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.
Kristoffersen M, Ohberg L, Johnston C, Alfredson H.Recent research on chronic painful Achilles tendons in humans using ultrasonography and immunohistochemistry, has demonstrated an association between neurovascular ingrowth and tendon pain. In horses, chronic debilitating tendon conditions are well-known to be very difficult to treat, and the background to impaired function and pain is not scientifically clarified. In a collaborative research project between the Sports Medicine Unit in Umeå and Strömsholm Equine Hospital, grey-scale ultrasonography (US) and colour Doppler (CD) examination were performed in ten horses with chronic tendon inju...
Morris MD, Matousek P, Towrie M, Parker AW, Goodship AE, Draper ER.Picosecond time-resolved Raman spectroscopy in equine cortical bone tissue is demonstrated. Using 400-nm pulsed laser excitation (1 ps at 1 kHz) it is shown that Kerr cell gating with a 4-ps window provides simultaneously time-resolved rejection of fluorescence and time-resolved Raman scatter enabling depth profiling through tissue. The Raman shifts are the same as those observed by conventional cw Raman spectroscopy using deep-red or near-infrared lasers. The time decay of Raman photons is shown to fit an inverse square root of time function, suggesting propagation by a diffusive mechanism. U...
Traub R, Wade S, Read C, Thompson A, Mohammed H.Giardia isolates from eight horses from New York State (NY), USA and two horses from Western Australia (WA) were genetically characterized at the SSU-rDNA and triose-phosphate isomerase (TPI) genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the TPI gene provided strong support for the placement of both isolates of Giardia from horses in WA and a single isolate from a horse in NY within the assemblage AI genotype of G. duodenalis. Another two isolates from horses in NY placed within the assemblage AII genotype of G. duodenalis. Phylogenetic analysis of the TPI gene also provided strong bootstrap support for the...
Kim JS, Hinchcliff KW, Yamaguchi M, Beard LA, Markert CD, Devor ST.The purpose of the present study was to determine the age-related changes in myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition and muscle oxidative and glycolytic capacity in 18 horses ranging in age from two to 30 years. Muscle samples were collected by excisional biopsy of the semimebranosus muscle. MHC expression and the key enzymatic activities were measured. There was no significant correlation between horse age and the proportions of type-IIA and type-IIX MHC isoforms. The percentage of type-I MHC isoforms decreased with advancing age. Muscle citrate synthase activity decreased, whereas lactate dehyd...
Ludwig A, Gatineau S, Reynaud MC, Cadoré JL, Bourdoiseau G.This aetiological study of guttural pouch mycosis (GPM) in the horse was based on the retrospective study of 21 horses brought into the National Veterinary School of Lyon (France) between 1998 and 2002. Biopsies were taken from the lesions caused by GPM during endoscopic examination. In 87% of the cases, direct examination gave positive results, whereas 43% of the cultures were found to be negative. The main fungi observed were Aspergillus fumigatus (in three cases), A. versicolor (in two cases, together with other fungi), and A. nidulans and A. niger (one case each). In six cases, the Aspergi...
Pollock PJ, Prendergast M, Schumacher J, Bellenger CR.The serum concentrations of serum amyloid A, haptoglobin and fibrinogen were measured in a group of horses before and at intervals after elective and non-elective surgery, and in a control group of normal horses. There was a significant, rapid and repeatable increase in the concentration of serum amyloid A in response to both elective and non-elective surgery. In the control horses its serum concentration was within the normal range, from 0 to 0.2 microg/ml. Twenty-four hours after elective surgery its mean peak concentration was 16.4 microg/ml, and after non-elective surgery it was 27.3 micro...
Watson ED, Bae SE, Al-Zi'abi MO, Hogg CO, Armstrong DG.The insulin-like growth factors, IGF-I and -II, have been shown to play a key role in luteal function in some species. The IGF binding proteins, IGFBP-2 and -3, have been shown to inhibit binding of IGF-I and -II to bovine luteal cells and decrease progesterone production. We have recently shown that equine follicles have the genetic capacity to produce IGFBP-2, and that levels decrease in healthy preovulatory follicles. In the present study expression of mRNAs encoding IGFBP-2, as well as the rate-limiting steroidogenic enzyme, P450scc, were studied in equine corpora lutea to investigate whet...
Boyde A, Firth EC.To characterise and explain the increase in density evident by computerised tomography (CT) and radiography in companion studies as a response to training, in bone in the palmar and dorsal regions of the condyles of the third metacarpal bone (Mc3) of 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Methods: Compositional back-scattered electron (BSE) imaging in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) were conducted on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-embedded mediolateral slices of the right distal Mc3 from seven 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses trained on a racetrack and s...
Rogers CW, Firth EC, Anderson BH.To examine the effect of race training on kinematic parameters of the trot in a sample of 2-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. Methods: Two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies that had been either trained for racing (n=7) or left untrained in small paddocks (n=7) were examined for lameness, and linear and temporal kinematic data were collected from video recordings of each horse trotted in-hand, 5, 9 and 13 weeks after the beginning of training. Horses were graded as: sound (Grade 0), suspected but not obviously lame (Grade 1), or definitely lame at the trot (Grade 2). Results: Mean velocity at the trot...
Mills PC, Hills Y, Hills BA.To investigate the presence of surface-active phospholipid (SAPL, or surfactant) in equine tendon and tendon sheath fluid. Methods: The left front flexor tendon and sheath were removed from five Thoroughbred horses. Phospholipid was extracted from tendon sheath fluid using Folch reagent and quantified using spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the tendon surfaces. Results: The presence of phospholipid (90.6 (SD 4.3) microg/ml) in tendon sheath fluid, plus the appearance of oligolamellar layers and lamellar bodies on the tendon surface were indicative of SAPL...
Firth EC, Rogers CW.To describe features of the morphology of the carpus, quantify the thickness of hyaline and calcified cartilage, and to describe the morphology and density of subchondral bone in the third carpal bone (C3) of young Thoroughbred horses in early training. Methods: C3 of seven 2-year-old horses in training and seven untrained horses matched for age, sex and breed were assessed by gross appearance, computed tomography, fine-structure radiography, image analysis of high-resolution photographs, and histology. Results: Macroscopic lesions in cartilage were few and mild, and not significantly differen...
Lafont R, Dinan L.Ecdysteroids are widely used as inducers for gene-switch systems based on insect ecdysteroid receptors and genes of interest placed under the control of ecdysteroid-response elements. We review here these systems, which are currently mainly used in vitro with cultured cells in order to analyse the role of a wide array of genes, but which are expected to represent the basis for future gene therapy strategies. Such developments raise several questions, which are addressed in detail. First, the metabolic fate of ecdysteroids in mammals, including humans, is only poorly known, and the rapid catabo...
Borges AS, Conceição LG, Alves AL, Fabris VE, Pessoa MA.Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia belongs to a group of inherited, congenital connective tissue dysplasias usually described as hyperelastosis cutis, cutaneous asthenia, dermatosparaxis, or Ehlers-Danlos-like syndrome. This report presents the clinical and histological features of three related Quarter horses affected with regional dermal asthenia. These horses had bilateral asymmetric lesions of the trunk and lumbar regions, where the skin was hyperextensible. Handling of the skin elicited a painful response and superficial trauma led to skin wounds. The skin was thinner than normal ...
Rüfenacht S, Marti E, von Tscharner C, Doherr MG, Forster U, Welle M, Roosje PJ.The pathogenesis of equine urticaria is not well understood. In man, urticaria has been associated with immunological and nonimmunological mechanisms leading to the release of various mediators by mast cells. Skin biopsies of 32 horses with a history of urticaria were stained with toluidine blue, a double-labelling method for chymase and tryptase, and immunohistochemistry for immunoglobulin (Ig)E. These horses were compared with horses with pemphigus foliaceus, insect bite hypersensitivity and control horses with healthy skin. Neither formalin fixation time nor biopsy site influenced the stain...
Goehring LS, van Maanen C, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.The presence of toxins or infectious agents combined with environmental factors in combination with a susceptible host can be the cause for neurological disease in groups of horses. During a 5 year observational period outbreaks of neurological diseases among horses were evaluated. Causes of occurring neurological diseases were equine botulism, lolitrem intoxications, equine herpesvirus type 1-associated myelo(encephalo)pathy, and encephalitis caused by (disseminated) Streptococcus equi subspecies equi infection. This article focuses on the first three syndromes because of their predominant in...
Carstanjen B, Amory H, Sulon J, Hars O, Remy B, Langlois P, Lepage OM.Bone responds to exercise with changes in bone (re-)modelling, which might be monitored non-invasively with biochemical bone markers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of exercise on serum osteocalcin and serum carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen generated by matrix metalloproteinases (CTX-MMP) concentration in young racehorses. Seventy-one 2 to 4-year-old Thoroughbreds were included in this prospective infield study. Blood sampling was performed six times (i.e. six sampling cycles) during a 9-month period. Serum samples were analysed with commercial ...
Thirion-Delalande C, Guillot J, Jensen HE, Crespeau FL, Bernex F.A 6-year-old female pony died after 2 days of prostration. Clinical signs included hyperthermia and abnormal pulmonary auscultation sounds. Necropsy revealed diffuse severe necrohaemorrhagic colitis and splenitis, multiple visceral ecchymoses, petechial haemorrhages in the brain and lungs. Microscopical examination showed acute necrohaemorrhagic colitis, encephalitis, pneumonia and splenitis associated with fibrinoid vasculitis, thrombosis and fungal hyphae within and around vessels. Immunohistologically, concomitant aspergillosis (caused by Aspergillus fumigatus) and mucormycosis (causde by A...
Luo Y, Uboh CE, Soma LR, Guan FY, Rudy JA, Tsang DS.A method for the simultaneous separation, identification, quantification and confirmation of the presence of 21 glucocorticoids (GCC) in equine plasma by liquid chromatography coupled with triple stage quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC/TSQ-MS/MS) is described. Plasma sample augmented with the 21 GCC was extracted with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and analyzed by positive electrospray ionization. Desoxymetasone or dichlorisone acetate was used as the internal standard (IS). Quantification was performed by IS calibration. For each drug, one major product ion was chosen and used for scree...
Hejmej A, Gorazd M, Kosiniak-Kamysz K, Wiszniewska B, Sadowska J, Bilińska B.Androgen metabolism may proceed to amplify the action of testosterone by its aromatisation to oestradiol. Recently, a growing body of evidence suggests a role of oestrogens in the male reproductive tract via their specific oestrogen receptors (ERs). In order to check whether androgens are converted to oestrogens in the testis, epididymis and prostate of the stallion, the expression of aromatase was visualised by means of immunohistochemistry. Moreover, to show the cellular targets for oestrogens the presence of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and oestrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) was demonst...
McKinney AR, Suann CJ, Stenhouse AM.A method has been developed for the detection of modafinil and its major metabolite, modafinil acid, in equine urine by solid-phase extraction and positive ion electrospray ionisation liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The method has been applied to the analysis of equine urine samples obtained after the oral administration of modafinil. Modafinil acid was the major component in the urine, and was detected up to 4 days post-administration. Unchanged modafinil was present at substantially lower concentrations, and was detected for only 24 hours.
Alghamdi AS, Foster DN, Carlson CS, Troedsson MH.Breeding-induced endometritis (BIE) in the mare is resolved by 36 hr after insemination in resistant mares. However, 10-15% susceptible broodmares fail to do so because of impaired uterine contractility between 7 and 19 hr after exposure to seminal or bacterial challenge, which reduces their fertility. Methods: Nitric oxide (NO) in uterine secretions, and expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in uterine biopsies were compared between susceptible and resistant groups 13 hr after insemination. Results: Susceptible mares had a higher NO in their uterine secretions and greater inducible NOS (i...
Semevolos SA, Strassheim ML, Haupt JL, Nixon AJ.Hypertrophic differentiation and endochondral ossification of growth cartilage are regulated by a complex array of signaling peptides, including parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP), Indian hedgehog (Ihh), and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). This study investigated the expression of Ihh, Patched1 and 2 (Ptc1, Ptc2), Smoothened (Smo), Gli1, and Gli3, in naturally acquired articular osteochondrosis, using an equine model. Cartilage was harvested from osteochondrosis (OC) affected femoropatellar or scapulohumeral joints from immature horses and normal control horses of similar age. Ih...
Traversa D, Otranto D, Iorio R, Giangaspero A.Equine thelaziosis caused by the eyeworm Thelazia lacrymalis is a parasitic disease transmitted by muscid flies. Although equine thelaziosis is known to have worldwide distribution, information on the epidemiology and presence of the intermediate hosts of T. lacrymalis is lacking. In the present work, a PCR-RFLP based assay on the first and/or second internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) of ribosomal DNA was developed for the detection of T. lacrymalis DNA in its putative vector(s). The sensitivity of the technique was also assessed. The restriction patterns obtained readily differentiat...
Mukaratirwa S, Munjere IF, Takawira M, Chingwena G.Gastrodiscosis outbreaks due to Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus were recorded in horses in the vicinity of Harare, Zimbabwe, in the absence of Bulinus forskalii, B. senegalensis and Cleopatra sp. which are considered to be the only intermediate host snails. This suggested the possibility of other snail species acting as intermediate hosts in the life cycle of the trematode. A study was carried out to determine the susceptibility of 7 freshwater snail species to infection with G. aegyptiacus. First generation (F-1) of 5 freshwater pulmonate snail species, Bulinus tropicus, Bulinus globosus, Biomphalar...
Weideman H, Schoeman SJ, Jordaan GF.This study was carried out to estimate the heritability of liability to epistaxis in the southern African Thoroughbred population. Data of all horses that suffered epistaxis while racing in southern Africa and Mauritius from 1986 to 2002 and involving 1252 bleeders were analysed. Pedigree data covering the period 1960-1986 was used as required to calculate the incidence of bleeding amongst ancestors of the post-1986 era. Only pedigrees of horses that raced were included in this study as it was not possible to predict whether non-runners would have bled had they raced. Consequently all non-runn...
Shibahara T, Kuwano A, Ueno T, Katayama Y, Ohya T, Taharaguchi S, Yamamoto S, Umemura T, Ishikawa Y, Kadota K.Studies of equine intestinal spirochetes have long focused on intestinal contents alone, but intestinal spirochetosis has been reported recently in a 21-month-old Thoroughbred colt in Japan. To define the clinical and pathological significances of intestinal spirochetosis in several horses, an epizootiologic survey with histologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural methods was conducted for Brachyspira antigen-containing intestinal spirochetes in 12 diseased or injured Thoroughbred horses, aged from 35 days to 17 years. Brachyspira antigen-containing spirochetes were found in 7 of 12 ho...
King SS, Campbell AG, Dille EA, Roser JF, Murphy LL, Jones KL.Dopamine (DA) agonist and antagonist treatments can affect ovarian reproductive events in the mare. To support our theory that DA produces these effects by acting directly on the ovary, we analyzed equine ovarian tissues for the presence of dopamine receptor-1 (D1r) and dopamine receptor-2 (D2r) mRNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and D1r and D2r proteins by Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC). RT-PCR was performed on RNA isolated from ovarian cortex, medulla, granulosa/theca or corpus luteum (CL) tissues and from pituitary (D2r control) and renal artery (D...
Ward MP, Alinovi CA, Couëtil LL, Wu CC.The diagnostic accuracy of a PCR used to identify horses shedding Salmonella spp. in their feces during hospitalization was estimated, relative to bacterial culture of serially collected fecal samples, using longitudinal data. Five or more fecal samples were collected from each of 116 horses admitted as inpatients, for reasons other than gastrointestinal disease, between July 26, 2001 and October 25, 2002. All 873 fecal samples collected were tested with a PCR based on oligonucleotide primers defining a highly conserved segment of the histidine transport operon gene of Salmonella typhimurium, ...
Yamada M, Aramaki S, Kurosawa M, Kijima-Suda I, Saito K, Nakazawa H.The use of anabolic steroids in racehorses is strictly regulated. We have developed a method for the simultaneous analysis of 11 anabolic steroids: fluoxymesterone, 17alpha-methyltestosterone, mestanolone, methandienone, methandriol, oxymetholone, boldenone, furazabol, methenolone, nandrolone, and stanozolol, for possible application to a doping test in racehorses. We selected 15 kinds of target substances for a doping test from the main metabolites of these anabolic steroids, and established a method for simultaneous analysis. Urine was hydrolyzed and subjected to solid-phase extraction. Then...
Wagner B, Siebenkotten G, Radbruch A, Leibold W.IgE is the dominant immunoglobulin isotype involved in type I hypersensitivities in mammals. The heavy chain constant region domains of equine IgE are encoded by a single gene, the Cvarepsilon gene. By restriction analysis of cDNA from 15 unrelated horses, we have now identified two Cvarepsilon alleles, characterised by a Sma I restriction fragment length polymorphism, which we designated Cvarepsilon(a) and Cvarepsilon(b). Sequence analysis of both, Cvarepsilon(a) and Cvarepsilon(b) cDNA, showed in addition two single base exchanges resulting in two amino acid substitutions. Both sequences hav...
Woods LW, Filigenzi MS, Booth MC, Rodger LD, Arnold JS, Puschner B.Three horses died as a result of eating grass hay containing summer pheasant's eye (Adonis aestivalis L.), a plant containing cardenolides similar to oleander and foxglove. A 9-year-old thoroughbred gelding, a 20-year-old appaloosa gelding, and a 5-year-old quarter horse gelding initially presented with signs of colic 24-48 hours after first exposure to the hay. Gastrointestinal gaseous distension was the primary finding on clinical examination of all three horses. Two horses became moribund and were euthanatized 1 day after first showing clinical signs, and the third horse was euthanatized af...
Giorgi M, De Vito V, Poapolathep A, Rychshanova R, Sgorbini M, Owen H.Flupirtine (FLU) is a non-opioid analgesic drug, with no antipyretic or anti-inflammatory effects, used in the treatment of a wide range of pain states in human beings. It does not induce the side effects associated with the classical drugs used as pain relievers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profiles of FLU after IV and PO administration in healthy horses. Six mixed breed adult mares were randomly assigned to two treatment groups using an open, single-dose, two-treatment, two-phase, paired, cross-over design (2 × 2 Latin-square). Group 1 (n = 3) received ...
Lees P, Creed RF, Gerring EE, Gould PW, Humphreys DJ, Maitho TE, Michell AR, Taylor JB.Five matched pairs of horses were used to investigate the effects of phenylbutazone on a range of physiological, biochemical and haematological variables. The drug was given by mouth daily for 15 consecutive days at the manufacturer's recommended dose rates to one group of horses (Group A); the second group (Group B) received equivalent doses of a placebo. For some of the measured parameters, significant changes were recorded in both groups, indicating background instability. Significant decreases in serum total protein, albumin, plasma pH, viscosity and magnesium, and an increase in albumin: ...
Kingston JK, Bayly WM, Sellon DC, Meyers KM, Wardrop KJ.To investigate the effects of formaldehyde fixation on equine platelets using flow cytometric methods to evaluate markers of platelet activation. Methods: Blood samples from 6 Thoroughbreds. Methods: The degree of fluorescence associated with binding of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated anti-human fibrinogen antibody and FITC-annexin V in unactivated and adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-, platelet activating factor (PAF)-, and A23187-activated platelet samples in unfixed and 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% formaldehyde-fixed samples was assessed by use of flow cytometry. Results: In samples incubated...
Stewart AJ, Boothe DM, Cruz-Espindola C, Mitchum EJ, Springfield J.To determine the pharmacokinetics of tramadol and its metabolites O-desmethyltramadol (ODT) and N-desmethyltramadol (NDT) in adult horses. Methods: 12 mixed-breed horses. Methods: Horses received tramadol IV (5 mg/kg, over 3 minutes) and orally (10 mg/kg) with a 6-day washout period in a randomized crossover design. Serum samples were collected over 48 hours. Serum tramadol, ODT, and NDT concentrations were measured via high-performance liquid chromatography and analyzed via noncompartmental analysis. Results: Maximum mean ± SEM serum concentrations after IV administration for tramadol, ODT, ...
Magnusson LE, Ekman S.Osteoarthrosis (OA) of the antebrachiocarpal joint from 7 riding horses is described. The horses were old mares and developed severe OA, with ankylosis in some of the joints. The lesions were bilateral, and the owners noticed the lameness in a late event. The cause of severe OA in these mares is not clear. The fact that OA was bilateral indicates that a single traumatic injury is unlikely as an etiologic factor. Considering the severe joint lesions it took long time before the horse-owners noticed the lameness. It is discussed if the threshold of pain is higher in the antebrachiocarpal joint c...
Burgess BA, Lohmann KL, Blakley BR.Sudden deaths and an outbreak of diarrhea in horses occurred in southern Saskatchewan in 2006. Five horses died while survivors presented with diarrhea and, in 1 case, acute neurologic signs attributed to hyponatremia. Diagnostic testing of affected horses and environmental testing suggested poor water quality, specifically high salinity and high sulfate concentration as the cause. Des morts soudaines et une éclosion de diarrhée se sont produites chez des chevaux du Sud de la Saskatchewan en 2006. Cinq chevaux sont morts tandis que les survivants ont présenté de la diarrhée et, dans 1 ca...
Niedźwiedź A, Jaworski Z, Filipowski H, Zawadzki M, Wrzosek M, Służewska-Niedźwiedź M, Nicpoń J.Establishment of reference intervals (RI) for serum biochemical analytes is important for monitoring the health of different breeds of horses. Objective: The aim of this study was to measure and report RI for serum biochemical analytes of the Polish Konik horse. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 74 clinically healthy Polish Konik horses living under controlled natural conditions. These were adult primitive horses, aged 3-15 years, including 28 males (21 stallions, 7 geldings) and 46 mares. Serum analytes were measured and analyzed using a commercial automated analyzer. Results: The fo...
Magistrini M, Guitton E, Levern Y, Nicolle JC, Vidament M, Kerboeuf D, Palmer E.New staining methods and automated instruments are now available to evaluate the sperm cell in vitro. Individual compartments of the sperm cell, such as the nucleus and the plasma and acrosomal membranes, may be investigated, as well as the cell function as shown by mitochondria activity and capacitation. Various probes are used and they can be analyzed by direct light or fluorescent microscopy or by flow cytometry. The automated instruments allow objective and accurate analysis and quantification as well as the ability to evaluate large population of cells in a shorter time, thus providing ac...
Edwards-Milewski ML, Morello SL, Zhao Q, Mattan-Bell C.To compare the gross and histological effects of intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) using amikacin sulfate on second intention healing of distal limb wounds in adult horses with healing in untreated wounds. Methods: In vivo experimental study. Methods: Adult horses (n = 7). Methods: Two full thickness wounds (2.5 × 2.5 cm) were created aseptically on the dorsal aspect of each metacarpus and maintained under sterile bandages. One forelimb was randomly selected from each horse for IVRLP on days 2, 3, and 4 post-wounding. Sequential biopsies were taken from 1 wound on each limb to evalu...
Gallastegui A.Over the past 5 years, advancements in diagnostic imaging technology have led to improvement of radiographic technique and development of standing computed tomography (CT) and PET-CT scanners. Although these modalities are in their initial stages of development and clinical applications, they are meant to revolutionize the diagnosis and management of diseases of the foot in the standing patient, in particular detecting subclinical lesions, and the establishment of computer-assisted surgical suits. This article also reviews the improved radiographic projections of the equine foot and benefits ...
Barstow A, Pfau T, Bolt DM, Smith RK, Weller R.The ability to recognize lameness in the horse is an important skill for veterinary graduates; however, opportunities to develop this skill at the undergraduate level are limited. Computer-aided learning programs (CALs) have been successful in supplementing practical skills teaching. The aim of this study was to design and validate a CAL for the teaching of equine lameness recognition (CAL1). A control CAL was designed to simulate learning by experience (CAL2). Student volunteers were randomly assigned to either CAL and tested to establish their current ability to recognize lameness. Retesting...
Slocombe JO, McCraw BM, Pennock PW, Ducharme N, Baird JD.A preliminary investigation was made into the effect of fourth-stage Strongylus vulgaris larvae sequestered in the tunica media of ileocolic arteries of pony foals treated with ivermectin. The foals had been reared parasite-free, inoculated with infective larvae and given orally a placebo or ivermectin paste. Two foals received subsequently one or two further inoculations with larvae and treatment with ivermectin. Arteriography was used to identify the lesions in the ileocolic artery following inoculation and their regression following treatment. At necropsy, foals were examined for lesions an...
Ferlazzo A, Medica P, Cravana C, Fazio E.Involvement of thyroid function on performance warrants further investigation as limited data exists on the effects of showjumping on the dynamics of total and free iodothyronines. Objective: To investigate the response of circulating total and free iodothyronines in horses to experimental showjumping sessions and compare with the effects normally induced by competition and determine if fence height has any effect. Methods: Using a randomised crossover study design 6 trained horses were studied during experimental showjumping sessions over 10 fences of different height: 1.00 m (Session 1), 1.1...
Brosnan RJ, Steffey EP, Escobar A, Palazoglu M, Fiehn O.To evaluate whether guaifenesin can prevent adverse anesthetic induction events caused by propofol and whether a guaifenesin-propofol induction combination has brief cardiovascular effects commensurate with rapid drug washout. Methods: 8 healthy adult horses. Methods: Guaifenesin was administered IV for 3 minutes followed by IV injection of a bolus of propofol (2 mg/kg). Additional propofol was administered if purposeful movement was detected. Anesthesia was maintained for 2 hours with isoflurane or sevoflurane at 1.2 times the minimum alveolar concentration with controlled normocapnic ventila...
Korosue K, Murase H, Sato F, Ishimaru M, Kotoyori Y, Tsujimura K, Nambo Y.To test the usefulness of measuring pH and refractometry index, compared with measuring calcium carbonate concentration, of preparturient mammary gland secretions for predicting parturition in mares. Methods: Evaluation study. Methods: 27 pregnant Thoroughbred mares. Methods: Preparturient mammary gland secretion samples were obtained once or twice daily 10 days prior to foaling until parturition. The samples were analyzed for calcium carbonate concentration with a water hardness kit (151 samples), pH with pH test paper (222 samples), and refractometry index with a Brix refractometer (214 samp...
Marsh MV, Caldwell J, Sloan TP, Smith RL, Horner M, Moss MS.14C-Fenclofenac (2-(2'-4'-dichlorophenoxy)-phenylacetic acid) was administered orally to horses, and urinary metabolites investigated by chromatography. Fenclofenac was rapidly absorbed and eliminated, with a plasma half-life (t1/2) of 2.3 h, with 83.2 and 85.8% of the dose being recovered in the urine in 0-24 h. The major urinary metabolite was the ester glucuronide (58.8, 70.0% dose), and evidence is presented that this metabolite undergoes a structural rearrangement to give beta-glucuronidase-resistant isomers. The other 14C-labelled components in horse urine were unchanged fenclofenac (13....
Madigan JE, Higgins RJ.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a disease that produces neurologic signs of brain or spinal cord dysfunction. The causative organism is believed to be a Sarcocystis species of protozoa. A definitive diagnosis can only be made on histopathology of affected spinal cord or brain. No preventive measures or documented treatment is available at this time for suspected cases of EPM.
Watanabe T, Ohta C, Shirahata T, Goto H, Tsunoda N, Tagami M, Akita H.Foal diarrhea due to serotype 3 rotavirus broke out on a foal-raising farm in the years 1987 and 1989. In 1989, all of the foals, regardless of whether or not they suffered from diarrhea, received bovine colostral immunoglobulin (Ig) powder orally for 3 to 5 days during the epidemic. The morbidity of the diarrhea was lower than that observed in 1987, when the Ig powder was not administered to foals. These data suggested that the administration of Ig powder might partially prevent foal diarrhea with rotavirus infection.
Hubbell JA, Muir WW, Gaynor JS.Six horses scheduled for euthanasia were instrumented for the measurement of blood flow by thermodilution, pulmonary arterial, right atrial and arterial blood pressures and collection of arterial blood for pH and blood gas analysis. The horses were anaesthetised with intravenous (iv) thiamylal sodium (10 mg/kg) and placed in right lateral recumbency. After euthanasia with an overdose of pentobarbitone sodium (100 mg/kg, iv) and loss of the electrocardiogram and arterial pulse pressure, thoracic compression at rates of 40, 60 and 80 compressions/min was instituted. Thoracic compression was acco...
Guillaume D, Chavatte-Palmer P, Combarnous Y, Duchamp G, Martinat N, Nagy P, Daels PF.The aim of this study was to compare the effects of treatment with repeated injections of sulpiride (a dopamine D2 antagonist) on prolactin secretion and induced lactation in ovariectomized and intact adult mares and to verify if this induction was possible at the beginning and at the end of the birth season. Two experiments were carried out in September [experiment (expt) 1], and in March (expt 2), in France (48 degrees N). In expt 1, three groups of five mares were tested: intact-control, intact-treated and ovariectomized-treated mares. In expt 2, mares previously subjected to artificial pho...
Baker SJ, Gerring EL.Water, saline and a saline/Intralipid mixture (lipid concentration 1.25 per cent) emptied very rapidly from the stomach in neonatal pony foals, and obeyed an apparently exponential pattern. Cisapride did not significantly modify the emptying of the saline/Intralipid mixture. Equine milk emptied more slowly. The data indicated that the lipid component of milk was not an important factor. Milk caused deviation from an exponential pattern in two of four foals: an initial lag phase appeared, which could represent a phase of intragastric processing. However, the rate was still rapid compared with r...
Waller A, Lindinger MI.Sodium acetate (NaAcetate) has received some attention as an alkalinizing agent and possible alternative energy source for the horse, however the effects of oral administration remain largely unknown. The present study used the physicochemical approach to characterize the changes in acid-base status occurring after oral NaAcetate/acetic acid (NAA) administration in horses. Methods: Jugular venous blood was sampled from 9 exercise-conditioned horses on 2 separate occasions, at rest and for 24 h following a competition exercise test (CET) designed to simulate the speed and endurance test of 3-da...
Burns TA, Westerman T, Nuovo GJ, Watts MR, Pettigrew A, Yin C, Belknap JK.Oxidative stress reportedly plays a role in sepsis-induced organ dysfunction and failure in many species. In septic horses, laminae are targeted; evidence of laminar oxidative stress has been reported experimentally in the black walnut extract (BWE) model. Carbohydrate (CHO)-induced laminitis may be more similar to clinical sepsis-related laminitis than the BWE model in that animals with CHO-induced disease commonly develop laminar failure. The role of oxidative stress in the CHO model remains unknown. Objective: Markers of oxidative stress will be increased in laminae from horses with BWE- an...
Takahashi T, Kai M, Hada T, Eto D, Muka K, Ishida N.It has been reported that a small decrease in the strain in the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) occurs if the toe is raised during walking. Although walking on a slope appears similar to raising the toe, it is unclear whether uphill exercise decreases the strain in the SDFT. Because the force or strain on tendons is one of the important factors leading to tendon stress injury, we hypothesised that reducing the force in the SDFT during exercise may prevent tendinitis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of treadmill inclination on the force in the SDFT in the walking...
Magee AA, Ragle CA, Hines MT, Madigan JE, Booth LC.Enlarged anorectal lymph nodes can cause colic in young horses by obstructing the caudal aspect of the rectum. Dyschezia and clinical signs consistent with abdominal pain were the predominant reasons for evaluation of the 5 young (3 to 15 month old) horses of this report. Digital transrectal palpation revealed a firm mass obstructing the caudal aspect of the rectum in each horse. Results of cytologic evaluation of the masses revealed a lymphoid population of cells in 4 of 5 horses. These nodes regressed over time or became abscesses and drained into the rectum. In 1 horse, detection of a matur...
