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.
Steffey EP, Wheat JD, Meagher DM, Norrie RD, McKee J, Brown M, Arnold J.Effects of body position and type of ventilation were determined on arterial blood gases (PaO2, PaCO2) and pH during and immediately following clinical halothane anesthesia in 36 young, physically conditioned horses. Horses in dorsal recumbency had a lower PaO2 than did similarly breathing horses in a lateral position. Predictably controlled positive-pressure ventilation inproved arterial oxygenation and permitted maintenance of a normal PaCO2. Most horses, regardless of type of ventilation and operative body positioning, were hypoxemic in the immediate postanesthetic period.
Gaskin JM, Neal FC, Rubin HL.Precipitin lines not associated with equine infectious anemia (EIA) were observed in routine agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) testing for the infection. The serums which produced these lines were obtained from horses which had been given multiple vaccinations with commercially available cell culture-origin equine virus vaccines as part of a comprehensive herd health program. The lines formed against cell culture-derived, but not spleen-derived EIA viral antigens. Investigation revealed that bovine serum proteins in the vaccines induced precipitating antibodies which reacted with bovine serum pr...
Cimprich RE, Rooney JR.Corynebacterium equi is a pathogen associated with respiratory disease in the foal. This paper discusses two cases of Corynebacterium equi infection, one acute and one chronic, in which the major damage was intestinal. Necrosis of Peyer's patches was the only lesion seen in the small intestine of both foals. The foal with acute disease had distinct green-tan focal necrosis and thickened mucosa of the large intestine. In the foal with chronic disease, the mucosa of the large intestine was thickened, rugose, and mottled red-tan. Histologically, the predominant lesions were villous atrophy, mucos...
Mitchell KF, Karush F, Morgan DO.The heterogeneity of the IgM response has been studied with anti-lactose antibody purified from the sera of seven horses. The IgM antibody was induced with a bacterial vaccine and the sera were obtained during a one-year period of immunization. L and H chain preparations were derived from separate bleedings of each horse and examined by analytical isoelectric focusing. All of the L chain preparations were complex and similar and, under optimum conditions, exhibited about 45 bands. Their similarity included almost identical concentration distributions over the entire pH gradient. Isoelectric ba...
Sherman J, Thorsen J, Barnum DA, Mitchell WR, Ingram DG.Upper respiratory disease has been a serious problem in Standardbred horses on racetracks in Ontario, with outbreaks occurring once or twice annually in late winter and early spring seasons. To determine the causes of these epidemics, a 3-year investigation was carried out in which nasal swabs and serum samples were obtained at intervals from apparently healthy horses and from horses suffering from upper respiratory disease. The nasal swabs were used to isolate bacteria and viruses. The serum samples were examined for the presence and level of antibodies to equine influenza viruses and equine ...
Kimball FA, Wyngarden LJ.Preliminary studies indicate the presence of PGF2alpha specific binding sites in membrane fractions prepared from equine corpora lutea. The equilibrium binding data indicate an apparent dissociation constant of 3.2 X 10(-9)M and the concentration of binding sites of -0.1 pmoles/mg membrane protein. Competition of several natural prostaglandins for equine luteal PGF2alpha specific binding sites indicates specificity for the 9alpha-hydroxyl moiety and the 5,6-cis doublebond. Significant increases in relative binding affinities were demonstrated for PGF2alpha analogs with a phenyl ring introduced...
Moore JN, Mcilwraith CW.Two cases of osteochondrosis are presented. Lesions involving the lateral trochlear ridge of the femur are demonstrated on conventional radiographs and double-contrast arthrograms. A radiographic suggestion of osteochondrosis lesions in the patella is noted. Post mortem examination of one case confirmed the presence of partially free cartilaginous flaps. Reference is made to familial tendency to osteochondrosis in man, dog, pig and horse. The significance of rapid growth rate in the pathogenesis of the condition is also discussed.
Walasek OF, Margoliash E.Donkey cytochrome c was shown to differ from horse cytochrome c by having a serine in position 47 rather than a threonine. The rest of the amino acid sequences are identical. Mules and hinnies, both males and females, carry equal amounts of horse and donkey cytochromes c. The same ratio is found in hinnies in preparations from heart tissue and from skeletal muscle. These results demonstrate that cytochrome c is transmitted in horse-donkey crosses as a simple Mendelian character which is neither sex-linked nor shows dominance. The cytochrome c gene is therefore located in the nuclear genome, as...
Wheeldon EB, Greig WA.The history, clinical signs and post mortem findings in a case of Globidium leuckarti infection in a horse with chronic diarrhoea are described. The limited literature concerning this infection is reviewed, with particular reference to pathogenicity.
Oxender WD, Noden PA, Hafs HD.On December 11, 1974, 15 seasonally anestrous mares were assigned at random to 1 of 3 experimental groups: outdoor-control, indoor-control, or indoor light-treated (a 16-hour photo-period). This experiment was terminated on April 21, 1975. The five mares in the indoor light-treated group ovulated 59.0+/-6.9 days later, which was 74 days earlier (P less than 0.01) than 2 of the 5 outdoor-controls (the other 3 ovulated after April 21 during a subsequent experiment) and 50 days earlier (P less than 0.05) than the indoor-controls. Durations of the 1st estrus for the 3 groups of mares were 13.3+/-3...
Gard GP, Marshall ID, Walker KH, Acland HM, Saren WG.An outbreak of Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) occurred in New South Wales during the first five months of 1974. Specimens from 52 horses with nervous disease collected January to May 1974 were examined histopathological or virologically. Although MVE virus was not isolated, 13 horses had serological evidence of recent infection with MVE virus. Another 4 horses had evidence of recent infection with Ross River virus. Two animals had histological evidence of viral infection of the central nervous system. Attempts to experimentally infect 2 horses with a low dose of MVE virus were not successful...
Butler KD, Hintz HF.A pelleted ration was fed limited or ad libitum to two groups of seven Shetland 8-month-old ponies for 117 days. During the last 56 days, gelatin was added to the diets of four animals in each of the two intake groups. Gelatin was added at levels of 30 and 90 g per 100 kg body weight for the first and second 28-day periods, respectively.
Ponies fed the diet ad libitum consumed 180% more feed, had 50% greater rate of hoof growth (.384 ± .009 vs .254 ± .008 mm/d), 200% greater increase in height at the withers and 425% greater increase in body weight than ponies fed the limited level. The h...
Lancaster WD, Olson C, Meinke W.Four of five spontaneous benign equine connective tissue tumors of unknown etiology and a bovine papilloma virus (BPV)-induced equine tumor contained BPV-specific DNA sequences as determined by DNA-DNA hybridization of DNA from tumors with BPV DNA labeled in vitro. Analysis of the kinetics of reassociation indicated that 20-75% of the BPV genome was present in the various tumors. The number of partial BPV genome equivalents ranged from 60 to 500 copies per diploid quantity of cellular DNA. Thermal denaturation profiles of duplexes formed between labeled BPV DNA and DNA from tumor cells indicat...
Martinuk SD, Bristol F, Murphy BD.Breeding trials were designed to determine the influence of the mare on serum concentrations of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) from Day 39 to Day 104 of gestation. Sires were ranked according to mean eCG concentrations found in the groups of randomly selected mares to which they were mated in 1983. Mares were ranked according to their mean eCG concentrations on Days 55, 71 and 85 of gestation (Day 0 = mating), in 1983 and 1985. In the 1986 breeding season, mares that had pregnancies characterized by high eCG levels were mated to sires previously associated with low eCG concentration pregn...
MacDonald MH.Examination of the equine head should be a routine part of any complete physical examination. It can be performed rapidly and efficiently while providing important information about the health and function of several major body systems.
Wenzel R, Major D, Hesp K, Doble P.Regulating authorities in the racing industry have restricted the administration of potentially performance enhancing cobalt salts to horses. There are severe penalties for trainers presenting horses with elevated urine cobalt concentrations, and compliance is ensured via analysis of total urinary cobalt at thresholds of 100 μg/L. When cobalt is present as part of the cobalamin molecule it is not considered performance enhancing. This paper demonstrates that a horse can excrete a significant proportion of a commercially available vitamin B12 injection in urine without metabolic modification...
Dodman NH.Drugs and drug combinations currently in use for chemical restraint of the horse are discussed with a view to establishing their likely usefulness to the practising veterinary surgeon. Acepromazine maleate and xylazine hydrochloride are considered to be the most useful tranquillisers in spite of their limitations. A xylazine-methadone sequence is described for more profound chemical restraint and the possible future role of ketamine and glyceryl guaiacolate in combination with other agents to produce recumbency is discussed.
de Seve CW, Griffin SL.In recent years, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Management program costs have increased dramatically due to a rise in the number of animals removed from public lands coupled with significantly decreased adoption rates. To assist with development and implementation of effective, cost-containing management programs, a robust economic model to project the costs and optimize outcomes of various management scenarios was created. For example, preliminary demonstration model runs show that by gradually replacing "removal-only" programs with contraception-and-removal progra...
Guignot F, Ottogalli M, Yvon JM, Magistrini M.The objective of this study was to perform intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) on in vitro matured equine oocytes and to improve in vitro embryonic development on Vero cells after activation of the microinjected oocytes with calcium ionophore. After maturation (23 or 40 h, 38.5 degrees C, 5% CO2), the cumulus-oocyte complexes were denuded, centrifuged and all oocytes exhibiting the first polar body were microinjected. ICSI was performed using fresh semen from three fertile stallions. Microinjected oocytes were activated with calcium ionophore A23187 (10 min, 10 microM) and cultured individ...
Salonen JS, Vuorilehto L, Gilbert M, Maylin GA.Horse urine was investigated for metabolites by chromatography and mass spectrometry following the oral administration of the large animal analgesic sedative detomidine to two stallions and intravenous administration of [3H]-detomidine to a mare. Detomidine carboxylic acid and hydroxydetomidine glucuronic acid conjugate were identified in the urine after the oral doses. In addition, traces of free hydroxydetomidine were observed. About half of the radioactivity of [3H]-detomidine was excreted in the urine in 12 h after the i.v. dose (80 micrograms/kg). Most of the excretion occurred between 5 ...
Blakely JA, Blakely AA.Veterinarians commonly predict mature heart scores for yearling and 2-year-old horses to aid clients in assessing a horse's racing potential. Sixty-six thoroughbreds were assessed as a yearlings or 2-year-olds, then re-assessed as a mature horse (over the age of 3). Of these horses, 82% of the yearlings and 87% of the 2-year-olds had a correctly predicted mature heart score within one heart score range (i.e. three points).
Baerveldt MC, Klein WR.It is well documented that the incidence of rupture of the urinary bladder or urachus is highest in newborn male foals and occurs during the (usually uncomplicated) parturition. Important clinical symptoms include frequent passing of small quantities of urine, abdominal distention and positive abdominal undulation. Hyperkalaemia, hyponatraemia, hypochloraemia and an elevated serum creatinine level are often present. The serum blood urea nitrogen concentration may be normal or only slightly elevated. The creatinine concentration in the peritoneal fluid is invariably higher than that in serum, a...
Wilson WD, Spensley MS, Baggot JD, Hietala SK, Pryor P.The pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of ticarcillin and clavulanate were determined after intravenous (i.v.) or intramuscular (i.m.) administration of ticarcillin disodium (50 mg/kg) combined with clavulanate potassium (1.67 mg/kg) to groups of healthy foals at 3 days and 28 days of age. After i.v. administration of the combination to five foals, the disposition kinetics of ticarcillin and clavulanate were best described using a two-compartment open model. Mean plasma elimination-rate constant (beta) and clearance (ClB) for ticarcillin were significantly less (P less than 0.01), and volume...