Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Veterinary Medicine
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.
Transient glucose malabsorption in two horses–fact or artefact? Two horses, presented for investigation of chronic weight loss despite normal to increased feed intake, had flat oral glucose absorption curves, suggesting malabsorption. The cause of the apparent malabsorption was not evident grossly or on light microscopic examination of the intestinal tract. Both horses survived long term and at follow-up examination had regained weight and their capacity to absorb glucose. These cases illustrate that flat glucose absorption curves may occur in horses with no obvious intestinal lesions, that they may revert to normal and that the results of these tests shou...
Quantification of antigen-specific antibody concentrations in tracheal lavage fluid of horses with summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease. To determine whether horses with summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD) have increased concentrations of antigen-specific IgG and IgE in tracheal lavage fluid, compared with values in clinically normal horses. Methods: 8 horses (6 females, 2 geldings; 6 Quarter Horses, 2 Appaloosas), 14 to 23 years old and with previous diagnosis of SPAOPD, served as the principal group; 8 horses (2 females, 6 geldings; 1 Quarter Horse, 7 Thoroughbreds), 6 to 9 years old, with no evidence of respiratory tract disease, served as the control group. Methods: Data were collected twice dur...
Gross and ultrasonographic anatomy of the carpal flexor tendon sheath in horses. This study was undertaken to establish the gross anatomy and the ultrasonographic appearance of the carpal digital flexor tendon sheath (carpal sheath) and the palmar carpal region in normal horses. The isolated forelimbs from 15 horses were used to study the morphology of the sheath and associated structures, including a detailed study of the location of the main blood vessels and nerves in that region. These limbs and the forelimbs of five live, sound horses were also examined ultrasonographically. The examination yielded good soft tissue detail of the tendons and ligaments, synovial and per...
Infection of bone marrow macrophages by equine infectious anemia virus. To characterize infection of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) by determining virus production, effects on viability, and induction of cytokines. Methods: BMDM obtained from bone marrow of 6 clinically normal adult horses. Methods: BMDM were infected with EIAV at a multiplicity of infection of 8. Cell viability, percentage of cells with detectable viral protein, reverse transcriptase activity, and concentrations of infective virus (focus-forming units/ml), interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were measured in culture supernatant samples...
Pharmacokinetics of cisapride in horses after intravenous and rectal administration. To determine the i.v. pharmacokinetics of cisapride and measure systemic absorption after rectal administration. Methods: 5 healthy adult mares (380 to 610 kg). Methods: Cisapride was administered, i.v., at a dosage of 0.1 mg/kg of body weight. In the same horses, after a 1-week washout period, cisapride was administered rectally at a dosage of 1 mg/kg by mixing crushed tablets with propylene glycol and administering the mixture into the rectum. After each drug administration, a series of blood samples were collected. Plasma was obtained and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography t...
Immunohistochemical demonstration of African horse sickness viral antigen in formalin-fixed equine tissues. The distribution of viral antigen was studied in various tissues of three ponies, aged 3-4 years, infected experimentally with a virulent strain of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) serotype 4. Tissues were collected from the animals in the terminal stage of the peracute form of the disease and from one noninfected horse, included as a control. A polyclonal antibody with specificity for AHSV, plus the nonstructural protein NS2, was used in a sensitive avidin-biotin-peroxidase-complex (ABC) method performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. AHSV antigen was located primari...
Antibodies against equine herpesviruses in free-ranging mountain zebras from Namibia. Twenty-one blood samples of free-ranging mountain zebras (Equus zebra) from Namibia were tested for equine herpesvirus (EHV-1, -2, -3, -4) specific antibodies by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and neutralization test (NT). Additionally, type-specific nested polymerase chain reactions (nested PCR) were employed for detection of EHV-1, -2 and -4 DNA. Equine herpesvirus-1 antibodies were detected by IFA in all zebras, while only seven serum samples contained EHV-4 IFA antibodies. Sera with high IFA antibodies also were found to neutralize EHV-1 and -4. Furthermore, 20 zebras were EHV-2 seropositi...
Influence of the force applied and its period of application on the outcome of the flexion test of the distal forelimb of the horse. The influence of the force applied and its period of application on the outcome of the flexion test of the distal forelimb was investigated in a group of eight sound horses. The degree of lameness after the flexion test was scored by a standard clinical classification, and by measuring the angle of maximum fetlock extension by means of the infrared light-based MacReflex gait analysis system. There was a good correlation between the clinical score and this electronically recorded kinematic parameter (r = 0.96). Both the force applied and the period of application affected the outcome of the tes...
Quantitative comparison on the refinement of horse antivenom by salt fractionation and ion-exchange chromatography. A quantitative comparison was made on the fractionation of pepsin-digested horse antivenoms by ammonium sulfate (AS) fractional precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose. In the precipitation process, pepsin digested horse anti-Naja kaouthia serum was precipitated by 30% saturated AS followed by 50% saturated AS. The recovery of antibody activity [as measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against the cobra postsynaptic neurotoxin 3] from the 30-50% saturated AS precipitate was 53% with a 1.93-fold purification. For the chromatographic process, the behavior ...
Laryngoplasty with or without ventriculectomy for treatment of left laryngeal hemiplegia in 230 racehorses. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of laryngoplasty on racing performance and to determine if any of the following variables had a significant effect on outcome: breed (Thoroughbred v Standardbred), endoscopic grade of laryngeal function, ventriculectomy versus no ventriculectomy, type of prosthetic suture used, and number of prostheses placed. Methods: Retrospective study of laryngoplasty with or without ventriculectomy for treatment of left laryngeal hemiplegia in racehorses between 1986 and 1993. Methods: 230 horses (174 Thoroughbreds, 56 Standardbreds). Methods: The med...
Laparoscopic adhesiolysis in a horse. The purpose of this report was to describe the use of laparoscopy as a method of treatment for abdominal adhesions in the horse. Methods: Unilateral ovariectomy for removal of a granulosa cell tumor was performed through a diagonal paramedian approach in a 14-year-old Arabian mare. Progressive incisional swelling and hemorrhage culminated in acute incisional dehiscence with herniation of ileum on the sixth postoperative day. Septic peritonitis that responded to parenteral antibiotic therapy was identified 7 days after hernia repair. Seven days later, the mare had signs of abdominal pain, and a...
Paralumbar fossa laparoscopic ovariectomy in horses with use of Endoloop ligatures. The purposes of this study were to develop a technique of paralumbar fossa laparoscopic ovariectomy using Endoloop ligatures and to avoid a laparotomy incision for ovary removal by using a 33-mm diameter muscle spreader trocar-cannula unit. Methods: Seven mares. Methods: Bilateral laparoscopic ovariectomy was performed under general anesthesia in two horses and under neuroleptanalgesia and local anesthesia in five standing mares. Ovaries were approached from the ipsilateral paralumbar fossa through two portal sites located in the paralumbar fossa and a third between the 17th and 18th ribs. Ins...
Evaluation of a test for identification of Arabian horses heterozygous for the severe combined immunodeficiency trait. To determine whether a recently developed test would correctly identify horses heterozygous for the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) trait. Methods: Case series. Methods: 17 healthy Arabian horses that had previously produced foals with SCID, 1 healthy Arabian foal whose dam and sire had produced foals with SCID, 4 foals with SCID, and 1 healthy non-Arabian foal. Methods: DNA was extracted from leukocytes or fibroblasts, amplified by means of polymerase chain reaction, and hybridized with probes specific for the normal and mutant alleles of the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein...
Complications associated with use of a one-hole subpalpebral lavage system in horses: 150 cases (1977-1996). To determine type and frequency of complications associated with use of a one-hole subpalpebral lavage (SPL) system in horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 150 horses with 156 SPL systems. Methods: Signalment, primary complaint, method used for placement, time SPL system was in place, and complications were retrieved from medical records. Results: Complications were not associated with placement, maintenance, or removal of 66 of 156 (42%) SPL systems. A minor complication was reported in association with 53 (34%) SPL systems, and a serious complication was reported in association wit...
Intrinsic, management, and nutritional factors associated with equine motor neuron disease. To identify intrinsic, management, nutritional, and environmental risk factors associated with equine motor neuron disease (EMND) and to determine whether epidemiologic evidence supports oxidative stress as a risk factor for developing EMND. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: 87 horses with EMND and 259 control horses. Methods: Information concerning each horse's history of exposure to multiple environmental factors prior to developing EMND was obtained by means of a questionnaire or personal interview. Exposure histories of horses with EMND and control horses were compared, and the associa...
Immunocytochemical localization of prolactin and growth hormone in the equine pituitary. The ultrastructural and immunoreactive staining characteristics of cells containing prolactin (lactotropes) and growth hormone (GH; somatotropes) in the anterior pituitaries of gonadally intact pony mares were studied at the electron microscopic level. Lactotropes included two morphological subsets: Type I cells were larger and contained large, dense, polymorphic granules that were scattered throughout the cytoplasm; Type II cells were smaller and contained small, dense, polymorphic granules that were predominantly found in peripheral areas of the cytoplasm. Lactotropes constituted 5 to 16% of...
Immunolocalization of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, cytochrome P450 17 alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase and cytochrome P450 aromatase in the equine corpus luteum of dioestrus and early pregnancy. The onset of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) secretion in pregnant mares is associated with an increase in luteal androgen and oestrogen production. The luteal cell type(s) responsible for the increased production of androgens and oestrogens has not been identified in the equine corpus luteum. In this study, we examined the pattern of expression of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta-HSD), cytochrome P450 17 alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P450(17 alpha)) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom) by immunohistochemistry in equine luteal tissue collected during dioestrus (days 7-10; ...
Novel and dynamic evolution of equine infectious anemia virus genomic quasispecies associated with sequential disease cycles in an experimentally infected pony. We have investigated the genetic evolution of three functionally distinct regions of the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) genome (env, rev, and long terminal repeat) during recurring febrile episodes in a pony experimentally infected with a well-characterized reference biological clone designated EIAV(PV). Viral populations present in the plasma of an EIAV(PV)-infected pony during sequential febrile episodes (18, 34, 80, 106, and 337 days postinfection) were amplified from viral RNA, analyzed, and compared to the inoculated strain. The comparison of the viral quasispecies showed that the ...
Evaluation of the equine respiratory system using physical examination and endoscopy. Defining respiratory disease is not always easy in the horse because auscultation with accurate interpretation of lung sounds can be difficult. However, performing a thorough physical examination, including rebreathing auscultation and percussion of the thorax and sinuses, is very useful in elucidating the problem. Endoscopic examination of the upper respiratory system is also critical for definitively diagnosing certain conditions.
Small airway disease as a vanguard for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Equine allergic small airway disease is a highly prevalent respiratory condition among the stabled horse population. With the assistance of new diagnostic tools such as bronchoalveolar lavage, the condition can be recognized in young performing horses. The pathophysiological and clinical features resemble an earlier stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as determined by the appearance of specific inflammatory cells. Although environmental management is paramount in controlling the disease, proper selective therapeutic regimens are as important to reduce the concurrent inflammation and...
Immune therapy in respiratory disease. Pharmacologic manipulation of pulmonary immunity plays an important role in primary and adjunct therapy for equine respiratory disease. Frequent exposure to respiratory viral pathogens, strenuous exercise, long distance transport, and inhalation of harmful substances destroy various aspects of the pulmonary defense system and predispose performance horses to development of infectious and noninfectious respiratory disease. Pulmonary immunity may be bolstered by nonspecific immunostimulants to combat primary or secondary immunodeficiency. State of the art technology improves active and passive-s...
Variations in the force applied to flexion tests of the distal limb of horses. A pressure-sensitive device was developed to measure the force applied to flexion tests of the distal limb of horses. The mean force applied by a group of experienced clinicians was 150 N which results in a moment on the flexed fetlock joint of about 28.5 Nm. The coefficient of variation of the force applied by one experienced clinician was only about 12 per cent, but the coefficient of variation between clinicians was considerably higher (20 per cent), irrespective of whether the clinicians were considered to be experienced or not. The mean force applied by a group of women examiners (114 N) ...
Field examination of the equine patient with nasal discharge. This article describes the field investigation of horses with nasal discharge (serous, purulent, blood and feed). Flow charts on how to evaluate affected horses, and photographs of the examination procedures and of horses affected with nasal discharge are included.
