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.
Lansade L, Coutureau E, Marchand A, Baranger G, Valenchon M, Calandreau L.Pavlovian to instrumental transfer (PIT) is a central factor in how cues influence animal behavior. PIT refers to the capacity of a Pavlovian cue that predicts a reward to elicit or increase a response intended to obtain the same reward. In the present study, using an equine model, we assessed whether PIT occurs in hoofed domestic animals and whether its efficacy can be modulated by temperamental dimensions. To study PIT, horses were submitted to Pavlovian conditioning whereby an auditory-visual stimulus was repeatedly followed by food delivery. Then, horses were submitted to instrumental cond...
Hilla D, Distl O.In this study, the prevalences of osteochondral fragments in the distal (DUI) and proximal interphalangeal joints (PIJ) as well as in the fetlock, hock and stifle joints, of palmar/plantar osteochondral fragments in the fetlock joints (POFs) and of osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) in fetlock, hock and stifle joints were estimated in a large sample of Hanoverian Warmblood horses. For this purpose, radiographic findings of 9478 Hanoverian Warmblood horses collected from 2005 to 2011 were analyzed. Overall 31.9% of the horses showed one or more osteochondral fragments in at least one joint. The fe...
Lassaline-Utter M, Miller C, Wotman KL.To review the signalment, clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome of equine EK cases in the Mid-Atlantic United States; to evaluate the effects of topical or systemic corticosteroid treatment, oral cetirizine treatment and secondary corneal infection on disease duration; and to evaluate the association between corticosteroid and cetirizine treatment and likelihood of recurrence. Methods: Twenty-seven horses (47 eyes) diagnosed with EK from 2008 to 2012. Methods: Retrospective medical record review followed by phone interview to obtain recurrence data. Results: Average age of affected ...
Meyers-Brown GA, McCue PM, Troedsson MH, Klein C, Zent W, Ferris RA, Lindholm AR, Scofield DB, Claes AN, Morganti M, Colgin MA, Wetzel RL, Peters AR....Traditionally, mares are put under artificial lights to advance the first ovulation of the year. The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of recombinant equine FSH (reFSH) in stimulating follicular development and advancing the first ovulation of the year in seasonally anestrous mares compared with anestrous mares given a placebo. Both groups of mares were housed under ambient light conditions. Sixty deep anestrous mares of light horse breeds (follicular diameters ≤ 20 mm in diameter and progesterone <1 ng/mL) were maintained under a natural photoperiod at three differen...
Craigo JK, Ezzelarab C, Cook SJ, Chong L, Horohov D, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.Lentiviral envelope (Env) antigenic variation and associated immune evasion present major obstacles to vaccine development. The concept that Env is a critical determinant for vaccine efficacy is well accepted, however defined correlates of protection associated with Env variation have yet to be determined. We reported an attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine study that directly examined the effect of lentiviral Env sequence variation on vaccine efficacy. The study identified a significant, inverse, linear correlation between vaccine efficacy and increasing divergence of the ...
Tremaine H.The last decade has seen a number of studies that have illuminated our knowledge of hypsodont dental disease and re-examined some of the traditionally performed practices. In addition there has been a major interest in routine preventative dentistry and non-traumatic treatments. These have highlighted some potential risks of the use of modern tools when applied to traditional techniques. This has also led to a reflective review of equine dentistry with the emphasis on attempting to preserve and salvage dental and periodontal tissues, with minimal trauma. In addition, precise imaging and instru...
Wulf M, Wohlsein P, Aurich JE, Nees M, Baumgärtner W, Aurich C.Identification of horses by microchip transponder is mandatory within the European Union with only a few exceptions. In this study, the readability of such microchips in 428 horses with three different scanners (A, B and C) and the histological changes at the implantation site in 16 animals were assessed. Identification of microchips differed between scanners (P<0.001), and with 'side of neck' (P<0.001). Scanners A, B and C identified 93.5%, 89.7% and 100% of microchips, respectively, on the 'chip-bearing' side of the neck. From the contralateral side, scanners A, B a...
Galvão AM, Ferreira-Dias G, Skarzynski DJ.In adults, physiological angiogenesis is a rare event, with few exceptions as the vasculogenesis needed for tissue growth and function in female reproductive organs. Particularly in the corpus luteum (CL), regulation of angiogenic process seems to be tightly controlled by opposite actions resultant from the balance between pro- and antiangiogenic factors. It is the extremely rapid sequence of events that determines the dramatic changes on vascular and nonvascular structures, qualifying the CL as a great model for angiogenesis studies. Using the mare CL as a model, reports on locally produced c...
Lester HE, Spanton J, Stratford CH, Bartley DJ, Morgan ER, Hodgkinson JE, Coumbe K, Mair T, Swan B, Lemon G, Cookson R, Matthews JB.Cyathostomins are considered to be the most important group of helminths to affect equids due to their high prevalence, potential pathogenicity and ability to develop anthelmintic resistance. Their control relies almost exclusively on frequent anthelmintic use. Currently, fenbendazole (FBZ), pyrantel embonate (PYR), ivermectin (IVM) and moxidectin (MOX) are licensed for use in horses in the UK. With no new anthelmintics likely to be licensed in the near future, it is essential that investigations into the efficacy of current anthelmintics in different locations are performed to help inform con...
Bovell DL, Riggs CM, Sidlow G, Troester S, MacLaren W, Yip W, Ko WH.Fluid secretion by sweat glands in response to heat and exercise is underpinned by increases in intracellular calcium. In horses, this is primarily via β2-adrenoceptors, but studies in equine sweat gland cell lines have indicated a possible role for purinergic agonists. Knowledge of equine sweating stimulus-secretion mechanisms in intact glands from healthy animals would allow future comparison to determine whether these mechanisms are affected in equine anhidrosis. Objective: To determine whether purinergic agonists can induce changes in intracellular calcium in intact, freshly isolated equi...
Horsington J, Lynch SE, Gilkerson JR, Studdert MJ, Hartley CA.Of the many members that comprise the family Picornaviridae, only two species are known to infect horses: equine rhinitis A virus (ERAV) and equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV). Each species now occupies a distinct phylogenetic branch within the family, with the single serotype of ERAV grouping with the aphthoviruses, such as foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), and the three serotypes of ERBV as the sole members of the genus Erbovirus. The high seroprevalence of equine picornaviruses in horse populations worldwide contrasts with the relatively few reports of detection of these viruses and poor und...
Couto N, Belas A, Tilley P, Couto I, Gama LT, Kadlec K, Schwarz S, Pomba C.The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocide and antimicrobial susceptibility of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal isolates from horses. Fourteen methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) were subjected to an extensive genotype characterization, including SCCmec, dru, spa, PFGE and MLST typing. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed and resistance genes were detected by PCR. Minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of four biocides [chlorhexidine acetate (CHA), benzalkonium chloride (BAC), triclosan (TCL) and glutaraldehyde (GLA)] were determined following the recommendat...
McIlwraith CW.The paper reviews current knowledge on conservative versus surgical options for the treatment of osteochondrosis entities in the horse. Clinical and radiographic signs of each significant osteochondrosis entity in the horse are presented, followed by the value of conservative treatment versus arthroscopic surgery options as well as the results for each option with the various entities. The entities presented in detail include, osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the femoropatellar, tarsocrural, metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal, and glenohumural articulations. The various treatment op...
Lykkjen S, Dolvik NI, McCue ME, Rendahl AK, Mickelson JR, Røed KH.Palmar/plantar osteochondral fragments (POF) in fetlock joints commonly affect and influence the athletic performance of horses. In this study, we used the Equine SNP50 BeadChip® to perform a genome-wide association study of metatarsophalangeal POF in 176 Norwegian Standardbred trotter yearlings. Putative quantitative trait loci (QTL) for medial and/or lateral POF, and medial POF only were identified on ECA1, 2, 7, 9 and 31, whereas for lateral POF, only on ECA7, 11, 27 and X. The moderate number of QTL evidences a complex inheritance and suggests various genes controlling POF development in ...
Waldschmidt I, Pirottin D, Art T, Audigié F, Bureau F, Tosi I, El Abbas S, Farnir F, Richard E, Dupuis MC.Pulmonary diseases are common in horses and have a major economic impact on the equine industry. Some of them could be associated with an inadequate immune response in the lung, but methods to evaluate this response in horses are lacking. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an experimental model that could be applied in several physiological and pathological conditions to assess the innate immune response of equine pulmonary cells. Equine alveolar macrophages (AMs) obtained from bronchoalveolar lavages were isolated from other cells by adhesion. TLR2, 3, and 4 expression in AMs w...
Oel C, Gerhards H, Gehlen H.Analysis of any effect of retrobulbar block during ocular surgery on heart rate variability and oculocardiac reflex. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: Horses (n = 16) undergoing eye enucleation due to chronic ophthalmologic diseases. Methods: Eye enucleation was performed under general anesthesia. The horses were randomly assigned to the first (inhalation anesthesia only, n = 10) or second group (inhalation and local retrobulbar anesthesia, n = 6). The retrobulbar block was performed using 12 mL of mepivacaine hydrochloride 2%. ECG data were taken by a Telemetric ECG before, during, and aft...
Wagner B, Ainsworth DM, Freer H.Soluble CD14 (sCD14) binds bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and acts as an anti-inflammatory LPS-inhibitor in vivo. In humans, sCD14 is one of the soluble biomarkers used for various inflammatory diseases and conditions, however, sCD14 assays have not yet been evaluated in horses. Here, we developed and optimized a bead-based assay for the quantification of sCD14 in horses. The assay was then used to determine native sCD14 concentrations in serum from healthy and septic foals, in the colostrum of healthy mares and in plasma from adult horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and contro...
Journée SL, de Ruijter-Villani M, Hendriks WK, Stout TA.Transvaginal ultrasound-guided pregnancy reduction (TUGR) is a procedure described for the management of twins post-fixation in the horse. Success rates are often disappointing but are reported to be more favorable for bilaterally situated twins and when intervention takes place before day 35 of gestation. This study aimed to determine whether stabbing the embryo/fetus rather than aspirating conceptus fluids improved the likelihood of success, measured as the birth of a normal live singleton foal. Data from 103 TUGR interventions were analyzed by logistic regression analysis; method of treatme...
Velineni S, Timoney JF.Streptococcus zooepidemicus of Lancefield group C is a highly variable tonsillar and mucosal commensal that usually is associated with opportunistic infections of the respiratory tract of vertebrate hosts. More-virulent clones have caused epizootics of severe respiratory disease in dogs and horses. The virulence factors of these strains are poorly understood. The antiphagocytic protein SeM is a major virulence factor and protective antigen of Streptococcus equi, a clonal biovar of an ancestral S. zooepidemicus strain. Although the genome of S. zooepidemicus strain H70, an equine isolate, conta...
Fontenot RL, Sink CA, Werre SR, Weinstein NM, Dahlgren LA.This study evaluated the quality and bacteriologic safety of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) produced by 3 simple, inexpensive tube centrifugation methods and a commercial system. Citrated equine blood collected from 26 normal horses was processed by 4 methods: blood collection tubes centrifuged at 1200 and 2000 × g, 50-mL conical tube, and a commercial system. White blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), and platelet counts and mean platelet volume (MPV) were determined for whole blood and PRP, and aerobic and anaerobic cultures were performed. Mean platelet concentrations ranged from 1.55- to 2...
Brinkmann L, Gerken M, Riek A.Water is an essential nutrient necessary to support life, and adequate water supply is crucial for animal survival and productivity. The present study was designed to determine seasonal changes in the water metabolism of horses under outdoor conditions. Total body water (TBW) and total water intake (TWI) of 10 adult Shetland pony mares were estimated at monthly intervals for 14 mo by using the deuterium dilution technique. During the last 4 mo, 5 ponies were fed restrictively to simulate natural feed shortage in winter, and 5 ponies served as controls. The TBW (kg) was closely related to body ...
Cao X, Vidyashankar AN, Nielsen MK.Decades of intensive anthelmintic treatment has caused equine large strongyles to become quite rare, while the cyathostomins have developed resistance to several drug classes. The larval culture has been associated with low to moderate negative predictive values for detecting Strongylus vulgaris infection. It is unknown whether detection of other large strongyle species can be statistically associated with presence of S. vulgaris. This remains a statistical challenge because of the rare occurrence of large strongyle species. This study used a modified Poisson regression to analyse a dataset fo...
Cillán-García E, Milner PI, Talbot A, Tucker R, Hendey F, Boswell J, Reardon RJ, Taylor SE.The type and location of deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) lesions may be important in predicting outcome. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of different types of DDFT lesions within the hoof capsule and to determine whether lesion type predicts return to athletic activity. Lesions of the DDFT were divided into: core lesions, dorsal border lesions and parasagittal splits. Lesion location was documented, and follow-up information was obtained by telephone survey at least 18 months after diagnosis. Of 168 horses with primary DDFT injury, 54 horses had dorsal border les...
Lam G, Zhao S, Sandhu J, Yi R, Loganathan D, Morrissey B.Myo-Inositol tris pyrophosphate (ITPP) is a powerful allosteric modulator of haemoglobin that increases oxygen-releasing capacity of red blood cells. It is capable of crossing the red blood cell membrane unlike its open polyphosphate analog myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (IHP). Systemic administration of ITPP enhanced the exercise capacity in mice. There have been rumours of its abuse in the horse racing industry to enhance the performance of racing horses. In this paper, the detection of ITPP in equine plasma and urine after an administration of ITPP is reported. A Standardbred mare was admini...
Moloney E, Kavanagh KS, Buckley TC, Cooney JC.Streptococcus equi ssp. equi is the causative agent of 'Strangles' in horses. This is a debilitating condition leading to economic loss, yard closures and cancellation of equestrian events. There are multiple genotypes of S. equi ssp. equi which can cause disease, but to date there has been no systematic study of strains which are prevalent in Ireland. This study identified and classified Streptococcus equi ssp. equi strains isolated from within the Irish equine industry. Results: Two hundred veterinary isolates were subjected to SLST (single locus sequence typing) based on an internal sequenc...
Zylicz-Stachula A, Zolnierkiewicz O, Jasiecki J, Skowron PM.Genomics and metagenomics are currently leading research areas, with DNA sequences accumulating at an exponential rate. Although enormous advances in DNA sequencing technologies are taking place, progress is frequently limited by factors such as genomic contig assembly and generation of representative libraries. A number of DNA fragmentation methods, such as hydrodynamic sharing, sonication or DNase I fragmentation, have various drawbacks, including DNA damage, poor fragmentation control, irreproducibility and non-overlapping DNA segment representation. Improvements in these limited DNA scissi...
Sumbria D, Singla LD, Sharma A, Bal MS, Kumar S.Multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection of Trypanosoma evansi and Theileria equi in single-step reaction was optimized and employed on 108 equids (99 horses and 9 donkeys/mules) blood samples collected from two agro-climatic zones (Sub-mountain undulating zone and Undulating plain zone) of Punjab to evaluate the status of concurrent infection and associated risk factors. The amplification products of 257 and 709 bp targeting repetitive nucleotide sequence of variable surface glycoproteins of T. evansi and 18S rRNA gene of T. equi, respectively expressed high fidelity of the primer pairs with ...
Dart AJ, Dowling BA, Smith CL.To report dynamic collapse of the apex of the left corniculate process under the right corniculate process into the airway at the dorsal apposition of the paired arytenoid cartilages during exercise as a cause of upper airway dysfunction in horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Fifteen horses with a history of poor performance and/or upper respiratory tract noise during exercise. Methods: Video recordings of all horses referred for upper airway evaluation using high-speed treadmill videoendoscopy (HSTV) between January 1998 and December 2003 were reviewed. Records of horses that devel...
Drudge JH, Lyons ET, Tolliver SC.Three formulations of cambendazole were evaluated for anthelmintic activity by critical testing method in 21 horses. Cambendazole suspension was administered via stomach tube at the dose rate of 10 mg/kg to 3 horses and at the dose rate of 20 mg/kg to 3 horses. Cambendazole paste was given intraorally to 8 horses, and the pellet formulation was fed to 7 horses at the dose rate of 20 mg/kg. Anthelmintic activity of cambendazole was similar for all dose rates and formulations. Gasterophilus intestinalis, Gasterophilus nasalis, Draschia megastoma, Anoplocephala perfoliata, and Anoplocephala magna...
Hazel SJ, Thrall MA, Severin GA, Lauerman LH, Lavach JD.Using routinely available clinical laboratory methods, aqueous humor samples were evaluated from 12 healthy dogs, 15 healthy cats, 7 healthy horses, and 6 healthy cows. Aqueous humor was almost acellular; cells that were present had degenerated beyond recognition. Protein concentration was low; only albumin was detectable on electrophoresis. Creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes were not detected. Artifacts induced by sampling were insignificant compared with alterations in aqueous humor composition that occur with ocular diseases.
Hunyadi L, Papich MG, Pusterla N.The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of the FDA-approved labeled dose of diclazuril and compare it to a low dose in plasma and CSF in adult horses. During each research period, six healthy adult horses received 0.5 mg/kg of 1.56% diclazuril pellets (Protazil(TM) , Merck Animal Health) compared to the approved labeled dose of 1 mg/kg orally once in two separate phases. A dose of 0.5 mg/kg was calculated to each horse's weight. Blood was then collected immediately before diclazuril administration and then at regular intervals up to a 168 h. After the last blood collect...
Whitehair KJ, Willits NH.To identify factors associated with various arterial partial pressures of oxygen (Pao2) in anesthetized horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 1,450 horses anesthetized a total of 1,610 times with isoflurane or halothane. Methods: Anesthesia records, particularly results of blood gas analyses, were reviewed, and horses were grouped on the basis of lowest Pao2. Results: For horses with lowest Pao2 < 120 mm Hg, those with low pulse pressure, that underwent anesthesia on an emergency basis, or that were males were more likely to have Pao2 < 80 mm Hg. For horses with lowest Pao2 <...
Serena A, Joiner KS, Schumacher J.Hemangiopericytoma (HP) is a well-recognized neoplasm arising from vascular pericytes that has been reported only in the dog and man. In this study, we describe a 14-year-old female Arabian horse that was presented for surgical excision of a 2-cm-diameter expansile subcuticular mass in the right lower eyelid. Histologically, the mass consisted of loosely arranged interlacing streams and storiform bundles of spindle cells that often formed distinct whorls around a central capillary and bundles of collagen (Antoni A-like pattern). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed strong diffuse cytoplasmic ...
Grosenbaugh DA, Hood DM.In this study, we described water-insoluble proteins extracted from the germinative regions (stratum internum and coronary band epithelium) and the cornified outer surface (stratum medium) of the equine hoof wall. Two major types of polypeptides were identified: the intermediate filaments (IF) and the IF-associated proteins. The IF, including keratins, composed a major portion of this fraction, had electrophoretic mobilities on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the range of 40 to 80 kDa, and reacted with acidic or basic keratin-specific monoclonal antibodies. Differe...
Masset A, Staszyk C, Gasse H.Corrosion casts of blood vessels in the periodontium of cheek teeth from eight horses were observed three-dimensionally with a dissection microscope. Selected specimens were examined in a scanning electron microscope. Periodontal blood vessels communicated with those from the gingiva, the alveolar bone, and the apical region. In the upper jaw, there were anastomoses with the blood vessels of the mucosa of the maxillary sinus. The periodontal vascular system was organized in two or three layers. The peripheral layer was mainly composed of large venules, the inner one consisted of capillaries. I...
Bailly-Chouriberry L, Loup B, Popot MA, Dreau ML, Garcia P, Bruyas JF, Bonnaire Y.Since the availability on the European market of the vaccine Improvac® dedicated to male pig immunological castration, the risk of misuse of this product in horses is now considered as a threat for the horseracing industry. Immunological castration is not allowed by the racing codes (immune system, Article 6). Indeed, this vaccination against the hypothalamic hormone luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone or gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) will prevent the release from the anterior pituitary of luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, which are required for the development a...
Hobo S, Matsuda Y, Yoshida K.A total of 350 thoroughbred racehorses found clinically as having coughs or abnormal breath sounds underwent endoscopic examination of the upper respiratory tract at rest. As a result, abnormal endoscopic findings were obtained in all horses, demonstrating that thoroughbred racehorses with a clinical abnormality in the respiratory system necessarily had disorders in the upper respiratory tract. Whereas 11 types of disorder were observed, a combination of three different types of disorder were found in the highest frequencies in 3-, 4- and 5-year-old horses (27.8%, 29.2% and 29.7%, respectively...
Adams K, Schulz-Kornas E, Arzi B, Failing K, Vogelsberg J, Staszyk C.In the last decade, the equine masticatory apparatus has received much attention. Numerous studies have emphasized the importance of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in the functional process of mastication. However, ultrastructural and histological data providing a basis for biomechanical and histopathological considerations are not available. The aim of the present study was to analyze the architecture of the collagen fiber apparatus in the articular surfaces of the equine TMJ to reveal typical morphological features indicating biomechanical adaptions. Therefore, the collagen fiber alignmen...
Ström L, Dalin F, Domberg M, Stenlund C, Bondesson U, Hedeland M, Toutain PL, Ekstrand C.Topical ophthalmic atropine sulfate is an important part of the treatment protocol in equine uveitis. Frequent administration of topical atropine may cause decreased intestinal motility and colic in horses due to systemic exposure. Atropine pharmacokinetics are unknown in horses and this knowledge gap could impede the use of atropine because of the presumed risk of unwanted effects. Additional information could therefore increase safety in atropine treatment. Results: Atropine sulfate (1 mg) was administered in two experiments: In part I, atropine sulfate was administered intravenously and t...
Lyashchenko KP, Greenwald R, Esfandiari J, Lecu A, Waters WR, Posthaus H, Bodmer T, Janssens JP, Aloisio F, Graubner C, Grosclaude E, Piersigilli A....A case of pulmonary tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis was diagnosed in a horse. Clinical evaluation performed prior to euthanasia did not suggest tuberculosis, but postmortem examination provided pathological and bacteriological evidence of mycobacteriosis. In the lungs, multiple tuberculoid granulomas communicating with the bronchiolar lumen, pleural effusion, and a granulomatous lymphadenitis involving mediastinal and tracheobronchial lymph nodes were found. Serologic response to M. tuberculosis antigens was detected in the infected horse, but not in the group of 42 potential...
Rull-Cotrina J, Molleda JM, Gallardo J, Martín-Suárez E.To assess the refractive state of the equine eye utilizing retinoscopy. To compare the refractive state of Spanish Thoroughbred horses with the refractive state of Crossbred horses. Methods: The refractive state of 135 horses (264 eyes) was assessed utilizing streak retinoscopy. Two perpendicular meridians were examined in order to assess astigmatism at a working distance of approximately 67 cm. A group of 81 Spanish Thoroughbred horses was compared with a group of 54 Crossbred horses. Cyclopentolate ophthalmic solution was instilled in the eyes of a group of 18 horses to determine if accommod...
Rohde C, Anderson DE, Bertone AL, Weisbrode SE.To determine the effects of phenylbutazone (PBZ) on bone activity and bone formation in horses. Methods: 12 healthy 1- to 2-year-old horses. Methods: Biopsy was performed to obtain unicortical bone specimens from 1 tibia on day 0 and from the contralateral tibia on day 14. Fluorochromic markers were administered IV 2 days prior to and on days 0, 10, 15, and 25 after biopsy was performed. Six horses received PBZ (4.4 mg/kg of body weight, PO, q 12 h) and 6 horses were used as controls. All horses were euthanatized on day 30 and tissues from biopsy sites, with adjacent cortical bone, were collec...
McGorum BC, Fry SC, Wallace G, Coenen K, Robb J, Williamson G, Aruoma OI.To investigate the etiology of equine dysautonomia (ED), a degenerative polyneuropathy affecting grazing horses, the biochemical composition and antioxidant/prooxidant activities of aqueous extracts of plants collected from ED pastures were determined. Plants collected immediately after an outbreak of ED had reduced antioxidant and weak prooxidant activities when compared with control plants (plants collected from ED pastures out of ED season and control plants from ED pastures that were grown under favorable conditions). ED plants also had significantly increased concentrations of fructose an...
Fenner K, Dashper K, Wilkins C, Serpell J, McLean A, Wilson B, McGreevy P.Over the last decade, equitation scientists have increasingly relied on online survey tools to gather information on horse training, management, behaviour and other equine-related subjects. With a detailed knowledge of their animals, horse owners and riders are ideally placed to contribute to research but are sometimes reluctant to engage with and devote time to surveys. The current article reveals, through consultation with stakeholder groups, the potential of a range of motivational items to boost horse-owner participation. A short, three-question inquiry was developed to rank respondents' (...
Park CS, Lee SY, Cho GJ.In this study, we aimed to investigate the recent changes such as allele frequencies and total probability of exclusion (PE) in Thoroughbred horses in Korea using short tandem repeat (STR) parentage panels between 2006 and 2016. Methods: The genotype was provided for 5,988 horse samples with 15 microsatellite markers (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG10, LEX3 and VHL20). Results: In our study, the observed number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 (HMS1) to 9 (ASB17) in 2006 and 4 (HMS1) to 9 (ASB2) in 2016, with a mean value of 6.28 and 6.40, respe...
Len JA, Jenkins JA, Eilts BE, Paccamonti DL, Lyle SK, Hosgood G.The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of centrifugation on equine sperm total and progressive motility, viability, and acrosomal integrity. We hypothesized that although high centrifugation forces would be detrimental to equine Equus caballus sperm, recovery rates would increase. Ejaculates from six stallions were collected, extended to a concentration of 25x10(6) cells/mL, and subjected for 10min to (1) no centrifugation (NC) or (2) centrifugation at 400xg, (3) 900xg, or (4) 4500xg. Before and after centrifugation (Day 0), and after 24h of cooling (Day 1), sperm motility ...
Barneveld A, van Weeren PR.It was hypothesised that imposition of different exercise levels at a young age would lead to differences in bone density in the third tarsal bone and to difference in the prevalence of pathological lesions that might contribute to the development of bone spavin later in life. Furthermore, based on earlier literature, it was hypothesised that such lesions could be classified as a manifestation of osteochondrosis. Changes in bone density in the third tarsal bone and early pathological changes in the articular cartilage of the distal intertarsal joint were studied in the offspring of sires with ...
Kankavi O, Roberts MS.Once considered unique to the lung, surfactant proteins have been clearly identified in the intestine and peritoneum and are suggested to exist in several other organs. In the lung, surfactant proteins assist in the formation of a monolayer of surface-active phospholipid at the liquid-air interface of the alveolar lining, reducing the surface tension at this surface. In contrast, surface-active phospholipid adsorbed to articular surfaces has been identified as the load-bearing boundary lubricant of the joint. This raises the question of whether surfactant proteins in synovial fluid (SF) are re...
Jeffcott LB, Kold SE.Thirty-three cases with subchondral bone cysts in the stifle are reported. The condition was most commonly seen in young Thoroughbreds and produced intermittent lameness of varying degree. Radiographically distinct areas of radiolucency were found in the distal femur or proximal tibia adjacent to the femorotibial joint. Lesions were usually unilateral but 5 horses had cysts in both stifles. The cases could be divided into 2 distinct groups. Horses in Group A (28 cases) had a large circular or dome-shaped cyst in the medial femoral condyle with a distinct communication with the femorotibial joi...
Hovda T, Love L, Chiavaccini L.Hypoxaemia is a common concern during equine general anaesthesia. The prevalence and predictors of hypoxaemia in horses undergoing elective anaesthesia in particular are poorly documented. Objective: To determine and compare the prevalence of hypoxaemia (defined as PaO2 ≤ 80 mm Hg, on the lowest value recorded) in horses undergoing anaesthesia for exploratory laparotomy and elective procedures, and to identify risk factors in both subpopulations. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Data were collected from 774 records of 708 horses undergoing general anaesthesia between April 2...
Thomason JJ.Objectives were to examine the deformation of the healthy equine front hoof during locomotion, by recording strains on its outer surface, and to test whether its mechanical behaviour is significantly altered under different locomotory conditions and variation in hoof shape. Strains were recorded in vivo from 5 rosette gauges around the circumference of the right forehooves of 12 horses. The magnitudes and orientations of principal strains at the midstep were compared statistically for different conditions of shoeing (shod vs. unshod), gait (walk vs. trot), substrate (treadmill vs. ground), and...
Corado CR, McKemie DS, Knych HK.OBJECTIVE To characterize polymorphisms of the gene for cytochrome P450 isozyme 2D50 (CYP2D50) and the disposition of 2 CYP2D50 probe drugs, dextromethorphan and debrisoquine, in horses. ANIMALS 23 healthy horses (22 Thoroughbreds and 1 Standardbred). PROCEDURES Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP2D50 were identified. Disposition of dextromethorphan (2 mg/kg) and debrisoquine (0.2 mg/kg) were determined after oral (dextromethorphan) or nasogastric (debrisoquine) administration to the horses. Metabolic ratios of plasma dextromethorphan and total dextrorphan (dextrorphan plus dextrorph...
Brown KA, Davidson EJ, Johnson AL, Wulster KB, Ortved K.Standing cone beam computed tomography (CT) provides cross-sectional imaging of the caudal cervical articular process joints (CAPJs) in the sedated horse, though the clinical implications of osteoarthritis (OA) identified on CT in this location are unknown. Increases in concentrations of intra-synovial cytokines could lend support to the clinical significance of CAPJ OA identified on this imaging modality. Objective: Investigate the presence and concentration of intra-synovial inflammatory cytokines in CAPJs with and without standing cone beam CT evidence of OA using an equine specific multipl...
