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.
Ida KK, Sauvage A, Gougnard A, Grauwels M, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.Ponies with tracheal collapse may have an increased anesthetic risk due to airway obstruction during induction and recovery. To our knowledge, there are no anesthetic descriptions of these patients, despite a reported 5.6% incidence and 77% mortality rate. Two Shetland ponies with tracheal collapse, a 12-year-old male (pony 1) and a 27-year-old female (pony 2), were referred for right eye enucleation due to a perforating corneal ulcer and severe recurrent uveitis, respectively. Pony 1 was stressed, had lung stridor and hyperthermia, and developed inspiratory dyspnea with handling. Radiography ...
Lebis C, Bourdeau P, Marzin-Keller F.Allergic diseases are often diagnosed clinically in the horse without performing diagnostic tests. The purpose of this work was to contribute to the validation of intradermal skin tests in the horse. Eighty-three horses, 14 showing skin or respiratory signs of supposed allergic origin, were subjected to an intradermal skin test using 6 different allergens, positive and negative controls. The tests were read for all animals after 20 min, and for 29 horses after 1 and 4 h. Additionally, 19 horses were tested a few months apart. The comparison after 20 min of the cutaneous reactions to allergens ...
Matters of physical and medical rehabilitation of children with organic lesions of the nervous system, in particular, with cerebral palsy, are actual in countries around the world. Hippotherapy is neurophysiologically oriented therapy using horses. Determine whether a combination of hippotherapy as a method of rehabilitation in the aftermath of outpatient comprehensive impact on MS on a stationary phase; Study of the effect of hippotherapy as securing and preparation method for learning new postures and movements in children with spastic cerebral palsy forms; The study of the possible optimiza...
Ross SE, Duz M, Rendle DI.Antimicrobial stewardship within the veterinary profession is recognised by governing and professional bodies as being important; the attitudes and behaviour of veterinary surgeons merit investigation. Objective: To investigate levels of protected antimicrobial use and accuracy of antimicrobial dosing in a common clinical scenario in equine practice. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Antimicrobial use was evaluated retrospectively in 113 cases subsequently referred to a single referral hospital for the treatment of limb wounds over a 20-month period. Antimicrobial classification (f...
Burling K, Seguin MA, Marsh P, Brinkman K, Madigan J, Thurmond M, Moon-Massat P, Mannis M, Murphy CJ.OBJECTIVE-To characterize healing of corneal epithelial defects in horses and to evaluate the ability of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to modulate rate of corneal epithelial healing in horses. Methods: 20 eyes in 12 adult horses. Methods: Corneal epithelial wounds were created by mechanically debriding the limbus. Corneal healing was recorded for 3 treatment groups: 50 microg of EGF/ml (n = 5 eyes), 5 microg of EGF/ml (7), and PBS solution (8). Corneal healing was recorded once daily after instillation of fluorescein stain by use of photography and calculating the area of the wound, using imag...
Mespoulhès-Rivière C, Martens A, Bogaert L, Wilderjans H.Distal limb lacerations are common injuries in horses, with a better prognosis reported for extensor tendons lacerations compared to flexor tendons lacerations. The objective of the present study was to determine the influence of type and location of injury, modalities of treatment and post surgical complications on the outcome of extensor tendon lacerations. The medical records of 156 horses surgically treated for extensor tendon lacerations over a 10-year period were analysed retrospectively. Information was obtained for 124 horses with a minimum of 18 months follow-up. Statistical analysis ...
Kováts N, Horváth E, Jancsek-Turóczi B, Hoffer A, Gelencsér A, Urbán P, Kiss ÍE, Bihari Z, Fekete C.Air quality in the stables is characterized by elevated level of dust and aeroallergens which are supposed to directly cause or exacerbate several respiratory disorders. The most often recognized problem is recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), previously known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is some indication that aeroallergens (among them endotoxins) may also cause inflammation in human airways and may exceed safe levels in stables. Monitoring studies have covered mainly the determination of the concentration of respirable particles and of culturable fungi and their tox...
López C, Alvarez ME, Carmona JU.The aims were (1) to evaluate the bacteriostatic effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), platelet-rich gel (PRG), leukocyte-poor plasma (LPP), leukocyte-poor gel (LPG), plasma, and heat-inactivated plasma (IP) on both methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) over a period of 24 h; (2) to determine and to compare the concentrations and degradation over time of platelet factor 4 (PF-4), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β 1), and platelet-derived growth factor isoform BB (PDGF-BB); and (3) to identify any correlations between...
Iuliano MF, Squires EL, Cook VM.A 2 X 2 cross-classified experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of age of equine embryo (7 vs 8 d postovulation) and method of transfer (surgical vs nonsurgical) on pregnancy rates at 50 d of gestation. Embryos were recovered 7 or 8 d postovulation using a Foley catheter and 3 liters of modified Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Upon identification, the embryos were placed in millipore-filtered PBS containing 20% heat-inactivated steer serum and maintained at room temperature until transferred. At the time of recovery, embryos were randomly assigned to be transferred eith...
Sprague LD, Zachariah R, Neubauer H, Wernery R, Joseph M, Scholz HC, Wernery U.The internationally mandatory complement fixation test (CFT) for testing of equine sera for the absence of glanders has repeatedly led to discrepant results. Not only do "false positive" sera pose a problem for the diagnostician and the animal health authorities but they can also result in significant financial losses for the animal owners.Due to the very low prevalence of glanders in the horse population it is of major importance to use tests with a high specificity to overcome unreliable predictive values. We have compared formalin-fixed B. mallei whole cell antigen and a well characterised ...
Kaufman JM, Nekouei O, Doyle AJ, Biermann NM.Medical records of equine patients presented for signs of abdominal pain to the Atlantic Veterinary College Teaching Hospital between 2000 and 2015 were reviewed. A total of 575 patients were enrolled, and the most common clinical findings, diagnoses, and outcomes are described. Potential predictors of survival to discharge were assessed. The most common diagnosis was large colon impaction (18.4%), followed by large colon volvulus (6.2%). Overall survival to discharge was 69%. The survival rates for horses were 82.9% for those with no diagnosis, 74.6% for those with large intestine lesions, an...
Kane-Smyth J, Barnett TP, Mark O'Leary J, Dixon PM.To describe a novel surgical technique for correcting postoperative ventral glottic stenosis (cicatrix or web formation) and the outcome in 2 Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Retrospective case report. Methods: Thoroughbreds diagnosed with ventral glottic stenosis (n=2). Methods: Horses presenting with iatrogenic ventral glottic stenosis and resultant exercise intolerance and abnormal exercise-related noise were anesthetized and a midline sagittal skin incision was made over the ventral larynx and between the sternohyoideus muscles overlying the cricothyroid notch. The cricothyroid ligament, ...
Busechian S, Sgorbini M, Orvieto S, Pisello L, Zappulla F, Briganti A, Nocera I, Conte G, Rueca F.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) affects various categories of horses worldwide. This syndrome is now divided into two different diseases, based on the presence of lesions on either the squamous (Equine Squamous Gastric Disease, ESGD) or the glandular (Equine Glandular Gastric Disease, EGGD) mucosa. Diagnosis is based on the evaluation of the presence of gastric lesions with gastroscopic examination. As a gastroscopy can be considered expensive by clients, therapy is started often on the basis of clinical signs only. The aim of this study was to validate a questionnaire to detect the risk ...
Clutterbuck AL, Harris P, Allaway D, Mobasheri A.The extracellular matrix (ECM) of connective tissue is constantly being remodelled to allow for growth and regeneration. Normal tissue maintenance requires the ECM components to be degraded and re-synthesised in relatively equal proportions. This degradation is facilitated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their proteolytic action is controlled primarily by the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Both MMPs and TIMPs exist in a state of dynamic equilibrium, with a slight excess of one or the other depending on the need for either ECM breakdown or synthesis. Long-term disrupti...
Gottschalk M, Sieme H, Martinsson G, Distl O.A high quality of stallion semen is of particular importance for maximum reproductive efficiency. In the present study, we estimated the relationships among estimated breeding values (EBVs) of semen traits and EBVs for the paternal component of the pregnancy rate per estrus cycle (EBV-PAT) for 100 German Warmblood stallions using correlation and general linear model analyses. The most highly correlated sperm quality trait was total number of progressively motile sperm (r = 0.36). EBV-PAT was considered in three classes with stallions 1 SD below (<80), around (80-120), and above (>120) the popu...
McCoy AM, Ralston SL, McCue ME.Osteochondrosis (OC) is commonly diagnosed in young Standardbred racehorses but its effect on performance when surgically treated at a young age is still incompletely understood. This is especially true for Standardbred pacers, which are underrepresented in the existing literature. Objective: To characterise the short- (2-year-old) and long-term (through 5-year-old) racing performance in Standardbred pacers and trotters after early surgical intervention (<17 months of age) for tarsal OC. Methods: Retrospective clinical study. Methods: The study population consisted of related, age-matched Stan...
Sweeney RW, Hansen TO.Six horses with dysphagia (attributable to botulism, glossitis, or guttural pouch mycosis) were given a commercially available liquid diet as the sole source of nutrition. Seven horses with hypophagia caused by severe bacterial pleuropneumonia or peritonitis were given the liquid diet to supplement food consumed voluntarily. The liquid diet was administered through a nasogastric tube 2 or 3 times daily. Body weight did not change significantly, and pertinent laboratory values remained at satisfactory concentrations throughout the feeding period. Serious complications were not encountered. Thre...
Soma LR, Sams R, Duer W, Tobin T, Woodward C, McDonald J.The plasma and serum concentrations of phenylbutazone (PBZ) and oxyphenbutazone were measured in 158 Thoroughbred horses after various doses of PBZ wer given. All horses were competing or training at racetracks in various parts of the country. All horses used in the study had not been given PBZ 24 hours before they were placed on a specific dosage schedule. Samples were collected 24 hours after the last PBZ administration. Four grams of PBZ were given daily by stomach tube, paste, or tablet for 3 days. On day 4, 24 hours before sample collection, an IV dose of 2 g of PBZ was given, regardless ...
Carnevale EM.Assisted reproductive techniques that are based on oocyte manipulations have gained acceptance in the equine industry. Methods to collect and handle immature or maturing oocytes have been developed, and systems to ship oocytes now allow for collection in one location and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in another. Subsequently, ICSI-produced embryos can be transferred onsite, shipped to another location, or cryopreserved. Methods for the collection, identification, culture, maturation, and shipment of equine oocytes are reviewed, with an emphasis on procedures from laboratories providi...
Anaya G, Fernández ME, Valera M, Molina A, Azcona F, Azor P, Solé M, Moreno-Millán M, Demyda-Peyrás S.Twin foaling is associated with chimaerism in several domestic species and is recognised in horses. In this study, 21,097 purebred Spanish (Pura Raza Español) horse births from the 2015 to 2016 breeding season were investigated for chimaerism. Twin foaled and chimaeric individuals were assessed on the basis of foaling records, short-tandem repeat (STR) parentage test results and a sex-linked STR-based technique. Fourteen twin pregnancies with 23 twin foals born alive were identified (0.066% twin foaling prevalence), including five blood chimaeric cases (21.7%; overall prevalence 0.011%), sugg...
This study was designed to investigate whether horses with clinical signs of back pain due to suspected soft tissue injuries were affected by polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). Diagnosis of PSSM in muscle biopsies obtained from the M. longissimus lumborum of 5 showjumpers and 4 dressage horses with a history of back pain is reported. M. longissimus lumborum biopsies of these horses were characterised histopathologically and in 3/9 cases also by electron microscopy. Observations were compared with M. gluteus biopsies of the same horses, and with M. gluteus biopsies obtained from 6 Standard...
Rangel JPP, de Oliveira APL, Baiotto GC, Junior OS, Figueiró GM, Araujo AL, Rossi Junior JL.Campylorrhinus lateralis, also known as "wry nose," is a congenital malformation that mainly affects Thoroughbreds. These horses have a unilateral deviation of the maxillae that may be to one side or the other side, and it causes airway obstruction and dental malocclusion. The choice of treatment is not necessarily operation; however, the treatment of choice, which aims to repair the maxillae deviation, is surgical to improve the horse's respiratory condition and correct the dental occlusion. There are currently no reports describing the first surgical technique for such deformity described by...
Weese JS.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a critically important human pathogen that is also an emerging concern in veterinary medicine and animal agriculture. It is present in a wide range of animal species, including dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, cattle, pigs, poultry, and exotic species, both as a cause of infection and in healthy carriers. Identification of MRSA in various species and in food has led to concerns about the roles of animals, both pets and livestock, in the epidemiology of MRSA infection and colonization in humans. There is evidence of the role of food animals in h...
Kenney RM, Ganjam VK, Cooper WL, Lauderdale JW.Seventy-three Standardbred and Thoroughbred mares in clinical anoestrus during the breeding season were treated with PGF2alpha. The mares were divided into four categories; foaling, barren, maiden and unknown. The response was consistent in all groups. Mares at Days 2 to 4 of dioestrus showed no decrease in plasma progesterone levels, and those at Days 6 to 8 showed a return of progesterone to baseline levels (less than 1 ng/ml) in 24 to 48 hr after treatment. Plasma progesterone levels returned to basal levels in 24 to 48 hr in 93% of mares; progesterone levels had not changed by 96 hr in 7% ...
Pezzanite LM, Chow L, Strumpf A, Johnson V, Dow SW.Antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation both present challenges to treatment of bacterial infections with conventional antibiotic therapy and serve as the impetus for development of improved therapeutic approaches. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy exerts an antimicrobial effect as demonstrated in multiple acute bacterial infection models. This effect can be enhanced by pre-conditioning the MSC with Toll or Nod-like receptor stimulation, termed activated cellular therapy (ACT). The purpose of this review is to summarize the current literature on mechanisms of antimicrobial activity...
Angulo-Valadez CE, Scholl PJ, Cepeda-Palacios R, Jacquiet P, Dorchies P.Larvae causing obligatory myiasis are numerous and they may affect cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, wounds, nasopharyngeal cavities (nasal bots), internal organs and the digestive tract (bots) of domestic and wild animals and humans as well. Nasal bots belong to the Family Oestridae, Subfamily Oestrinae, which includes several important genera: Oestrus, Kirkioestrus, and Gedoelstia infecting Artiodactyla (except Cervidae) in Africa and Eurasia, Cephenemyia and Pharyngomyia infecting Cervidae, Rhinoestrus infecting horses, Cephalopina infecting camels, Pharyngobolus infecting African elephan...
Roepstorff L, Drevemo S.To further develop objective methods in the field of gait analysis a force-measuring horseshoe (FM shoe) has been developed. The ground reaction forces were determined by measuring the degree of displacement between the two solid parts of the shoe. This was done by three removable measuring units (MUs) that were equipped with strain gauges and placed in the toe and in each of the quarter parts. Before performing force recordings the sensors were calibrated with the actual MUs mounted on the shoe. This can be done in the field with a specially developed equipment. The shape of the signal genera...
Spurlock GH.The prognosis for returning horses with open joint injuries to athletic function is most closely related to the duration of the injury prior to treatment. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate therapy should yield a favorable result. Delayed diagnosis or inappropriate therapy that allow the wound to progress to an infected state makes the likelihood of return to athletic function poor. Refractory joint infection can occur despite early diagnosis and prompt appropriate therapy. The development of these infections is undoubtedly increased by tissue loss and gross contamination. Appropriate antibiotic...
van den Wollenberg L, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Since it has become possible to make an ante-mortem diagnosis of gastric ulceration in horses by means of endoscopy, interest in the presence and treatment of this syndrome has increased. Several endoscopic surveys have indicated that the frequency of gastric ulceration in Thoroughbreds in training is fairly high. Less is known about other breeds and horses that are kept under different (training) conditions. The equine stomach is covered by two different kinds of mucous membranes: squamous and glandular. These two areas differ from one another in the incidence and aetiology of ulceration and,...
Schumacher J, Hanselka DV.Free autogenous skin grafting of the horse is indicated for wounds too large to heal by contraction and epithelization. Techniques of pinch, punch, tunnel, and sheet grafting are described. Allografting and storage of skin for delayed grafting are discussed.
