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.
Pascoe RR.Within a group of 130 mares which, in the event, carried twin pregnancies, 29 (22.3 per cent) produced their twins following diagnosis of a single palpable follicle at service and a single pregnancy 42 days later. The whole group of 130 twin-pregnant mares gave birth to only 17 live foals (13 per cent). Breeding results for the following season were available for 102 of these mares, when 38 (37 per cent) produced live foals. Thus over the two seasons an average 23 per cent of this group produced live foals. In a second group, comprising 70 mares, twin pregnancy had been diagnosed in all of the...
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...
Vonderfecht SL, Bowling AT, Cohen M.A congenital and probably hereditary neurological defect has been identified in the intestinal tract of six foals produced from the breeding of overo (a type of spotting pattern) horses. The foals had white hair and pink skin with the exception of occasional pigmented foci about the muzzle, ventral abdomen, and hindquarters. The foals appeared normal at birth, but within a few hours developed symptoms of colic. At necropsy, the only significant finding was a narrow, pale segment of large intestine. This abnormality either was confined to the small colon and rectum or involved the entire colon ...
Côté GP.The non-muscle tropomyosins (TMs), isolated from such tissues as platelets, brain and thyroid, are structurally very similar to the muscle TMs, being composed of two highly alpha-helical subunits wound around each other to form a rod-like molecule. The non-muscle TMs are shorter than the muscle TMs; sequence analysis demonstrates that each subunit of equine platelet TM consists of 247 amino acids, 37 fewer than for skeletal muscle TM. The major differences in sequence between platelet and skeletal muscle TM are found near the amino and carboxyl terminal ends of the proteins. Probably as the re...
Ostlund C, Pero RW, Olsson B.1. The reproducibility of blood pressure determinations on 103 male horses gave an average coefficient of variation of 5.0%. 2. Different parameters affecting the methodology of blood pressure measurements were separately analysed; i.e. size of specimen, size of cuff in relationship to tail circumference and temperature of the environment. 3. A strong positive linear correlation between age and blood pressure in the horse was established for two breeds with widely varying genetic background--Swedish Warmbloods and Arabians.
Driancourt MA, Prunier A, Palmer E, Mariana JC.To define ovarian follicular kinetics in the equine ovary during anestrus and the breeding season, the follicular population of pony mares was investigated at mid-anestrus and at the beginning and end of the breeding season. There was a clear effect of season on the exit of reserve (primordial and initiated) follicles since at the beginning of the breeding season we noticed a higher mitotic index for the smaller preantral follicles, leading to an accumulation of small and medium antral follicles. In contrast, the ovaries sampled during anestrus or at the end of the breeding season were very si...
Foster NM, Barber TL, Walton TE.Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) TC-84 vaccinal virus, from 10-1. quantities of infected duck embryo fibroblast cell culture fluids, was isolated by combined continuous-flow centrifugation with isopycnic banding in sucrose. Most of the recovered infectivity and hemagglutinating activity were in a single band at a buoyant density (rho) of 1.2. About 90% of the total input protein (450-520 mg) was removed with the effluent, whereas most of the remaining 10% also banded at a rho of 1.2. Infectivity was inactivated with formalin at a final concentration of 0.05% at 37 degrees C for 24 hr....
Wolter R, Durix A, Letourneau JC, Carcelen M, Henry N.One pony has been subjected to the intravenous injections of L-lactic acid. Two other ponies have been trained to intracaecal administration of L-lactic acid or sucrose. The obtained results show that: Intravenous injection of lactic acid increases the concentration of histamin and lactic acid, decreases the level of magnesium and reduces the pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood (the control animals and the treated animals) without the clinical symptoms of lactic acidosis. Intracaecal administration of lactic acid induces a high liberation of histamin in the caecum (the control animals and ...
Marcum JA, Highsmith RF, Kline DL.Complete activation of purified horse plasminogen to plasmin was obtained with a 1:10 molar ratio of streptokinase to plasminogen after 5 min of incubation at 37 degrees C. At a 1:1 molar ratio, maximal activity did not appear until 15-30 min, while at a ratio of 6:1 complete activation was delayed for 120-180 min. Gel filtration studies of isotopically labeled streptokinase and horse plasminogen suggest that the delay was due to impaired formation of a streptokinase-plasminogen complex. The predominant streptokinase moiety within the streptokinase-plasmin complex which forms from the streptok...
Meyers K, Reed S, Keck M, Clem M, Bayly W.Twenty-three horses with clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease were evaluated once or serially during the course of the disease for the presence or absence of circulating endotoxin-like substances (ET+ or ET-) and whether the horses were negative, positive, or very positive for serum fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products (FDP-, FDP+, or FDP++). In addition, platelet count, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and 1-stage prothrombin time (OSPT) were measured. When examined initially, 5 horses were ET-/FDP-, 8 were ET-/FDP+, 7 were ET+/FDP-, 3 were ET+/FDP+, and none was ET+/FDP+...
Cloonan MJ, O'Neill BJ, Vale TG, Carter IW, Williams JE.The sera of 468 blood donors and 63 domestic animals, collected from the south coast of New South Wales, were tested for the presence of antibodies to Ross River virus. Antibodies were detected in 7% of human sera, 25% of cow sera and 65% of horse sera. Using the blood donors as 'human sentinels', seroconversions were demonstrated in two donors from the Nowra-Kiama region and from a patient in the same area; none of the three had been outside of the study area during the period of seroconversion or at the time of infection. Of the 15 seropositive horses, 6 (40%) had lived continuously since bi...
Rubin CT, Lanyon LE.Rosette strain gauges were attached to the midshaft of the radius and tibia of two horses and two dogs, which ran on a treadmill through their entire range of speed and gait. The relative magnitudes of the principal strains on the opposite cortices of each bone remained constant through the stance phase of the stride, and their orientation varied by a maximum of only 14 degrees through the entire speed range. The maximum strain rate increased linearly with speed, but the peak strain magnitude was also dependent upon the gait used, increasing incrementally by up to 59% at the transition from wa...
Littlejohn A, Bowles F, Maluleka W.The percentage venous admixture was calculated in 21 clinically normal horses and ponies and in 13 horses and ponies with chronic obstructure pulmonary disease (COPD). The oxygen contents of pulmonary end-capillary blood, arterial and mixed venous blood were calculated from blood and respiratory gas values and substituted in the shunt equation. The mean percentage venous admixture of the COPD subjects was significantly greater than that of the normal subjects. It was concluded that a larger proportion of alveoli in the lungs of COPD subjects were hypoventilated than that of alveoli of the norm...
Nes N, Lømo OM, Bjerkås I.In 4 female foals of the Norwegian horse breed, "Fjord Horse", congenital arthrogryposis of the limbs are described. The disorder was mainly limited to the hind limbs and associated with polydactylia and partly with brachygnathia superior and cleft palate. The defective foals were paternal halfsisters of 4 normal foals (1 female + 3 males), sired by the stallion "Bingo" 1804, which was phenotypically quite normal. The disorder being lethal, is possibly caused by a sex-limited or a strongly sex-influenced dominant gene.
Page SW.The use of chloramphenicol in the horse is now prohibited as horses are classified as food-producing animals. However, chloramphenicol has until recently been widely available for oral, intramuscular or intravenous administration. A critical appraisal of the published literature on the use of chloramphenicol in the horse clearly demonstrates that there are sound pharmacokinetic and microbiological reasons for concluding that chloramphenicol is not an appropriate antibiotic for systemic use. The short half-life of chloramphenicol in the horse, together with the broad range of minimum inhibitory...
Lee JY, Kang TY, Lee YD, Shin TK.The binding specificities of various lectins, such as the Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), soybean agglutinin (SBA), and the Bandeiraea simplicifolia BS-1 (Isolectin B4), Triticum vulgaris (WGA), Arachis hypogaea (PNA), and Ulex europaeus (UEA-I) lectins, were studied in the vomeronasal organ of the horse. The microvilli of the vomeronasal sensory epithelium were positive for DBA, SBA, Isolectin B4, WGA, PNA, and UEA-I. The receptor cells showed intense reactivity for DBA and WGA. Lectins were not detected in the supporting cells or basal cells. The Jacobson's glands were positive for WGA a...
Kharchenko VA, Kuzmina TA.The fourth larval stage (L4) of Coronocyclus labratus (Looss, 1900) Hartwich, 1986, one of the common species of the Cyathostominae found in equids, is identified and described. The larvae found were identified as C. labratus by finding moulting forms possessing characters of both larval and adult stages. The larvae are similar to those of Cylicocyclus leptostomum (Kotlán, 1920) Foster, 1936, Cyathostomum catinatum Looss, 1900 and Cylicostephanus goldi (Boulenger, 1917) Lichtenfels, 1975. The buccal capsule (BC) wall of the L4 of Cylicocyclus leptostomum is thinner than that of Coronocyclus l...
da Cunha Neto CAV, Badial PR, de Oliveira-Filho JP, de Andrade DGA, Araujo JP, Borges AS.Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA) is a genetic disease that alters collagen biosynthesis. Affected horses exhibit fragile, hyperextensible skin, especially over the dorsal region. Although ultraviolet (UV) radiation seems to contribute to the regional distribution of lesions and worsening of clinical signs, the molecular mechanisms involved are largely unknown. Objective: To evaluate the effect of solar radiation on matrix metalloproteinase MMP1, MMP8 and MMP13 gene expression in the dorsal and ventral skin of HERDA-affected and HERDA-unaffected horses [wild-type (WT) horses]....
Avison A.Umbilical hernias are among the most common congenital defects in horses. Complications of umbilical hernias are uncommon, and Richter's hernias are rare. This report describes a case of Richter's hernia in a 3-month-old colt that was presented with signs of acute colic. The foal underwent a herniorrhaphy with intestinal resection and anastomosis. Hernie de Richter chez un poulain âgé de 3 mois — une rare manifestation. Les hernies ombilicales figurent parmi les défauts congénitaux les plus communs chez les chevaux. Les complications des hernies ombilicales sont peu fréquentes et les he...
Yeşilbağ K, Herzog S, Kennerman E, Tuncer P, Schmid S, Kaya G, Thiel HJ.Distribution of Borna disease virus (BDV) infection outside endemic areas has been studied in several countries. We examined serum samples for anti-BDV antibodies in purebred racing horses and other domestic animals in Turkey. In total serum samples of 437 animals including 282 horses, 50 sheep, 25 goats, 50 cattle, and 30 cats were tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Anti-BDV antibodies were detected in 4.9% of horses, 12% of sheep, 4% of goats, 14% of cattle and 6.6% of cats. No statistical difference was observed between seroprevalence in Arabic and English purebred horses fr...
Yildiz H, Yildiz B, Arslan K, Ozgür C.In this study we present a geometric model of the ascending colon of the horse, especially the left ventral colon and the right ventral colon, the left dorsal colon and the right dorsal colon and the pelvic flexure. We also present a mathematical model of the cross sections of these ascending colon parts with the exceptions of the pelvic flexure. We show that these cross-sections correspond to the closed algebraic curves known as epitrochoid.
Jaeschke G, Rudolph R.In a review supplementary to prior evaluations further hematological or cytodiagnostic aspects respectively of equine leucosis are discussed. Leukemic nature of the disease is characterized by increased count of normal blood cells or by the presence of morphologically non-differentiated cells in circulating blood or by disorder or loss of function of blood cells respectively. Thrombocytopenia in the most cases is accompanied by anemia, leukemia and tumor cell infiltration in bone marrow. Tumor cells in circulating blood indicate their presence in bone marrow too. In cases of equine leucosis wi...
Hawkins KL.Bilateral salpingitis, hydrosalpinx and oophoritis were diagnosed in a mare with concurrent lymphosarcoma. Salpingitis, hydrosalpinx and oophoritis are rare in the mare (1,2,3,5,8,9,11-13). Bilateral salpingitis is an important cause of infertility in all species and is most often due to ascending infection (3-5,10,11). The source of salpingitis in this mare probably was ascending infection from the uterus after parturition. The apparent infertility of the mare was attributed to debilitation from the lymphosarcoma and multiplicity of genital pathoses.
Shappell KK, Caron JP, Stick JA, Parks AJ.Dorsal displacement of the soft palate associated with dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia was diagnosed in 2 young foals. The displacement appeared to be congenital. Clinical signs associated with the condition were resolved after staphylectomy. Dorsal displacement of the soft palate is usually recognized in adult animals as an upper respiratory tract disease, but may be a contributing factor to dysphagia and lower respiratory tract disease in young animals.
Morris DD, Moore JN.An experiment was designed to determine whether a change in the ability of macrophages to respond to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of gram-negative bacteria was involved in the development of cross-reactive immunity to endotoxemia. The endotoxin-induced production of thromboxane A2(TxA2) and prostacyclin (PGI2) by peritoneal macrophages from horses which were hyperimmunized against the common core region of LPS were compared to those in unimmunized horses. Bacterins used for induction of core LPS immunity were prepared from the J-5 mutant of Escherichia coli 0111:B4, and the R 595 mutant of Salmon...