horses of other breeds) under general anesthesia. The procedure included minimal dissection into the scrotal region for removal of testes, with cremaster muscles left intact and the parietal vaginal tunic closed in place. Primary closure of surgical ...
Lee HG, Choi JY, Park JW, Park TS, Song KD, Shin D, Cho BW.To examine the regulatory effects of exercise on myokine expression in horse skeletal muscle cells, we compared the expression of several myokine genes (interleukin 6 [IL-6], IL-8, chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 2 [CXCL2], and chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 4 [CCL4]) after a single bout of exercise in horses. Furthermore, to establish in vitro systems for the validation of exercise effects, we cultured horse skeletal muscle cells and confirmed the expression of these genes after treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Methods: The mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-8, CXCL2, and CCL4 after exercise in skelet...
Meier A, Reiche D, de Laat M, Pollitt C, Walsh D, Sillence M.There are no registered veterinary drugs for treating insulin dysregulation and preventing insulin-associated laminitis in horses. Velagliflozin is a sodium-glucose co-transport 2 inhibitor that reduces renal glucose reabsorption, promotes glucosuria, and consequently, decreases blood glucose and insulin concentrations. This study aimed to determine if velagliflozin reduced hyperinsulinemia and prevented laminitis in insulin-dysregulated ponies fed a challenge diet high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). An oral glucose test (1 g dextrose/kg BW) was used to screen 75 ponies for insulin dys...
De-Simone SG, Nascimento HJ, Prado IC, Aguiar AS, Melgarejo AR, Pina JLS, Ferreira PF, Provance DW.The availability of purified antibodies is a prerequisite for many applications and the appropriate choice(s) for antibody-purification is crucial. Numerous methods have been developed for the purification of antibodies from different sources with affinity chromatography-based methods being the most extensively utilized. These methods are based on high specificity, easy reversibility and biological interactions between two molecules (e.g., between receptor and ligand or antibody and antigen). However, no simple techniques have yet been described to characterize and purify subclasses of immunog...
Alanazi AD, Puschendorf R, Salim B, Alyousif MS, Alanazi IO, Al-Shehri HR.We conducted a cross-sectional study to detect trypanosome infections of horses and donkeys in the Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia. DNA was extracted from blood samples collected from 368 horses and 142 donkeys, and subjected to universal first ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1)-PCR followed by Trypanosoma evansi species-specific RoTat1.2-PCR. The universal ITS1-PCR revealed T. evansi infection in horses ( n = 12; 3.3%) and donkeys ( n = 4; 2.8%). There was no significant effect of sex or age on the prevalence of trypanosomiasis in horses or donkeys. Application of the RoTat1....
Levionnois OL, Graubner C, Spadavecchia C.To investigate the pharmacological profile and side effects of buprenorphine administered as a sustained-release formulation in horses. Methods: Pilot trial. Methods: A total of four experimental horses, aged 18-27 years and weighing 508-578 kg. Methods: Buprenorphine (0.1 mg kg) was mixed as a freshly prepared sterile solution with a sustained-release drug carrier. It was administered by the subcutaneous (n = 2) or intramuscular (n = 2) route. During the experiment, the horses were closely monitored, equipped with a step counter and blood samples were collected for quantification of bup...
Allen D, White NA, Tyler DE.Twenty horses with small intestinal obstructions requiring surgery were evaluated prospectively. Ten horses lived (group 1) and 10 died (group 2). Eight of the horses in group 1 had simple obstruction and 7 of the horses in group 2 had strangulation obstruction. There was a significant difference (P less than 0.001) between the mean intraluminal hydrostatic pressure in horses of groups 1 and 2 (6.3 cm H2O and 15 cm H2O, respectively). The mean peritoneal fluid protein concentration in horses of groups 1 and 2 (2.8 mg/dl and 5.4 mg/dl, respectively) also differed significantly between groups (P...
Herd RP.The need for improved parasite control strategies to conserve anthelmintic efficacy and to avoid drug-related problems are addressed. Recent surveys have revealed a trend for sole dependence on ivermectin by livestock owners in the USA, with little regard for epidemiologic-based strategies, or the annual rotation of unrelated anthelmintic groups. Innovative parasite control strategies for cattle, sheep, and horses in northern USA are presented. The importance of closer monitoring and more rational use of anthelmintics is stressed.
Rahman SA, Walker L, Ricketts W.In Asia and the Far East, livestock undergo major suffering due to malnutrition, overloading, and ill-treatment. At slaughter animals are handled roughly and watch other animals being killed; stunning is not practised. Cruelty to other animals such as elephants, horses, donkeys, bears, dogs, and circus animals has largely been prevented through the efforts of animal welfare organisations. Governments have taken initiatives to establish Animal Welfare Boards and enact laws for the prevention of cruelty to animals, but their efforts are far too limited to be of any significance and financial con...
Borges IA, Reynolds MG, McCollum AM, Figueiredo PO, Ambrosio LLD, Vieira FN, Costa GB, Matos ACD, de Andrade Almeida VM, Ferreira PCP, Lobato ZIP....Since 1999 (VACV) outbreaks involving bovines and humans have been reported in Brazil; this zoonosis is known as Bovine Vaccinia (BV) and is mainly an occupational disease of milkers. It was only in 2008 (and then again in 2011 and 2014) however, that VACV was found causing natural infections in Brazilian equids. These reports involved only equids, no infected humans or bovines were identified, and the sources of infections remain unknown up to date. The peculiarities of Equine Vaccinia outbreaks (e.g., absence of human infection), the frequently shared environments, and fomites by equids and...
Diana A, Guglielmini C, Candini D, Pietra M, Cipone M.Cardiac dysfunction is a rare complication of babesiosis in domestic animals. The horse in this report showed clinical signs of anorexia, depression, fever, icterus and brown urine, and laboratory results (monocytosis, thrombocytopenia, azotemia, hyperbilirubinemia and bilirubinuria) indicated sub-acute piroplasmosis. Furthermore, junctional and polymorphic ventricular premature complexes and tachycardia associated with increased serum cardiac troponin I and myocardial-bound creatine kinase concentration were found. The diagnosis of piroplasmosis was confirmed by serology. Specific and support...
Mesa AM, Warren LK, Sheehan JM, Kelley DE, Mortensen CJ.L-Arginine is an essential amino acid in many species that has been shown to influence reproduction. However, in horses a dose of 1% L-arginine of total dietary intake impaired absorption of other amino acids, whereas a dose of 0.5% did not. The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate postpartum parameters on mares supplemented with 0.5% L-arginine through the last 90d of gestation and 14d postpartum. Sixteen light-horse mares were randomly divided in two groups: 8 mares supplemented with 0.5% L-arginine and 8 mares fed an isonitrogenous equivalent. Gestation length, days to uterine cle...
Byron CR, Embertson RM, Bernard WV, Hance SR, Bramlage LR, Hopper SA.Dystocia in the mare is an emergency in which duration has a profound effect on survival of the foal. Specific examination of the effects of dystocia duration on foal survival provides information to enable horse care personnel and veterinarians to manage these cases more effectively and maximise the chances of obtaining a live foal. Objective: Dystocia duration would have a negative impact on foal survival while method of dystocia resolution would not have an effect on foal survival. Additionally, we were interested in determining the effects of dystocia on subsequent fertility. Results: In t...
Monreal L, Cesarini C.The most common coagulopathy in horses with colic is a hypercoagulable state associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation. The intensity of this coagulopathy depends on the severity and duration of the gastrointestinal lesion, with the ischemic and inflammatory problems and peritonitis being the most frequently affected by coagulopathies. Early initiation of prophylactic therapy significantly reduces the severe hypercoagulable state in horses with intestinal conditions which are recognized to be at high risk for disseminated intravascular coagulation. In addition to the systemic coag...
Reef VB, Collatos C, Spencer PA, Orsini JA, Sepesy LM.Infection of umbilical arteries, umbilical vein, and/or urachus was diagnosed ultrasonographically in 33 foals 1 to 90 days old (mean, 17.7 +/- 17.3 days). In these foals, the most common initial problems were umbilical abnormalities, septic arthritis, and/or neonatal septicemia. In 16 foals, abnormalities of the external umbilical stalk were noticed on admission. Abnormalities of the internal umbilical structures were identified when enlargement and echogenic material (fluid and/or gas) were imaged ultrasonographically within these structures. Multiple structures were affected in 23 foals, wi...
Anderson MG.A group of clinically normal horses was subjected to controlled strenuous exercise. Elevated serum concentrations of lactic dehydrogenase, aldolase and creatine kinase were observed after exercise but no significant change in serum glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase was noted. These changes were reduced by repeated exposure to exercise suggesting that measurement of serum enzyme elevations, particularly creatine kinase, might be a useful index of fitness in the horse. Administration of prednisolone prior to exercise also reduced these changes. Since the serum enzyme concentrations had returned t...
Geor RJ.Laminitis is a painful and debilitating condition of horses and ponies that has major economic and welfare implications. Anecdotal observations and the results of survey studies have indicated that most laminitis cases occur in horses and ponies kept at pasture (hence, the term pasture-associated laminitis). Risk for development of pasture-associated laminitis represents a dynamic interaction between animal predisposing factors (an insulin-resistant phenotype commonly termed equine metabolic syndrome) and environmental conditions, particularly the nonstructural carbohydrate (simple sugars, sta...
Marr CM, Franklin S, Garrod G, Wylie C, Smith L, Dukes-McEwan J, Bright J, Allen K.Exercise-associated cardiac rhythm disturbances are common, but there is a lack of evidence-based criteria on which to distinguish clinically relevant rhythm disturbances from those that are not. Objective: To describe and characterise rhythm disturbances during clinical exercise testing; to explore potential risk factors for these rhythm disturbances and to determine whether they influenced future racing. Methods: Retrospective cohort using a convenience sample. Methods: Medical records were reviewed from two clinical services to identify horses with poor performance and/or respiratory noise ...
Whitton RC, Mirams M, Mackie EJ, Anderson GA, Seeman E.Bone remodelling is inhibited by high repetitive loading. However, in subchondral bone of racehorses in training, eroded surface doubled in association with fatigue fracture and there was greater surrounding trabecular bone volume suggesting trabecular modelling unloads the bone focally, allowing damage repair by remodelling. Background: Remodelling replaces damaged bone with new bone but is suppressed during high magnitude repetitive loading when damage is most likely. However, in cortical bone of racehorses, at sites of fatigue fracture, focal porosity, consistent with remodelling, is observ...
Domino M, Borowska M, Trojakowska A, Kozłowska N, Zdrojkowski Ł, Jasiński T, Smyth G, Maśko M.Appropriate matching of rider-horse sizes is becoming an increasingly important issue of riding horses' care, as the human population becomes heavier. Recently, infrared thermography (IRT) was considered to be effective in differing the effect of 10.6% and 21.3% of the rider:horse bodyweight ratio, but not 10.1% and 15.3%. As IRT images contain many pixels reflecting the complexity of the body's surface, the pixel relations were assessed by image texture analysis using histogram statistics (HS), gray-level run-length matrix (GLRLM), and gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) approaches. The st...
Pu Y, Zhang Y, Zhang T, Han J, Ma Y, Liu X.As a nutrient sensor, the placenta plays a key role in regulating fetus growth and development. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to regulate growth-related traits. However, the biological function of lncRNAs in horse placentas remains unclear. To compare the expression patterns of lncRNAs in the placentas of the Chinese Ningqiang (NQ) and Yili (YL) breeds, we performed a transcriptome analysis using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. NQ is a pony breed with an average adult height at the withers of less than 106 cm, whereas that of YL is around 148 cm. Based on 813 million high...
Larsen MM, Lendal S, Chriél M, Olsen SN, Bjørn H.A questionnaire survey regarding endoparasite control practices in Danish horse herds was carried out in 1995. The participating veterinarians and herd owners were sampled using convenience and purposive sampling. In the analysis of risk factors for development of a high endoparasitic burden (> 200 eggs per gram faeces) 903 horses were sampled and the analysis of the efficiency of a single anthelmintic treatment was based on 605 horses. The following factors had a significant effect on the endoparasitic burden: herd type, age of the horses, use of pasture rotation, anthelmintic treatment of ho...
Prescott JF, Staempfli HR, Barker IK, Bettoni R, Delaney K.Severe colitis was induced in two ponies after oral pretreatment with clindamycin and lincomycin, followed by intestinal content from two horses which had died from naturally-occurring idiopathic colitis. Two ponies treated with antibiotic alone, and two ponies treated with intestinal content alone, were unaffected. In a further study, three ponies treated on separate occasions with lincomycin, administered orally, died or were destroyed 67 to 72 h after initial treatment. No established salmonella, yersinia or campylobacter pathogens were isolated from these ponies, but a clostridium closely ...
Masty J, Stradley RP.The equine Paneth cell response to a shift in the microbial balance of the intestinal tract was studied by inducing an acute episode of alimentary laminitis in 6 mature ponies. The normal bacterial population of the gut was modified by administration of a carbohydrate-rich ration. During acute laminitis a dramatic degranulation of the Paneth cells occurred in the intestinal glands throughout the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Bacteriocidal lysozyme, which was immunohistochemically identified as a component of the Paneth cell secretory granule, was evident in the glandular lumina and in degranul...
Koch C, Ramsauer AS, Drögemüller M, Ackermann M, Gerber V, Tobler K.Several attempts have been made to categorize equid- and bovid-specific bovine papillomavirus 1 (BPV1) isolates based on sequence tags. This study includes newly determined sequence information from 33 BPV1 isolates of equine, asinine and bovine origin and investigates sequence bias due to host species. Twenty of the viral genomes were sequenced over their entire length and a further thirteen were sequenced, including flanking sequences, at two specific sites, the LCR and the E5 ORF. Alignment and analyses of the sequences did not reveal statistically significant site differences between the s...
Bełżecki G, Miltko R, Michałowski T, McEwan NR.This paper describes cultivation methods for ciliates from the digestive tract of horses. Members of three different genera were successfully grown in vitro for short periods of time. However, only cells belonging to the genus Blepharocorys, which resides in the horse's large intestine, were maintained for longer periods. This Blepharocorys culture was successfully grown in vitro after inoculation of freshly excreted horse faeces in culture medium containing a population of bacteria. The ciliates survived for over six months, and the density of their population varied between 1.7 × 10(3) and ...
Navas de Solis C.The physiology of exercise and training is fascinating, and hundreds of interesting studies have given insight into its mechanisms. Exercise testing is a useful clinical tool that can help veterinarians assess poor performance, fitness, and performance potential and prevent injuries. The clinically applicable aspects of cardiovascular adaptions to training and exercise testing are highlighted in this review. Different exercise tests should be used to evaluate horses performing in different disciplines and levels. Exercise tests that simultaneously assess several body systems can be beneficial ...
Hemsworth LM, Jongman EC, Coleman GJ.The welfare of recreational horses is an important issue. Horse owner attitudes towards horse ownership are likely to influence owner behaviour in terms of horse husbandry and management practices and human-horse interactions, which in turn are likely to affect the welfare of the horse. Based on Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour, this paper examines the relationships between horse owner attributes, specifically background factors (demographics, knowledge, and experience) and attitudes (beliefs) towards horse husbandry and management behaviour. Data were collected via a random telephone surve...
Tóth T, Broström H, Båverud V, Emanuelson U, Bagge E, Karlsson T, Bergvall K.Treatment and protection of wounds in horses can be challenging; protecting bandages may be difficult to apply on the proximal extremities and the body. Unprotected wounds carry an increased risk of bacterial contamination and subsequent infection which can lead to delayed wound healing. Topical treatment with antimicrobials is one possibility to prevent bacterial colonization or infection, but the frequent use of antimicrobials ultimately leads to development of bacterial resistance which is an increasing concern in both human and veterinary medicine. Methods: Standardized wounds were created...
Morrell JM, Mari G, Kútvölgyi G, Meurling S, Mislei B, Iacono E, Rodriguez-Martinez H.Some stallions produce ejaculates of low quality and/or low fertility when used for artificial insemination (AI). The purpose of these five case studies was to use Single Layer Centrifugation (SLC) to select the best spermatozoa from 'problem' ejaculates for subsequent use in AI. Sperm quality, in terms of motility, morphology and chromatin integrity, was improved in the SLC-selected samples compared to the corresponding uncentrifuged samples, with the exception of one stallion thought to have ampullary stasis. In this stallion, neither the incidence of spermatozoa with detached heads nor the ...
Giardina B, Brix O, Clementi ME, Scatena R, Nicoletti B, Cicchetti R, Argentin G, Condo SG.Despite the fact that the horse is one of the more common domesticated animals, there are few reports dealing with the properties of its blood, and no comprehensive study has been performed on the reactivity of horse haemoglobin towards organic and inorganic ions. Here we report data on the effects of the organic phosphates D-glycerate-2,3-bisphosphate (2,3-DPG) and InsP6, and of chloride on the properties of horse haemoglobin. Thus the effect of saturating concentrations of 2,3-DPG on the oxygen affinity of horse haemoglobin is about 60% lower than with human adult haemoglobin under the same ...
Kalchofner KS, Picek S, Ringer SK, Jackson M, Hässig M, Bettschart-Wolfensberger R.To determine, in mildly hypercapnic horses under isoflurane-medetomidine balanced anaesthesia, whether there is a difference in cardiovascular function between spontaneous ventilation (SV) and intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV). Methods: Prospective randomized clinical study. Methods: Sixty horses, undergoing elective surgical procedures under general anaesthesia: ASA classification I or II. Methods: Horses were sedated with medetomidine and anaesthesia was induced with ketamine and diazepam. Anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane and a constant rate infusion of medetomidine...
Rumbaugh ML, Burba DJ, Natalini C, Hosgood G, Moore RM.To compare arterial bursting pressure after vessel closure using a vessel-sealing device (LigaSure Atlas Laparoscopic Sealer/Divider Instrument; Valleylab, Boulder, CO), a ligate-and-divide stapling device (LDS), and 2-0 polydioxanone suture. To evaluate the LigaSure Atlas as a method for ligation of the mesenteric vasculature during small intestinal resection in normal horses. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Part A: jejunal segments from 19 horses. Part B: 6 horses, aged 1 to 18 years, weighing 330 to 509 kg. Methods: Part A: Jejunal segments with mesenteric vessels were collected from ...
Haspeslagh M, Gerber V, Knottenbelt DC, Schüpbach G, Martens A, Koch C.Research has shown that the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of equine sarcoids (ES) can be improved. Particularly, less experienced veterinarians are often mistaken in their clinical judgement despite a high level of diagnostic confidence. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the performance of a diagnostic protocol (DP) to improve diagnostic accuracy and identify diagnostically challenging cases. The design of the DP was based on typical clinical features of ES and its algorithm was optimised through repeated tests on clinical cases prior to validating its performance in a repre...
Henker LC, Lorenzett MP, Keller A, Siqueira FM, Driemeier D, Pavarini SP.Pantoea agglomerans, family Enterobacteriaceae, is a Gram-negative bacterium that may be isolated from soil and from plants. This bacterium has been associated with disease in plants, humans, and rarely in domestic animal species. We describe here a case of fibrinonecrotic placentitis and equine abortion associated with P. agglomerans infection in southern Brazil. A fetus with 10 months of gestation and its placenta were evaluated. Gross lesions were observed in the cervical star extending to the body of the chorioallantois and consisted of a focally extensive, transmural, severely thickened...
Davis R, Giguère S.To determine and compare sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and predictive values of measurement of serum total protein concentration by refractometry as well as 5 commercially available kits for the diagnosis of failure of passive transfer (FPT) of immunity in foals. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 65 foals with various medical problems and 35 clinically normal foals. Methods: IgG concentration in serum was assessed by use of zinc sulfate turbidity (assay C), glutaraldehyde coagulation (assay D), 2 semiquantitative immunoassays (assays F and G), and a quantitative immunoassay (assay H)....
