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.
Koterba AM, Brewer BD, Tarplee FA.In an effort to identify improved methods for diagnosis of infection in the neonatal foal, clinical records from 38 septicaemic foals of less than one week of age were examined for trends in history, physical examination and clinicopathological findings. The survival rate of septicaemic foals, 26 per cent, was markedly less than the rate for all other foal admissions. Blood cultures were valuable in diagnosis and treatment of septicaemia and identified a preponderance of Gram-negative infection. Zinc sulphate turbidity test results were abnormally low in all septicaemic foals tested. The clini...
Lombard CW, Evans M, Martin L, Tehrani J.Twelve newborn pony foals underwent cardiovascular examinations (auscultation, arterial blood pressure measurements, electrocardiograms and M-mode echocardiograms) on their first day of life and then on Days 7, 14, 21, 30, 60 and 90. An age dependent, statistically significant, rapid increase of the arterial blood pressure in the first month was documented together with a slower decrease of the resting heart rate after two and three months of life. Innocent soft systolic murmurs were audible over the left heart base in a large number of the foals. The electrocardiograms showed age dependent in...
Broughton Pipkin F, Ousey JC, Wallace CP, Rossdale PD.Plasma renin substrate concentration was measured in 18, four-day-old pony foals after the administration of the natriuretic agent frusemide. Thirteen foals had been delivered spontaneously; labour had been induced in the remaining five mares. Plasma aldosterone concentration was measured in 12 of the spontaneously delivered foals. Renin substrate concentration had risen sharply within 15 mins (P less than 0.005) and peaked at 1 h. The response was consistently greater in the induced foals. Serum sodium concentration fell rapidly in the induced foals (P less than 0.002 by 60 mins) but was bett...
Miller PJ, Holmes JR.Systolic time intervals (STIs), isovolumic contraction time (ICT) and left ventricular ejection time (LVET) were recorded from seven horses with supraventricular arrhythmia. The STIs were measured over a number of beats (33 to 100) directly from the left ventricular (LV) and aortic (Ao) pressure contours which were recorded simultaneously using two catheter-mounted transducers. ICT was significantly (P less than 0.01) and directly related to beat-by-beat heart rate (HR = 60/pulse interval) and LVET was significantly (P less than 0.01) and inversely related to heart rate in each of five horses....
Rossdale PD, Ousey JC, Silver M, Fowden A.This paper describes criteria used to assess maturity of the newborn foal and their clinical application to field cases of prematurity and dysmaturity. Premature and mature foals may be clearly distinguished by their behavioural and physical characteristics. Measurement of haematological parameters (mean cell volume, total white cell and differential counts), pancreatic beta cell activity (plasma glucose and insulin levels), adrenocortical-medullary function (plasma cortisol, adrenocorticotrophic hormone and catecholamines) and the renin-angiotensin system (plasma renin substrate concentration...
Allen WR, Pashen RL.The blastomeres of 192- to 8-cell embryos recovered surgically 1-3 days after ovulation from 23 Pony mares were mechanically separated and inserted, in various combinations, into evacuated pig zonae pellucidae to make 27 'half' and 17 'quarter' micromanipulated embryos. These were embedded in agar and cultured in vivo in the ligated oviducts of ewes for 3.5-5 days to allow development to the late morula/early blastocyst stage. Subsequent surgical or non-surgical transfer of 13 'half' and 17 'quarter' embryos to mares resulted in 10 established pregnancies, including 2 monozygotic pairs. Surgic...
Ousey JC, Dudan F, Rossdale PD.The status of the mare and foetus in relation to readiness for birth was assessed by measurement of the electrolytes sodium, potassium and calcium in mammary secretions pre-partum. Sixteen Thoroughbred mares were allowed to foal spontaneously and the ionic status of their mammary secretions was measured over three to five weeks pre-partum. From these measurements, a scoring system was developed where an ionic score of 35 points or more suggested that the mare was within 24 h of foaling. On the basis of this ionic score, 10 pony mares were induced with either oxytocin or fluprostenol and assess...
Stewart JH, Rose RJ, Barko AM.The effect of oxygen administration on blood gas values was examined in six newborn foals from birth to seven days old. Three variables were studied: the effect of increasing age on the ability to elevate arterial oxygen tension (Pao2), the effect of duration of oxygen delivery on Pao2 and the effect of method of administration. The results demonstrated a significant effect of age on the ability to increase Pao2 values, with the highest Pao2 values being found at seven days old. The duration of oxygen administration caused little change in Pao2 values; peak values were reached after 2 mins of ...
Prescott JF, Gannon VP, Kittler G, Hlywka G.Results are presented of antimicrobial disc diffusion susceptibility testing on commonly isolated bacterial pathogens made at the Ontario Veterinary College Diagnostic Bacteriology Laboratory in 1981 and 1982. Nearly 2 000 isolates from horses, cattle, dogs and cats were tested. Comparison of resistance in the same bacterial species isolated from different animal species showed significant differences between some of the same antibiotics.
Mugg PA, Hill A.The failure of N. gonorrhoeae to grow on isolation media was found to be due to inhibitory substances present in commercially available horse sera. Subsequent investigations indicated that the inhibitory action of the horse serum may have been due to antibodies to N. gonorrhoeae, H. influenzae, H. parainfluenzae and beta hemolytic streptococci. This experience highlights the need for media quality control programmes in laboratories which prepare microbiological culture media.
Timoney PJ, Geraghty VP, Harrington AM, Dillon PB.A microneutralization test in PK(15) cells was developed to measure the neutralizing antibody response of a group of ponies experimentally challenged with louping ill virus. Viral cytopathic effect was maximal after 6 days of incubation, at which point titration endpoints were clear-cut and readily determinable. The assay compared favorably with the mouse neutralization test for accuracy and ease of performance.
Zavy MT, Vernon MW, Sharp DC, Bazer FW.Comparisons of estrone, 17 beta-estradiol, and plasma progestin concentrations were made in uterine fluid and peripheral blood of nonpregnant and pregnant pony mares. Concentrations of these steroids were also measured within yolk sac fluid from blastocysts on days 12, 14, 16, and 18 of pregnancy to obtain more complete analyses of the uterine environment (uterine fluid plus yolk sac fluid) of early pregnancy. Thirty mares were randomly assigned to six treatment groups (n = 5/group), and uterine fluid and peripheral blood samples were obtained on days 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 postovulation. A...
Taverne MA.For the past few years, two-dimensional diagnostic ultrasound methods have become available to veterinary medicine. In particular, linear-array real-time ultrasound would appear to be a very suitable diagnostic tool in the examination of the female genital organs of domestic mammals. The principles of this technique and the equipment available are described, and particular attention is paid to the method by which a diagnosis of pregnancy may be established in various animal species. In dogs and goats shaving will have to be done before the sound-transmitting/receiving transducer can be placed ...
The Journal of hygieneJune 1, 1984
Volume 92, Issue 3 365-375 doi: 10.1017/s0022172400064585
Gray SJ.Faecal samples from 110 horses, 115 pigs, 111 sheep and 123 cows were examined for the presence of Aeromonas hydrophila, which was also sought in the available drinking water. The overall faecal rate was 11.8%, but significantly more bovine than other samples were found to be positive. There was significant association between the isolation of A. hydrophila from all animal faeces and its presence in drinking water, but this was not found when individual animal groups were analysed separately. An enrichment technique increased the total number of isolates by 77.1%. Strains of differing origins ...
Bergh A, Asplund K, Lund I, Boström A, Hyytiäinen H.Soft tissue mobilization is frequently used in the treatment of sport and companion animals. There is, however, uncertainty regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of these methods. Therefore, the aim of this systematic literature review was to assess the evidence for clinical effects of massage and stretching in cats, dogs, and horses. A bibliographic search, restricted to studies in cats, dogs, and horses, was performed on Web of Science Core Collection, CABI, and PubMed. Relevant articles were assessed for scientific quality, and information was extracted on study characteristics, species,...
Adams R, Calderwood-Mays MB, Peyton LC.Three horses were examined for ulcerative pharyngitis, which had been unresponsive to treatment. Biopsy specimens of the pharyngeal lesions were characterized histologically by a mixed population of lymphocytes and histiocytes, suggesting chronic inflammation. Only when biopsy specimens of regional lymph nodes revealed this cell population disrupting the lymph node architecture was the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma made.
Bristol DG, Cullen J.An inverting, triangulated, stapled, end-to-end anastomosis technique was evaluated in the jejunum of four horses. None of the horses showed evidence of gastrointestinal disturbance after surgery; however, stricture and adhesion formation were pronounced in three animals examined 10 days, one month, and two months after surgery. The animal examined four months after surgery had no adhesions present at the anastomosis, and only mild narrowing of the intestinal lumen. Histologic examination of the anastomoses showed lack of a normal mucosal lining in some examined sections up to two months posts...
Gimsing S.A previous estimate has indicated that horse activities in Denmark account for about 5750 non-fatal and 1-2 fatal accidents every year. Many are preventable, as they are caused by carelessness. A description of the accident pattern is important. Methods: The European Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System (EHLASS) has included data on horse-related accidents since 1989. All 8662 accidents in the period, 1989-1999, were studied. Death certificates from 11 fatal cases during the same period were obtained from the National Board of Health. Results: The annual total number of riding acciden...
Brewer K, Machin J, Maylin G, Fenger C, Morales-Briceño A, Tobin T.Gabapentin, 1-(Aminomethyl)cyclohexaneacetic acid, MW 171.240, is a frequently prescribed high dose human medication that is also used recreationally. Gabapentin is orally absorbed; the dose can be 3,000 mg/day and it is excreted essentially unchanged in urine. Gabapentin is stable in the environment and routinely detected in urban wastewater. Gabapentin randomly transfers from humans to racing horses and is at times detected at pharmacologically ineffective / trace level concentrations in equine plasma and urine. In Ohio racing between January 2019 and July 2020,18 Gabapentin identifications...
Modransky PD.Diagnostic ultrasound is an easy, accurate method of locating both kidneys and liver in the horse. Good contact between the transducer and body wall is essential for clear, precise images. The greatest limitation to ultrasonic organ localization and biopsy guidance is the inability of ultrasound to transmit through gas-filled structures and bone. These structures act as barriers to sound-beam penetration and prevent visualization of soft-tissue structures deep to them. Organ parenchyma can be evaluated with ultrasonography. Focal and/or diffuse lesions can alter the normal parenchymal pattern ...
Ramzan PH, Palmer L, Barquero N, Newton JR.There are few published data to support the ages of emergence of permanent dentition widely reported in horses. Objective: To clarify the chronology and sequence of permanent premolar (PM) tooth emergence in Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: A prospective study was undertaken in which records were kept of deciduous PM 'cap' extractions performed during routine dental examinations in Thoroughbred racehorses. Mixed effects multiple regression analysis was used to relate the observed ages, measured in days, for PM 'cap' extractions simultaneously with different predictive variables. Care was take...
Ronen N.Urinary tract pressure profiles were evaluated in 6 clinically normal geldings over 3 consecutive days. This was performed by introducing a 1.3 m-long cuffed catheter into the urinary tract, under xylazine sedation (0.8 mg/kg, iv). The method was reproducible. The mean (+/- sd) intra-vesicular pressure (IVP) and maximal urethral closure pressures (MUCP) were 10.3 (+/- 1.7) and 129.8 (+/- 19.6) cmH2O, respectively, and the ratio between MUCP and IVP was 13.2 (+/- 2.5). A gelding with urinary incontinence showed a significantly lower MUCP (73.4 cmH2O), and an MUCP to IVP ratio of 8.0. It was con...
Moyaert H, Haesebrouck F, Dewulf J, Ducatelle R, Pasmans F.Faecal samples of sixty-six 3-day- to 6-month-old foals were screened for Helicobacter equorum DNA by means of a PCR amplifying a 1074 bp fragment of the 23S rRNA gene with primers specific for this enterohepatic Helicobacter species. H. equorum DNA was demonstrated in faeces from 28.6% of the less than 1-month-old foals, while 67.8% of foals from 1 to 6 months of age tested positive. In a previous study, H. equorum was demonstrated in faeces of 0.8-7.9% of adult horses. These results indicate that the prevalence of H. equorum in horses differs with the age of the investigated horse population...
Schumacher J, Spano JS, Wilson RC, DeGraves FJ, Duran SH, Ruffin DC.The pharmacokinetic properties of intravenously administered caffeine were studied in 10 horses using a commercially available automated enzyme immunoassay. The harmonic mean for the distribution half-life was 5.2 min (range 1.4-18.7). The harmonic mean for the elimination half-life was 10.18 h (range 6.82-20.92). The harmonic mean of the volume of distribution was 0.32 L/kg (range 0.22-0.53). There was no correlation between the dose of caffeine/kg body weight and the elimination half-life (Spearman's coefficient of rank correlation = 0.19).
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...
We evaluated the vasorelaxant effect of propentofylline (PPF), a methylxanthine derivative, and its mechanism of action in equine digital veins (EDVs). Cumulative concentration-response curves to PPF (1 nM-300 µM) were recorded in phenylephrine-precontracted EDV rings under different experimental conditions. PPF-induced relaxation was partially inhibited by endothelium removal, but was unaltered by CGS-15943 (an adenosine receptor antagonist; 3 µM). PPF-induced relaxation was partially inhibited in the presence of L-NAME (a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor; 100 µM), ODQ (an inhibitor of...
Büchi S, Waelchli RO, Corboz L, Gygax AP, Wälti RJ.In the mare, natural breeding is associated with bacterial contamination of the reproductive tract. The purpose of this study was to examine postcoital bacterial contamination and the resulting inflammatory response of the uterus. Uterine swabs for bacteriological and cytological examination were obtained from 80 mares. Each mare was sampled once between 4 and 69 hours postbreeding. In mares which did not conceive, sampling was repeated at the following estrus. The findings were compared with those obtained prior to breeding and correlated with the breeding outcome. Bacteria were cultured from...
Doherty TJ, Andrews FM, Blackford JT, Rohrbach BW, Sandin A, Saxton AM.Endotoxaemia causes a disruption of gastrointestinal motility in the horse but there is no information on its effects on gastric secretion. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration is known to affect gastric secretion in other species. Objective: That LPS, a toxic component of Gram-negative bacteria, would reduce gastric acid secretion and that pretreatment with phenylbutazone (PBZ) would block the effects of LPS. Methods: The effects of LPS and PBZ on gastric contents were investigated in fasted, mature horses, with permanent gastric cannulae. Horses were pretreated with either saline or PBZ 1...
Knych HK, Steffey EP, Stanley SD.To describe the pharmacokinetics of detomidine and yohimbine when administered in combination. Methods: Randomized crossover design. Methods: Nine healthy adult horses aged 9 ± 4 years and weighing of 561 ± 56 kg. Methods: Three dose regimens were employed in the current study. 1) 0.03 mg kg(-1) detomidine IV (D), 2) 0.2 mg kg(-1) yohimbine IV (Y) and 3) 0.03 mg kg(-1) detomidine IV followed 15 minutes later by 0.2 mg kg(-1) yohimbine IV (DY). Each horse received all three dose regimens with a minimum of 1 week in between subsequent regimens. Blood samples were obtained and plasma analyzed f...
Lean NE, Franklin SH, Steel C, Woolford L, White J, Ahern BJ.Little is known about potential differences in the left recurrent laryngeal nerve (Lrln) and left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (LCAD) muscle between domestic and feral horse populations. If a difference exists, feral horses may provide a useful control population for research related to recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) and increase our understanding of potential population pressures influencing the incidence RLN. The objective of this study was to compare the Lrln and LCAD of domestic and feral horses using histological and immunohistochemical techniques (IHC). Sixteen horses, domestic (n = ...
Carrier SP, Boulanger P, Bannister GL.The comparative values of the direct, the indirect complement-fixation and the agar-gel immunodiffusion tests were assessed for the diagnosis of equine infectious anemia. Antibodies were detected on the agar-gel immunodiffusion test as early as 18 days post-inoculation in the serums of experimentally infected horses and were readily detectable in all the subsequent bleedings. Complement-fixing antibodies, demonstrable by the direct method, were detected commencing about the same time. However, these were not long-lasting and were replaced by the non-complement-fixing antibodies demonstrable by...
