Veterinary research in horses encompasses the study of diseases, health management, and medical treatments specific to equine species. This field investigates various aspects of horse health, including infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and musculoskeletal conditions. Researchers focus on understanding the pathophysiology of equine ailments, developing diagnostic tools, and evaluating therapeutic interventions. The study of horse health also involves examining preventive measures such as vaccination protocols and nutritional management to promote overall well-being. This page collects peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the diverse areas of veterinary science related to horses, providing insights into disease mechanisms, treatment strategies, and advancements in equine healthcare.
Hackett MS, Hackett RP.Ten young horses with signs of simple partial obstruction of the small intestine were found upon surgical exploration of the abdomen to have chronic intussusception of the distal ileum into the cecum. Poor general physical condition, intermittent or continual abdominal pain of varying degree, depression, and poor appetite were consistent clinical findings. Rectal palpation in eight animals was suggestive of an incomplete or intermittent obstruction of the small intestine. Laboratory determinations were not helpful in making a diagnosis. Dilatation and hypertrophy of the distal jejunum and ileu...
Cornelissen BP, Rijkenhuizen AB, Kersten W, Németh F.In chronical proximal sesamoid bone lameness it is difficult to localise the exact site of pain. A specific diagnostic analgesia is not available because of a deficiency of detailed information about the nerve supply to the proximal sesamoid bones and surrounding area. A macroscopic study of the nerve distribution to the proximal sesamoid bones of 10 foals and 5 adult horses revealed that these bones are innervated by two branches, in this study called the medial and lateral sesamoidean nerve, respectively, originating from the medial and lateral palmar nerve. Histology of the left forelimbs o...
Charnock LN, Boveland SD, Groover ES, Moore PA, McMullen RJ.Evaluate the effects of corneoconjunctival transposition (CCT), posterior lamellar keratoplasty (PLK) and modified deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) on streak retinoscopy in equine cadaver eyes. Methods: Intraocular pressure (IOP) was maintained at 25 ± 3 mmHg in 35 equine cadaver eyes. Streak retinoscopy was performed prior to (NO VISCO) and following (VISCO) intracameral injection of 1.0 ml of viscoelastic. Following optical coherence tomography (OCT), an axial CCT [n = 11] or PLK [n = 12], or peripheral DLEK [n = 12] was performed. Streak retinoscopy and OCT were r...
Suwannachot P, Verkleij CB, Kocsis S, van Weeren PR, Evertst ME.The purpose of the present study was to determine whether training and detraining affect the Na+,K+-ATPase concentration in horse skeletal muscles, and whether these effects are specific for the muscles involved in the training programme. Twenty-four Dutch Warmblood foals age 7 days were assigned randomly to 3 groups: Box (box-rest without training), Training (box-rest with training: short-sprint) and Pasture (pasture without training). Exercise regimens were carried out for 5 months and were followed by 6 months of detraining. Five of the foals in each group were subjected to euthanasia at ag...
Cervantes DT, Ball JM, Edwards J, Payne S.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) causes lifelong infections ranging from acutely fatal, to chronic, to asymptomatic. Within infected animals, EIAV is found as a quasispecies. Many experimental studies on EIAV, carried out in the U.S. over the past 70 years, have used either the highly virulent Wyoming (EIAVWYO) field strain or various derivatives of that strain. These infections have provided insights into the variety of genetic changes that accumulate in the env gene and LTR in experimentally infected horses. In the current study, we obtained EIAV sequences from blood samples collected f...
Bergfelt DR, Gastal EL, Ginther OJ.The increase in LH concentrations at the time of the decrease in FSH concentrations during follicle deviation in mares was studied to determine the role of LH in the production of estradiol and immunoreactive inhibin (ir-inhibin). Ten days after ovulation, all follicles > or =6 mm were ablated, prostaglandin F(2 alpha) was given, and either 0 mg (control group, n = 15) or 100 mg of progesterone in safflower oil (treated group, n = 16) was given daily for 14 days, encompassing the day of diameter deviation. The follicular and hormonal data were normalized to the expected day of the beginning...
Twele L, Neudeck S, Delarocque J, Verhaar N, Reiners J, Noll M, Tünsmeyer J, Kästner SBR.High-definition oscillometry (HDO) over the metatarsal artery (MA) in anaesthetised horses has not yet been evaluated. This study aimed to assess agreement between HDO and invasive blood pressure (IBP) at the metatarsal artery, and to evaluate compliance with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) consensus guidelines. In this experimental study, 11 horses underwent general anaesthesia for an unrelated, terminal surgical trial. Instrumentation included an IBP catheter in one and an HDO cuff placed over the contralateral MA, as well as thermodilution catheters. Systolic ar...
Hutchens DE, Paul AJ, DiPietro JA, Lock TF, Jones CJ, Rowley DD, Wallace RW.A controlled test was conducted to assess the efficacy bioequivalence of a single dose of 0.5% fenbendazole (FBZ) top dress pellets to a 10% FBZ suspension formulation (Panacur suspension 10%, Hoechst Roussel Vet). Thirty horses with naturally-acquired parasite infections, in replicates of three, were used. Strongyle egg per gram counts were not significantly different (P>0.1) between groups pretreatment, but FBZ treated groups were significantly different from the control group post-treatment. At necropsy, which occurred seven to nine days post-treatment, two methods of nematode recovery were...
Winder NC, Gruenig G, Hermann M, Howald B, von Fellenberg R.Equine respiratory secretions (RS) collected before (33 horses) and after (76 horses) slaughter were evaluated cytologically and grouped according to the histological diagnosis of the lungs from which they were obtained. The histological categories included normal lungs (control; 17 horses), chronic small airway disease with mild (23 horses), moderate (13 horses) and severe lesions (25 horses), interstitial pneumonia (13 horses), pulmonary eosinophilic infiltration (13 horses) and pulmonary haemorrhage (5 horses). On a group basis there were significantly more neutrophils in RS of horses with ...
Allen JL, Herbert G, Muscatello G, Gilkerson JR.Bronchopneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi is an important disease of young horses throughout the world. Although early diagnosis and treatment improves the prognosis, this also increases the amount of antimicrobial usage and therefore increases the likelihood of resistance developing. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the level of resistance to commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents of 97 virulent Rhodococcus equi isolates. Methods: Analysis of archived samples. Methods: Virulent Rhodococcus equi isolates were collected between 1991 and 2014 from clinically affected horses ...
Ringeisen H, Pöschke A, Krähling B, Schröck C, Stoll M, Vogelsberg J, Failing K, Staszyk C.Therapy for equine periodontal disease can include filling of the periodontal pockets and widened interproximal spaces. Recommended dental materials are generally adopted from human dentistry. Objective: To evaluate the biocompatibility of dental materials for equine periodontal fillings in vitro. Methods: In vitro experiments. Methods: Four different dental materials (PeriCare , Provicol , Calxyl and Honigum) were tested on equine periodontal fibroblasts. Possible cytotoxic effects were assessed microscopically and by MTT assay, and the expression of inflammatory marker genes was measured by...
Ellerbrock RE, Canisso IF, Podico G, Roady PJ, Uhl E, Lima FS, Li Z.While recent work demonstrated that enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin reach the fetoplacental unit without causing obvious lesions in the 9-month-old equine fetus or resulting foal, many practitioners still hesitate to prescribe a fluoroquinolone during pregnancy. Since early gestation is a critical time for fetal skeletal development, if fluoroquinolones are chondrotoxic to the fetus at any point during gestation, this period would be important. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of 2 weeks' exposure to enrofloxacin on the equine fetus between 46 and 60 days gestation. Twelve pregna...
Costello S, Heffron B, Taddei L, Benoit M, Hurt L, Simpson L, Bishop J, Folker-Calderon D, Negrusz A.Fluphenazine, a potent antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia in humans, is used in racehorses as a performance-enhancing drug, and for that reason it has been banned by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for detecting and quantitating fluphenazine in equine serum was developed and validated. The method was then employed to quantitate fluphenazine in serum samples collected from three study horses after intramuscular injection of fluphenazine decanoate. Stability testing showed that fluphenazine is stable in unextra...
Lochner F, Sherban DG, Sangiah S, Mauromoustakos A.Using a modified bovine milk enzyme kinetic assay, xanthine oxidase activity of serum collected from 34 adult, healthy horses of both sexes was determined. Enzyme activity varied from 0 to 126 mU litre-1 with a mean of 44.95 +/- 21.05 mU litre-1. The optimal pH and temperature for maximal activity were 7.8 and 28 degrees C, respectively. Freezing the serum for four days at -70 degrees C did not destroy the enzyme activity. Various doses (25, 50 and 75 micrograms kg-1, intraperitoneally) of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide D1 Escherichia coli O26:B6) previously known to have caused moderate to sev...
Gerken DF, Sams RA.Although all the factors discussed in this article may have an effect on drug withholding time estimates, the factors that have the potential for the greatest effect or that have been found to cause positive tests in the past are 1. Dosage: Increasing the drug dosage will require a longer withholding time. 2. Dosing interval: Narrowing the dosing interval will require a longer withholding time. 3. Administration route: In general, oral administration results in lower peak plasma concentrations but may result in longer excretion in the urine and therefore longer withholding time. 4. Drug intera...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of an essential oil obtained from the oleoresin of Aiton (pine white oil, also known as turpentine oil), when used as a sensory additive in feed and water for drinking for all animal species. The Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) concluded that the essential oil under assessment is safe up to the maximum proposed use levels of 35 mg/kg for laying hens, piglets, pigs for fattening, sows, rabbits, salmonids, 50 mg/kg for veal ca...
Reiners SR, Jann HW, Stein LE, Good JK, Claypool PL.To compare the healing and mechanical strength of a multiple split autologous tendon graft (MG) to a whole autologous tendon graft (WG) in the deep digital flexor tendon of ponies. Methods: In vitro evaluation of two different tendon-grafting techniques. Methods: Six ponies of mixed gender and age. Methods: Tenotomies performed in forelimb deep digital flexor tendons (DDFT) distal to the insertion of the accessory ligament (AL-DDFT) were repaired with free autologous grafts from the hindlimb lateral digital extensor tendon (LDET). Grafts were either whole (WG) or split into three longitudinal ...
Cottrell DF, Jones AF, Potter KE.Electromanometric recordings of caecal pressures were made in chronically cannulated ponies. Endoscopy allowed direct observation of the caecal base and cupola while recording intracaecal pressures and enabled a functional interpretation of caecal pressure profiles. Using gas-tight seals, the caecal gas cap baseline pressure (tone) was usually below atmosphere, becoming less negative postprandially. Diurnal variations were observed in the amplitude and frequency of caecal pressure profiles and the direction of caecal movements, during which intra-caecal gas cap pressures briefly became positiv...
Góss GC, Mozzaquatro FD, Vanhove R, Camargo LP, Döwich Pradella G, Leite CT, Gomes EM, Carneiro ALM, Heckler GF, Duarte CA.The physiological measurements of collateral ligaments of distal interphalangeal joint (CL-DIPJ) differ in the literature. The factors that influence these differences are not well described. The aims of this study are to compare CL-DIPJ sizes in equines with different withers height, as well as to correlate body weight and hoof size to the size of these ligaments. In total, 52 horses were used in the study. They were divided into two groups according to wither height: Group 1 (G1) - 21 animals with up to 147 cm - and group 2 (G2) - 21 animals with greater than 148 cm. CL-DIPJ was ultrasonog...
Leaper DJ, Foster ME, Brennan SS, Davies PW.Magnetic fields have been considered for treating many ailments over man's history. There have been many anecdotal unsupported claims for successful treatment of soft tissue injury although reports have been more substantive in the orthopaedic field. The widespread clinical and veterinary use of a light self-adhesive magnetic foil in Europe prompted this trial of experimental wound healing. One hundred and sixty Sprague-Dawley rats had a linear 2.5 cm incision or a circular 1 cm skin defect made over the mid-dorsal spine. Equal numbers were randomised to receive either a magnetic foil or a dum...
Ramos MGDSN, Campos SDE, Strauch MA, Ott LC, Macieira DB, de Alencar NX, Lessa DAB.Indisputably, the use of antivenoms for the treatment of snakebite envenoming is beneficial for the victims. However, there are few studies addressing the effect of long-term hyperimmunization in inoculated horses. It is known that the injection of snake venoms and adjuvants leads to local and systemic reactions in horses, but little is known about the response of inflammatory proteins. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum proteins and the electrophoretic profile of horses undergoing crotalid venom hyperimmunization. Twenty horses were divided into two groups: an inoculated group, compr...
Simons V, Weller R, Stubbs NC, Rombach N, Pfau T.Training and rehabilitation techniques which improve core muscle strength are beneficial for improvement of dynamic stability of the equine vertebral column. The Equiband™ system, consisting of resistance bands attached to a customised saddle pad, is suggested to provide constant proprioceptive feedback during motion to encourage recruitment of abdominal and hindquarter musculature. Objective: To quantify the effect of the Equiband™ system on back kinematics and movement symmetry. Methods: Longitudinal intervention study. Methods: Quantitative analysis of back movement and gait symmetry be...
Lakritz J, Wilson WD, Marsh AE, Mihalyi JE.Plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetics of erythromycin and related compounds were determined after administration of erythromycin ethylsuccinate to six healthy male foals 3 to 5 months of age. Hay was withheld from the foals overnight and erythromycin ethylsuccinate (25 mg/kg of body weight) was administered intragastrically. Plasma erythromycin concentrations were determined at specific times after drug administration by high-performance liquid chromatography assay. Maximum peak plasma concentrations, time to maximum concentrations, area under plasma concentration versus time curves, elim...
So YM, Wong JKY, Wong ASY, Tse ATL, Wan TSM, Ho ENM.The erythropoietin mimetic peptide 1 linear form (EMP1-linear), GGTYSCHFGPLTWVCKPQGG-NH , was identified in an unknown preparation consisting of white crystalline powder contained in sealed glass vials using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). The white crystalline powder, allegedly used for doping racehorses, was found to contain around 2% (w/w) of EMP1-linear. EMP1-linear can be cyclised in equine plasma at physiological temperature of 37°C by forming an intramolecular disulfide bond to give EMP1, which is a well-known erythropoiesis st...
Chapman DI, Close PM, Moss MS, Snow DH.A radioimmunological method was used as a screening procedure to determine the period of detection or "clearance time", for the horse, of therapeutic doses of the synthetic anabolic steroid nandrolone phenylpropionate. Seven horses, either at rest or being exercised, were given a course of weekly intramuscular injections of the steroid. On the separate occasion, some of the horses were given a single intramuscular injection of the same compound. The weekly injections maintained a high plasma concentration of nandrolone and/or metabolites. The mean (+/- sd) period of detection in plasma of thes...
Goto H, Yamamoto Y, Ohta C, Shirahata T, Higuchi T, Ohishi H.A total of 305 horse sera collected in the Hidaka district of Hokkaido in the years 1988-90 were tested for the presence of hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies to A/equine/Newmarket/1/77 (H7N7), A/equine/Tokyo/2/71 (H3N8) and A/equine/Kentucky/1/81 (H3N8, Kentucky) strains of equine influenza (EI) virus. Antibodies to the 3 strains were detected in hardly of the 45 sera from 2-years-old horses which were collected before vaccination. Many of the 51 horses, after vaccination with inactivated EI virus, had HI antibodies to the 3 strains in 37 to 88 per cent. However, the number of positi...
Palmer SE.The use of carbon dioxide and Nd:YAG lasers has expanded the capabilities of equine surgeons. These lasers are used to incise, vaporize, and coagulate tissue with minimal hemorrhage and reduced morbidity to the patient. In this article, practical fundamentals of laser surgery are briefly reviewed, and selected standing laser procedures of the head and neck are discussed.
Ginther OJ.Traveling of the fetal-amniotic unit throughout the uterus ceases on ∼ Day 180 followed by closure of each uterine horn. By mean Day 240, the fetus and nearly all of the pool of allantoic fluid are confined to the uterine body. Intrauterine fetal-location changes end, but in-place activity of limbs, head, and body and changes in fetal recumbency and presentation continue, sometimes vigorously. Preference for cranial presentation (fetal sternum toward maternal cervix) has been hypothesized to be stimulated by ∼ 40° incline of uterine body toward the cervix. The uterine body expands forward...
Kooreman KM, Fessler JF, Voorhees C, Geddes LA, Latshaw HS, Voorhees WD.In this preliminary study, artificial respiration was produced in four anesthetized horses using trains of stimuli applied to long needle electrodes inserted bilaterally at the base of the neck. The needles were insulated to within 1 cm of the tips. The frequency of the stimuli (0.1 msec) was 35/sec and the train duration (duration of inspiration) was 1 sec. Inspired volume increased with increasing stimulus intensity. In two animals, inspired volumes of 6 liters were achieved. In another animal 4.5 liters was achieved and in another, 2.5 liters. This lower value probably represented less-than...
Dougherty SS, Santangelo KS, Bertone AL.To evaluate 2 commercially available transfection reagents for transfection efficiency and distribution of small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules to chondrocytes in monolayer cultures and full-thickness cartilage explants from guinea pigs and horses. Methods: Cartilage explants from 5 one-month-old and 3 adult guinea pigs and 5 adult clinically normal horses. Methods: Monolayer chondrocytes and uniform cartilage explants were exposed to 1 of 2 siRNA transfection complexes according to manufacturers' protocols (1μM [1×]). Additionally, monolayer chondrocytes were exposed to 2× the suggested...
