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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.
Influence of Eqvalan (ivermectin) on quality and freezability of stallion semen. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Eqvalan (ivermectin) on stallion semen quality and freezability. Experiments were performed using 22 Freiberger stallions, randomly divided into a control and test group. Semen was collected once a week for 17 weeks from October 1997 to February 1998. Eqvalan was given orally to all stallions of the test group at a therapeutic dose of 0.2 mg ivermectin/kg. Besides measuring the scrotal width, ejaculates were collected to determine the volume, concentration, and the motility and morphology (normal sperm, major defects, vacuoles and acros...
Embryo development rates after transfer of oocytes matured in vivo, in vitro, or within oviducts of mares. Objectives of the present study were to use oocyte transfer: 1) to compare the developmental ability of oocytes collected from ovaries of live mares with those collected from slaughterhouse ovaries; and 2) to compare the viability of oocytes matured in vivo, in vitro, or within the oviduct. Oocytes were collected by transvaginal, ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration (TVA) from live mares or from slicing slaughterhouse ovaries. Four groups of oocytes were transferred into the oviducts of recipients that were inseminated: 1) oocytes matured in vivo and collected by TVA from preovulatory folli...
Effect of cooling of equine spermatozoa before freezing on post-thaw motility: preliminary results. The ability to ship cooled stallion semen to a facility that specializes in cryopreservation of spermatozoa would permit stallions to remain at home while their semen is cryopreserved at facilities having the equipment and expertise to freeze the semen properly. To accomplish this goal, methods must be developed to freeze cooled shipped semen. Three experiments were conducted to determine the most appropriate spermatozoal extender, package, time of centrifugation, spermatozoal concentration and length of time after collection that spermatozoa can be cooled before cryopreservation. In the first...
Ultrasound-spirometry and capnography in horses: analysis of measurement reliability. Ultrasound-spirometry and capnography and the evaluation of corresponding 'single-breath diagrams for CO2' (SBD-CO2) is a relatively new, non-invasive method for assessing pulmonary function in horses. The relative variation and the reliability of observations within measurement sessions were calculated for expiratory tidal volume, for expired CO2 volume (%) and for the phase II and phase III slopes of the SBD-CO2 in horses without pulmonary disease and in horses suffering from differing degrees of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The coefficient of variation of expiratory tidal volume r...
In vitro evidence for a bacterial pathogenesis of equine laminitis. Utilizing an in vitro laminitis explant model, we have investigated how bacterial broth cultures and purified bacterial proteases activate matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and alter structural integrity of cultured equine lamellar hoof explants. Four Gram-positive Streptococcus spp. and three Gram-negative bacteria all induced a dose-dependent activation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and caused lamellar explants to separate. MMP activation was deemed to have occurred if a specific MMP inhibitor, batimastat, blocked MMP activity and prevented lamellar separation. Thermolysin and streptococcal pyrogenic ex...
Rapid PCR detection of Salmonella in horse faecal samples. A rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for detecting Salmonella in faeces of horses and assessed on samples from horses admitted to a veterinary hospital. Direct detection was achieved by amplification of part of ompC after extraction of DNA from faeces using a spin column method to reduce the amount of inhibitory substances in samples. An internal positive control was included to detect false negative results. While the sensitivity of the PCR assay was less than culture when assessed on faeces inoculated with Salmonella, its sensitivity on faecal samples obtained from hor...
Thoracoscopic-assisted diaphragmatic hernia repair using a thoracic rib resection. To describe the surgical treatment of a dorsal diaphragmatic hernia in an adult horse using thoracic rib resection aided by thoracoscopy and a flank incision. Methods: Case report. Methods: One client-owned horse. Results: A six-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding was admitted for colic-associated colonic incarceration in a diaphragmatic hernia. Seven weeks after the initial colic surgery, the gelding underwent surgery to repair the defect. Thoracoscopy and a flank incision were used to identify the location of the hernia and the subsequent site of rib resection. The stomach was adhered to the ed...
Putative uremic encephalopathy in horses: five cases (1978-1998). To determine historical, physical examination, clinicopathologic, and postmortem findings in horses with putative uremic encephalopathy. Design-Retrospective study. Animals-5 horses with renal failure and neurologic disease not attributable to abnormalities in any other organ system. Methods: Medical records from 1978 to 1998 were examined for horses with renal disease and neurologic signs not attributable to primary neurologic, hepatic, or other diseases. Signalment, history, physical examination findings, clinicopathologic data, renal ultrasonographic findings, and postmortem data were revie...
Treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis infection following repair of an ulnar fracture and humeroradial joint luxation in a horse. A 27-month-old Rocky Mountain Horse was examined because of a fracture of the proximal portion of the ulna and luxation of the humeroradial joint (Monteggia fracture). Open reduction was performed, using a mechanical distractor, and the ulnar fracture was stabilized by application of a bone plate and screws. After surgery, the horse developed an infection of the surgical site, and bacterial culture of fluid from the surgical site yielded a pure growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis susceptible to oxytetracycline, erythromycin, rifampin, and vancomycin. Treatment with oxyte...
Retrograde ejaculation in a stallion. Retrograde ejaculation was diagnosed in a 10-year-old Arabian stallion. Despite behavioral signs consistent with ejaculation, the collection receptacle of an artificial vagina remained devoid of semen on numerous occasions. Catheterization of the urinary bladder yielded large numbers of spermatozoa, even when an ejaculate was obtained, whereas low numbers (< 1 X 10(6)/ml) of spermatozoa are found in the bladder of clinically normal stallions after ejaculation. Endoscopic examination of the urethra, seminal colliculus, and bladder failed to reveal abnormalities. Medical treatment with imipra...
The use of psychoactive agents in veterinary medicine. Psychotropic drugs are used by veterinary behavior specialists and general veterinary practitioners to treat behavior problems of companion animals. Dogs, cats, pet birds, horses, and zoo animals benefit from this type of therapy. However, many drugs used to treat anxiety or depression in animals were designed for use in human patients. Compounding is a critical step in adapting those medications for use in different species. Formulations that improve palatability or facilitate administration can often determine the success or failure of therapy in veterinary patients, and compounding is often...
Utilization of stress in the development of an equine model for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. Neurologic disease in horses caused by Sarcocystis neurona is difficult to diagnose, treat, or prevent, due to the lack of knowledge about the pathogenesis of the disease. This in turn is confounded by the lack of a reliable equine model of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Epidemiologic studies have implicated stress as a risk factor for this disease, thus, the role of transport stress was evaluated for incorporation into an equine model for EPM. Sporocysts from feral opossums were bioassayed in interferon-gamma gene knockout (KO) mice to determine minimum number of viable S. neurona ...
Hydatidosis: dynamics of transmission. Hydatidosis is a widespread zoonosis infecting a large number of animals and humans. Echinococcus granulosus has the smallest taenia adult of the cestodes but with the largest larva. Its morphologic and biologic features were identified with DNA analysis. Different strains were separated according to the intermediate hosts: sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, camels. Definitive host are canids, mostly dogs, where the worm grows to adulthood in several months. The eggs are scattered in the pasture by wind and water and are ingested by various hosts. The larvae migrate through the intestinal wall and p...
Pharmacokinetics and adverse effects of butorphanol administered by single intravenous injection or continuous intravenous infusion in horses. To determine an infusion rate of butorphanol tartrate in horses that would maintain therapeutic plasma drug concentrations while minimizing development of adverse behavioral and gastrointestinal tract effects. Methods: 10 healthy adult horses. Methods: Plasma butorphanol concentrations were determined by use of high-performance liquid chromatography following administration of butorphanol by single IV injection (0.1 to 0.13 mg/kg of body weight) or continuous IV infusion (loading dose, 17.8 microg/kg; infusion dosage, 23.7 microg/kg/h for 24 hours). Pharmacokinetic variables were calculated, a...
Treatments resulting in pregnancy in nonovulating, hormone-treated oocyte recipient mares. Synchronization of follicle growth between oocyte donor and recipient mares is difficult. To avoid this, recipient mares in a clinical program were used during a period of low follicular activity, and were treated with estrogen before transfer and progesterone after transfer. Five pregnancies were established after oocyte transfer to nonovulating, hormone-treated recipient mares. One pregnancy was lost before 30 d gestation, and the other 4 foals were carried to term. One foal died at birth. Establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in these mares indicates that nonovulating, hormone-treated ...
Effect of water restriction on equine behaviour and physiology. Six pregnant mares were used to determine what level of water restriction causes physiological and/or behavioural changes indicative of stress. Nonlegume hay was fed ad libitum. During the first week of restriction, 5 l water/100 kg bwt was available, during the second week 4 l/100 kg bwt and, during the third week, 3 l/100 kg bwt. Ad libitum water intake was 6.9 l/100 kg bwt; at 3 l/100 kg bwt water intake was 42% of this. Daily hay intake fell significantly with increasing water restriction from 12.9 +/- 0.75 kg to 8.3 +/- 0.54 kg; bodyweight fell significantly for a total loss of 48.5 +/- 8...
Caecocaecal and caecocolic intussusceptions associated with larval cyathostomosis in four young horses. This report describes the clinical and pathological features of 4 horses affected by caecocaecal or caecocolic intussusceptions associated with larval cyathostomiasis. In each case, there was clinical and/or pathological evidence of concurrent larval cyathostomosis. They all demonstrated variable signs including diarrhoea, pyrexia, weight loss and subcutaneous oedema and cyathostome larvae were identified in the faeces of 3 of the horses. These cases highlight the need to consider caecal intussusceptions as a possible complication in horses affected by larval cyathostomosis, especially where s...
The interaction of ferrocytochrome c with long-chain fatty acids and their CoA and carnitine esters. Non-covalent modification of cytochrome c may have implications for electron transport and energy metabolism. We examined the interaction of various fatty acids (FAs), their coenzyme A and carnitine esters, and fatty alcohols with horse heart ferrocytochrome c. A comparison of FAs indicated a minimum chain length of 14 carbons was required for significant effect on the ferroheme chromophore and major changes in electronic spectra. Coenzyme A and carnitine esters interacted less strongly than FAs whereas long-chain alcohols did not interact with the protein. We found a single, saturable FA bind...
Design and clinical use of a modified colon tray for large colon evacuation in the horse. A modified colon tray to perform large colon evacuations in horses was designed. A funnel-shaped accessory was constructed to create a mechanical separation between the sterile and nonsterile part of the tray. Sterile hooks were used to make a temporary and stabile colostomy. Thirty horses with surgical correction of nonstrangulating large colon obstruction underwent a large colon evacuation with this modified tray. The surgical procedure was uncomplicated and resulted in a positive outcome in 29 horses. This less labour-intensive way to evacuate the large colon results in minor contamination ...
Antimicrobic and anthelmintic resistance. Antimicrobial and anthelmintic resistance are growing issues for the equine practitioner. The development of antimicrobial or anthelmintic resistance is a source of significant concern because of increased frequency of treatment failures and increased treatment costs. In addition, antimicrobial resistance may have important consequences for public health. Only through judicious use can the efficacy of antimicrobials and anthelmintics be prolonged. This article discusses the development of resistance and suggestions for control.
Standing laparoscopic herniorrhaphy in stallions using cylindrical polypropylene mesh prosthesis. Standing laparoscopic herniorrhaphy was performed in 9 stallions. Appropriate analgesia was achieved by sedation with detomidine and local flank infiltration with mepivacaine. Three portal sites at the paralumbar fossa were used to perform the herniorrhaphy by means of triangulation. A cylindrical polypropylene mesh was inserted and fixated in the inguinal canal. Subsequent adhesion formation resulted in an obliterated inguinal canal within 2 weeks. This minimal invasive technique allowed us to perform a testis sparing herniorrhaphy in the standing horse.
Neurological signs in a horse due to metastases of an intestinal adenocarcinoma. A 22-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare was referred to Utrecht University with progressive left hind limb paresis and hyporeflexia. The preliminary clinical diagnosis was the neurological form of equine herpes virus (EHV-1) infection. Within 1 day of admission, the mare became recumbent and deteriorated rapidly. Postmortem examination revealed an adenocarcinoma of the caecum, with metastases in all regional lymph nodes and extending from the lumbar nodes into the vertebral canal, causing spinal cord compression and destruction of the left 4th and 5th lumbar nerves.
Fistulation of the auditory tube diverticulum (guttural pouch) with a neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser for treatment of chronic empyema in two horses. Two horses with chronic empyema of the auditory tube diverticulum (guttural pouch) were refractory to medical treatment; empyema was bilateral in 1 horse and unilateral in the other. Both horses were treated by fistulation of the cartilage of the pharyngeal orifice by use of a neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser in a noncontact manner. To maintain patency of the fistulae, indwelling catheters were placed into the openings created by the laser. For both horses, long-term follow-up did not reveal complications, and both owners were satisfied with results of the procedure. The authors recomme...
Vesicular stomatitis and other vesicular, erosive, and ulcerative diseases of horses. Physical trauma, dietary factors, certain toxins, immune mediated disorders, and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection are known causes of stomatitis in horses. There is evidence that some outbreaks of equine stomatitis are caused by as yet unidentified infectious agents. It remains to be determined whether stomatitis is an emerging equine infectious disease, or if the increase in reported cases is simply the result of greater public awareness as a consequence of widespread outbreaks of VSV in the southwestern United States in recent years. Focused laboratory and epidemiological studies a...
Animal trypanosomiasis in South America. Current status, partnership, and information technology. Animal trypanosome species of economical importance in South America include T. vivax and T. evansi. Both species are described in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. In Argentina and Guyana, only T. evansi and T. vivax are found, respectively. Our studies on T. vivax indicated that the parasite was spreading around 1.3 km per day in Bolivia. We found severe leukopenia in bovines from Pantanal (Brazil) and the Department of Santa Cruz (Bolivia). Because it can cause immunosuppression, the importance of trypanosomiasis control in ensuring success of vaccinat...
Evaluation of uniformity of morphological injury of the large colon following severe colonic torsion. This report describes the evaluation of uniformity of morphological injury of the large colon following severe colonic torsion in 17 horses presented to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. In 16 horses, twist occurred at the colonic base and in 1 at the sternal and diaphragmatic flexure. Eleven of the 17 horses were subjected to euthanasia at surgery and 6 of 17 following surgical correction within 4 days postoperatively. The objective of this study was to determine if the degree of histological changes present at the pelvic flexure were uniformly distributed throughout the regions of th...
