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.
Treffers HP, Heidelberger M, Freund J.1. Two horses were injected subcutaneously with alum-precipitated rabbit serum albumin. 2. The resulting antibody resembled diphtheria antitoxin and anti-egg albumin in the horse in giving a sharp zone of flocculation with antigen, in being water-soluble, in reactivity toward an anti-antibody rabbit serum, and in its electrophoretic properties. 3. The effect of continued immunization, and of variation in volume and temperature on the reactivity of the antibody are discussed. 4. Intravenous injection of the same antigen into horses did not give rise to detectable amounts of antibody of the same...
Todd EW.Antiproteinase sera were prepared by immunizing horses with filtrates from a selected strain of group A streptococcus. This strain, which produced high titred proteinase but no erythrogenic toxin, was selected from forty-two strains of group A streptococci which produced varying amounts of proteinase. A few strains belonging to groups B, C, and G were also tested; they were all proteinase-negative. Methods are described for titrating streptococcal proteinase in crude culture filtrates and for measuring the antiproteinase activity of serum. The antiproteinase titres of sera from immunized horse...
Delvescovo B, Bouton J.This issue focuses on the potential complications caused by prolonged recumbency in horses. It discusses how managing a recumbent horse involves treating the primary illness while also preventing and addressing secondary issues that can arise from recumbency itself. The authors explore the underlying pathophysiology of these complications, along with strategies for prevention and treatment. By understanding these aspects, veterinarians can improve care and outcomes for horses that are immobilized for extended periods. The issue provides insights into the most common complications and emphasize...
Badr C, Handous M, Nsiri J, ElBehi I, Arbi M, Maaroufi A, Bennour MA, Ben Osman R, Dachraoui K, Abbes M, Mahmoudi A, Khosrof I, Abrougui S, Lachheb J....West Nile virus (WNV) is an arthropod borne virus, the most widely distributed of the encephalitic Orthoflaviviruses. It can cause severe neurological symptoms in both humans and horses. It poses an emerging threat to both public and animal health. In this study, we retrospectively screened 25 suspected WNV samples collected from 2018 to 2023. Methods: A total number of 25 samples (brain tissue and blood) were collected from clinically affected horses and those already deceased across several locations in Tunisia. All samples were tested for the presence of WNV NS2A gene using qRT-PCR. Eleven ...
Alfatlawy HJ. in Arabian mares poses a significant reproductive challenge, necessitating proper pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility determination. Unassigned: To investigate the prevalence of intrauterine pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in Arabian mares with postbreeding endometritis. Unassigned: Seventeen Arabian mares were examined clinically and ultrasonographically. Uterine swabs were collected for bacterial isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Unassigned: Clinical endometritis was detected in 29.4% of the mares. Ultrasonographic examination...
Tommasa SD, Raspe S, Farí G, Imperante A, Brehm W.Tendon and ligament injuries in equine athletes pose significant challenges, often leading to prolonged recovery, reduced performance, and increased risk of reinjury. Current treatment strategies, including conservative and surgical approaches, have shown limited success in fully restoring tendon integrity. Autologous blood derivatives, such as autologous conditioned serum (ACS), have emerged as potential regenerative therapies. However, the clinical efficacy of ACS in the treatment of equine tendinopathies remains under investigation. Unassigned: This study aimed to compare the clinical outco...
Gomes ÉR, Felix LA, Gonzaga LWF, da Silva NFD, Soares BCF, de Almeida JVFC, Souza GP, Pereira RN, Taffarel MO, Ferrante M.The combination of detomidine and midazolam may provide safer sedation with muscle-relaxant effects, which are particularly necessary during standing procedures. Unassigned: Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the sedative and muscle-relaxant effects of the detomidine/midazolam combination in horses through a pharmacodynamic study. Unassigned: Five horses were used and subjected to four experimental protocols: 15 µg/kg of detomidine (D15); a combination of detomidine (15 µg/kg) with 25 µg/kg (DM25), 50 µg/kg (DM50), or 75 µg/kg (DM75) of midazolam administered intravenously....
Melly V, Ortved KF, Stewart HL, Stefanovski D, Richardson DW, Bubeck KA, Hogan PM, García-López JM.To present fracture cases selected for plate fixation (PF), describe surgical techniques and assess their association with postoperative complications and return-to-work outcomes in horses undergoing PF for small metacarpal/metatarsal (SMCT) fractures. Methods: Multicenter retrospective study. Methods: A total of 27 horses. Methods: Horses treated with PF of a SMCT fracture between 2008 and 2023 across three hospitals were included. Medical records and imaging were reviewed. Long-term outcomes were established by readmission to the hospital, telephone interviews, and/or race records. Univariab...
Espinosa Seoane D, Riley CB, Kenney DG, Spencer A, Arroyo LG.To describe common bacterial isolates cultured from sick neonatal foals and their antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance patterns. Unassigned: Medical records of foals ≤ 30 days of age, admitted to the Ontario Veterinary College from 2020 to 2023, and with a positive aerobic bacterial culture and susceptibility testing performed (Kirby-Bauer method) were included. A descriptive analysis of species isolated and antimicrobial and multidrug resistance profiles was performed. Unassigned: 62 samples from 60 predominantly Thoroughbred (42% [25 of 60]) neonatal foals (median age, 8 days) yield...
Pınar O, Çelik Doğan C, Aktaran Bala D, Kumaş C, Mete A.Riding clubs face significant financial losses due to upper respiratory infections caused by Beta-hemolytic (β-hemolytic) streptococci, leading to strangles and related diseases that negatively impact the health and performance of horses. Our objective was to determine the relationship between these inflammatory cells, the presence of β-hemolytic streptococcal species, and the clinical symptoms exhibited by the horses. This study investigated the presence of β-hemolytic streptococcus in 133 tracheal lavage samples from horses exhibiting various clinical respiratory symptoms and quantified t...
Morgan JM, Gentille SR, Goyette FD, Lehman ML, Boss AL, Cassano JM, Knych HK, White SD.To determine the safety and pharmacokinetics of a single dose of the oral ectoparasiticide fluralaner at 10 and 25 mg/kg in healthy horses. Unassigned: 12 clinically healthy university-owned horses, 9 to 17 years of age, were administered a single oral dose of fluralaner at 10 or 25 mg/kg. Physical examinations, neurological examinations, plasma samples, hematology and biochemistry panels, and skin biopsies were collected throughout the 84-day trial period. Fluralaner concentrations were measured in plasma and skin by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and pharmacokinetics were ev...
Moore HL, Klabnik JL, Boothe DM, Cruz-Espindola C, Mita N, Thungrat K, Babu RJ, Lyman CC.To investigate the IV pharmacokinetic parameters of clomiphene citrate (CC), a selective estrogen receptor modulator, in mares. Unassigned: This was an experimental study to assess the pharmacokinetic parameters of CC in the mare. Eight mares received a single 2,000-mg dose of IV CC to identify plasma concentrations over 336 hours. Following this, 6 mares received a multidose regimen of IV CC (2,000 mg, q 24 h) for 5 days to identify trough plasma concentration each day. Unassigned: CC was well tolerated, demonstrated a short elimination half-life of 4.95 ± 1.10 hours and a mean residence tim...
Friend MM, McGaffigan EM, Hall SM, Staniar WB, Smarsh DN.Early detection of inflammation using a common test could be a valuable tool for preserving horse health. Objective: This observational study aimed to identify variation in complete blood count (CBC) parameters and inflammatory indices with inflammation, and to develop reference intervals (RIs) from horses with known inflammatory states, hypothesizing that RIs developed from horses with normal acute phase protein concentrations would improve the ability to predict inflammation. Methods: Concentrations of serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin from clinically healthy horses and horses under vete...
Kamiya U, Kakiuchi K, Kawamura K, Ueda K, Kawai M, Matsui A, Negishi N.Accurate monitoring of grazing behavior in horses is essential for pasture management and welfare evaluation; however, conventional observation methods are labor-intensive and lack temporal resolution. Objective: This pilot study aimed to develop and validate a deep learning model using jaw-mounted accelerometer data to classify grazing and non-grazing behaviors in yearling horses under various pasture conditions. Methods: Four yearling Thoroughbred horses were equipped with triaxle accelerometers mounted under their jaws. Data were recorded at 10 Hz (100 ms) during a 19 h free-grazing period ...
Louro LF, Sinclair C, Hargreaves L, Coumbe K, Hajeeh Ali M, Percan V, Bacon B, Kukaswadia A, Mair T.The healthcare sector contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with anaesthetic gases being a notable contributor. Implementing sustainable practices in equine anaesthesia, such as low-flow anaesthesia, offers potential benefits. Objective: To audit oxygen and isoflurane usage in five equine hospitals, their associated GHG emissions, and the impact of anaesthesia training on mitigating these emissions. Methods: Multi-centre clinical audit. Methods: This audit covered two periods: study period one (1 June-30 September 2022) and study period two (1 June-30 September 20...
Kouadria W, Poder SL, van Maanen K, Seuberlich T, Dawson KLD, Zientara S, Laabassi F.Viral diseases cause significant economic losses within the equine population. Horses are susceptible to equine coronavirus (ECoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), although only ECoV has been associated to clinical disease. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time in Algeria, the seroprevalence of ECoV and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and the prevalence of ECoV infection in horses. In 2022, a total of 299 serum samples was collected from horses aged 1 to 27 years. Serological analysis for the presence of ECoV and SARS-CoV-2 was performed using a va...
Yamashita N, Hatazoe T, Misumi K, Hobo S.The Tokara horse is a breed of native Japanese horse, for which hematological and biochemical data are lacking. The aim of this study was to obtain current hematological and biochemical data on Tokara horses. We enrolled 90 Tokara horses kept at the Kaimon Foothills Nature Park (Kagoshima) that underwent physical examinations and blood sampling between 2022 and 2024. All horses in this study were regarded as clinically healthy, based on physical examinations. Hematological and biochemical parameters also showed no abnormal values. Based on the above results, we consider that the data from this...
Hartl B, Strohmayer C, Vali Y, Lyrakis M, Kneissl SM.Horses with hyoid bone disease may present with clinical symptoms such as exercise intolerance, resistance to ridden work, anorexia, or headshaking. This study aims to describe the computed tomographic (CT) signs and prevalence of hyoid disease and to evaluate their association with other CT changes of the head. Unassigned: In this study, four investigators conducted a retrospective analysis of their findings after reviewing the medical records of 200 horses that had undergone CT scans between 2009 and 2019. A total of 32 parameters were analyzed, and associations were evaluated between those ...
Thomé C, Márquez-Moya A, Sala-Ayala L, Carreras-Vico N, Cuervo-Arango J.Post-mortem oocyte collection serves to preserve the genetic material of valuable mares and to obtain recipient oocytes for cloning purposes. Therefore, the number of oocytes retrieved per ovary is a critical factor in increasing the likelihood of obtaining a viable embryo. This study evaluated the efficiency of two post-mortem oocyte retrieval techniques: follicular scraping (Scraping) and ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration (OPU). The comparison was based on several parameters, including the number of follicles aspirated per ovary, oocyte recovery rate (ORR), number of oocytes obtained p...
Meiseberg LK, Mergani A, Delarocque J, Imker R, Köhn D, Wanes D, Bonilla MC, Veldhuizen EJA, von Köckritz-Blickwede M, Ohnesorge B, de Buhr N.Equine asthma (EA) is the most prevalent chronic lung disease in horses. Neutrophils are the main effector cells in severe EA. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been described as contributors to severity in human asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thus, we aimed to investigate if NET-related factors in equine neutrophils, blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) allow us to differentiate EA severities and to identify NET-related mechanistic insights in EA. We quantified NETs and NET-related factors in the blood and BALF of eight healthy horses and 18 horses with di...
Frippiat T, Bonhomme M, Dyson S, Votion DM.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) adversely affects the health, welfare, and performance of sports horses, requiring gastroscopy for definitive diagnosis. Owners frequently consider girth aversion as highly suggestive of EGUS. Objective: To evaluate whether owner-reported clinical signs or fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) can help identify horses needing gastroscopy for EGUS diagnosis or monitoring treatment, thereby reducing unnecessary procedures in unaffected horses. Methods: Eighty competition dressage horses referred by veterinarians for EGUS evaluation. Methods: Case-control study in...
Kambayashi Y, Bannai H, Nemoto M, Kawanishi N, Niwa H, Tsujimura K.With the revision of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Manual on equine rhinopneumonitis in 2024, 3 recommended qPCR primer-probe sets were added for the detection of equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EqAHV1; formerly equine herpesvirus 1 [EHV1]; family , taxon species ), also known as equine abortion virus. We compared the sensitivity and specificity of the 3 qPCR primer-probe sets to determine the most reliable set. Sets gB1H and gB1P, which target the glycoprotein B () gene of EqAHV1, detected all 10 copies and even lower copy numbers. In contrast, set gC1 (ISO 17025-accre...
Gomez DE, Johnson JP.Antimicrobial drug therapy in horses can lead to adverse effects across multiple body systems, with specific age groups, such as foals, at particular risk. Certain antimicrobial drugs, such as penicillins, aminoglycosides, macrolides, tetracyclines, and trimethoprim-sulfonamide combinations, are commonly implicated. This review explores the mechanisms behind these adverse reactions, emphasizing the importance of judicious antimicrobial drug use. This review also underscores the need for a centralized pharmacovigilance system to improve drug safety and adverse event reporting for veterinary med...
Šarkūnas M, Schwahn A, Suleimanova K.The aim of present study was to examine the potency of moxidectin solution (Cydectin 1 %; Zoetis) and commercially available oral moxidectin gel (Equest®; Zoetis) to suppress the excretion of strongyle eggs in horses over a 6-week period. The horses naturally infected with strongyle nematodes (>500 eggs/g of feces) were divided into two comparable groups according age, sex and weight. On day 0 of the study, horses in Group OT (oral treatment; N=5) were dewormed with moxidectin gel (Equest®; Zoetis; 0.4 mg/kg of b.w.) according to the manufacturer's instructions, and horses in Group IT (intra...
Velarde PS, Cummings KJ, LaPointe C, Perkins GA.To assess the use of systemic antimicrobial agents in equine patients and identify areas where their use could be reduced. Unassigned: A retrospective study evaluating the electronic medical records for all equine visits in which systemic antimicrobials were given at a veterinary teaching hospital for 1 year (2021). Negative binomial regression analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with antimicrobial prescription rate. Unassigned: Systemic antimicrobials were prescribed for 33.5% (543 of 1,622) of equine visits. For most visits (89.1%), ≤ 3 antimicrobials were given. The antimicro...
Barrachina L, Ivanovska A, Eslami Arshaghi T, O'Brien A, Cequier A, Murphy M, Hollinshead F, Rodellar C, Barry F.Regenerative therapies are quickly expanding to application in equine patients because of their importance as sporting and companion animals. Furthermore, aligning with a One Health concept, veterinary medicine offers a unique platform for preclinical studies. While mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) therapies are already used in treating horses, strategies involving induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are poorly developed. iPSCs present great potential for therapy and disease modelling, but their consistent generation in horses requires further investigation into the source of somatic c...
Thane K, Voth R, Klee R, Warnken T, Chukwu V, Frank N.Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are promising treatments to manage hyperinsulinemia in horses with insulin dysregulation (ID). Objective: The SGLT2i velagliflozin decreases insulin concentration in horses with ID. Methods: Privately-owned adult horses (n = 37) with laboratory-confirmed ID (low-dose oral sugar test insulin concentration > 75 μIU/mL). Methods: Double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Horses received placebo (n = 19) or velagliflozin 0.3 mg/kg PO q24h (n = 18) for 20 weeks (Study Period 1, SP1) immediately followed by a 20-week ope...
Minamijima Y, Kuroda T, Okano A, Wakuno A, Yuasa R, Ishikawa Y, Nomura M, Kinoshita K, Yamada M.We examined the pharmacokinetics of intravenous pridinol in six thoroughbred horses. Each horse received a single 20 mg dose of pridinol mesylate via the jugular vein, and plasma and urine samples were collected over 72 h. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to quantify pridinol concentrations in plasma and urine, allowing for the calculation of pharmacokinetic parameters. A three-compartment model best fit the plasma elimination data. Using the Toutain model, irrelevant plasma and urine concentrations were estimated to be 0.00284 and 0.000612 ng/mL, respec...
Al Shehab G, Naji R, Alali F, Alali A, Allowaim A, Almohammed A, Aljasim D, Alkhalifah A, Alhammad YMA, Marzok M, Mohamad ZA, Almuhanna AH.The equine larynx can be affected by a variety of diseases that may interfere with upper respiratory tract patency. Laryngeal hemiplegia is a well-known disease in large-sized equine breeds and its occurrence in Arabian horses has not been thoroughly investigated. Unassigned: To endoscopically assess arytenoid movements in pure Arabian horses. Unassigned: A total number of 38 pure Arabian horses were examined. When the horse was unsedated, the laryngeal arytenoid movement was assessed using a laryngoscope, and a grading score was assigned accordingly. Unassigned: Evidence of laryngeal movement...
Dufourni A, Demeyere M, Vernemmen I, Van Steenkiste G, Verhaeghe LM, van Loon G, Decloedt A.Administration of N-butylscopolammonium bromide (NBB) with metamizol sodium (NBBM) causes tachycardia and hypertension, and has been associated with accentuated cardiac murmurs. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a pharmacological challenge using NBBM on valvular regurgitation and cardiac murmurs in horses with aortic (AR) and mitral valve regurgitation (MR). Methods: Twenty Warmblood horses with AR and 20 with MR. Methods: Cardiac auscultation and two-dimensional (2D), M-mode, color flow, pulsed wave Doppler flow, and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed with simultaneous ECG reco...
