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.
Fukuda K, Kuroda T, Tamura N, Mita H, Kasashima Y.Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has been widely applied in various medical fields including humans and horses. This study aimed to establish an optimal activation method to stably and reproducibly maximize the concentrations of platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) contained in equine PRP. Autologous PRP was prepared from 11 Thoroughbreds. For the activation test, PRP was activated by either a single freeze-thaw cycle (Fr) or adding calcium and autologous serum containing thrombin (Ca). PDGF-BB and TGF-β1 concentrations in Fr, Ca, nonactiv...
Bianchi MV, Mello LS, Ribeiro PR, Wentz MF, Stolf AS, Lopes BC, de Andrade CP, Snel GGM, Sonne L, Driemeier D, Pavarini SP.We document the causes and pathological findings in 50 cases of equine pneumonia and pleuritis in Southern Brazil. Suppurative (17/50), pyogranulomatous (14/50), aspiration (5/50), mycotic (4/50), bronchointerstitial (3/50), embolic (3/50) and eosinophilic granulomatous pneumonia (1/50) and pleuritis (3/50) were the main conditions identified. Streptococcus spp. were identified in 11 cases of suppurative pneumonia. Suppurative pneumonia was further divided into acute (8/17), subacute (6/17) and chronic (3/17) based on the morphological pattern of lesions. Rhodococcus equi was identified in all...
Gobbi FP, Di Filippo PA, Mello LM, Lemos GB, Martins CB, Albernaz AP, Quirino CR.This study is "aimed" to evaluate and compare the efficacy of flunixin meglumine (FM), firocoxib (FX), and meloxicam (MX) after castration of horses. Thirty horses were submitted to open castration and divided into three groups (n = 10) depending on the anti-inflammatory drug administered: group I (GI) (FM, 1.1 mg kg1, IV, once a day [SID], 5 days); group II (GII) (FX, 0.1 mg kg1, IV, SID, 5 days), and group III (GIII) (MX, 0.6 mg kg1, IV, SID, 5 days). Clinical, behavioral, and hematological parameters and the peritoneal fluid (PF) were evaluated before (day [D] 0) and 1, 2, 3, 5, a...
Ricord M, Andrews FM, Yñiguez FJM, Keowen M, Garza F, Paul L, Chapman A, Banse HE.Phenylbutazone is commonly prescribed for treatment of various painful or inflammatory disorders in horses, but is associated with gastrointestinal (GI) adverse effects. Anecdotally, many practitioners prescribe omeprazole concurrently with phenylbutazone to reduce development of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS), but the efficacy and safety of this practice remains unknown. Objective: To evaluate the effect of omeprazole on phenylbutazone-induced equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) and equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). Methods: Randomised block experimental design. Methods: Twent...
Youngblood CD, Hodgson DS, Beard WL, Song Y, Prakash P, Heflin LV.Recumbency affects respiratory mechanics and oxygenation in anesthetized horses. Changes in pleural and abdominal pressures that can impair ventilation have not been described in all recumbencies. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of patient positioning on transdiaphragmatic pressure and selected hemodynamic variables. Horses were maintained under total intravenous general anesthesia with nasal oxygen supplementation. Transnasal balloon catheters in the stomach and thoracic esophagus were used to measure intrathoracic and gastric pressures in standing horses and in anest...
Chiwitt CLH, Scurrell EJ, Featherstone HJ, Heinrich CL.A 15-year-old Cob mare presented with a 4-month history of chronic epiphora and intermittent blepharospasm in the right eye. On ophthalmic examination, two translucent aberrant hairs were identified at the third eyelid margin corresponding to an area of corneal fibrosis and neovascularization. Partial excision of the third eyelid was performed, and histopathology confirmed ectopic hair follicles. Two weeks later, clinical signs recurred in the same eye. Examination revealed another pair of aberrant hairs on the bulbar surface of the third eyelid near its leading edge. This portion of the third...
Hanis F, Chung ELT, Kamalludin MH, Idrus Z.The present study aimed to provide preliminary data on the prevalence of oral stereotypic, locomotory stereotypic, and redirected behaviors as well as their associations with stable management and feeding practices. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 207 working horses used for leisure riding, equestrian sport, polo, endurance, and patrolling were selected from seven equine facilities. Data on the stable management and feeding practices were obtained through the stable records, interviews, and on-site monitoring visits, whereas the prevalence of abnormal behaviors in the studied populat...
Fitzharris LE, Meehan LJ, Hezzell MJ, Allen KJ.The diaphragm is an important respiratory muscle, playing a key role during exercise. In humans, diaphragm thickness increases in response to training and is correlated with inspiratory strength. In order to assess respiratory strength in the horse, new evaluation techniques are required and measurement of diaphragm thickness, in a non-invasive and repeatable manner, is a possible approach. The purposes of this four-part, prospective, pilot study were to develop and describe a repeatable method to measure the diaphragm thickness, using ultrasonography, in Thoroughbred racehorses. A standardize...
Gustafsson K, Tatz AJ, Dahan R, Britzi M, Soback S, Sutton GA, Kelmer G. The aim of this study was to determine the time (T) to the maximum concentration (C) of amikacin sulphate in synovial fluid of the radiocarpal joint (RCJ) following cephalic intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) using 2 g of amikacin sulphate. Methods: Cephalic IVRLP was performed with 2 g of amikacin sulphate diluted in 0.9% NaCl to a total volume of 100 mL in six healthy adult mixed breed mares. An Esmarch's rubber tourniquet was applied for 30 minutes and the antibiotic solution was infused through a 23-gauge butterfly catheter. Synovial fluid was collected from the RCJ ...
Donati B, Fürst AE, Del Chicca F, Jackson MA. The aim of this study was to determine the indications for, and complications of, plate removal surgery in horses that underwent internal fixation of limb fractures. Methods: Medical records of horses presented to our hospital between 1990 and 2015 for the removal of plates after treatment of limb fractures were reviewed. Data collected at the time of initial presentation, including signalment, history, fracture features and treatment and information about the indications, timing and complications of implant removal were reviewed. Results: The most common bones involved were the ulna ...
Karam B, Hines S, Skipper L, Pusterla N.Serum amyloid A (SAA) is considered a major acute phase protein (APP) in horses. Serum amyloid A stall-side assays are commercially available to assess the inflammatory response of patients with various infectious and noninfectious conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the analytical performance of a new point-of-care (POC) assay for the measurement of SAA in whole blood and plasma of horses. One hundred and sixty blood samples were collected from 60 horses at various time points after immunization with an equine core vaccine. Analytical validation of the SAA POC assay inclu...
Peters S, Wilson J, Boyette J.The objective of this study was to determine the influence of age on expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP5), myostatin (MSTN), and myosin (MYH1) genes which are related to growth and muscle development in the American Quarter Horse. Thus, horses (n = 10) from weanling, yearling, 2-, 3-, and 10-year-old age classes were sampled and gene expression was assessed by RT-qPCR. ΔC was calculated using the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase gene as an internal normalizer. The generalized linear model was used to determine di...
Lescun TB, Adams SB, Nauman EA, Breur GJ. The aim of this study was to determine how increasing stiffness of fracture site tissues distal to the pins in an equine distal limb transfixation cast influences stress at the bone-pin interface, within the bones distal to the transcortical pins, and contact pressure between the foot and the cast. Methods: A transfixation cast finite element model was used to compare the bone-pin interface stress, pin stress, bone stress distal to the pins and contact pressure between the foot and the cast, using six stiffness values for a composite tissue block representing progressive stages of fractu...
Schenzel S, Rohde C, Fugazzola MC.A three-week-old warmblood colt was referred for a two-week history of lameness on the left thoracic limb, and a two-month-old Quarter Horse-mix filly was referred for malaligned pelvic limbs since birth. The foals were diagnosed with agenesis and dysgenesis of the navicular bone, respectively. In this report, we present clinical signs, diagnostics, and postmortem workup of the two cases.
Pérez-Nogués M, Derham A, Marmion J, True Baker W.Shallow lucencies less than 4 mm deep into the medial femoral condyle (MFC) are frequent in Thoroughbred horses undergoing screening sales radiographs. It is unclear if these shallow defects are precursors to larger cystic lesions or if they are fully developed defects that remodel into a flattened femoral condyle. Objective: To evaluate radiological lucencies of the MFC and their progression in size, in a cohort of Thoroughbred horses, ranging from 5 to 18 months of age and to report on the racing careers of these horses compared to their maternal siblings free of stifle pathology. Methods:...
Millar BC, Moore JE.Steam disinfection has become established as a trusted method of microbial decontamination; however, there have been no reports on the use of this technology to disinfect equipment used in collection of semen in artificial insemination practice. Hence, it was the aim of this study to examine the survival of Taylorella asinigenitalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae venereal bacterial pathogens using domestic steam disinfection. Sixteen bacterial pathogens from three genera Taylorella, Pseudomonas, and Klebsiella each at an inoculum density of approximately 1.5 × 107 colony-...
Gergeleit H, Bienert-Zeit A.The objectives of this retrospective study were to describe the prevalence and characteristics of post-operative complications that occur following equine mandibular cheek tooth extractions and to assess for possible associated risk factors. Clinically significant post-extraction complications necessitating repeat referral developed following 20/302 (6.6%) mandibular cheek tooth extractions. Horses developing complications were younger than the overall population having mandibular cheek teeth extractions and the most commonly affected teeth were the Triadan 07 s and 09 s. Alveolar sequestratio...
Kalamanova A, Anderson BH, Cust AR, Fulton IC.There are several skin grafting methods described in the human and animal literature. Currently, there are five types of free grafts used in horses: pinch and punch grafts, split and full-thickness sheet or mesh grafts and tunnel grafts. Published methods of tunnel grafting describe the use of alligator forceps. The alligator forceps create a poor tunnel and are excessively traumatic to the granulation bed. This technique utilised a 13G Jamshidi needle that was placed across the granulation bed and created a uniform tunnel. The Jamshidi needle was atraumatic to the granulation bed increasing t...
González-Medina S, Hyde C, Lovera I, Piercy RJ.Measurement of hypoglycin A (HGA) and its toxic metabolite, methylenecyclopropylacetic acid (MCPA), in equine serum confirms a diagnosis of atypical myopathy (AM), a pasture-associated toxic rhabdomyolysis with high mortality linked to the ingestion of Acer trees plant material. Supportive diagnostic tests include plasma acyl-carnitine profiling and urine organic acid testing, but these are not specific for AM. Previously reported HGA and MCPA analytical techniques used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with a derivatising step, but the latter prolongs testing and increases costs...
Malacarne BD, Cota LO, Neto ACP, Paz CFR, Dias LA, Corrêa MG, Carvalho AM, Faleiros RR, Xavier ABS.With the hypothesis that equine dorsal lamellar tissue can be desensitized by anesthesia injection into distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ), the objective was to assess the mechanical nociceptive threshold of hoof dorsal lamellae following intra-articular (IA) administration of lidocaine into this joint. Methods: The DIPJ of the forelimbs of six adult healthy horses were injected with either 5 mL of lidocaine, or 5 mL of lactated Ringer's solution. Treatments were randomly distributed, with each forelimb undergoing a single treatment. The hooves were evaluated pre- and post-injection at pre-se...
Andrade Junior LRP, Segabinazzi LGTM, Oliveira SN, Dell'Aqua JA, Papa FO.A high amount of blood and not the mere presence of blood in equine semen impacts fertility. The aim of this study was to develop an approach to rescue the fertility of stallions with high hemospermia levels. Semen from 15 stallions was divided into four experimental groups: (a) Control-pure raw semen, (b) WB50-50% (v/v) whole blood added into semen, (c) E1-WB50 extended in a 1:1 (v/v) ratio with milk-based extender and (d) E2-WB50 extended in a 2:1 ratio with milk-based extender. Sperm kinetics, plasma membrane integrity (PMI), lipid peroxidation (PER) and intracellular superoxide (O ) produc...
Zitterl-Eglseer K, Marschik T.Viruses have a high mutation rate, and, thus, there is a continual emergence of new antiviral-resistant strains. Therefore, it becomes imperative to explore and develop new antiviral compounds continually. The search for pharmacological substances of plant origin that are effective against animal viruses, which have a high mortality rate or cause large economic losses, has garnered interest in the last few decades. This systematic review compiles 130 plant species that exhibit antiviral activity on 37 different virus species causing serious diseases in animals. The kind of extract, fraction, o...
Ekici S, Ozmen O.The active roles of microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) in gene regulation have made miRNAs a key point for the scientific world in the study of physiological processes. Although saliva includes the largest number of miRNAs, there is no miRNA study in saliva on horses has been found. Our study is the first study on miRNAs isolation from saliva in horses. In the present study, saliva was studied in Arabian racehorses to better understand the molecular mechanisms of expression levels that are effective in lipid metabolism of miRNAs and their target genes during the race. Identification of lipid meta...
Ohta M, Bannai H, Nemoto M, Kambayashi Y, Tamura N, Tsujimura K.An inactivated equine influenza virus (EIV) vaccine and a live equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) vaccine are usually administered concurrently to Thoroughbred racehorses in Japan. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether concurrent administration of an inactivated EIV vaccine and a live EHV-1 vaccine in Thoroughbred racehorses influences the antibody response against EIV. We compared the antibody response against EIV in horses administered both vaccines on the same day (Group A; n = 27) and the response in horses administered an inactivated EIV vaccine first and then a live EHV-1 v...
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...
Cavalero TMS, Segabinazzi LGTM, Scheeren VFC, Canuto LEF, Gobato MLM, Papa FF.A 7-year-old Quarter Horse stallion was admitted at the hospital with a history of ejaculatory failure for 12 months. The stallion revealed no physical or psychological abnormalities, as well as, normal libido and erection. In addition, there were no abnormalities in accessory sex glands or the aorta artery detected by transrectal ultrasonography. Based on clinical findings, the stallion was diagnosed with an idiopathic ejaculatory dysfunction; therefore, alternative attempts of semen collection were performed. Thermal compress on the basis of the stallion's penis, semen collection on the gro...
Step DL, Blue JT, Dill SG.Acute, severe hemolytic anemia occurred in a horse being treated for tetanus with intravenous penicillin and tetanus antitoxin. During treatment, the horse developed a positive direct antiglobulin test and a high titer (maximum 1:1024) of IgG anti-penicillin antibody. The horse recovered from the tetanus and penicillin induced hemolytic anemia, but later developed acute hepatic failure, probably resulting from the administration of equine origin tetanus antitoxin.
Mills NJ, Whitlock MD.Cases of head injury are reviewed in which riders wearing jockey skull caps have suffered impacts to the front, back or side of their helmets. The design and constructional materials of such helmets are assessed. Impact tests that simulate the accidents confirm the low energy absorption potential of some helmets for lateral impacts. Most pedal or motorcycle helmet designs afford better lateral impact protection.
Carroll SL, Sykes BW, Mills PC.Husbandry and veterinary procedures have the potential to generate fear and stress in animals. In horses, the associated responses can pose a significant safety risk to the human personnel involved in the procedure, as well as to the animal itself. Traditionally, physical restraint, punishment, and/or threat of an aversive, have been the most common strategies used to achieve compliance from the horse. However, from a welfare perspective, this is less than ideal. This approach also has the potential for creating a more dangerous response from the horse in future similar situations. When caring...
Jasiński T, Zdrojkowski Ł, Kautz E, Juszczuk-Kubiak E, Ferreira-Dias G, Domino M.Endometrosis is an important mares' disease which considerably decreases their fertility. As classic endometrial classification methods might be insufficient for tissue pathological evaluation, further categorization into active/inactive and destructive/non-destructive types was developed by Hoffmann and others. This study aimed to compare NF-κB pathway genes transcription among histopathological types of endometrosis, following Hoffmann and co-authors' classification. Endometrial samples, collected postmortem from cyclic mares ( = 100) in estrus or diestrus, were classified histologically an...
Waran NK, Robertson V, Cí·¯ord D, Kokoszko A, Marlin DJ.The effects of transporting horses facing either forwards or backwards were compared by transporting six thoroughbred horses in pairs in a lorry on one journey facing in the direction of travel, and on another journey facing away from the direction of travel, over a standard one-hour route. Heart rate monitors were used to record their heart rate before, during and after the journey and the horses' behaviour was recorded by scan sampling each horse every other minute. The average heart rate was significantly lower (P < 0.05) when the horses were transported facing backwards, and they also t...
Lauderdale MA, Hinchcliff KW.The power:time-to-fatigue relationship for high-intensity exercise in man is useful in determining anaerobic work capacity. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of this relationship in horses. Eight Standardbred horses performed 5 or 6 run-to-fatigue trials on a treadmill. Exercise intensities were chosen to induce fatigue in 30 to 240 s. The order of trials was randomised for each horse, but balanced overall for the first 4 trials. The data for power (independent variable) and time-to-fatigue (dependent variable) were tested for goodness of fit to hyperbolic, linear and expon...
Chaffin MK, Fuenteabla IC, Schumacher J, Welch RD, Edwards JF.The medical records of 11 horses with idiopathic muscular hypertrophy (MH) of the small intestine were reviewed to determine the clinical and pathological features of the disease. The median age of affected horses was 10.0 years (range 5-18 years). No breed or sex predisposition was apparent. Ten horses (91%) had chronic (23 days to 2.4 years) signs of mild, intermittent colic, and 1 horse had signs of severe colic of only 3 days' duration. Partial anorexia and chronic weight loss of variable duration (1-6 months) were prominent historical findings in 5 (45%) horses. Diagnostic tests, with the...
Takahashi Y, Takahashi T, Mukai K, Ohmura H.Exercise intensity during races is considerably high. To understand how Thoroughbreds adapt to fatigue conditions, stride parameters for the first and second lap of the race (2400-m, turf) were compared. A high-speed video system was set in a right lateral position about 20 m before the finishing post, with a field view width of about 16 m. The stride frequency, the length between each limb (hind step, diagonal step, fore step, and airborne step), and stride length were measured and analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model. Compared with the first lap, the mean ± standard deviation val...
Annand EJ, Reid PA.The first two confirmed cases of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) infection in horses are presented. Both cases occurred in the same week in May 2013 in paddock mates in south-east Queensland. Australia has been one of only a few countries considered free from rabies-like viruses in domestic animal species. ABLV infection had previously only been confirmed in bats and humans. All three confirmed human cases were fatal, the latest in February 2013. An additional human case of possible abortive infection in 1996 has also been reported. Both equine cases reported here resulted in euthanasia. The ...
Kiss K, Swatek P, Lénárt I, Mayr J, Schmidt B, Pintér A, Höllwarth ME.The purpose of the present study was to investigate factors affecting the nature, characteristics, severity and outcome of horseback and horse care injuries in paediatric patients and to create guidelines for injury prevention. Methods: Detailed clinical records of 265 children sustained horse-riding related injuries have been analysed. Questionnaires were mailed to provide follow-up information for patients who have been treated in either Department of Paediatric Surgery in Pécs, Hungary, or Department of Paediatric Surgery in Graz, Austria between 1999 and 2003. Those 112 children (42%) who...
Alanazi AD, Mukbel RM, Alyousif MS, AlShehri ZS, Alanazi IO, Al-Mohammed HI.In the last decade, Parascaris spp. resistance to anthelmintics has been recorded in many countries. In Saudi Arabia, there are limited data available on Parascaris spp. resistance to anthelmintics. Objective: To determine the current status of ivermectin, abamectin and praziquantel combined, and fenbendazole resistance to Parascaris spp. in horses in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Three hundred and forty-one foals from eleven different farms were examined by faecal egg count (FEC). The foals were all Arab horses aged 17.2 ± 4.5 (SD) months. Ivermectin (n = 46 foals), abamectin and praziquantel combi...
Pollard D, Wylie CE, Newton JR, Verheyen KLP.Previous robust epidemiological studies of equine laminitis have utilised only veterinary-diagnosed episodes of disease, potentially underestimating true disease frequency. Objective: To estimate the incidence of, and describe clinical signs associated with, owner-reported active laminitis in horses/ponies, using both veterinary-diagnosed and nonveterinary-diagnosed episodes. Methods: Prospective cohort. Methods: Data were collected from horse/pony owners in Great Britain between August 2014 and December 2016 using a web-based application. The incidence of owner-reported laminitis was estimate...
Stöckle SD, Kannapin DA, Kauter AML, Lübke-Becker A, Walther B, Merle R, Gehlen H.For surgical interventions classified as clean or clean-contaminated, including laparotomy, guidelines in human and veterinary medicine recommend a short-term perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP). In equine colic surgery, however, PAP commonly exceeds 24 h. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare a single-shot to a 5-day lasting PAP considering surgical site infections (SSI) and other adverse effects probably associated with the particular antimicrobial regimen. Methods: The study was designed as a randomised non-inferiority pilot study including horses subjected to colic surgery...
Chapman MR, French DD, Monahan CM, Klei TR.Three fecal egg count reduction assays (FECR) and one critical trial were performed to determine the efficacy of pyrantel pamoate (PP) at 6.6 mg base kg-1 on a well managed stud farm in Louisiana where a loss of efficacy was suspected. Efficacy of PP based on FECR varied from 25% in mares to 83% in yearlings. Second treatments with PP 2 weeks following an initial treatment failed to reduce eggs per gram (EPG). A critical trial was performed to determine the cyathostome species resistant to PP. Three strongyle-naive ponies which acquired infections on the farm were used for this purpose. Follow...
Mönki J, Saastamoinen M, Karikoski N, Rajamäki M, Raekallio M, Junnila J, Särkijärvi S, Norring M, Valros A, Oranen Ben Fatma S, Mykkänen A.Bedding materials affect stable air hygiene, and thus the development and exacerbation of equine asthma. There is limited knowledge concerning the effects of different types of bedding material on equine lower airway inflammation. The objective of our study was to investigate the effects of bedding materials on respiratory signs, tracheal mucus score, and lower airway cytology in healthy adult horses. The study design was a prospective controlled study, and the subjects were healthy adult riding school horses (n = 32) from a single stable. Wood shavings were compared to peat, which was used as...
Velie BD, Hamilton NA, Wade CM.Performance data for 164,046 Thoroughbreds entered in a race or official barrier trial in Australia were provided by Racing Information Services Australia. Analyses estimating the heritability for a range of racing performance traits using a single-trait animal model were performed using ASREML-R. Log of cumulative earnings (LCE; 0.19 ± 0.01), log of earnings per race start (0.23 ± 0.02) and best race distance (0.61 ± 0.03) were all significantly heritable. Fixed effects for sex were significant (P < 0.001) for all performance traits aside from LCE (P = 0.382). With the exception of annual ...
Muylle E, Vandenhende C, Oyaert W, Thoonen H, Vlaeminck K.Thirty-two horses were examined with a history of poor performance and unthriftiness several months after the ingestion of feed containing monensin sodium. Cardiac abnormality was diagnosed in 8 cases and suspected in 4 others. Necropsy examinations were performed on 6 cases with marked clinical symptoms and evidence of circulatory failure was found. Marked cardiac myopathy and fibrosis was a consistent feature. It is concluded that ingestion of monensin sodium by horses may cause either acute death or delayed cardiac circulatory failure as a result of specific cardiac myodegeneration.
Costa-Paz M, Aponte-Tinao L, Muscolo DL.To assess prospectively the incidence, nature, and severity of injuries to polo riders competing in the 1996 Argentine High Polo season. Methods: Assessment, documentation, and provision of care for all injuries sustained during the 1996 season by one of the authors. Riders were also surveyed retrospectively for their previous polo injuries. Results: 34 riders took part in the study. Nine injuries were sustained prospectively and 55 injuries were reviewed retrospectively (64 total). The injuries were categorised as minor (10), moderate (13), and major (41). Twenty five (39%) injuries occurred ...
Miranda-de la Lama GC, Gonzales-Castro CA, Gutierrez-Piña FJ, Villarroel M, Maria GA, Estévez-Moreno LX.Every year thousands of horses from Mexico and the United States of America (USA) are transported to slaughter in Mexico, but little is known about their welfare or pre-slaughter logistics. In this study, we recorded the origin, sex, age and condition of horses (121 journeys, 2648 animals) upon arrival to an abattoir in northern Mexico, including transport details. Horse welfare was measured indirectly via individual scores for body condition, coat quality, lameness, ocular and nasal discharge, as well as reactivity to a chute restraint test, all performed shortly after unloading. The average ...
Pearce GP, May-Davis S, Greaves D.To investigate the occurrence of geometrical asymmetries in the macro-architecture of left and right femurs from Thoroughbred racehorses previously used in competitive training and racing in New South Wales, Australia. Methods: Detailed postmortem measurements were made of 37 characteristics of left and right femurs from eleven Thoroughbred racehorses euthanased for reasons unrelated to the study. Measurements focused on articulating surfaces and sites of attachment of muscles and ligaments known to be associated with hindlimb locomotion. Results: Five measurements were significantly larger in...
Burgess BA.Managing Salmonella in equine populations can be challenging due to the epidemiology of this disease. In particular, due to the range of clinical outcomes, the occurrence of subclinical infections, and intermittent shedding. This greatly affects the ability to detect shedding and can lead to widespread environmental contamination and transmission. The veterinary profession can reduce the risk to stablemates and their caretakers, while meeting their ethical obligation, by appropriately managing these risks within animal populations and environments.
Jackson BF, Dyson PK, Lonnell C, Verheyen KL, Pfeiffer DU, Price JS.The aim of this study was to determine whether bone biomarkers (osteocalcin, PICP, ICTP and CTX-I) could be used to identify 2- and 3-year-olds at increased risk of fracture in the subsequent flat racing season. It was concluded that these bone biomarkers cannot be used to identify 2- and 3-year-olds that sustain a fracture. Whether bone biomarkers have better predictive value in older horses or when measured serially in the same animal remains to be determined.
Wingfield Digby NJ, Ricketts SW.The results of 4024 concurrent endometrial swab and smear tests taken from maiden, barren and post-parturient mares during early oestrus, before coitus demonstrated the practical value of these tests in routine stud farm practice. The use of cytological examinations provided a more direct diagnostic test for acute endometritis and this increased the accuracy of interpretation of the bacteriological findings.
Relave F, David F, Leclère M, Alexander K, Hélie P, Meulyzer M, Lavoie JP, Marcoux M.To validate the use of the LigaSure™ Vessel Sealing System (LVSS) to perform thoracoscopic lung tissue biopsies in heaves-affected horses. Methods: Prospective clinical study. Methods: Heaves-affected horses (n=12). Methods: Lung biopsies (n=34) were collected with the LVSS (2-4 biopsies/horse) in horses with and without clinical signs of heaves. Thoracoscope (13th intercostal space [ICS]) and 2 instruments (between the 12-15th ICS) portals were used. Selected clinical and arterial blood gas variables were monitored. Postoperative pneumothorax was evaluated. Depth of thermal injury to the su...
Hernandez JA, Scollay MC, Hawkins DL, Corda JA, Krueger TM.To evaluate horseshoe characteristics and high-speed exercise history as risk factors for catastrophic musculoskeletal injury in Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: 377 horses (37,529 race starts). Methods: Shoe characteristics included material, toe grab height, heel traction device, pads, and rim shoes. Racing variables were obtained from a computerized database. Forty-three horses that had a musculoskeletal injury and then failed to race or train for 6 months (cases) and 334 noninjured horses from the same race in which a horse was injured (controls) were compared regarding risk factors. Resu...
Nath LC, Elliott AD, Weir J, Curl P, Rosanowski SM, Franklin S.Atrial fibrillation (AF) impacts performance and horse and jockey safety. Understanding the outcomes of AF identified postrace will better inform regulatory policy. Objective: To investigate the outcomes after episodes of AF identified postrace and determine whether affected horses are at increased risk of additional episodes compared to the general racing population. Methods: Total of 4684 Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Race records for Thoroughbred horses racing in Hong Kong from 2007 to 2017 were reviewed. Horses that performed below expectation were examined by cardiac auscultation and ...
