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.
Albers L, Bienert-Zeit A, Staszyk C.Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) and other incisor lesions are often diagnosed only in advanced stages. The incisors of 20 horses were examined radiographically, macroscopically, and via micro-computed tomography (µCT) to discriminate EORTH-affected teeth. Five categories from healthy to severely affected teeth were formed and teeth from each category were examined histologically to evaluate the opportunity of earlier radiographic diagnosis. Histologically, odontoclastic resorptive lesions, leukocytic infiltrations, and areas of irregular cementum and granulat...
Stas EKL, Hermans H, Slenter IJM, Veraa S, Ensink JM.Iris cysts in horses are often asymptomatic and noticed incidentally. However, cysts can cause local corneal oedema and erratic behaviour like shying, decreased performance and head-shaking. Objective: To describe the use of diode laser as a noninvasive treatment option for iris cysts in the horse and to document factors influencing its efficacy, associated complications, long-term outcome and rate of recurrence. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Case records of horses treated for iris cysts by diode laser at the Utrecht University Equine Clinic were reviewed between 2008 and 2020. ...
Gray SM, Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD, Horn GP, McCoy AM, Schaeffer DJ, Stewart M.To assess the effect of repeated freezing and thawing on the suture pull-out strength in arytenoid and cricoid cartilages subjected to the laryngoplasty (LP) procedure. Methods: Ex vivo experimental study. Methods: Ten grossly normal equine cadaveric larynges. Methods: Bilateral LP constructs were created using a standard LP technique. One hemilarynx was randomly allocated to the single freeze and thaw group and the other allocated to the repeated freeze and thaw (3 complete cycles) group. The suture ends of each LP construct were attached to a load frame and subjected to monotonic loading unt...
Schils S, Ober T.When diagnosing neuromuscular injury and pain, the use of biomechanical evaluations to assess the mechanics of movement patterns has been useful in the human population. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a technology that can create action potentials to produce musculoskeletal movement that is almost indistinguishable from the voluntary kinematics produced by the nervous system. To create controlled and precise musculoskeletal movements in humans and in horses, FES has been shown to be effective. In humans, the kinematic information obtained from FES data has been utilized to direct f...
Hunyadi L, Chigerwe M, Sundman E.SAA is a commonly used biomarker for measuring acute inflammation in equine practice, and the administration of prophylactic plasma to foals is a routine practice in large breeding farms. Despite this, limited information is available on the values of SAA in healthy or sick neonatal foals following this common procedure. A prospective study was conducted with 31 foals from a veterinary hospital in Texas in one year. Enrolled foals were part of a foaling program, where a prophylactic hyperimmunized plasma was administered 12 h after birth. Blood was collected for SAA measurements at birth and ...
Quéré E, Chahory S.Painful eye conditions are a therapeutic challenge in horses. Subpalpebral lavage (SPL) treatment systems allow topical aqueous medications to be conveniently, safely, and frequently administered to the ocular surface. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the outcomes and the complications associated with the location of the SPL treatment systems, in the superior or inferior eyelid in horses in a university practice. Clinical records of all horses admitted to the National Veterinary School of Alfort between January 2004 and October 2021, in which a SPL treatment system was used ...
Biegel U, Mevissen M, Schuller S, Ruess K, Christen O, Ayrle H, Koch C, Walkenhorst M.Cancer is a common disease in humans and in companion animals and treatment is challenging. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and assess the potential use of Viscum album L. extracts (VAE) for treatment of neoplastic diseases in companion animals. Peer-reviewed animal, in vivo and in vitro studies were included, considering the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). Overall, 6,148 references were identified. Following a predefined protocol, 114 full-text references were ...
Sponseller BT, Wong DM, Ruby R, Ware WA, Wilson S, Haynes JS.A 9-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was presented for lethargy, decreased appetite, polyuria and polydipsia (PU/PD), and severe muscle wasting suggestive of immune-mediated myositis. Results: The horse displayed lethargy, fever, tachyarrhythmia, inappetence, PU/PD, and severe epaxial and gluteal muscle wasting. Clinicopathologic findings were consistent with previously reported cases of systemic calcinosis in horses, including increased muscle enzyme activity, hyperphosphatemia, increased calcium-phosphorus product, hypoproteinemia, and an inflammatory leukogram. A diagnosis of systemic calcino...
Müller AC, Büttner K, Röcken M.In postoperative monitoring of synovial structure infection due to limb wounds, early recognition of a recurrence of synovial infection is indispensable to prevent further damage to the affected synovial structure. This study evaluated the role of serum amyloid A (SAA) as a systemic biomarker in disease monitoring and correlated this tool with clinical variables. In this prospective cohort study, 55 horses with acute limb wounds were divided into two groups: those with (group 1, n = 26) or without (group 2, n = 29) a diagnosis of synovial structure penetration. SAA, lameness and body tempe...
Nout-Lomas YS.Mechanisms of traumatic nervous system injury to a degree are similar, but differences exist in etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerve injury. The most common clinical abnormalities seen in the horse are abnormal level of consciousness, abnormal behavior, seizures, cranial nerve deficits, vestibular disease, tetra- and paraparesis or paraplegia, cauda equina syndrome, specific gait deficits, and muscle atrophy. Treatments are directed toward reducing inflammation and swelling, halting secondary injury, and promoting mechanisms of neuroregeneration ...
Toribio RE.Several viruses transmitted by biological vectors or through direct contact, air, or ingestion cause neurologic disease in equids. Of interest are viruses of the Togaviridae, Flaviviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Herpesviridae, Bornaviridae, and Bunyaviridae families. Variable degree of inflammation is present with these viruses but lack of an inflammatory response does not rule out their presence. The goal of this article is to provide an overview on pathophysiologic and clinical aspects of nonarboviral equine encephalitides, specifically on lyssaviruses (rabies) and bornaviruses (Borna disease).
Valberg SJ.Movement disorders are defined as involuntary movements that are not due to a painful stimulus or associated with changes in consciousness or proprioception. Diagnosis involves ruling out any lameness and neurologic disease and characterizing the gait during walking backward and forward and trotting. Shivers causes abnormal hindlimb hypertonicity during walking backward and, when advanced, a few strides walking forward. Stringhalt causes consistent hyperflexion during walking forward and trotting and variable difficulty when walking backward. Classification and potential causes are discussed a...
Garrett KS.Diagnostic imaging is often an important part of the diagnostic approach to neurologic disease. Advanced imaging techniques such as myelography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide more information than radiography and ultrasonography but are more limited in their availability. The clinician should be cognizant of the findings of the clinical examination when interpreting diagnostic imaging findings.
Finno CJ, Johnson AL.Neuroaxonal degenerative disease in the horse is termed equine neuroaxonal dystrophy (eNAD), when pathologic lesions are localized to the brainstem and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) and degenerative changes extend throughout the spinal cord. Both pathologic conditions result in identical clinical disease, most commonly characterized by the insidious onset of ataxia during early development. However, later onset of clinical signs and additional clinical features, such as behavior changes, is also observed. A definitive diagnosis of eNAD/EDM requires histologic evaluation of the ...
Furr MO.Neurologic disease of foals is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for veterinarians. Disease conditions such as neonatal encephalopathy are seen as well as developmental and congenital defects, bacterial infections, and trauma. Neonatal encephalopathy can be considered a "syndrome" with a variety of causes resulting in a similar clinical presentation. These causes can be categorized as maladaptation, hypoxic/ischemic encephalopathy, and metabolic abnormalities, all leading to signs of cerebral and brainstem disease. Spinal cord signs may occasionally be seen, but these signs are usually ov...
MacKay RJ, Howe DK.Advances in the understanding of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) are reviewed. It is now apparent that EPM can be caused by either of 2 related protozoan parasites, Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi, although S neurona is the most common etiologic pathogen. Horses are commonly infected, but clinical disease occurs only infrequently; the factors influencing disease occurrence are not well understood. Epidemiologic studies have identified risk factors for the development of EPM, including the presence of opossums and prior stressful health-related events. Attempts to reproduce EP...
Fitzharris LE, Hezzell MJ, McConnell AK, Allen KJ.Little is known about the response of the equine respiratory muscles to training. Objective: To measure an index of inspiratory muscle strength (IMSi) before and after a period of conventional exercise training (phase 1) and inspiratory muscle training (IMT), comparing high-load (treatment) and low-load (control) groups (phase 2). Methods: Prospective randomised controlled trial. Methods: Phase 1: Twenty National Hunt Thoroughbred racehorses performed an inspiratory muscle strength test (IMST) twice on two occasions; when unfit at timepoint A (July), and when race fit at timepoint B (October)....
Johnson SA.Rehabilitation of the neurologic horse represents a unique challenge for the equine practitioner. Improving postural stability and balance control through improving the strength of the spinal stabilizer muscle multifidus remains one of the most promising rehabilitative targets. This muscle can be targeted through the use of physiotherapeutic exercises, various forms of perturbation, and even whole-body vibration. Neuroanatomic localization and diagnosis specificity enable the practitioner to determine suitability for such rehabilitative tasks, and with the advent of evolving strategies and com...
Ruby RE, Janes JG.The variety of neurologic diseases which affect horses makes pathologic examination of the nervous system a complex and lengthy process. An understanding of the common causes of neurologic disease, antemortem neurolocalization, and supplementation of the necropsy examination with ancillary testing will help to diagnose a large number of causes of neurologic disease. A general understanding of neuropathology and collaborative relationship with your local pathologists will aid in the definitive diagnosis of neurologic diseases.
Ing S.A 22-year-old miniature horse gelding was brought to a veterinary clinic with multiple porcupine quills embedded in the face. One quill had perforated through the left caudoventral cornea but did not extend beyond the anterior chamber. The horse was referred to a specialist clinic for removal of the intraocular quill and subsequent primary surgical repair of the corneal wound. Following aggressive medical treatment, the horse retained vision. Piquants de porc-épic oculaires et faciaux chez un cheval miniature. Un cheval hongre miniature de 22 ans a été amené à une clinique vétérinaire a...
Raspa F, Tarantola M, Muca E, Bergero D, Soglia D, Cavallini D, Vervuert I, Bordin C, De Palo P, Valle E.Horses reared for meat production are generally fed a diet rich in starch with the aim of maximizing production performances. This study evaluated the effects of two feeding management systems on horse welfare by analysing the relative time spent engaged in different behavioural activities. Nineteen Bardigiano horses aged 14.3 ± 0.7 months were randomly assigned to one of two group pens: one group was fed high amounts of starch-rich concentrates (HCG; = 10), the other was fed a fibre-based diet (HFG; = 9). Behavioural activities performed by each horse were video-recorded over a 96-h period...
Durham AE, Potier JF, Huber L.Use of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations for the diagnosis of PPID in equids requires awareness of other factors that might influence ACTH concentrations, including breed and time of year. This study was designed to investigate effects of breed on plasma ACTH concentrations and potential interactions between breed and time of year. Ten breeds were selected from a laboratory database containing data on plasma ACTH concentrations. Breeds represented were Arabians, Cobs, Connemara ponies, donkeys, Irish Sports horses, New Forest ponies, Shetland ponies, Thoroughbreds, Warmb...
Wattanapornpilom T, Pornprasitroj P, Thongsri K, Iamprapai S, Suan-Aoy P, Chanda M.Chronic laminitis is a late stage of laminitis in horses characterised by distal phalangeal rotation and foot pain. Various trimming and shoeing methods have been implemented; however, they sometimes aggravate lameness, particularly in laminitic horses with poor hoof quality. Sand bedding confinement has alternatively been employed to relieve foot pain in laminitic horses; however, the impact of long-term confined sand bed accommodation on hoof conditions is unknown. Moreover, the time course of sand bedding housing for managing chronic laminitis has yet to be described. We report the outcome ...
Jehle MC, Biermann NM, Haltmayer E.This retrospective case series aims to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of different treatment options for sinus disease in horses, with a special focus on surgical approaches. The medical records of 25 horses with sinusitis which presented to the equine hospital, Vetmeduni Vienna, between August 2020 and January 2022 were analysed. In 11 cases, conservative treatment by the transnasal endoscopic lavage of the affected sinuses through the sinonasal channel or through a developed, pre-existing sinonasal fistula was performed. In the remaining 14 cases, openings into the sinus for subs...
Sheridan CK, Myrna KE, Nunnery CM, Czerwinski SL.To determine the prevalence of ocular disease in draft horses in the United States. Methods: Draft horses of various breeds and ages. Methods: Nondilated ophthalmic examination was performed using slit lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy. Intraocular pressures were measured when possible. Results: One hundred sixty-five draft horses were examined. Age range: 10 days to 33 years (mean 10.8 years, median 10 years); 87 geldings (52.7%), 71 mares (43.0%), 7 stallions (4.2%); 64 Percherons (38.8%), 51 Belgians (30.9%), 29 Clydesdales (17.6%), 15 Shires (9%), and 6 other draft bre...
Alam ME, Kamal MM, Rahman M, Kabir A, Islam MS, Hassan J.Anthrax is a rapidly fatal infectious disease affecting herbivores and people. In the farm animals, cattle and sheep are more susceptible, followed by goats and horses, while dwarf pigs and Algerian sheep are relatively resistant. Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, produces spores and persists for decades in the soil, initiating an outbreak through a favorable climate shift. Anthrax is enzootic in many Asian and African countries, and is reported in Australia, some parts of Europe, and America. The clinical courses of this disease in animals are peracute, acute, subacute, and ...
Maldonado-Cabrera B, Sánchez-Machado DI, López-Cervantes J, Osuna-Chávez RF, Ibarra-Zazueta C, Robles-Zepeda RE.Consultation was requested for a 7-year-old Gypsy Vanner male horse with a 2-year history of foreskin injury. Upon revision, an ulcer, 153 cm2 in size, with yellowish granules was observed; a RESVECH 2.0 evaluation revealed a score of 32/35 points. Medical history confirmed multiple failed deworming, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic treatments with different topical therapies and recurrence in summer. Laboratory results confirmed elevated total proteins (8.8 g/dL) and globulins (5.5 g/dL), negative bacterial and fungal cultures, as well as negative coproparasitoscopic findings, and finally, i...
Hill EW, Stoffel MA, McGivney BA, MacHugh DE, Pemberton JM.Small effective population sizes and active inbreeding can lead to inbreeding depression due to deleterious recessive mutations exposed in the homozygous state. The Thoroughbred racehorse has low levels of population genetic diversity, but the effects of genomic inbreeding in the population are unknown. Here, we quantified inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity (ROH) using 297 K SNP genotypes from 6128 horses born in Europe and Australia, of which 13.2% were unraced. We show that a 10% increase in inbreeding () is associated with a 7% lower probability of ever racing. Moreover, a ROH-based g...
Werners A, Karasek I, Butler C, Yeatts J, Enomoto H, Baynes R.Several different tick species are known to infest horses. Aside from causing serious health and welfare issues, including anaemia, ill thrift, and immunosuppression, ticks can transmit a variety of important, sometimes zoonotic, pathogens. The successful prevention and treatment of tick infestations have been described, but the information is scarce and, in many instances, anecdotal. Here we describe a practical and affordable prevention of tick infestation by using abamectin-impregnated cattle ear tags affixed to a safety collar. We have assessed the radial distribution of abamectin by analy...
Andersen C, Jacobsen S, Walters M, Lindegaard C.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a significant health issue in humans as well as horses. Experimental models of equine carpal OA have been used to investigate OA pathogenesis and potential therapeutic candidates. A 5-scale scoring system (OARSI) for macroscopic pathological cartilage changes already exists, but there is a need for a scoring system with better differentiation of severity. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and validate such a scoring system. Results: New scoring system were developed for cartilage erosions (Copenhagen Equine Total Cartilage Score, CEqTCS) along with synovial ...
Burk J, Badylak SF, Kelly J, Brehm W.Pioneering clinical stem cell research is being performed in the horse, a recipient of cutting edge veterinary medicine as well as a unique animal model, paving the way for human medical applications. Although demonstrable progress has been made on the clinical front, in vitro characterization of equine stem cells is still in comparatively early stages. To translate the promising results of clinical stem cell therapy in the horse, advances must be made in the characterization of equine stem cells. Aiming to improve communication between veterinarians and other natural scientists, this review g...
de Grauw JC, van de Lest CH, van Weeren R, Brommer H, Brama PA.Joint pain is one of the most common causes of lameness in the horse but its pathogenesis is poorly understood. Objective: To investigate which synovial fluid markers may be related to the presence of clinically detectable joint pain in the horse. Methods: Concentrations of structural (CPII, C2C, GAG) and inflammatory markers (PGE2, LTB4, CysLTs, bradykinin and substance P) were measured in fetlock joint fluid from 22 horses in which lameness was localised to the fetlock region by perineural anaesthesia. Levels of these markers were then compared in horses that responded (n = 15) to those that...
Evans JH, Barbenel JC.Tendon normally fulfills its primary role as a flexible force transmitting element very effectively and yet failure of this passive tissue leads to great disability. As a connective tissue its structure is relatively simple and the peculiar helical arrangement of collagen fibres confers highly non-linear as well as time-dependent mechanical properties. Functional significance cannot be attributed to any facet of mechanical response until the physiological pattern of loading is established. In particular the rate of deformation and the minimum force experienced by tendon in normal locomotion ha...
Rohrbach BW, Stafford JR, Clermont RS, Reed SM, Schott HC, Andrews FM.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is common in older horses. Objective: To determine diagnosis frequency, prognostic factors, long-term survival, and owner satisfaction with treatment. Methods: Medical records from horses diagnosed with PPID, 1993-2004. Methods: A retrospective cohort design with data collected from the Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB) and a cohort of 3 VTHs. Proportional accessions, annual incidence, and demographics were compared for all accessions. During the same period, a subset of medical records (n = 44) was extracted and owners (n = 34) contacted to obtai...
Carnevale EM, Ramirez RJ, Squires EL, Alvarenga MA, Vanderwall DK, McCue PM.In the present study, 638 embryo transfers conducted over 3 yr were retrospectively examined to determine which factors (recipient, embryo and transfer) significantly influenced pregnancy and embryo loss rates and to determine how rates could be improved. On Day 7 or 8 after ovulation, embryos (fresh or cooled/transported) were transferred by surgical or nonsurgical techniques into recipients ovulating from 5 to 9 d before transfer. At 12 and 50 d of gestation (Day 0 = day of ovulation), pregnancy rates were 65.7% (419 of 638) and 55.5% (354 of 638). Pregnancy rates on Day 50 were significantl...
Dobesova O, Schwarz B, Velde K, Jahn P, Zert Z, Bezdekova B.The medical records of 28 horses with guttural pouch mycosis were reviewed. The most commonly observed clinical signs were nasal discharge, epistaxis, dysphagia and/or cough. All 28 horses had the disease unilaterally, however, in five of them, it had spread into the contralateral pouch via the mesial septum. Three horses were treated medically, 11 horses underwent surgery and seven horses were treated both medically and surgically. Fifty percent of horses (14/28) were euthanased or died, fifty percent of horses (14/28) survived. There was no significant correlation between treatment method (m...
Stull CL.Nine trailer loads of horses (n = 306) transported to slaughter facilities with distances ranging 596 to 2,496 km were studied to characterize the type of horses used in commercial markets and the physiological responses and number of injuries due to transportation under summer environmental conditions. Slaughter horse candidates were middle-aged (11.4+/-.4 yr), possessed moderately fleshy body condition, weighed 432+/-3.3 kg, and were of Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred breeding. The mean weight loss during commercial transport was 4%. The percentage of injured horses was greater (P < .05) fo...
Baragli P, Padalino B, Telatin A.Horses were domesticated 6000 years ago and since then different types of approaches have been developed to enhance the horse's wellbeing and the human-horse relationship. Even though horse training is an increasingly important research area and many articles have been published on the subject, equitation is still the sport with the highest rate of human injuries, and a significant percentage of horses are sold or slaughtered due to behavioral problems. One explanation for this data is that the human-horse relationship is complex and the communication between humans and horses has not yet been...
Ollivier FJ, Brooks DE, Kallberg ME, Komaromy AM, Lassaline ME, Andrew SE, Gelatt KN, Stevens GR, Blalock TD, van Setten GB, Schultz GS.To examine in vitro effects of various antiproteolytic compounds on activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 in the tear film of horses with active corneal ulcers. Methods: Samples of tear film obtained from the eyes of 34 horses with active ulcerative keratitis. Methods: Horses were sedated, and tear samples were collected from the lower fornix of 34 ulcerated eyes by use of capillary tubes. The protease inhibitors 0.2% EDTA, 0.1% doxycycline, 10% N-acetylcysteine (NAC), 0.1% solution of a modified dipeptide that contains hydroxamic acid (ie, ilomostat), 0.1% alpha1-proteinase inhi...
Gasser RB, Hung GC, Chilton NB, Beveridge I.Infections of equids with parasitic nematodes of the order Strongylida (subfamilies Strongylinae and Cyathostominae) are of major veterinary importance. In last decades, the widespread use of drugs against these parasites has led to problems of resistance within the Cyathostominae, and to an increase in their prevalence and intensity of infection. Novel control strategies, based on improved knowledge of parasite biology and epidemiology, have thus become important. However, there are substantial limitations in the understanding of fundamental biological and systematic aspects of these parasite...
Maddox TW, Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD, Wedley AL, Dawson S, Williams NJ.The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria such as antimicrobial-resistant and extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli represents a significant problem for human and veterinary medicine. Despite this, the risk factors for faecal carriage of such bacteria by horses in the UK, particularly those in the wider community, have not been well described. Objective: To characterise the risk factors for faecal carriage of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli amongst horses in the mainland UK. Methods: A cross-sectional study of horses recruited by 65 randomly selec...
St George L, Hobbs SJ, Richards J, Sinclair J, Holt D, Roy SH.High-pass filtering (HPF) is a fundamental signal processing method for the attenuation of low-frequency noise contamination, namely baseline noise and movement artefact noise, in human surface electromyography (sEMG) research. Despite this, HPF is largely overlooked in equine sEMG research, with many studies not applying, or failing to describe, the application of HPF. An optimal HPF cut-off frequency maximally attenuates noise while minimally affecting sEMG signal power, but this has not been investigated for equine sEMG signals. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal cut-off fre...
Brama PA, van den Boom R, DeGroott J, Kiers GH, van Weeren PR.Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are considered candidate biomarkers for both physiological and pathological tissue remodelling because of their key role in articular cartilage homeostasis. As disruption of the collagenous architecture is thought to be pivotal in chronic degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA), the collagenases form an interesting subset of the MMPs. The significance of any biomarker in synovial fluid (SF) can be assessed properly only when fluctuations in patterns induced by physiological processes such as development and growth, and by external influences and inter...
Dai F, Leach M, MacRae AM, Minero M, Costa ED.The Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) is a facial-expression-based pain coding system that enables a range of acute painful conditions in horses to be effectively identified. Using valid assessment methods to identify pain in horses is of a clear importance; however, the reliability of the assessment is highly dependent on the assessors' ability to use it. Training of new assessors plays a critical role in underpinning reliability. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a 30-minute standardised training program on HGS is effective at improving the agreement between observers with no horse experi...
O'Brien T, Baker TA, Brounts SH, Sample SJ, Markel MD, Scollay MC, Marquis P, Muir P.To compare digital radiography (DR), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detection of pathology of the distal aspect of the third metacarpal bone (MC3) and to assess whether arthrography would improve detection of articular cartilage or subchondral bone cracking. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Limb specimens from 17 Thoroughbred horses after catastrophic injury and 4 age-matched control horses. Methods: Standard DR, CT, and MRI images of the metacarpophalangeal joint were acquired before and after iohexol injection. Pathologic features detected with ima...
Lu Z, Branscum AJ, Shuck KM, Zhang J, Dubovi EJ, Timoney PJ, Balasuriya UB.Two previously developed TaqMan fluorogenic probe-based 1-tube real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) assays (T1 and T2) were compared and validated for the detection of Equine arteritis virus (EAV) nucleic acid in equine semen and tissue culture fluid (TCF). The specificity and sensitivity of these 2 molecular-based assays were compared to traditional virus isolation (VI) in cell culture. The T1 real-time RT-PCR had a higher sensitivity (93.4%) than the T2 real-time RT-PCR (42.6%) for detection of EAV RNA in semen. However, the T1 real-time RT-PCR was les...
Schnepf A, Bienert-Zeit A, Ertugrul H, Wagels R, Werner N, Hartmann M, Feige K, Kreienbrock L.The usage of antimicrobial drugs (AMs) leads to an increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Although different antimicrobial usage (AMU) monitoring programs exist for livestock animals in Germany, there is no such system for horses. However, with the increasing usage of electronic practice management software (EPMS), it is possible to analyze electronic field data generated for routine purposes. The aim of this study was to generate AMU data for German horses with data from the Clinic for Horses (CfH), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo), and in addition to show that different...
Hausberger M, Lesimple C, Henry S.Horses were domesticated for more than 5000 years and have been one of the most emblematic species living alongside humans. This long-shared history would suggest that horses are well known and well understood, but scientific data raise many concerns about the welfare state of most domestic horses suggesting that many aspects have been largely misunderstood. In the present review, we will examine some of the possible human factors that may explain the huge prevalence of welfare problems, despite horses being of special importance to humans. First of all, as horses are non-verbal, current manag...
Park SB, Seo MS, Kang JG, Chae JS, Kang KS.Amniotic fluid (AF) is a well-known source of stem cells. However, there have been no reports regarding equine AF stem cells. We have isolated equine AF-derived multipotent stem cells (MSC) (eAF-MSC) and show that these cells exhibit self-renewal ability and multilineage differentiation. Methods: AF was obtained from thoroughbred mares and mononuclear cells (MNC) were isolated by Ficoll-Paque density gradient. We measured the cumulative population doubling level (CPDL) and characterized the immunophenotype by flow cytometry. To investigate differentiation ability, a trilineage differentiation ...
Schwartz D, Pusterla N, Jacobsen S, Christopher MM.Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a major acute phase protein in horses. A new point-of-care (POC) test for SAA (Stablelab) is available, but studies evaluating its analytical accuracy are lacking. Objective: To evaluate the analytical performance of the SAA POC test by 1) determining linearity and precision, 2) comparing results in whole blood with those in serum or plasma, and 3) comparing POC results with those obtained using a previously validated turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA). Methods: Assay validation. Methods: Analytical validation of the POC test was done in accordance with American Society o...
Holman PJ, Chieves L, Frerichs WM, Olson D, Wagner GG.Babesia equi was continuously cultured through 90 passages in an enriched chemically defined basal medium (HL-1) supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum and serum replacement factors, including lipid-rich bovine serum albumin, bovine insulin, and human transferrin. Cryopreservation and subsequent recovery of B. equi were easily achieved. Inoculation of a splenectomized and an intact horse with cultured infected erythrocytes resulted in parasitemias and B. equi in vitro reisolation from both animals. In vitro forms of the parasite resembled in vivo forms. After establishment, parasitemias of 1...
Hansen S, Otten ND, Birch K, Skovgaard K, Hopster-Iversen C, Fjeldborg J.The pathophysiology of equine asthma (EA) is still not fully described, but the involvement of an allergic reaction is strongly suspected. This theory has led to the use of allergen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E tests to support a diagnosis of asthma. The objective of this descriptive study was to evaluate the correlation between four subgroups of EA (mastocytic mild equine asthma [MEA], neutrophilic MEA, mixed MEA, and severe equine asthma [SEA]), allergen specific IgE (measured in both serum and BALF) and mRNA expression of selected genes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Serum and BAL...
Padalino B, Raidal SL, Hall E, Knight P, Celi P, Jeffcott L, Muscatello G.To survey amateur and professional participants on equine transportation management, practices and outcomes in Australia. Methods: An online survey targeting people who organised horse movements at least monthly was made available to a broad cross-section of amateur and professional equine associations. Respondents were invited to provide demographic details and information relating to their routine transportation management practices and their experiences of issues relating to the transportation of horses. Results: Of 797 usable responses involving approximately 17,000 horses and 313,000 indi...
Valverde A, Black B, Cribb NC, Hathway A, Daw A.To compare the effects of sedative doses of acepromazine, xylazine or xylazine/ketamine administered to horses after isoflurane anesthesia on the quality of recovery and anesthesia recovery times. To determine if recovery scores improve after repeated consecutive anesthetic episodes. Methods: Prospective, randomized, crossover study. Methods: Fifteen adult research horses, 6.5±3.4 years old and weighing 499±40 kg. Methods: Horses undergoing three anesthetic episodes with isoflurane for magnetic resonance of the forelimbs were administered acepromazine (0.02 mg kg(-1) i.v.) or xylazine (0.3 m...
Di Cesare F, Negro V, Ravasio G, Villa R, Draghi S, Cagnardi P.Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant drug, which presents an established clinical efficacy in human patients for the management of refractory partial seizures, secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and for the control of chronic neuropathic pain. Gabapentin was synthesized as a structural analogue of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, with GABA-mimetic effects, able to cross the blood-brain barrier. In veterinary medicine, is extra-label used in combination with other treatments to control seizures when other drugs are no longer effective or become toxic or for neuropathic pain treatmen...
Vairo S, Van den Broeck W, Favoreel H, Scagliarini A, Nauwynck H.The upper respiratory tract mucosa represents the first line of defense, which has to be overcome by pathogens before invading the host. Considering the economic and ethical aspects involved in using experimental animals for pathogenesis studies, respiratory mucosal explants, in which the tissue's three-dimensional architecture is preserved, may be ideal alternatives. Different respiratory mucosal explant cultures have been developed. However, none of them could be inoculated with pathogens solely at the epithelium side. In the present study, equine nasal and nasopharyngeal explants were embed...
Hardeman AM, Egenvall A, Serra Bragança FM, Swagemakers JH, Koene MHW, Roepstorff L, van Weeren R, Byström A.Quantitative gait analysis offers objective information to support clinical decision-making during lameness workups including advantages in terms of documentation, communication, education, and avoidance of expectation bias. Nevertheless, hardly any data exist comparing outcome of subjective scoring with the output of objective gait analysis systems. Objective: To investigate between- and within-veterinarian agreement on primary lame limb and lameness grade, and to determine relationships between subjective lameness grade and quantitative data, focusing on differences between (1) veterinarians...
Mambelli LI, Santos EJ, Frazão PJ, Chaparro MB, Kerkis A, Zoppa AL, Kerkis I.In horses, stem cell therapies are a promising tool to the treatment of many injuries, which are common consequences of athletic endeavor, resulting in high morbidity and often compromising the performance. In spite of many advantages, the isolation of stem cells similar to human, from equine adipose tissue, occurred only recently. The aim of this study was to isolate equine adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells (eAT-PC), to characterize their proliferative potential, and to study their differentiation capacity before and after cryopreservation. The cells, isolated from horse adipose tissue,...
Condie C, Rivara FP, Bergman AB.Although the risk of serious head injury for horse riders is higher than for most other sports, few equestrians regularly wear protective headgear. This study indicates that riders are well informed about the need for helmets and that the main reason for nonuse is inadequate helmet design. In particular, riders perceive that existing helmets are uncomfortable, expensive, and inappropriate for some riding styles. Based on these findings, the authors developed strategies to increase usage and incorporated them into a successful program. These strategies included working with manufacturers to dev...
Hedberg-Alm Y, Penell J, Riihimäki M, Osterman-Lind E, Nielsen MK, Tydén E.All grazing horses are exposed to intestinal parasites, which have the potential to cause gastrointestinal disease. In Sweden, there is a concern about an increase in parasite-related equine gastrointestinal disease, in particular , since the implementation of prescription-only anthelmintics approximately 10 years ago. In a prospective case-control study, parasitological status, using fecal analyses for strongyle egg counts, the presence of eggs and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as well as serology for , were compared between horses presenting with or without gastrointestinal disease at a ...
