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.
Kozlov DP.The problem of dissimilation of larvae of strongylates of ruminants in pasture biocoenosis is discussed. A new form of their migration in horizontal direction on the basis of negative geotaxis is suggested. As a result of alternation of vertical migration of larvae on the tilting leaves of the grass and their subsequent washing off with rain or dew down on the ground proceeds their distribution on the pasture. The description of corresponding experiments is given.
Clarke AF.Exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is a condition of uncertain aetiology. This article reviews the evidence relating to its incidence, clinical findings, radiological observations, histopathology and certain aspects of respiratory physiology. It is proposed that EIPH is primarily caused by mechanical stress in the dorsocaudal region of the lung.
Jeffcott LB, Field JR.Hyperlipaemia is an important condition in ponies, not just because of the seriousness of the clinical signs and biochemical changes involved, but because of the distress it causes owners and breeders that have had animals suffer from it. Hyperlipaemia occurs most commonly in fat ponies in late pregnancy and is rarely seen in larger horses. The syndrome has similarities with conditions in other species but the definitive aetiologies are not yet known. The condition in ponies is undoubtedly related to stress. The biochemical mechanisms involved in equine hyperlipaemia are considered and an hypo...
Breider MA, Kiely RG, Edwards JF.A generalized debilitating disease in a horse was believed to be related to hypersensitivity to migrating strongyle larvae. The clinical signs included weight loss, diarrhea, and ulcers on all 4 coronary bands. The mare's condition deteriorated rapidly, so the mare was euthanatized and necropsied. The major histopathologic findings were chronic multifocal eosinophilic pancreatitis, hepatic portal fibrosis, biliary hyperplasia, and chronic ulcerative eosinophilic colitis. This case was similar to previously reported cases of chronic eosinophilic gastroenteritis in horses. Although the etiologic...
Shamis LD, Auer J.Complete ulnas and fibulas were found in a 10-month-old Welsh Pony examined because of severe flexural deformity, with carpal and tarsal valgus deformities, in all limbs. Presence of these normally vestigial structures is considered a form of atavism. At one week of age, periosteal transection was performed for the angular deformity, resulting in no improvement. When performing this procedure, the authors recommend transection of these vestigial structures if present.
Palmer JE.Few foals escape gastrointestinal disease during the first weeks of life. Diarrhea is an extremely common problem; fortunately, however, it is usually mild and self-limiting. When it is not, the underlying cause is often an infectious agent, such as rotavirus or Salmonella spp. Our understanding of many of the infectious agents causing neonatal diarrhea is far from complete. Gastric and duodenal ulcers are a less common disease of neonatal foals. There has been an apparent increase in the incidence of ulcer disease in foals during the past few years. The most effective way of decreasing seriou...
Skalka B, Svastová A.Two techniques were developed to detect antibodies against the exosubstance of C. equi called equi-factor. In the first technique serum samples are tested against native equi-factor produced by the growth of C. equi on agar medium. A positive result is manifested by the development of precipitation lines. The second test is based on neutralization of prepurified equi-factor by antibody, resulting in the inhibition of its hemolytic synergism with staphylococcal beta toxin. Sera (125 samples) from horses of different ages, kept in localities with a history of C. equi infections, were examined. T...
Sellers AF, Lowe JE, Cummings JF.Some support for both serotonin and substance P as biotransmitters in the equine large colon is presented. Close arterial injections of small quantities of each of these were effective, respectively, in stimulating marked increases in coordinated pressure peaks in the vicinity of the pelvic flexure, with modest (serotonin) or marked (substance P) increase in colon artery blood flow. Both the acaricide, amitraz, and the tranquilizer xylazine appeared to act on the equine large colon via yohimbine-sensitive alpha 2-adrenergic receptors.
Kemen MJ, Frank RA, Babish JB.An outbreak of an influenza-like illness affected approximately 1/3 of the 1050 race horses stabled at a standardbred racetrack and resulted in a 3-day suspension of racing. A/Equi-2 influenza virus was isolated from 1 affected horse and 8 of 10 horses sampled seroconverted. Threshold protective levels of HI antibody against A/Equi-2 influenza virus were not demonstrated in unaffected horses. Resistance in unaffected horses was assumed to result from other factors following previous exposure. Few of the horses had been vaccinated against equine influenza. It was felt that an outbreak of this m...
Koterba AM, Drummond WH, Kosch P.The basic concepts of diagnosis and treatment in the abnormal neonatal foal are presented. Methods of restraint, sedation, and general nursing care are discussed, as well as more specific techniques of respiratory and circulatory system support.
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW.Prevalence of natural infections of parasites from the lungs of 488 dead Thoroughbreds in Kentucky was investigated. The horses varied from 1 to 32 years of age; 419 horses were from 215 farms and 69 horses were from 68 individual sources for which a specific farm was not identified. Examinations of the lungs were made from Mar 1, 1983 through Feb 29, 1984. Dictyocaulus arnfieldi was recovered from 56 (11%) of the horses. Other parasites found were larvae of Parascaris equorum in 37 (8%) and of Habronema/Draschia in 67 (14%) of the horses. The possible effect of ivermectin treatment on the pre...
Mollett TA, Elmore RG, Blanchard TL, Berg JN.This study was conducted to determine if Escherichia coli endotoxin was absorbed from the equine uterus and if exogenous progesterone and estrogen affected the absorption of intrauterine endotoxin. Six mature anestrous pony mares were used in three consecutive crossover experiments (Periods) with a 14 day recovery between each period. Mares were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (three mares per group) and received an intrauterine infusion of either saline or endotoxin. Treatment groups were reversed and readministered after 14 days completing a crossover design (Period 1). Duri...
Leitch M.Angular limb deformities are not uncommon in foals. Mild angular deviation due to laxity of supporting soft tissues often resolves spontaneously. However, external splinting or casting may be needed in severe cases or in those that do not resolve. When incomplete ossification of carpal or tarsal bones is the cause of the limb deformity, external support is mandatory to prevent further deformation and abnormal development of the bones. When epiphyseal and metaphyseal abnormalities cause axial deviation, surgical intervention is usually necessary. Circumferential periosteal transection and/or tr...
Koterba AM, Drummond WH.Provision of adequate nutritional support to the sick neonatal foal is a vital part of intensive care; frequently, however, it is very difficult to accomplish. In this article, current recommendations concerning both enteral and parenteral nutrition are discussed.
Soma LR, Laster L, Oppenlander F, Barr-Alderfer V.In 3 groups of horses with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), comparisons of racing times and finishing positions were made between the 5 races before the horses were given furosemide and 5 races after furosemide administration. The horses were grouped according to 3 methods used to diagnose EIPH: group 1, observation of hemorrhage at the nostrils within 1 hour after a workout or race; group 2, observation of pulmonary hemorrhage only by endoscopic examination after a race or workout; and group 3, observation of hemorrhage at the nostrils during a race or immediately after a race. G...
Vaala WE.Other therapeutic agents used in foals for specific diseases are discussed elsewhere. The marked effect of species, age, and degree of maturity on drug metabolism in the neonate reinforces the danger of interspecies extrapolation of pharmacology, the need for information specific for the foal, and the necessity for monitoring drug levels in the individual. Suggested antimicrobial doses are listed in Tables 3, 4, and 6. Recommended doses of anticonvulsants and sedatives are listed in Table 8 and in the article "Intensive Care of the Neonatal Foal." The following are recommendations for drug the...
Reef VB.Cardiac disease in the equine neonate occurs infrequently. Murmurs are often heard in foals and are not considered significant unless they persist beyond 4 days of age. Congenital cardiac defects are the most common form of primary cardiac disease in the foal, with ventricular septal defects occurring most frequently. Other neonatal foal diseases such as ruptured bladders, white muscle disease, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, and septicemia have secondary cardiac involvement.
Ikeda JS, Hirsh DC.An outbreak of equine salmonellosis occurred at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis, between June 1981 and March 1982. Forty-four horses were infected with Salmonella saint-paul, a serotype rarely isolated from animals at the university before the outbreak. Unlike the isolates of S saint-paul obtained at the beginning of the outbreak, almost all strains isolated near the end were resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, kanamycin, sulfadiazine, trimethoprim, and trimethoprim-sulfadiazine. A conjugal-resistance plasmid (R-plasmid) ...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW.Prevalence of natural infections of the lungworm, Dictyocaulus arnfieldi, was investigated in Kentucky in 5,437 live equids (horses, ponies, and asses) on 91 farms by examination of fecal samples over a 15-month-period from January 28, 1983 to April 19, 1984. For the 91 farms investigated, asses only were examined on 1 farm; for the other 90 farms, examinations were made of horses on all of them, of ponies on 4 farms, and of asses on 9 farms. Larvae of D arnfieldi were found in fecal samples of 112 (2%) of 5,379 horses on the 90 farms of which 38% had greater than or equal to 1 infected animal...
Latimer CA, Wyman M.This discussion of normal and abnormal findings on routine ophthalmic examination of the foal should prove useful to the equine practitioner who must provide counsel to the concerned owner and/or breeder. Early diagnosis and treatment of ocular abnormalities improve the prognosis for continued function and aid determination of the significance of lesions observed in later life.
Horstmann T, Heitkamp HC, Mayer F, Hermann M, Küsswetter HW, Dickhuth H.The objective of this study was to compile knowledge of athletic injuries and complaint patterns related specifically to equestrian acrobatics (e.a.). A 20-page standardized questionnaire was sent to 114 e.a. participants. The mean age of the participants in e.a. groups was 15 +/- 3 years, that of independent participants 21 +/- 3 years. A total of 489 injuries was reported, mainly to muscles and tendons (35%), skin (33%) and joints and ligaments (25%). Bone injuries (6%) and head injuries (2%) were infrequent. Analysis of the localization showed that the head-face-neck region was involved in ...
Kravtsov AL.Compare the content of bactericidal granules (BG) in blood phagocytes of animals, that differ by species sensitivity to plague infection, under the conditions of measuring, that ensure automatic differentiating by this parameter of monocytes and granulocytes of human blood. Methods: Human whole blood leukocytes were studied, as well as from 7 animal species: mice, guinea pigs, golden hamsters, white rats, rabbits, dogs and horses. Acridine orange (AO) was used for supra-vital staining in primary (bactericidal) granule cells. Relative BG content was measured in separate cells in conventional un...
Petry S, Breuil MF, Duquesne F.Contagious equine metritis (CEM) detection by PCR is recognized by the European Union according to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 846/2014, and real-time PCR is now recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Manual at the same level as the culture method. The present study highlights the creation of an efficient network of approved laboratories in France in 2017 for CEM detection by real-time PCR. The network currently consists of 20 laboratories. A first proficiency test (PT) was organized by the national reference laboratory for CEM in 2017 to evaluate th...
Davis JG, Ragle CA, Hanna A, DeNome AT.To determine the location of the deep and superficial caudal epigastric arteries in relation to 3 midline positions and the relationship between the location of these arteries, body circumference, and body condition score. Methods: Descriptive anatomical study. Methods: Nine horses, aged 1-28 years (mean 10.61 ± 8.89 SD). Methods: Body condition score and body circumference were measured prior to euthanasia. Angiographic studies of the deep and superficial caudal epigastric arteries were performed on resected abdominal walls. The distances between the deep and the superficial caudal epiga...
George JW, Duncan JR, Mahaffey EA.Pyrimidine 5'nucleotidase (P5N) activities of erythrocytes for Mongolian gerbils, cats, dogs, sheep, horses, and calves were measured, using a radiometric technique with [14C]cytidine monophosphate as the substrate. Erythrocytes of gerbils had the highest activity [1,177.1 +/- 133.6 mU/g of hemoglobin (Hb)]. Feline erythrocytes had 327.4 +/- 204.4 mU/g of Hb. Canine erythrocytes had 148.0 +/- 19.8 mU/g of Hb. Ovine erythrocytes (44.3 +/- 20.9 mU/g of Hb), equine erythrocytes (30.0 +/- 15.9 mU/g of Hb), and bovine erythrocytes (14.1 +/- 6.9) had relatively low P5N activity. The P5N activity was...
Thomas DE, Beadle RE.The pharmacokinetics of 3-methylindole (3MI) given orally in 2 doses (10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) to horses were determined. The pharmacokinetic plasma-concentration profiles for 3MI (10- and 20-mg/kg dosages) in horses were represented by a 2-compartment open model with first-order absorption, as determined by nonlinear least-squares regression analysis. Absorption of 3MI at both dosages was rapid. Comparisons of the peak plasma concentrations, the postdistribution half lives, total clearances, and areas under the curve of the plasma-concentration profiles between the 10- and the 20-mg/kg dosages ...
LeBlanc MM, Asbury AC, Lyle SK.Uterine response to inoculation with Streptococcus zooepidemicus organisms, 51Cr-labeled 15-microns microspheres, and charcoal was evaluated in 9 mares (4 resistant and 5 susceptible to endometritis) to determine mechanical and cellular clearance rates during the early postovulatory period. Mares were inoculated at estrus prior to ovulation during estrous cycles 1, 3, and 5. Uterine swab specimens for aerobic and anaerobic bacteriologic culture and serum for progesterone determination were obtained on postovulation day 3 during estrous cycle 1, on the day of ovulation during estrous cycle 3, a...
Jiang Z, Chen JW, Haughan J, Stefanovski D, Soma LR, Robinson MA.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a treatment applied to musculoskeletal injuries in equine athletes to alleviate pain and accelerate healing. ESWT also causes acute tissue damage. Therefore, its ability to act as an analgesic and cause tissue damage potentially increases the risk of a catastrophic event if used shortly before a strenuous competition such as horseracing. While ESWT is prohibited by many racing jurisdictions within 10 days prior to competition, a test to detect whether a horse has received ESWT is needed. ESWT changes the protein levels of inflammatory mediators in bl...
Owens JG, Kamerling SG, Stanton SR, Keowen ML.Detomidine (10, 20 and 40 micrograms/kg i.v.) and saline were administered to eight adult horses with hoof pain and lameness associated with chronic laminitis. Mechanical noxious stimulation was applied to 16 loci over the solar surface of each forefoot by means of an electronic hoof tester to determine chronic pain thresholds. Horses were evaluated before and at 25, 55 and 120 min after treatment for lameness and to determine hoof compression thresholds (HCTs), the percentage of responsive loci and the subjective grade of hoof withdrawal response at each responsive locus. Detomidine produced ...
Palmer SE.The carbon dioxide laser has become an important surgical instrument in human and veterinary medicine. The unique properties of this laser make it the instrument of choice for precise incision, coagulation, and vaporization of tissue at the body surface with minimal morbidity to the patient. This article describes the instrumentation and techniques used to perform a variety of equine general surgical procedures with the carbon dioxide laser. The benefits of surgery using the carbon dioxide laser include precise dissection with minimal trauma to adjacent tissues, good hemostasis, and the abilit...