Veterinary practice in relation to horses encompasses the medical care, management, and treatment of equine species. This field involves various aspects of equine health, including preventive care, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, surgical interventions, and emergency care. Equine veterinarians employ a range of diagnostic tools and techniques such as physical examinations, imaging, and laboratory tests to assess and monitor horse health. In addition to addressing physical ailments, veterinary practice also includes nutritional management, reproductive health, and performance-related issues. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, advancements, and outcomes in veterinary practices specific to equine health.
Pascoe RR.Repair of a rupture of the bladder in a foal
has been reported in Australia by Bain (1954).
The condition is well recognised in veterinary
literature and been described by Leader (1952),
Du Plessis (1958), Darbishire (1961) and Kealy
(1961). The usual case, as reported by Leader
(1952), is that of a dorsal tear. The present
paper describes a case with several variations
from those previously reported.
Jacklin B.Ben Jacklin is equine director and consultant veterinary surgeon at CVS UK. He is a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons and an RCVS and ECVS Specialist in equine surgery.
Sonnichsen HV.Dexon is a new, synthetic, absorbable suture material. Its applicability for suturing distally in the extremities of horses was tested in 65 cases. The indications included burried sutures as well as skin closure. It was concluded that the material can be used with advantage in cases traditionally sutured with catgut, vetafil or mersilene. It is technically a pleasant material and has further the advantage that it shall not be removed.
Johnson BJ.Immediately record the findings. A tape recorder would be excellent for this. If none is available, findings should be written down as soon as possible before memory of the examination fades. It is important to record comments on every organ that you examined. Three years from now in a court deposition, it may be difficult for the practitioner to remember if he looked at the adrenal glands or if there was no gross evidence of hyperplasia. When writing a report, it is a good idea to describe the tissue changes rather than just to give an interpretation. An example of the latter would be, "The h...
Attenburrow DP.The development of a radio-stethoscope for horses is described. The equipment consisted of a sound transducer applied to the skin adjacent to the trachea and a radio transmitter attached to the saddle. The signals emitted were detected by telemetry and recorded on a magnetic tape-recorder. The recorder incorporated a monitor earphone so that sounds could be reproduced at the time of recording. The frequency response obtainable ranged from a few Hz to 4 KHz. This technique provided an objective means of studying the respiratory sounds generated during exercise although absolute values could not...
Sinha AK, Hendrickson DA, Kannegieter NJ.The initial clinical signs displayed by two horses with head trauma are described and related to the pathology and management of the condition, to illustrate the diversity of signs that may result from similar events. It is suggested that careful repeated neurological investigations are more reliable prognostic indicators in cases of equine head trauma than a reliance on the initial assessment.
Spoo W.Poisoning resulting from exposure to a wide variety of industrial chemicals is not a common occurrence in horses, but it does happen on occasion. A wide range of toxicosis can occur from a wide range of industrial pollutants, such as dioxin, carbon tetrachloride, and tetrachloroethylene, to heavy metals, such as cadmium and zinc. The equine practitioner must consider industrial chemical toxicosis in differential diagnoses and work with a reputable veterinary diagnostic laboratory to confirm or rule out industrial chemical poisoning.
Averay K, van Galen G, Ward M, Verwilghen D.Equine small intestinal resection and anastomosis is a procedure where optimizing speed, without compromising integrity, is advantageous. There are a range of different needle holders available, but little is published on the impact surgical instrumentation has on surgical technique in veterinary medicine. The objectives of this study were to investigate if the needle holder type influences the anastomosis construction time, the anastomosis bursting pressure and whether the bursting pressure is influenced by the anastomosis construction time. Single layer end-to-end jejunojejunal anastomoses w...
Duncan JL, Dargie JD.The migratory route of infective Strongylus vulgaris larvae was determined: penetration of small and large intestine into the lumina of submucosal arteries, migration up the arterial tree, reaching the cranial mesenteric site by three weeks, where the larvae develop to the mature 4th stage. After 3-4 months they exsheath and the young adults migrate down the arteries towards the intestines, to the limit of arterial narrowing, from where they rupture from nodules into the lumen of the intestine. The prepatent period is about 6 months. The clinical syndrome was similar to, but less severe than t...
Lesser FR, Cowles RR.In this article, the author discusses the design of an equine ambulatory practice. He suggests a more systematic approach to the design of an ambulatory practice that should answer the needs of group and solo practices. Today's practitioners must actively manage their practices so that their resources can be leveraged in such a fashion that a return can be realized on their capital investment and the hours spent in practice.
Kretzschmar C, Krüger M.Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity in the circulation of several animal species was determined by a bioassay, using the murine cell line L929. In healthy adult cattle, horses, pigs and dogs, species specific differences of systemic TNF activity were visible. In cattle, TNF activity in the circulation increased during growing up from calf to adult animal. In cattle suffering from various diseases, unchanged, elevated, but also reduced systemic TNF activity have proved to possess clinical relevance. Low systemic TNF activity frequently occurs during lethal inflammatory diseases and may be an i...
May SA, Hooke RE, Lees P.Chondrocytes subjected to adverse culture conditions in vitro are stimulated to produce the eicosanoid prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and the neutral metalloproteinase stromelysin (proteoglycanase). This indicates the potential role of the chondrocyte in cartilage degeneration in equine clinical joint disease and suggests a mechanism which may be involved in the potentiation of the effects of other inflammatory mediators. Therefore, adverse conditions within the joint, such as decreased pH in an inflammatory focus and decreased access of nutrients to deeper layers of cartilage, might contribute to th...
Volland-Francqueville M, Sabbah A.When medical history and clinical examination for a recurrent or chronic cough reveal the presence of perennial allergy, the practitioner would be advised to look for mites present in the horse's environment. He can propose this service to his clients.
Steffey EP, Willits N, Wong P, Hildebrand SV, Wheat JD, Meagher DM, Hodgson D, Pascoe JR, Heath RB, Dunlop C.Fifty-eight foals were divided into two groups for study of aspects of the clinical anesthetic management of foals and to characterize effects of halothane (n = 30) and isoflurane (n = 28) in foals. There were no significant differences (P greater than 0.05) in the demographics of the two groups. Results of hemograms and biochemical analysis of venous blood samples before and after anesthesia were either not influenced or only mildly (clinically unimportant) affected by either agent. Like adult horses, foals have an increased PaCO2 when anesthetized with inhaled anesthetics. We could detect no...
Kawcak CE, Baxter GM.Recent innovations in surgical materials have helped to enhance wound healing and protect surgical wounds from infection. Materials such as polyglyconate have been evaluated in equine tissues and found efficacious. Other materials, such as poliglecaprone 25, appear to have qualities useful to equine surgery but are untested in equine tissues. Care must be taken to fully evaluate a new surgical material because its usefulness in equine tissues may not match that in human or laboratory animal tissues. Furthermore, use of disposable materials in surgery, although considered ideal for maintenance ...
Hurtig MB, Livesey MA.Two horses were examined because of chronic lameness, which followed arthroscopy in one case, and tendon sheath lavage in a second case. Clinical investigations linked both cases to the use of irrigating fluids containing preservatives. The clinical signs were reproduced in a Shetland pony by injection and lavage of the carpal joints with the same fluid. Lameness was slow in onset and accompanied by profound periarticular fibrosis. Postmortem examination confirmed the presence of a severe, erosive, noninfectious arthritis that may have an immune-mediated component. Clinicians should read produ...
Gabel AA.During 1975 and 1976, 70 Standardbred horses with cunean bursitis-tarsitis were treated by cunean tenectomy or by more conservative approaches (rested, given corticosteroid injections in the cunean bursa and distal hock articulations, given an oral course of phenylbutazone, a combination of these) or were sold. In 1975, owners were urged to have cunean tenectomy done to horses that appeared to have potential to race well, and in 1976, the more conservative methods of management and treatment were recommended. Statistical analysis of racing performance data led to the conclusion that there was ...
Riebold TW.In conclusion, monitoring the depth of anesthesia plays an integral role in the anesthetic regimen. Although the use of sophisticated monitoring equipment has replaced some of the art of anesthesia and made assessment of depth of anesthesia more precise, a vigilant clinician still needs to serve as the animal's advocate. He or she must gather the data that are generated by machines, acquire data that monitoring equipment cannot obtain, assimilate all the facts, and make appropriate changes in anesthetic management.
Suarez-Fuentes DG, Caston SS, Tatarniuk DM, Kersh KD, Ferrero NR.Contaminated or septic navicular bursitis has been reported to have a guarded prognosis after surgical treatment with navicular bursotomy only. In our experience, the use of navicular bursotomy for the treatment of this disease in combination with systemic and local delivery of antimicrobials can provide a good prognosis, even in horses with chronic disease. Objective: To report the outcome of horses undergoing navicular bursotomy for the treatment of contaminated or septic navicular bursitis. Methods: Descriptive case series. Methods: Navicular bursotomy was performed in combination with syst...
McCarthy PH.The anatomy of each feature and structure of the laryngeal and adjacent regions, as perceived by palpation, is described for clinically normal standing horses. Visible skin contours produced by some of the superficial structures are also described. Concurrent dissection was performed on fresh cadavers to confirm initial findings. The procedure of systematic palpation in relation to clinical diagnosis and surgical procedure is discussed.
Ponthier J, de la Rebière G, Salciccia A, Deleuze S.In mares, endometrial cysts are associated with endometriosis and can cause maternal recognition failure or compromise and delay pregnancy diagnoses. Historical treatments were invasive and had adverse effects on the endometrium. Hysteroscopically guided laser therapy is easy and effective for endometrial cysts resection, with no deleterious effects for the endometrium. A 110 cm long and 1.0 cm wide endoscope is sterilely introduced in the uterus through the open cervix of an estrous mare after vulvar cleaning. The uterus is slowly infused with less than 1 L of physiologic solution and the las...
Caudle AB, Pugh DG.The object of restraint is to limit, restrict, and keep under control the animal's movement while performing different procedures. The author discusses the importance of evaluating the horse and its owner prior to employing any type of restraint, various concepts of restraint, and examples of situations in which restraint may be required.
Wise IK, Klöppel H, Leece EA.Ketamine-based total intravenous anaesthesia techniques are commonly used in equine practice for ponies requiring short procedures such as castration in field conditions. When a longer duration of recumbency than provided by the initial dose of anaesthetic agents is required, administration of supplementary 'top-up' doses of anaesthetic agents is required. Ideally, a single dose of anaesthetic agents would reliably achieve a longer duration of action whilst maintaining adequate anaesthetic, surgical and recovery qualities. Objective: This prospective, randomised and blinded study aimed to comp...
van Miert AS.A study of the literature was done because of questions asked in a court of justice concerning possible poisoning in a jumper, resulting from administration of both phenylbutazone and a coumarin derivative within a particular period. In view of the mechanisms of action and the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the agents, these forms of combined treatment are also highly inadvisable in horses.
Klohnen A, Trostle SS, Stone WC, Johanningmeier D, Wilson DG, Hendrickson DA.A yearling horse was presented with a septic, transverse fracture in the frontal plane of the distal phalanx. The fracture fragment was surgically removed from the parent bone via the sole. The foot was managed by corrective farriery and the horse was able to be ridden for pleasure.
Van Hoogmoed L, Snyder JR.The medical management of postoperative abdominal disorders remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the equine clinician. Recent advances in the development of techniques and medications to offset or attenuate ischemia-reperfusion injury, endotoxemia, and ileus are encouraging and potentially will decrease the incidence of additional complications.
van Foreest A.Rooted in human dentistry, veterinary dentistry has developed steadily in the Netherlands since the 1980s and is now recognized as an essential discipline of veterinary medicine. The availability of specialized tools and techniques has led to improved treatment outcomes and results, with the choice of treatment being largely determined by the functionality of the dentition and the costs involved. Domestic animals and horses with dental problems should be referred to dental veterinarians. The Working Group Veterinary Dentistry in the Netherlands is an association for skilled veterinarians with ...
Drumev D.Stated is the use of promising therapeutic formulae that produce prophylactic, metaphylactic, and curative effects at lower input of labour and handling, inciting lower unrest with animals, belonging chiefly to the type of the so-called 'therapeutic systems'. Particular attention is paid to drugs for programmed, continuous, and checkable release of the active ingredients in compliance with what is needed at the time (sustained release forms)-type OROS (oral osmotic system), type 'liquid reservoir', type 'glass cylinders', tablets and boluses of higher relative weight, or multilayer and mosaic ...
Squires EL.Twinning is a major cause of abortion in mares. Although early management of twins is quite successful, twins that remain after 40 days are difficult to manage. This article reviews the current knowledge of the use of transvaginal ultrasound probe for elimination of twins. Several techniques are presented, as well as discussion on the best time during gestation for this technique to be used.
Tellhelm B, Fritsch R, Reckels FJ.Requirements for optimal radiography of the horsetoe are described. Examples are given for getting X-rays of high quality under practice conditions, by using special intensifying screens and all the possibilities of radiological technique to guarantee a short exposure time.
Looijen MGP, Hanousek K, Maree JTM, Visser MC, Berner D.There is wide variability in radiographic grading systems in thoracolumbar spinous processes in horses. The aim of this study was to determine the agreement of grading different parameters, and combinations of those, in radiographs of the spinous processes of the equine thoracolumbar spine in the scope of a pre-purchase examination. We hypothesized that agreement is variable and interpretation of these radiographs is difficult. Methods: Radiographs of the thoracolumbar spine of healthy horses (N = 100) were assessed by three observers. Spinous processes were separately graded for interspinou...
