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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.
IgA and secretory component (SC) in the third eyelid of domestic animals: a comparative study. The third eyelid of domestic animals is important for the production and distribution of tears, in removing ocular debris and in protection of the globe, and has significant immunologic functions. Although it is known that tears contain antibodies of the immunoglobulin A (IgA) isotype which are produced mainly by plasma cells of the lacrimal gland, very little is known about the antibody repertoires in the third eyelid of domestic animals. To assess whether IgA is derived from local synthesis, we analyzed the location of IgA-producing cells and the cellular distribution of secretory component ...
Study of the effect of Bronchipret on the lung function of five Austrian saddle horses suffering recurrent airway obstruction (heaves). The effects of an oral preparation containing an extract of thyme and primula (Bronchipret; Bionorica) on the lung function of five horses suffering heaves were determined in a longitudinal study. The horses accepted the product well. The plasma concentrations of the marker substance, thymol, indicated that at least one of the substances in the extract had been absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. The compliance, pulmonary pressure and airway resistance of the horses' lungs were all significantly improved after one month of treatment However, the severity of their clinical signs and their...
Corneal esthesiometry in the healthy horse. To determine corneal sensitivity in healthy adult horses in order to establish reference values. Methods: One hundred eyes of 50 healthy adult horses. Methods: Corneal sensitivity was determined by evaluating the corneal touch threshold (CTT) in five different corneal regions using a Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer. Results: Comparing CTT values (in mm filament length) of the five prescribed corneal regions revealed regional variations in corneal sensitivity, with the central region (21.15 +/- 6.23 mm) being the most sensitive, followed by the nasal (20.75 +/- 5.14 mm), temporal (20.70 +/- 5.37 mm...
Inhaled endotoxin and organic dust particulates have synergistic proinflammatory effects in equine heaves (organic dust-induced asthma). Equine heaves is a naturally occurring organic dust-induced asthma characterized by airway neutrophilia, mucus hypersecretion and obstructive lung dysfunction. However, the relative role of different dust components in disease severity remains unclear. Objective: This study investigated the relative contribution of inhaled endotoxin and organic dust particulates (mainly mould spores) in inducing heaves in heaves-susceptible horses. Methods: Control and heaves-susceptible horses received inhalation challenges with hay dust suspension (HDS) before and after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) depletion. He...
Testicular measurements and daily sperm output of Tori and Estonian breed stallions. Evaluation of testicular measurements and daily sperm output (DSO) yields valuable information for predicting the reproductive capacity of stallions. The present study evaluated testicular measurements (height, length, width and circumference) and DSO of eight Tori and eight Estonian breed stallions. One ejaculate of semen was collected daily for 10 subsequent days from each stallion. The gel-free volume of semen was measured with a graduated glass cylinder and the sperm concentration was assessed with a Chorjajev chamber. The volume of gel-free fraction was multiplied by the sperm concentrati...
The effect of three types of rasps on the occlusal surface of equine cheek teeth: a scanning electron microscopic study. Two hand rasps (tungsten chip blade, solid carbide blade) and an electrically-driven solid carbide axial bur were used to treat the cheek teeth of 2 horses immediately postmortem. All teeth were normal and were rasped to a standard considered satisfactory in practice. Six teeth from each horse served as untreated controls. Following treatment, the teeth were extracted and the clinical crown removed and prepared for scanning electron microscopy. Teeth were also extracted and examined from a horse that had excessive dental treatment previously. Dental debris created by the procedures was collect...
Presence of opioid growth factor and its receptor in the normal dog, cat and horse cornea. To determine if opioid growth factor (OGF, [Met5]enkephalin) and its specific receptor (OGFr) are present in normal cat, dog and horse cornea. Methods: Normal dog, cat and horse. Methods: Corneas were obtained from animals euthanized for reasons unrelated to this project. One cornea from each of three normal cats, dogs and horses was evaluated. The right or left cornea from each animal was chosen randomly. Corneas were harvested and placed in corneal storage media for transport to The M.S. Hershey Medical Center of The Pennsylvania State University where immunocytochemistry techniques were use...
The effects of radiofrequency energy treatment on chondrocytes and matrix of fibrillated articular cartilage. There is no consensus regarding the safety of radiofrequency energy treatment for chondroplasty. Objective: Use of a radiofrequency thermal probe will produce a dose-dependent detrimental effect on chondrocytes in a setting mimicking the arthroscopic procedure. Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Paired patellae from 11 horses were fibrillated; one served as the control while the contralateral patella was treated with 20, 40, and 60 watts of radiofrequency energy for 4 minutes. Proteoglycan synthesis, proteoglycan degradation, and cell viability were measured. Explant histologic sec...
Diseases of the guttural pouches. Guttural pouches are unique anatomic structures in Equidae. Conditions affecting the guttural pouches present with clinical signs that are not observed in other domestic species, and treatment of some of these conditions can be challenging. This article describes the anatomy and examination of the guttural pouches and reviews the presenting signs and treatment of the more common conditions affecting them, including empyema, tympany, mycosis, and stylohyoid arthropathy.
Interleukin-1 (IL-1) system gene expression in granulosa cells: kinetics during terminal preovulatory follicle maturation in the mare. A growing body of evidences suggests that the ovary is a site of inflammatory reactions, and thus, ovarian cells could represent sources and targets of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) system. The purpose of this study was to examine the IL-1 system gene expressions in equine granulosa cells, and to study the IL-1beta content in follicular fluid during the follicle maturation. For this purpose, granulosa cells and follicular fluids were collected from the largest follicle at the early dominance stage (diameter 24 +/- 3 mm) or during the preovulatory maturation phase, at T0 h, T6 h, T12 h, T24 h and T3...
Disorders of the pharynx. Pharyngeal disorders are complex and difficult to treat. Disorders that lead to anatomic derangement, such as trauma and neoplasia, can significantly affect the function of this organ. Pharyngeal dysfunction can manifest as dysphagia, persistent palatal displacement, or exercise intolerance. Secondary complications are serious and life threatening and include aspiration pneumonia, weight loss, and death. Pharyngeal disorders that are only recognizable during strenuous exercise are difficult to diagnose and are treated with limited success, even though they are responsible for significant econo...
Lower respiratory problems of the neonate. The newborn foal can experience problems of the lower respiratory tract that are unique to the neonate. The transition to extrauterine life usually occurs rapidly and in a coordinated manner, but problems associated with the peripartum period, including placentitis, dystocia, infection, and trauma, can result in conditions that compromise gas exchange in the newborn foal. This article reviews the normal transition and presents some of the problems seen in these small patients.
Recurrent airway obstruction–heaves. Heaves, or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), is a chronic respiratory disease featuring lower airway inflammation, bronchoconstriction, and mucus accumulation. Inhaled organic dusts and T helper 2 type immunologic reactions are involved in the complex pathophysiology of RAO. Clinical signs vary and alternate with remission periods. The diagnosis is often based on history and clinical examination in severe cases, but bronchoalveolar lavage may be useful for the detection of early cases. The most important aspect of treatment is to avoid exposure to allergens. Corticosteroids may be administer...
Lower airway diseases of the adult horse. Lower airway problems of the adult horse are commonly encountered by the practitioner. Particularly susceptible populations include horses transported for any significant distance and young horses grouped together for training and/or competition. This article presents some of the commonly encountered problems of this patient population, including bacterial pneumonia/pleuropneumonia and influenza, and some uncommon ones, including pulmonary edema, pneumothorax/hemothorax, and acuterespiratory distress syndrome. Information is presented that should allow the practitioner to diagnose these proble...
Tools for the diagnosis of equine respiratory disorders. Respiratory disorders are among the most common problems leading horse owners to seek veterinary attention. Accurate diagnosis of these conditions allows for proper treatment to be instituted, much to the benefit of the patient and satisfaction of the client. As an introduction to this issue on equine respiratory disorders, we review some of the tools that are available to equine veterinarians for the diagnosis of respiratory disorders. Physical and endoscopic examination, radiology, diagnostic ultrasound, techniques for sampling the respiratory tract, hematology, blood gas analysis, respirato...
Laryngeal reinnervation in the horse. Left laryngeal hemiplegia is a frustrating condition for the equine athlete and equine veterinarian. Treatment for the past 30 years has centered on the prosthetic laryngoplasty ("tie-back") with or without ventriculectomy. Laryngeal reinnervation has been used successfully in people and has been shown experimentally to benefit affected horses. This article reviews equine laryngeal reinnervation using the nerve muscle pedicle graft and describes the surgical technique, its complications, and the follow-up in 146 cases treated over the past 10 years. Also discussed is ongoing research into stim...
Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. EIPH is a condition affecting virtually all horses during intense exercise worldwide. The hemorrhage originates from the pulmonary vasculature and is distributed predominantly bilaterally in the dorsocaudal lung lobes. As the condition progresses, the lung abnormalities extend cranially along the dorsal portions of the lung. An inflammatory response occurs in association with the hemorrhage and may contribute to the chronic sequela. Although conflicting opinions exist as to its affect on performance, it is a syndrome that is thought to increase in severity with age. The most commonly performed...
The use of lasers for treatment of upper respiratory tract disorders. Lasers have become important tools for the equine surgeon in the treatment of upper respiratory tract disease in the horse. Multiple wavelengths and delivery systems are available. Indications for the use of lasers in the upper respiratory tract primarily include minimally invasive procedures not possible with conventional surgical instrumentation. New applications for the use of lasers to treat upper respiratory disease are likely to evolve with the development and introduction of new wavelengths and delivery systems.
Pneumonia in weanlings. Lower respiratory tract infection is common in weanling- and suckling-aged animals. Increased susceptibility to disease in this age group can result from a delay in the establishment of a competent immune system and environmental factors, such as overcrowding, shipping, and sales. S zooepidemicus and R equi are the two most common bacterial isolates. S equi is primarily a disease of the lymph nodes and upper respiratory tract. Viral agents can compromise the natural defense mechanisms of the respiratory tract, resulting in secondary bacterial infections. The acute respiratory distress syndrome...
Diagnosis of upper respiratory tract diseases in the performance horse. Wastage of performance horses because of respiratory dysfunction is common. Appropriate identification of the disease is paramount for treatment recommendations. Diagnostic modalities for upper respiratory tract dysfunction include a thorough physical examination, radiographic evaluation when appropriate, and upper respiratory tract endoscopy. Anatomical deviations or structural are easily identified during resting evaluation, while exercise testing is often necessary to assess thedynamic properties of the upper airway. Utilizing the many diagnostic tools available allows the clinician to make...
Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the equine and elk pituitary pre-prolactin cDNA. We report the equine (Equs equs) and elk (Cervus elaphus) pituitary pre-prolactin (PRL) cDNA cloning, and their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences. Pre-PRL cDNA was obtained by RNA ligation mediated-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RLM-RACE) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The elk pre-PRL cDNA exhibits two polymorphisms at positions 96 and 672, which are silent since they encode for the same amino acids, proline and isoleucine, respectively. We found no polymorphisms in the equine pre-PRL cDNA. The deduced amino acid sequence of the equine pre-PRL is 99% identical to the previou...
Use of a GnRH antagonist, antarelix, associated or not with hCG, to control ovulation in cyclic pony mares. The GnRH antagonist antarelix (Teverelix) was administered to mares (0.01 mg/kg, i.v., twice a day) during the periovulatory period. In Experiment 1, 20 mares were divided into a treated (A3d-) and a control (Control-) group. A3d- mares received antarelix for 3 days from the day when the dominant follicle (F1) reached 32 mm (D0). In Experiment 2, 10 mares were divided into a treated (A6d+) and a control (Control+) group. A6d+ mares received antarelix for 6 days from D0 and hCG was injected in all animals (1600 IU, i.v.) on D1. Pregnancies were determined 13 days after ovulation. In both experi...
Formation of disulfide-linked complexes between the three minor envelope glycoproteins (GP2b, GP3, and GP4) of equine arteritis virus. Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is an enveloped, positive-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Arteriviridae of the order NIDOVIRALES: Six transmembrane proteins have been identified in EAV particles: the nonglycosylated membrane protein M and the glycoprotein GP(5) (previously named G(L)), which occur as disulfide-bonded heterodimers and are the major viral envelope proteins; the unglycosylated small envelope protein E; and the minor glycoproteins GP(2b) (formerly designated G(S)), GP(3), and GP(4). Analysis of the appearance of the GP(2b), GP(3), and GP(4) proteins in viral particles by g...
Influence of detomidine and buprenorphine on motor-evoked potentials in horses. Horses need to be sedated before they are investigated by transcranial magnetic stimulation because of the mild discomfort induced by the evoked muscle contraction and the noise of stimulation. This paper describes the influence of a combination of detomidine (10 microg/kg bodyweight) and a low dose of buprenorphine (2.4 microg/kg) on the onset latency and peak-to-peak amplitude of magnetic motor-evoked potentials in normal horses. There were no significant differences between measurements of these parameters made before the horses were sedated and measurements made 10 and 30 minutes after the...
The equine hind limb is actively stabilized during standing. Horses spend much of their life standing, and they are believed to be able to keep their limbs straight without muscular effort. We tested the hypothesis that the stifle (knee) and hock (tarsal) joints could be stabilized merely with the help of a passive lock mechanism whereby the patella is secured behind a hook, formed by the medial femoral trochlea. In anaesthetized animals and isolated limbs the stifle and hock flex readily under compression. In isolated limbs this collapse was prevented by a small force applied to the patella, mimicking the action of the vastus medialis muscle. In vivo, ...
Immunoglobulin G subisotype responses of pneumonic and healthy, exposed foals and adult horses to Rhodococcus equi virulence-associated proteins. Rhodococcus equi causes severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia in foals and in immunocompromised humans. Replication of virulent isolates within macrophages correlates with the presence of a large plasmid which encodes a family of seven virulence-associated proteins (VapA and VapC to VapH), whose functions are unknown. Although cell-mediated immunity is thought to be crucial in eliminating R. equi infection, antibody partially protects foals. The antibody response to both VapA and VapC was similar in six adult horses and six naturally exposed but healthy foals, as well as in eight foals with R. equ...
Comparison of methods for the diagnosis of equine herpesvirus type 1 infection. The objective of the investigations was to study the occurrence of the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection in aborted equine fetuses and in newborn foals and to compare the sensitivity of virus isolation, immunohistochemistry and histology in 101 cases and of fetal serology in 68 cases in the diagnosis of the infection. Out of the 93 aborted equine fetuses and 8 weak foals, 15 (14.9%) (14 fetuses and 1 foal) proved to be EHV-1 infected by immunohistochemical and 13 (12.9%) by virological investigation. Characteristic microscopic changes were seen in several organs in all cases, while i...
A case of equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis provides molecular evidence for the presence of pathogenic anaplasma phagocytophilum (HGE agent) in Germany. Based on seroprevalence studies and tick infection rates, tick-borne human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is thought to occur in Germany, but to date no clinical case has been detected. Reported here are the first ehrlichial sequences derived from a German horse that fell ill with granulocytic ehrlichiosis. The analysis of three different genes (16S rRNA gene, groESL, and ankA) revealed up to 100% identity with ehrlichial sequences derived from patients with HGE in other countries or from infected ticks in Germany. Thus, the current lack of clinical cases of HGE in Germany is unlikely to resu...
Descriptive epidemiology of late-term abortions associated with the mare reproductive loss syndrome in central Kentucky. Epidemiological and pathological findings of 433 late-term abortions associated with the mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) in central Kentucky were identified by reviewing the records of the University of Kentucky Livestock Diseases Diagnostic Center. The distribution of dates of abortion was clustered during a brief period of time, presumably from a simultaneous environmental exposure. The most common pathological findings were microscopic pulmonary lesions consisting of squamous epithelial cells present in alveoli with or without concurrent infiltration of inflammatory cells (neutrophil...
Free amino-acid concentrations in the equine placenta: relationship to maternal and fetal plasma concentrations. Free amino-acid concentrations were measured in maternal venous and fetal umbilical vein plasma, and in the allantochorion, of Thoroughbred mares at term. Concentrations in maternal and fetal plasma were similar to those reported previously in equids. The concentrations of free amino-acids in the allantochorion were higher than those in the maternal and fetal plasmas and were characterised by high levels of the nonessential amino-acids as observed in other species. Fourteen of the 20 amino-acids measured had similar allantochorion/umbilical vein concentration ratios suggesting that simple grad...
