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.
Swierstra EE, Gebauer MR, Pickett BW.The relationship between daily sperm productions (DSP) and daily sperm output (DSO) was determined in eleven stallions. The DSO was determined by collecting single ejaculates, with an artificial vagina, at 24-hr intervals. The stallions were killed 24 hr after the last collection and the DSP was determined by quantitative testicular histology. The mean DSP was 8-0 X 10(9) (S.E. +/- 0-4 X 10(9), and the mean DSO was 7-0 X 10(9) (S.E. +/- 0-4 X 10(9)). It was estimated that 87% of the spermatozoa produced by the testes were harvested. The correlation between DSP and DSO was 0-80 (P less than 0-0...
Tischner M.Artificial insemination (A.I.) of mares in Poland has not yet been widely applied. Initial attempts were made by research groups between 1945 and 1955 but A.I. of mares was only introduced into the normal practice of A.I. Centres during 1964-67. Intensive research into methods for preserving stallion semen in liquid nitrogen has been undertaken since 1968. Of the total of 3734 mares artificially inseminated in Poland since 1945, 350 were inseminated with frozen semen. The slow progress of A.I. in horses is imputed to the small numbers of people involved in the work, to the conservation of the ...
Burns SJ, Fleeger JL.Plasma progestagens were measured in eighteen pregnant mares to establish normal levels in the first and last 90 days of gestation. Progestagens increased from 25 ng/ml at 90 days before birth to 60 ng/ml at 10 days before birth, decreased to 58 ng/ml at 5 days before, and were 3 ng/ml or less by 5 days after perturition. During the first 90 days of pregnancy, progestagens reflected luteal activity with an increase in plasma levels from Day 30 to Day 60.
Merkt H, Klug E, Krause D, Bader H.Stallion semen frozen by the pellet method showed no significant loss of sperm motility and fertility over long periods of storage in liquid nitrogen. Eighteen of thirty mares conceived after insemination with semen recovered in nine ejaculates from seven stallions and stored for 18 months to 7 years.
Erbsloh JK.A short account is given of babesiosis (equine biliary fever) caused by the tick-borne protozoan Babesia equi and B. caballi, endemic in the Cape Province of South Africa. The clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment are described. In the absence of any prophylactic measures, prognosis is poor; control of the parasites in the tick-infested areas is essential.
Belonje PC, van Niekerk CH.Attention is drawn to the beneficial effect of improved nutrition during winter and early spring on the ovarian activity of mares. Furthermore, the necessity of an adequate plane of nutrition during early pregnancy to prevent embryonic resorption is stressed.
Klug E, Treu H, Hillmann H, Heinze H.Artificial insemination using deep-frozen semen was performed on 116 mares in 1973 using twelve ejaculates from eight stallions of the Hanoverian breed. Despite the fact that the quality of the semen used was poor, the majority of the mares inseminated were subfertile and some mares were inseminated during one oestrus only, 44% nevertheless conceived and gave birth to live foals. Of a small group of ten mares inseminated in the same year with fresh semen, seven conceived.
Heinze H.A method of endoscopic examination of the internal genital (pelvic) organs of the mare is described. Special emphasis is placed on the induction of artificial pneumoperitoneum and the installation of an endoscopic peritoneal fistula device for prolonged observation. The potential of pelviscopy in the mare as a diagnostic aid, a new device for research in equine reproduction and as an auxillary aid to teaching is discussed.
Voss JL, Sullivan JJ, Pickett BW, Parker WG, Burwash LD, Larson LL.Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of HCG on duration of oestrus, dioestrus, the length of the oestrous cycle, the time of ovulation and fertility in non-lactating mares. In the first experiment, the injection of HCG was repeated for three successive cycles. Mares injected with 2000 i.u. HCG on Day 2 of oestrus during their first cycle had a shorter oestrus and ovulated sooner than untreated control mares, but in the third cycle, treated mares had a longer oestrus and ovulated longer after the onset of oestrus than controls. In the second experiment, one intramuscular inje...
Voss JL, Pickett BW.The effect of rectal palpation of fertility of non-lactating, normal cyclic mares was studied over 3 years. During the first year (1971), the conception rates in mares after daily paplaption during oestrus only, and during oestrus and the first 50 days of pregnancy, were not significantly lower (P greater than 0-05) than the conception rates recorded in mares not palpated. No abortions could be attributed to palpation. Oestrus lasted longer (P less than 0-05) in non-palpated than palpated mares. During the second year (1972), first-cycle pregnancy rates in two groups of mares palpated daily du...
Holtan DW, Nett TM, Estergreen VL.Peripheral plasma progestagens were quantified by a competitive protein-binding assay throughout pregnancy. The level of progesterone increased significantly between Days 0 and 8 (P less than 0-05) and again between Days 28 and 44 and reached a maximum on Day 64. Subsequently, it fell slowly until about Day 300 and then rose again during the last 30 days before reaching a minimum on the day after foaling. Very low concentrations of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone were found except between Days 40 and 120 and during the last 30 days before birth. Two unidentified compounds, one eluting slightly bef...
Geschwind II, Dewey R, Hughes JP, Evans JW, Stabenfeldt GH.Plasma levels of LH were determined by heterologous radioimmunoassay utilizing highly purified equine LH as standard. Samples were taken regularly from eleven mares for twenty-six oestrous cycles over a period of 10 weeks. The mean cycle length was 20-5 +/- 3-1 (S.D.) days, and ovulation occurred on average 4-3 +/- 1-6 (S.D.) days from the time heat was first detected. Levels of LH were persistently low from Days 5 to 16 of the cycle (ovulation = Day 0). They then increased slowly over a number of days and continued to rise beyond the levels observed at any time during the immediate preovulato...
Steven DH, Samuel CA.The study of the equine placenta, which began in Venice in 1598, has a long but discontinuous history. Early observations were purely morphological, but new techniques have stimulated a broader and more functional approach. Histological and ultrastructural observations at various stages of pregnancy have shown that the fetal side of the placenta comes to acquire certain features in common with the air-blood barrier of the mammalian lung. These changes may reflect the increasing O2 requirements of the fetus as gestation proceeds.
Littlejohn A.The arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) in clinically normal newborn foals at 1300 m above sea-level is considerably lower (less than 60 mmHg) than in similarly aged foals at lower altitudes. This figure is further reduced to less than 50 mmHg without adverse effect in newborn foals at 1300 m maintained under pentobarbitone anaesthesia for prolonged periods. Measurement of O2 dissociation curves indicates that haemoglobin becomes saturated at a lower blood O2 tension in newborn foals than adult horses.
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...
Pace MM, Sullivan JJ.Fertilization rate was highest in mares inseminated with frozen semen within 12 hr of ovulation. Foaling rate was improved (P less than 0-05) by increasing the number of motile spermatozoa inseminated from 40 X 10(6) to 80 X 10(6) but was not further improved by increasing the number to 160 X 10(6) or by increasing the frequency of insemination from once to twice daily. The fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa frozen in one of the hydrogen ion extenders studied was dependent upon relative osmotic pressure and method of freezing (ampoules or pellets). Adjusting glycerol concentration from 7% to ...
Hughes JP, Stabenfeldt GH, Evans JW.In eleven non-pregnant mares examined for 2 years, oestrous cycle length was 20-6 days (range 13 to 34) excluding any anoestrous periods. The duration of oestrus was 5-7 days (range 1 to 24); from February to May it was 7-6 days (range 2 to 24) and from May to November 4-8 days (range 1 to 10). The majority of ovulations occurred between 16.00 and 08.00 hours and 78% of the mares ovulated within 48 hr of the end of oestrus. Mean follicular diameter was 45 mm on the day of ovulation and there was a 25-5% incidence of multiple ovulations. It was uncommon for oestrus to occur without ovulation, w...
Nett TM, Holtan DW, Estergreen VL.Levels of oestrone, equilin and equilenin (E1), oestradiol (E2) LH, PMSG and prolactin were measured by radioimmunoassay in serum from pregnant mares. Levels of E1 were always greater than those of E2. Both E1 and E2 remained at low levels until Day 80, increased significantly (P less than 0-05) by Day 120 to reach peak levels at Day 210 or 240 and then declined until parturition. Maximum levels of oestrogens observed in this study were 828 +/- 151 pg/ml for E1 and 71 +/- 18 pg/ml for E2 at Days 210 and 240 respectively. Spikes of LH release were observed in early pregnancy in most mares. Leve...
Heinze H, Klug E.Clinical tests with synthetic gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (Hoechst) were made during the breeding seasons of 1973 and 1974, using 128 mares injected with 1-0 to 4-0 mg of the substance intramuscularly. The mares were placed in one of five groups based on ovarian condition determined by clinical evidence. Some success was obtained in the induction of ovulation in mares with inactive and sub-normally active ovaries and in a small group having cystic ovaries. A large proportion of mares having a mature follicle responded within 48 hr, but others with atretic follicles failed to respond. The u...
Squires EL, Ginther OJ.Examination of the ovaries of mares at various stages of pregnancy and after hysterectomy, together with measurement of progesterone concentrations in the peripheral plasma of pregnant and hysterectomized mares and in uterine and ovarian venous plasma of pregnant mares, demonstrated that the primary CL of pregnancy remains functional until at least Day 160 of gestation. The results showed that primary and secondary CL, and the placenta or uterus, all contribute to the total progesterone pool in mares during pregnancy. Similarities and differences in ovarian function observed between pregnant a...
Neely DP, Hughes JP, Stabenfeldt GH, Evans JW.Intrauterine saline infusion in the dioestrous mare shortened the ovulatory interval by inducing premature luteolysis. Plasma progestagen levels began to decrease approximately 1 day after the infusion and had declined to less than 1-0 ng/ml in 4 days. The CL, including others formed from ovulations during dioestrus, must be 4 to 5 days old before intrauterine saline will induce luteolysis. Of 10 mares infused on Day 4 or 5 after ovulation, only six had a shortened ovulatory interval. Of 10 mares infused on Day 6 or 7 after ovulation, seven had a shortened ovulatory interval and three failed t...
Swierstra EE, Pickett BW, Gebauer MR.The cycle of the seminiferous epithelium was divided into eight stages on the basis of meiotic divisions, shape of the spermatid nuclei and location of the spermatids with elongated nuclei. Duration of this cycle was 12-2 days (S.E. +/- 0-1) as determined by [3H]thymidine injections and autoradiography. The life-span of primary spermatocytes was 19-0 days, secondary spermatocytes 0-7 days, spermatids with round nuclei 8-7 days, and spermatids with elongated nuclei 10-1 days. Labelled spermatozoa entered the caput epididymidis 35 days, and appeared in the ejaculate 39-9 days, after the isotope ...
Arvidson G, Astedt B, Ekelund L, Rossdale PD.Phospholipids in embryonic lung tissue, pulmonary washings and amniotic fluid were measured to study the development of lyng surfactant in the horse. A significant increase in the concentration of total phospholipids in lung tissue and a concomitant rise in the amount of dipalmitoyl lecithin in amniotic fluid between 100 and 150 days of gestation indicated the initial formation of surfactant in the fetal lung during this period.
Nathanielsz PW, Rossdale PD, Silver M, Comline RS.Fetal plasma cortisol concentrations (mean +/- S.E.M.) in ten animals with indwelling umbilical catheters ranged from 13-9 +/- 1-5 ng/ml (227 to 244 days) to 18-1 +/- 2-2 ng/ml (290 to 310 days). Maternal values did not change over this period (15-9 +/- 1-7 ng/ml). Fetal cortisol production rates in two fetuses were 3-6 and 3-8 mg/kg/day at 291 days; there was little placental transfer of cortisol. In three fetuses (319 to 321 days) plasma cortisol values 1 to 10 days before birth were higher (30 to 50 ng/ml) than in any other group, and at birth the values were comparable with those found in ...
White NA.Transection of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor muscle (distal check ligament desmotomy) was completed in 44 horses using an ultrasound-guided technique. The technique used real-time ultrasound with a 7.5 MHz transducer to observe the dissection and isolation of the check ligament through a 1 to 1.5 cm incision and to check for complete transection of the check ligament. The technique was effective in correcting flexural deformity of the distal interphalangeal joint and the metacarpophalangeal joint in all but three horses. Check ligament desmotomy at a young age (median, 6 mo...
Rose RJ.The case histories of four horses with osteomyelitis involving the metacarpal and metatarsal bones are reviewed and the surgical treatments discussed. The horses recovered after curettage of all infected tissue and post operative drainage. The role of antibiotics in treatment is considered and reference is made to the acute treatment of deep wounds to avoid osteomyelitis.
Beaudry F, Lavoie JP, Vachon P.A rapid and selective method has been developed for the determination of theophylline in horse serum by LC-ESI/MS/MS. The analytical method includes a protein precipitation extraction for sample preparation, liquid chromatography separation technique and ionspray tandem mass spectrometry. The drug was extracted from serum using a protein precipitation with acetonitrile and the supernatants were analyzed using an LC-ESI/MS/MS instrument. The chromatography was performed using a 50 x 2.1 mm C(8) analytical column and an isocratic mobile phase composes of 60:40 acetonitrile-0.5% formic acid in wa...
Grădinaru DA, Stirbu C, Păltineanu D, Mironescu D, Manolescu N.The Wyoming strain of equine infectious anemia virus was adapted to cell cultures by 7 passages in horse leukocytes and 14 passages in fetal equine dermal and kidney cells. The virus was made evident by electron microscopy and immunodiffusion tests with antigens prepared from culture fluids.
Meinecke B, Gips H.The aim of the present investigations was to characterize the endocrine changes in the peripheral plasma during the periparturient phase of mares with a known history of obstetrical disorders. Blood plasma samples from 9 mares (8 mares during parturition, 1 mare during abortion) were collected and the following steroid hormones were radioimmunologically determined: progesterone (P4), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), estrone (E1), estrone sulfate (E1-S), estradiol-17 beta (E2), estriol (E3), cortisol and transcortin. In general, with the exception of corti...
Gray BW, Engel HN, Rumph PF, LaFaver J, Brown BG, McKibbin JS.To determine the sensory nerve supply of the metacarpophalangeal joint, lameness was induced in eight horses by injecting the joint with a glycerin suspension of glass micropheres. When the medial and lateral palmar nerves were anesthetized in 4 horses, there was noticeable improvement in the gait, but each horse remained lame. When the medial and lateral palmar metacarpal nerves were also anesthetized, 3 of the 4 horses became sound. To confirm the results of local anesthesia, neurectomies were performed on a second group of four horses. The lameness was alleviated only upon resection of both...
Martin LM, Bukoski AD, Whelchel DD, Evans TJ, Wiedmeyer CE, Black SJ, Johnson PJ.Pharmacokinetics of lithium chloride (LiCl) administered as a bolus, once i.v. have not been determined in horses. There is no point-of-care test to measure lithium (Li ) concentrations in horses in order to monitor therapeutic levels and avoid toxicity. Objective: To determine the pharmacokinetics of LiCl in healthy adult horses and to compare agreement between two methods of plasma Li concentration measurement: spectrophotometric enzymatic assay (SEA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Methods: Nonrandomised, single exposure with repeated measures over time. Methods: ...
Watson JL, Jackson KA, King DP, Stott JL.Expression of the low-affinity IgE receptor (CD23) on the surface of mononuclear cells is a critical event in the development of IgE-mediated immunologic responses. Using PCR and cDNA library screening, a 2.7kb cDNA encoding equine CD23 and a 627bp PCR fragment of cattle CD23 were sequenced and characterized. The equine CD23 sequence encodes a complete and continuous open reading frame of 327 amino acids, while the shorter cattle fragment encodes 209 amino acids corresponding to nucleotides 325-1098 of the equine CD23 transcript. In addition to high identities in their nucleotides and translat...
Grapperon Mathis M, Ley C, Berger M, Hansson K.The current lack of a standardized protocol for positioning of the gamma camera relative to the horse limb in a lateral stifle scintigram, and thus the reliance on subjective positioning, may be a cause of diagnostic error and inter-operator variability due to variations of the view angle. The aims of this study were to develop a reliable method to obtain a lateral scintigram of the equine stifle based on fixed anatomical landmarks and measure the resulting foot to gamma camera angle on sequential measurements of the same horse and of different horses Methods: Technetium filled capsules were g...
Vail TB, McIlwraith CW.An intraarticular osteochondral chip fracture of the distal dorsolateral aspect of the right hind middle phalanx in a 4-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding was removed arthroscopically. Accessibility and visibility of the fragment were excellent, and there was minimal soft tissue trauma.
Chiaradia E, Gaiti A, Terracina L, Avellini L.Physical exercise induces a reduction of immune defences and an imbalance of red-ox status. In this study plasma levels of cysteine and homocysteine (Hcy) were determined in horses before and after submaximal treadmill exercise as well as the effect on horse lymphocyte proliferation. The exercise induced a significant increase in plasma Hcy levels, which remained high both after the 20 min recovery period and after 2 h of rest. Moreover, a reduction of lymphocyte responsiveness to the proliferative stimulus induced by Concanavalin A was observed. The effects of different Hcy concentrations on ...
Rossdale PD, White S.Forty-eight lungs from fetal and neonatal horses were examined for pressure-volume relationships between pressures of 0 and 40 cmH2O. The inflation-deflation curves obtained were analysed by four different methods and the stability of the lung assessed in terms of hysteresis, stability indices and volume of air retained at maximal pressure (Vmax). Differences in the shape of the deflation curve between ventilated and non-ventilated lungs were similar to findings in other species. It is postulated that breathing alters lung-tissue elasticity during the neonatal period, as demonstrated by a sign...
Marr KA, Fairbairn SM, Page CP, Lees P, Cunningham FM.Antigen challenge involving exposure to straw and mouldy hay for 7 h produced lung function changes and neutrophil recruitment to the lungs in horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). During the challenge, an increase in radiolabelled neutrophils in the lungs occurred, together with increased respiratory rate and pleural pressure. The role of platelet activating factor (PAF) in antigen-induced neutrophil accumulation, and increased pleural pressure and respiratory rate was investigated by administering the PAF receptor antagonist WEB 2086 to asymptomatic COPD horses prior to a...
Pekarkova M, Kircher PR, Konar M, Lang J, Tessier C.The purpose of the present study was to describe normal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging anatomy of the equine larynx and pharynx and to present the optimal protocol, sequences, and possible limitations of this examination technique. Using a 0.3 T unit, the laryngeal and pharyngeal regions was imaged in two horses. The protocol consisted of sagittal and transverse T2-weighted (T2w) fast spin echo, transverse T1-weighted (T1w) spin echo, and dorsal high-resolution T1w gradient echo (both pre- and postcontrast enhancement) sequences. Euthanasia was performed at the end of the imaging procedure. M...