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Topic:Veterinary Medicine
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.
Equine glaucoma. Glaucoma is a diverse group of vision-impairing disorders that have as a common bond an elevation of intraocular pressure(IOP) to a level incompatible with the health of the eye. Glaucoma can be congenital, primary, or secondary. Congenital equine glaucoma is associated with developmental abnormalities of the iridocorneal angle or, in many cases, with the more severe anterior segment dysgenesis.
Inflammatory stromal keratopathies: medical management of stromal keratomalacia, stromal abscesses, eosinophilic keratitis, and band keratopathy in the horse. This article discusses the diagnosis and medical treatment of stromal keratomalacia or "melting ulcers," stromal abscesses, eosinophilic keratitis (EK), and calcific band keratopathy. These are common and important inflammatory keratopathies of the equine corneal stroma. Keratomalacia and stromal abscesses are associated with infection, leukocytic invasion of the stroma, and loss of tissue and tear film proteinase homeostasis. Eosinophils infiltrate the stroma in response to unknown stimuli in EK. Calcium is deposited in the stroma and epithelium secondary to chronic equine recurrent uveitis i...
Cosmetic globe surgery in the horse. Effects of traumatic injury or inflammation on the equine eye can be catastrophic. These ocular conditions can frequently result in blindness or chronic pain. In addition to blindness and pain, permanent unsightly cosmetic defects can occur. This article addresses options available for improved cosmetic outcome in horses with ocular scars or requiring enucleation. Many of these options have been described in detail previously. New information has been added to the discussion of each option where pertinent.
The precorneal tear film in horses: its importance and disorders. The precorneal tear film (PTF) is of critical importance in the physiologic and pathologic findings of the cornea. Clinicians should recall that quantitative and qualitative disorders of the PTF can be a cause of corneal diseases as well as a clinical sign of ocular surface diseases. It is also important to consider that some systemic and topical treatments may affect the PTF volume and composition. Not all interactions are known at this time. There is a continued need for basic research into PTF components in healthy and diseased equine eyes, because much remains unknown. Until additional bas...
Suppressing reproductive activity in horses using GnRH vaccines, antagonists or agonists. There are a number of situations in which it is desirable to suppress part or all of the reproductive endocrine system in a horse, notably the competing animal whose tractability during training, or performance during competition, is compromised by the expression of sexual or aggressive behavior. The current therapeutic approaches to reproductive endocrine suppression include gonadectomy and progestagen administration, where the former carries surgical risks and entails irreversible loss of breeding potential, and effective progestagen therapy requires frequent administration for extended peri...
Equine corneal surgery and transplantation. Corneal disease is common in equine ophthalmology and requires vigilant monitoring and appropriate therapy to optimize the outcome. Many equine corneal diseases, particularly those that progress rapidly, may benefit from surgical intervention. These include descemetoceles, deep corneal lacerations and ulcers, corneal perforation/iris prolapse, ulcerative keratitis, corneal stromal abscesses, and corneoscleral neoplasia. Indications for corneal transplantation include optical, tectonic, therapeutic, and cosmetic purposes. Corneal transplantation is most often implemented in equine patients for ...
Specific identification of Habronema microstoma and Habronema muscae (Spirurida, Habronematidae) by PCR using markers in ribosomal DNA. Gastric or cutaneous habronemosis caused by Habronema microstoma Creplin, 1849 and Habronema muscae Carter, 1865 is a parasitic disease of equids transmitted by muscid flies. There is a paucity of information on the epidemiology of this disease, which is mainly due to limitations with diagnosis in the live animal and with the identification of the parasites in the intermediate hosts. To overcome such limitations, a molecular approach, based on the use of genetic markers in the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of ribosomal DNA, was established for the two species of Habronema. Charact...
Equine recurrent uveitis: new methods of management. Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is one of the most common causes of blindness in horses. Until recently, treatment of this condition consisted only of symptomatic therapy, typically with steroidal and nonsteroidal medications. A better understanding of the disease process(es) has permitted new medical and surgical therapies that have recently been described. This article highlights clinical features of ERU, the causes of ERU, and new management and treatment options for horses with ERU.
The lens and cataracts. It is conservatively estimated that some form of lens opacity is present in 5% to 7% of horses with otherwise clinically normal eyes.These opacities can range from small epicapsular remnants of the fetal vasculature to dense and extensive cataract. A cataract is defined technically as any opacity or alteration in the optical homogeneity of the lens involving one or more of the following: anterior epithelium, capsule, cortex, or nucleus. In the horse, cataracts rarely involve the entire lens structure (ie, complete cataracts) and are more usually localized to one anatomic landmark or sector of ...
Oocyte transfer and gamete intrafallopian transfer in the mare. Methods for the collection and transfer of equine oocytes have been developed, and uses of these techniques have resulted in new clinical and research possibilities. Because oocyte transfer avoids reproductive problems associated with the oviduct, uterus, and cervix, pregnancies can be produced from many mares that cannot carry a pregnancy or produce embryos. Oocytes for clinical transfers are usually collected from preovulatory follicles and cultured for a short interval or transferred directly into a recipient's oviduct. For oocyte transfer, the recipient is inseminated within the uterus. A ...
Ocular conditions of neonatal foals. A discussion of ocular conditions of foals with an emphasis on congenital and inherited disorders is presented. An understanding of the normal postnatal development of the eye and adnexae is important. Recognition of inherited abnormalities is essential when giving advice on breeding suitability, and prompt attention or referral of deteriorating ocular conditions in foals ensures the best outcome for future use. Congenital conditions may be recognized for the first time in older animals during their first thorough eye examination.
Equine ocular anatomy and ophthalmic examination. This article is intended to provide the practitioner with a succinct but complete source regarding equine orbital and ocular anatomy,instrumentation available for ophthalmic examination, a methodical examination technique, sedation and regional nerve blocks, and diagnostic procedures involving the eye. Such knowledge of orbital and ocular anatomy is essential to allow recognition of normal,normal variations, or an abnormality of the equine eye and orbit.
Standing sedation and pain management for ophthalmic patients. Several ocular procedures, including examination, removal of corneal foreign bodies, nictitans surgery, eyelid repair, and tumor excision,can be successfully performed in the appropriately restrained and sedated standing horse. Sedation is best achieved with xylazine,with or without the addition of acepromazine. Additional analgesia can be provided with appropriate local anesthetic blocks. Surgical conditions are greatly improved by using an auriculopalpebral and supraorbital block and topical anesthetics. More elaborate standing sedation involving continuous rate infusions of lidocaine or det...
West Nile virus vaccines. West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is emerging as a global pathogen. In the last decade, virulent strains of the virus have been associated with significant outbreaks of human and animal disease in Europe, the Middle East and North America. Efforts to develop human and veterinary vaccines have taken both traditional and novel approaches. A formalin-inactivated whole virus vaccine has been approved for use in horses. DNA vaccines coding for the structural WNV proteins have also been assessed for veterinary use and have been found to be protective in mice, horses and birds...
Australian veterinarians who work with horses: an analysis. To define and describe the population of Australian veterinarians who work with horses. Methods: Questionnaires were mailed to 866 veterinarians who had been identified as working with horses, and 87% were completed and returned. Data were entered onto an Excel spreadsheet, and analysed using the SAS System for Windows. Results: About 12% of Australia's veterinarians were doing all the veterinary work with horses, and about 3% worked exclusively (> 90%) with horses, but did more than half (58%) of the horse work. Veterinarians working with horses included more males (80%) than the veterinar...
Case-control investigation of the factors affecting the risk of horses falling during steeplechase racing in the UK. A concurrent case-control study of 12 UK racecourses was made between March 1, 2000, and August 31, 2001, to identify and quantify the factors associated with the risk of horses falling in steeplechase races. Cases were defined as a jumping effort at a steeplechase fence that resulted in a fall and controls were defined as a successful jumping effort over any steeplechase fence at any of the 12 racecourses within 14 days before or after the case fall. Information on the horse, the jockey and the race were collected and all the fences on all the courses were surveyed. Conditional logistic regre...
Seroprevalence of Neospora spp. in asymptomatic horses in Italy. One hundred and fifty horses from Italy were tested for serum antibodies to Neospora caninum by indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT). Antibodies were present in 42 horses (28%). The positive titres were: 1:50 (16/150-10.5%), 1:100 (26/150-17%), 1:200 (8/150-5.3%) and 1:800 (1/150-0.6%). No neurological anomalies were observed in the seropositive horses. This is the first serologic survey for Neospora spp. antibodies performed on horses born and raised in Italy.
Immunoglobulin A monoclonal gammopathy in two horses with multiple myeloma. The clinical findings in two horses with secretory multiple myeloma and secondary immunoglobulin A (IgA) monoclonal gammopathy were non-specific and included weight loss, pale mucous membranes, limb oedema and bacterial respiratory tract infection. Consistent laboratory abnormalities included hyperproteinaemia, hyperglobulinaemia, hypoalbuminaemia and hypercalcaemia. The diagnosis was based on the presence of IgA monoclonal gammopathy in serum and urine and bone marrow plasmacytosis (> 10 per cent). One horse was euthanased; it had neoplastic plasma cell infiltrates in its kidneys, spleen, ...
Detection and identification of equine Theileria and Babesia species by reverse line blotting: epidemiological survey and phylogenetic analysis. Specific oligonucleotide probes were designed to develop a new and highly sensitive reverse line blot assay to detect and identify simultaneously different Theileria and Babesia species in horses. The amplified hypervariable V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene was hybridised against different generic and species-specific probes. The survey was conducted over 243 samples of equine blood divided into three different groups: group 1, 24 horses presented as possible clinical piroplasmosis; group 2, 181 clinically healthy free-ranging horses exposed to ticks; group 3, 38 riding horses with unrelated pat...
The development and distribution of the interstitial cells of Cajal in the intestine of the equine fetus and neonate. This study set out to determine the pattern of development and distribution of the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the intestinal tract of the equine fetus and neonate. Intestinal tissue samples from 12 naturally aborted equine fetuses and three euthanized neonates were collected and fixed in formalin prior to applying standard immunohistochemical labelling techniques targeting the c-Kit protein of the ICC. At 6 months of gestation, a network of ICC was present in the myenteric plexus region of both the small and the large intestine. ICC were also present within the circular muscle layer....
Prevention of ischaemia-induced small intestinal adhesions in foals. Treatments addressing variously theorised pathophysiological mechanisms of small intestinal adhesions have been reported. This study applied those classes of treatments to the most clinically relevant aetiology of post operative adhesions. Objective: Treatments addressing the pathophysiology of ischaemia-reperfusion induced adhesions would accordingly reduce the incidence of adhesions from this model. Methods: Four classes of treatments were administered for 72 h to 16 foals subjected to complete ischaemia followed by reperfusion to create peritoneal adhesions. These groups were: 1) FPG group-...
Radiographic evaluation of sclerosis of the third carpal bone associated with exercise and the development of lameness in Standardbred racehorses. Sclerosis of the third carpal bone is a common radiographic finding in both lame and sound racehorses, but there are no guidelines correlating degree of sclerosis and incidence of lameness. Objective: To develop a protocol for describing subchondral bone sclerosis in C3 on dorsoproximal-dorsodistal oblique (DPr-DDiO) radiographs of the carpus and to correlate these changes with exercise history and carpal lameness. Methods: One hundred and six Standardbreds entering their first year of training (exercise group) and 7 age-matched Standardbreds at pasture (controls) were examined at approximatel...
Arthroscopic reattachment of osteochondritis dissecans lesions using resorbable polydioxanone pins. Debridement of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) cartilage lesions results in fibrocartilage and imperfect hyaline repair tissue, and forms a permanent irregularity to the subchondral bone plate. Objective: To evaluate the clinical, radiographic and outcome effects of OCD cartilage flap reattachment for select lesions as an alternative to OCD debridement. Objective: Separated cartilage flaps resulting from OCD lesions may be re-incorporated into the hyaline cartilage surface by reattachment rather than debridement and removal. Methods: Resorbable polydioxanone pins were used to reattach OCD flap...
Polymyxin B protects horses against induced endotoxaemia in vivo. A safe, affordable and effective treatment for endotoxaemia in horses is needed in order to reduce the incidence of this potentially fatal condition. Objective: To evaluate the effect of polymyxin B (PMB) on signs of experimentally-induced endotoxaemia. Objective: PMB ameliorates the adverse effects of endotoxaemia without causing nephrotoxicity. Methods: Four groups of 6 healthy mature horses each received 20 ng endotoxin/kg bwt i.v. over 30 mins. Additionally, each group received one of the following i.v.; 5000 u PMB/kg bwt 30 mins before endotoxin infusion; 5000 u PMB/kg bwt 30 mins after e...
Efficacy of a live equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) strain C147 vaccine in foals with maternally-derived antibody: protection against EHV-1 infection. Currently, there is no recommended immunoprophylaxis against febrile respiratory diseases due to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and -4 (EHV-4) in horses below age 5-6 months. This is because of interference by maternally-derived antibody (MDA) of vaccines. Objective: Unweaned equine foals are an important reservoir of EHV-1 transmission; therefore, we experimentally assessed the efficacy of a live EHV-1 vaccine in foals age 1.4-3.5 months with MDA. Methods: Following vaccination and challenge, parameters assessed were virus shedding in nasal mucus, leucocyte-associated viraemia, circulating viru...
Whip use and race progress are associated with horse falls in hurdle and steeplechase racing in the UK. Falls during racing present a risk of injury to both horse and jockey and a risk of fatality to horses. Objective: To use video recordings of races to describe the circumstances surrounding horse falls at hurdle and steeplechase fences and to identify and quantify within-race risk factors for horse falls in National Hunt racing in the UK. Methods: A retrospective, matched, nested case-control study using video recordings of races was conducted on 6 UK racecourses. Cases and controls were matched on both race type and jump number at which the fall occurred. Conditional logistic regression analy...
Relationship of foot conformation and force applied to the navicular bone of sound horses at the trot. Collapsed heels conformation has been implicated as causing radical biomechanical alterations, predisposing horses to navicular disease. However, the correlation between hoof conformation and the forces exerted on the navicular bone has not been documented. Objective: The angle of the distal phalanx in relation to the ground is correlated to the degree of heel collapse and foot conformation is correlated to the compressive force exerted by the deep digital flexor tendon on the navicular bone. Methods: Thirty-one shod Irish Draught-cross type horses in routine work and farriery care were trotte...
Effect of anaesthesia of the palmar digital nerves on proximal interphalangeal joint pain in the horse. Anaesthesia of the palmar digital nerves is claimed to attenuate lameness in some horses that are lame because of pain in the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. Objective: To determine the response of horses with pain in the PIP joint to anaesthesia of the palmar digital nerves. Methods: Horses were video recorded trotting before and after induction of pain in the PIP joint and 10 mins after anaesthesia of the palmar digital nerves. The palmar digital nerves were anaesthetised 3 times at different sites, and the video recorded gaits were scored subjectively. Results: The median lameness sco...
