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.
Patterson-Kane JC, Bain FT, Donahue JM, Harrison LR.A neonatal Thoroughbred foal was presented with rib fractures and left forelimb lameness secondary to dystocia. Results: The foal developed a head tilt, seizures and watery diarrhoea during hospitalisation and died at 7 days of age. Histological examination of the brain and spinal cord revealed a suppurative meningoencephalomyelitis with vasculitis, and numerous intralesional, gram-negative bacilli. Similar microscopic lesions were noted in the lungs, renal medullary interstitium, and umbilicus. Bacilli in the brain, spinal cord and umbilicus were identified immunohistochemically as Salmonella...
Secombe CJ, Firth EC, Perkins NR, Anderson BH.Third carpal bone (C3) disease is a significant cause of lameness in Standardbred and Thoroughbred horses. The bone density of C3 increases as a result of exercise, reducing the compliance of the bone and predisposing it to injury. Currently, the most widely used method of diagnosis is subjective radiography using the tangential view. Radiographically, increases in bone mineral density (BMD) appear as sclerosis but it is not known at what point increases in sclerosis indicate the onset of disease or increased risk of C3 fracture. A quantitative assessment of the BMD of C3 in horses would impro...
Mair TS, Smith LJ.A minority of equine colic cases prove fatal unless treated surgically; however, few studies have considered long-term survival and complication rates, and few have attempted to identify factors that might affect outcomes. Such information is required for owners and veterinary surgeons to make informed decisions about the most appropriate treatment for individual cases. Objective: To document short-term survival rates of 300 horses undergoing colic surgery and analyse factors that might have predisposed to short-term death. Methods: History, clinical and surgical findings, treatments and outco...
White NA, Elward A, Moga KS, Ward DL, Sampson DM.There is no current veterinary information with regard to data entry on a website. We therefore completed a prospective study on use of analgesics in relation to the need for abdominal surgery using a web-based survey instrument. Objective: To establish an internet-based data entry system that could be used to record prospective data on horses with colic. Objective: Failure of horses to respond to the initial administration of an analgesic is an indicator of the need for abdominal surgery. Methods: A survey was developed to determine if the response to administration of an analgesic during a v...
Linklater WL, Henderson KM, Cameron EZ, Stafford KJ, Minot EO.To investigate the utility of faecal oestrone sulphate (OS) concentrations for detecting pregnancy in mares during behavioural studies of feral horses, in which the collection and preservation of samples is not immediate. Methods: Oestrone sulphate concentrations were measured in fresh dung samples collected from 153 free-roaming Kaimanawa mares throughout the year. In addition, multiple samples were taken from the same pile to investigate the reliability of diagnosis from a single sample, as well as the influence of time until preservation on OS concentrations. Samples were also taken before ...
O'Mahony R, Abbott Y, Leonard FC, Markey BK, Quinn PJ, Pollock PJ, Fanning S, Rossney AS.Reports of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals have become more frequent in recent years. This paper documents the recovery of MRSA from animals with respiratory, urinary tract or wound infection and from animals subjected to surgical procedures following treatment in one veterinary hospital and 16 private veterinary clinics in different geographical locations throughout Ireland. MRSA was recovered from 25 animals comprising 14 dogs, eight horses, one cat, one rabbit and a seal, and also from 10 attendant veterinary personnel. Clinical susceptibility testing suggested...
Nollet H, Deprez P.Since riders nowadays are expecting the highest level of performance from their horses, muscular disorders therefore represent a major problem for the equine athlete. A lot of research has been done to identify muscular disorders and their etiopathogenesis. Both acquired and inherited forms of muscle diseases have been described. In this review only the latter forms will be mentioned. Major signs of all muscle disorders are muscular stiffness, cramping or pain, muscular fasciculations, muscular atrophy and exercise intolerance. Muscle biopsies can help to identify the cause of rhabdomyolysis o...
Carmalt JL, Cymbaluk NF, Townsend HG.To determine whether occlusal angle of the premolar and molar teeth (ie, molar occlusal angle) was associated with feed digestibility, water balance, or fecal particle size in adult horses. Methods: Observational study. Methods: 40 pregnant mares ranging from 3 to 19 years old. Methods: The horses were randomly allocated to 1 of 5 feeding groups with 8 horses/group. Horses were sedated, and molar occlusal angle was measured with 2 methods. An oral examination was performed, and total number of dental abnormalities was recorded. Feed digestibility, water balance, and fecal particle size were me...
Kirisawa R, Hosoi Y, Yamaya R, Taniyama H, Okamoto M, Tsunoda N, Hagiwara K, Iwai H.We isolated a variant equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), strain 5089, from the lung of a dead neonatal foal in Japan and characterized the biological nature of the virus. The virus spread in cultured cells mainly by cell-to-cell infection, unlike wild-type EHV-1, which spreads efficiently as a cell-free virus. The virus titer in cultured supernatant and the intracellular virus titer were low compared to those of wild-type EHV-1. Heparin treatment of the virus had no effect on viral infectivity in cell culture. Glycoprotein C (gC) was not detected by Western blotting and fluorescent antibody tests i...
Perkins NR, Reid SW, Morris RS.To investigate risk factors for injury to musculoskeletal structures of the lower fore- and hind-limbs of Thoroughbred horses training and racing in New Zealand. Methods: A case-control study analysed by logistic regression was used to compare explanatory variables for musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in racehorses. The first dataset, termed the Training dataset, involved 459 first-occurrence cases of lower-limb MSI in horses in training, and the second, the Starting dataset, comprised a subset of those horses that had started in at least one trial or race in the training preparation that ended ...
Perkins NR, Reid SW, Morris RS.To investigate risk factors for injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and suspensory apparatus (SA) of the forelimbs in Thoroughbred racehorses in New Zealand. Methods: Poisson and negative binomial regression, with exposure time represented by cumulative training days for each horse, were used to relate explanatory variables to the incidence rate (IR) of cases of inflammation of the SDFT (n=51), and injuries involving the SA (n=48) in a population of 1,571 commercially- trained racehorses over 554,745 study days. Only the first occurrence of an injury for any one horse was el...
Senior M.To review information on the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of post-anaesthetic pulmonary oedema in horses. Methods: Pubmed 1970-present, personal files.
Borer KE.A 506 kg Warmblood horse with colic was anaesthetized for exploratory celiotomy. Anaesthesia was complicated by arterial hypoxaemia which persisted throughout surgery from the induction of anaesthesia. After endotracheal extubation in the recovery box, a degree of airway obstruction probably occurred during a brief delay in naso-tracheal intubation. Signs of pulmonary oedema were seen shortly afterwards. Furosemide and oxygen were given. Arterial hypoxaemia was present [PaO2: 6.5 kPa (49 mmHg)] when FIO2 was an estimated 0.3. The horse recovered and stood after 45 minutes. It was re-anaestheti...
Bosch G, Klein WR.To determine the usefulness and clinical outcome of a combined procedure of superficial keratectomy and cryosurgery as a treatment for limbal neoplasms in horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Thirteen horses with 14 limbal tumors. Methods: Medical records of all patients with limbal tumors, referred to the Department of Equine Sciences of Utrecht University between 1995 and 2002, were retrieved. Patient data were analyzed with respect to signalment, tumor surface area and histologic diagnosis. Surgery, performed under general anesthesia, included surgical debulking of the tumor follo...
Hallowell GD, Corley KT.To assess the suitability of a human algorithm for calculation of continuous cardiac output from the arterial pulse waveform, in anaesthetized horses. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: Twenty-four clinical cases undergoing anaesthesia for various conditions. Methods: Cardiac output (Qt), measured by lithium dilution (QtLiDCO), was compared with a preceding, calibrated Qt measured from the pulse waveform (QtPulse). These comparisons were repeated every 20-30 minutes. Positive inotropes or vasopressors were administered when clinically indicated. Cardiac indices from 30.7 to 114.9 mL...
Wood JL, Kelly L, Cardwell JM, Park AW.The transmission of contagious equine metritis (CEM) on stud farms in Britain, Ireland and other European countries is prevented by following the recommendations in the Horserace Betting Levy Board's Code of Practice on CEM. A quantitative risk assessment was undertaken to estimate the likely impact of removing the recommendation, from the 2002 code, to culture endometrial or cervical swabs microaerophilically for the presence of Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative organism. The scientific literature was reviewed for evidence about the anatomical distribution of T. equigenitalis at differe...
Bigley RF, Griffin LV, Christensen L, Vandenbosch R.The interfacial strength of secondary osteons from the diaphysis of the Thoroughbred equine third metacarpal was evaluated using the fiber pushout test. The pushout was performed on 300-500 microm sections of 4x4x15 mm bone blocks machined from four anatomic regions of the cortex. Pushout strength was evaluated from proximal to distal location within the diaphysis on four osteon types classified under polarized light on adjacent histologic sections from each block. The shear strength of the interfaces were estimated from shear lag theory. Differences were found in the interfacial strength of o...
Lyle SK, Ferrer MS.The typical dose for insemination into the uterine body of the mare is > 300 x 10(6) progressively motile spermatozoa (PMS) and an insemination dose of > 200 x 10(6) PMS is recommended for frozen-thawed semen. Low-dose insemination techniques allow for a drastic reduction in the numbers of spermatozoa required to achieve pregnancy. Acceptable pregnancy rates can be achieved with doses ranging from 1 to 25 x 10(6) PMS in volumes ranging from 20 to 1000 microL. Two techniques have been described: hysteroscopic insemination and transrectally guided deep horn insemination using a pipette. Similar ...
Oku K, Ohta M, Yamanaka T, Mizuno Y, Fujinaga T.To investigate an adequate infusion rate of propofol for total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) in horses, the minimum infusion rate (MIR) comparable to the minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) of inhalation anesthetic was determined under constant ventilation condition by intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV). In addition, arterial propofol concentration was measured to determine the concentration corresponding to the MIR (concentration preventing reaction to stimulus in 50% of population, Cp(50)). Further, 95% effective dose (ED(95)) was estimated as infusion rate for acq...
Smith CL, Dowling BA, Dart AJ.Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that has applications as a diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic technique. Specialized equipment is necessary to perform equine laparoscopy, and there is a large range of instruments, both disposable and non-disposable available. Laparoscopic procedures described include ovariectomy, cryptorchidectomy, adhesiolysis and herniorrhaphy. Laparoscopy can be performed in a standing or dorsally recumbent position, depending on surgeon preference, patient status and the procedure to be performed. Stapling equipment is frequently used in gastrointestinal ...
Bucca S.Equine fetal gender can be easily determined by ultrasound between Days 120 and 210. A combination of transrectal and transabdominal ultrasound examinations can visualise fetal sex organs up to 8 months of gestation. Early equine fetal sexing techniques, performed between approximately Days 58 and 70, are aimed at identifying the position of the genital tubercle. A wider diagnostic window, a diagnosis based on several parameters, and the ease of identification of fully developed fetal primary sex organs make gender diagnosis in mid- to advanced-gestation a preferable technique.
O'Brien E, Stevens KB, Pfeiffer DU, Hall J, Marr CM.The aims of this study were to estimate the wastage of horses registered for eventing in Britain, to investigate the reasons for this wastage and to evaluate factors affecting the horses' achievement of grade I status (at least 61 points) while registered. An analysis of the database of the British Eventing register found that 33.7 per cent of horses registered for the first time in 1999 were not re-registered for eventing in subsequent years. By using multivariable logistic regression analysis, it was shown that horses that were kept at an event yard were more likely to be re-registered than ...
van Veen L, de Greef RJ.A non-displaced radialfracture of a horse was,diagnosed. The horse had an open fracture resulting from external trauma. A diagnosis was made on radiographs taken 48h after trauma. The horse was treated conservatively by box rest and Robert-Jones bandages. After 7 days the wound was opened to let the wound drainage necrotic material and small sequesters and was washed every other day. After 7 weeks, radiographs showed complete consolidation. Four months after the injury the horse was back to work at his former level and is still working two years after the incident.
Rolão N, Martins MJ, João A, Campino L.The present report describes the first case of equine leishmaniasis in Portugal. Leishmania infection was detected in one animal, which presented an ulcerated skin lesion. Diagnosis was based on serology by CIE, and parasite DNA detection by real-time PCR using a probe specific for L. infantum. This finding requests further leishmaniasis equine surveys in order to clarify the role of the horse as reservoir host in european endemic areas.
Bucca S, Fogarty U, Collins A, Small V.Ultrasound assessment of feto-placental well-being has found its application in the equine field, as a valid diagnostic tool. Most reports on equine fetal parameters focus on advanced to late gestation. The aim of the present study was to further validate the technique of ultrasound evaluation of the equine fetal environment, by extending its application to earlier stages of pregnancy. Fetal parameters were collected (on 150 pregnancies) over a 3-year period. Data included in the study were selected according to the clinical behaviour of the mare, the neonate/fetus and fetal membranes at the t...
Karcher LF, Le Net JL, Turner BF, Reimers TJ, Tennant BC.An 18-year-old Appaloosa mare was examined because of squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva, anorexia with pronounced weight loss, and hypercalcemia. The tumor had developed rapidly over a period of 3 months and externally extended ventrally involving the perineum and the dorsal aspect of the udder. Necropsy examination demonstrated a large primary squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva, perineum, and mammary gland with metastases to the supramammary, sublumbar, deep inguinal, and mediastinal lymph nodes. No gross renal lesions were observed and, histologically, there was only mild vacuolation of...
Gibson KT, McIlwraith CW, Park RD, Norrdin RW.Medial patellar desmotomy was performed on one (treated) hindlimb, and a sham operation on the other (control) hindlimb, of 12 normal horses. The horses were examined for lameness before medial patellar desmotomy and at months 1, 2, and 3. The femoropatellar joints were examined radiographically and arthroscopically at month 3. All horses were lame on the treated limb at months 1, 2, or 3. Radiographic changes, including fragment formation at the distal aspect of the patella and bone production at the attachment of the middle patellar ligament on the patella, were present in 11 horses at month...
Panizzi L, Barber SM, Lang HM, Carmalt JL.To describe signalment, clinical, and radiographic changes associated with carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC-OA) and to report long-term outcome. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n=33) with CMC-OA. Methods: Medical records (1992-2007) of horses diagnosed with CMC-OA were reviewed and signalment, clinical, and radiographic findings retrieved. Owners were contacted for information on the impact of lameness on intended use, response to treatment, progression of lameness, outcome, and owner satisfaction with response to treatment. Results: CMC-OA identified in 39 limbs, occurred predominan...
Voigt M, Hiney K, Croney C, Waite K, Borron A, Brady C.The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the current state of stock-type show horse welfare based on the perceptions of show officials and to identify potential means of preventing and intervening in compromises to show horse welfare. Thirteen horse show officials, including judges, stewards, and show managers, were interviewed. Findings revealed the officials had an incomplete understanding of nonhuman animal welfare and a high level of concern regarding the public's perception of show horse welfare. The officials attributed most of the frequently observed compromises t...
Kuzmina TA, Tolliver SC, Lyons ET.Three species of cyathostomes--Cylicocyclus ashworthi, Cylicostephanus bidentatus, and Cylicostephanus hybridus were identified recently in horses in Kentucky. General characteristics and distinguishing description of these species are presented. Distribution of these species and their role in the horse strongylid community are discussed. The importance of examining the entire contents of the large intestine or alternatively a high number of specimens in order to recover and identify species residing in low numbers is stressed.
Kelmer G, Martin-Jimenez T, Saxton AM, Catasus C, Elliot SB, Lakritz J.There are no reported studies evaluating the use of erythromycin for regional limb perfusion (RLP) in horses. Our hypothesis was that using the cephalic and saphenous veins for RLP will enable delivery of therapeutic concentrations of erythromycin to the distal limb. Nineteen healthy horses participated in the study. The cephalic, saphenous or palmar digital (PD) vein was used to perfuse the limb with erythromycin. Synovial samples were collected from the metacarpo/metatarso-phalangeal (MCP/MTP) joint and blood samples were collected from the jugular vein. Maximum concentration (C(max)) of ery...
Durie I, van Galen G.This case report describes the clinical presentation, and the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of a 4-year-old gelding presented with severe polyuria and polydipsia. The horse was diagnosed with central diabetes insipidus. After diagnosis, different therapeutic regimens with intraocular desmopressin acetate (Minirin, Ferring GmbH, Kiel, Germany) (a synthetic arginine vasopressin analog) were tested, but without success. Only the subcutaneous injection of desmopressin acetate (Minirin, Ferring GmbH) led to an increase in urine specific gravity and a decrease in water intake and urine outpu...
Haven ML, Dave K, Burrow JA, Merritt AM, Harris D, Zhang D, Hickey GJ.The antisecretory activity of omeprazole on gastric acid when administered i.v., intragastrically or per os, was evaluated in 2 female and 3 castrated male horses. Each horse had been prepared with a chronic indwelling gastric cannula. A single i.v. administration of omeprazole (1.5 mg/kg bwt) was effective in abolishing basal and pentagastrin (PG)-stimulated acid secretion. Once daily, nasogastric administration of omeprazole in acid-stable granules for 5 days inhibited acid secretion in a dose-dependent manner: 57% (1.5 mg/kg bwt) and 98% (5.0 mg/kg bwt) reduction of PG-stimulated acid secre...
Fretz PB, Babiuk LA, McLaughlin B.The serological results from this study clearly show that both equine influenza and equine rhinopneumonitis viruses were present during spring and autumn epidemics of respiratory disease on Western Canadian racetracks. Approximately 11% of the horses showed significant convalescent titres to influenza while 9% showed significant convalescent titres for equine viral pneumonitis. It was noted in our study a positive vaccination history corresponded with a reduction in the severity of the respiratory infection.
Conrado FO, Beatty SSK.Fluid analysis is an important part of the diagnostic work-up of equine patients presenting with disorders of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, and abdominal cavity. Proper specimen handling and processing are paramount for complete and accurate interpretation of fluid samples. Normal cerebrospinal fluid is a low-cellularity, low-protein fluid requiring specific sample handling to ensure accurate results. Joint and abdominal fluid analyses are completed in practice or submitted for analysis to a reference laboratory. This article discusses fluid sample handling and processing conside...
Stokol T, Erb H.We investigated the apo-enzyme content of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in clinically normal and ill canine, feline, equine and bovine patients. Aminotransferase activity was measured with and without the addition of exogenous pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (P5P). The amount of apo-enzyme was expressed as the percentage change in aminotransferase activity with the inclusion of P5P. The results of aminotransferase assays without P5P (holo-enzyme activity) were highly correlated to the results obtained with P5P (total enzyme activity) in all four species (Spearman r...
Olchowy TW, Ames TR, Molitor TW.Antibody titer to Ehrlichia risticii was determined, in 2,549 equine serum samples, using an indirect fluorescent antibody assay. During 1986, samples were obtained from the Minnesota State-Federal Equine Infectious Anemia Diagnostic Laboratory, the Minnesota Racing Laboratory, from horses admitted to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and as a result of field investigations of horses with acute diarrhea. Results of the study revealed antibody prevalence of 33, 24, 47, and 25% for the respective groups. There was no statistical association between seropositive status and...
Freeman DE, Schaeffer DJ.To evaluate survival rate and complications after jejunocecostomy in horses with colic and to compare outcomes after hand-sewn versus stapled side-to-side jejunocecostomy. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: 32 horses. Methods: Information was retrieved from medical records and through telephone calls on horses that had a hand-sewn or stapled side-to-side jejunocecostomy for treatment of colic, which was performed by or under the supervision of the same surgeon. Kaplan-Meier life table analysis was used to compare survival times and rates between horses that underwent a hand-sewn or ...
Winter MD.The usefulness of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the diagnosis of equine lameness is unquestionable. As with most imaging modalities, advances in technology happen quickly, and the information that can be obtained can seem limitless. An understanding of MR sequences, expected signal intensity of normal tissues, and the role of multiplanar imaging is the foundation for interpreting MR images. The rapid development of new techniques and sequences and the potential for biochemical changes to be indirectly assessed using MR spectroscopy offer possibilities for the continued development of this...
van Proosdij R, Frietman S.Geriatric horses (>15 years) represent a substantial proportion of the equine population. The objective of this study was to (1) report on the cause of death in geriatric horses on a single retirement centre, (2) to evaluate the relationship between PPID status, and mortality rate. Data of 194 horses was collected over an eight-year period. This providing data for 80 geriatric cases of mortality. The average age of horses that died was 26.2 years (±4.8 years). The majority (95%) of mortalities were euthanised, most frequently due to colic (20%), old age (19%), and lameness (15%). Overall m...
Nankervis KJ, Bradley F, Kosek K, Dyson SJ.Published guidelines indicate an English saddle tree should not extend beyond the 18th thoracic vertebra (T18). The study aimed to assess reliability of saddle fitters (SFs) to identify the T18 spinous process (SP). Part 1 investigated agreement between T18 (T18SF) as identified by three SFs using palpation and a veterinary surgeon (VS) using radiography (T18VS) in seven horses. Saddle fitter 1 and SF2 palpated the lumbosacral joint and counted cranially six SPs, whereas SF3 followed the rib curvature toward the dorsal midline. In part 2, SF1 and SF2 identified T18 by counting cranially five S...
Trachsel DS, Stage HJ, Rausch S, Trappe S, Söllig K, Sponder G, Merle R, Aschenbach JR, Gehlen H.Physiological particularities of the equine heart justify the development of an in vitro model suitable for investigations of the species-specific equine cardiac electrophysiology. Adipose tissue-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) could be a promising starting point from which to develop such a cardiomyocyte (CM)-like cell model. Therefore, we compared abdominal, retrobulbar, and subcutaneous adipose tissue as sources for the isolation of ASCs applying two isolation methods: the collagenase digestion and direct explant culture. Abdominal adipose tissue was most suitable for the isolation of ASC...
Cauvin ER, Munroe GA.Eighteen cases of septic osteitis of the distal phalanx were diagnosed clinically and confirmed at surgery over a 6 year period (1990-1996). Focal bone lysis was the most common radiographic finding. Sequestra were identified in 4 horses, one of which was associated with a fractured plantar process. All the horses were treated surgically with open debridement. The septic process recurred in 4 horses: one was subjected to euthanasia due to navicular bursa infection, secondary to a pathological fracture, the other 3 horses responded to further debridement. A pathological fracture occurred in ano...
The objectives of this prospective, experimental study were to describe changes in the stiffness of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) after induced injury, deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT), accessory ligament (AL-DDFT), and suspensory ligament (SL) during 90 days of healing using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography. Eight healthy horses were selected. Preinjury B mode and ARFI evaluations were performed bilaterally in the palmar metacarpal region. Injury was induced only on the left forelimb (G2) by a single injection of collagenase in SDFT, 15 cm distal to ...
Collins NM, Palmer L, Marr CM.The aim of this study was to establish reference values for a series of conventional two-dimensional (2-D) and M-mode echocardiographic variables in Thoroughbred foals at increasing age intervals. Methods: Nineteen healthy Thoroughbred foals (11 males, 8 females) were examined at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks of life. Auscultatory findings were recorded and echocardiographic examinations (2-D and M-mode) were performed. Descriptive statistical analyses, including mean, standard deviation and 95% confidence interval for the means, were used to summarise the data. The relationships between selecte...
Ralston S, Stives M.Though horses synthesize ascorbic acid in their liver in amounts that meet their needs under normal circumstances, prolonged stress results in low plasma concentrations due to enhanced utilization and renal excretion and can reduce immune function. It was hypothesized that plasma ascorbic acid could be maintained in weanling horses by oral supplementation following prolonged transportation. Weanlings were supplemented with no ascorbic acid (Tx 0: n = 4), 5 grams ascorbic acid twice daily for 5 days (Tx 1: n = 4) or for 10 days (Tx 2: n = 4) following >50 hours of transportation. Supplementa...
Hodgson S, Bennett-Skinner P, Lancaster B, Upton S, Harris P, Ellis AD.These studies assessed the pressure forces exerted by horses to extract forage from haynets. Study 1 measured horse posture and pressure in Newtons (10 N = 1 kg Force) exerted on haynets when feeding from either a single (SH) or double layered (DH) haynet (3 kg Hay), hung low or high. Mean and maximum pull forces were higher for the DH vs. SH (DH: 81 ± 2 N, max 156 N; SH: 74 ± 2.9 N, max 121 N; p < 0.01). Horses pulled harder on low (max pull 144 ± 8 N) compared to high (109 ± 8 N; p < 0.05) hung haynets. Mean maximum angles (nose-poll-withers) recorded were 90° ± 9 for SH and 127Â...
Buhl R, Andersen LO, Karlshøj M, Kanters JK.The objective of this prospective field study was to investigate whether commonly used criteria for clinical death occurred at the same time as cardiac death, as determined by electrocardiography. Specific ECG changes during euthanasia were also studied. Twenty-nine horses were euthanized with pentobarbital at two different dose rates and 15 of the 29 horses also received detomidine hydrochloride for sedation. ECG was recorded prior to and during euthanasia. Time to collapse, cessation of reflexes, heart sounds and asystole were recorded. ECG recordings were used to calculate RR intervals, PQ ...
Nishita T, Ohohashi T, Asari M.The concentration of carbonic anhydrase III isoenzyme (CA-III) in serum samples from 216 clinically normal Thoroughbreds was determined by use of an enzyme immunoassay. The concentration range of CA-III was from 16.0 to 254.5 ng/ml (mean, 56.5 +/- 11.9 ng/ml). Significant differences were not detected according to age or sex. To confirm whether serum CA-III concentration was high in horses with muscle disease, serum samples of 11 horses with exertional rhabdomyolysis were analyzed by enzyme immunoassay. Their serum CA-III concentration was about 56 times (3,136 +/- 2,610 ng/ml) that of healthy...
Secchi V, Masala G, Corda A, Corda F, Potop E, Barbero Fernandez A, Pinna Parpaglia ML, Sanna Passino E.Early diagnosis of tendon injuries and accurate long-term monitoring of the healing process are key for equine veterinarians that use conventional ultrasonography. The development of strain elastography could improve the management of clinical cases. The aim of the study was to assess the intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility of manual measurements of the colored areas of the tendons within elastograms and to standardize this manual modality by comparing the analysis of the images with ImageJ. Twenty elastograms of the injured superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs) ...
Reinemeyer CR, Smith SA, Gabel AA, Herd RP.Monthly variations in the magnitude of adult and larval cyathostome burdens were observed in 55 horses necropsied over a 15-month period in the northern USA. Peak numbers of adult cyathostomes occurred in late winter (March) and late summer (September). Larval cyathostomes demonstrated peak numbers from February to April and again in October, beginning one month earlier than the spring adult peak and one month after the autumn adult peak, respectively. The reproductive status of individual female Cyathostomum catinatum, Cyath coronatum, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicostephanus goldi and Cylicost...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Kuzmina TA, Dzeverin II, Nielsen MK, McDowell KJ.The main purpose of the research was to determine if three weekly samplings would produce consistent results for low strongyle egg shedders, generally associated with older horses. Strongyle egg counts per gram of feces (EPG) were done for 661 Thoroughbred mares on 14 farms in 2012-2013 once a week for three consecutive weeks. None of the mares had been treated with ivermectin or moxidectin for more than 90 days and with fenbendazole, oxibendazole, or pyrantel pamoate for more than 60 days. Strongyle EPG count data indicated that 38.3% of the mares were positive at first and second sampling, a...
MacKechnie-Guire R, Fisher M, Pfau T.Using a half pad beneath a saddle can be beneficial for improving saddle fit. However, there is a paucity of evidence on half pad use when used beneath a correctly fitted saddle. The aim was to quantify the effect that three different half pads have on pressure distribution beneath a saddle fitted following industry guidelines. Twelve nonlame horses were ridden by experienced riders in sitting trot and canter on each rein (three repeats). Saddle fit, with a high-withered cotton saddle cloth (control) compared with three half pads (viscoelastic gel, wool, and medical-grade, closed-cell foam), w...
Santiago-Llorente I, López-San Román FJ, Villalba-Orero M.To determine demographic, preoperative and anaesthesia-related variables that may be associated with unsatisfactory recovery quality in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery (colic) in an equine teaching hospital. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: A total of 313 horses. Methods: The anaesthetic records of horses admitted for surgical treatment of colic between 2005 and 2018 were examined. Overall quality of recovery was assessed as dangerous, poor, fair, good or excellent. The following categories were constructed as a dichotomic variable: unsatisfactory recovery (poor and d...
Burke CJ, Whishaw IQ.Spontaneous locomotor behavior in a novel space reveals insights into an animal's world view or Umwelt. For example, in many animal species, spontaneous behavior in a novel environment is parsed into activities at a home base and excursions from the home base. Domestic horses (Equus ferus caballas) are frequently ridden for recreation or in performance events in an equestrian arena but there has been no description of horse behavior in an arena when they are unconstrained and "exploring" or when moving freely under saddle. The present examination of exploration provides insights into horse ada...
