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.
Goch H, Schiller B, Korbecki M.F(ab')2 fragments of horse tetanus antibodies were obtained from horse hyperimmune sera after peptic digestion. The digest was passed through a column of tetanus toxoid coupled with Sepharose 4B, F(ab')2 fragments were eluted with a solution of 5 mM HCl in 150 mM NaCl and the eluates were concentrated by ultrafiltration and lyophilized. Glycine and human serum albumin were used as stabilizing agents. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic mobility and molecular weight of the fragments remained unchanged after lyophilization. Freeze-dried preparations stored two months at 56 degrees C showed only a...
Zavy JT, Mayer R, Vernon MW, Bazer FW, Sharp DC.Uterine flushings were collected from 30 non-pregnant Pony mares on Days 8, 12, 14, 16, 18 or 20 after oculation. Mares were allowed a recovery period of one oestrous cycle and were mated at the next oestrus. They were then ovario-hysterectomized on days which corresponded to the day of the oestrous cycle to which they were assigned. Uterine flushings were analysed for total recoverable protein and acid phosphatase activity. Least squares analysis indicated a status X day interaction for total protein (P less than 0.10) and acid phosphatase activity (P less than 0.005) in which the latter was ...
Shideler RK, Squires EL, Pickett BW, Anderson EW.Twenty-three geldings were used to determine changes in seminal characteristics following castration and the effect of frequency of ejaculation on these seminal characteristics. In Exp. 1, semen was collected from 8 geldings every other day after castration until the number of spermatozoa per ejaculate was below 1% of the precastration value. An average of 3 ejaculates was required to reduce the number of spermatozoa below this level. In Exp. 2, 15 stallions were castrated and each stallion was assigned to 1 of 3 groups for seminal collection at 7, 14 or 21 days post-castration. The ejaculates...
Holtan DW, Squires EL, Lapin DR, Ginther OJ.Pony mares were bilaterally ovariectomized at different stages of pregnancy between Days 25 and 210. Abortion or fetal resorption occurred within 2 to 6 days after operations in all 14 mares ovariectomized between Days 25 and 45 and after an interval of 10 to 15 days in 9 of 20 other ovariectomized between 50 and 70 days. All 12 mares ovariectomized on either 140 or 210 days carried their foals to normal term. The termination of early pregnancy was preceded by a loss of uterine tone and of a palpable uterine bulge. The mean length of gestation in all mares in which pregnancy was not interrupte...
Swerczek TW.Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) was initially reported during the 1977 breeding season in England (Crowhurst, 1977) and Ireland (Timoney, Ward & Kelly, 1977. The disease has also been diagnosed in France and Australia (Huges, Bryden & MacDonald, 1978). The first occurrence of CEM in the United States followed the importation or 2 stallions from France late in 1977 which resulted in an outbreak early in the 1978 breeding season (Swerczek, 1978). Mares usually develop clinical signs of CEM 8--10 days after being covered by an infected stallion, when a copious, greyish discharge is seen. Other m...
Ganjam VK.Changes in the daily secretory patterns of testosterone and other 17 beta-hydroxyandrogen, total oestrogens and total corticoids were investigated in 7 stallions. Pulsatile fluctuations in plasma hormone levels were found in the serial blood samples collected hourly for 24 h in all animals. The plasma profiles indicated that corticoids, oestrogens and androgens were secreted episodically at all times in stallions. A significant correlation was observed between the precursor and products of delta 4-ene and delta 5-ene pathways and in inverse correlation (r = -0.68; P less than 0.01) was observe...
Stratton LG, Corstvet R, Brown J, Corley L.K. pneumoniae capsule type 68 infused into the uterus of 4 mares was recovered up to 15 weeks after inoculation. The insertion of a tampon for 10 min was more effective than a swab technique in detecting the organism in the uterus. The clitoral fossa and the urethral orifice when sampled by the swab technique were also found to be infected for a comparable period. K. pneumoniae was isolated from the clitoral specimens more often and more consistently than from either urethral or uterine specimens.
Gay CC, Speirs VC, Christie BA, Smyth B, Parry B.Six horses, which had a foreign body obstruction of the small colon showed abdominal pain of progressing severity and intestinal tympany. On rectal examination the caecum and large colon were distended with ingesta and gas but the obstructing mass could be palpated in only 3 cases. All horses had elevated indirect blood pressure and in 3 there was also fluid distension of the stomach. Only one horse had known access to foreign material in the diet, but a further 3 were related to an exceptionally dry climate period. Five of the 6 horses recovered following surgery.
Sibthorpe PEM, Fitzgerald DM, Chen L, Sillence MN, de Laat MA.To determine the effect of a starch-rich treat, added to the daily diet of ponies for 10 days, on enteroinsular responses to meal consumption. 10 mixed-breed adult ponies owned by Queensland University of Technology were used in the study. Six ponies were metabolically healthy, and 4 were insulin dysregulated at the start of the study, according to the results of an in-feed oral glucose test. A bread-based treat was offered twice daily for 10 days, adding 0.36 ± 0.04 g/kg body weight (BW) carbohydrates to the daily diet. Before and after treatment, the intestinal capacity for simple carbohydr...
Sainsbury DW.The physiological requirements of the horse appear to be reasonably well established and should be adequately provided by ventilation based on straightforward principles, relying largely on natural air flow. On the other hand, there are few objective values for ventilation required to promote good health or alleviate equine respiratory disease. In the absence of such knowledge it is only possible to rely on a logical application of sound principles and experience. Both indicate the satisfactory nature of ventilation by stack effect, aspiration and perflation. Buildings should be well insulated...
Clem MF, DeBowes RM, Yovich JV, Douglass JP, Bennett SM.Sixty-eight cases of cortical bone sequestration in 67 equine patients were reviewed with regard to the clinical presentation, method of treatment, and outcome. All lesions were located in skeletal areas with minimal soft tissue coverage, with 53% of them in the metatarsal and metacarpal bones. At the time of admission, 60% of the patients with limb lesions were lame; the majority improved with therapy. After sequestrectomy, there was a trend for surgical wounds which could be managed by primary closure to heal more rapidly (3.8 weeks) than wounds which required second intention healing (6.4 w...
Freeman DE, Bauck AG.Repeat celiotomy can be lifesaving in horses with a surgically treatable postoperative obstruction, although guidelines for its use are lacking, except for uncontrollable postoperative pain. Overdiagnosis of ileus as the cause of postoperative obstruction could delay a second surgery so the disease progresses beyond a manageable level of severity. Although many horses respond favorably to repeat celiotomy, complications can be severe and life threatening, such as incisional infection and adhesions. Repeat celiotomy does not seem to exacerbate postoperative ileus, despite additional surgical ma...
Pascoe JR, Pascoe RR.Although they are pivotal events in the continued production of new generations of horses, breeding and foaling are not without risk to the mare. This article reviews the accidents that can occur and result in injury, displacement, and malpositions of the urogenital tract of the mare.
Adams OR, Schneider RK, Bramlage LR, Easley KJ, Schneider JE.Suprascapular nerve decompression has proven to be a useful treatment for refractory neuropraxia in horses. The surgical procedure used to effect that decompression is described. The surgery can be undertaken when conservative treatment has failed, but the sooner the surgery is done, the more likely the muscle mass is to be cosmetically satisfactory.
Sharma S, Davies Morel MC, Dhaliwal GS, Dadarwal D.Ultrasonographic pregnancy records of 195 mares from six Thoroughbred stud farms, over a period of 7 years were retrospectively analysed to assess the effect of various factors on embryonic vesicle (EV) fixation pattern and pregnancy outcome. Of the total of 746 pregnancies analysed, significantly (p < 0.01) more EV fixations were evident in the right uterine horn than in the left (53.35% vs 46.65% respectively). There was no significant effect of either, the side of ovulation, or age of the mare, on the side of EV fixation. However, EV fixation, was significantly (p < 0.001) more likely...
Davies ME, Bingham RW.Two morphological types of spirochaete were found in the horse caecum measuring 4 to 6 micron by 0.3 to 0.4 micron and 6 to 8 micron by 0.1 to 0.2 micron. Attempts were made to culture the organisms but none survived subculture beyond the primary isolate. Electron microscopy revealed that many of the organisms were infected by bacteriophages.
van Gorkom LP, van Wessum R, van den Hoven R.A major part of the residing horses and ponies of a riding school in Noord-Holland became affected by a febrile disorder that included anorexia, depression, conjunctivitis, urticaria, edema of the legs and laborious locomotion. All remaining horses fell ill within one week. Based on the clinical symptoms the disorder was diagnosed as vasculitis. With serology the causative agent of the disorder appeared to be equine arteritis virus.
