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.
Dyson S, Murray R.There has been no large study of horses with suspected sacroiliac (SI) joint region pain in which the clinical diagnosis has been supported by either abnormal radiopharmaceutical activity in the SI joint region or by periarticular infiltration of local anaesthetic solution. Objective: To describe the clinical features of horses with SI joint region pain, to document the age, breed, sex, discipline, size and conformation of affected horses and to compare these with the author's (SD) normal case population and to document the results of infiltration of local anaesthetic solution around the SI jo...
Davis EG, Rush BR, Blecha F.Immunomodulation with Propionibacterium acnes is used for prophylaxis of respiratory disease or in horses suffering from chronic pulmonary inflammation; however, the mechanism for this response is poorly understood. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays were used to evaluate gene expression of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and NK-lysin in healthy horses treated with P. acnes. Findings in the study indicated that horses treated with a P. acnes-based immunomodulator exhibited increased IFN-gamma and NK-lysin gene expression in peripheral blo...
Johnson PJ, Messer NT, Ganjam VK, Thompson DL, Refsal KR, Loch WE, Ellersieck MR.There exists a need for better diagnostic tests to characterise thyroid disease in horses. Currently available diagnostic tests fail to differentiate between thyroid gland disorders and thyroid abnormalities resulting from pituitary or hypothalamic problems. Objective: To evaluate the effects of treatment with propylthiouracil (PTU) and bromocryptine (BROM) on serum concentrations of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), reverse T3 (rT3) and equine thyroid-stimulating hormone (e-TSH, thyrotrophin) in mature horses. Methods: Healthy mature horses were treated using either PTU or BROM for 28 da...
Robinson NE, Berney C, Eberhart S, deFeijter-Rupp HL, Jefcoat AM, Cornelisse CJ, Gerber VM, Derksen FJ.To investigate relationships between cough frequency and mucus accumulation, airway obstruction, and airway inflammation and to determine effects of dexamethasone on coughing and mucus score. Methods: 13 horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and 6 control horses. Methods: 6 RAO-affected and 6 control horses were stabled for 3 days. Coughing was counted for 4 hours before and on each day horses were stabled. Before and on day 3 of stabling, tracheal mucus accumulation was scored, airway obstruction was assessed via maximal change in pleural pressure (deltaPpl(max)), and airway inflamma...
Franklin SH, Usmar SG, Lane JG, Shuttleworth J, Burn JF.It has long been recognised that the production of abnormal respiratory sounds by horses during exercise is frequently associated with upper airway obstructions. Respiratory acoustic measurements have shown promise in investigation of upper airway disorders in man and, more recently, in horses with experimentally-induced obstructions. Objective: To evaluate sounds from exercising horses with naturally occurring dynamic obstructions of the upper respiratory tract and to compare these with those from normal horses in order to determine whether different obstructions produce characteristic spectr...
Batson EL, Paramour RJ, Smith TJ, Birch HL, Patterson-Kane JC, Goodship AE.Injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is common in competition horses. The SDFT contributes to locomotory efficiency by storing energy; such tendons have low safety margins. Tendons which merely position the limb, including the opposing common digital extensor tendon (CDET), are rarely injured. The current failure of strategies to prevent or effectively treat injury to the SDFT indicates the importance of understanding how it differs from tendons which are not injury-prone. Objective: That the structural and material properties and matrix composition of the SDFT and CDET diffe...
Latimer FG, Eades SC, Pettifer G, Tetens J, Hosgood G, Moore RM.Abdominal insufflation is performed routinely during laparoscopy in horses to improve visualisation and facilitate instrument and visceral manipulations during surgery. It has been shown that high-pressure pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide (CO2) has deleterious cardiopulmonary effects in dorsally recumbent, mechanically ventilated, halothane-anaesthetised horses. There is no information on the effects of CO2 pneumoperitoneum on cardiopulmonary function and haematology, plasma chemistry and peritoneal fluid (PF) variables in standing sedated horses during laparoscopic surgery. Objective: To ...
Ducharme NG, Hackett RP, Woodie JB, Dykes N, Erb HN, Mitchell LM, Soderholm LV.Contributes to the understanding of the pathogenesis of dorsal displacement of the soft palate during exercise so that management of this condition could be enhanced. Objective: That the thyrohyoid muscles play an important role in the stability of the laryngo-palatal relationship and that dysfunction of these muscles leads to dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) during exercise. Methods: Ten horses were exercised on a high-speed treadmill under 4 different treatment conditions: control conditions (n = 10), after resection of thyrohyoid muscles (TH, n = 10), after sham-treatment (n = ...
Little D, Flowers JR, Hammerberg BH, Gardner SY.Possible anthelmintic resistance on a breeding farm where a rapid rotation anthelmintic programme had been implemented for 9 years was investigated. Cyathostomins resistant to fenbendazole and pyrantel were documented by faecal worm egg count reduction test (FWECRT). Objective: To 1) manage small strongyle transmission in a herd of horses in which resistance to both pyrantel pamoate and fenbendazole was identified and thereby reduce the risk of clinical disease in the individual animal, 2) monitor the change in resistance patterns over time and 3) monitor the efficacy of ivermectin over the st...
Estepa JC, Garfia B, Gao PR, Cantor T, Rodriguez M, Aguilera-Tejero E.Parathyroid hormone (PTH) plays a critical role in the regulation of mineral metabolism in mammals. Until recently, the standard method for PTH measurement has been the 2nd generation intact-PTH (I-PTH) assay. Current evidence indicates that the I-PTH assay binds to the PTH molecule and to an inactive N-terminally truncated PTH fragment that tends to accumulate in the blood of uraemic patients. Therefore, a new 3rd generation PTH assay that detects only the whole PTH molecule (W-PTH; cyclase-activating PTH [CAP]) has been developed. Objective: To validate this more specific W-PTH assay for mea...
Wilderjans H, Boussauw B, Madder K, Simon O.Inflammation of the digital flexor tendon sheaths is a chronic and nebulous condition often unresponsive to medical and surgical treatment. Objective: To evaluate the incidence of longitudinal tears (LT) as the underlying cause of chronic tenosynovitis and annular ligament constriction syndrome (ALCS) in warmblood horses. Methods: The records of 25 horses with chronic tenosynovitis and ALCS in which tenoscopical inspection of the digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) was performed between 1999-2000 were reviewed. Of 25 horses, 17 were diagnosed with an LT in the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT)...
Dart AJ, Little CB, Hughes CE, Chu O, Dowling BA, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ, Johnson KA.Recombinant equine growth hormone (reGH) has recently been evaluated for effects on body condition and wound healing. It has the potential to influence articular cartilage via stimulation of IGF-1. Objective: To investigate effects of administration on synovial joint metabolism. Methods: Six mature horses were given 20 microg/kg bwt reGH daily for 8 weeks by i.m. injection. Three control horses were injected with sterile water. Serum and synovial fluid samples were collected at 6, 8, 11 and 16 weeks for GH and IGF-1 assays. Articular cartilage harvested at week 16 was evaluated by Western anal...
Dyson S, Murray R, Branch M, Harding E.Sacroiliac (SI) joint disease is difficult to diagnose definitively on clinical grounds. Objective: Lameness not attributable to SI joint pain may result in asymmetrical uptake of radiopharmaceutical in the tubera sacrale and SI joints; and that horses with clinical signs suggestive of sacroiliac joint disease would have differences in the ratios of radiopharmaceutical uptake between the fifth lumbar vertebra (L5) and either the tubera sacrale or SI joints compared with normal horses. Objective: To determine whether differences in radiopharmaceutical activity could identify individuals with pr...
Dyson S, Murray R, Branch M, Whitton C, Donovan T, Harding E.Sacroiliac (SI) disease is recognised as a cause of poor hindlimb action but differential diagnosis is often difficult. Objective: That in clinically normal horses there would be a significant difference in the ratio of radiopharmaceutical uptake (RU) between the fifth lumbar vertebra (L5) and each tuber sacrale (TS) and between L5 and each SI joint; and that these ratios would alter with age, but ratios would be bilaterally symmetrical. Methods: Dorsal scintigraphic images of the SI region of 15 horses, selected randomly from the clinic database, were analysed by 2 of the authors, comparing n...
Bettschart-Wolfensberger R, Bowen IM, Freeman SL, Weller R, Clarke KW.To search for long-term total i.v. anaesthesia techniques as a potential alternative to inhalation anaesthesia. Objective: To determine cardiopulmonary effects and anaesthesia quality of medetomidine-ketamine anaesthesia induction followed by 4 h of medetomidine-propofol anaesthesia in 6 ponies. Methods: Sedation consisted of 7 microg/kg bwt medetomidine i.v. followed after 10 min by 2 mg/kg bwt i.v. ketamine. Anaesthesia was maintained for 4 h with 3.5 microg/kg bwt/h medetomidine and propofol at minimum infusion dose rates determined by application of supramaximal electrical pain stimuli. Ve...
Richter M, Hauser B, Kaps S, Spiess BM.A 5-year-old Holsteiner gelding from Germany was presented 2 months after a whitish discoloration of the left cornea was observed. Cytologic examination revealed intra- and extracellular globular structures, up to 4 micro m in size, consisting of a central spherical deeply basophilic body surrounded by an unstained halo. The structures were morphologically consistent with Histoplasma spp. Infection with Histoplasma organisms is not endemic in Europe. Topical use of fluconazole was successful in eliminating Histoplasma organisms within 10 days of initiation of treatment.
Roe JP, Taylor TK, Edmunds IA, Cumming RG, Ruff SJ, Plunkett-Cole MD, Mikk M, Jones RF.The objective of the present study was to determine the incidence of acute spinal cord injuries (ASCI) in all forms of horse riding in New South Wales (NSW) for the period 1976-1996. Other aims of the present study were to compare and contrast ASCI with vertebral column injuries (VCI) without neurological damage and to define appropriate safety measures in relation to spinal injury in horse-riding. Methods: A retrospective review was done of all ASCI cases (n = 32) admitted to the two acute spinal cord injury units in NSW for the cited period. A comparable review of VCI cases (n = 30) admitted...
Schlegel T, Brehm H, Amselgruber WM.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 ...
van den Hoven R, Zappe H, Zitterl-Eglseer K, Jugl M, Franz C.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...
Kaps S, Richter M, Spiess BM.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...
Pirie RS, Collie DD, Dixon PM, McGorum BC.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...
Kavak A, Lundeheim N, Aidnik M, Einarsson S.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...
Kempson SA, Davidson ME, Dacre IT.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...
Robertson SA, Andrew SE.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...
Ryan A, Bertone AL, Kaeding CC, Backstrom KC, Weisbrode SE.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...
Meichner K, Kraszeski BH, Durrant JR, Grindem CB, Breuhaus BA, Moore PF, Neel JA, Linder KE, Borst LB, Fogle JE, Tarigo JL.An 11-year-old, 443-kg Haflinger mare was presented to the North Carolina State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a 2-week history of lethargy and a 3-day duration of anorexia, pyrexia, tachycardia, and ventral edema. Severe pitting edema, peripheral lymphadenopathy, and a caudal abdominal mass were noted on physical examination. An extreme leukocytosis (154.3 × 103 /μL) and microscopic hematologic findings suggestive of myelomonocytic leukemia were observed. Serum protein electrophoresis revealed a monoclonal gammopathy and urine protein electrophoresis revealed a monoclonal ligh...
Heffron B, Taddei L, Benoit M, Negrusz A.The use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in racehorses is allowed under most jurisdictions. Furosemide is administered to treat exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. To help distinguish between therapeutic and illegal uses, racing regulatory bodies have set thresholds in serum for several drugs. The method for the simultaneous detection and quantification of furosemide, flunixin, ketoprofen, phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone using 500 µL of serum, and liquid extraction using diethyl ether : hexanes : dichloromethane followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry quantitati...
van der Zaag EJ, Rijkenhuizen AB, Kalsbeek HC, Peperkamp NH.An 11-year-old Arabian mare had sudden signs of colic 10 days post partum. Rectal examination revealed a large mass in the abdomen. The mare was successfully operated on for a granulosa cell tumour of 31.5 kg. The large abdominal wound healed by primary intention.
Gorman JK, Gabriel M, MacLachlan NJ, Nieto N, Foley J, Spier S.This pilot study evaluated protection of an equine autogenous bacterin-toxoid vaccine against Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection. Twenty-four BALB/c mice were inoculated with two doses of bacterin-toxoid vaccine or two injections of a placebo. Clinical, microbiologic, and pathologic outcomes were assessed after intradermal infection with one of two equine-origin C. pseudotuberculosis strains. Mice receiving bacterin-toxoid from fast-growing C. pseudotuberculosis showed significant protection from challenge infection, as evidenced by a higher survival rate, fewer gross and histopathol...
Waguespack RW, Taintor J.The paranasal sinus system of horses is complex, comprising six pairs of sinuses. Disease processes that can develop in the sinuses include ethmoid hematomas, cysts, neoplasia, and bacterial and fungal infections. Horses that develop paranasal sinus disease vary widely in age. A significant number of clinical conditions involving the paranasal sinuses require a combination of diagnostic tests to determine the specific pathologic process. Because of the anatomic location of the paranasal sinuses and associated chronic conditions that affect many patients, many disease processes involving the pa...
Furuoka H, Shirakawa T, Taniyama H, Ohishi H, Satoh H, Itakura C.Pancreatic tissue from 20 horses was examined using immunocytochemical techniques. In aged horses, neogenesis of endocrine cells, neoformation, and hyperplasia of islets occurred closely associated with the pancreatic duct; these changes were regarded as nesidioblastosis. In addition, pancreatic fibrosis accompanied by ductal proliferation and endocrine neogenesis was considered a regenerative change. Thus, the origin of neoformation in the endocrine pancreas was in the ductal system, and it is suggested that the pancreatic endocrine cells were of endodermal origin.
Floriano D, Watkins AR, Hopster K.To evaluate the efficacy of 2 different oxygen delivery strategies-intranasal and tracheal insufflation-on the inspired fraction of oxygen (FIO2) in standing horses and to determine the time needed for arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2) equilibration. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: In this blinded, randomized crossover design study, horses were randomly assigned to receive oxygen via nasal cannula (group N) or transcutaneous tracheal catheter (group T). After placement of venous and arterial catheters, FIO2 was measured through a catheter placed into the distal portion of the t...
Watanabe R, Huruta H, Ueno Y, Nukada T, Niwa H, Shinyashiki N, Kano R.Luliconazole (LCZ) is an imidazole antifungal medication that exhibits excellent activity against dermatophytes. As a topical cream and lotion (approved for human use), LCZ has demonstrated a broad spectrum of activity against human dermatophytoses. Objective: This is the first study to investigate the in vitro susceptibility of clinical isolates from horse dermatophytoses to LCZ. Methods: No animals were used in this study. Methods: In the present study, the in vitro susceptibilities of clinical isolates of dermatophytes to LCZ, clotrimazole (CTZ), miconazole (MCZ) and terbinafine (TRF) wer...
Hunt B, Lein DH, Foote RH.Plasma and milk progesterone concentrations in 13 mares were determined 3 times a week for 5 months, beginning at parturition. The estrous cycle was divided into 2 phases. Estrus was considered to occur when the plasma progesterone concentration was less than 1 ng/ml, with diestrus occurring when plasma progesterone content was greater than or equal to 1 ng/ml. Based on this classification, the period of estrus averaged 8.9 days, diestrus averaged 13.9 days, and the estrous cycle averaged 22.8 days. During estrus, the progesterone concentration in plasma averaged 0.4 ng/ml and in milk averaged...
Hubbell JA, Hinchcliff KW, Schmall LM, Muir WW, Robertson JT, Sams RA.To determine the anesthetic, cardiorespiratory, and metabolic effects of 4 IV anesthetic regimens in Thoroughbred horses recuperating from a brief period of maximal exercise. Methods: 6 adult Thoroughbreds. Methods: Horses were preconditioned by exercising them on a treadmill. Each horse ran 4 simulated races, with a minimum of 14 days between races. Races were run at a treadmill speed that caused horses to exercise at 120% of their maximal oxygen consumption. Horses ran until fatigued or for a maximum of 2 minutes. Two minutes after exercise, horses received a combination of xylazine hydrochl...
Flaminio MJ, Rush BR, Davis EG, Hennessy K, Shuman W, Wilkerson MJ.This paper describes a method for simultaneously measuring phagocytosis and oxidative burst activity in equine peripheral blood leukocytes by flow cytometry. Opsonized propidium iodide-labelled Staphylococcus aureus (PI-Sa) was used to measure the uptake of bacteria by equine phacocytes and the oxidative burst activity by oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123. The requirements to achieve optimal activity of phagocytosis and oxidative burst are described. The advantage of the simultaneous technique is that it provides both independent and comparative values for phagocytosis and the oxidative burst,...
Roszkowska K, Witkowska-Pilaszewicz O, Przewozny M, Cywinska A.Whole body and partial body cryotherapies (WBC and PBC) have been successfully used in human medicine, and currently also are being proposed in veterinary practice.In horses, only the partial body cryotherapy provided in cryosauna is considered, due to the technical conditions. These therapies have been dedicated to human patients with rheumatic and inflammatory diseases as well as an assistance during training in athletes. The anti-inflammatory effects have been demonstrated clinically and indicated by the changes in several hematological and immunological parameters, however, various pattern...
The Journal of heredityNovember 1, 1976
Volume 67, Issue 6 361-367 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a108753
Eldridge F, Blazak WF.Karyotypes of the horse with 64 chromosomes, the ass with 62 chromosomes, and the mule with 63 chromosomes are presented. The chromosome complements of each species and their mule hybrid are analyzed and compared.
Weld JM, Kamerling SG, Combie JD, Nugent TE, Woods WE, Oeltgen P, Tobin T.The effects of naloxone on the cardiovascular, hematologic and metabolic derangements associated with endotoxic and hemorrhagic shock were studied in unanesthetized horses. In the first of 3 experiments blood glucose and lactate levels, hematocrit, white, red and differential white cell counts, rectal temperature and clinical signs were obtained before and after endotoxin (10 micrograms/Kg) administration in 5 horses. In the second experiment, two groups of 3 horses received either intravenous naloxone (0.04 mg/Kg) or saline, 7 minutes prior to endotoxin. In a third experiment two groups of 4 ...
Smit IH, Hernlund E, Persson-Sjodin E, Björnsdóttir S, Gunnarsdottir H, Gunnarsson V, Rhodin M, Serra Braganca FM.Lameness assessment in the gaited Icelandic horse is complex. We aimed to describe their kinematic and temporal adaptation strategies in response to forelimb lameness at walk, trot and tölt. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Ten clinically non-lame Icelandic horses were measured before and after reversible forelimb lameness induction. Upper body and limb kinematics were measured using 11 inertial measurement units mounted on the poll, withers, pelvis (tubera sacrale) and all four limbs and hoofs (Equimoves®, 500 Hz). Horses were measured on a straight line at walk and trot in-hand and ...
Glade MJ, Krook L.Changes in the developing femoral epiphysis, especially those concerning the osteocytes, were examined in pony foals systemically treated with daily intramuscular injections of either 0.5 or 5.0 mg of dexamethasone per 100 kg bodyweight for either 3, 8 or 11 months. Midsagittal sections of proximal femur from animals treated for 3 months contained significantly more bone tissue subchondrally and epiphyseally than did sections from untreated ponies. Large portions of the bone tissue appeared necrotic, although osteoblasts and patent capillaries were abundant. After 8 months the bone sections re...
Morris ERA, Schroeder ME, Ferro PJ, Waller AS, McGlennon AA, Bustos CP, Gressler LT, Wu J, Lawhon SD, Boyle AG, Lingsweiler S, Paul N, Dimitrov K....Strangles is a contagious bacterial disease of horses caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (SEE) that occurs globally. Rapid and accurate identification of infected horses is essential for controlling strangles. Because of limitations of existing PCR assays for SEE, we sought to identify novel primers and probes that enable simultaneous detection and differentiation of infection with SEE and S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus (SEZ). Comparative genomics of U.S. strains of SEE and SEZ (n = 50 each) identified SE00768 from SEE and comB from SEZ as target genes. Primers and probes for real-ti...
Gaynor JS, Hubbell JA.Local and regional anesthetic techniques are useful tools for the equine practitioner. These techniques allow surgery to be performed without the risk and cost of general anesthesia. There are, however, risks associated with the local and regional techniques. Neurotoxicity, although rare, may occur when 200 mL or more of a local anesthetic are infiltrated in a short period of time to a 450-kg horse. More likely, horses may become ataxic after nerve blockade in the limbs. This ataxia may lead to self trauma because the horse may not know where the limbs are actually being placed. Although local...
Rabba S, Petrucci V, Petrizzi L, Giommi DW, Busoni V.Information concerning B-mode ultrasonographic abnormalities and power Doppler (PD) signal in suspensory ligament branches of nonlame working Quarter Horses are not reported. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of B-mode ultrasonographic abnormalities and PD signal in suspensory ligament branches in a group of nonlame working Quarter Horses and to compare B-mode findings with PD findings of horses in two different training (barrel racing and team roping). Twenty-one Quarter Horses in training, 14 barrel racing (Group B) and seven team roping horses (Group R), were assesse...
Donaldson MC, Holter AM, Neuhoff S, Arnosky JA, Simpson BW, Vernon K, Blob RW, DesJardins JD.Although horseback riding is a well-established means of rehabilitation therapy for a variety of human patients, there are few data on the biomechanical relationships between horse and rider during such hippotherapy. We simultaneously tracked the movements of a horse with several different novice riders, under conditions similar to hippotherapy, to evaluate whether horses pass the same motion to different riders while being lead at a walk. Riders were outfitted with a goniometric data collection system that recorded the angles of flexion and extension and lateral bending of the thoracic and lu...
Goulden BE, Anderson LJ.Some clinical features of laryngeal hemiplegia in 127 horses are described. Possible aetiologic factors were found in only 11% of affected animals. The onset of clinical signs was either sudden or insidious. The majority of cases were presented because of an abnormal respiratory noise made at exercise. Other clinical signs, particularly those usually attributed to laryngopalatal dislocation, were observed in a substantial proportion of affected animals. In all cases surveyed the left arytenoid was affected, although in 3 animals a bilateral laryngeal dysfunction was noted. Thirty of 65 animals...
Aoki M, Wakuno A, Kushiro A, Mae N, Kakizaki M, Nagata SI, Ohta M.Anesthetic and cardiorespiratory effects of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) technique using propofol-guaifenesin-medetomidine (PGM) and alfaxalone-guaifenesin-medetomidine (AGM) were preliminarily evaluated in Thoroughbred horses undergoing castration. Twelve male Thoroughbred horses were assigned randomly into two groups. After premedication with intravenous (IV) administrations of medetomidine (5.0 µg/kg) and butorphanol (0.02 mg/kg), anesthesia was induced with guaifenesin (10 mg/kg IV), followed by either propofol (2.0 mg/kg IV) (group PGM: n=6) or alfaxalone (1.0 mg/kg IV) (group AGM...
Tydén E, Olsén L, Tallkvist J, Tjälve H, Larsson P.Gene and protein expression as well as catalytic activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A were studied in the nasal olfactory and respiratory mucosa and the tracheal mucosa of the horse. We also examined the activity of NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (NADPH P450 reductase), the amount of cytochrome b(5) and the total CYP content in these tissues. Comparative values for the above were obtained using liver as a control. The CYP3A related catalytic activity in the tissues of the upper airways was considerably higher than in the liver. The CYP3A gene and protein expression, on the other hand, was hig...
Wright AL, Earley ET, Austin C, Arora M.Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a common, painful and poorly understood disease. Enamel, dentin and cementum accumulate both essential and toxic trace elements during mineralization. Characterization of the spatial accumulation pattern of trace elements may provide insight into the role that toxic elements play and inform biological processes affecting these hard dental tissues for future research. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to map the distribution of multiple trace elements and heavy metals across equin...
Harkins JD, Carney JM, Tobin T.Corticosteroids possess potent anti-inflammatory activity and are commonly injected intra-articularly for local relief of inflammatory lesions in performance horses. However, the suppression of anabolic activity in the joint may lead to an increased rate of joint breakdown. Complications associated with intra-articular corticosteroid therapy include septic arthritis, which is usually due to inadvertent joint contamination at the time of corticosteroid injection, and steroid arthropathy, which is characterized by an accelerated rate of joint destruction and radiographic evidence of severe degen...
