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.
Olitsky PK, Kligler IJ.With the methods which have been described we have separated an exotoxin and an endotoxin from cultures of the Shiga dysenteric bacillus. The study of the nature and effect of the poison of this microorganism is thus simplified. The two toxins are physically and biologically distinct. The exotoxin is relatively heat-labile, arises in the early period of growth, and yields an antiexotoxic immune serum. The endotoxin, on the other hand, is heat-stable, is formed in the later period of growth, and is not neutralized by the antiexotoxic serum. The exotoxin exhibits a specific affinity for the cent...
Jones FS.The lower nasal mucosa and the pharynx of thirty eastern and twenty-three western horses have been examined for streptococci. Eight of the eastern horses carried non-hemolytic streptococci on the nasal mucosa. From the pharynx of six, non-hepiolytic streptococci were cultivated. The throats of eighteen contained strains of the hemolytic type. The nasal mucosa of the eastern horses failed to show hemolytic streptococci. Eight western horses carried non-hemolytic streptococci in the nasal passage; eight also harbored the hemolytic type. Twenty-two strains were isolated from the pharynx. Eleven w...
Amoss HL, Marsh P.Experiments were made for the purpose of testing the reaction of protection against infection as a measure of potency of antimeningococcic serum. The results of the experiments were extremely variable and bore no relation to the quality of the sera as determined by the period of immunization of the horses from which they were obtained, or the indications of efficiency based upon their employment in human cases of epidemic meningitis. The results also failed entirely to conform to the agglutination titer of the sera tested and to be affected by the different type forms of the meningococci. We r...
Wadsworth AB, Kirkbride MB.Horses immunized to Type I pneumococci developed serum, 0.1 cc. of which protected against 0.5 cc. of a virulent culture, 0.000001 cc. of which killed mice in less than 40 hours. Protective tests of serum from horses immunized to Type II organisms varied, 0.1 cc. protecting, however, in certain instances against 0.1 and 0.01 cc. of virulent homologous culture. Types I and II sera obtained in our experiments with culture sediment and whole culture did not vary markedly for a given type and corresponded closely in their protective titer with samples of sera received from The Rockefeller Institut...
Inada R, Ido Y, Hoki R, Ito H, Wani H.Horses immunized with cultures of Spirochaeta icterohaemorrhagiae yield an immune serum having therapeutic properties. With rare exceptions the serum destroys completely the spirochetes contained in the circulating blood. The development of antibodies is promoted by the serum injections. The number of spirochetes in the organs is reduced by the treatment. Secondary manifestations due to the serum are slight and disappear promptly. The ultimate effects of the serum treatment on the symptoms and final outcome of the disease have still to be determined.
Wollstein M.The parameningococci of Dopter are culturally indistinguishable from true or normal meningococci, but serologically they exhibit differences as regards agglutination, opsonization, and complement deviation. Because of the variations and irregularities of serum reactions existing among otherwise normal strains of meningococci it does not seem either possible or desirable to separate the parameningococci into a strictly definite class. It appears desirable to consider them as constituting a special strain among meningococci not, however, wholly consistent in itself. The distinctions in serum rea...
Gibson RB, Banzhaf EJ.Gravimetric determinations were recorded for the total and several individual proteins (in the sodium oxalate plasma) fractioned with ammonium sulphate and sodium chloride. At precipitation, the plasma salt mixture had been diluted to a final volume of ten times the amount of plasma employed. Coagulations were on aliquot portions of filtrates, and the individual protein constituents (except serumalbumin) were calculated by difference. The eleven horses had been subjected to simultaneous immunization against diphtheria and tetanus toxins, each horse being subsequently continued on the toxin to ...
Smith T.The foregoing and earlier data taken together demonstrate that an active immunity lasting several years can be produced in guinea-pigs, by the injection of toxin-antitoxin mixtures which have no recognizable harmful effect either immediate or remote. They also show, what might have been anticipated, that under the same conditions mixtures which produce local lesions and which, therefore, contain an excess of toxin produce a much higher degree of immunity than the neutral mixtures, and that an excess of antitoxin reduces the possibility of producing an active immunity, and may extinguish it alt...
Hubbert WR.1. Better results in the production of diphtheria antitoxin can be obtained with greater experience in the selection of the most suitable type of horses to be used. Young animals are usually to be preferred. Over one-half of all such horses can be made to yield 300-unit serum, while a third will yield (5)oo-unit serum. 2. High-test horses require a shorter time to immunize and will yield a potent serum for a longer period than will low-test horses. 3. The period of usefulness of an antitoxin horse is short, and on an average endures only a few months. 4. A horse having attained a maximal antit...
Hiss PH, Atkinson JP.THE RESULTS OF THE FOREGOING EXPERIMENTS MAY BE BRIEFLY SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS: The amount of antitoxic substance obtained by precipitation with magnesium sulphate from the blood-serum of the horse corresponds, as nearly as can be determined by the use of test guinea-pigs, in full to the protective power of the serum from which it is obtained, i. e. the precipitate from 1 cc. of serum will protect against the same amount of toxin as 1 cc. of the serum itself. Equal amounts of the precipitates by magnesium sulphate from immunized and non-immunized horses act differently toward toxin; i. e. the p...
Atkinson JP.1. The globulins of both normal and diphtheria antitoxic serum exhibit chemically toward reagents the same reactions, being precipitated by magnesium sulphate and split up into fractions in precisely the same way. 2. All of the diphtheric antitoxic power of both normal and immunized serum is always carried by the globulin and its fractional precipitates. 3. During the fractional precipitation of the serum globulin of horses immunized from diphtheria toxin and horses not immunized from diphtheria toxin, some of the globulin is lost, likewise at the same time some of the antitoxic power of the g...
Tallmadge RL, Laverack M, Lejeune M, Crossley B, Diel DG.Equid herpesvirus (EHV) 1 and -4 are common viral pathogens of horses that can cause upper respiratory disease, neurological disease, abortion, and death. As characteristic alphaherpesviruses, both EHV-1 and EHV-4 can establish latency, resulting in a lifelong carrier state in infected animals. Here we describe the development and validation of a rapid and sensitive multiplex real-time PCR assay (EHV1-4MP) that simultaneously detects EHV-1 and EHV-4 and includes an endogenous internal control - melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) - targeting the equid genome. The EHV1-4MP assay analytical sensitiv...
Klopfenstein Bregger MD, de Preux M, Brünisholz HP, Van der Vekens E, Schweizer D, Koch C.This retrospective case series reports on the use of computer-assisted surgery (CAS) to perform cheek tooth repulsion in 16 equids. Thirteen of the 16 subjects in this case series had a mandibular cheek tooth repulsed, and 3 had a maxillary cheek tooth removed. Surgery was performed on all subjects under general anesthesia, and all but one were placed in lateral recumbency. All cheek teeth were successfully removed by navigated repulsion, except in one case where additional intraoral sectioning was performed. In one horse, a surgical approach through the contralateral nasal conchae was made to...
Boakari Y, El-Sheikh Ali H, Almeida GHDR, Scoggin KE, Fernandes CB, Marchio SP, Troedsson MHT, Carreira ACO.Equine placental dysfunction impairs fetal growth and disrupts pregnancy outcomes. Despite many advances in diagnosis, the molecular pathophysiology of equine placentitis and premature placental separation remains poorly understood. However, the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-α) pathway is related to placental hypoxia, and its modulation in placental diseases has been shown in other species. Therefore, we hypothesized that in conditions marked by equine placental dysfunction, oxygen deprivation in the chorioallantois membrane triggers the activation of the HIF-α pathway, which is related to m...
El-Ghaly W, El Kamli T, Zaari Lambarki L, El Hamdani M, Lahkak FE, Benmoussa A, Balouch L, Bakkali F, Saffaj T, Jhilal F.The quality of quantitative results in bioanalysis requires not only a validated analytical method but also a rigorous estimation of measurement uncertainty. This study examines the challenges associated with the implementation of two distinct approaches in equine anti-doping control for the assessment of uncertainty associated with an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry quantitative method for caffeine and lidocaine in horse urine. The bottom-up approach, based on the ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (ISO GUM), was compared t...
Rodero E, González-Martínez A, Diz A, Rodero J.One of a veterinarian's routine tasks is animal identification, with age being a crucial factor in the identification and evaluation of individuals. Knowledge of the morphological changes in animal dentition used to determine their age is essential in veterinary education. Today's students increasingly prefer innovative learning tools that incorporate 3D anatomical models over traditional 2D resources. As part of a teaching innovation project at the University of Córdoba, Spain, new educational materials were developed to aid students in identifying the age of animals using 3D images of equin...
Wasiński B, Złotnicka J, Kubajka M, Olejarczyk M, Szulowski K.Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is a cosmopolitan infectious, venereal disease of equids caused by the bacterium . Its frequently asymptomatic course leads to its prevalence sometimes being underestimated, and knowledge of the spread of infections with its causative agent is insufficient. The aim of this study is to summarise and present data on the incidence of infections in horses in Poland. Unassigned: In the years 2018-2023, routine laboratory tests of horses for CEM were carried out. Between 52 and 99 horses were examined annually. Swabs from the external parts of the urogenital system ...
Kal AKK, Subhahar MB, Philip M, Graiban FM, Karatt TK, Mathew B, George RM, Maruthasalam B.Voxelotor, a therapeutic drug for sickle cell disease, has been reported to elevate serum erythropoietin and hemoglobin levels in healthy individuals. Because of its potential to alter blood parameters, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) classified voxelotor under category M1 of the 2023 Prohibited List. Despite this classification, little is known about its metabolic behavior in either humans or animals. In this study, the metabolism of voxelotor was investigated in Thoroughbred horses after oral administration. Using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), 35 meta...
Newcombe JR, Claes AN, Cuervo-Arango J.Early embryonic loss (EEL), particularly between Days 14 and 42 of pregnancy, remains a key concern in equine reproduction. This study investigates the incidence of spontaneous luteolysis-used here as a marker of maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) failure-in both pregnant Thoroughbred (TB) broodmares and recipient mares carrying either in vivo-derived (IVD) or in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos. Retrospective reproductive data from 2078 pregnancies in TB and 532 pregnancies in recipients were analysed to determine the incidence and characteristics of clinical luteolysis during pregnancy. Ove...
Woodman MJ, Thomas MA, Colville MJ, Durgam S, McDonough SP, Reesink HL.To describe proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) expression, lubricin tissue distribution, and lubricin synovial fluid concentrations in healthy and injured equine flexor tendons and tenosynovial structures. Unassigned: Synovial fluid and tissues were collected over the span of 1 year. Proteoglycan 4 expression was quantified using quantitative real-time PCR, lubricin synovial fluid concentrations were measured using ELISAs, and lubricin tissue distribution was evaluated with immunohistochemistry. Histology and quantitative real-time PCR data for healthy samples were analyzed using paired t tests, repeated-m...
Morales Yñiguez FJ, Leise BS.Over 25% of all emergencies are classified as wounds, making them the most common health conditions treated by veterinarians. While equine wounds may heal with minimal intervention, many complications associated with wound management can occur, thereby delaying wound healing and leading to chronic non-healing wounds. Wounds should be closed primarily when possible; however, numerous factors influence the risk of complications. Infection and biofilm production are common causes of delayed wound healing. Other causes of non-healing wounds include the presence of foreign material, sequestrum form...
Pipitpornsirikul P, Thangthamniyom N, Laikul A, Songkasupa T, Pathomsakulwong W, Apichaimongkonkun T, Kasemsuwan S, E-Kobon T, Lekcharoensuk P.African horse sickness (AHS), a life-threatening disease caused by African horse sickness virus serotype 1 (AHSV-1), emerged in Thailand in February 2020 with 607 cases and a 93% fatality rate. The outbreak was mitigated by vector control and a live attenuated virus (LAV) vaccine. Information regarding viremia and immunity after infection and vaccination during outbreaks are essential for controlling disease transmission. This study evaluated these parameters in 15 infected naïve horses and 11 vaccinated horses during the 2020 outbreak. Whole blood was collected and subjected to RT real-time ...
Fain H, Hendrickson DA, Buesing MT, Griffenhagen G.Cryptorchidism is a common congenital disorder in male horses characterized by the failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum. This developmental anomaly has important clinical, surgical, and economic implications, particularly in breeding animals. This retrospective study investigates the prevalence and laterality of cryptorchidism in a large equine population presented to two veterinary referral hospitals-Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (CSU VTH, 1984-2014) and Oakridge Equine Hospital (OEH, 2008-2023). Medical records were reviewed to identify affected ...
Larson MK, Gaffney C, Hoagland C, Jayawickrama J, Kamm JL.To determine the xenogen-free serum source that provides the greatest number of live equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) while maintaining the MSC phenotype. Unassigned: Equine bone marrow-derived MSCs from 8 horses were cultured for 7 days in media containing one of the following serum treatments: 10% xenogeneic serum, 10% or 20% commercial allogeneic equine serum, 10% autologous serum, 10% equine pooled platelet lysate (PPL), or a staged media reduction of xenogeneic media. Live cell numbers, MSC viability, and MSC immunophenotype were compared. Unassigned: The use of 10% commercial allo...
Kapusniak A, Lara NM, Hitchens PL, Bailey S, Nath L, Franklin S.Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used to enhance electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation in human medicine. In equine athletes, exercise-associated arrhythmias are common and linked to sudden cardiac death at rates higher than in humans. However, ECG interpretation in horses remains time-consuming and subjective, with the clinical relevance of mild rhythm disturbances often unclear. Objective: Evaluate the application of AI to ECG interpretation for arrhythmia detection, with emphasis on current and potential use in athletic species, particularly horses. Methods: About 17 studies we...
Greenberg CB, Suckow MA, Clauson RM, Kalinauskas AE, Lucroy MD.Precision medicine is a therapeutic strategy to provide treatment that is tailored to a specific patient based on factors unique to that individual, such as the genetic makeup or the environment. Autologous cancer vaccines (ACVs) are ideal for a precision medicine approach because they incorporate antigens specific to the patient's tumor and provide an elegant solution to identifying and selecting relevant immunogenic neoantigens. ACVs are an appealing option for veterinary medicine because they are cancer-type and species agnostic. Over the past 50 years, many innovative ACVs have been evalua...
Massardi E, Gaudenzi G, Carra S, Oldani M, Rybinska I, Persani L, Vitale G.Cushing's disease (CD) is a rare neuroendocrine disorder caused by ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas, presenting significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Given the evolutionary conservation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, this review explores the translational value of spontaneous CD forms in dogs, horses, cats, small mammals, and rats, as well as of experimental models in mice, rats, and zebrafish. Dogs are the most studied, showing strong molecular and clinical similarities with human CD, making them valuable for preclinical drug and diagnostic research. While equine an...
Yang S, Xiao J, Mu L, Li C, Dai S, Li S, Cui Y, Xu Y.Between the third and sixth centuries AD (Anno Domini), the Xianbei emerged as a dominant nomadic power in the Eastern Eurasian Steppe, distinguished by their exceptional equestrian culture and the pivotal role of cavalry in warfare. Despite their historical significance, detailed knowledge of their cavalry's weaponry and equipment-particularly armour-remains fragmentary. As a critical element of military technology, armour offers valuable insights into ancient combat strategies and cultural practices. However, research on early Chinese cavalry armour has been constrained by limited textual re...
Koçali B, Ocak M, Şekerel BE.Animal allergens, particularly those from cats, dogs, and horses, are significant risk factors for the development of allergic diseases in childhood. Managing animal allergies requires allergen avoidance and, when this is not feasible, specific immunotherapy. Patient history remains the cornerstone of diagnosis, providing the foundation for diagnostic algorithms. Extract-based tests, such as skin prick tests and specific IgE measurements, are essential for confirmation and screening. However, traditional extract-based diagnostic methods have notable limitations, as they are unable to distingui...
Ajeebsanu MM, Koshy SA, Karakka Kal AK, Subhahar MB, Karatt TK, Philip M.Suzetrigine, a recently approved Na1.8 sodium channel blocker, shows strong potential in the treatment of neurological, psychiatric, and pain-related conditions. Its peripheral selectivity enables effective pain management while avoiding central nervous system complications and addiction risks linked to opioid use. Following FDA approval in January 2025, concerns have emerged regarding its possible misuse for performance enhancement in sports, highlighting the need for reliable detection tools in doping control. Methods: An analytical procedure was designed and validated to detect suzetrigine ...
Hosseini SH, Sharafi H, Emamjomeh A, Nasri F, Hosseini A, Mardani S, Moradi M.Postbiotics and parabiotics (PP) are innovative concepts in veterinary medicine that have garnered substantial interest owing to their unique properties and potential benefits. PP offers a promising alternative to live bacteria, demonstrating properties such as prebiotic, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects, while potentially mitigating some of the common challenges associated with live bacterial applications. PP products are manufactured and commercially employed in livestock, poultry, and pets. Moreover, postbiotic-based commercial products...
Isoardi KZ, Chiew AL, Dhital A, Isbister GK.Antivenom is used to treat systemic envenomation and is immunoglobulin G raised from animals, mainly horses, inoculated by venom. Unassigned: We report two cases of life-threatening anaphylaxis following the administration of antivenom in patients with known horse dander allergy. Unassigned: A 14-year-old boy presented with redback spider envenomation. He had a known horse dander allergy. He received antivenom to treat severe pain and developed immediate severe anaphylaxis requiring endotracheal intubation and inotropic support. A 52-year-old man with horse dander allergy presented with suspec...
Accorroni L, Dini F, Pilati N, Marchegiani A, Bazzano M, Spaterna A, Laus F.Wound management is a fundamental skill for veterinarians, requiring a systematic approach to wound care and a deep understanding of the biological principles underlying healing. Sucralfate, widely known as a mucoprotective agent for gastroduodenal ulcers, has recently shown promising topical effects in human skin lesions by binding and protecting growth factors from proteolytic degradation, thereby enhancing their local availability. This action promotes angiogenesis, chemotaxis and cell proliferation, while reducing oxidative stress and exerting bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects agains...
Wood AD, Parker RA.To describe a tenoscopically guided technique for desmotomy of the proximal digital annular ligament (PDAL). Methods: Ex vivo study and clinical case series. Methods: A total of 10 normal cadaver equine hindlimbs and five clinical cases of PDAL desmitis. Methods: The digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) was approached via a lateral basisesamoid portal and a palmar/plantar annular ligament (PAL) desmotomy was performed to improve maneuverability in the DFTS. Additional proximolateral and distal midline instrument portals were created to facilitate transection of the proximolateral attachment, th...
Couto GR, Vigano DWA, Santos GDC, Allen WRT, Wilsher S.Vitrified embryos ≤300 μm give better pregnancy rates following warming and transfer than larger ones. Embryo recovery undertaken close to when the embryo enters the uterus (Day 6-6.5) helps in the recovery of embryos ≤300 μm. However, flushing early can mean missing an embryo not yet in the uterus, whereas later can result in embryos >300 μm. Objective: To evaluate if repeated embryo flushing on consecutive days from Day 6.5 would increase the number of embryos ≤300μm recovered. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Four hundred and ninety-six inseminations with cooled ...
Beshir A, Kemal J, Abraha B, Tola EH.Wounds on the skin are a common health issue affecting working equines. This study aimed to evaluate the in-vitro antibacterial properties of crude methanolic extracts from selected medicinal plants against pathogens isolated from equine skin wounds in Merti district. Agar well and disc diffusion tests were used to determine the mean zone of inhibition, while broth dilution methods were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs), further confirming the potent antibacterial effects of the selected medicinal plant extracts. One way anal...
Nissen SD, Bastrup JA, Haugaard SL, Marion-Knudsen R, Schneider M, Kjeldsen ST, Carstensen H, Hopster-Iversen C, Nattel S, Jepps TA, Buhl R.Horses and humans are among the few mammals susceptible to spontaneous atrial fibrillation (AF), both suffering from high recurrence rates after treatment. Treatment resistance is often attributed to progressive atrial remodeling, but current treatment options fail to effectively address this aspect. Here, we introduce a novel horse model of spontaneous AF to investigate the biological pathway changes in early stages of the disease. Through data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry on biopsies from the right and left atrium and left ventricular chamber of horses with early-stage persisten...
García-López JM.Intrathecal and intrasynovial tendon and ligament injuries can result in extrusion of tendon/ligament fibers, granuloma, and adhesion formation that not only impairs healing of the original injury but can create new injuries that negatively affect adequate healing and return to athletic work. In these cases, endoscopic evaluation and debridement, not only of the lesion, but also any other secondary injury present, can enhance the healing of the tendon or ligament and improve the athletic prognosis. Careful planning of the approach, positioning, instrumentation, and thorough knowledge of the an...
Wottlin LR, Anderson RC, Bhatta R, Leatherwood J, Olson EG, Callaway TR, Ricke SC.Environmental impacts of animal agriculture are under intense scrutiny, thus strategies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and volatile nitrogen waste are valuable. As dietary inclusion of tannins has been shown to decrease methanogenesis and improve nitrogen retention in ruminants, this study was designed to determine the effects of graded levels of hydrolysable tannin (chestnut) and condensed tannin (mimosa) on equine in vitro cecal fermentation. Methods: Two in vitro experiments were conducted, each with three replications per treatment. Treatments were 0.2 g alfalfa without or with 5, 1...
Del Prete C, Gaspari G, Kosior MA, Merlo B, Iacono E, Longobardi C, Martino NA, Dell'Aquila ME, Damiano S, Cocchia N, Gasparrini B, Lange-Consiglio A.Over the years, regenerative therapies have emerged as promising alternatives for persistent breeding-induced endometritis. In vitro studies testing the effects of these therapies on equine endometrial cells are still scarce. This study aimed to evaluate in vitro the effect of Wharton's jelly (WJ) mesenchymal stromal/stem cell (MSCs)-derived conditioned medium (WJ-CM) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on equine endometrial cells, with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. The WJ-CM was obtained after 24 h of starvation in Ringer's lactate of WJ-MSCs and PRP was prepared using...
