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.
Juzwiak JS, Milton JL.A 4-day-old foal underwent repair of a proximal metaphyseal fracture of the tibia. After closed reduction, fixation was achieved by use of blind cross-pinning. Thirty-five days after surgery, radiography demonstrated complete healing. The foal was mildly lame 4 months after repair of the fracture. Blind cross-pinning may be considered as a method of repair for certain long bone fractures in small foals.
van der Velden MA, Schuitemaker EA.The aetiology, clinical symptoms and treatment of equine periodic ophthalmia are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the possible role in aetiology of Onchocerca cervicalis microfilariae. Corticosteroids and atropine are the most important therapeutic drugs.
Cremers HJ.The feet of horses, sheep, and goats of different breeds and from many different localities were examined for Chorioptes bovis. In horses, mites were mainly found in the Belgian and Frisian breeds (40% and 62% infected, respectively). In sheep and goats, respectively 63% and 86% were infected. In horses as well as in sheep and goats, mange-lesions were rarely seen. A number of sheep and goats were examined for mites and lesions quantitatively. In sheep all mites were restricted to the region close to the accessory digits and the claws. In goats the average number of mites was higher than in sh...
Seal US, Siniff DB, Tester JR, Williams TD.Combinations of etorphine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride in different dosages were tested for their efficacy as immobilizing agents on 16 recently captured feral mares in corrals. The results of these trials led to the utilization of a standard combination of 5.5 mg of etorphine hydrochloride, 150 mg of xylazine hydrochloride, and 3 mg of atropine sulfate in a 7-ml dart syringe for field capture. This combination was used, administered by dart gun from helicopters, to capture 87 free-ranging feral horses from about 80 bands. Five mares died at the time of capture and the remains of t...
Takai S, Kawazu S, Tsubaki S.An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to diagnose Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi infection in foals. In tests done with different antigen-extraction procedures (sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium deoxycholate, polyoxy-ethylene [9] p-tert-octylphenol, polyoxy-ethylene [9-10] p-tert-octylphenol, sonification, homogenization, and heat treatment at 121 C), Tween 20 was a satisfactory reactive antigen. Using hyperimmune rabbit sera or infected foal sera, we investigated the specificity and the sensitivity of the ELISA with the Tween 20 antigen of the different serotypes or of the is...
Watkins JP, Auer JA, Morgan SJ, Gay S.The effect of pulsing electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy on the healing of surgically created defects in equine superficial digital flexor tendons was evaluated. Defects were created in both front superficial digital flexor tendons of 20 horses. The defect in 1 limb was exposed to a PEMF for 2 hours daily. The other limb served as a control. Histologic and immunofluorescent evaluations were done in horse killed at postsurgical weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24. Therapy with the PEMF significantly (P less than 0.05) delayed the maturation of the tissue formed within the defect at postsurgical weeks 8...
Martens RJ, Malone PS, Brust DM.Oral lactose tolerance tests were evaluated in 25 healthy foals (principals) assigned to 4 groups of approximately 1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks of age. Lactose monohydrate (1 g/kg of body weight [in a 20% water solution]) was administered via nasogastric tube after a 4-hour fast. Plasma glucose concentrations were monitored before dosing (0 minutes) and sequentially for 300 minutes. Six control foals were given a volume of water equivalent to the volume of lactose monohydrate administered to principal foals. After oral lactose loading, mean plasma glucose concentrations of all princi...
Dean PW, Robertson JT, Jacobs RM.In 7 horses, 4 anastomoses were done in the small intestine in each, using the combinations of synthetic absorbable monofilament and multifilament suture materials with continuous- and interrupted-suture patterns in the serosubmucosal layer of a 2-layer inverting-suture technique. Horses were evaluated 30 days after the operation for adhesion formation, lumen diameter, evidence of chronic obstruction, and suture tract inflammation at the anastomosis. Postoperative obstruction occurred in 5 of the 7 horses, and 6 horses survived. One horse was euthanatized on postoperative day 6 after 48 hours ...
Kaneps AJ, Shires GM, Watrous BJ.The use of real-time ultrasound for examination of the bladder was a useful diagnostic aid in 2 cases of cystic calculi. The ultrasound procedure revealed that a firm mass palpated per rectum in the bladder of one horse was a calculus. In the other horse, ultrasound revealed additional small uroliths. To remove the uroliths in both horses, laparocystidotomy via a ventral paramedian approach was chosen because it provided the best access to the bladder lumen. The calculi were analyzed by qualitative chemical analysis and quantitative crystallography. Results differed between analysis methods. C...
Schumacher J, Bratton GR, Williams JW.The pudendal and caudal rectal nerves in four male and five female adult crossbred horses were anesthetized with a local solution. The injection site was located at the foramen for the caudal gluteal artery and vein in the sacrosciatic ligament. Twenty milliliters of local anesthetic solution were injected via a 15-cm, 18-gauge needle. Quantitative data on anesthesia were determined from these injections. Dye was injected with the anesthetic in four additional horses so that accurate placement of the solution could be determined at postmortem examination. Satisfactory anesthesia of the anus, p...
Bove AA.Myocardial blood flow is the major determinant of oxygen delivery to the myocardium, since oxygen extraction by the myocardium is near maximum in the resting state. Regulation of flow during exercise depends on local metabolic factors and, to a small extent, on autonomic tone. Maximum flow of 5-6 times resting has been measured in reactive hyperemia experiments. In strenuous exercise, myocardial oxygen delivery appears to be adequate and flow reserve seems capable of handling the increased oxygen demand. No evidence of myocardial failure in normal hearts due to excess exercise has been present...
Halliwell RE, Hines MT.A radioimmunoassay was developed for detection of immunoglobulin in the aqueous of normal horses and horses with intraocular diseases. Levels of albumin were detected by radial immunodiffusion. Results of assays on samples from normal eyes from which aqueous was obtained by paracentesis under anesthesia were 32.10 +/- 21.50 microgram/ml for IgG, 0.05 +/- 0.01 microgram/ml for IgM, 0.04 +/- 0.02 microgram/ml for IgA and 34.0 +/- 38.0 microgram/ml for albumin. Results in 138 normal eyes sampled post mortem were 41.56 +/- 38.65 microgram/ml for IgG, 0.18 +/- 0.43 microgram/ml for IgM, 0.46 +/- 1....
Ruoff WW, Sams RA.The pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of cephalothin given to 6 horse mares at a dosage level of 11 mg/kg of body weight IV or IM were investigated. The disposition of cephalothin given IV was characterized by a rapid disposition phase with a mean half-life of 2.89 minutes and a subsequent slower elimination phase with a mean half-life of only 14.7 minutes. The mean residence time of cephalothin was 10.6 +/- 2.11 minutes. The total plasma clearance of cephalothin averaged 13.6 ml/min/kg and was caused by metabolism and renal elimination. Renal clearance of cephalothin averaged 1.32 ml/min/k...
Rhodes JB, Schweitzer D, Ogg JE.Non-O1 Vibrio cholerae was isolated from a horse (Equus caballus), a lamb (genus Ovis), and two American buffalo (Bison bison) suffering from enteric disease in the western part of Colorado. In 1981, a foal died of apparent respiratory failure. Necropsy findings included heart failure and gastroenteritis. V. cholerae serovar 347 (Smith) was isolated from the colon of this animal. V. cholerae serovar 27 (Smith) was isolated in 1983 from the intestine of a feedlot lamb suffering from pneumonia and severe watery diarrhea. In 1984, an enteric disease occurred in a herd of American bison. The sick ...
Kelly AB, Steffey EP, McNeal D, Willits N.The acute and long-term quantitative and qualitative effects of halothane anesthesia on equine platelet performance were studied in fourteen horses. Horses were anesthetized with only halothane in O2 for about 8.0 MAC hours. Platelet numbers declined during the anesthetic period but returned to normal within 24 h. Platelet aggregation was significantly diminished during the anesthetic period and for up to 4 days after anesthesia. A period of hyperaggregability occurred at the 7th day.
Fitzgerald BP, I'Anson H, Legan SJ, Loy RG.To determine whether luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion during the first estrous cycle postpartum is characterized by pulsatile release, circulating LH concentrations were measured in 8 postpartum mares, 4 of which had been treated with 150 mg progesterone and 10 mg estradiol daily for 20 days after foaling to delay ovulation. Blood samples were collected every 15 min for 8 h on 4 occasions: 3 times during the follicular phase (Days 2-4, 5-7, and 8-11 after either foaling or end of steroid treatment), and once during the luteal phase (Days 5-8 after ovulation). Ovulation occurred in 4 mares 13...
Cho DY, Hubbard RM, McCoy DJ, Stewart TB.A well-circumscribed proliferative mass was protruding from the body of the mandible of a 4-year-old Appaloosa gelding. The mass was uniformly firm and was ulcerated on the dorsal surface. The horse was euthanatized due to extensive involvement of the jaw and difficulty in eating. Microscopically, the mass consisted of numerous discrete microgranulomas separated by bands of abundant fibrous connective tissue containing lymphocytes, plasma cells, and histiocytic macrophages. Numerous rhabditiform nematodes were in the microgranulomas as well as in the surrounding connective tissue. The nematode...
Crandell RA, Davis ER.The virus causing equine coital exanthema (equine herpesvirus 3) was isolated from a lesion on the nostril of a 2-month-old foal. One week after the mare had returned from a stallion station, vesicular lesions developed on her vulva. They were diagnosed clinically as coital exanthema, and 5 days later a lesion developed on the nostril of her foal. This case is an example of horse-to-horse transmission of coital exanthema virus without coitus. A laboratory diagnosis is necessary to differentiate viruses that cause vesicular lesions about the oral and nasal cavities of horses.
Romagnano A, Richer CL.Cell synchronization was used to obtain an adequate percentage of very long chromosomes in equine mitotic spreads. Reported here is our variation, adapted to horse chromosomes, of a method using excess thymidine followed by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. This technique routinely yields excellent quality cells, predominantly in prometaphase and prophase. Among other differences with the standard technique, this method does not use Colcemid, which, in addition to inhibiting spindle fiber formation, also increases chromosome contraction resulting in thicker and thus fewer bands. Consequently, h...
Bixby-Hammett DM.In brief: In a two-year study of the estimated 13,428,000 hours of horse activities by 18,408 US Pony Clubs (USPC) members aged 6 to 21 in scheduled supervised programs, there were 64 accidents resulting in 88 injuries in 16 areas of the body. The head/face was the area most often injured (27.27%), and bruise/abrasion was the most common type of injury (28.26%). Cross-country riding was the most dangerous event (42.31%). Unexpected actions of the horse caused many accidents-25% occurred when the horse bucked and threw the rider, 23.08% when the horse refused a jump, and 17.31% when the horse f...
Nouws JF, Vree TB, Baakman M, Driessens F, Smulders A, Holtkamp J.The plasma disposition of sulfadimidine (SDM) and its metabolites N4-acetylsulfadimidine (N4-SDM), 6-hydroxymethyl-4-methyl-pyrimidine (SCH2OH) and 5-hydroxy-4,6-dimethyl-pyrimidine (SOH), was studied in three horses following intravenous administration of SDM at dose levels of 20 and 200 mg/kg in cross-over trials. The percentages of N4-SDM (0.58-0.90%), SOH (0.83-6.75%) and SCH2OH (0.38-0.71%) in plasma, expressed as a percentage of the total sulfonamide concentration, were small and their plasma concentrations were parallel with SDM from 4 h following administration. At high doses (200 mg/k...
Riedesel DH, Hildebrand SV.A syndrome similar to malignant hyperthermia developed in a 545-kg Quarter Horse while anesthetized with halothane for cataract removal. Succinylcholine administration caused prolonged, severe muscle fasciculations followed by tachycardia, and an elevated blood pressure. Later, while the horse was still under anesthesia, its body temperature rose 2 degrees C, and respiratory acidosis developed. Myositis developed after surgery, but the horse recovered.
Richer CL, Romagnano A.Both dynamic G-banding and cell synchronization produced by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), were applied to equine chromosomes. BrdU incorporated during the first half of the S-phase is taken up into the R-bands that are early replicating. These bands, which have incorporated BrdU, cannot contract as usual and remain elongated; only the other regions of the chromosome, i.e., the G-bands, contract normally and are sharply defined. BrdU also can be used for cell synchronization. The addition of BrdU in a high concentration, 15 hours before harvest, and its removal 11 hours later, has two effects: init...
Chuit P.The author illustrates by the study of ancient texts the interest shown for equine dentistry since the age of times. The first detailed studies on the technique go back to the 17th century. The 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries were fertile in instrumental as well as technical discoveries; it was the time of creativity, and he quotes authors like Günther father and son, Frick, Goubaux and Barrier, Mérllat, Cadiot, and Colyer with his enormous work on animal dentistry published in 1936. During and right after the 2nd World War, it is the time of desertion, with only one exception, ...
Edwards KE, Stevens S, Woodward CB, Tweeten KA.Counterimmunoelectrophoresis was evaluated as a method to distinguish urine of human origin from that of equine origin. The procedure used anti-equine serum and anti-human serum antibodies that had been solid-phase absorbed to eliminate species cross-reactivity. Counterimmunoelectrophoresis reliably detected contamination of equine urine by human urine to a level of 10% with a minimum sensitivity to about 2% contamination. Compared with double diffusion, counterimmunoelectrophoresis was approximately 10 to 15 times more sensitive in the detection of urine proteins.
Spurlock GH, Gabel AA.One-hundred and nine apical fractures of the proximal sesamoid bones were diagnosed in Standardbred racehorses at the Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital during a 5-year period ending December 1978. Lateral sesamoids of the hindlimbs accounted for 61 of the 109 fractures, which was a significantly (P less than 0.05) greater proportion than that for fractures in all other sesamoid bones. Two- and three-year-old horses accounted for 73 of the 109 apical sesamoid fractures. The remaining 36 apical sesamoid fractures were in horses 4 to 9 years old. The apical fragment was removed in 80 of t...
Arndt JL, Pfau T, Day P, Pardoe C, Bolt DM, Weller R.Hoof testers are commonly used in equine practice. In this study, we determined the intraoperator and interoperator reliability of force application with hoof testers for different groups: experienced veterinarians, novices and farriers. For this purpose, we have developed and validated an instrumented hoof tester. Forces varied significantly between the different regions of the foot for experienced operators applying the highest forces to the heels, then the frog, then the toe, and the lowest forces to the quarters. Novices applied significantly more force to the toe versus the frog. Intraope...
Palozzo A, Traversa D, Marruchella G, Celani G, Morelli S, Petrizzi L.Cutaneous habronemosis in horses is caused by larvae of the spirurid nematodes Habronema microstoma and Habronema muscae. These lesions, also known as "summer sores'', are often severe and disfiguring. Although Habronema-caused lesions at the coronary grooves have been described, cases of hoof cracks with secondary summer sores have never been reported. The present case describes clinic-pathological and surgical features of a quarter crack case complicated by cutaneous habronemosis at the dermal layers. A 15-year-old, Andalusian stallion was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the ...