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Topic:Veterinary Care
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.
The feral horse foot. Part A: observational study of the effect of environment on the morphometrics of the feet of 100 Australian feral horses. To better understand the morphology of, and the effect of different travel patterns and varying substrate environments on, the feral horse foot to better manage the feet of domestic horses. Methods: The left forefeet of 20 adult feral horses from each of five geographically separated populations in Australia (n = 100) were investigated. Populations were selected on the basis of substrate hardness under foot and the amount of travel typical for the population. Feet were radiographed and photographed and 40 morphometric measurements of each foot were obtained. Results: Of the 40 parameters, 37 d...
Sex-sorting sperm using flow cytometry/cell sorting. The sex of mammalian offspring can be predetermined by flow sorting relatively pure living populations of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm. This method is based on precise staining of the DNA of sperm with the nucleic acid-specific fluorophore, Hoechst 33342, to differentiate between the subpopulations of X- and Y-sperm. The fluorescently stained sperm are then sex-sorted using a specialized high speed sorter, MoFlo(®) SX XDP, and collected into biologically supportive media prior to reconcentration and cryopreservation in numbers adequate for use with artificial insemination for some specie...
Magnetic resonance imaging features of sinonasal disorders in horses. Diseases of paranasal sinuses and nasal passages in horses can be a diagnostic challenge because of the complex anatomy of the head and limitations of many diagnostic modalities. Our hypothesis was that magnetic resonance (MR) imaging would provide excellent anatomical detail and soft tissue resolution, and would be accurate in the diagnosis of diseases of the paranasal sinuses and nasal passages in horses. Fourteen horses were imaged. Inclusion criteria were lesions located to the sinuses or nasal passages that underwent MR imaging and subsequent surgical intervention and/or histopathologic e...
Survival of horses following strangulating large colon volvulus. The pattern of long-term survival and specific factors associated with long-term survival have not previously been evaluated in horses with a strangulating large colon volvulus (LCV). Objective: To provide data on the long-term survival of horses with LCV and to identify pre-, intra- and post operative variables associated with survival. Methods: Clinical data and long-term follow-up information were obtained from 116 horses with a strangulating LCV (≥360°) undergoing general anaesthesia. Two multivariable Cox proportional hazards models for post operative survival time were developed: Mode...
Antimicrobial prescribing practice in UK equine veterinary practice. Antimicrobial use is known to select for the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria; therefore prudent use in both human and veterinary medicine is essential to preserve their efficacy. Objective: To characterise antimicrobial prescribing patterns in UK equine practice and evaluate factors associated with prescribing. Methods: A postal questionnaire including 4 clinical scenarios was sent to 740 veterinary surgeons that treat horses. Data were collected on the clinician, their practice and sources of information regarding antimicrobials and their use. Multivariable logistic regression anal...
Septic diseases associated with the hoof complex: abscesses, punctures wounds, and infection of the lateral cartilage. Hoof abscesses are probably the most common cause of acute severe lameness in horses encountered by veterinarians and farriers. Most affected horses show sudden, severe (acute) lameness; the degree of lameness varies from being subtle in the early stages to non-weight bearing. There is still debate between the veterinary and farrier professions as to who should treat a hoof abscess and the best method to resolve the abscess. Puncture wounds to the sole of the foot can introduce bacteria and debris to the solar surface of the distal phalanx and produce a fracture or a septic pedal osteitis.
The basics of farriery as a prelude to therapeutic farriery. Domesticated horses need hoof care, because it is rare for wear and growth of the hooves to be in perfect equilibrium. During the shoeing interval, the hoof grows downwards and forward in the direction of the horn tubules, losing some degree of angle. Few horses have perfect limb conformation. The shape of a hoof of a limb with conformation defects adapts in a predictable way. If, for therapeutic or performance reasons, the hoof-shoe combination is modified, there is a not a lot of leeway in the trim of a particular foot, whereas the applied shoe type, placement, and adjustments provide endles...
Treating laminitis: beyond the mechanics of trimming and shoeing. Laminitis is typically classified into developmental or prodromal, acute, subacute, and chronic phases. Scientific evidence regarding the pathophysiology of laminitis does exist, but it is often conflicting and dependent on the clinician's interpretation/understanding of the study or the model used for inducing laminitis. The diagnosis of laminitis consists of obtaining an accurate history, performing a thorough physical examination, and taking good-quality radiographs. The use of radiographs for diagnosis and interpretation of laminitis is an absolute necessity for the clinician. Laminitis is...
Farriery for the hoof with low or underrun heels. Underrun heels are common and involve hoof capsule distortion in which the horn tubules of the heels undergo bending and lengthening, resulting in decreased strength and functionality. The syndrome varies in clinical presentation, depending on duration, severity of distortion, presence of secondary problems, and presence of lameness. Primary treatment goals are to maintain soundness and functional integrity of the foot and to establish a normal hoof capsule. Resolution of the problem is generally not achieved in horses in a heavy work schedule, and realistic goals in this situation are to main...
Therapeutic farriery: one veterinarian’s perspective. Therapeutic shoeing is best directed at a specific diagnosis, but in the absence of a specific diagnosis, it is frequently directed at a symptom. There are only so many ways to modify the function of the foot with trimming and shoeing. The design of a horse shoe may often be modified to improve one aspect of foot function. Modifying a horse shoe to improve one aspect of foot function almost invariably impacts another aspect of foot function. The application of horse shoes may be based on a specific diagnosis or directed at a symptom. The application of shoeing principles is best approached usi...
Nonseptic diseases associated with the hoof complex: keratoma, white line disease, canker, and neoplasia. This article addresses nonseptic diseases associated with the hoof complex, namely keratoma, white line disease, canker, and neoplasia. Keratoma is an uncommon cause of lameness, which may be surgically removed. White line disease, a keratolytic process on the solar surface of the hoof, is treated with therapeutic farriery and resection of the hoof wall when appropriate. Equine canker is an infectious process that results in development of a chronic hypertrophy of the horn-producing tissues. Neoplasia involving the equine foot is rare, and melanoma is the most common type of neoplasm reported....
Farriery for the hoof with a high heel or club foot. A club foot or flexural deformity may affect a horse at any stage of life from neonate through adulthood. The emphasis of this article is on defining and recommending the appropriate farriery for flexural deformities involving the deep digital flexor tendon and the distal interphalangeal joint. Clinical management of the flexural deformity is influenced by the severity, duration, and etiology of the club foot as well as the degree and source of lameness. Also discussed is the management of mismatched hoof angles, which remains a controversial subject for both farrier and veterinarian.
Farriery for hoof wall defects: quarter cracks and toe cracks. Conditions that result in the loss of the structural integrity of the hoof wall, such as quarter and toe cracks, are not uncommon and usually manifest in lameness. The successful management of these problems involves identifying and addressing the underlying causes, stabilization of the foot, and committed follow-up.
The importance of therapeutic farriery in equine practice. For an equine practice to offer therapeutic farriery as a professional service, that service must be founded in individual competence and cooperation between veterinarian and farrier. Inadequate farriery education and experience may result in substandard or even contraindicated therapeutic farriery prescriptions and farrier care. Within continuing education for equine practitioners, excellent opportunities to advance one's understanding of and clinical competence in therapeutic farriery are increasingly available. It is the obligation of the veterinarian to acquire and maintain a working under...
Acupuncture Points of the Horse’s Distal Thoracic Limb: A Neuroanatomic Approach to the Transposition of Traditional Points. Veterinary acupuncture charts were developed based on the concept of transpositional points whereby human acupuncture maps were adapted to animal anatomy. Transpositional acupuncture points have traditionally been placed in specific locations around the horse's coronet and distal limb believed to be the closest approximation to the human distal limb points. Because the horse has a single digit and lacks several structures analogous to the human hand and foot, precisely transposing all of the human digital points is not anatomically possible. To date there is no published research on the effect...
Evaluation of cardiac phenotype in horses with type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy. Type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM1), an equine glycogen storage disorder caused by a gain of function mutation (R309H) in the gene encoding glycogen synthase (GYS1), is associated with the accumulation of amylase-resistant alpha-crystalline polysaccharide inclusions within skeletal muscle. Several glycogenoses in humans have a cardiac phenotype, and reports exist of horses with PSSM and polysaccharide inclusions in cardiac muscle. Objective: To investigate the hypothesis that horses with PSSM1 display a cardiac phenotype. Our objectives were to compare plasma cardiac troponin I (cTn...
Detection of peginesatide in equine serum using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for doping control purposes. Erythropoietin (EPO) and its recombinant analogues are suspected to be illicitly administered to horses for performance enhancing purposes and, consequently, prohibited in equine sports. Recently, a new erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, peginesatide (Omontys, formerly referred to as Hematide), belonging to the upcoming class of EPO-mimetic peptides, received approval for the treatment of anaemia in humans with chronic kidney disease on dialysis. As the pegylated dimeric peptide of approximately 45 kDa without sequence homology to EPO is not detectable by conventional EPO detection assays, spec...
Effect of feeding glucose, fructose, and inulin on blood glucose and insulin concentrations in normal ponies and those predisposed to laminitis. Identification of ponies (Equus caballus) at increased risk of pasture-associated laminitis would aid in the prevention of the disease. Insulin resistance has been associated with laminitis and could be used to identify susceptible individuals. Insulin resistance may be diagnosed by feeding supplementary water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and measuring blood glucose and insulin concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess the glycemic and insulinemic responses of 7 normal (NP) and 5 previously laminitic (PLP), mixed breed, native UK ponies fed glucose, fructose, and inulin [1 g/(kg·d) fo...
Effects of two different dietary sources of long chain omega-3, highly unsaturated fatty acids on incorporation into the plasma, red blood cell, and skeletal muscle in horses. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of different sources of dietary omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid supplementation on plasma, red blood cell, and skeletal muscle fatty acid compositions in horses. Twenty-one mares were blocked by age, BW, and BCS and assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments with 7 mares per treatment. Dietary treatments were: 1) control or no fatty acid supplement (CON), 2) 38 g of n-3 long chain, highly unsaturated fatty acid (LCHUFA) supplement/d provided by algae and fish oil (MARINE) containing alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaen...
Whole transcriptome analyses of six thoroughbred horses before and after exercise using RNA-Seq. Thoroughbred horses are the most expensive domestic animals, and their running ability and knowledge about their muscle-related diseases are important in animal genetics. While the horse reference genome is available, there has been no large-scale functional annotation of the genome using expressed genes derived from transcriptomes. Results: We present a large-scale analysis of whole transcriptome data. We sequenced the whole mRNA from the blood and muscle tissues of six thoroughbred horses before and after exercise. By comparing current genome annotations, we identified 32,361 unigene cluster...
The Strongylidae belonging to Strongylus genus in horses from southeastern Poland. Postmortem parasitic examinations of the large intestines of 725 slaughtered horses from individual farmers in southeastern Poland were carried out. The examinations were carried out monthly since February 2006 until January 2007 (except for August 2007 because of a technological stoppage in the slaughterhouse). The examinations included the intensiveness and extensiveness of the infestation of the Strongylidae belonging to the Strongylus genus. The Strongylidae were found in 26.5% of the examined horses. Strongylus vulgaris was the most dominant nematode and had a 22.8% prevalence, Strongylus...
Morphology of twin and triplet equine conceptuses during weeks 3 and 4 of pregnancy. Twin ovulations are common in horses, but twin pregnancies are rarely carried to term. Theories of how one or both twins is/are naturally eliminated in early pregnancy, termed 'embryo reduction', have been based on ultrasonographic, not morphological, studies. Here we describe conceptuses recovered transcervically between Days 15 and 28 from 31 twin and two triplet pregnancies. Signs of contact between conceptuses were deduced from those seen in one pair that remained attached by their capsules on Day 18. Signs were found on capsules in two of 10 pairs before or during fixation (immobilisation...
Recovery of Arcobacter spp. from nonlivestock species. The genus Arcobacter encompasses campylobacter-like organisms that grow in air at 25 degrees C. Arcobacter has been detected or isolated from clinically healthy livestock as well as aborted fetuses and has been presumptively identified as either Campylobacter or Leptospira, based on its growth in selective semisolid media. Because reports from nonlivestock species are limited, this study examined nine presumptive isolates of Arcobacter spp. from an alpaca (Vicugna pacos), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), gorilla (Troglodytes gorilla), gazelle (Eudorc...
The potential of embryo transfer in a German horse-breeding programme. A reference horse-breeding programme with 13500 foals each year was modelled with ZPLAN+. This new software for the optimization of the structures in breeding programmes is based on ZPLAN. In two scenarios, the implementation of a rigorous selection of mares was implemented. In scenario I, the mare performance test was the point of selection, while in scenario II, further information on 20 competitions in two more years is available. These selected mares were used for embryo transfer (ET), partly in combination with multiple ovulation (MOET). The selection intensity and the number of foals out...
Modified Kuhnt-Szymanowski surgical procedure for secondary cicatricial ectropion in a horse. A 1-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding was presented to the University of Florida's Large Animal Hospital (UF-LAH) for correction of ectropion of the right lower eyelid. The ectropion was the result of a lower eyelid laceration. A primary repair was performed by the referring veterinarian; however, the horse prematurely removed the sutures and the wound healed with inversion of the eyelid margin. Surgical correction of the entropion, with removal of tissue from the lower eyelid, resulted in cicatricial ectropion. During the initial evaluation at UF-LAH, a corneal ulcer was noted in the right eye...
Towards a postural indicator of back pain in horses (Equus caballus). Postures have long been used and proved useful to describe animals' behaviours and emotional states, but remains difficult to assess objectively in field conditions. A recent study performed on horses using geometric morphometrics revealed important postural differences between 2 horse populations differing in management conditions (leisure horses living in social groups used for occasional "relaxed" riding/riding school horses living in individual boxes used in daily riding lessons with more constraining techniques). It was suggested that these postural differences may reflect chronic effects...
