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.
Godman JD, Burns TA, Kelly CS, Watts MR, Leise BS, Schroeder EL, van Eps AW, Belknap JK.Sepsis-related laminitis (SRL) is a common complication in the septic/endotoxemic critically-ill equine patient, in which lamellar injury and failure commonly lead to crippling distal displacement of the distal phalanx. Similar to organ injury in human sepsis, lamellar injury in SRL has been associated with inflammatory events, including the influx of leukocytes into the lamellar tissue and markedly increased expression of a wide array of inflammatory mediators at the onset of Obel grade 1 (OG1) laminitis. The only treatment reported both clinically and experimentally to protect the lamellae i...
Emmerich IU.In 2015, four newly developed active pharmaceutical ingredients for horses and food-producing animals were released on the German market for veterinary drug products. These were the bisphosphonate Clodronic Acid (Osphos®), the 5-hydroxytryptamine (2A) receptor antagonist Ketanserin (Vulketan®), the aminoglycoside antibiotic Paromomycin (Parofor®) and the antibiotic Thiamphenicol (TAF Spray®) from the fenicole group. With Chlorphenamine, a temporary not available active ingredient was reapproved in a new drug. Furthermore, three veterinary drugs with a new formulation as well as one product...
Lightbody KL, Davis PJ, Austin CJ.Tapeworm infections pose a significant threat to equine health as they are associated with clinical cases of colic. Diagnosis of tapeworm burden using fecal egg counts (FECs) is unreliable, and, although a commercial serologic ELISA for anti-tapeworm antibodies is available, it requires a veterinarian to collect the blood sample. A reliable diagnostic test using an owner-accessible sample such as saliva could provide a cost-effective alternative for tapeworm testing in horses, and allow targeted deworming strategies. Objective: The purpose of the study was to statistically validate a saliva ta...
Lyons ET, Dorton AR, Tolliver SC.Activity of fenbendazole (FBZ), oxibendazole (OBZ), piperazine (PIP) and pyrantel pamoate (PRT) alone and combinations of OBZ and PIP and of OBZ and PRT was evaluated against parascarids, strongyles and strongyloides in horse foals (n=281).This was on two farms - Farm A - mixed light-horses (n=26) and Farm B-Thoroughbreds (n=255) - in Central Kentucky in field tests in 2014 and 2015. Foals on both farms were treated one to three times each; an exception was that seven foals on Farm A were nontreated controls. Before treatment, the foals on Farm A were all weighed on scales but weights for Farm...
Funk RA, Pleasant RS, Witonsky SG, Reeder DS, Werre SR, Hodgson DR.Lyme disease can affect people, dogs, and horses, but it remains poorly understood, especially in the horse. Determining the seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in horses in different geographic areas will enable better understanding of the epidemiology of the disease, thus improving diagnosis and treatment of affected animals. Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi in horses in southwest Virginia. Methods: Horses presented for routine Coggins testing from January 2013 to January 2014 had additional blood drawn for Lyme Multiplex Assay testing. Methods: Of 492 samples ...
Zholobenko A, Mouithys-Mickalad A, Modriansky M, Serteyn D, Franck T.A recent study showed that silymarin, a standardized extract of S. marianum might be used in the prevention of equine laminitis. We investigated the effects of quercetin and some compounds found in silymarin (silybin, taxifolin and dehydrosilybin) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and myeloperoxidase (MPO) release by stimulated equine neutrophils (PMNs) and on MPO activity. All compounds (tested between 100 nm and 100 μm) inhibited superoxide anion production by stimulated PMNs in a dose-dependent manner. Dehydrosilybin and quercetin inhibited superoxide production and MPO release...
de Laat MA, Sillence MN.Insulin dysregulation can be difficult to diagnose from basal insulin and glucose concentrations, so a field-based oral glucose test (OGT) is preferred. However, the repeatability of this test has not been reported. Objective: To determine the repeatability of an in-feed OGT in ponies and examine some factors affecting the palatability of the test meal. Methods: A repeated measures, longitudinal study. Methods: An in-feed OGT was performed at 08.00 h on 3 consecutive occasions under controlled conditions in 8 mixed breed ponies. d-glucose (0.75 g/kg bwt) was dissolved in water and combined wit...
Lambert JL, Fernandez NJ, Roy MF.Band cells and toxic neutrophils are thought to indicate acute and severe systemic illness but no studies have investigated their importance in adult equine emergency admissions. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of band cells and toxic neutrophils with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and outcome in horses. Methods: One hundred and five adult horses admitted on emergency basis to a private primary referral practice. Methods: Prospective observational study with sample collection. All horses admitted on emergency basis over the study period we...
Kooijman LJ, Mapes SM, Pusterla N.Equine coronavirus (EqCoV) infection has been documented in most reports through quantitative qPCR analysis of feces and viral genome sequencing. Although qPCR is used to detect antigen during the acute disease phase, there is no equine-specific antibody test available to study EqCoV seroprevalence in various horse populations. We developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) targeting antibodies to the spike (S) protein of EqCoV and validated its use, using acute and convalescent sera from 83 adult horses involved in 6 outbreaks. The EqCoV S protein-based ELISA was able to reliably d...
Gibb Z, Grupen CG, Maxwell WM, Morris LH.The fertility of sex-sorted, cryopreserved stallion sperm must be improved for the sex-sorting technology to be applied commercially. Objective: To optimise the conditions used to liquid store stallion sperm prior to sex-sorting and assess the fertility of sperm following sex-sorting and cryopreservation. Methods: Both in vitro experiment and randomised controlled trial in healthy, client-owned mares. Methods: Stallion ejaculates (n = 9) were diluted in either a skimmed milk (KMT) or BSA (I-BSA) based media to 25 × 106 sperm/ml directly (+SP25) or washed to remove seminal plasma and diluted t...
Broux B, De Clercq D, Decloedt A, Van Der Vekens N, Verheyen T, Ven S, Pardon B, van Loon G.The electrocardiographic differentiation between atrial (APDs) and ventricular (VPDs) premature depolarizations is important. P wave prematurity and normal QRS and T wave morphology generally are used as discriminating criteria for APDs. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether P, Q, R, S, and T wave amplitude, PQ interval, QRS and P wave duration and P and T wave morphology differ between APDs and sinus beats. To determine the relationship between the RR coupling interval and the change in S wave amplitude between sinus beats and APDs. Methods: Case-control study. From a modi...
Stack JD, Levingstone TJ, Lalor W, Sanders R, Kearney C, O'Brien FJ, David F.Osteochondral lesions resulting from osteochondritis dissecans are problematic to treat and present a significant challenge for clinicians. The aims of this study were to investigate the use of a scaffold-assisted microfracture approach, employing a novel, multilayered, collagen-based, osteochondral graft substitute in the treatment of severe osteochondritis dissecans of both lateral femoral trochlear ridges in an equine athlete, and to assess the potential of this novel scaffold to enhance repair of the osteochondral unit. A 15 month-old female filly presented with large osteochondritis diss...
Mateu-Sánchez S, Newcombe JR, Garcés-Narro C, Cuervo-Arango J.The interval from both spontaneous and prostaglandin (PGF)-induced luteolysis to ovulation is greatly variable in mares. Several reports have shown a positive association between the length of the interval from PGF treatment to ovulation (ITO) and the subsequent pregnancy rate (PR). However, it is not known whether this association also occurs in estrous cycles with spontaneous luteolysis. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of the duration of estrus-like echotexture of the uterus during the follicular phase on the subsequent PR in both spontaneous and PGF-induced cycl...
Russell JW, Russell TM, Vasey JR, Hall MS.To evaluate a treatment protocol whereby superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendonitis in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses was treated with autologous bone marrow aspirate (ABMA) obtained from the sternebrae. This treatment was combined with desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the SDF tendon (DAL-SDFT) in selected cases. Medical records of 105 horses treated using the reported protocol were reviewed. Signalment, history and details of treatment were recorded. Racing records were reviewed and performance recorded. Of Thoroughbreds, 82 per cent had one or more starts within the follow-u...
David S, Abraham AM.Since the isolation of West Nile virus (WNV) in 1937, in Uganda, it has spread globally, causing significant morbidity and mortality. While birds serve as amplifier hosts, mosquitoes of the Culex genus function as vectors. Humans and horses are dead end hosts. The clinical manifestations of West Nile infection in humans range from asymptomatic illness to West Nile encephalitis. Methods: The laboratory offers an array of tests, the preferred method being detection of RNA and serum IgM for WNV, which, if detected, confirms the clinical diagnosis. Although no definitive antiviral therapy and vacc...
Tscheschlok L, Venner M, Howard J.Failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) in foals is associated with a risk of infection and death. The current diagnostic gold standard is quantification of immunoglobulins using radial immunodiffusion (IgG-RID). Routine diagnosis is often performed using semi-quantitative tests. Concentrations of serum electrophoretic gamma globulins (EGG) and total globulins may be useful to assess FTPI, but few studies have investigated their use. Objective: To assess agreement between IgG-RID and EGG and evaluate the accuracy of total globulin concentration to diagnose FTPI based on both IgG-RID and...
Reissmann M, Musa L, Zakizadeh S, Ludwig A.Considering the hidden mode of inheritance of some coat-color-associated alleles, we investigated the presence/absence of coat-color-associated alleles in 1093 domestic horses of 55 breeds and 20 specimens of Przewalski's horse. For coat-color genotyping, allele specific PCR, pyrosequencing and Li-Cor analyses were conducted on 12 coat-color-associated alleles of five genes. Our data provide deep insight into the distribution of coat-color-associated alleles within breeds. We found that the alleles for the basic colorations (bay, black, and chestnut) are widely distributed and occur in nearly ...
Henriksen ML, La Croix N, Wilkie DA, Lassaline-Utter M, Brantman KR, Beamer GL, Teixeira LBC, Dubielzig RR.To describe the clinical and histopathologic features of glaucoma associated with Descemet's membrane (DM) detachment in five horses without prior history of intraocular surgery. Methods: Three Appaloosa horses and two Thoroughbreds were included in this study. The affected horses ranged in age from 16 to 27 years and presented with severe diffuse corneal edema. Methods: Five eyes were enucleated due to intraocular hypertension and/or chronic corneal ulceration. The enucleated globes were evaluated by the Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin (COPLOW). Each globe was routinely ...
Pennington MR, Curtis TM, Divers TJ, Wagner B, Ness SL, Tennant BC, Van de Walle GR.Adult equine hepatocytes have proven challenging to culture long term in vitro as they rapidly lose their morphology and functionality, thus limiting studies on liver function and response to disease. In this study, we describe for the first time the differentiation of equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from a variety of sources into functional hepatocyte-like cells (HLC). First, we differentiated equine umbilical cord blood (UCB)-derived MSC into HLC and found that these cells exhibited a distinct polygonal morphology, stored glycogen as visualized by periodic acid Schiff's reagent staini...
Strang C.Camilla Strang of the Animal Health Trust provides an overview of the diagnosis and control of conditions associated with infection by equine herpesvirus.
Abedi V, Razmi G, Seifi H, Naghibi A.Equine piroplasmosis is a tickborne disease of equids with worldwide distribution, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. The aim of this study was molecular detection of T. equi and B. caballi in donkeys in northeastern Iran and investigate the association between positivity of piroplasm infection and host-related factors. In the present study, Blood samples were collected from 106 apparently healthy donkeys (Equus asinus) in North Khorasan province, Iran. Blood smears were prepared and stained by giemsa method. DNA was extracted from blood and then multiplex-PCR was done for detection...
Yildirim Y, Yilmaz V, Kirmizigul AH.The herpesviruses infections in equides are caused by five different serotypes of viruses, belonging to family Herpesviridae. The goal of this study was to conduct a seroepidemiological investigation of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and type 4 (EHV-4) in horses and donkeys raised in two provinces and their villages in northeastern Turkey. A total of 666 samples from 423 horses and 243 donkeys that were not immunized against these infections were tested with ELISA. While 52.48% of tested horse sera was found to carry specific antibodies to EHV-1, 83.69% of these serums were found to carry s...
Nehra K, Rana R, Viswas KN, Arun TR, Singh VP, Singh AP, Prabhu SN.Although Mycoplasma equigenitalium has been implicated in equine reproductive problems, its prevalence is largely unexplored due to the lack of specific diagnostic tests. To address this limitation, the authors developed and optimized species-specific primer pairs that target M. eguigenitalium rpoB (RNA polymerase B subunit) gene sequences. The specificity of the PCR assay developed in this study was determined using 12 field isolates including the type strain of M. equigenitalium and other Mycoplasma species. In the field study, a total of 122 mare and stallion samples comprising of 50 clinic...
Stefanetti V, Marenzoni ML, Passamonti F, Cappelli K, Garcia-Etxebarria K, Coletti M, Capomaccio S.Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are proviral phases of exogenous retroviruses that have co-evolved with vertebrate genomes for millions of years. Previous studies have identified the envelope (env) protein genes of retroviral origin preferentially expressed in the placenta which suggests a role in placentation based on their membrane fusogenic capacity and therefore they have been named syncytins. Until now, all the characterized syncytins have been associated with three invasive placentation types: the endotheliochorial (Carnivora), the synepitheliochorial (Ruminantia), and the hemochorial pla...
Gerlach K, Mader D, Delling U, Theuß T, Müller K, Offhaus J, Berner D.The aim of the present study was to verify the diagnostic validity of low-field magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) findings in septic diseases of the foot region following penetrating sole injuries caused by nails. Methods: MRI examinations were performed in 10 horses with injuries in the foot region. The diagnostic findings were validated by conventional methods (clinical, surgical, radiological, sonographic, and computed tomographic findings and/or post-mortem histological examination). Results: Navicular bone involvement was revealed most accurately, with a high degree of predictability, and ...
Nelson BB, Kawcak CE, Goodrich LR, Werpy NM, Valdés-Martínez A, McIlwraith CW.The femorotibial joints are a common source of lameness in Western performance horses. The objective of this prospective study was to compare the radiography, ultrasonography, computed tomographic arthrography (CTA), and arthroscopy findings in horses with lameness localized to the femorotibial joints. Twenty-five stifles in 24 horses were included and were evaluated with all four of these diagnostic methods. Defects detected in femorotibial joint structures were compared between diagnostic methods using a McNemar's test to evaluate for disagreement. Cranial medial meniscotibial desmopathy was...
Thorsteinsdóttir L, Torsteinsdóttir S, Svansson V.Due to the slow growth of equine gammaherpesviruses, isolation of these viruses requires cells that can be propagated long term and show clear cytopathy following infection. Equine cell lines with extended lifespan were established from primary cells originating from equine fetal kidney and lung by transfecting the cells with the retroviral vector LXSN116E6E7 containing the human papilloma virus oncogenes 16 E6 and E7. The transfected equine kidney cell line and equine lung cell line can be propagated for more than 40 passages, whereas the corresponding primary cells only for 10-12 passages. T...
Scheidegger MD, Gerber V, Ramseyer A, Schüpbach-Regula G, Bruckmaier RM, van der Kolk JH.The aim of this study was to further characterize the ACTH stimulation test as reflected by salivary cortisol response and to measure the short- and long-term repeatability of it in healthy horses as a tool to assess the capacity of the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol. Nineteen healthy horses were subjected to 3 ACTH stimulation tests. Intervals were 2 wk and 5 mo between the first and second and the second and third tests, respectively. A dose of 1-μg/kg BW synthetic ACTH was injected intravenously. Saliva samples were collected at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 min afte...
Paz CF, Magalhães JF, Mendes HM, Rocha Junior S, Belknap JK, Alves GE, Faleiros RR.We examined the hypothesis that the palmar digital nerves (PDNs), but not the dorsal branches (DBs) of the digital nerves, innervate the sensitive dorsal laminae of the equine foot by evaluating the effects of perineural anaesthesia of the PDNs and DBs separately on pain sensation evoked via mechanical stimulation of the dorsal laminae and other regions of the equine foot. Six clinically normal mares were used in a crossover design. A portable dynamometer was used to evaluate mechanical nociceptive thresholds at different points on the dorsal laminae, bulbs of the heel, coronary band and sole ...
Barrier-Battut I, Bonnet C, Giraudo A, Dubois C, Caillaud M, Vidament M.Fertility is reduced after semen cooling for a considerable number of stallions. The main hypotheses include alterations in plasma membrane following cooling and deleterious influence of seminal plasma. However, interindividual variability is controversial. We hypothesized that the removal of seminal plasma could enhance motility in some 'poor cooler' stallions, but could also affect, negatively or positively, membrane quality in some stallions. This study examined the effect of centrifugation, followed or not by removal of seminal plasma, on parameters indicating semen quality after 48 h at 4...
Yamada K, Sato F, Hada T, Horiuchi N, Ikeda H, Nishihara K, Sasaki N, Kobayashi Y, Nambo Y.Five Thoroughbred foals (age, 8-33 weeks; median age, 31 weeks; weight, 122-270 kg; median weight, 249 kg) exhibiting ataxia with suspected cervical myelopathy (n=4) and limb malformation (n=1) were subjected to computed tomographic (CT) myelography. The areas of the subarachnoid space and cervical cord were measured on transverse CT images. The area of the cervical cord was divided by the area of subarachnoid space, and stenosis ratios were quantitatively evaluated and compared on the basis of histopathological examination. The sites with a ratio above 52.8% could have been primary lesion sit...
Parviainen AK, Barton MH, Norton NN.To evaluate effects of polymyxin B sulfate (PMB) on response of horses to endotoxin, using an ex vivo model. Methods: 8 healthy horses. Methods: In a crossover design, 3 doses of PMB (100, 1,000, and 10,000 U/kg of body weight) and physiologic saline solution (control) were evaluated. Prior to and for 24 hours after administration of PMB, blood samples were collected into heparinized tubes for use in 2 assays. For the endotoxin-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) assay, blood samples were incubated (37 C for 4 h) with 1 ng of Escherichia coli or Salmonella Typhimurium endotoxin/ml of blood. Pl...
Cursons R, Patty O, Steward KF, Waller AS.The differentiation of live attenuated vaccine strains from their progenitor and wild-type counterparts is important for ongoing surveillance of product safety and improved guidelines on their use. We utilised a genome sequencing approach to confirm that two cases of strangles in previously healthy horses that had received the Pinnacle I. N. vaccine (Zoetis) were caused by the vaccine strain. Our data shed new light on the safety of this vaccine and suggest that factors beyond the maturity of the animal's immune system influence the development of adverse reactions.
Marunova E, Dod L, Witte S, Pfau T.Visual evaluation of hindlimb lameness in the horse is challenging. Objective measurements, simultaneous to visual assessment, are used increasingly to aid clinical decision making. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of pelvic movement asymmetry with lameness scores (UK scale 0-10) of one experienced veterinarian. Absolute values of pelvic asymmetry measures, quantifying differences between vertical minima (AbPDMin), maxima (AbPDMax) and upward movement amplitudes (AbPDUp), were recorded during straight-line trot with a smartphone attached to the sacrum ( = 301 horses). O...
Dyson S, Pinilla MJ, Bolas N, Murray R.There have been no previous studies correlating high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings with gross and histological post-mortem examination in horses with hindlimb proximal suspensory desmopathy (PSD). Objective: To determine if adhesions between the suspensory ligament (SL) and adjacent tissues could be detected using high-field MRI and if collagen, adipose tissue and muscle pathology could be differentiated. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Nineteen horses with hindlimb PSD were humanely destroyed; 12 limbs of 11 horses with PSD underwent high-field MRI. All lame limbs wer...
Grønbaek LM, Angen O, Vigre H, Olsen SN.Streptococcus equi is the cause of strangles in horses. To improve diagnostic sensitivity, development and evaluation of DNA-based methods are necessary. Objective: To evaluate diagnostic methods and observe the pattern of bacterial shedding during natural outbreaks. Methods: Two herds with natural outbreaks of strangles were visited over a period of 15 weeks and 323 samples originating from 35 horses investigated. The diagnostic use of a nested PCR test was evaluated using a collection of 165 isolates of Lancefield group C streptococci (species specificity) and swabs from nasal passages or fr...
Gurusinghe S, Bandara N, Hilbert B, Trope G, Wang L, Strappe P.Monolayer expansion of chondrocytes in culture results in the dedifferentiation of chondrocytes with inferior cartilage specific extracellular matrix synthesis and proliferation when compared with its native counterpart. We aimed to enhance chondrocyte proliferation and articular cartilage specific gene expression through ectopic expression of the major pluripotency transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc). We also aimed to provide insights to the modulation of TGFβ receptor mRNA with Klf4 overexpression. Equine chondrocytes pooled from three donors were transduced with lentiviral v...
Tapio H, Raekallio MR, Mykkänen A, Männikkö S, Scheinin M, Bennett RC, Vainio O.Medetomidine suppresses cardiovascular function and reduces gastrointestinal motility in horses mainly through peripheral α -adrenoceptors. Vatinoxan, a peripheral α -antagonist, has been shown experimentally to alleviate the adverse effects of some α -agonists in horses. However, vatinoxan has not been investigated during constant-rate infusion (CRI) of medetomidine in standing horses. Objective: To evaluate effects of vatinoxan on cardiovascular function, gastrointestinal motility and on sedation level during CRI of medetomidine. Methods: Experimental, randomised, blinded, cross-over stud...
Breathnach CC, Yeargan MR, Timoney JF, Allen GP.Immunological protection of horses from equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection and disease depends on the cooperation of virus-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. EHV-specific mucosal immunity may be an important component of such immune responses. This study demonstrates the induction of anti-EHV cytotoxic cellular immune responses in various mucosal and systemic lymphoid tissues associated with the upper respiratory tract (URT) of the horse. Four young horses (1-2 years of age) were inoculated intranasally with the Army 183 strain of EHV-1 and euthanized 1 week later. One untreat...
Castro Martins M, Peffers MJ, Lee K, Rubio-Martinez LM.Intra-articular administration of stanozolol has shown promising results by improving the clinical management of lameness associated with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis (OA) in horses, and by decreasing osteophyte formation and subchondral bone reaction in sheep following surgically induced OA. However, there is limited evidence on the anti-inflammatory and modulatory properties of stanozolol on articular tissues. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of stanozolol on chondrocyte viability and gene expression in normal equine chondrocytes and an inflammatory in vit...
Kidd JA, Slone DE.The medical records of 80 horses treated for left laryngeal hemiplegia by prosthetic laryngoplasty, ventriculectomy and vocal cordectomy were examined, first to compare the subjective and objective success rates for groups of horses of different ages and used for different purposes, and secondly, to compare the efficacy of including vocal cordectomy in the surgical protocol with published success rates for laryngoplasty and ventriculectomy alone. Subjectively, 70 per cent of the horses were said to have had a successful surgical outcome. The success rate for thoroughbred racehorses (66 per cen...
Muntwyler N, Dubois MS, Weese JS.To describe perioperative antimicrobial use in horses undergoing elective arthroscopy. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses that underwent elective arthroscopy at one institution between July 2016 and May 2018, excluding those with a suspected infectious orthopedic disease or with a comorbidity that may have impacted prophylactic antimicrobial use decisions. Methods: Medical records were reviewed to evaluate preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative antimicrobial drug selection, dose, and timing. Associations between body weight and underdosing were evaluated by using analysis o...
Parry BW, Anderson GA.The effect of acepromazine maleate (ACP) on the equine venous haematocrit and total plasma protein concentration was studied in six clinically normal horses. Total plasma protein concentration was not appreciably influenced by ACP. However, the haematocrit decreased with the duration, but not the degree, of the decrease being dose-related. Mean haematocrit values returned to control levels by 12 h after 0.05 mg ACP/kg body weight and 21 h after 0.15 mg ACP/kg body weight.
Swanwick RA, Wilkinson JS.This paper evaluates the usefulness of abdominal paracentesis as a diagnostic aid in abdominal disease in the horse and in particular considers whether or not it can be effectively utilised as an indication for surgical intervention in cases of colic. The results are based upon peritoneal fluid samples collected from 20 normal horses and from 20 cases of colic and peritonitis. Peritoneal fluid was collected from standing horses by inserting a bovine teat cannula into the horses abdomen through the linea alba after desensitisation of the skin on the ventral midline with local anaesthetic. Usual...
Chen JW, Stefanovski D, Haughan J, Jiang Z, Boston R, Soma LR, Robinson MA.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) can potentially mask painful injuries in equine athletes. Tests to detect whether a horse has received ESWT prior to competition are needed. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is known to affect inflammatory mediators in other species, and if these mediators are altered in the horse, these could serve as biomarkers of ESWT. Objective: To test the hypothesis that a single application of ESWT will alter the circulating protein concentrations of 10 inflammatory mediators in horse plasma. Methods: Prospective repeated measures experimental study. Methods: Elev...
Martin-Gimenez T, de Blas I, Aguilera-Tejero E, Diez de Castro E, Aguirre-Pascasio CN.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) can be diagnosed by hormonal measurements; however, it would be important to find simpler measurements that allow easy identification of affected or at risk individuals. In horses, the dorsal neck region is one of the most frequent anatomical sites for fat deposition and neck obesity has been linked to EMS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of hormonal markers of obesity (leptin) and insulin resistance (insulin) with morphometric and ultrasonographic neck measurements in Andalusian horses. Plasma leptin and insulin concentrations were measure...
Théon AP, Pascoe JR, Meagher DM.Twenty-seven horses (and 1 mule) with 32 histologically confirmed cutaneous tumors were studied to evaluate the effects of intratumoral injection of cisplatin initiated at the time of surgery. As a result of surgery, 9 of the wounds were closed primarily (5 sarcoids, 4 carcinomas) and 23 were left open to granulate (16 sarcoids, 6 carcinomas, 1 hamartoma). Chemotherapy consisted of 4 treatment sessions of intratumoral injection of cisplatin in purified sesame oil at 2-week intervals. The first treatment session was administered intraoperatively. A controlled-release formulation of cisplatin in...
Loos CMM, Urschel KL, Vanzant ES, Oberhaus EL, Bohannan AD, Klotz JL, McLeod KR.The objectives of the study were to study the effects of the synthetic ergot alkaloid (EA), bromocriptine, on glucose and lipid metabolism in insulin dysregulated (ID, n = 7) and non-ID (n = 8) mares. Horses were individually housed and fed timothy grass hay and two daily concentrate meals so that the total diet provided 120% of daily DE requirements for maintenance. All horses were given intramuscular bromocriptine injections (0.1 mg/kg BW) every 3 days for 14 days. Before and after 14 days of treatment horses underwent a combined glucose-insulin tolerance test (CGIT) to assess insulin sensit...
Horseman SV, Hockenhull J, Buller H, Mullan S, Barr AR, Whay HR.The equine industry in Great Britain has not been subject to the same pressures as the farming industry to engage with welfare assessment, but this may change as concern about equine welfare increases. Stakeholder attitudes toward welfare assessment may impact the implementation of welfare assessment practices. Focus-group discussions regarding welfare assessment were conducted with 6 equine stakeholder groups: leisure horse owners (caregivers; n = 4), grooms (n = 5), veterinary surgeons (n = 3), welfare scientists (n = 4), welfare charity workers (n = 5), and professional riders (n = 4). Thre...
Shen Z, Zhang MZ, Stich RW, Mitchell WJ, Zhang S.Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Lyme disease associated Borrelia spp. are the most common tick-borne pathogens reported to infect human beings worldwide and other animals, such as dogs and horses. In the present study, we developed a broad-coverage SYBR Green QPCR panel consisting of four individual assays for the detection and partial differentiation of the aforementioned pathogens. All assays were optimized to the same thermocycling condition and had a detection limit of 10 copies per reaction. The assays remained sensitive when used to test canine and equine blood DNA s...
Pirrone F, Albertini M, Clement MG, Lafortuna CL.The aim of this study was to investigate and quantify respiratory mechanical dysfunctions in Standardbred horses with both poor performance and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology characteristic of inflammatory airway disease (IAD). A control group of healthy Standardbred horses was compared. Respiratory mechanics and breathing pattern were examined at rest and during hyperventilation induced using a rebreathing method. At rest, respiratory mechanics and breathing pattern were superimposable in both groups. In IAD horses, rebreathing increased ventilation, with larger tidal volumes and lower...
Alkharsah KR, Al-Afaleq AI.This study was designed to investigate the seroprevalence of WNV antibodies in humans, horses, and pigeons in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 323 humans, 147 horses, and 282 pigeons from two regions, Al-Ahsa and Al-Qatif, in East of Saudi Arabia. Serum samples were tested for anti-WNV antibodies by ELISA. Results: The percentage of anti-WNV antibodies in the human population was found to be 9.6% (3.1% in females and 6.5% in males). This percentage was much higher in horses, as 71.4% (105/147) of the horses had anti-WNV antibodies. However, no st...
DeBoer ML, Hathaway MR, Kuhle KJ, Weber PSD, Reiter AS, Sheaffer CC, Wells MS, Martinson KL.Elevated nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) values in pasture forages can cause adverse health effects in some horses (Equus caballus L.). The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of different forage species on blood glucose and insulin concentrations of horses throughout the grazing season. Research was conducted in July (summer) and September (fall) in St. Paul, MN. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), mixed perennial cool-season grasses (CSG), and teff (Eragrostis tef [Zucc.] Trotter) pastures were grazed by six horses (24 ± 2 years) that were randomly assigned to one of three for...
Selmi R, Dhibi M, Ben Said M, Ben Yahia H, Abdelaali H, Ameur H, Baccouche S, Gritli A, Mhadhbi M.Livestock constitute habitual hosts and carriers for several infectious pathogens which may represent a serious public health concern affecting the readiness of military forces and lead to wide economic losses. The present report aimed to investigate the prevalence of some haemopathogens infecting military livestock, particularly, dromedaries, sheep and horses using Giemsa-stained blood smears. A total of 300 animals (100 from each species) were selected, clinically examined and sampled. Trypanosoma spp. (22.0%), Anaplasma spp. (17.0%) and Babesia spp. (1.0%) were identified in camels' blood. ...
Baggot JD.The route of administration and formulation of the dosage form affect the bioavailability (rate and extent of absorption) of a drug and may thereby influence the intensity and duration of the pharmacological effect. Location of injection site may affect the plasma concentration profile of drugs administered as aqueous suspensions or sustained release parenteral preparations (procaine penicillin G). When absorption influences the rate of elimination ('flip-flop' phenomenon), the apparent half-life of the drug will be increased (cefazolin sodium, i.m.; meclofenamic acid, p.o.). Absorption genera...
Koterba A, Torchia J, Silverthorne C, Ramphal R, Merritt AM, Manucy J.A base-line study of bacteria isolated from horses admitted to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital during a 6-month period was performed to determine the extent of multiresistant nosocomial infections caused by gram-negative aerobic bacteria other than Salmonella spp. Results of this study indicated that 21.9% of the 105 horses from which cultures and sensitivities were available had developed nosocomial gram-negative aerobic infections, with high rates of resistance to gentamicin, kanamycin, and trimethoprim sulfadiazine, three of the most often prescribed antibiotics in this hospital. I...
Lenard ZM, Lester NV, O'hara AJ, Hopper BJ, Lester GD.A 4-year-old Arab mare was diagnosed with disseminated cryptococcosis, including osteomyelitis of the proximal phalanx of the left hind limb, osteomyelitis with associated soft tissue granuloma of a rib and disseminated, large cryptococcal nodules in the lungs. The lesion in the dorsoproximal aspect of the proximal phalanx had a large area of cortical lysis with spiculated periosteal new bone and extensive soft tissue swelling. The affected rib had a pathological fracture. Cryptococcal osteomyelitis has not been previously reported in horses but should be considered as a differential diagnosis...
