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.
Hunt JP, Haywood PE, Moss MS.A gas chromatographic screening procedure for the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory group of drugs is described. The method invovles on-column methylation of the carboxylic acid group using trimethylanilinium hydroxide as the methylating reagent. Fifteen such drugs were studied. Eight of these were detected in urine collected from horses that had received these compounds orally and for these drugs, rates of urinary excretion are recorded. Seven other members of this group of drugs were shown to be detectable by this procedure but in these cases the drug was added to urine and not administered to...
Littlewood HF.A technique for implanting carbon fibre into sprained flexor tendons in horses is described. Insertion of the fibres through paravertebral needles which passed through the affected region of the tendon was considered to be preferable to direct implantation into the surgically opened tendon. The results of the eight cases treated to date are dealt with briefly, together with a discussion as to how this form of treatment could be further evaluated.
Greeves PR, Witherington DH.The difficulties that arise in filling out marking certificates for thoroughbreds are described. The description given on the certificate has to be both written and graphic. A general guide to whorl location is given.
Murphy J, Young S.Sudden unilateral blindness occurred in a 7-year-old grey gelding Quarterhorse. Ophthalmoscopy revealed a pigmented mass arising from the nasal ciliary body of the right eye and extending around the posterior surface of the lens, and there were pigmented particles in the vitreous. Examination of the enucleated globe showed a circumscribed, black, dense and symmetrically ovoid mass with sessile attachment to the nasal ciliary region and extension to posterior lens capsule, vitreous and along the vitreal face of the detached retina to the optic papilla. The mass was composed of heavily pigmented...
Henneke DR, Kreider JL.Quarter Horse mares (n = 30) and their foals were used in a 2-year study. Objectives of the study were (i) to determine the effects of a treatment regimen, which permitted nursing for four 1-hour periods each day, on the postpartum reproductive performance of the dams, and (ii) to assess the effects of this procedure on the growth and development of foals. Mares in the restricted suckling treatment group showed estrus and ovulated sooner (P less than 0.01) after parturition than did control mares during the first year of the study, but not during the second year. Plasma progesterone concentrat...
Menard L, Marcoux M, Halle G.A case of unilateral front leg lameness with bone changes in the pedal bone suggestive of osteodystrophia fibrosa cystica is reported in an eight year old crossbred gelding. The changes were diagnosed at postmortem examination. The known possible causes are briefly reviewed.
Vibe-Petersen G, Nielsen K.Based upon case reports from 36 cases of verminous thrombosis of arteria mesenterica cranialis--all of which were verified at necropsy--clinical symptoms, course and pathological lesions are described. Seventy five per cent of the patients were under 3 years old, and 73% of the cases showed initial signs during the period July-December. Salient clinical findings were, unthrifty appearance and emaciation, diarrhoea--observed in two thirds of the patients--and colic--observed in 50 per cent of the cases. Haematological and biochemical findings were inconclusive, yet, hypoproteinaemia was a rathe...
Nielsen K, Vibe-Petersen G.A description is given of 46 cases of non-parasitic enteritis, treated in the Large Animal Clinic during the period 1965--77. A group of 12 horses showed an acute or peracute clinical course with rapid development of shock and high lethality (83 per cent). A smaller group of 9 horses showed a subacute course while 22 horses had chronic enteritis with intermittent diarrhoea--often semisolid like cow's dung--increased peristalsis, weight loss and, in some cases, hypoproteinaemia with subcutaneous edema. Lethality rate in this group was appr. 40 per cent. Predisposing factors--especially physical...
Deem DA, Traver DS, Thacker HL, Perryman LE.Immunologic deficiency was suspected in an 18-month-old Standardbred horse with persistent fever, multifocal bacterial infection, and neutropenia with a large number of immature neutrophils. Serum protein electrophoresis revealed marked depression of the gamma-globulin fraction (0.2 g/100 ml). Immunologic testing and histologic examination of lymphoid tissues identified the immune deficit as agammaglobulinemia. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgG(T) were initially low and declined with time; IgM and IgA were not detectable. The horse failed to produce antibodies when inoculate...
Sugo T, Kato H, Iwanaga S, Fujii S.On incubation of purified horse plasma high-molecular-weight kininogen with purified plasma kallikrein, three new peptides, named fragment 1.2, fragment 1 and fragment 2, were released, in addition to the vasopeptide, bradykinin. Fragment 2 contained an extremely high level of histidine, in which eleven residues out of the total 48 residues were characterized. Thus the result proves the existence of the histidine-rich region in horse high-molecular-weight kininogen, which is similar to the region previously identified in bovine high-molecular-weight kininogen. Moreover, we have identified a ne...
Valdez H, Scrutchfield WL, Taylor TS.Eight horses ranging in age from 4 days to 9 years were treated for peritonitis. Escherichia coli was isolated in four cases and Nocardia sp in one case. In each case, a catheter placed in the peritoneal cavity allowed drainage of a large amount of purulent fluid. Retrograde peritoneal lavage was performed through a Foley catheter or medical tubing, using Ringer's lactate solution containing kanamycin, povidone iodine, or nitrofurazone. All except two horses responded well to repeated lavage.
White-Springer SH, Bruemmer J, Coleman RJ.A core group of 27 equine nutritionists and physiologists joined together in the late 1960s to formally address and enhance the direction of equine research, creating the Equine Nutrition and Physiology Society. In 2003, that growing society transformed into the Equine Science Society, which now serves as the preeminent, internationally recognized scientific equine organization. In recent years, it has been appreciated that equine science encompasses a wide range of focus areas, including exercise science, nutrition, genetics, reproductive physiology, teaching and extension, production and man...
Tate LP, Corbett WT, Foreman JH, Bishop BJ, Sweeney CL.A device was constructed of easily obtained medical supplies, and hardware and could be used to obtain multiple arterial samples when manually triggered. The right carotid arteries in five normal horses were surgically elevated, thereby permitting percutaneous cannulation. Each horse was galloped on a 1.6-km test track at approximately 500 m/min, and the rider triggered the mechanism at each 0.4-km mark. Each horse underwent 10 test gallops, and a mean and standard error was determined for each sampling mark including preexercise and postexercise samples. The results indicated that horses ridd...
Markel MD.Peritonitis and adhesions in the horse are best managed through prevention. Perioperative antimicrobial therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy, experienced personnel, and good surgical techniques should minimize complications after surgery. Despite preventative measures, some horses still develop peritonitis after surgery. Immediate, intensive treatment is necessary to enhance their chances for survival.
White ME.A complete listing of the clinical signs and diseases of dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine in the CONSULTANT database for computer assisted diagnosis is presented, along with the codes used to record this data. This list may be useful to those teaching, researching or writing on the diseases of domestic animals, and is of particular use to those who need such a resource for developing diagnostic coding and computer-assisted information retrieval.
Magee C, McDaniel S, Turk P, Striegel N, Roman-Muniz IN.The purpose of this study was to learn how perceptions of accuracy and availability of sources affect how members of the Colorado equine industry seek both everyday information and information during an equine disease outbreak. A survey was distributed by email and social media to members of Colorado-based equine organizations. A total of 256 survey responses were obtained from individuals representing a spectrum of ages and roles in the Colorado equine industry. Survey participants predominantly identified as female (95.3%) and their industry role as a horse owner (41%) or a competitive (25.8...
Schumacher J, Hanrahan L.An excessively long ileal stump, the result of a previous jejunocecostomy, had intussuscepted into the cecum and subsequently obstructed the cecocolic orifice of a 12-year-old Quarter Horse mare. Clinical signs were dehydration, ileus, and endotoxemia. The diagnosis was made at necropsy.