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.
Russell CM, Axon JE, Blishen A, Begg AP.To assist correct decision-making about antimicrobial treatment of equine neonates with septicaemia. Methods: Retrospective study of microbial blood culture results obtained from foals less than 7 days of age. Methods: Microbial blood culture results from foals less than 7 days of age admitted to an intensive care unit between July 1999 and December 2004 were reviewed. Antimicrobial sensitivity was assessed by the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Antimicrobials were defined as an effective first-line choice antimicrobial if greater than 70% of isolates were susceptible. Multiple drug resista...
Jung C, Hospes R, Bostedt H, Litzke LF.To report on the outcome of surgical treatment of uterine torsion in preterm mares. Methods: Retrospective case series of pregnant mares with uterine torsion presented to the Clinic for Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Andrology of Large and Small Animals. Methods: Hospital records of all pregnant mares that underwent ventral midline laparotomy for uterine torsion between 1998 and 2004 were reviewed. The signalment, history, clinical signs, results of diagnostic procedures, direction and degree of the uterine twist, treatment and outcome were retrieved from each case record. Results: This study com...
van Galen G, Delguste C, Sandersen C, Verwilghen D, Grulke S, Amory H.Few studies exist about factors affecting the outcome of horses with tetanus. Methods: 31 equids (30 horses and 1 donkey) with a clinical diagnosis of tetanus admitted to the Equine Clinic of the University of Liege between 1991 and 2006. The cases were divided into two groups according to the outcome (survivors and non-survivors). Methods: The clinical data of survivors and non-survivors were compared using an ANOVA (continuous data) or a Fisher's test (discrete data). Results: The survival rate was 32%. Most animals were 5 years or younger, and none had been appropriately vaccinated. The non...
Yamada M, Aramaki S, Hosoe T, Kurosawa M, Kijima-Suda I, Saito K, Nakazawa H.Fluoxymesterone, an anabolic steroid with the 17alpha-methyl,17beta-hydroxy group, has been developed as an oral formulation for therapeutic purposes. However, it is also used illegally in racehorses to enhance racing performance. In this study, we detected 9alpha-fluoro-17,17-dimethyl-18-norandrostane-4,13-dien-11beta-ol-3-one by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), which has not been reported as a fluoxymesterone metabolite so far in horse. It was synthesized for use as a reference standard, and characterized on the basis of (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR spectra, as well as GC/MS EI mass s...
Hollis AR, Wilkins PA, Palmer JE, Boston RC.Bacteremia in sick foals is associated with survival, but the association of bacteremia and diarrhea is not reported. Objective: Neonatal foals with diarrhea will commonly be bacteremic. Methods: One hundred and thirty-three neonatal foals. Methods: Records of all foals <30 days of age presenting with diarrhea between January 1990 and September 2007 were reviewed. Results: Sixty-six of 133 foals (50%) were bacteremic at admission, with 75 isolates from the 66 samples. The blood culture from a further 18 foals (13.5%) grew coryneform bacteria. Nine foals (6.8%) had 2 or more organisms grown on ...
Hollis AR, Dallap Schaer BL, Boston RC, Wilkins PA.More information is needed regarding accuracy of commonly used methods of glucose measurement in the critically ill horse. Objective: Glucometry will have good agreement with a laboratory standard. Glucometry with plasma will have better agreement than when performed with whole blood. Methods: Fifty sequentially admitted equine emergency patients, aged >1year. Methods: Venous blood was collected at admission and immediately analyzed by point-of-care glucometry on both whole blood (POC/WB) and plasma (POC/PL), a multielectrode blood gas analyzer with whole blood (BLG), and a standard laborat...
Hollis AR, Ousey JC, Palmer L, Stephen JO, Stoneham SJ, Boston RC, Corley KT.Norepinephrine increases arterial blood pressure but may have adverse effects on renal blood flow. Fenoldopam, a dopamine-1 receptor agonist, increases urine output in normotensive foals. The combination of norepinephrine and fenoldopam may lead to improved renal perfusion compared with an infusion of norepinephrine alone. The combined effects of these drugs have not been reported in the horse. Objective: Norepinephrine will alter the hemodynamic profile of foals without affecting renal function. Addition of fenoldopam will change the renal profile during the infusions without changing the hem...
Salim BO, Hassan SM, Bakheit MA, Alhassan A, Igarashi I, Karanis P, Abdelrahman MB.The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of equine piroplasmosis in Sudan. The presence of antibodies against Babesia caballi and Theileria equi was determined in serum samples obtained from 158 horses raised in different locations in Sudan by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The B. caballi 48-kDa and the T. equi EMA-2 purified recombinant proteins were used as antigens in the ELISA test. Results showed that seven (4.4%) were positive for B. caballi and 80 (63.5%) were positive for T. equi. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays have been applied using primers targeti...
Díaz S, Kienast ME, Villegas-Castagnasso EE, Pena NL, Manganare MM, Posik D, Peral-García P, Giovambattista G.In order to detect switching and/or manipulation of samples, the owner of a stallion asked our lab to perform a DNA test on a positive doping urine sample. The objective was to compare the urine DNA profile versus blood and hair DNA profiles from the same stallion. At first, 10 microsatellite markers were investigated to determine the horse identity. No results were obtained when horse specific markers were typed in the urine sample. In order to confirm the species origin of this sample we analyzed the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. This analysis from blood and hair samples produced reproduc...
Smith RK.Optimal management of tendon overuse injuries in equine and human athletes should avoid the formation of excessive scar tissue, regenerate normal tendon matrix, and reduce re-injury rates. We hypothesized that the implantation of marrow-derived stromal stem cells (BM-MSCs), in far greater numbers than are present normally within tendon tissue, would synthesize a matrix more closely resembling tendon matrix than scar tissue, and hence increase the capacity to return to performance successfully. This article reviews the technique used clinically in the horse and the current outcome data for hors...
Kusano K, Ishikawa Y, Seki K, Kusunose R.Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is a common cause of poor performance, interruption of training and premature retirement in racehorses. It is also reported that up to 80% of horses are affected at some point in the first years of training in UK and Australia. However, no studies with regard to the information on occurrence of IAD in Japanese Thoroughbred racehorses have been reported. To investigate the occurrence and the characteristics of IAD, epidemic research including endoscopic examination of the airway tract and trachea wash was conducted for Thoroughbred racehorses presenting coughs ...
Tsukada T, Kojima AY, Sato K, Moriyoshi M, Koyago M, Sawamukai Y.The concentrations of androstenedione, estradiol-17β, progesterone and PGF2α contained in the follicular fluid produced by the follicles in collected ovaries of mares that have had estrous phase during the breeding season were measured and analyzed the relation between the growth stage of follicles and the hormone levels in the follicular fluid. An ultrasonographic diagnostic instrument was used to measure the diameter of the follicles in order to categorize the follicles into three groups the following: 8 small follicles (from 1.0 to less than1.5 cm), 8 medium follicles (from 1.5 to less th...
Katepalli MP, Adams AA, Lear TL, Horohov DW.Telomeres, specialized structures present at the ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, function to maintain chromosome stability and integrity. Telomeres shorten with each cell division eventually leading to replicative senescence, a process thought to be associated with age-related decline in immune function. We hypothesized that shortened PBMC telomere length is a factor contributing to immunosenescence of the aged horse. Telomere length was assessed in 19 horses ranging in age from 1 to 25 years. Mitogen-induced 3H-thymidine incorporation, total serum IgG, and pro-inflammatory cytokine exp...
Tsukada T, Sato K, Moriyoshi M, Koyago M, Sawamukai Y.A total of 88 thoroughbred mares were diagnosed with clinical ovarian quiescence and subjected to four treatment regimens. Using PMSG, hCG or combinations of both. A high dose combination of 5,000IU PMSG with 5,000IU hCG showed significantly higher rates of marked estrus and ovulation induction (P<0.01) as well as conception rates (P<0.05). In the present study, the administration of a high-dose combination of PMSG with hCG was shown to be an effective treatment of ovarian quiescence in light mares.
Walsh C, Gangloff M, Monie T, Smyth T, Wei B, McKinley TJ, Maskell D, Gay N, Bryant C.LPS signals through a membrane bound-complex of the lipid binding protein MD-2 and the receptor TLR4. In this study we identify discrete regions in both MD-2 and TLR4 that are required for signaling by lipid IVa, an LPS derivative that is an agonist in horse but an antagonist in humans. We show that changes in the electrostatic surface potential of both MD-2 and TLR4 are required in order that lipid IVa can induce signaling. In MD-2, replacing horse residues 57-66 and 82-89 with the equivalent human residues confers a level of constitutive activity on horse MD-2, suggesting that conformational...
Pollock S, Hull ML, Stover SM, Galuppo LD.Knowledge of the forces that act upon the equine humerus while the horse is standing and the resulting strains experienced by the bone is useful for the prevention and treatment of fractures and for assessing the proximolateral aspect of the bone as a site for obtaining autogenous bone graft material. The first objective was to develop a mathematical model to predict the loads on the proximal half of the humerus created by the surrounding musculature and ground reaction forces while the horse is standing. The second objective was to calculate surface bone stresses and strains at three cross se...
Pollock S, Stover SM, Hull ML, Galuppo LD.The first objective of this study was to experimentally determine surface bone strain magnitudes and directions at the donor site for bone grafts, the site predisposed to stress fracture, the medial and cranial aspects of the transverse cross section corresponding to the stress fracture site, and the middle of the diaphysis of the humerus of a simplified in vitro laboratory preparation. The second objective was to determine whether computing strains solely in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the humerus in the mathematical model was inherently limited by comparing the strains measured...
Menzies-Gow NJ.Eight normal thoroughbred horses were examined by echocardiography before and 10 minutes after they had been sedated by the intravenous administration of 0.03 mg/kg acepromazine. There were significant (P<0.025) increases in the diameters of the pulmonary artery and the aorta, measured at end-systole, and in the thickness of the interventricular septum, measured at end-systole and end-diastole. In addition, there was a significant (P<0.001) decrease in the diameter of the left atrium measured at end-diastole. The remaining cardiac dimensions, all the indices of cardiac function, and the ...
Culp WT, Weisse C, Berent AC, Getman LM, Schaer TP, Solomon JA.CASE DESCRIPTION-5 Dogs, 1 goat, and 1 horse underwent percutaneous endovascular retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies between 2002 and 2007. CLINICAL FINDINGS-Foreign bodies were IV catheters in 4 dogs, the horse, and the goat and a piece of a balloon valvuloplasty catheter in 1 dog. Location of the foreign bodies included the main pulmonary artery (1 dog), a branch of a pulmonary artery (4 dogs), the right ventricle (the goat), and a jugular vein (the horse). TREATMENT AND OUTCOME-The procedure of percutaneous endovascular retrieval of the foreign body was easy to perform in all instance...
Davidson A, Traub-Dargatz JL, Magnuson R, Hill A, Irwin V, Newton R, Waller A, Smith K, Callan RJ, Meehan M, Owen P, Salman M.Previously published studies have neither used nor reported the results of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) to measure serologic responses in natural outbreaks of strangles. The concept of using serologic responses to identify persistent carriers of Streptococcus equi has been proposed but not scientifically evaluated. The specific aims of the current study were to determine the duration and level of truncated fibrinogen-binding protein-specific (SeM allele 1) antibody production in ponies involved in a natural outbreak of strangles and to determine if test results from t...
Van den Eede A, Martens A, Lipinska U, Struelens M, Deplano A, Denis O, Haesebrouck F, Gasthuys F, Hermans K.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections do occur in equine patients. Little is known, however, about their origin and the general equine MRSA colonization status. In West European horses in particular, neither the colonization rate nor the present strains or their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns are known. In the present study, a sample of 110 (Belgian, French, Dutch and Luxemburg) horses presented at a Belgian equine clinic was screened for nasal MRSA carriage. An indirect culturing protocol using a 0.001% colistin and nalidixic acid containing broth was compared t...
Loynachan AT, Bryant UK, Williams NM.A 35-year-old horse was submitted to the necropsy service at the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center. At necropsy, multiple 1-4-cm-diameter cystic structures were incidentally identified unilaterally in the right renal medulla and the cortex. On histologic examination, the cystic structures compressed the normal renal architecture, were lined by tall columnar epithelium that formed occasional papillary projections, and contained large amounts of mucicarmine and periodic acid-Schiff-positive mucinous material. The masses were diagnosed as renal mucus-gland cystadenomas. T...
Bush JM, Powers BE.In horses, giant-cell tumors of soft parts are rare neoplasms, with the majority of reported cases occurring within the hind limb muscles and soft tissues in older horses. The following article documents 21 cases of equine giant-cell tumors of soft parts clinically examined within the state of Colorado from 2000 to 2007. The majority of cases occurred in male horses aged 10 years or older. Nine (43%) arose within the hind limbs. Key histologic features included numerous multinucleated giant cells and hemosiderin-laden macrophages admixed with a spindle-cell proliferation. The majority demonstr...
Longhofer SL, Reinemeyer CR, Radecki SV.The efficacy of top-dress antiinflammatory drugs ultimately depends on a patient's willingness to consume treated feed. The current study compares the palatability of two phenylbutazone top-dress formulations (Equipalazone Powder, Dechra Pharmaceuticals, and Pro-Dynam, VetXX, Ltd.) and a suxibuzone top-dress formulation (Danilon Equidos, Janssen Animal Health). Results of a three-period, crossover study on 18 healthy horses showed that Pro-Dynam was significantly less palatable, with significantly less consumption of treated feed compared with either Equipalazone Powder or Danilon Equidos. The...
Frey R, Bergvall K, Egenvall A.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) and atopy can both be causes of pruritus in horses and are associated with allergen-specific IgE to biting insects and environmental allergens respectively. Information with respect to differences in IgE levels in diseased and healthy animals is crucial in enabling an understanding of the clinical relevance of results of allergen-specific IgE tests. The aim of this study was (i) to evaluate and compare levels of allergen-specific IgE, using an ELISA method, in Icelandic horses, with and without IBH, from Iceland and Sweden respectively; (ii) to investigate pa...
Rötting AK, Freeman DE, Constable PD, Eurell JA, Wallig MA.To establish reference values for the range of the number of eosinophils found in equine gastrointestinal mucosa and to describe the distribution of this cell within the equine gastrointestinal mucosa. Methods: Gastrointestinal mucosal specimens from 14 adult horses euthanatized for reasons other than gastrointestinal disease. Methods: Gastrointestinal mucosal specimens were collected and grouped according to their anatomic regions. For histologic examination slides were stained with Luna's eosinophil stain to determine eosinophil accumulation and distribution. The mucosa was divided into 5 se...
Valdés-Martínez A, Seiler G, Mai W, Bolt DM, Mudge M, Dukti SA, Hubert JD.To develop a quantitative method of interpreting tibial scintigrams of Thoroughbred racehorses with tibial stress fractures that may facilitate diagnosis of fractures and to provide prognostic information regarding future performance of affected horses. Methods: 35 Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Static bone-phase scintigrams of tibial stress fractures were quantitatively analyzed by use of ratios of the mean radionuclide counts per pixel in a region of interest (ROI) drawn around the area of increased uptake of radiopharmaceutical to mean counts per pixel in a second ROI drawn around an app...
Ball BA, Conley AJ, MacLaughlin DT, Grundy SA, Sabeur K, Liu IK.Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), also known as Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS), is expressed by granulosa cells in females of many mammalian species, and circulating AMH concentrations have been used to monitor granulosa-cell tumors (GCT) in women. The objective was to characterize expression of AMH in equine GCT, and in normal equine ovaries, based upon immunohistochemistry (IHC), using a polyclonal primary antibody directed against human AMH. Equine GCT (n=27) and normal equine ovaries (n=10) were examined by IHC. In addition, sera from four mares with GCT were characterized for AMH bioa...
O'Neill HD, Bladon BM.Current arthroscopic approaches to the caudal pouches of the lateral femorotibial joint are challenging and risk iatrogenic nerve and cartilage injury. Objective: Describe an alternative arthroscopic approach to the caudal pouches of the lateral femorotibial joint in the horse and report intra-articular abnormalities observed during diagnostic stifle arthroscopy of these pouches. Methods: Descriptive cadaver anatomical and clinical study. Methods: An approach to the caudal pouches of the lateral femorotibial joint was developed during clinical surgery using an arthroscopic portal in the poplit...
Morini M, Gobbo F, Rinnovati R, Romagnoli N, Peli A, Massarenti C, Spadari A, Pietra M.Equine asthma is a common respiratory disease that may affect horses of any age. The diagnosis of severe equine asthma (SEA) (historically referred as recurrent airway obstruction or RAO) is based mainly on the history of the animal and clinical signs, which are further supported by the cytological examination of the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). This can also be helpful in monitoring the inflammation of the lower airways in response to environmental management and medication. The cytocentrifugated preparation is usually considered the method of choice for BAL cytological interpretation. The a...
Elschner MC, Thomas P, Melzer F.Burkholderia mallei is a zoonotic agent causing glanders, a notifiable disease in equines. During the past decades glanders emerged, and the Kingdom of Bahrain reported outbreaks to the World Organization of Animal Health in 2010 and 2011. This paper presents the complete genome sequence of the Burkholderia mallei strain 11RR2811 Bahrain1.
Al-Khaldi K, Yimer N, Al-Bulushi S, Haron AW, Hiew M, Babji AS.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding different concentrations of edible bird's nest (EBN) which is secreted by swiftlet birds (), into EquiPlus® and E-Z Mixin® extenders on the quality of chilled Arabian stallion semen at various storage times (0, 24 and 48 h). Ten ejaculates were collected from five stallions, and diluted using the two extenders containing 0% (control), 0.12%, 0.24% and 0.24% of EBN + seminal plasma (SP). All the diluted semen samples were then cooled and stored at 5 °C, and examined at 0, 24 and 48 h. Sperm kinetic parameters were assessed using com...
Knych HK, Mama KR, Moore CE, Hill AE, McKEMIE DS.The use of intra-articular (IA) local anaesthetics has proven to be an effective means to treat post-operative pain. The effects of local anaesthetics on equine chondrocytes are mixed with some studies reporting chondrodestruction and others no adverse effects. A liposomal formulation of bupivacaine is used in people and dogs by intra- and peri-articular administration to provide up to 72 h of analgesia. The potential uses, side effects including chondrotoxicity, and likelihood of abuse (long-term analgesic effects) has not been evaluated in horses. Objective: Describe bupivacaine concentrati...
Nolen-Walston RD, Norton JL, Navas de Solis C, Underwood C, Boston R, Slack J, Dallap BL.Central venous pressure (CVP) is used in many species to monitor right-sided intravascular volume status, especially in critical care medicine. Objective: That hypohydration in adult horses is associated with a proportional reduction in CVP. Methods: Ten healthy adult horses from the university teaching herd. Methods: In this experimental study, horses underwent central venous catheter placement and CVP readings were obtained by water manometry. The horses were then deprived of water and administered furosemide (1 mg/kg IV q6h) for up to 36 hours. Weight, CVP, vital signs, PCV, total protein (...
Djernaes JD, Nielsen JV, Berg LC.The widths of spaces between the thoracolumbar processi spinosi (interspinous spaces) are frequently assessed using radiography in sports horses; however effects of varying X-ray beam angles and geometric distortion have not been previously described. The aim of this prospective, observational study was to determine whether X-ray beam angle has an effect on apparent widths of interspinous spaces. Thoracolumbar spine specimens were collected from six equine cadavers and left-right lateral radiographs and sagittal and dorsal reconstructed computed tomographic (CT) images were acquired. Sequentia...
Lewis SR, Ellison SP, Dascanio JJ, Lindsay DS, Gogal RM, Werre SR, Surendran N, Breen ME, Heid BM, Andrews FM, Buechner-Maxwell VA, Witonsky SG.Sarcocystis neurona is the most common cause of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), affecting 0.5-1% horses in the United States during their lifetimes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the equine immune responses in an experimentally induced Sarcocystis neurona infection model. Neurologic parameters were recorded prior to and throughout the 70-day study by blinded investigators. Recombinant SnSAG1 ELISA for serum and CSF were used to confirm and track disease progression. All experimentally infected horses displayed neurologic signs after infection. Neutrophils, monocytes, an...
Kakoi H, Kijima-Suda I, Gawahara H, Kinoshita K, Tozaki T, Hirota K, Yoshizawa M.To construct a system for identifying individual horses from urine samples that are submitted for postracing doping tests, we developed a genotyping assay based on 26-plex single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). DNA was isolated from urine using a commercially available DNA/RNA extraction kit, and SNP genotyping was achieved with a SNaPshot(™) technique. DNA profiles including 26 SNPs were acquired from urine samples and blood/hair samples. Within the studied Thoroughbred population, the 26-plex assay showed a probability of identity of 5.80 × 10(-11). Compared to the conventional short tan...
Wilson DG.Possibly no other development has revolutionized general surgery more dramatically than laparoscopic surgery in human patients. The development of instrumentation suitable for use in horses has allowed the veterinary surgeon to begin to introduce minimally invasive procedures. Clearly, in people, one of the greatest benefits is reduced patient morbidity and earlier return to function. The author's experience with laparoscopic procedures in the horse would tend to reinforce those observations. The most significant obstacle to widespread acceptance of minimally invasive surgery in the horse is p...
Martin BB, Klide AM.Fourteen horses that could not perform at their expected standards due to chronic back pain of 4 to 48 months duration, and had not obtained lasting improvement from other forms of therapy, were treated by stimulating nine acupuncture points using a low powered infrared laser (300 microW, 904 nm). The treatments were performed weekly, and consisted of stimulating each point for 2 minutes with a pulse frequency of 360 pulses per second. After completion of a mean of 11 treatments, clinical signs of back pain were alleviated in 10 of the 14 horses, there was no change in three, and one was lost ...
Randleff-Rasmussen PK, Leblond A, Cappelle J, Bontemps J, Belluco S, Popoff MR, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Tapprest J, Tritz P, Desjardins I.Equine grass sickness (EGS) (equine dysautonomia) is a neurodegenerative condition of grazing equines. Pre-mortem diagnosis of EGS is a challenge for practitioners as definitive diagnosis requires ileal/myenteric lymph node biopsies. This study aimed to develop a clinical score that could be used by practitioners to improve the detection of acute or subacute EGS cases in the field. Suspected EGS cases were declared by veterinary practitioners. A case was classified as confirmed positive if ileal or rectal biopsy samples showed neuronal degeneration typical of EGS. A semi-quantitative scoring s...
Müller A, Glüge S, Vidondo B, Wróbel A, Ott T, Sieme H, Burger D.Prediction of impending foaling is highly desirable as early intervention may improve mare and foal outcomes. However, monitoring the peripartum mare is a time-consuming challenge for breeders and many foaling prediction systems have limitations. "Heating up" of the mare is empirically used by breeders as a sign of upcoming parturition in mares. The purpose of this study was to investigate if an increase in skin temperature shortly before parturition is detectable and to determine whether such physiological changes could be an additional valuable parameter to predict foaling. For that, 56 foal...
Jöchle W.In this uncontrolled clinical study 12 investigators cooperated to evaluate the analgesic and sedative effect of detomidine (DORMOSEDAN; Farmos Group Ltd; Finland) in 234 horses with abdominal pain caused by colic. The study was designed to use each animal as its own control and to evaluate its response to the drug over a 60 min period. Detomidine was given intravenously (i.v.) once in 169 cases (167 horses, 1 mule, 1 donkey) at a dose of 20 micrograms/kg bodyweight (bwt), and to 65 horses at 40 micrograms/kg bwt. The higher dose was used predominantly in horses with severe pain which were mor...
Geraghty TE, Love S, Taylor DJ, Heller J, Mellor DJ, Hughes KJ.The sites of insertion of catheters into the jugular veins of six horses were investigated to determine common isolates and to assess the effectiveness of two disinfection protocols with the hair coat left long, clipped or shaved. Skin commensals (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Micrococcus species) and environmental contaminants (Bacillus, Enterobacteriaceae, Aspergillus and Mucor species) were the microorganisms most frequently isolated. Chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone-iodine-based skin disinfection protocols resulted in significant reductions in the number of bacterial isolates from ...
Seahorn TL, Groves MG, Harrington KS, Beadle RE.To evaluate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of horses in Louisiana by assessing the signalment, history, environmental factors, clinical signs, and treatment of such horses. Methods: Epidemiologic mail survey. Methods: 83 of 240 veterinarians contacted by mail agreed to take part in the survey. Veterinarians contacted were listed as mixed-animal or equine practitioners in the 1991/1992 directory of the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association or had submitted a specimen from a horse to the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory within the past 2 years. Methods: The survey con...
McFadden AM, Pearce PV, Orr D, Nicoll K, Rawdon TG, Pharo H, Stone M.To summarise investigation and laboratory data collected between 2001 and 2011 to provide evidence that equine arteritis virus is not present in the horse population of New Zealand. Methods: Analysis was carried out on results from laboratory tests carried out at the Ministry for Primary Industries Animal Health Laboratory (AHL) for equine arteritis virus from horses tested prior to being imported or exported, testing of stallions as part of the New Zealand equine viral arteritis (EVA) control scheme and testing as part of transboundary animal disease (TAD) investigations for exclusion of EVA....
Sturgill TL, Giguère S, Franklin RP, Cohen ND, Hagen J, Kalyuzhny AE.The objectives of the present study were to determine if administration of inactivated parapoxvirus ovis (IPPVO) can decrease the cumulative incidence of pneumonia and increase the number of IFN-γ- and IL-4-secreting cells among foals. Fifty-nine foals were randomly assigned to 2 treatment groups (IPPVO or placebo) prior to birth. At 24-48 h of age, foals received 2 ml of either IPPVO or a placebo by intramuscular injection. Injections were repeated 24h and 8 days later. The number of IFN-γ- and IL-4-secreting cells was measured using a validated ELISPOT assay on blood mononuclear cells coll...
Gift LJ, Gaughan EM, Schoning P.A 5-year-old Quarter Horse mare was referred for evaluation of an acute non-weightbearing lameness of the left hind limb in which musculoskeletal abnormalities had not been detected. After admission, the mare had signs of colic. Exploratory laparotomy revealed the left ovary to be large, masses in the left sublumbar space, and diffuse infiltration of the mesentery, omentum, liver, and spleen with variably-sized masses. The mare was euthanatized, and granulosa cell tumor was identified on histologic examination of the left ovary, left sublumbar and cranial thoracic lymph nodes, omentum, mesente...
Fikri F, Hendrawan D, Wicaksono AP, Purnomo A, Khairani S, Chhetri S, Maslamama ST, Purnama MTE.Colic is among the common health issues in equine health management. Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are the most frequent causes of colic, but dysfunction of other organs and systems inside the abdominal cavity may also contribute. Therefore, it is crucial to identify risk factors for colic of specific etiologies. This study aimed to examine the incidence, risk factors, and best therapeutic management practices for horses with colic. Unassigned: A cohort of 256 horses living in Lamongan, East Java, Indonesia, was randomly recruited based on reports of colic symptoms by owners. Diagnosis and t...
Theuerkauf K, Obach-Schröck C, Staszyk C, Moritz A, Roscher KA.In humans, activated platelets contribute to sepsis complications and to multiple organ failure. In our prospective analytical study of cases of the equine systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), we adapted a standard human protocol for the measurement of activated platelets and platelet-leukocyte aggregates (PLAs) in equine platelet-leukocyte-rich plasma (PLRP) by flow cytometry, and we investigated the hypothesis that activated platelets and PLAs are increased in clinical cases of SIRS. We included 17 adult horses and ponies fulfilling at least 2 SIRS criteria, and 10 healthy equids ...
Pratt S, Cunneen A, Perkins N, Farry T, Kidd L, McEwen M, Rainger J, Truchetti G, Goodwin W.There is no information directly comparing midazolam with guaifenesin when used in combination with an alpha-2 agonist and ketamine to maintain anaesthesia via i.v. infusion in horses. Objective: To compare ketamine-medetomidine-guaifenesin with ketamine-medetomidine-midazolam for total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) in young horses anaesthetised for computerised tomography. Methods: Prospective, randomised, blinded, crossover trial. Methods: Fourteen weanlings received medetomidine 7 μg/kg bwt i.v. and anaesthesia was induced with ketamine 2.2 mg/kg bwt i.v. On two separate occasions hors...
Beck C, Charles JA, Maclean AA.A 16-year-old thoroughbred stallion developed sudden swelling of the left testicle. The stallion had previously been regarded as a unilateral cryptorchid. Ultrasound examination of the left testicle revealed a diffusely heterogeneous parenchyma. The testicle was diffusely hypoechoic with ill defined regions of hyperechogenicity giving the appearance of hypoechoic nodules throughout the testicular parenchyma. No normal testicular tissue was identifiable. An echogenic band, representing a pseudocapsule could be seen surrounding the testicle. Histopathologic diagnosis a seminoma.
Grace ND, Pearce SG, Firth EC, Fennessy PF.To determine the changes in Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, S, Cu, Fe and Zn concentrations of milk during the lactation in pasture-fed Thoroughbred mares and then calculate the dietary mineral requirements of the sucking foal and the lactating mare. Methods: Milk was sampled on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and at various times between 55 to 65, 85 to 95 and 135 to 150 days after parturition from 21 pasture-fed mares. The concentrations of macro- and micro-elements in the milk were determined by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry. Results: Concentrations (mg/L) of these elements were highest in co...
Duz M, Whittaker AG, Love S, Parkin TD, Hughes KJ.To validate the use of digital audio recording and analysis for quantification of coughing in horses. Methods: Part A: Nine simultaneous digital audio and video recordings were collected individually from seven stabled horses over a 1 h period using a digital audio recorder attached to the halter. Audio files were analysed using audio analysis software. Video and audio recordings were analysed for cough count and timing by two blinded operators on two occasions using a randomised study design for determination of intra-operator and inter-operator agreement. Part B: Seventy-eight hours of audio...
Brianti E, Giannetto S, Traversa D, Chirgwin SR, Shakya K, Klei TR.A mixed population of equine cyathostomin (Nematoda, Strongyloidea) infective third stage larvae (L3) was cultured in vitro using a cell-free medium. Some L3 were cultured immediately after Baermann collection from fecal cultures, while others were kept in water at 4 degrees C for 7 days before initiating the in vitro cultures. Cultures were examined daily for viability. At days 2, 7, 14 and 21 larvae were collected for identification of developmental stage and morphological changes, using both light and scanning electron microscopy. Larvae were classified as early L3 (EL3), developing L3 (DL3...
Miki W, Oniyama H, Takeda N, Kimura Y, Haneda S, Matsui M, Taya K, Nambo Y.We observed structural changes in the follicles and uterus of heavy draft mares during estrus and examined the effect of a single injection of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog buserelin on ovulation and endocrine profiles. Twenty-two heavy draft mares were divided into a buserelin-treated group (n=8) and a control group (n=14). Mares were given an intramuscular injection of 40 µg buserelin when they presented signs of estrus to a teaser stallion, had ≥45 mm diameter follicles, and presented decreased uterine edema compared with the previous examination. The follicles and uterus wer...
Keegan KG, Satterley JM, Skubic M, Yonezawa Y, Cooley JM, Wilson DA, Kramer J.To determine whether a shoe with an axialcontoured lateral branch would induce greater lateral roll of the forelimb hoof during the time between heel and toe lift-off at end of the stance phase (breakover). Animals-10 adult horses. Methods: A gyroscopic transducer was placed on the hoof of the right forelimb and connected to a transmitter. Data on hoof angular velocity were collected as each horse walked and trotted on a treadmill before (treatment 1, no trim-no shoe) and after 2 treatments by a farrier (treatment 2, trim-standard shoe; and treatment 3, trim-contoured shoe). Data were converte...
Kuhn M, Guschlbauer M, Feige K, Schluesener M, Bester K, Beyerbach M, Breves G.Equine typholocolitis is a sporadic diarrheal disease causing high mortality rates. One of the risk factors responsible for this is the oral application of the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin. The aim of the present in vitro study was to investigate whether erythromycin in combination with feed restriction provokes changes in microbial hindgut metabolism and could therefore be involved in the pathogenesis of equine typhlocolitis. As application of erythromycin and feed restriction are risk factors for equine typhlocolitis, both factors were chosen to investigate their individual and combined...
