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.
Blackmore DJ, Campbell C, Dant C, Holden JE, Kent JE.The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) was measured in the erythrocytes of 600 Thoroughbred horses in training; the selenium concentrations in whole blood and serum was measured in over 80 of these Thoroughbreds. A quadratic relationship was demonstrated between erythrocyte GSH-Px and whole blood or serum selenium concentration. There was no significant difference in the activity of aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, or gamma-glutamyl transferase in the serum of Thoroughbreds with high erythrocyte GSH-Px activity (more than 25 u/ml) when compared with those with low erythroc...
Cranley JJ.A survey of 1141 horses and ponies, for the presence of hydatid infection, was carried out at an export meat plant near Bristol. Lesions were attributed carefully by morphological, histological and immunological examinations and assessed by flame cell activity. All available detail concerning the animals was recorded. The surveys in the literature were assessed for the criteria on which their figures were based and were compared with the findings of this present survey. Attention was drawn to the apparent discord between the results of some surveys and others.
Zinkl JG, Brown PD.Horse polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) isolated from horse blood by sedimentation and isotonic lysis and having about 25% accompanying lymphocytes were as effective at chemotaxis as nearly pure PMN isolated by density gradient techniques. N-Formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP), used as a representative of the formylmethionyl peptides (produced by prokaryocytic organisms), was effective as a chemoattractant only at the high concentration of 10(-4) M. When serum was preincubated with FMLP at concentrations as low as 10(-8) M, the serum attracted horse PMN. This activity was not g...
Wagner AE, McIlwraith CW, Martin GS.Orgotein was injected into the right intercarpal joint of each of 8 horses; the corresponding left joint was left alone (not injected) or was given an injection of normal saline solution. Injection with orgotein caused a transient, marked inflammatory response, evidenced by clinical signs and by increased leukocytes and total protein in the synovia (synovial fluid). Leukocyte numbers and total protein concentration were increased (P less than 0.010) in the orgotein-injected joints within 24 hours. However, saline solution alone also elicited a marked inflammatory response, manifested by increa...
Mirck MH, van Meurs GK.Seven foals naturally infected with Strongyloides westeri were injected intramuscularly with ivermectin at a dosage rate of 200 mcg per kg body weight. No adverse effects to treatment were observed. Weekly faecal egg counts showed a greater than 99 per cent reduction of S. westeri egg output compared with 7 untreated foals during the 21 days following treatment.
Hood DM, Stephens KA, Bowen MJ.Phenoxybenzamine, an alpha adrenergic antagonist, was administered IV to 6 clinically normal horses, 5 horses with experimentally induced diarrhea, and 7 horses with naturally-occurring diarrhea. It was established that a total of 2 mg of phenoxybenzamine/kg of body weight given in divided doses resulted in alpha adrenergic blockage of approximately 72 hours' duration, tranquilization, and mild constipation in the normal horse. The 5 experimental cases of diarrhea were involved in a laminitis research protocol in which laminitis was induced by oral carbohydrate overload. In all 5 of those case...
Zatzman ML, Clarke L, Ray WJ, Garner HE, Traver D.Simultaneous renal clearances of inulin (CIN), p-aminohippurate (CPAH), and creatinine (CCR) were measured in hydrated mares (6 ponies and 2 horses). The CIN and CPAH were determined during steady-state infusion at 3 different infusion rates. A 6-fold change in plasma IN concentration did not produce alteration in CIN, nor was there a difference between the ponies and horses (P greater than 0.2). The overall average (mean +/- SEM) was 190.6 +/- 5.89 ml . min-1 . 100 kg of body weight-1. There was no difference noted between simultaneous CIN and CPAH. Clearance of PAH remained essentially const...
Nimmo MA, Snow DH.To ascertain the effects of sprint and endurance exercise on the time course of skeletal muscle mitochondrial changes, an ultrastructural study was conducted on four Thoroughbred horses. Skeletal muscle biopsies were taken at various intervals during and after the exercise. Transient mitochondrial alterations of varying degrees were observed following both types of exercise and were considered to be related to the development of fatigue. The degree of distortion of mitochondrial structure is considered not to represent the in vivo condition but the state of responsiveness to the fixation mediu...
Slone DE, Humburg JM, Jagar JE, Powers RD.Rectal tears were detected in three horses treated for colic. Based on historical, clinical, and postmortem findings, the tears could not be attributed to the attending veterinarian and were therefore not iatrogenic (physician induced). One tear was attributable to an infarction that presumably resulted from thromboembolism; 1 tear occurred without any evidence of external cause and resulted in such severe peritonitis that the cause and resulted in such severe peritonitis that the cause could not be determined, and 1 tear occurred during rectal palpation by the owner, before he called the vete...
Alexander F.Phenylbutazone administered in therapeutic doses to ponies decreased urinary sodium and chloride excretion. The volume and osmolality of the urine was unaffected as was potassium excretion. Faecal excretion of chloride decreased and that of potassium increased, while faecal sodium excretion was unaffected. Plasma pH, bicarbonate and total carbon dioxide decreased after phenylbutazone administration. Packed cell volume, plasma sodium, potassium, carbon dioxide tension and chloride were unchanged.
Riviere JE, Traver DS, Coppoc GL.Three clinical cases of toxic nephropathy in young horses were ascribed to gentamicin toxicity. Criteria for defining gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicosis were a serum urea nitrogen value greater than the pretreatment value or cylindruria, hematuria, and proteinuria in the absence of pyuria and bacteriuria. Recommended doses of gentamicin had been given in all cases. The nephropathy was reversible in 1 case in which the toxicosis was detected early and was treated by volume diuresis and drug withdrawal.
Bowman KF, Tate LP, Evans LH, Donawick WJ.Seven foals, 2 horses, and 2 calves were presented to the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at New Bolton Center and the Large Animal Clinic at Auburn University for surgical repair of cleft palate. All animals had preexisting pneumonia. Initial repair of cleft palate in 6 foals, 2 horses, and 2 calves was performed via mandibular symphysiotomy. Primary repair of cleft soft palate in a foal was attempted through a pharyngotomy incision after fracture of the basal hyoid bone; however, exposure was inadequate and mandibular symphysiotomy had to be done. Dehiscence of a portion of the ...
Tennant B, Bettleheim P, Kaneko JJ.Chronic renal failure associated with hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia was diagnosed in 6 horses. The renal lesions in 5 of the horses were classified as chronic glomerulonephritis and in the sixth, as chronic interstitial nephritis/pyelonephritis. There was no evidence of primary hyperparathyroidism or pseudohyperparathyroidism, thus suggesting that hypercalcemia associated with advanced renal failure in horses is related to a unique role of the equine kidney in calcium homeostasis.
Slocombe JO, McCraw BM.Sixteen pony foals were reared worm-free and inoculated with Strongylus vulgaris. On day 7 after inoculation, 12 ponies were given a fenbendazole 10% suspension at dose rate of 50 mg/kg of body weight by stomach tube. On day 8 after inoculation, 8 of these ponies were given the 2nd treatment of the anthelmintic and on day 9, 4 of these ponies were given the 3rd treatment. (The other 4 of the 16 ponies were given only tap water, as controls.) The ponies were necropsied at death or on day 28 after inoculation. Fenbendazole was effective in minimizing the appearance of clinical signs associated w...
Vitums A, Bayly WM.Three Arabian males foals were presented with cyanosis, heart murmur, and exercise intolerance, Results of clinical evaluation suggested a tentative diagnosis of ventricular septal defect in conjunction with malformations of the great arteries. Each foal had a poor prognosis and was killed at the owners' requests. At necropsy, the malformed hearts of the three foals were virtually identical. Each heart had a large defect in the upper interventricular septum. The aorta originated from the hypertrophied right ventricle and partially overrode the ventricular septal defect. The aortic ostium was g...
Frauenfelder HC, Fessler JF, Moore AB, Bottoms GD, Boon GD.The effects of dexamethasone (1 mg/kg of body weight) on hematologic, blood gas, and blood coagulation values in anesthetized ponies during endotoxin-induced shock were evaluated. Fifteen ponies were assigned to 3 groups of 5 ponies each: group 1, anesthetized nontreated and dexamethasone-treated controls; group 2, endotoxin, nontreated; group 3, endotoxin, dexamethasone treated. The hematologic changes in this endotoxin shock model included leukopenia and hemoconcentration. Significant hematologic effects were not seen in ponies after administration of dexamethasone. However, dexamethasone tr...
Nugent TE, Combie JD, Weld JM, Burns P, Tobin T.The enkephalins are small, pentapeptide neurotransmitter molecules which have reportedly been used in racing horses. In our experiments, D-Ala2-Metenkephalinamide and leucine enkephalin were administered to horses intravenously (IV) and intracisternally (IC). Leucine enkephalin had little effect on locomotor activity by either route at doses of 0.01 mg/Kg or less. Methionine enkephalinamide, an enzyme resistant enkephalin analog, had no significant effect when given IV (0.002 and 0.008 mg/kg). Other experiments involving intracisternal dosing with this long acting form at higher levels (0.005-...
Bézard J, Bøgh IB, Duchamp G, Hyttel P, Greve T.Nuclear maturation of equine oocytes was assessed immediately after in vivo collection. A double-staining technique (Hoechst and orcein) was used on the same oocytes to visualize nuclear morphology, i.e. to evaluate the chromatin configurations of each oocyte after Hoechst in relation to the nuclear morphology after orcein staining. The proportion of oocytes evaluated as germinal vesicle stages was significantly (p < 0.02) lower after Hoechst (14.5%) than after orcein staining (29.0%), while the incidence of the so-called dense chromatin stage was assessed to be higher (p < 0.05) after H...
Anthauer K, Mülling C, Budras KD.This study aimed to carry out a comprehensive morphological examination of the structure and ultrastructure of the membrane-coating granules (MCG) and membrane-coating material (MCM) common to all hoof segments as well as segment-specific features in the MCG and MCM regarding their synthesis, structure and biochemical composition. Tissue samples from the hooves of the left front and right hind limb of 20 adult riding horses were used. Samples were preserved and embedded for histological routine methods as well as for histochemical techniques and tracer techniques for light and electron microsc...
Corveleyn S, Deprez P, Van der Weken G, Baeyens W, Remon JP.Six healthy mares ranging in age from 6 to 12 years and weighing from 415 to 540 kg were used to determine the rectal bioavailability of ketoprofen. For the rectal administration, three different formulations, each containing 1 g of ketoprofen, were administered in a fatty and a hydrophilic suppository base and as a liquid suspension. An average elimination half-life of 1.3 h (+/-1.2) was found. The average value for the total plasma clearance (ClT) was 131.9mL/ min.kg (range 95-183.5). The volume of distribution Vd(area) was 255 mL/kg and the mean residence time (MRT) value was 0.47 h. After ...
Wooley RE, Shotts EB, McConnell JW.Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from 5 of 1,002 fecal samples taken from laboratory rats and mice, hamsters, dogs, cats, pigs, cattle, horses, and deer. Two isolates were from dogs (2 of 202; 1%) and 1 from a pig (1 of 107; 0.9%). The 3 isolates were biotype 1. Atypical environmental Y enterocolitica was isolated from a cow (1 of 141; 0.7%) and a horse (1 of 101; 1%). Isolates were not recovered from the other animal species.
Molenda J.Using the indirect hemagglutination test, antibodies against Enterobacteriaceae common antigen (CA) were tested in the sera of 123 horses, 142 cows, 108 sheep, 142 mature pigs and 60 piglets (3-4 weeks of age). Anti CA antibody level and antibody titers for somatic antigens (phenol-water extracts) various serogroups of E. coli (0149, 0138, 0115, 078, 09) and S. typhimurium were compared. Ca antibodies in titer equal or higher than 1:15 were found to occur in 100% of the examined horses and cows, while in the sera of 92% sheep, 80% of mature pigs and 60% of piglets antibodies to the common Ente...
Bayly WM, Elfers RS, Liggitt HD, Brobst DF, Gavin PR, Reed SM.Acute renal failure was produced in 5 ponies which had received mercuric chloride (0.25 mg/kg) and potassium dichromate (3 mg/kg) intravenously each day for 5 days. Failure was due to acute nephrosis. This was indicated clinically by daily monitoring of the urine output, and B-mode ultrasonography of both kidneys after administering the fifth dose of the chemical agents. Euthanasia was performed after days 14, 9, 5, 8 and 5 respectively in each of the ponies, and the presence of renal disease confirmed by gross and microscopic post mortem examination. The nature of the kidney lesions observed ...
Kawahisa-Piquini G, Bass L, Pezzanite LM, Moorman VJ.The role of hoof morphology is increasingly recognized as a factor associated with lameness incidence in performance horses. The primary objective was to evaluate effect of training initiation on hoof unevenness in Quarter Horses (n = 42; 29 2-year-olds, 13 3-year-olds) over 6-months (m) in training (m0, m2, m4, and m6). Horses were objectively assessed for lameness (inertial sensor system) and photographs and radiographs of feet were taken. Hoof measurements were taken (palmar/plantar angles, frog base width/length, toe length/angle, heel length/angle, heel/foot width, wall height/angle), a...
Voss JL, Pickett BW.Haemospermia caused infertility in the stallion and frequently results from a urethritis in the area of the ejaculatory ducts. Urethroscopic examination, urethrography, bacterial and viral cultures, biopsy, surgery of the urethra and histocytological examination should be used for diagnosis and it is essential that the exact cause and location of the haemorrhage be known before treatment is initiated. Optimal treatment includes sexual rest and appropriate antibiotics used systemically in conjunction with local medication of the urethra. Cauterization of the urethra with silver nitrate solution...
Silva ESM, Leite RO, Maciel LFS, Francia CCDA, Padovani CR, Oliveira-Filho JP, Meira C.Aiming to investigate the effects of different hormonal protocols on the endometrium morphometry of anestrous mares, 26 animals were assigned to four different treatment groups: (1) EB2.5LAP4: single dose of 2.5 mg of estradiol benzoate (EB); (2) EB5LAP4: 5 mg of EB in 2 consecutive days; (3) EB10LAP4: 10 mg of EB in three consecutive days, considering that all EB-treated groups received a single dose of 1,500 mg of long-acting progesterone (LA P4) after the single/last EB dose; and (4) LAP4: only 1,500 mg of LA P4. Results were also compared with those found in cyclic mares (control grou...
Becker M, Breuer D.The results of the ileus surgery in horses by a consistent performing of a known and standardised clinical and operative procedure are very good, provided that there are surgeons who have experience in abdominal surgery and that there is a co-operating team for the pre- and post-operative care.
Törneke K, Larsson CI, Appelgren LE.Isoxsuprine is used in veterinary medicine as a vasodilating agent. The drug has been detected in the urine of horses up to 6 weeks after the cessation of administration. In the present study, the distribution pattern of 3H-isoxsuprine was investigated using whole body autoradiography in mice to find a possible site of retention. Melanin was the only place of retention identified. Additional in vitro studies showed an affinity of isoxsuprine to both melanin and keratin. The K(d) values were 0.02 mmol/l and 1 mmol/l, and the B(max) values were 0.2 micromol/mg and 2 micromol/mg, respectively. A ...
Blanchard T, Fantinati M, Domange C, Priymenko N.The present report describes two novel cases of suspected intoxication with Galega officinalis in 6- and 21-year-old Arabian mares displaying acute respiratory signs. Both animals showed signs of pulmonary edema at physical examination, with the oldest of the two also manifesting severe dyspnea and foamy nasal discharge. The mares were grazing on the same meadow with hay available ad libitum. Botanical analysis of the latter showed traces of the toxic plant Galega officinalis (L.), which has been daily ingested at a dose of around 14 g of dry matter for three days. Based on the respiratory sig...
Williams LA.Many skin disorders in horses share the same appearance-hair loss of various degrees, itchiness, lesions that may or may not be painful to the touch, oozing sores, or skin that is reddened, crusty, scaly, flaky, thickened or swollen- making diagnosis sometimes difficult. A horse owner's documentation of a horse's medical history, the history of the skin disorder, and the horse's environment assists veterinarians and compounding pharmacists in their diagnosis and treatment. This article discusses some of the common skin problems that affect horses, takes a look at causes, and provides a case re...
Ashraf R, Rashid S, Rasheed I, Asif S.This paper includes the study of early embryonic death (EED), predisposing factors of EED and treatment. EED refers to the fetal mortality which varies in mare and camelids but most probably not later than 50 days of gestation. This duration may be divided into very early mortality, early mortality and late embryonic mortality. This also varies in mare and camelids. There are different embryonic, maternal, environmental/external, and infectious and noninfectious factors which lead to early embryonic loss. Diagnosis is very difficult as in most of the cases resorption of fetus occurs but it is ...