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.
Liu DY, Lopata A, Pantke P, Baker HW.The present study demonstrates that horse and marmoset monkey sperm can bind to the human zona of salt-stored oocytes that failed to fertilize in vitro. Marmoset monkey sperm are also able to penetrate the salt-stored human zona. In contrast, human sperm do not bind to the zona of either horse or marmoset monkey oocytes. These results suggest that human sperm binding to the zona pellucida is more strictly species-specific than it is for horse and marmoset monkey sperm. In contrast, horse and marmoset monkey sperm contain receptors recognized by the human zona.
Hellyer PW, Dodam JR, Light GS.Dynamic baroreflex sensitivity for increasing arterial pressure (DBSI) was used to quantitatively assess the effects of anesthesia on the heart rate/arterial pressure relationship during rapid (less than or equal to 2 minutes) pressure changes in the horse. Anesthesia was induced with IV administration of xylazine and ketamine and maintained with halothane at a constant end-tidal concentration of 1.1 to 1.2% (1.25 to 1.3 minimal alveolar concentration). Systolic arterial pressure (SAP) was increased a minimum of 30 mm of Hg in response to an IV bolus injection of phenylephrine HCl. Linear regr...
Johnson PJ, Goetz TE, Foreman JH, Vogel RS, Hoffmann WE, Baker GJ.The effects of whole-body potassium depletion induced by food deprivation on plasma, erythrocyte, and middle gluteal muscle K concentrations was quantified in 16 healthy, adult horses before, during, and at the end of a 7-day period of food deprivation during which water and sodium chloride were available ad libitum. Potassium concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Plasma K concentration remained constant (3.49 +/- 0.09 mM K/L of plasma; mean +/- SEM) throughout the study. Erythrocyte potassium concentration decreased from 93.10 +/- 1.94 mM K/L of erythrocytes on day...
Ohnesorge VB, Deegen E, Jöchle W.Detomidine was used in this field trial effectively as a sedative and analgesic for laryngoscopic examinations in a total of 193 foals and 806 mature horses (Hanoverians). Detomidine was given either i.v. in foals 3 to 11 months old (20 micrograms/kg) and in mature horses (15 micrograms/kg), or i.m. in foals below 6 months of age (35 micrograms/kg). After i.v. administration, laryngoscopy was tolerated in more than 90% of all animals without additional use of a twitch, while in foals treated i.m. more than 70% required a twitch in order to enable this procedure. The effectiveness of detomidine...
Noiman S, Yaniv A, Tsach T, Miki T, Tronick SR, Gazit A.Nucleotide sequence analysis of a cDNA library of EIAV-infected canine cells established a complex pattern of gene expression, characterized by alternatively spliced polycistronic transcripts. The EIAV tat gene product was shown to be encoded by at least three species of mRNA which differed in their ability to trans-activate the EIAV LTR upon expression in canine cells. The most active cDNA was monocistronic, consisting of three exons. The most abundant cDNA in the library contained four exons and was identical to a polycistronic transcript previously described (Noiman et al., 1990b) which con...
Kitamoto N, Ramig RF, Matson DO, Estes MK.The production of viral antigen after infection of MA104, HepG2 (derived from human liver), and CaCo-2 (derived from human colon) cells with various cultivatable human and animal rotavirus strains was compared using immunofluorescence tests. All rotavirus strains examined expressed antigen in CaCo-2 cells and MA104 cells, but only some virus strains, namely, SA11-Cl3 (simian), RRV (simian), CU-1 (canine), and Ty1 (turkey), produced antigen in numbers of infected HepG2 cells comparable to infections in MA104 and CaCo-2 cells. Fl-14 (equine), OSU (porcine), NCDV (bovine), and Ch2 (chicken) strai...
Boersema JH, Borgsteede FH, Eysker M, Elema TE, Gaasenbeek CP, van der Burg WP.A survey to determine the prevalence of anthelmintic resistance of horse strongyles was carried out with 616 horses on 22 farms. The tested drugs were cambendazole, pyrantel pamaote and ivermectin. Based on egg count reduction tests the efficacy of cambendazole varied from 0% to 93% and of pyrantel from 93% to 100%. Ivermectin treatments were 100% effective on all farms. Larval cultures after cambendazole treatments revealed exclusively cyathostome larvae. After pyrantel treatments besides cyathostome larvae other types of larvae were also found. After ivermectin treatments only a few cyathost...
Weber JA, Freeman DA, Vanderwall DK, Woods GL.The hypothesis that treatment of pregnant mares with prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) hastens the oviductal transport of equine embryos was tested by treating bred mares with PGE2 on Day 3 after ovulation and subsequently measuring the rate of hastened oviductal transport (estimated by the uterine embryo recovery rate on Day 4 after ovulation). In a preliminary, noncontrolled experiment, oviductal transport was apparently not hastened after intramuscular, intrauterine, or intraperitoneal PGE2 administration to bred mares (0/6, 0/3, and 0/3 mares, respectively). Oviductal transport appeared to be hasten...
Kamada M, Wada R, Kumanomido T, Imagawa H, Sugiura T, Fukunaga Y.A study was performed to examine the effect of viral inoculum size on the appearance of clinical signs in equine Getah virus (GV) infection by intramuscular inoculation with 10(1.3) to 10(6.3) TCID50 of the MI-110 strain in 6 experimental horses. When inoculated with more than 10(3.3) TCID50 of the virus, every horse developed pyrexia, edema in the hind legs, serous nasal discharge, lymphopenia and viremia in the relatively early stage of disease. On the other hand, enlargement of the submandibular lymph node was observed only in horses inoculated with 10(5.3) and 10(6.3) TCID50 of the virus, ...
Rakotoarisoa L, Mironneau C, Sayet I, Mironneau J.Specific binding of the Ca++ antagonist desmethoxyverapamil, (-)-[3H]D888, to cell membranes of equine portal vein smooth muscle was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by guanosine 5'-O-(gamma-thio)triphosphate and ATP but was little affected by guanosine 5'-O-(beta-thio)diphosphate, noradrenaline or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate ester. Inhibition constants for GTP and ATP were in the range of 0.1 to 0.3 mM. From Scatchard plots and dissociation kinetic experiments, it is proposed that D888 high affinity binding sites are transferred into low affinity sites. In intact strips of ra...
Wilson DV, McFeely AM.Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) was applied in 74 anesthetized, ventilated horses during colic surgery, to attempt to increase arterial oxygen tensions. In 28 horses with an initial PaO2 less than 70 mm of Hg, PEEP increased PaO2 values to a mean of 173 +/- 24 mm of Hg. Arterial oxygen content increased from 14.1 +/- 0.05 ml/dl to 17.2 +/- 0.05 ml/dl. In the remaining 46 horses, PEEP increased PaO2 from a mean value of 101 +/- 6 mm of Hg to 194 +/- 15 mm of Hg, and arterial oxygen content increased from 14.9 +/- 0.09 ml/dl to 16.9 +/- 0.07 ml/dl. Cardiovascular depression and decrease ...
Obi T, Miyamoto A, Matumoto M, Ishiguro S, Nishio A.The mechanisms of histamine-induced contraction and relaxation were investigated in rings isolated from a middle part of the left descending coronary arteries of horses. Intact and endothelium-denuded preparations were compared. Rings of horse coronary arteries contracted in response to histamine in a concentration dependent manner, but some of them relaxed with lower concentrations and contracted with higher concentrations. Removal of the endothelium abolished the relaxation and potentiated the contraction. The pD2 values were 4.70 +/- 0.08 in the rings with intact endothelium and 4.95 +/- 0....
Heath TJ, Nikles SA.Secondary lymphoid nodules in lymph nodes of the horse are surrounded by a network of lymph sinuses, including the subcapsular sinus and its extensions around tabeculae, tubular and tubule-like sinuses deeper in the cortex, and sinuses between cord-like projections of cortical tissue. The precise role of this close association between sinuses and nodules in the transport of immune complexes, cells and cytokines is not known.
Yovich JV, leCouteur RA, Gould DH.Histological examination was performed on the cervical spinal cord from 13 horses with chronic cervical compressive myelopathy of 4 to 29 months duration. Structural alterations were correlated with clinical features. At the level of compression, the spinal cord was grossly deformed. Histological alterations included nerve fibre swelling and degeneration, occasional spheroids, astrocytic gliosis, increased macrophage activity and increased perivascular collagen. Myelin degeneration or loss at the level of the compressive lesion was greatest in the ventral and lateral funiculi and less consiste...
Willoughby RA, Ecker GL, McKee SL, Riddolls LJ.Mucociliary clearance rates from the trachea were determined in normal, sedated, diseased and exercised horses from scintigraphs obtained after an injection of technetium-99m sulphide colloid into the tracheal lumen. The group mean tracheal clearance rate of eight clinically normal horses during 42 trials was 2.06 +/- 0.38 cm/min. Significant between horse differences were found (p less than 0.05). When six and seven of these horses were given xylazine and detomidine hydrochloride, respectively, mean group tracheal clearance rates dropped significantly (p less than 0.05). The decreases from ea...
Biswas B, Mukherjee D, Mattingly-Napier BL, Dutta SK.Genomic amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify a unique genomic sequence of Ehrlichia risticii directly in DNA isolated from peripheral-blood buffy coat cells of E. risticii-infected horses (Potomac horse fever) and from infected cell cultures. A specific primer pair, selected from a cloned, species-specific, 1-kb DNA fragment of the E. risticii genome as a template, was used for the amplification of the target DNA of 247 bp. The optimal number of 40 PCR cycles, determined by analyzing an amplification profile obtained with a constant Taq polymerase concentra...
Soave O, Brand CD.Coprophagy is performed by rodents and lagomorphs and to a lesser degree by piglets, foals, dogs and nonhuman primates. Due to the construction of the digestive system of rodents and rabbits, coprophagy is necessary to supply many essential nutrients. Bacterial synthesis of nutrients occurs in the lower gastrointestinal tract in these animals where little absorption is realized. The eating of their feces provides a method for obtaining these nutrients.
Körber HD.Radiographic examination is a valuable means for the identification of ossified lateral cartilage. The extent and stages of development of the ossification can be determined. The active stage of development of ossified lateral cartilage, which by itself can provoke lameness, can be defined. By means of the X-ray it is tried to differentiate the three kinds of ossification: the enchondral, the peri- and parachondral ossification of the lateral cartilage. Centres of ossification and fractures of the ossified lateral cartilage are described.
Held JP, Daniel GB.The effect of flunixin meglumine on renal function was studied in 6 healthy horses by use of nonimaging nuclear medicine techniques. Effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) and effective renal blood flow (ERBF) were determined by plasma clearance of 131I-orthoiodohippuric acid before and after administration of flunixin meglumine. Mean ERPF and ERBF was 6.03 ml/min/kg and 10.7 ml/min/kg, respectively, before treatment and was 5.7 ml/min/kg and 9.7 ml/min/kg, respectively, after treatment. Although ERPF and ERBF decreased after flunixin meglumine administration, the difference was not statistically ...
Hartung K, Münzer B.Radiography of horses in veterinary practice is done normally with quite simple equipment. Thereby radiation protection is easily neglected. In this investigation sources of mistakes are demonstrated. The possible exposure of staff is evaluated by dose measuring over a long period of time. It can be stated that following the most simple radiation protection there will never be a significant exposure of staff.
Bjorneby JM, Leach DR, Perryman LE.Cryptosporidial infections were established in five young foals with severe combined immunodeficiency following oral administration of 10(8) Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. All foals shed oocysts (average of 8 x 10(6) to 2 x 10(8)/g of feces) until death. Inflammation and C. parvum organisms were observed in the common bile duct, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Since foals with severe combined immunodeficiency lack functional T and B lymphocytes and are incapable of antigen-specific immune responses, they are well suited for evaluating the pathogenesis and treatment of persistent cryptosporidios...
Patterson SD, Bell K, Shaw DC.The equine Pi system, which is highly polymorphic and was considered to be controlled by a single locus, has been shown to be controlled by four loci (named Spi 1-4). This system is the equine equivalent of the major human plasma serpin (serine protease inhibitor), human alpha 1 PI. Twenty-two haplotypes of the equine Pi system have been characterized by two-dimensional electrophoresis, resulting in the assignment of pI, Mr, and bovine trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibition characteristics to 109 proteins. These proteins have been analyzed further to determine their relatedness to each other as w...
Moens VY, Gootjes P, Lagerweij E, van Dijk P.The use of pulse oximetry for on-line monitoring of oxygen saturation of arterial blood using a probe on the nasal septum is described in the horse. When compared to the results of blood gas analysis an excellent correlation between the two methods for measuring oxygen saturation is found. Nevertheless a discrepancy between the values for oxygen saturation provided by either method is found. This can lead to misinterpretation of oxygen saturation values generated by the pulse oximeter. The cause of this discrepancy is not clear but differences in measuring principle, presence of dyshemoglobins...
Prichard M, Ducharme NG, Wilkins PA, Erb HN, Butt M.We hypothesized that xanthine oxidase plays a role in the postischemic reperfusion injury in the equine small intestine. Under anesthesia, four horses and two ponies underwent ischemic strangulating obstructions of segments of the proximal jejunum, mid-jejunum and ileum. Prior to vascular occlusion, and at 1 h and 2 h of ischemia, full-thickness intestinal biopsies were collected for histopathological evaluation and for determination of combined xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) plus xanthine oxidase (XO) activity, and XO activity alone. The level of XO activity was expressed in percentage accordin...
Gasthuys F, De Moor A, Parmentier D.The influence of digoxin (0.01 mg/kg) given as an intravenous bolus followed by dopamine at different infusion rates (1.25, 2.5 and 5.0 micrograms/kg/min) on the cardiovascular depression during a standard halothane anaesthesia was studied in dorsally recumbent ventilated ponies. Preanaesthetic digitalization induced no clear positive cardiovascular effects over 30 minutes, except for non-significant increases in mean pulmonary artery pressure and total pulmonary resistance. These changes were probably time-related. No specific side-effects related to the fast intravenous digitalization were n...
Wolgien D, Keller H.The anesthesia routine in the horse is briefly explained. 35 postanesthetic complications resulted from the total of 4364 cases of anesthesia. They are evaluated by means of the duration of anesthesia, the time of paresis, the exemplary courses of enzymes as well as the distribution of race and sex and their ratio towards all cases of anesthesia. Finally a list of demands concerning the operative and postoperative phases is compiled to minimize postoperative myositis (PAM) and lameness (PAL).
Hoffman AM, Viel L, Muckle CA, Tesarowski DB.A novel method to reduce contamination of the bronchoscope during microbial sampling of the lower airways of foals was evaluated. Methylene blue (MB) was used as a nasopharyngeal dye marker to assess the relative contamination from the upper airways of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens obtained by standard bronchoscopy (SB) and a "guarded" bronchoscopic method (GB). For GB, a clear sterile cellulose sheath was fitted over the bronchoscope in an effort to protect the endoscope tip and channel from contamination. Methylene blue was detected visually in seven of eight BAL samples from foals ...
Morris DD, Moore JN, Crowe N.Over a 24-month period, serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity was determined in 289 horses with colic attributable to gastrointestinal tract disease. Serum TNF activity was quantitated by use of a modified in vitro cytotoxicity bioassay, using WEHI 164 clone-13 murine fibrosarcoma cells. Causes for colic, determined by clinical and laboratory evaluation, exploratory celiotomy, or necropsy included: gastrointestinal tract rupture (GTR); ileal impaction; small intestinal strangulating obstruction (SIO); proximal enteritis (PE); transient small intestinal distention; large-colon displacement...
Whalley M, Robertson G, Bell C, Love D, Elphinstone M, Wiley L, Craven D.A homologue of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoprotein D gene has been identified in the genome of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1, equine abortion virus). An open reading frame in the middle of the short unique (US) region is capable of encoding a polypeptide of 402 amino acids that has 26% and 20% of its residues matching pseudorabies virus (PRV) gp50 and HSV-1 gD, respectively. Despite this low level of similarity, the positional identity of six cysteine residues and certain motifs, and the location of the EHV-1 gene, clearly define the EHV-1 polypeptide as one of a family of "gD-like" prot...
Kähn W, Vaala W, Palmer J.Aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, prophylaxis and therapy of neonatal isoerythrolysis in foals are presented. Neonatal isoerythrolysis is caused by isoimmunisation of a brood mare to the Aa and Qa erythrocyte antigens of the foal. The disease can develop, when the mare does not possess Aa resp. Qa blood group antigens, is sensitized to the Aa or Qa erythrocyte antigens--i.e. through pregnancy, parturition, blood resp. plasma transfusions, etc.--and the foal suckles colostral antibodies to its own blood cells. Aa and Qa antibodies can cause haemagglutination and haemolysis ...
Bertone JJ, Jones RL, Curtis CR.The accuracy of an immunoglobulin (Ig) G test kit for the semiquantitative measurement of IgG concentration was evaluated with serum from 88 foals. Failure of passive transfer (IgG less than 400 mg/dl) was correctly identified in each of 34 samples, and partial failure of passive transfer (400 less than or equal to IgG less than 800 mg/dl) was correctly identified in each of nine samples. Evidence of adequate passive transfer (IgG greater than or equal to 800 mg/dl) was detected in 44 of 45 samples. One sample with 800 mg/dl or more of IgG was incorrectly classified as a partial failure of pas...
Drážovská M, Vojtek B, Mojžišová J, Koleničová S, Koľvek F, Prokeš M, Korytár Ľ, Csanady A, Ondrejková A, Vataščinová T, Bhide MR.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the causative agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis. It affects humans and several wild and domesticated mammals, including horses. The aim of our study was a preliminary survey of the occurrence of these re-emerging pathogens in horses in Slovakia. The sera from 200 animals of different ages and both sexes were tested for the presence of A. phagocytophilum antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Subsequently, detection of the 16S rRNA gene fragment of A. phagocytophilum was attempted by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in each blood sample. Our results confir...
Sidhu ABS, Rosanowski SM, Davis AM, Griffith JF, Robinson P.To quantitate the iatrogenic injury associated with deep plantar metatarsal fasciotomy performed with Metzenbaum scissors compared with a Y-shaped fasciotome. Methods: Experimental ex vivo surgical study. Methods: Cadaveric hind limbs (n = 20) from 10 sound thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: A plantar metatarsal fasciotomy was performed, extending from the proximal extent of the deep metatarsal fascia, distally. Hind limbs were randomly assigned to 2 groups, undergoing fasciotomy with straight Metzenbaum scissors (n = 10) or a Y-shaped fasciotome (n = 10). Magnetic resonance imaging...
Johnson AL, Becker SE, Roma ML.Standard bred mares that were cycling normally were treated beginning on Days 9 or 10 of the oestrous cycle with repeated pulses of GnRH (20 micrograms/h) and/or a single injection of prostaglandin (PG)F-2 alpha (alfaprostol, 3 mg), and were subsequently bled and palpated daily until the next ovulation. GnRH treatment increased serum concentrations of LH and progesterone at 4 days after the start of treatment compared to controls. The combination of PGF-2 alpha + GnRH treatment resulted in an immediate decline in serum progesterone values, and subsequently decreased the interval to next ovulat...
Earley ET, Galloway SS.Dental repulsion techniques reported in the past decades have a high incidence of complications. Although the practice of surgical extractions in horses is limited because of the training, instrumentation, and experience required to perform these techniques, veterinarians should be aware these procedures are available, general anesthesia is not required, and when performed by skilled veterinary dentists they have low complication rates. Surgical techniques are often used after failure of other extraction techniques to remove retained tooth root and fragments or to debride chronically contamina...
Haupt JL, McAndrews AG, Chaney KP, Labbe KA, Holcombe SJ.It has been suggested that the rate of post operative abdominal adhesions in miniature horses is higher than that for other breeds. However, few reports exist in the veterinary literature describing complications and long-term survival following surgical treatment of colic in these horses. Objective: To determine the prevalence of surgical lesions in miniature horses with acute abdominal disease in terms of clinical signs, surgical management, post operative treatment and complications, as well as short- and long-term survival. Methods: Medical records of 57 American Miniature Horses undergoin...
Wakuno A, Aoki M, Kushiro A, Mae N, Maeda T, Yamazaki Y, Minamijima Y, Nagata SI, Ohta M.To investigate the clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of intravenous alfaxalone in young Thoroughbred horses, seven Thoroughbred horses were randomly anaesthetised twice with either 1 or 2 mg/kg of intravenous alfaxalone after premedication with medetomidine (6 µg/kg intravenous) and midazolam (20 µg/kg intravenous). Blood samples were collected at predetermined time points up to two hours after administration. Plasma alfaxalone concentrations were quantified by a liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry method and analysed by non-compartmental pharmacokinetic analy...
Leach D, Oliphant L.Incidental to studies of keratinization of the equine hoof wall, annular gap junctions were found in the stratum spinosum of the intertubular horn of the stratum medium. Adjacent cells of the stratum spinosum showed extensive gap junctions, and often local invaginations of one cell into another were bound by gap junctions. It is proposed that these invaginations become detached from the cell surface to form the annular gap junctions. Formation of annular gap junctions may be a means of disposing of plasma membrane in response to changes in cell volume or shape occurring in keratinization. Inte...
Leach D.This paper summarizes recommendations for terminology to be used in the description of quadrupedal locomotion and selected aspects of biomechanics. Directional terms and planes of the body (anatomical position, spatial reference systems), joint angulation, conformation, general locomotion terminology, phases of the stride and limb cycle (e.g. step, cadence) and terminology for the description of jumping are described.
Wilsher S, Rigali F, Couto G, Camargo S, Allen WR.Historically, cryopreservation of equine embryos >300 μm gave poor pregnancy rates until researchers collapsed the blastocoele cavity and aspirated the blastocoele fluid prior to vitrification. Objective: To determine if aspiration of the blastocoele fluid prior to vitrification is essential for post warming survival. Methods: In vivo experiments. Methods: Fifty embryos were recovered on day 7-8 and washed in holding medium (HM; M-199HEPES + 20% FBS + antibiotics). Embryos were punctured using a micromanipulator mounted 30 μm biopsy needle; following this 28 had >90% of their bla...
Wong AS, Ho EN, Wan TS.Myo-inositol trispyrophosphate (ITPP) is a new drug capable of increasing the amount of oxygen in hypoxic tissues. Studies have shown that administration of ITPP increases the maximal exercise capacity in normal mice as well as mice with severe heart failure. The properties of ITPP make it an ideal candidate as a doping agent to enhance performance in racehorses. While there have been speculations in the horseracing industry that the covert use of ITPP is already widespread, no reported method exists for the detection of ITPP in equine biological samples. ITPP is a difficult-to-detect drug due...
Fitch GL, Galuppo LD, Stover SM, Willits NH.To evaluate a dorsoproximal extra-articular approach for insertion of 8.25-mm, solid-titanium, intramedullary (IM) interlocking nails into ostectomized foal third metacarpal (MC3) and third metatarsal (MT3) bones; to compare the monotonic mechanical properties of IM nail constructs with paired intact bones; and to determine the effects of age, body weight, fore- or hindlimb, and left or right limb on the mechanical testing variables. Methods: Twenty bone pairs (10 MC3, 10 MT3) collected from 10 foals of various weights and ages. Methods: One bone from each pair was randomly selected to be oste...
Johnstone IB, Petersen D, Crane S.Plasma Antithrombin III (ATIII) activity was quantitated in 24 clinically normal Standardbred/Thoroughbred horses using a clotting time technique. ATIII activity ranged from 80 to 106% of the pooled reference standard plasma, with a mean of 94%. Horses presenting with impaction or spasmotic colic (n=17) had normal plasma ATIII activity, while 15 horses presenting with acute diarrhea/colitis had significantly lower plasma ATIII activity with a mean of only 74% of the reference plasma. Seven horses presenting with liver disease had significantly higher plasma ATIII activity with a range of 127 t...
Potter DA, Foss L, Baumler RE, Held DW.An equine disease now known as mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) struck the Ohio Valley in 2001-2002 causing thousands of foal abortions and enormous economic loss. Evidence that pregnant mares' exposure to Eastern tent caterpillars Malacosoma americanum (F) induces MRLS created an urgent call for control measures suitable for use on horse farms. We surveyed egg mass distribution and monitored emergence in wild cherry trees, and evaluated reduced-risk treatment strategies including foliage sprays, trunk injections, winter egg mass treatments and barrier sprays to intercept larvae entering...
Veado HC, Silva AS, Fagundes JLA, Bittencourt AA, de Castro MB, Câmara ACL.Skin lesions are among the leading diseases in equids, and the urogenital region is considered the third most frequently affected body location with tumors and tumor-like skin lesions in horses. Tumor-like skin lesions or multiple tumors of different types in the equine prepuce and penis are a challenging clinical presentation leading to misdiagnosis and subsequent ineffective treatment. An 18-year-old 395-kg male mixed-breed gelding was referred for evaluation of preputial enlargement. Clinical examination revealed a 2.5 × 2.0 × 0.8 cm proliferative ulcerated lesion on the penile mucosa...
Krueger K, Esch L, Byrne R.Debate persists over whether animals develop innovative solutions primarily in response to needs or conversely whether they innovate more when basic needs are covered and opportunity to develop novel behaviour is offered. We sourced 746 cases of "unusual" behaviour in equids by contacting equid owners and caretakers directly and via a website (https://innovative-behaviour.org), and by searching the internet platforms YouTube and Facebook for videos. The study investigated whether differences in need or opportunity for innovation were reflected in the numbers of different types of innovations a...
Maia VN, Batista AM, Cunha Neto S, Silva DM, Adrião M, Wischral A.The effects of deslorelin acetate use in inducing ovulation need to be clarified to improve the results of equine embryo transfer. The mRNA abundance for angiogenic factors and LH receptor (LHR) in corpus luteum (CL) was studied in mares with natural (control group [CG]) and induced ovulation with deslorelin acetate (treatment group [TG]; follicles: ≥ 35 mm). Transrectal ultrasonography was used to verify the ovulation day, and on Days 4, 8, and 12 after ovulation (Day 0), CL samples were obtained through ultrasound-guided biopsy. The messenger RNA expression of vascular endothelial growth f...
Habel RE, Budras KD.Analyses of the fibers in the prepubic tendon of the horse and ruminants have shown that it is composed of the crossed and uncrossed tendons of origin of the pectineus muscles, the pelvic tendons of the rectus and obliquus abdominis muscles, and the tendons of origin of the cranial parts of the gracilis muscles. Pelvic attachments of the linea alba and the yellow abdominal tunic are incorporated in it. It is not a transverse ligament, and it is not homologous to the human superior (cranial) pubic ligament. The dog differs in 4 respects: (1) the pectineus tendons do not cross, but each originat...