Veterinary medicine for horses encompasses the study and application of medical practices to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases in equine species. This field involves a comprehensive understanding of equine anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. Veterinary practitioners employ a range of diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions to address health issues in horses, including lameness, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory conditions, and infectious diseases. Preventative care, such as vaccination and deworming programs, is also a significant aspect of equine veterinary medicine. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of veterinary medicine as it pertains to horses, including advancements in diagnostic techniques, treatment protocols, and preventive health strategies.
Perkins G, Ainsworth DM, Erb HN, Del Piero F, Miller M, Wilkins PA, Palmer J, Frazer M.A retrospective multicentre study comparing historical, clinical, haematological, acid-base and biochemical findings of foals with Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection, septicaemia or prematurity was performed to determine if early diagnosis of EHV-1 foals was possible. Fifty-three foals were studied and were assigned to one of 2 groups: herpes positive (n = 14) or herpes negative (n = 39). The latter group included 20 septic, 11 premature, and 8 premature and septic foals. The presence of herpes antigen was confirmed by immunoperoxidase histochemical staining of tissues from necropsied foal...
Cripps PJ, Eustace RA.The significance of clinical and radiological parameters as prognostic indicators for laminitis, 'founder' and 'sinking syndrome' was studied using case records of 216 horses and ponies. Five animals were destroyed without treatment and were not included in the results of the study. One hundred and sixty-two (77%) animals returned to athletic soundness; 7 animals (3%) did not regain full athletic function, 42 animals (20%) died or were destroyed. Cases were assigned to 4 groups on the basis of initial clinical examination alone. These groups were laminitis, acute founder, 'sinker' and chronic ...
Birch HL, Bailey JV, Bailey AJ, Goodship AE.Specific tendons show a high incidence of partial central core rupture which is preceded by degeneration. In the performance horse, the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is most often affected. We have described previously the molecular changes that are associated with degeneration in the central core region of the equine SDFT. The pathophysiological mechanism leading to change in synthetic activity of central zone cells in degenerated tendons is not known. In this study, we test the hypothesis that ageing results in matrix composition changes within the central zone of the SDFT. Extrac...
Art T, Kirschvink N, Smith N, Lekeux P.To test the hypothesis that reactive oxygen species could be associated to the lower airway disorders occurring in horses suffering from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), indices of oxidative stress were studied in blood and pulmonary epithelium lining fluid in 5 RAO horses either in clinical remission or 24 h after the onset of a crisis of bronchospasm and in 5 healthy horses. Venous blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were collected and analysed for reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidised glutathione (GSSG), total glutathione (TGSH), glutathione redox ratio (GRR) in blood hae...
Gerstenberg C, Allen WR, Stewart F.Immunohistochemical detection of the proliferation marker Ki-67 antigen was used to monitor mitotic activity in the endometrium of mares. The monoclonal antibody MIB1 was validated for use on equine tissues by demonstrating its reaction with activated peripheral blood lymphocytes, and endometrial biopsies were recovered from 26 non-pregnant mares at selected stages during the reproductive cycle. The proportion of positively stained nuclei was counted in five random areas on each histological section to determine the percentage and type of proliferating cells. Multiplication rates in the types ...
Dixon PM, Tremaine WH, Pickles K, Kuhns L, Hawe C, McCann J, McGorum B, Railton DI, Brammer S.A review of 400 horses referred because of dental disorders showed 44 cases to suffer from primary disorders of their incisors and 11 from canine or 1st premolar teeth disorders. The remaining 345 horses suffered from primary disorders of the cheek teeth. Disorders of incisors included traumatic damage to teeth and their supporting bones, retained deciduous, displaced and supernumerary incisors; brachygnathia and abnormalities of wear, with most of the latter disorders being secondary to primary disorders of the cheek teeth Only 3 cases of apical infection of incisors were recognised. Most cas...
Neubauer A, Meindl A, Osterrieder N.The equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) modified live vaccine strain RacH is apathogenic for both laboratory animals and the natural host. The apathogenicity of RacH was caused by serial passages of the virus in heterologous cells. When compared to the virulent parental strain RacL11 several changes in the RacH genome occurred. Previous results have shown that the loss of the IR6 gene correlated with the loss of virulence. Additional important mutations were observed within the US2 gene which is directly adjacent to the IR6 gene and within the glycoprotein B (gB) gene. To answer the question whether ...
O'Neill T, Kydd JH, Allen GP, Wattrang E, Mumford JA, Hannant D.The frequency of antigen-specific, genetically restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors (CTLp) was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of ponies before and after infection with equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV1). Split-well limiting dilution analysis (LDA) was developed to measure CTLp frequency using EHV1-infected 51Cr-labelled lymphoblasts as targets. Extensive characterisation showed that recombinant human interleukin-2, autologous antigen presenting cells and equine serum containing virus neutralising antibody were necessary for maturation of CTLp into effector CTL in vitro. ...
Peham C, Licka T, Girtler D, Scheidl M.The aim of this study was to compare supporting forelimb lameness determined by a motion analysis system with the subjective grading of a trained equine orthopaedic surgeon. Trotting on a treadmill, 29 individuals with a supporting forelimb lameness were measured with the SELSPOT II system and judged by the clinician. The vertical motion of the head was measured, analysed using Fourier transform, and the percentages of symmetry determined. The veterinarian evaluated the lameness and graded it according to a clinical routine. Veterinarian and system for motion analysis assigned the lameness to ...
Cripps PJ, Eustace RA.Lateromedial radiographic projections were made from the feet of 25 normal horses and 3 angles and 3 distances were measured. From these, normal ranges of calculated variables were obtained. The width and length of each foot and the height of the horse at the withers was also measured. In view of its possible importance in clinical laminitis, particular attention was paid to 'founder' distance (D). This is the vertical distance between the proximal limit of the dorsal hoof wall and the proximal limit of the extensor process of the distal phalanx. There were significant differences between bree...
Frean SP, Abraham LA, Lees P.The effects of hyaluronan and carprofen (both racemic mixture and separate R and S enantiomers) on proteoglycan (PG) synthesis by equine cultured chondrocytes and cartilage explants were examined. Hyaluronan stimulated PG synthesis in both cell and explant cultures. The concentration-response curve of the latter was bell-shaped. Racemic carprofen and R and S enantiomers also stimulated PG synthesis, although concentration-response relationships varied for each preparation and high concentrations inhibited synthesis. It was concluded that (a) hyaluronan exerts a stimulatory effect on PG synthes...
Hammond SA, Raabe ML, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.We previously demonstrated in trials of a variety of experimental vaccines to equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) a remarkable spectrum of efficacy ranging from sterilizing protection to severe enhancement of virus replication and disease, depending on the immunization strategy used. This range of vaccine efficacy observed in vivo offers a unique opportunity for evaluating potential in vitro immune correlates of protection and enhancement. We describe here a comprehensive analysis and comparison of EIAV envelope-specific antibody responses elicited by attenuated, inactivated whole virus and ...
Corveleyn S, Henrist D, Remon JP, Van Der Weken G, Baeyens W, Haustraete J, Aboul-Enein HY, Sustronck B, Deprez P.Ketoprofen (KTP) is a chiral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of the propionic acid class, approved by the FDA for the allevation of pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders in horses. The present study was designed to examine the bioavailability of ketoprofen enantiomers after rectal administration of the racemate to healthy horses. One gram of racemic ketoprofen was injected intravenously and administered rectally as a fat based suppository in a cross-over design study (n = 4). Blood samples were analysed for KTP enantiomers using HPLC. After IV administration, the S(+) ena...
Booth TM.Severe, chronic lameness in the left forelimb of a five-year-old Arab stallion was localised to the bicipital bursa by local anaesthesia and gamma scintigraphy. Radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations of the proximal humeral tubercles and bicipital bursa revealed new bone production in the region of the intertubercular grooves and irregularities in the density of the soft tissues of the bicipital tendon and bursa. An endoscopic examination of the bicipital bursa with a standard arthroscope under general anaesthesia was a useful diagnostic procedure. The stallion was euthanased, and mark...
Ruitenberg KM, Walker C, Wellington JE, Love DN, Whalley JM.The potential of DNA-mediated immunisation to protect against equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) disease was assessed in a murine model of EHV-1 respiratory infection. Intramuscular injection with DNA encoding the EHV-1 envelope glycoprotein D (gD) in a mammalian expression vector induced a specific antibody response detectable by two weeks and maintained through 23 weeks post injection. Immune responses were proportional to the dose of DNA and a second injection markedly enhanced the antibody response. EHV-1 gD DNA-injected mice developed neutralising antibodies, and a predominance of IgG2a antibod...
Oaks JL, Ulibarri C, Crawford TB.Equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) infection of horses is characterized clinically by recurrent episodes of fever, thrombocytopenia and anaemia. In vivo, the only site of virus replication that has been previously demonstrated for EIAV is the tissue macrophage. In this study, in situ hybridization for EIAV was combined with immunohistochemistry for cell-type-specific markers to identify infected endothelial cells. EIAV-infected endothelial cells and macrophages were detected in horses infected with either virulent wild-type or with weakly virulent tissue culture-adapted strains of EIAV. Th...
Gilkerson JR, Whalley JM, Drummer HE, Studdert MJ, Love DN.Sero-epidemiological studies conducted between 1995 and 1997 on two large Thoroughbred stud farms in the Hunter Valley of NSW showed clear evidence of EHV-1 infection in foals as young as 30 days of age. Similarly, serological evidence suggested that these foals were infected with EHV-1 from their dams or from other lactating mares in the group, with subsequent foal to foal spread of infection prior to weaning. These studies also provided evidence of EHV-1 infection of foals at and subsequent to weaning, with foal to foal spread of EHV-1 amongst the weanlings. These data indicated that the mar...
Walker C, Love DN, Whalley JM.The mouse models of the respiratory and abortion forms of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) infection have been used to investigate the vaccine potential of various EHV-1 immunogens, the effect of antiviral agents on EHV-1 infection and the pathogenicity of EHV-1 strain variants and deletion or insertional mutants. This review examines the similarities and differences in the pathogenesis of primary EHV-1 infection in the natural host, the horse, and in the mouse by comparing tissue tropism, clinical signs of infection, the effects of EHV-1 on pregnancy, haematological changes following infection, v...
Gilkerson JR, Whalley JM, Drummer HE, Studdert MJ, Love DN.The prevalence of EHV-1 and EHV-4 antibody-positive horses was determined using a type specific ELISA on serum samples collected from 229 mares and their foals resident on a large Thoroughbred stud farm in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales in February 1995. More than 99% of all mares and foals tested were EHV-4 antibody positive, while the prevalence of EHV-1 antibody positive mares and foals were 26.2 and 11.4%, respectively. Examination of the ELISA absorbance data for the individual mares and foals suggested that the EHV-1 antibody positive foals had been infected recently with EHV-1 and...
Jaraiz V, Rodriguez C, San Andres MD, Gonzalez F, San Andres MI.A disposition and bioequivalence study with a suxibuzone granulated and a suxibuzone paste oral formulation was performed in horses. Suxibuzone (SBZ) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which was administered to horses (n = 6) at a dosage of 19 mg/kg bwt by the oral route (p.o.) in a two period cross-over design. Suxibuzone is very rapidly transformed into its main active metabolites, phenylbutazone (PBZ) and oxyphenbutazone (OPBZ). Therefore plasma and synovial fluid concentrations of SBZ, PBZ and OPBZ were simultaneously measured by a sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chro...
Barton MH, Collatos C.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic significance of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) activities and endotoxin concentration in blood and peritoneal fluid of 155 adult horses with acute abdominal disease (colic). Samples also were obtained from 20 healthy adult horses. Blood and peritoneal fluid supernatant TNF and IL-6 activities and endotoxin concentration were significantly greater in horses with colic, compared with healthy horses. In horses with colic, the peritoneal fluid endotoxin concentration and TNF and IL-6 activities were...
Wiesner H, von Hegel G.Successful immobilisation of Przewalski's horses and zebras was obtained by using a combination of STH 2130 (Boehringer) and Tiletamin/Zolazepam.
Higgins AJ, Lees P, Sedgwick AD.An equine model of acute non-immune inflammation has been developed to facilitate studies of the inflammatory process and the actions of novel anti-inflammatory drugs. Five polyester sponge strips soaked in sterile 2% carrageenin solution were placed in subcutaneous pouches prepared under local anaesthesia in the necks of conscious ponies. Serial removal of the strips and harvesting of the exudate enabled studies to be made of the cellular, biochemical and mediator aspects of the localised, acute inflammation, and the heat generated by the lesion was monitored by infra-red thermometry. Maximal...
Alm H, Hinrichs K.The period of protein synthesis necessary for meiotic maturation in horse oocytes initially having compact or expanded cumulus cells was studied. Oocytes incubated in the presence of cycloheximide after 0, 4, 8, 12 or 16 h maturation in vitro (total incubation time 24 h) were matured for 24 h, or were incubated with cycloheximide for 24 h and then matured for 24 h. Incubation with cycloheximide from 0 h was effective in suppressing maturation (no significant increase in maturing oocytes compared with controls fixed directly after removal from the follicle) in both expanded and compact groups a...
Schumacher J, Dean P, Welch B.Unilateral epistaxis in 2 horses was caused by inflammation of the distal portion of the lacrimal system. The origin of epistaxis was identified during physical examination by observing hemorrhage emanating from the nasal opening of the nasolacrimal duct. Dacryohemorrhea caused by bacterial infection was successfully treated with antibacterial drugs administered systemically and instilled into the lacrimal system.
Butson RJ, Schramme MC, Garlick MH, Davies JV.Gentamicin-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate beads were used in the treatment of infective synovitis in 12 horses and 10 cattle. They had either proved refractory to standard treatments (lavage, debridement, joint drainage and systemic antibiotics) or had evidence of osteomyelitis adjacent to a synovial cavity. All the animals were severely lame. All the cattle and six of the horses had radiological evidence of osteomyelitis in communication with a synovial cavity. The beads were placed intrasynovially under general anaesthesia and left in place for 14 days. One horse and one calf were euthan...
Becker F, Kurth J, Schneider F, Nürnberg G, Heinrich H, Kanitz W.The aim of this study was to prove if oxidation-reduction levels in the follicular fluid were new functional indices of follicular health and whether there was a high level of accordance with endocrinological parameters and with the growth stage as detected by ultrasound monitoring of individual follicles during the oestrous cycle in mares. Follicles were classified as growing and regressing follicles using ultrasonography. Altogether 48 follicles with a diameter from 20 to 56 mm were aspirated by transvaginal ultrasound guided follicular aspiration. Follicular concentration of oestradiol and ...
Doyle DG.During an electron and light microscopic study of the equine intestinal epithelium, it was observed that some secretory granules of the undifferentiated crypt epithelium were incorporated into the nucleus during mitosis. A study was made of the chemical nature of the granules, using standard histochemical techniques: PAS-Alcian blue, Deamination-PAS, and Ninhydrin-Schiff reactions. The granules contained a neutral protein-polysaccharide complex with many terminal amino groups, possibly an antibody (IgA). The intranuclear granules underwent coalescence and degeneration during differentiation. T...
Lasne F, Popot MA, Varlet-Marie E, Martin L, Martin JA, Bonnaire Y, Audran M, de Ceaurriz J.A direct detection method for anti-doping control of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) abuse in racehorses is proposed. This method involves screening of plasma (or serum) by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific for human EPO and confirmation in urine samples by characterization of the urinary EPO isoelectric profile. This method was tested on horses that were administered epoetin alpha (rHuEPO) and the hyper-glycosylated form of this drug (darbepoetin alpha).
Silva DM, Holden SA, Lyons A, Souza JC, Fair S.The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of the addition of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the in vitro quality of cooled and frozen-thawed stallion semen. In Experiment 1, semen from 10 stallions was collected (three ejaculates per stallion). Semen was diluted to 100×106 spermatozoa mL-1 with 0.02mM vitamin E (VE) and 0, 1, 10 or 20ng mL-1 DHA and frozen. Semen was thawed and total motility (TM), rapid progressive motility (PM), acrosome integrity, membrane fluidity and morphology were assessed. In Experiment 2, semen from three stallions was collected (three ejaculates per stall...
Bell C.A 2-month-old warmblood filly was presented for a 1-week history of a large, nonpainful, fluctuant swelling of the parotid and laryngeal area. Bilateral guttural pouch tympany was diagnosed. Surgical correction resolved the guttural pouch tympany; however, postoperative pharyngeal neuromuscular dysfunction developed. Dysfonction pharyngée neuromusculaire associée à un tympanisme bilatéral des poches gutturales chez un poulain. Une pouliche de race Warmblood a été présentée pour examen d’une enflure marquée non-douloureuse et fluctuante, localisée dans la région laryngée et paroti...
Mirck MH.Patent S. westeri infection is particularly common in unweaned foals (61.2 per cent). It is much less common in foals which have been weaned (15.4 per cent). Examination of the faeces of ten artificially reared foals (free from worms) did not supply any evidence of possible prenatal (intra-uterine) helminth infection. In one Shetland pony mare, larvae of S. westeri were found to be present in the milk on the tenth, twenty-fourth and thirty-second day after parturition. Larvae were not detected in the milk of the other mares but all foals showed patent S. westeri infection within from thirteen ...
Ginther OJ, Griffin PG.The extent and nature of fetal mobility (presentation and location changes) were studied in 10 pony mares by ultrasonic examinations each week during the fetal stage (Day 40 to term). The percentage of examinations with cranial fetal presentation was 35 to 43% during Months 2 to 5 (no significant differences among months); a significant increase occurred between Months 5 and 6 reaching 100% at Month 7. With only 3 transient exceptions, the fetus was in cranial presentation during all examinations from Month 7 to term. The frequency of presentation changes between successive examinations decrea...
Hoffman M, Cheong SH, Stokol T.Liver analyte measurement is important in the evaluation of sick animals. Liver injury in horses is recognized by increased glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities, whereas biliary pathology is identified by increased alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities or bilirubin concentrations. We have observed high GLDH, but not SDH, activities in neonatal foals admitted for conditions other than liver disease. Only one previous study have evaluated GLDH activity over time in healthy neonatal foals; however...
Rooney MF, Neto NGB, Monaghan MG, Hill EW, Porter RK.Thoroughbred racehorse performance is largely influenced by a major quantitative trait locus at the () gene which determines aptitude for certain race distances due to a promoter region insertion mutation influencing functional phenotypes in skeletal muscle. To develop an system for functional experiments we established three novel equine skeletal muscle cell lines reflecting the variation in phenotype associated with genotype (CC/II, CT/IN and TT/NN for SNP g.66493737C > T/SINE insertion 227 bp polymorphism). Primary equine skeletal muscle myoblasts, isolated from Thoroughbred horse , we...
Pierrot M, Astier JP, Astier M, Charles M, Drenth J.A detailed study of the crystallization of hog and horse colipases has been undertaken. Several crystallographic varieties have been obtained and a 0.3-nm resolution structure determination is actually in progress. The sequence of the A form of horse colipase (one methionine) is given. From spectrophotometric experiments and sequence comparisons, the involvement of the aromatic residue in position 52 in the micelle binding site has been demonstrated.
Rumbaugh GE.Physical, neurologic, and clinicopathologic findings in a 3-year-old female Morgan horse with anorexia and nasal discharge suggested suppurative meningitis. Necropsy findings substantiated the tentative diagnosis. Actinomyces sp was cultured from a meningeal abscess surrounding the pituitary gland and from resolving lung abscesses.
Basrur PK, Kanagawa H, Podliachouk L.An intersex horse exhibiting cell types of different sex chromosome constitution was subjected to further studies in order to determine whether the house was a mosaic or a chimera. Cultures of gonadal tissue and peripheral blood revealed mainly 64/XX and 64/XY cells, the former predominating in both tissues. The frequency of drumstick-bearing poly-morphonuclear neutrophils in the intersex horse was similar to that noted in normal mares. Blood type analysis using 17 naturally occurring agglutinins and hemolysins revealed partial agglutinations with three antibodies for the factors of the A syst...
Sams RA, Gerken DF, Detra RL, Stanley SD, Wood WE, Tobin T, Yang JM, Tai HH, Jegananthan A, Watt DS.Two metabolites of the tranquilizer azaperone were extracted from alkalinized horse urine after treatment with beta-glucuronidase/sulfatase from limpets (Patella vulgata). The metabolites were identified by a combination of independent chemical synthesis and GC/MS and 1H NMR analysis. The metabolites were identified as 1-(fluorophenyl)-4-[4-(5-hydroxy-2-pyridinyl)-1-piperazinyl]-1-butanol, designated as 5'-hydroxy-azaperol, and 1-(fluorophenyl)-4-[4-(5-hydroxy-2-pyridinyl)-1-piperazinyl]-1-butanone, designated as 5'-hydroxyazaperone. A TLC screening test was developed for detecting both metabo...
Brommer H, Laasanen MS, Brama PA, van Weeren PR, Barneveld A, Helminen HJ, Jurvelin JS.To determine the speed of sound (SOS) in equine articular cartilage and investigate the influence of age, site in the joint, and cartilage degeneration on the SOS. Methods: Cartilage samples from 38 metacarpophalangeal joints of 38 horses (age range, 5 months to 22 years). Methods: Osteochondral plugs were collected from 2 articular sites of the proximal phalanx after the degenerative state was characterized by use of the cartilage degeneration index (CDI) technique. The SOS was calculated (ratio of needle-probe cartilage thickness to time of flight of the ultrasound pulse), and relationships ...
Long MT, Goetz TE, Kakoma I, Whiteley HE, Lock TE, Holland CJ, Foreman JH, Baker GJ.Fetal infectivity of Ehrlichia risticii was investigated in 19 ponies that were E risticii negative on the basis of results of an indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. Thirteen pregnant ponies were infected by IV administration of E risticii between 90 and 180 days of gestation. Six pregnant ponies served as noninfected controls. Each infected pony had clinical signs of equine monocytic ehrlichiosis, was confirmed to be ehrlichemic, and developed an IFA titer to E risticii. Two infected ponies became recumbent, were unresponsive to supportive care, and were euthanatized. After recovery fro...
Halvarsson P, Tydén E.Gastrointestinal nematode parasites are of major concern for horses, where Strongylus vulgaris is considered the most pathogenic among the Strongylus species. Diagnosis of S. vulgaris infections can be determined with next generation sequencing techniques, which are inherently dependent on reference sequences. The best marker for parasitic nematodes is internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and we provide the first complete ITS2 sequences from five morphologically identified S. vulgaris and additional sequences from two S. edentatus. These sequences have high similarity to already published part...
Chapman HS, Richardson DW, Ortved KF.To describe arthrodesis of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) or metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint with a locking compression plate (LCP) and a metallic tension band and report the outcome of horses treated for osteoarthritis (OA) with this technique. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Seventeen horses with OA of the MCP or MTP joint treated with arthrodesis. Methods: Medical records (2004-2017) of horses treated for OA with arthrodesis of the MCP or MTP joint with an LCP and metallic tension band were reviewed. Preoperative variables included age, sex, breed, affected limb, and lameness gr...
