Association of growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions with the prevalence of Developmental Orthopaedic Disease in limbs of French foals at weaning.
Abstract: Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) in limb joints of horses is frequent and is a common cause of pain and lameness. DOD is a multifactorial disease involving genetics, growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions leading to joint injuries. However, there is no clear understanding of the contribution of each factor. The aim of this cohort study was to assess the adjusted effects of breed and gender, growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions on the prevalence of DOD in the limbs of foals at weaning and on the prevalence restricted to osteochondrosis (OC). Twenty-one farms in Normandy, France, were convenience sampled and enrolled in a cohort study. The study sample consisted of 401 foals from 3 breeds, followed from the 8th month of pregnancy of the mares until weaning period at approximately 6 months of age of the foals. Stud farms were regularly visited to collect growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions data. The carpus, the front and hind digits, the hock and the stifle of the foals were X-rayed at the end of follow-up. Foals were categorised as affected or unaffected by DOD or by OC. Two mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to determine risk factors for DOD or OC, adjusting for clustering by farm. Of the 378 foals with complete data, 47% (95% CI: 42-52) were affected by DOD and 36% (95% CI: 31-41) by OC. Risk was significantly increased for DOD and for OC in Warmblood foals compared to Thoroughbreds (OR 2.8; 95% CI: 1.2-6.5 for DOD, OR 2.9; 95% CI: 1.1-7.5 for OC), in foals with a high wither height at 30 days of age, and in foals with a rapid increase of wither height (for DOD only). Exercise conditions such as large area of pasture, some irregular exercise, or some batch changes were also significant risk factors for DOD or OC. No association was found with quantitative feeding practices; it was likely due to the limited variability of horse regimens and to the partial inclusion of nutritional effects in other factors such as breed and growth. In order to reduce the prevalence of DOD or OC in foals, following the growth and reducing nutritional supply in subjects growing fast, limiting the pasture areas offered and providing a regular exercise to foals seems appropriate. To our knowledge, to date the assessment of adjusted effects of potential risk factors for DOD has never been proposed.
Publication Date: 2009-03-28 PubMed ID: 19329202DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2009.02.018Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article investigates the effects of various factors such as breed, gender, growth, feeding practices, and exercise conditions on the occurrence of Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) in foals. The study found that warmblood foals, those with high wither height, and those exposed to certain exercise conditions had higher risks. Nutritional factors seem less significant due to limited variability in horse regimens.
Study Overview and Methodology
- The study aimed to understand better the different factors contributing to Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) in the limbs of young horses (foals) at the time they are weaned off their mothers’ milk.
- A total of 21 horse-breeding farms in Normandy, France, voluntarily participated. The study followed 401 foals of three different breeds from the mares’ eighth month of pregnancy until the foals were about six months old–their weaning period.
- The data collected from these farms included growth, feeding practices, and exercise conditions. Radiographs were taken at the end of the study to determine the presence of DOD or osteochondrosis (OC), a similar condition specifically affecting joint cartilage.
Results and Findings
- The results showed that 47% of the 378 foals with complete data were affected by DOD, and 36% were affected by OC.
- The risk of developing DOD and OC was significantly higher in foals that belonged to warmblood breed compared to Thoroughbreds. Moreover, foals that showed high wither height (the measurement from the top of the shoulder blades) at 30 days of age, and those who had a rapid increase in wither height, had an increased risk of developing DOD.
- Exercise conditions like large pasture area and irregular exercise were also found to be significant risk factors for both DOD and OC.
- The study found no clear association between the feeding practices and DOD and OC prevalence due to the limited variability in diet adopted for horses and possible overlapping effects between nutritional parameters and factors like breed and growth.
Implications
- The study concludes that measures such as monitoring the growth rate of foals, reducing supplies to faster growing ones, limiting pasture areas offered, and setting a regular exercise routine for foals could help reduce the prevalence of DOD and OC.
- This research is particularly useful as adjusted effects of potential risk factors for DOD have not been proposed elsewhere as per the researchers’ knowledge.
Cite This Article
APA
Lepeule J, Bareille N, Robert C, Ezanno P, Valette JP, Jacquet S, Blanchard G, Denoix JM, Seegers H.
(2009).
Association of growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions with the prevalence of Developmental Orthopaedic Disease in limbs of French foals at weaning.
Prev Vet Med, 89(3-4), 167-177.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2009.02.018 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- UMR 1300 Bio-aggression, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis, Veterinary School, INRA, BP 40706, F-44307 Nantes Cedex 03, France. johanna.lepeule@ujf-grenoble.fr
MeSH Terms
- Animal Feed
- Animal Husbandry / methods
- Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / physiology
- Animals
- Cluster Analysis
- Cohort Studies
- Female
- France / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses / genetics
- Horses / growth & development
- Joint Diseases / epidemiology
- Joint Diseases / etiology
- Joint Diseases / veterinary
- Lameness, Animal / epidemiology
- Lameness, Animal / etiology
- Logistic Models
- Male
- Odds Ratio
- Osteochondrosis / epidemiology
- Osteochondrosis / etiology
- Osteochondrosis / veterinary
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Prevalence
- Risk Factors
- Weaning
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Van Cauter R, Serteyn D, Lejeune JP, Rousset A, Caudron I. Evaluation of the appearance of osteochondrosis lesions by two radiographic examinations in sport horses aged from 12 to 36 months.. PLoS One 2023;18(5):e0286213.
- Raudsepp T, Finno CJ, Bellone RR, Petersen JL. Ten years of the horse reference genome: insights into equine biology, domestication and population dynamics in the post-genome era.. Anim Genet 2019 Dec;50(6):569-597.
- Kemper AM, Drnevich J, McCue ME, McCoy AM. Differential Gene Expression in Articular Cartilage and Subchondral Bone of Neonatal and Adult Horses.. Genes (Basel) 2019 Sep 25;10(10).
- Hartnett P, Boyle L, Younge B, O'Driscoll K. The Effect of Group Composition and Mineral Supplementation during Rearing on Measures of Cartilage Condition and Bone Mineral Density in Replacement Gilts.. Animals (Basel) 2019 Aug 30;9(9).
- Fradinho MJ, Mateus L, Bernardes N, Bessa RJB, Caldeira RM, Ferreira-Dias G. Growth patterns, metabolic indicators and osteoarticular status in the Lusitano horse: A longitudinal study.. PLoS One 2019;14(7):e0219900.
- Mach N, Foury A, Kittelmann S, Reigner F, Moroldo M, Ballester M, Esquerré D, Rivière J, Sallé G, Gérard P, Moisan MP, Lansade L. The Effects of Weaning Methods on Gut Microbiota Composition and Horse Physiology.. Front Physiol 2017;8:535.
- Hellings IR, Dolvik NI, Ekman S, Olstad K. Cartilage canals in the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia of fetuses and foals are surrounded by different types of collagen.. J Anat 2017 Oct;231(4):615-625.
- Russell J, Matika O, Russell T, Reardon RJ. Heritability and prevalence of selected osteochondrosis lesions in yearling Thoroughbred horses.. Equine Vet J 2017 May;49(3):282-287.
- McCoy AM, Beeson SK, Splan RK, Lykkjen S, Ralston SL, Mickelson JR, McCue ME. Identification and validation of risk loci for osteochondrosis in standardbreds.. BMC Genomics 2016 Jan 12;17:41.
- Desjardin C, Riviere J, Vaiman A, Morgenthaler C, Diribarne M, Zivy M, Robert C, Le Moyec L, Wimel L, Lepage O, Jacques C, Cribiu E, Schibler L. Omics technologies provide new insights into the molecular physiopathology of equine osteochondrosis.. BMC Genomics 2014 Oct 31;15(1):947.
- McCoy AM, Toth F, Dolvik NI, Ekman S, Ellermann J, Olstad K, Ytrehus B, Carlson CS. Articular osteochondrosis: a comparison of naturally-occurring human and animal disease.. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2013 Nov;21(11):1638-47.
- Baccarin RY, Pereira MA, Roncati NV, Bergamaschi RR, Hagen SC. Development of osteochondrosis in Lusitano foals: a radiographic study.. Can Vet J 2012 Oct;53(10):1079-84.
- Corbin LJ, Blott SC, Swinburne JE, Sibbons C, Fox-Clipsham LY, Helwegen M, Parkin TD, Newton JR, Bramlage LR, McIlwraith CW, Bishop SC, Woolliams JA, Vaudin M. A genome-wide association study of osteochondritis dissecans in the Thoroughbred.. Mamm Genome 2012 Apr;23(3-4):294-303.
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