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.
Baker EF, Sasso DR, Maness K, Prichard WD, Parker RL.In 1971, more than 370 horses in south Texas were studied with respect to their clinical, virologic, and neutralizing antibody responses to vaccination with Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) strain TC-83. This study confirms reported findings that the vaccine used in the 1971 epizootic in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas was safe and efficacious. Vaccinal virus viremia titers were generally below the postulated infection threshold of epizootic vectors. In general, reactions to the vaccine were minimal and transient, with no observed abortions or deaths attributable to use of the va...
Schatzmann U, Tschudi P, Held JP, Muhlebach B.Glyceryl guaiacolate (GGE) was found to be a useful and safe casting agent when given by rapid intravenous infusion. It was administered to premedicated horses under controlled conditions at various concentrations from 10 to 20 per cent GGE solution. The onset and degree of relaxation was dependent only on the speed of infusion. For casting adult horses 350 to 450 ml of 15 per cent solution must be given within 30 to 60 seconds. A slight transient hypoxaemia occurred which seemed to be related to the animal being in lateral recumbency rather than the depressive action of GGE on respiratory fun...
De Moor A, Van Den Hende C, Moens Y, Desmet P.A long-lasting increase of the plasma bromide concentration was found in 25 horses after clinical halothane anesthesia. The plasma bromide concentration was significantly (P less than 0.005) increased at the end of anesthesia. In 18 horses, peak values were reached between 48 and 72 hours after anesthesia. Eighteen days after horses had been anesthetized, the plasma bromide concentration remained significantly (P less than 0.005) increased. Significant correlation was not found between the total dose of halothane and the plasma bromide concentration. In 1 horse reanesthetized with halothane 4 ...
Gunn HM.The mean fibre areas of samples from m. semitendinosus, m. diaphragma and m. pectoralis transversus of thoroughbred horses and greyhounds have been compared with those in similar samples from other members of their species. Athletes (greyhounds and thoroughbreds) have larger fibres in the semitendinosus and diaphragm than their fellows. However, the mean area of pectoralis transversus is similar in the two types of animal within each species. During growth the mean fibre areas increase to a greater extent in athletes than in non-athletes. Detraining adult greyhounds for a period of one year di...
Gay CC, Sullivan ND, Wilkinson JS, McLean JD, Blood DC.The case histories and clinical findings of 15 ponies with hyperlipaemia are presented. The disease was characterised by hyperlipidaemia with inappetance, progressing somnolence, muscle fasciculation, diarrhoea, and ventral oedema as the predominant clinical findings. Post mortem examinations of 12 ponies showed extensive lipidosis and vascular thrombosis with widespread secondary changes. Most cases occurred in late pregnant and early lactating mares in the summer months and it is postulated that the disease was initiated in this group by a falling nutritional plane in the face of high nutrie...
Muir WW, Kohn CW, Sams R.The effects of IV administered furosemide upon plasma volume (PV) and extracellular fluid volume were determined in horses at rest and after exercise. Serum sodium, potassium, chloride, and osmolality determinations were made. Furosemide caused a significant (P less than 0.05) decrease in PV and serum potassium concentrations in resting horses only. Furosemide's effects upon PV and electrolytes were evident longer than its hemodynamic effects.
Muir WW, Skarda RT, Sheehan WC.The cardiopulmonary effects of the narcotic agonists morphine, meperidine, oxymorphone, and methadone and of the partial agonist pentazocine were examined in the pain-free adult horse. The drugs produced dysphoric followed by euphoric effects. Increases in heart rate, arterial blood pressure, and cardiac output were observed in all horses with all drugs. Arterial blood pressure remained increased even after heart rate and cardiac output had returned to base-line values. Respiratory rate generally remained unchanged or increased shortly after drug administration and then decreased insignificant...
Poirée JC, Vannier C, Sudaka P, Fehlmann M.Brush border membranes isolated from horse kidney cortex as closed right-side out vesicles show selective permeability when analyzed on sucrose and dextran gradients. These vesicles can actively accumulate D-glucose. The preservation of the glucose transport system is demonstrated by the following features: (a) the uptake and release rates of D-glucose are higher in the presence of a sodium gradient, showing that D-glucose transport is a sodium-dependent process; (b) this transport, specific for the D-isomer, is inhibited by phlorizin; (c) the D-glucose transport system is saturable; (d) no in...
Croxton-Smith P, Benson JA, Dawson FL, Powell DG.A complement fixation test (CFT) based on that used for brucellosis (Brinley Morgan and others 1971) has been developed for use on the sera of horses exposed to the contagious equine metritis (CEM) organism. None of 50 single samples from horses thought to be unexposed to the CEM organism was positive to the test, although five showed inconclusive reactions. Samples were examined from 41 mares either proved to be infected or from an infected stud. Of these 21 were positive, 11 were inconclusive and nine were negative. The relationship of the CFT to reactions in the other tests used in this con...
Allen BV.The assay of serum folate has been used to investigate the folate status of thoroughbreds in training to race, in-foal thoroughbred mares at stud and crossbred ponies kept permanently at grass. Throughbreds in training, with no obvious haematological or clinical abnormalities, had lower serum folate levels (mean 3.3, range 1.5 to 6.1 microgram per litre) compared with thoroughbred mares at stud (mean 10.6, range 6.4 to 15.8 microgram per litre) and crossbred ponies at grass (mean 10.9, range 7.4 to 16.6 microgram per litre. Intensive exercise, over a period of six months, significantly decreas...
Valdez H, Adams OR.After preliminary studies on cadavers, a surgical approach was developed for removal of the medial meniscus, offering maximal exposure and minimal trauma to the articular surfaces of the medial tibial plateau and femoral condyle. Medial meniscectomy was then performed on 10 clinically normal horses that had been given general anesthesia. Nine horses were euthanatized at intervals of 1 to 6 months, and the joints were evaluated grossly and histologically. (One horse will be examined 1 year after surgery). Medial meniscus tears were diagnosed in 5 horses; medial meniscectomy was done on 4 horses...
Edwards GB, Vaughan LC.Six horses were found to have infective arthritis of one elbow joint. The history, and presence of a small wound on the lateral aspect of the elbow suggested the condition was trauma induced. Two horses recovered following joint lavage under general anaesthesia and antibiotic therapy. The joint changes found post mortem in the others were characteristic of an infective arthritis.
Whittle BJ, Moncada S, Vane JR.The activity of prostacyclin (PGI2), PGE1 or PGD2 as inhibitors of platelet aggregation in plasma from human, dog, rabbit, rat, sheep and horse was investigated. Prostacyclin was the most potent inhibitor in all species. PGD2 was a weak inhibitor in dog, rabbit and rat plasma whereas PGE1 and prostacyclin were highly active. Theophylline or dipyridamole potentiated the inhibition of human platelet aggregation by prostacyclin, PGE1 or PGD2. Compound N-0164 abolished the inhibition by PGD2 of human platelet aggregation but did not inhibit the effects of PGE1 or prostacyclin. The results suggest ...
Balasuriya UBR.The primary goals of this chapter are to discuss common viral RNA isolation and purification methods that are routinely used by various diagnostic laboratories and to highlight the advantages and drawbacks of each method and to identify the most suitable and reliable method to increase the sensitivity and specificity of RT-PCR assays for the detection of equine influenza virus (EIV) in clinical specimens. Our experiences and review of literature show that magnetic bead-based nucleic extraction methods (manual and automatic) work well for isolation and purification of EIV RNA from nasal swab sp...
Orsini JA.The multiple topics summarized in this article and discussed in detail in this issue of VCNA are comprehensive and in-depth, exploring concepts and clinical experiences for state-of-the-art care of the equine foot. The research on the equine foot will translate to the clinical setting and with this the compassionate care of the horse.
Drudge JH, Lyons ET, Tolliver SC.Controlled tests of the efficacy of bot-active compounds, dichlorvos, trichlorfon, trichlorfon butonate, and carbon disulfide on the larvae of Gasterophilus intestinalis and Gasterophilus nasalis during their migratory period in the tissue of the mouth of horses and ponies were completed on experimentally induced and naturally acquired infections. Against the experimental parasitisms in pony foals, the resin-pellet formulation of dichlorvos given on the feed at the dose level of 37 mg/kg, 2 formulations of trichlorfon given by stomach tube at the dose level of 40 mg/kg, another of trichlorfon ...
Albanese V, Mereu M.Pelvic abscesses occur in horses of all ages and breeds. Although conservative management may be successful, surgical drainage may be necessary for larger abscesses or in case of secondary intestinal obstruction. The purpose of this report is to describe two cases of pelvic abscesses that were successfully drained using indwelling chest tubes, repeated lavages and targeted antibiotic treatment.
Jann HW, Cook WR.Monopolar electrosurgical cutting was used to correct epiglottal entrapment in 5 horses. The operations were carried out in the conscious animal, using topical anesthesia. The procedure required the use of a coagulation electrode designed specifically for electrosurgery, introduced through the instrument channel of a fiberoptic endoscope. The results were satisfactory and serious complications were not encountered. In 2 horses, excessive submucosal swelling developed at the site of the surgical wound, and the tumefaction took several weeks to subside in one of these horses. In both horses, the...
Charnock LN, Davidson MG, Keys DA, Gilger BC, McMullen RJ.To evaluate the normal refractive state in horses in NCSU and ECMR and determine the prevalence of naturally occurring refractive errors and their association with breed, age, coat color, iris color, sex, and geographic location. Methods: Horses from NCSU (January 2009-November 2012) and ECMR (January 2013-September 2016) underwent ophthalmic examination and streak retinoscopy. Location, color, breed, sex, and iris color were recorded. Gross and net refractive values for each meridian (horizontal and vertical), spherical refraction, astigmatism for both eyes, and anisometry were recorded, and ...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW.A total of 89 Thoroughbreds, 14 to 333 days old (born in 1982), were examined at necropsy for certain internal parasites during a 1-year-period, Mar 1, 1982, to Feb 28, 1983. The eyes of 73 of the horses and the cranial mesenteric arteries of 71 were examined. Specific interest was on prevalence of parasites according to month of the year and age of the horses at necropsy. Parasites recovered (first month-last month infected horse found) were as follows: Thelazia lacrymalis (eyes) immature and mature (June - February); Habronema/Draschia (lungs) immature (May - September); Habronema muscae (st...
Fielding CL, Magdesian KG.To evaluate changes in electrolyte concentrations and hydration status that take place in endurance horses prior to the start of a competition and determine whether these changes would be associated with elimination. Methods: 19 horses entered in the 2016 Tevis Cup 100-Miles (160 km) One-Day Western States Trail Ride. Methods: Heparinized blood samples were collected at 5 time points: prior to transport to the ride (T0), during check-in the day before the ride (T1), 1 to 2 hours before the start of the ride (T2), at the 15-km mark (T3), and at the 55-km mark (T4). Packed cell volume and plasma...