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.
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...
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...
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+...
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.
Campbell TM, Studdert MJ, Blackney MH.Some kinetic data on the inactivation of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV1) and equine rhinovirus type 1 (ERhV1) by betapropiolactone (BPL) and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation are reported. 0.25% BPL at 37 degrees C for 1 h reduced the titre of EHV1 by greater than 10(3 . 4) and of ERhV1 by greater than 10(4 . 1) TCID50/ml. UV irradiation (334 microW/cm2) produced similar reductions in titre after 2 min. These data were used as a basis for inactivating EHV1 and ERhV1 by the combined action of BPL and UV irradiation. Viruses were exposed to 0.1% BPL for 1 h at 4 degrees C with constant stirring, fol...
Roberts MC, Seawright AA, Ng JC, Norman PD.Chronic mercuric chloride intoxication in an aged horse given 0.8 mg Hg/kg/day for 14 weeks was manifest by signs of progressive respiratory difficulty and renal disease. The effects were not self-limiting after mercury was withdrawn, and the animal was destroyed six weeks later. Renal function changes included heavy glycosuria, modest proteinuria, phosphaturia, reduced urine osmolality, gradually increasing urine production, reduced glomerular filtration rate, and terminally, azotemia. The condition bore similarities to the Fanconi syndrome in man. Urinary gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkal...
Skarda RT, Muir WW.A new technique for producing segmental subarachnoid analgesia in adult horses without causing complete loss of locomotor control is described. A 17-gauge Huber point (Tuohy) needle was used to place a catheter with a stylet into the subarachnoid space at the lumbosacral intervertebral space in 13 adult horses (weighing 500 +/- 60 kg, representing both sexes) and to advance the catheter craniad to the thoracolumbar area. The position of the catheter was confirmed radiographically. A 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride solution (1.5 ml, 30 mg) was injected through the catheter at a rate of 0.5 ml/60 s...
Thurmon JC, Neff-Davis C, Davis LE, Stoker RA, Benson GJ, Lock TF.The effects of intravenous xylazine (1.1 mg/kg) were studied in six thoroughbred horses (five mares and a stallion). Plasma glucose concentration increased to 168% of control at 45 min and decreased to 112% of control at 180 min. Insulin had decreased to 31% of control at 15 min. Thereafter, insulin concentration increased, reaching its highest concentration at 150 min. The mechanism for these changes is not fully understood and further investigation is indicated.
Derksen FJ, Slocombe RF, Robinson NE.In standing sedated ponies, we measured dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn) and pulmonary resistance (RL) during IV infusion of various doses of histamine; this was done in a given pony 3 times at 1-week intervals between experiments. Histamine doses causing a decrease in Cdyn of 50% and 75% and an increase in RL of 300% and 600% (ED50Cdyn, ED75Cdyn, ED300RL and ED600RL, respectively) were interpolated from the histamine dose-response curves. We also measured respiratory frequency, tidal volume, minute ventilation, functional residual capacity, arterial oxygen tension, arterial carbon dioxide tensi...
Yovich JV, Hilbert BJ, McGill CA.Nineteen cases of fracture of the distal phalanx in horses are reviewed. This represented 1.1% of the total number of horses seen at Murdoch University Veterinary Hospital (MUVH) over a 32-month period. All horses were managed conservatively. Eight horses made a complete recovery. Three are being trained again and are not lame. Four horses made a limited recovery. Two horses are still resting and one horse was killed humanely when it still showed lameness after 2 years. One horse was killed humanely after the fracture was first diagnosed.
Burrows GE, Borchard RE.Grass hay produced in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin of northern Idaho was fed to a group of 4 ponies. The hay contained Pb in concentration of 423 +/- 82 mg/kg and Cd in concentration of 10.8 +/- 1.4 mg/kg, resulting in daily exposures of the ponies to approximately 7.4 mg of Pb/kg and 0.19 mg of Cd/kg/day. The results in this group of ponies were compared with those from a group fed noncontaminated grass hay and given a daily dose of 10 mg of Pb/kg of body weight, in the form of lead acetate. Clinical toxicologic signs, hematologic changes, and blood and tissue Pb concentrations were similar ...
Timoney PJ, Powell DG.Between January 1978 and August 1982 the streptomycin resistant strain of the contagious equine metritis organism (CEMO) was isolated from 15 colts and two fillies in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A first season stallion was also suspected of having initiated an outbreak of contagious equine metritis (CEM) at the beginning of the 1982 breeding season. A detailed investigation of the breeding history of the dams and sires of each positive individual indicated that in a number of cases the CEMO was acquired either in utero or following transmission at the time of parturition. In several other ...
Stormont CJ.The membrane of RBC is literally peppered with a great variety of antigenic determinants (blood factors). Some are fixed genetically, ie, they occur on the RBC of all members of the species under study. Others segregate genetically, ie, they occur on the RBC of some but not all members of the species under study. It is these segregrating determinants that form the blood groups proper, the classic example being blood factors A and B of the ABO system of human blood groups. The number of blood group determinants varies considerably between species (eg, greater than 80 in domestic cattle to only ...
Bland SA, Blake JW, Ray RS.Mefenamic acid is extracted from biological fluids and is acylated with pentafluoropropionic anhydride to form a derivative possessing high electron affinity. The derivative is analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography with an electron capture detector. The method is particularly valuable for determining drug levels in blood where small sample and/or drug concentrations are available.
Abu-Seida A.Diaphragmatic hernia (DH) represents an acute abdominal crisis, but respiratory symptoms may be occurring. Different types of diaphragmatic hernias (DHs) like typical DH, Morgagni hernia, hiatal hernia and diaphragmatic diverticulum have been recorded in equids. These DHs have various clinical presentations and prognoses. Early diagnosis and prompt surgical repair are highly recommended in order to diminish the ischemic changes to thoracic and abdominal viscera, thus improving the overall prognosis of equids with DH. Over last decade, the prognosis of DH in equids was better than previously be...
Moorman VJ, Marshall JF, Devine DV, Payton M, Jann HW, Bahr R.Radiographic diagnosis of equine bone disease using digital radiography is prevalent in veterinary practice. However, the diagnostic quality of digital vs. conventional radiography has not been compared systematically. We hypothesized that digital radiography would be superior to film-screen radiography for detection of subtle lesions of the equine third metacarpal bone. Twenty-four third metacarpal bones were collected from horses euthanized for reasons other than orthopedic disease. Bones were dissected free of soft tissue and computed tomography was performed to ensure that no osseous abnor...
Thomas PG, Ball BA.To facilitate the study of interactions between equine spermatozoa and homologous oviduct epithelial cells, we developed an assay to count labelled spermatozoa bound to oviduct epithelial cell (OEC) monolayers and used the assay to compare the binding ability of spermatozoa from different stallions. Washed spermatozoa from three stallions were incubated with the fluorochrome Hoechst 33342 (5 micrograms/ml) for 1 min. Spermatozoa were then layered over confluent monolayers of oviduct epithelial cells in 2 cm2 culture wells. Coculture treatments comprised five concentrations of spermatozoa (10(5...
Beinlich CP, Nixon AJ.To clarify the diagnosis of avulsion of the lateral palmar intercarpal ligament (LPICL), correlate avulsion of this ligament with lameness, determine the prevalence of avulsion of the LPICL in a hospital population, and evaluate the response to surgical removal of the avulsion fragment in horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 37 horses with avulsion of the LPICL. Methods: Medical records and radiographs of horses with avulsion of the LPICL were reviewed; follow-up information was obtained from race records and from owners via a telephone survey. Results: Of 6,418 horses evaluated for ...
Stadler P, Weinberger T, Kinkel N, Deegen E.B- and M-mode echocardiography was performed on 38 horses. 34 patients had systolic heart murmur with the point of maximal intensity over mitral valve. Additionally, 17 of these patients were examined with the pulsed wave doppler echocardiography (Vingmed 200). In 26 patients with cardiac murmur and in 4 patients without cardiac murmur a mitral valve insufficiency was diagnosed by echocardiography. In 8 horses with a systolic murmur over mitral valve M- and B-mode evaluation could not reveal a haemodynamic importance of the murmur. The diagnosis of MVI was based on a dilation of left atrium wi...
Pecheur M.A number of good anthelmintic drugs are currently available which eliminate gastrointestinal nematodes of equids with over 90% success. This is shown by comparing results of critical tests conducted with 9 anthelmintic agents on ponies using the following dosages: 19 mg/kg for Pyrantel embonate, 10 mg/kg for Oxfendazole, 10 mg/kg for Mebendazole, 5 mg/kg for Albendazole, 40 mg/kg for Dichlorvos, 44 mg/kg for Thiabendazole, 7.5 mg/kg, for Fenbendazole, 20 mg/kg for Cambendazole and 7 mg/kg for Parbendazole. From 6 to 9 ponies were treated with each of these anthelmintic agents. Based on total a...
Kelley DE, Schnobrich MR, Gayer S, Scoggin C, Bradcamp E, Canisso IF.The objective of this study was to compare a commercially available leukocyte esterase strip test with endometrial cytology in diagnosing endometritis and establish a cutoff point, sensitivity, and specificity for the leukocyte esterase test (LET). Forty-six light breed mares presented for breeding management were enrolled in this study. Transrectal palpation and ultrasonography examinations were performed to determine when the mares were in estrus. Kalayjian endometrial swabs were used for culture, cytology, and the LET by using the cap to retrieve an endometrial scraping. Thirty-six mares ha...
Feldkamp M.The article reviews in a critical survey the current opinions on the possibilities of improving the motor functions of cerebral palsied children with the help of riding therapy. Furthermore, the essential motor difficulties with spasm, athetosis and ataxia are described. It is demonstrated that only a small number of these typical difficulties can be tackled by means of riding therapy and that some key problems, particularly encountered by the spastics, cannot be solved. If, despite these facts, the favourable effects of riding on the cerebral palsied cannot be denied, then this must be attrib...
Attenburrow DP, Bowring CS, Vennart W.The detection of radionuclide activity in the living equine skeleton, using bone seeking radiopharmaceuticals and a hand-held radiation detector, is reported. Pathological changes in bone can be detected and subsequent development monitored. The availability and use of this diagnostic technique in equine practice is discussed.
Diehl M, Gerber H, Schifferli D, Nicolet J.A systemic investigation of wound infection in the horse after operative treatment of large wounds reveals that the age of the wound is of critical importance. The limit for an uncomplicated healing process lies around four hours. The duration of the operation itself is of little significance, the location of the lesion on the body of the horse, however, plays a major role. The pattern of isolated bacterial organisms is discussed in relation to the duration of hospital treatment. It is concluded that a systemic antibiotic therapy is of no value and that a local antibiotic therapy is only indic...
Watt BC, Beck BE.Diagnosis and removal of a nasal polyp in a horse using standing chemical restraint and readily available equipment are described. Histopathology of the polyp and differential diagnoses are discussed.
Blue MG.Minor accidents during natural mating are common occurrences during the breeding of horses. Mares may suffer from a variety of genital injuries including vulval separations, vaginal lacerations and, less commonly, vaginal rupture. Possible sequelae to, and management of, these injuries are described, with additional mention of false entry by the stallion and persistent hymen in maiden mares. Vaginal rupture during natural mating can lead to death of the mare. The implications for litigation involving veterinary surgeons and horse breeders are discussed.
Haluska GJ, Lowe JE, Currie WB.Recordings of uterine electrical activity were made from 5 pregnant pony mares from Day 141 to 320 of pregnancy. Three types of activity were identified. Short, medium and long bursts were quantified as the percentage of time each occurred during the hour analysed and further categorized according to frequency, amplitude and duration. The uterus was most active during the early stages recorded and became increasingly quiescent after Day 240. Short-burst activity was greatest when the uterus was most quiescent. Long bursts showed the greatest percentage of activity until Day 220 and then decrea...