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.
Smith MA, Dyson SJ, Murray RC.To determine the reliability of 2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems for detection of cartilage and bone lesions of the equine fetlock. Objective: To test the hypotheses that lesions in cartilage, subchondral and trabecular bone of the equine fetlock verified using histopathology can be detected on high- and low-field MR images with a low incidence of false positive or negative results; that low-field images are less reliable than high-field images for detection of cartilage lesions; and that combining results of interpretation from different pulse sequences increases detection of cartil...
Fuchs S, Klier J, May A, Winter G, Coester C, Gehlen H.Delivering active ingredients using biocompatible and biodegradable carriers such as gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) to the lung constitutes a promising non-invasive route of administration. However, the pulmonary delivery of nanoparticle-based immunotherapy is still a field that requires more clarification. In this study, GNPs loaded with cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN)-loaded and plain GNPs were aerosolised either by a conventional pressured metered dose inhaler (pMDI) or by active or passive vibrating-mesh (VM) nebulisers. GNP sizes after nebulisation by active and p...
Ellse L, Burden F, Wall R.Equine pediculosis is a significant health and welfare issue, particularly in elderly and chronically debilitated animals. Currently infestation is controlled predominantly using topically applied pyrethroid insecticides, allowing limited scope for the rotation of drugs and increasing the risk of selection for resistance. Here the insecticidal efficacies of two pyrethroid-based products against the louse Bovicola (Werneckiella) ocellatus collected from donkeys were examined in vitro. The products were cypermethrin (Deosect™, Pfizer Ltd., 5% (w/v) cypermethrin, cutaneous spray) and permethrin...
Kraus MS, Kaufer BB, Damiani A, Osterrieder N, Rishniw M, Schwark W, Gelzer AR, Divers TJ.To date, no information is available on the true biological elimination half-life (T(1/2) ) of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in the equine species. Such data are required to better evaluate the optimal time to acquire the cTnI sample following acute myocardial injury. Objective: To determine the T(1/2) of equine cTnI. Methods: Four healthy ponies received i.v. injections of recombinant equine cTnI. Plasma cTnI concentrations were measured with a point-of-care cTnI analyser at multiple time points after injection. Standard pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to establish the T(1/2) of cTnI. Resu...
McGreevy PD, Corken RA, Salvin H, Black CM.The use of whips by jockeys is an issue. The current study viewed opportunistic high-speed footage of 15 race finishes frame-by-frame to examine the outcomes of arm and wrist actions (n = 350) on 40 horses viewed from the left of the field. Any actions fully or partially obscured by infrastructure or other horses were removed from the database, leaving a total of 104 non-contact sweeps and 134 strikes. For all instances of arm actions that resulted in fully visible whip strikes behind the saddle (n = 109), the outcomes noted were area struck, percentage of unpadded section making conta...
Friedman R.The value of providing equine reproductive services in ambulatory setting is well established. Ambulatory practice has been, and will most likely continue to be, the primary provider of equine reproductive veterinary services. The limitations for performing various reproductive procedures in an ambulatory setting are those imposed by the amount of equipment and supplies that must be brought to the patient, as well as those imposed when procedures require additional assistance. This is analogous to human medical care: the ambulance cannot substitute for a hospital but it can certainly provide s...
Seo JP, Tsuzuki N, Haneda S, Yamada K, Furuoka H, Tabata Y, Sasaki N.A three dimensional scaffold is essential in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) delivery in cell-based therapy for facilitating cell adherence, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the possibility of β-tricalcium phosphate incorporated gelatin sponges (Gelatin/β-TCP sponge) as scaffolds for equine MSCs and to examine the effects of seeding density and seeding method on the proliferation of equine MSCs in the Gelatin/β-TCP sponges. Mononuclear cells and MSCs isolated from bone marrow were seeded into Gelatin/β-TCP sponges at different densi...
Sandoval C, True C.Clients want dependable veterinary care and to understand how the services will benefit and meet their horse’s needs. Wellness visits provide ambulatory practitioners with great opportunities to strengthen the doctor-client-patient bond; effective communication with clients during wellness visits, where new literature or facts can be presented, can offer opportunities for demonstrating the value of having the veterinarian maintain a primary role in disease control. The criteria for selecting vaccines, interpreting FECs, and diagnosing dental pathology require the continued need for veterinar...
Ramey DW.Current economic conditions make the practice of equine medicine challenging, to say the least. The downward trend in the US economy has had a huge impact on horse owners and equine veterinarians alike. Horses are expensive to keep; as such, economics are the driving factor in the problem of the unwanted horse. Under these conditions, efficient equine ambulatory practices are well-suited to weather the economic storm. As contributors to this issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America note, one can practice high-quality medicine and surgery without the overhead and expense of a large clinic. ...
Watts AE, Fubini SL.This report describes a modification of the parainguinal approach for removal of cystic calculi: a ventral midline laparotomy-guided parainguinal laparocystotomy. The ventral midline approach to the abdomen is rapid and routinely used by equine surgeons. With an arm introduced to the abdomen via the ventral midline, the surgeon is able to select the ideal parainguinal laparotomy incision location that allows bladder exteriorisation with the minimum amount of tension. Because the surgeon's hand is introduced via the ventral midline incision, the parainguinal incision can be sized to just allow ...
Denwood MJ, Love S, Innocent GT, Matthews L, McKendrick IJ, Hillary N, Smith A, Reid SW.The faecal egg count (FEC) is the most widely used means of quantifying the nematode burden of horses, and is frequently used in clinical practice to inform treatment and prevention. The statistical process underlying the FEC is complex, comprising a Poisson counting error process for each sample, compounded with an underlying continuous distribution of means between samples. Being able to quantify the sources of variability contributing to this distribution of means is a necessary step towards providing estimates of statistical power for future FEC and FECRT studies, and may help to improve t...
Canisso IF, Beltaire KA, Bedford-Guaus SJ.Premature luteal demise or luteal insufficiency is not well characterised as a cause of pregnancy loss in domestic species, including horses. In this report, a mare inseminated with cooled-transported semen at our facility returned for a routine pregnancy diagnosis at 15 days post ovulation. Ultrasonography per rectum revealed endometrial oedema and the absence of visual indication of a corpus luteum on either ovary. Nonetheless, an embryonic vesicle small for the gestational age was identified. Daily oral altrenogest treatment was implemented immediately. Serum progesterone concentration was ...
Galera PD, Brooks DE.Keratomycosis in the horse exists in several unique clinical forms. This paper discusses the diagnosis and clinical management of keratomycosis in the horse associated with tear film instability, epithelial keratopathy, subepithelial infiltrates, superficial and deep ulcers, plaques, melting ulcers, descemetoceles, iris prolapse, and stromal abscesses. Prompt diagnosis and aggressive treatment of equine keratomycosis can make a major difference in the maintenance of a cosmetic and visual eye.
Buckley P, Morton JM, Buckley DJ, Coleman GT.Horse misbehaviour is an important cause of poor performance in Pony Club horses, is associated with horse-related rider injuries and has been implicated as a nonspecific presenting sign for musculoskeletal pain. Despite this, little is known about the incidence of and risk factors for misbehaviour in Pony Club horses. Objective: This study aimed to describe the incidence and types of misbehaviour in a cohort of Pony Club horses and to identify risk factors for misbehaviour during riding. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted with 84 Pony Club horses from 41 families belongin...
Betteridge KJ, Waelchli RO, Christie HL, Raeside JI, Quinn BA, Hayes MA.To advance the understanding of early pregnancy and pregnancy failure in horses, this study determined how luteolysis induced by cloprostenol (an analogue of prostaglandin F2α) affects conceptus development. Mares were injected on Days 12, 14, 16 or 18 of pregnancy with either cloprostenol (treatment groups, total n=83 pregnancies) or saline (controls, n=81), and growth of the conceptuses was monitored and compared by daily ultrasonography until they were collected transcervically on Days 15-22, 1-4 days after the injections. The comparisons were extended in the recovered conceptuses by count...
Kempchen S, Kuhn M, Spadavecchia C, Levionnois OL.To evaluate medetomidine as a continuous rate infusion (CRI) in horses in which anaesthesia is maintained with isoflurane and CRIs of ketamine and lidocaine. Methods: Prospective, randomized, blinded clinical trial. Methods: Forty horses undergoing elective surgery. Methods: After sedation and induction, anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane. Mechanical ventilation was employed. All horses received lidocaine (1.5 mg kg(-1) initially, then 2 mg kg(-1) hour(-1)) and ketamine (2 mg kg(-1) hour(-1)), both CRIs reducing to 1.5 mg kg(-1) hour(-1) after 50 minutes. Horses in group MILK received ...
Norman TE, Chaffin MK, Bisset WT, Thompson JA.To characterize the associations between clinical signs of nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome (NCS) and endoscopic findings in horses. Methods: Retrospective, case-control study. Methods: 239 horses (118 case horses and 121 control horses). Methods: Medical records of horses that had an endoscopic evaluation of the upper airway performed between January 2003 and December 2008 were reviewed. Clinical signs and the appearance and anatomic locations of lesions identified during endoscopic evaluation were reviewed and recorded for each horse. The associations between clinical signs and endoscopic fi...
Gillen SS.The scope of medical problems encountered by the equine ambulatory practitioner is immense; there is a wealth of information available to ambulatory practitioners pertaining to specific medical topics. It is certainly possible to practice high-quality equine medicine in a field setting. However, hospital referral should be offered to clients for conditions not conducive to successful treatment in the field. Prompt referral of difficult cases is a sign that the practitioner wants the best treatment for the patient and is often gladly accepted by the client. When surgical or hospital referral is...
Bertoni L, Forresu D, Coudry V, Audigie F, Denoix JM.To characterize the clinical features, diagnostic procedures, treatment, and outcome for horses with an exostosis on the palmar or plantar cortex of the third metacarpal bone (MC3) or third metatarsal bone (MT3). Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 16 horses. Methods: Records from 2001 through 2010 were evaluated to identify horses with radiographic and ultrasonographic evidence of an exostosis on an MC3 or MT3. Signalment, history, lameness examination results, diagnostic imaging results, surgical and histopathologic findings, treatment, and outcome were evaluated. Results: 9 horses ...
Leadon D, O'Toole D, Duggan VE.The Irish Horse Industry expanded during the Celtic Tiger boom years, then contracted in the current economic recession. High value horses were traditionally controlled through sale at public auction, private sales and sales to dealers; these are now also being reduced by decreases in production (> 40%), and increases in retirement, re-homing, euthanasia and disposal through Category 2 plants and abattoirs. The absence or banning of horse abattoirs has been shown to have very significant welfare social and economic consequences in the USA. This study described the currently available data o...
Inés MM, Fitch G.To report the use of a laparoscopic retrieval device for removal of uroliths via a perineal urethrotomy. Methods: Case report. Methods: A 12-year-old Konenklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (KWPN) gelding and a 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding. Methods: Perineal urethrotomy was performed on 2 standing sedated geldings and the urolith was removed using a laparoscopic retrieval device. Results: In both cases, uroliths were removed successfully with no short- or long-term complications. The larger of the 2 uroliths measured 6 cm in length and 4.6 cm in width. Conclusions: Removal of a urolit...
Ceusters JD, Mouithys-Mickalad AA, de la Rebière de Pouyade G, Franck TJ, Votion DM, Deby-Dupont GP, Serteyn DA.To culture equine myoblasts from muscle microbiopsy specimens, examine myoblast production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in conditions of anoxia followed by reoxygenation, and assess the effects of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) on ROS production. Methods: 5 healthy horses (5 to 15 years old). Methods: Equine skeletal myoblast cultures were derived from 1 or 2 microbiopsy specimens obtained from a triceps brachii muscle of each horse. Cultured myoblasts were exposed to conditions of anoxia followed by reoxygenation or to conditions of normoxia (control cells). Cell p...
Wahl K, Adams SB, Moore GE.To assess fetlock joint contamination with tissue debris and hair after arthrocentesis. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Fetlock joint tissues (n = 10 horses). Methods: Soft tissue flaps including the joint capsule were dissected from the dorsal fetlock joints of 7 anesthetized horses leaving an intact proximal base. Needles inserted through the tissue flaps were flushed into tissue cell culture plates and examined for debris. Studies were repeated on excised fetlock tissue preparations after being stored for 5 days. Variables included gauge and type of needle, insertion of spinal needles with ...
Sanchez B, Nieto A, de Ruiz Leon MA, Rodríguez J, Flores J.A lymphangiosarcoma with metastases was found in a horse that presented with respiratory distress and edema in the ventral thorax and abdomen. The necropsy revealed diffuse edema in the subcutaneous connective tissue. Mediastinal, mesenteric, iliac, and renal lymph nodes were enlarged and white with soft, yellowish necrotic areas. Histologic examination revealed numerous channels and disorganized vessels lined by large polyhedral, polymorphic cells. Tumor metastases were observed in the spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the tumor cells demonstrated positive staining...
Collins J, More SJ, Hanlon A, Duggan V.This report describes the progression in welfare standards for horses on a horse farm in the Republic of Ireland between 2007 and 2009. Visits to the farm were undertaken and information, in the form of written notes and digital recording of observations and examinations, was gathered in consultation with officials from the Gardaí (the Irish police), the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Further independent veterinary corroboration of clinical findings and laboratory support occurred following seizure of the horses. T...
Mostert HJ, Lund RJ, Guthrie AJ, Cilliers PJ.A theoretical integrative model was developed to determine the heat balance of horses working in a given environment. This model included the following parameters: metabolic heat gain, solar heat gain, evaporative heat loss due to sweating, respiratory tract heat loss, radiation from the body and heat gain or loss due to convection and conduction. The model developed in this study includes an unique approach for estimating heat loss via evaporation of sweat from the animal's skin surface. Previous studies modelling evaporative heat dissipation were based on the volume of sweat loss. While it i...
Reppas GP, McClintock SA, Canfield PJ, Watson GF.Mammary gland neoplasms in horses are uncommon and may initially be confused with mastitis. Masses from the mammary glands of two horses with chronic discharges were examined by cytology and histopathology. Both masses were diagnosed as papillary ductal adenocarcinomas with extensive intraductal and intralobular involvement and only focal infiltration of the adjacent stroma. Complementary immunohistochemical studies were made of both fresh and formalin-fixed tumour tissue, and attempts were made to assess the steroid receptor status of fresh tissue biochemically to assess the possibility of ho...
Mari G, Barbara M, Eleonora I, Stefano B.Ovum pick-up (OPU) by transvaginal ultrasound guided aspiration (TUGA) is a procedure applied in equine-assisted reproduction programs such as oocyte transfer and in vitro embryo production. Despite a large number of studies reporting that it is a repeatable and safe technique, little information is available about the effect of repeated punctures on fertility of mares. Moreover, even if flushing follicles improves the oocyte recovery rate, to our knowledge the efficiency of flushing estrous and diestrous follicles has not been evaluated. The aims of the present study were (1) evaluate if repe...
Miles CA, Wardale RJ, Birch HL, Bailey AJ.Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of equine superficial digital flexor tendons revealed the presence of a small exothermic peak at 23 degrees C of unknown origin, and a large endothermic peak at 70 degrees C due to denaturation of cross-linked collagen fibres. In the central degenerated core of damaged tendons the denaturation temperature remained at 70 degrees C but the enthalpy decreased in relation to the extent of degeneration of the tendon. We suggest that this reduction in enthalpy is due to depolymerisation and denaturation of the collagen fibres. This contention is supported by t...
Gross DK, Morley PS, Hinchcliff KW, Wittum TE.To determine the effect of furosemide on performance of Thoroughbreds racing on dirt surfaces at tracks in the United States and Canada. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: All Thoroughbreds (n = 22,589) that finished a race on dirt surfaces at tracks in the United States and Canada between June 28 and July 13, 1997 in jurisdictions that allowed the use of furosemide. Methods: Race records were analyzed by use of multivariable ANOVA procedures and logistic regression analyses to determine the effect of furosemide on estimated 6-furlong race time, estimated racing speed, race earnings, and...
Freestone JF, Carlson GP, Harrold DR, Church G.Alterations in electrolyte and acid-base balance were studied in 6 horses for 8 hours after furosemide administration (1 mg/kg of body weight, IM), and the results were compared with those for 5 healthy untreated horses (controls) kept under identical environmental conditions. In the treated group, decreases in plasma potassium, chloride, and calcium concentrations and increases in total plasma protein content persisted for the 8-hour observation period, whereas there was no change in plasma sodium concentration, osmolality, or packed cell volume. Plasma bicarbonate concentration and PCO2 rema...
Hance SR, Embertson RM.Colopexies were performed in 44 broodmares requiring abdominal surgery for large colon volvulus or right dorsal displacement of the large colon. Colopexies were performed by suturing the lateral bands of the left and right ventral colon to the ventral abdominal wall. Forty-seven percent of the mares in which a colopexy was performed had previous surgery for a large colon volvulus or right dorsal displacement of the large colon. Postoperative complications considered directly associated with the colopexy procedure were intermittent abdominal pain in 7, reoperation in 5, subcutaneous fistulous t...
Garcia-Lopez JM, Boudrieau RJ, Provost PJ.A 4-year-old castrated male Miniature Horse was evaluated because of severe right hind limb lameness of 5 days' duration. The diagnosis of craniodorsal luxation of the right coxofemoral joint was made by physical examination and radiographic imaging. Closed reduction was attempted but was unsuccessful. Surgical reduction was successfully performed, using toggle pin, synthetic capsular reconstruction, and trochanteric transposition techniques. No postoperative complications were observed. Follow-up 26 months after surgery revealed no recurrence of the luxation and no evidence of lameness. These...
Carmalt JL, Linn KA.To describe a large segmental (sub-total) mandibulectomy for removal of an undifferentiated sarcoma in a horse. Methods: Clinical report. Methods: A 10-year-old mare. Methods: A combination of methods including computed tomography (CT) were used to diagnose a large undifferentiated sarcoma of the right mandible. A large segmental mandibulectomy extending from 3 cm below the right temporomandibular joint to immediately caudal to tooth 407 was used to perform an en-bloc resection of the mass under general anesthesia. Results: Surgery time was 11 hours and 35 minutes and total anesthesia time, 12...
Lotfi Z, Pourmahdi Borujeni M, Ghorbanpoor M, Ghadrdan Mashhadi AR.Brucellosis, as a zoonotic disease, mainly occurs in horses by Brucella abortus, Brucella canis and Brucella suis. The disease in equines is often asymptomatic, but the clinical signs in horses are mostly characterized by bursitis, arthritis and tenosynovitis. This study, thus, aimed to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis and its associated risk factors in the Arabian horses of Khuzestan province, South-west Iran. To that end, the blood samples randomly collected from 180 Arabian horses were analyzed for the presence of anti-Brucella antibodies by Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), serum a...