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.
Paweska JT, Henton MM, van der Lugt JJ.Clinical, virological and serological responses were evaluated in 10 pregnant mares after different challenge exposures to the asinine-94 strain of equine arteritis virus (EAV). The outcome of maternal infection on the progeny was also investigated. Mares were inoculated intranasally (n = 4), intramuscularly (n = 2), intravenously (n = 1), or contract-exposed (n = 3). All inoculated mares developed pyrexia, 5 showed mild clinical signs related to EAV infection and 2 remained asymptomatic. Viraemia was detected in all the inoculated animals and shedding of virus from the respiratory tract occur...
van Nieuwstadt RA, Henricks PA, Hajer R, van der Meer van Roomen WA, Breukink HJ, Nijkamp FP.This study was undertaken to assess the importance of muscarinic receptor subtypes in equine airway disease. Smooth muscle strips from the mid-cervical portion of the trachea of horses were placed in tissue baths and isometric contractile force was measured. Active force was measured in response to metacholine and the selective muscarinic receptor agonists McN-A-343 (M1-selective) and pilocarpine (M2-selective) in cumulative concentrations (10(-9)M through 10(-3)M), with and without preincubation with three or four concentrations of the selective muscarinic receptor antagonists pirenzepine (M1...
Paweska JT.Clinical, virological and serological responses were investigated in five pregnant donkey mares after experimental exposure to the South African asinine-94 strain of equine arteritis virus (EAV), and the duration of maternal immunity to EAV was studied in their foals. In four intranasally inoculated mares, fever with maximum rectal temperatures of 39.1-40.7 degrees C was recorded 2-11 d after challenge. All the inoculated mares developed mild depression, and a serous ocular and nasal discharge; in three mares mild conjuctivitis was observed. The virus was recovered from the nasopharynx and fro...
Recio P, López PG, Fernández JL, Garcia-Sacristán A.1. The presence and types of alpha and beta-adrenoceptors in the corpus cavernosum of the horse were studied in vitro by using selected ligands of adrenoceptors and isometric tension recording. 2. Noradrenaline and phenylephrine induced concentration-dependent contractions in corpus cavernosum preparations. B-HT 920 had no effect. 3. Phentolamine and prazosin produced a shift to the right of the dose-response curve of noradrenaline, while the alpha(2)-antagonist, rauwolscine had no effect on the response to noradrenaline. Phenylephrine-evoked contractions of corporal strips were significantly ...
Fuentes VO, Gonzalez H, Sanchez V, Fuentes P, Rosiles R.The toxic effect of neomycin on the horse kidney was studied. Twelve horses were used, and were divided at random into three groups of four. The first group was treated twice a day with 10 mg/kg I.M. for 15 days and then euthanised; kidney and liver samples were studied and no histopathological changes were observed. Group 2 was treated with neomycin sulphate as in group 1, and group 3 was used as control. Blood samples were taken at 8.00 h and 20.00 h daily from both neomycin treated and control horses. Serum creatinine, potassium, sodium and urinary creatinine remained without change. On day...
Anfossi P, Villa R, Montesissa C, Carli S.Lysine salts are often used in human pharmaceuticals to increase the solubility and absorption of acidic drugs when these are administered parenterally. In this study the intramuscular bioavailability of ketoprofen administered as the lysine salt was evaluated in horses (n = 5) treated intravenously and intramuscularly (2.2 mg/kg active substance) in a cross-over study. The absorption rate of ketoprofen administered as the lysine salt was rather low: the mean residence time increased from 31.7 min after IV injection to 128.9 min (after IM injection), and the bioavailability was high (mean 92.4...
Haites RE, Muscatello G, Begg AP, Browning GF.The prevalence of the plasmid-encoded virulence-associated gene (vapA) of Rhodococcus equi, as determined by PCR, was found to be 98% in isolates from 154 foals with pneumonia, confirming the strong association of vapA with virulence. The vapA genes from 60 representative isolates were compared by digestion with the restriction endonuclease HinfI, and no evidence of sequence variation was detected.
Lepage OM, Eicher R, Uebelhart B, Tschudi P.To evaluate applicability of a human osteocalcin (OC) immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for use with equine serum and compare it with a bovine radioimmunoassay (RIA) previously proven valid for such samples, and to describe the effect of type and breed of horses on serum OC concentration. Methods: 100 healthy horses of either sex, classified as type I or II (draught or warmblood, respectively). Each type was represented by 2 breed groups, each comprising 25 horses. Methods: Blood samples were collected in the morning, and the serum was separated. Osteocalcin was measured, using commercially avail...
Raidal SL, Bailey GD, Love DN.To evaluate the effect of transportation on lower respiratory tract contamination and peripheral blood neutrophil function in horses and to compare results from transported horses with those obtained in earlier experiments from horses confined with heads elevated. Methods: A prospective study. Methods: Six horses were transported by road for 12 h. Clinical and haematological examination, transtracheal aspiration and cell function studies were conducted before and after transportation. Results obtained after transportation were compared to pre-transportation values. Results: After transportatio...
Avarzed A, De Waal DT, Igarashi I, Saito A, Oyamada T, Toyoda Y, Suzuki N.Antigen for the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was routinely prepared from infected erythrocytes from horses experimentally infected with Babesia equi and Babesia caballi. With the successful establishment of in vitro cultures of B. equi and B. caballi, it is now possible to employ culture-derived antigens in this test. In this study, in vitro-propagated B. equi- and B. caballi-infected erythrocytes were used as antigen in the IFAT. Various modifications to an established protocol had to be implemented to allow repeatable results. Cultures with 3-4% parasitized erythrocytes were fou...
Meyer H.Animal nutrition is not a main subject in veterinary medicine training, nevertheless it has been taught in the Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover since its foundation in 1778. In the very beginning only a few lectures about feedstuffs and toxic plants for horses and feeding technique have been presented. During the 19th century animal nutrition was taught about 20 h under the general topic: Gesundheitspflege or Dlätetik. Diätetik included in that time all factors which are important for health as soil, water, climate, stable, hamess and nutrition, too. Textbooks about "Gesundheitspflege" fro...
Kasapi MA, Gosline JM.Morphological and mechanical studies were conducted on samples of equine hoof wall to help elucidate the relationship between form and function of this complex, hierarchically organized structure. Morphological findings indicated a dependence of tubule size, shape and helical alignment of intermediate filaments (IFs) within the lamellae on the position through the wall thickness. The plane of the intertubular IFs changed from perpendicular to the tubule axis in the inner wall to almost parallel to the tubule axis in the outer wall. Morphological data predicted the existence of three crack dive...
Kundu A, Cramer SM.The resolving power of displacement chromatography using low-molecular-weight displacers was investigated using a model mixture containing bovine and horse heart cytochrome c. The linear and nonlinear adsorption behavior of these two proteins was examined in cation-exchange chromatography and shown to be quite similar. Furthermore, an analysis of the dynamic affinity of these proteins indicated extremely similar affinities under displacement conditions. Despite the extreme similarities in the adsorption behavior, displacement chromatography using a protected amino acid displacer resulted in ex...
Martinelli MJ, Kuriashkin IV, Carragher BO, Clarkson RB, Baker GJ.Magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine the equine metacarpophalangeal joint. Thirty-two saggital images generated by partial volume imaging were transferred to a computer for three-dimensional reconstruction and analysis. All the tissues constituting the metacarpophalangeal joint were readily identified. The most significant increase finding regarded the soft tissues on the palmar aspect of the metacarpophalangeal joint and their interactions with the proximal sesamoid bones. The equine metacarpophalangeal joint has not previously been evaluated using 3-dimensional imaging software.
Galloux P, Barrey E.Thirty horses were filmed with a panning camera operating at 50 frames/s as they jumped over a 1.20 x 1.20 m fence. The markers of 9 joints on the horse and 7 joints on the rider were tracked in 2D with the TrackEye system. The centre of gravity and moment of inertia of each segment were calculated using a geometric algorithm and a cylindric model, respectively. The kinetic moment of each part of the horse was calculated after filtering, and resampling of data. This method showed the relative contribution of each body segment to the body overall rotation during the take-off, jump and landing p...
Johnston C, Drevemo S, Roepstorff L.This study investigated the kinematics and kinetics of the carpus during the stance phase. Five Standardbred horses trotted on a treadmill at 8.9 m/s. The kinematics of the horses were filmed and hoof reaction forces (HRF) were recorded. The carpus was overextended throughout most of the stance. There were 2 periods of overextension, a more rapid period in the beginning of the stance and second directly following the first period. Maximal overextension occurred slightly before the second minimum of the braking horizontal HRF. The metacarpal and antebrachial segments rotated counter-clockwise f...
Kato M, Higuchi T, Orita Y, Ishikawa Y, Kadota K.A hepatic malignant tumour composed of both hepatocellular and cholangiocellular elements was studied histologically, immunohistochemically and electron microscopically in an 18-year-old Thoroughbred mare. Bile canaliculi and alpha-fetoprotein were useful in identifying the hepatocellular element, and mucin and keratin were good markers of biliary differentiation. The simultaneous presence of bile canaliculi and mucin-producing cells in most of the neoplastic lesions suggested that this tumour arose from a stem cell with capacity to differentiate into hepatocytes and biliary epithelium.
Galisteo AM, Cano MR, Morales JL, Miró F, Vivo J, Agüera E.The aim of this study was to analyse the biokinematic alterations caused by an induced lameness in the right forelimb of Dutch Warmblood (DWB) horses using a system of computer-aided normal videography. Five mature DWB were recorded with a videocamera (frame rate 1/25) from a lateral view before and after an induced lameness. Before videotaping, passive markers were placed on the skin, over easily identifiable anatomical references to determine the joint angles in the forelimb (always on the flexor side). Lameness was induced using special horseshoes. The lameness was evident at the trot and m...
Orsini JA, Roby KA.A modified surgical procedure for creation of a carotid loop for repeated percutaneous sampling of arterial blood gas was performed on 8 Holstein heifers and 14 horses. This approach permitted sampling of blood gas via fine-needle aspiration (one to three times daily) and/or catheterization for extended periods. It offers several advantages over previously reported techniques, including greater accessibility, absence of postoperative complications such as hematoma formation, and absence of foreign materials supporting the loop.
Pratt GW.A discussion is presented of contributing factors to the injury to the foreleg of the Thoroughbred racehorse. The critical part of the step is taken to be the first 10-20 ms after ground contact as the hoof slides forward and stops. Large nonaxial loads associated with the deceleration of the hoof are shown to arise. Results of accelerometer measurements on the hoof of a horse running at racing speed are presented as well as mechanical properties of the racing surface. The mechanical properties of the track surface, the type of shoe, and the degree of fatigue of the horse all work together to ...
Hanson PD, Hartwig H, Markel MD.This study compares the mechanical properties of three methods of equine ulnar fixation: dynamic compression plating, pins and wires tension band, and a prototype grip system. Methods: The mechanical properties of dynamic compression plating, pins and wires tension band, and a prototype grip system repair of equine ulnar fractures were evaluated in a cadaveric osteotomy model. Methods: Fifteen pairs of the radius and ulna from equine cadavers. Methods: The three repair techniques were evaluated to mimic the pull of the triceps brachii muscle in single cycle to failure and in cyclic fatigue loa...
Weiss DJ, Evanson OA, Wells RE.To determine whether synthetic peptides containing the arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) sequence inhibit equine platelet function. Methods: For in vitro studies of blood, 3 healthy Thoroughbreds; for in vivo and ex vivo studies of administration of RGD-containing peptides, 4 young adult pony mares. Methods: Blood was incubated with and without addition of aspirin or RGD-containing peptides (RGDS, RPR 110885) and platelet aggregation responses and platelet adhesion to subendothelial collagen were determined. RPR 110885 was administered IV, and platelet function was evaluated. Platelet aggregati...
Madić J, Hajsig D, Sostarić B, Curić S, Seol B, Naglić T, Cvetnić Z.An abortion outbreak occurred in a herd of 38 horses, 26 of which were pregnant mares. Twenty-one mares aborted between 5-10 months of gestation. In no case were there indications of impending abortion. Pathoanatomical, histopathological, virological and bacteriological examinations were carried out on 4 aborted fetuses. Histopathology identified Gram-negative bacteria compatible with salmonella in all 4 placentae. By subsequent bacteriological examination Salmonella abortusequi was isolated as the single causative agent in each case. Nonmotile Salmonella abortusequi with antigenic formula 4,1...
Davies HM.A photoelastic method used for materials testing in industry was adapted to show the distribution of strain through the hoof wall in the living horse. Strain was a change in length per unit length in the material of the loaded hoof wall compared with the unloaded condition. Coloured fringes appeared in the photoelastic plastic where there were differences in strain between adjacent sites (strain gradients) in the hoof. Strain distribution was observed in the shod and unshod hoof wall of the front hooves of 6 sound horses with hooves that appeared 'good' to visual inspection, and one unsound ho...
Wasfi IA, Abdel Hadi AA, Elghazali M, Alkateeri NA, Hussain MM, Hamid AM.The pharmacokinetics of diphenhydramine (DPHM) was compared in camels (n = 8) and horses (n = 6) following intravenous (i.v.) administration of a dose of 0.625 mg/kg body weight. In addition, the metabolism and urinary detection time of DPHM was evaluated in camels. The data obtained (median and range in brackets) in camels and horses, respectively, were as follows. The terminal elimination half lives (h) were 1.58 (1.13-2.58) and 6.11 (4.80-14.1), and the total body clearances (L/h per kg) were 1.42 (1.13-1.74) and 0.79 (0.66-0.90). The volumes of distribution at steady state (L/kg) were 2.38...
Ericson KK, Yang TJ.During our studies of cytostatic cytokines in the mixed leukocyte culture, we found that horse serum in the medium control contained a tumor cell growth-inhibitory factor. The fraction isolated by molecular sieving and ion exchange chromatography inhibited the growth and DNA synthesis of the primary culture and passaged cell line of the canine transmissible venereal sarcoma, murine T (L5178Y) and B (P3-X63-Ag8.653) lymphoid tumor cells, murine mammary tumor cells (RIII), bovine lymphoid tumor cells (BL3), and the nontransformed cell line of baby hamster kidney cells. Nontransformed cell lines ...
Sorrell-Raschi LA, Tomasic M.To evaluate the accuracy of 3 automated methods of determining Hct and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, compared with manual methods. Animals-22 clinically normal adult horses of various breeds. Methods: A blood sample was obtained from each horse. Six dilutions (representing Hct of 0, 10, 20, 40, 60, or 70%) were prepared from each sample and analyzed, using 1 of 2 blood gas analyzers or a hemoximeter (for automated determinations) or the Wintrobe macrohematocrit and cyanmethemoglobin methods (for manual determinations). Regression analysis was used to determine mean slope relationships between...
Norton E, McCue ME.A role for a genetic contribution to equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pars pituitary intermedia dysfunction (PPID) has been hypothesized. Heritability estimates of EMS biochemical measurements were consistent with moderately to highly heritable traits. Further, genome-wide association analyses have identified hundreds of regions of the genome contributing to EMS and candidate variants have been identified. The genetics of PPID has not yet been proven. Continued research for the specific genetic risk factors for both EMS and PPID is crucial for gaining a better understanding of the pathophys...
Rojas-Núñez I, Gomez AM, Selland EK, Oduol T, Wolf S, Palmer S, Mohammed HO.Neurofilaments heavy chain proteins (pNF-H) have been identified as useful serum biomarkers for humans and animals with neurologic conditions, some of which can lead to poor performance, and athletic injuries. However, there are no published reports that describe a reference range for serum pNF-H levels in healthy racehorses. This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the serum concentration of pNF-H in 1,349 samples collected from 1,291 clinically healthy standardbred (SB) racehorses. Data on age, time of sampling (pre-race or post-race), and finishing position during a race were...
BMC research notesNovember 8, 2012
Volume 5 626 doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-5-626
Boudko SP, Ishikawa Y, Lerch TF, Nix J, Chapman MS, Bächinger HP.Hyperelastosis cutis is an inherited autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder. Affected horses are characterized by hyperextensible skin, scarring, and severe lesions along the back. The disorder is caused by a mutation in cyclophilin B. Results: The crystal structures of both wild-type and mutated (Gly6->Arg) horse cyclophilin B are presented. The mutation neither affects the overall fold of the enzyme nor impairs the catalytic site structure. Instead, it locally rearranges the flexible N-terminal end of the polypeptide chain and also makes it more rigid. Conclusions: Interactions of th...
Giles C, Cavanagh HM, Noble G, Vanniasinkam T.There are currently two known serotypes of equine adenovirus (EAdV), equine adenovirus type 1 (EAdV1) and equine adenovirus type 2 (EAdV2); EAdV1 is predominantly associated with upper respiratory tract infections while EAdV2 appears to have a higher association with gastrointestinal infection, however, very little is known about the prevalence of these viruses in horse populations in Australia. In this study we tested 122 serum samples obtained from horses in New South Wales, Australia, using a standard serum neutralization (SN) assay and ELISA. Ninety-seven of the 122 sera displayed had mode...
Wu H, Chen S, Liu M, Xu X, Ji X, Gao K, Tian A, Ke Z, Zhang J, Zhao B, Zhang S.B-cell survival depends on signals induced by B-cell activating factor (BAFF) that binds to the BAFF receptor (BAFF-R). Herein, a BAFF-R homolog was identified in a horse (Equus caballus). The horse BAFF-R gene, located on chromosome 28, spans 1444 base pairs and encodes a 183-amino acid protein. The protein is structurally conserved, in which the DxL motif plays an important role in binding to BAFF. Furthermore, the horse BAFF-R extracellular domain was expressed and purified, which specifically bound to His6-sBAFF and had the capability of blocking the function of His6-sBAFF in vitro. Finall...
Silva GB, De La Côrte FD, Brass KE, Palma HE, Gallio M, Cantarelli C, Bertolin K, Krause A, Wergutz J, Fontanari Krause LM, Antoniazzi AQ.Chondrocyte health is altered when exposed to local anesthetics, raising concerns as to the long-term effects of local anesthetics intra-articularly for diagnosis and analgesia. To investigate the drug with the lowest toxic potential, the effect of ropivacaine and mepivacaine on chondrocytes was evaluated. Articular cartilage from normal metacarpophalangeal joints of five equine cadaver specimens was used to establish chondrocyte cultures. Following seven days, chondrocytes were exposed to standard culture medium (DMEM), ropivacaine 7.5 mg/ml (ROP7.5), ropivacaine 10 mg/ml (ROP10), mepivacaine...
Jacobsen ABJE, Damborg P, Hopster-Iversen C.Horses may be carriers of important resistant bacteria like methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Such bacteria can potentially threaten both equine and public health, but little is known about predisposing factors like antimicrobial usage patterns in equines. Objectives of this study were to investigate the antimicrobial usage practices by Danish equine practitioners as well as factors impacting usage. A total of 103 equine practitioners filled in an online questionnaire. When asked to explain their typical treatment of six clinical case scenarios, only 1% and 7% of respondents prescribed syst...
Canada NC, Beard WL, Guyan ME, White BJ.Currently, there is no objective information quantifying pressures exerted by distal limb bandages. Objective: To quantify the pressure exerted by each compression layer, a polo wrap (DLP), a compression bandage (DLC), and to measure the effect of time on sub-bandage pressure. Methods: Longitudinal observational experiment. Methods: A DLC construct included a cotton roll compressed with brown gauze and elastic layers and the DLP construct included a pillow pad compressed by a cloth wrap. Dorsal and lateral sensors were placed on the mid-metacarpus. In healthy horses, sub-bandage pressures were...
Lee HS, Heo EJ, Jeoung HY, Ko HR, Kweon CH, Youn HJ, Ko YJ.In this study, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using glycoprotein and a monoclonal antibody (MAb) was developed for the detection of antibodies to vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) serotype New Jersey (NJ). The glycoprotein to be used as a diagnostic antigen was extracted from partially purified VSV-NJ, and a neutralizing MAb specific to VSV-NJ was incorporated to compete with antibodies in a blocking ELISA using glycoprotein (GP ELISA). The cutoff of the GP ELISA was set at 40% inhibition, which corresponded to a virus neutralization test (VNT) titer of 32. With this threshold, th...
Sebek Z, Wallner H, Sixl W, Kaaserer G, Valová M.Results are presented of a serological examination of 1,547 domestic animals (cattle, pig, sheep, horse, goat, dog, cat) from 9 Tyrolian districts (Austria), performed in order to disclose the incidence of leptospirosis. Completely significant titres were domonstrated by means of the MAL test in the serotypes icterohaemorrhagiae or copenhageni, sorex-jalna, bratislava, sejroe and saxkoebing. In addition, antibodies were confirmed against L. bataviae, L. pomona, L. tarassovi and L. bulgarica, but the titres were insignificant. Of the animals examined, 7.2% gave positive reactions in titres of 1...
Connelly C, Norton NA, Hurley DJ, Hart KA, Meichner K, Gogal RM.Peripheral blood is commonly sampled to assess the health status of human and veterinary patients. Venous blood collection is a minimally invasive procedure, and in the horse, the common collection site is the jugular vein. Post blood collection, sample processing for leukocyte enrichment can vary by research laboratory with the potential to yield different effects on the enriched cells and their function. The focus of the present study was to compare a common blood dilution-leukocyte enrichment technique using a Histopaque gradient medium (His) to a modified leukocyte buffy coat syringe-lymph...
Herholz C, Straub R, Gerber V, Wampfler B, Lüthi S, Imhof A, Moens Y, Busato A.The pulmonary health of 66 horses was assessed by a clinical examination and simple supplementary diagnostic methods. Single breath diagrams for CO(2) (SBD-CO(2)) and derived lung function indices were used to determine pulmonary function. The clinical signs in different groups were related to the results of the lung function indices derived from the SBD-CO(2). In horses with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a significant relationship was found between the respiratory frequency and the ratio of Bohr's dead space to the tidal volume (VD(Bohr)/VT), and between the...
Tonekaboni FR, Narenjisani R, Staji H, Ahmadi-Hamedani M.This investigation aimed to compare the cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) plasma present in three trimesters of pregnancy in Torkaman pregnant mare. Peripheral blood samples of 32 pregnant mares in three trimesters of pregnancy were collected in tubes containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid at three time points. Circulating cffDNA was extracted from 3 mL of maternal plasma. Using outer and inner primers, a conventional polymerase chain reaction was performed for the sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene present in the Y chromosome. Of the total 32 Torkaman pregnant mares, 24 were carrying male fe...
Mari G, Bucci D, Love CC, Mislei B, Rizzato G, Giaretta E, Merlo B, Spinaci M.The aim of this study was to compare the effect of presorting centrifugation (cushioned [CC] or single-layer colloid [SLC]), with simple dilution (SD), on the quality of sex-sorted stallion semen before and after sorting and after freezing and thawing. Four ejaculates from each of two fertile stallions were collected 1 week apart and evaluated for percent total sperm motility (TM), percent viable acrosome-intact sperm (VAI), and DNA quality (percentage of DNA fragmentation index). Freezing caused, independently from CC and SLC treatments, a significant decrease of TM (P < 0.05) and VAI (...
Goto H, Shimizu K, Abe T, Kanamitsu M.A serological survey was conducted on horse sera collected for 7 years just before the first outbreak of equine influenza (EI) infection in Japan in 1971. No antibodies against the A/Equi-1/Prague/56 (equi-1) and A/Equi-2/Miami/63 (equi-2) strains of EI virus were detected in any of the sera of 452 native horses when employing hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and complement fixation (CF) tests against viral (V) antigen. On the contrary, of the 80 imported horses, 48 (60.0%) had HI titers of 1:8 or higher against equi-1 and 23 (28.8%) against equi-2. In the CF-V test 42.6% of the horses showed ...
Gilliam LL, Holbrook TC, Dechant JE, Johnson BJ.A 6-year-old Quarter Horse stallion was referred to Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for evaluation of abdominal pain that developed after breeding activity earlier in the day. The horse developed diarrhea and progressively worsening neurologic signs (circling, ataxia, head pressing) within 22 hours of presentation and was subsequently euthanized due to severe self-destructive behavior. Antemortem biochemical and hematologic abnormalities included hypocalcemia but no evidence of hepatic disease. Idiopathic hyperammonemia and encephalopathy were suspected; cerebros...
Stewart GA, Fulton LJ, McKellar CD.Atrial fibrillation is described in a champion pacer which earlier had been named Australian Harness Horse of the Year as a 3-year-old in 1986-87. Prior to conversion atrial fibrillation had been present for at least 6 weeks, during which the horse had not raced. Successful treatment was achieved with two 10g doses of quinidine sulphate per oesophageal tube, after slow digitalisation with intravenous digoxin over 4d. Four hours after commencement of quinidine therapy the arrhythmia had regressed to atrial flutter and converted to sinus rhythm 10 min later. Considering his age, standard of raci...
Firth EC, Schamhardt HC, Hartman W.Two to 7 days after birth, 9 foals were anesthetized, and strain gauges were applied to lateral and medial aspects of the third metacarpal bone of the left forelimb. In 5 of these foals, strain gauges also were applied to the radius of the left forelimb. Four to 6 days later, foals were walked (5 sets of 10 to 20 strides), and compressive and tensile strains in the bone beneath strain gauges were recorded on paper and diskette. After recording base-line data, a wedge was fitted to the hoof of the limb with the strain gauges, in such a way that the lateral bearing surface was raised, and strain...
McCarty CA, Thomason JJ, Gordon K, Burkhart T, Bignell W.We wished to add to the existing baseline data on impact loading of the distal limb as a precursor to assessing the potential role of impact in injury and joint disease. Objective: To examine the effect of 3 hoof-strike conditions (toe first, flat and heel first) and 2 specimen masses (with and without a ballast of ∼2% body mass) on impact deceleration and vibration frequencies and energies at the hoof, first phalanx and third metacarpal. Methods: Biomechanical experiments in cadaver material. Methods: Eight cadaver limbs were subjected to randomised, repeated controlled trials, in which the...
Stewart AJ, Wright JC, Behrend EN, Martin LG, Kemppainen RJ, Busch KA.To determine the lowest ACTH dose that would induce a significant increase in serum cortisol concentration and identify the time to peak cortisol concentration in healthy neonatal foals. Methods: Prospective randomized crossover study. Methods: 11 healthy neonatal foals. Methods: Saline (0.9% NaCl) solution or 1 of 4 doses (0.02, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 μg/kg [0.009, 0.045, 0.114, and 0.227 μg/lb]) of cosyntropin (synthetic ACTH) was administered IV. Serum cortisol concentrations were measured before and 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 minutes after administration of cosyntropin or saline s...
Rutkowski JA, Richardson DW.The records of 100 horses with clinical or radiographic diagnosis of a pelvic fracture were reviewed to determine prognostic indicators associated with clinical signs or radiographic fracture characteristics. Degree of lameness, soft tissue swelling, crepitis, muscle atrophy, skeletal external assymetry and palpable assymetry on rectal examination were evaluated. There was no significant relationship between the aforementioned clinical signs and the long-term cause outcome. Fracture sites or presence of an acetabular fracture were not related to prognosis. The positive outcome of 77 per cent o...
Zantingh AJ, Ducharme NG, Mitchell LM, Cheetham J.To determine the effects of hypoglossal nerve block and electrical stimulation of the thyrohyoideus muscles on position of the larynx and hyoid apparatus in resting horses. Methods: 16 healthy horses that underwent hypoglossal nerve block and 5 healthy horses that underwent electrical stimulation of the thyrohyoideus muscles. Methods: Horses underwent bilateral hypoglossal nerve block or electrical stimulation of the thyrohyoideus muscles. Positions of the basihyoid bone, ossified part of the thyroid cartilage, and articulations of the thyrohyoid bones and thyroid cartilage were determined in ...
Cordes V, Lüpke M, Gardemin M, Seifert H, Staszyk C.In equine dentistry periodontal diseases, especially periapical inflammation, are frequently occurring problems. Anachoresis is believed to be the most common cause for the development of such disorders. Nevertheless, there is still no substantiated explanation why settlement of pathogen microorganisms occurs in equine periodontal tissues. It is expected that excessive strains and stresses occurring in the periodontal ligament (PDL) during the horse's chewing cycle might be a predisposing factor. In this study this assumption was examined by finite element (FE) analyses on virtual 3-D models o...
Stewart F, Maher JK.The number of genes encoding the common alpha-subunit and hormone-specific beta-subunits of the equine gonadotrophins (FSH, LH and CG) were investigated in the horse (Equus caballus), donkey (E. asinus) and 2 horse x donkey hybrids (the mule and hinny). The Southern technique, involving restriction enzyme digestion, blotting and DNA hybridization to 32P-labelled DNA probes was used to estimate the copy number for each gene and to assess the extent to which equids resemble primates, the only other animals that secrete a CG during pregnancy. These methods indicated that, in common with mammals, ...
Delbeke FT, Debackere M, Desmet N, Stevens M.Concentrations of the potent diuretic bumetanide were determined by a sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic procedure in plasma and urine from horses following intravenous and intramuscular administration of a dose rate of 15 micrograms/kg. The elimination half-life was found to be 6.3 min, the volume of distribution at steady state 68 ml/kg and the total plasma clearance 10.9 ml/min/kg. The onset of diuresis occurred within 15 min and diuresis was no longer apparent 1 h after i.v. administration. Given by the intramuscular (i.m.) route, bumetanide was rapidly absorbed; bioavailabi...
Dall'Aglio C, Bazzucchi C, Mercati F, Ceccarelli P.Leptin is a hormone widely diffused in the mammalian body in which it plays functions that go far beyond control of appetite and energy metabolism. The finding that it is present in the major salivary glands of various animal species is of interest for the functional implications that it may imply. Since there are no data on the presence of leptin and its receptor in the minor salivary glands, the aim of this study was to demonstrate their presence and distribution in such glands of donkeys. This latter was chosen as species of reference because the monogastric herbivore shows intense salivati...
Vudathala D, Murphy L.A simple and highly sensitive LC/MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of six ionophores--lasalocid, monensin, laidlomycin, maduramycin, salinomycin, and narasin--in feed. The procedure involved extraction of 1 g of feed with 4 mL of methanol-water (9 + 1, v/v) by shaking on a platform shaker for 45 min. After centrifugation, the extracts were diluted with methanol-water (75 + 25, v/v) and analyzed without any cleanup. The analysis was performed on a Betasil C18 column (150 x 4.6 mm id, 5 pm particle size) connected to an LC/MS system operated in the atmospheric pressure c...
