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.
Fessler JF.Major surgery for wounds of the foot, compared with other parts of the body, requires a more detailed preparation and a more persistent aftercare. To approach severe hoof wounds with a routine applicable to drainage of a subsolar abscess is doomed to failure! Yet, in dealing with referral cases of hoof wounds, particularly those that have become chronic, the author has observed that the principles have been ignored and/or the routines inadequate. The hoof has a suitable capacity to heal, with complete reformation of hoof structures, if a healing environment is maintained for a long enough peri...
Ellis KL, Seabaugh K, King MR.Local injection of corticosteroids is commonly performed in horses with sacroiliac (SI) region pain and/or dysfunction, ,and ultrasound findings of normal horses and those with SI pain have also been well described. However, no studies have been performed that have evaluated if ultrasound findings, injection technique, or medications injected affect prognosis for return to function. The objectives of the current study are to determine if findings on ultrasound, injection technique, or medications injected are predictive of return to function in horses with SI region pain and/or dysfunction. Me...
Lees MJ, Fretz PB, Bowen CV, Leach DH.Equine limb wounds often heal slowly by epithelialization, and large scars are a frequent end result. In some ways, they resemble the wound associated with human tibial injuries. The literature indicates that previous investigators have failed to transfer free skin flaps successfully in the horse. In this paper, we review our experimental work with the deep circumflex iliac flap in the horse. Dissections of 20 cadavers confirmed the anatomical consistency of the flap. Four flaps survived well when elevated as island flaps, but five orthotopic and nine heterotopic free flap transfers all failed...
Luo Y, Rudy JA, Uboh CE, Soma LR, Guan F, Enright JM, Tsang DS.The method describes quantification and confirmation of flunixin in equine plasma by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF/MS/MS). Samples were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and only those samples presumptively declared positive were subjected to quantification and confirmation for the presence of flunixin by this method. The method is also readily adaptable to instrumental screening for the analyte. Flunixin was recovered from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). The sample was diluted with 2 ml saturated phosphate buffer (pH ...
Godber LM, Brown CM, Mullaney TP.A 13-year-old American Saddlebred mare was presented with a 4-day history of anorexia. Physical examination revealed increased inspiratory effort and bony enlargement of the distal limbs. Radiographs indicated a thoracic mass and periosteal proliferations on the distal limbs consistent with hypertrophic osteopathy. Gastric endoscopy revealed distal esophageal and gastric ulceration, and functional pyloric stenosis. Abdominal ultrasonographic examination revealed multiple large, cystic structures associated with the liver. A percutaneous biopsy indicated the thoracic mass to be a granular cell ...
Koneberg DG, Edinger J.The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the value of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography for the diagnosis of equine meniscal and trochlear ridge lesions under in vitro conditions. Lesions were created in the isolated meniscus and femoral trochlea of 25 cadaver stifle joints. Cylindric, conic, and cuboid lesions were created on the trochlear ridge. Five different meniscal tear configurations were created. A total of 107 lesions of the trochlear ridge and 103 lesions of the meniscus were created. 3D ultrasonography was performed in a waterbath, using a 7.5 MHz 3D scanner. Trochlea...
Carmel DK, Crisman MV, Ley WB, Irby MH, Edwards GH.We surveyed the whole blood selenium status of a randomly sampled population of horses from 4 contiguous counties in northern Maryland. Two hundred and two horses from 74 farms were sampled. Whole blood selenium levels greater than or equal to 0.100 parts per million (ppm) were considered adequate; blood levels less than 0.100 ppm were considered marginal or deficient. The average blood selenium concentration of the horses sampled was 0.137 ppm, with a standard deviation of 0.041 ppm. Blood selenium concentrations ranged from 0.050-0.266 ppm. Thirty-eight of 202 horses (18.8%) had a selenium l...
Abu-Seida AM, Shamaa AA.Congenital frontal osteoma has not been previously described in horses. This report records-for the first time-a congenital osteoma of the frontal bone in a 4-month-old Arabian filly. The filly had a frontal hard mass that was present at birth and then showed a slow and continuous growth. This mass appeared as a solitary, painless, oval dense tumor of compact bone, about 2 cm in diameter and 3 cm in length. The tumor was asymptomatic, and the skin over the mass was normal. Radiography revealed a well-defined oval, radio-dense mass projecting from the surface of the right frontal bone with no...
Ahern BJ, Boston RC, Ross MW.To evaluate equids with enostosis-like lesions (ELLs) and document the clinical and epidemiological features of this disease. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 79 equids with a scintigraphic diagnosis of at least 1 ELL on ≥ 1 occasion. Methods: Medical records of 4,992 equids that underwent bone scintigraphy between March 1997 and March 2009 were reviewed; 78 horses and 1 pony had a scintigraphic diagnosis of an ELL. For those equids, signalment; physical, scintigraphic, radiographic, and lameness examination results; and outcome were reviewed. Results: Of the 79 equids, 4 (5.1%) ...
Wang TJ, Ward T, Nguyen HT, Hurwitz EL.The purpose of this study was to describe the types of equestrian-related musculoskeletal injuries and their management. Unassigned: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 19 patients who presented with injuries from equestrian activities at a chiropractic practice from December 2000 to December 2020. Deidentified data were extracted from the charts and summarized. Unassigned: Of the 19 patients, 42.3% presented with acute trauma, 38.5% had overuse injuries, and 19.2% had chronic injuries as a result of previous trauma. We found that 90% of overuse injuries and 18.2% of acute injuries led t...
Wilson DA, Keegan KG, Carson WL.This study compared the mechanical properties of the normal intact suspensory apparatus and two methods of fixation for repair of transverse, midbody fractures of the proximal sesamoid bones of adult horses: transfixation wiring (TW) and screws placed in lag fashion (LS). Methods: An in vitro, paired study using equine cadaver limbs mounted in a loading apparatus was used to test the mechanical properties of TW and LS. Methods: Seventeen paired (13 repaired, 4 normal) equine cadaver limbs consisting of the suspensory apparatus third metacarpal bone, and first and second phalanges. Methods: The...
Bertram CA, Dietert K, Pieper L, Erickson NA, Barton AK, Klopfleisch R.During bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) sample preparation in horses, several technical aspects can affect sample variability. To date, the effects of different fixatives on prepared equine BALF films have been insufficiently investigated. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of various on-slide fixation methods on cell quality, including spray fixation of wet films, and acetone and methanol fixation of air-dried samples in comparison with unfixed, air-dried films. Methods: Cytocentrifuged BALF samples from 5 horses were fixed in a wet state using a commercially available fix...
Atayde L, Rocha A.It is important to get mares pregnant as early as possible after vernal transition and thus, identification signs of impending 1st ovulation of the year are warranted. To identify clinical indicators of an approaching first ovulation of the year, mares were teased with a stallion for oestrous detection starting January 3 and subjected to ultrasonographic examination. Day of first appearance of uterus oedema, follicular wall invagination, intrafollicular echogenicity, double contour of the follicle wall, increase in granulosa thickness, follicular wall hyperechogenicity and appearance of pear-s...
Bertone AL.Initial management of injuries includes safely gaining control of the animal and assessing and treating systemic shock. If hemorrhage is life threatening, it must be controlled. If the limb is nonfunctional it should be stabilized. Any open orthopedic injury should be treated by cleaning the tissues, protecting the exposed tissues, and administering systemic antibiotics. A commercial splint is available (Equine Regular Leg Saver Splint, Kimzey Welding Works, Woodland, CA) that can immobilize and relieve weightbearing for cases of phalangeal fracture, flexor tendon rupture, fetlock breakdown, a...
Rigert S, Geyer H, Kummer M.The following case report describes the treatment of canker in a 14 years old warmblood gelding. The horse showed the typical appearance with caseous surface and early detachment of the superficial horn layers. The histological results show a severe degradation in the germinal layer of the epidermis of the frog. Surgical therapy under general anaesthesia was performed. On all limbs a tourniquet was applied and all abnormal tissue in the region of the frog and also the subdermal tissue underneath were removed. Postoperatively the horse was treated with hoof bandages for 2 weeks. Treatment plate...
Oliveira SN, Andrade LRP, Silva LFMC, Araujo EAB, Rayashi RM, Segabinazzi LGTM, Alvarenga MA, Dell'Aqua CP, Dell'Aqua JA, Papa FO.Treatments for seminal vesiculitis have poor outcomes in stallions; thus, the development of alternative strategies is warranted. This study aimed to evaluate fractionated semen collection as a method to restore the fertility of stallions diagnosed with seminal vesiculitis. Eighteen ejaculates from six stallions (three ejaculates/stallion) diagnosed with seminal vesiculitis were harvested in fractions, as follows: Fraction A (FA), the first two jets; Fraction B (FB), the third and fourth jets; and Fraction C (FC), the fifth and remaining jets of the ejaculate. All fractions were subject to sta...
Alberti E, Stucchi L, Stancari G, Ferro E, Ferrucci F, Zucca E.Only few data regarding normal resting blood pressure in horses and the influence of cardiac diseases on arterial blood pressure are available in literature. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the possible influence of age, sex, breed, bodyweight, and cardiac diseases and their severity on blood pressure values measured in horses with cardiac disease and in a control group. For this case-control study, indirect blood pressure measurement was performed in 60 horses with different types of cardiac disease and in 23 healthy horses (control group), by means of an ultrasonic blood-...
Nickels FA.Conditions of this portion of the respiratory tract are relatively uncommon. This article reviews these conditions and discusses the different modes of therapy. The conditions covered are redundant alar folds, diseases of the nasal septum, fungal infections, neoplasms, nasal polyps, and ethmoid hematomas. The different surgical approaches to the nasal cavity are reviewed, and surgery of removal of the nasal septum and the alar fold are described.
Brown CM.This article reviews the etiology, clinical findings, and significance of diseases of the heart valves, myocardium, pericardium, and great vessels of the horse. Each valve is considered separately from the point of view of murmur production. In addition, the role of the cardiovascular system in the etiology of sudden and unexpected death is considered.
Hagedorn HW, Meiser H, Zankl H, Schulz R.Due to its tranquilizing properties, the tricyclic antidepressant doxepin may be misused as a doping agent in competition horses. Therefore, efficient analytical procedures are required to detect this drug in samples submitted for doping control. To screen for parent doxepin in equine blood and urine, a less specific method has been accepted employing gas chromatography (GC) combined with electron impact (EI) mass spectrometry (MS). The aim of this study was identification of doxepin metabolites providing more specific MS data to verify positives resulting from screening. Thus, after a horse w...
The development of a nodule is a fairly common reaction pattern in the skin and subcutaneous tissues of the horse. In many such nodules, the inciting aetiologic agent or antigen is unknown, but in some equine cases there is significant evidence for insect bite origin. The pathogenesis of some equine nodular diseases appears to involve marked collagen degeneration which varies from hyalinization to lysis and can become mineralized. The exact role the lytic collagen has in the pathogenesis of these lesions is still unknown. Vascular changes may be present in some entities. Other nodules may be c...
Lores M, Yarbrough T.A 9-year-old pony gelding was evaluated because it was suspected that a persistent oronasal fistula had developed after a fractured right maxillary second premolar tooth had been extracted via repulsion 6 months earlier. Results: Unilateral mucopurulent nasal discharge and malodorous breath were noted on clinical examination. Examination of the oral cavity revealed a 1 × 0.5-cm defect at the oral aspect of the right maxillary second premolar alveolus, from which feed material was extracted. Endoscopic examination revealed feed material in the rostral aspect of the right nasal cavity, confirmi...
Lloyd JW, Kaneene JB.A study was developed to describe direct expenses, labor use, and performance days lost associated with health management in the Michigan equine industry. A prospective design with stratified, random sampling, was employed involving 77 operations from February 1992 through January 1993, and 61 different operations from May 1993 through April 1994. Data on the cost of health management were collected during monthly visits, and included monetary expenditures, death losses, days lost, and labor use. Median health care costs (when they were incurred) were $4.84 per horse per month for monetary exp...
Changoor A, Hurtig MB, John Runciman R.Multiple osteochondral grafts can be used to resurface large joint defects in both humans and horses. In humans, immediate postoperative weight bearing can be prevented, however in the equine, it is unavoidable. Early weight bearing can create detrimental graft micromotion. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of a bioresorbable cement in improving the initial stability of multiple osteochondral graft repairs of large subchondral cystic lesions in the horse. Configurations employed for filling a 20mm diameter cylindrical defect included: (A) twelve 4.5mm diameter grafts with cemen...
Vidović A, Jansen D.The first part of this case report describes the surgical treatment of a unilateral mandibular fracture in the standing horse by using a fixateur type I. By the time of implant removal, the fracture had completely healed. However, during implant removal, an implant failure of 2 of the 4 implants occurred with fragments remaining in the bone. The second part of the report focuses on the development of a special surgical instrument that was designed for removal of the implant fragments. Furthermore, the surgical method allowing the entire extirpation of the fragments within a second surgery is d...
Krueger K, Trager L, Farmer K, Byrne R.Tool use has not yet been confirmed in horses, mules or donkeys. As this subject is difficult to research with conventional methods, we used a crowdsourcing approach to gather data. We contacted equid owners and carers and asked them to report and video examples of "unusual" behaviour via a dedicated website. We also searched YouTube and Facebook for videos of equids showing tool use. From 635 reports, including 1014 behaviours, we found 20 cases of tool use, 13 of which were unambiguous in that it was clear that the behaviour was not trained, caused by reduced welfare, incidental or accidenta...
Horbal A, Dixon PM.A 4-year-old thoroughbred cross mare was referred to the University of Edinburgh Veterinary School Equine Hospital for treatment of a soft tissue tumor on the buccal gingival margin of the rostral right maxillary cheek teeth. The lesion was initially surgically excised and diagnosed as a fibrosarcoma via histopathology. Adjunctive treatment with intralesional cisplatin chemotherapy was begun. The tumor recurred and was repeatedly treated with intralesional cisplatin injections and additional surgical resection over the course of 14 weeks. Despite the initial poor response to treatment, no furt...
Rowlands IW.The world-wide foaling rate in the mare is low and in the Hannoverian breed has remained asymptotic at about 50 per cent for over 150 years. In an attempt to discover some of the possible reasons for this low fertility rate, the evolutionary history of the perissodactyls, the odd-toed ungulates, is reviewed here. Of the 156 genera of this order, 152 are in the fossil record; this gives them the highest extermination rate of all the mammal groups. Some of the unusual and unique features of the reproductive physiology of the mare and their possible association with low fertility are considered.
Michishita M, Shibata R, Machida Y, Matsumoto M, Ochiai K, Azakami D.A 20-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding was referred with clinical signs of anorexia, weight loss, intermittent fever, cough, subcutaneous oedema and exercise intolerance. Haematological examination revealed the presence of blast cells, decreased lymphocytes, mild thrombocytopenia and anaemia but no leucocytosis. Serum analyses detected elevated aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase activities and triglyceride concentrations. Twenty-two days after the initial visit, the horse died after showing clinical signs of decreased appetite, increased body temperature, tachypnoea and t...
Conradie M, Robert M, Carstens A.A 7-year-old Thoroughbred gelding presented with a history of mild unilateral right-sided epistaxis and facial swelling over the right caudal maxillary sinus and zygomatic arch. Eleven months previously a progressive ethmoid hematoma had been surgically removed from the right caudal maxillary and conchofrontal sinus. Computed tomography identified a large expansile soft-tissue attenuating mass in the right caudal maxillary sinus, with protrusion into the conchofrontal sinus, that extended into the zygomatic arch. Lytic expansion and thinning of the cortex with pneumatization of the zygomatic a...
