FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Med A Physiol Pathol Clin Med / The association between heart rate, heart rate variability, ...
Journal of veterinary medicine. A, Physiology, pathology, clinical medicine2004; 51(5); 218-225; doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0442.2004.00627.x

The association between heart rate, heart rate variability, endocrine and behavioural pain measures in horses suffering from laminitis.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to compare the stress response of horses suffering from laminitis after short- and long-term treatment with the intent to evaluate power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) for pain monitoring. Data were collected from 19 horses with acute or chronic exacerbating laminitis without known primary disease before and after treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). Recordings were carried out the day after admission to the equine hospital. Measurements were repeated on day 7 of the treatment. The recorded parameters included a clinical orthopaedic index (OLPI: Obel-grade plus hoof tester score), frequency of weight-shifting between contralateral limbs, mean beat-to-beat interval (R-R) duration, standard deviation of continuous R-R intervals, low- (LF) and high-frequency (HF) components of HRV, sympatho-vagal balance (LF/HF), and plasma concentration of cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenalin. The LF represents mainly sympathetic influences on the heart whereas HF is mediated by the parasympathetic tone. Weight-shifting and OLPI decreased significantly with treatment. The LF normalized units (n.u.) decreased after NSAID from 60.41 +/- 21.42 to 51.12 +/- 19.81 and was 49.33 +/- 22.64 on day 7, whereas HF n.u. increased from 35.07 +/- 20.02 to 43.14 +/- 18.30 and was 45.98 +/- 23.00 on day 7. Hormone levels showed no tendency to change with treatment. The OLPI was only correlated with LF/HF, LF and HF (R = 0.57, 0.55 and -0.54 respectively). Significant negative correlations existed between HFn.u. and weight-shifting frequency (R = -0.37), HFn.u. and adrenalin (R = -0.47), and HFn.u. and noradrenalin (R = 0.33). The LFn.u. only correlated positively with adrenalin. Cortisol levels were poorly associated with the other parameters. Determination of the sympatho-vagal influences on cardiac function may offer complementary information for reliable assessment of pain and may represent a valuable alternative method to catecholamine measurements.
Copyright 2004 Blackwell Verlag
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2004-08-19 PubMed ID: 15315700DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0442.2004.00627.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Clinical Trial
  • Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research aims to measure the stress response in horses suffering from laminitis by evaluating their heart rates and behaviors before and after treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. The study found that data from heart rate variability (HRV) may offer valuable information for assessing pain in these animals.

Overview of the Study

  • The study involved 19 horses with acute or chronic exacerbating laminitis, a painful horse condition affecting the feet.
  • The researchers examined the horses’ stress response before and after treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), by measuring a range of parameters.
  • The parameters included a clinical orthopaedic index, frequency of weight-shifting between contralateral limbs, mean beat-to-beat interval (R-R) duration, standard deviation of continuous R-R intervals, low- and high-frequency components of HRV, sympatho-vagal balance, and plasma concentration of cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenalin.
  • All these measures were taken the day after the horses were admitted to the equine hospital and then again on day 7 of the treatment.

Findings and Interpretation

  • Patient treatment caused significant decreases in weight-shifting and the clinical orthopaedic index deemed the Obel grade plus hoof tester score (OLPI). This suggests an improvement in the horses’ condition.
  • Data analysis of the horses’ HRV revealed that the low-frequency normalized units (n.u.) decreased after NSAID treatment, while the high-frequency n.u. increased. In this context, the high-frequency component is usually associated with a decrease in stress level and an improvement in the animals’ well-being.
  • Importantly, hormone levels did not show a significant change with treatment. This implies that the effects of the treatment were not necessarily linked to hormonal changes, but more likely to other physiological responses.
  • The OLPI was only correlated with sympatho-vagal balance, showing that these orthopedic measures could be closely linked with the horses’ cardiovascular responses to stress.
  • Significant negative correlations were found between high-frequency n.u. and weight-shifting frequency, adrenalin, and noradrenalin. The opposite trend was found for low-frequency n.u., which only correlated positively with adrenalin. Cortisol levels, however, were poorly associated with the other parameters, suggesting that this hormone plays a minor role in the horses’ responses to laminitis and treatment.

Summary and Implications

  • The study results point to the determination of the sympatho-vagal influences on cardiac function as a promising method for assessing pain in horses. This could offer complementary information to existing evaluation methods and may serve as a valuable alternative to measuring catecholamine levels.
  • These findings could therefore have important implications for pain management and treatment monitoring in horses. Further research to confirm and extend these results seems warranted.

Cite This Article

APA
Rietmann TR, Staﾬher M, Bernasconi P, Auer JA, Weishaupt MA. (2004). The association between heart rate, heart rate variability, endocrine and behavioural pain measures in horses suffering from laminitis. J Vet Med A Physiol Pathol Clin Med, 51(5), 218-225. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0442.2004.00627.x

Publication

Journal of veterinary medicine. A, Physiology, pathology, clinical medicine
ISSN: 0931-184X
NlmUniqueID: 100955112
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 51
Issue: 5
Pages: 218-225

Researcher Affiliations

Rietmann, T R
  • Equine Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
Staﾬher, M
    Bernasconi, P
      Auer, J A
        Weishaupt, M A

          MeSH Terms

          • Animals
          • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / administration & dosage
          • Autonomic Nervous System
          • Behavior, Animal
          • Electrophysiology / methods
          • Endocrine System
          • Female
          • Heart Rate
          • Horse Diseases / blood
          • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
          • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
          • Horses
          • Joint Diseases / physiopathology
          • Joint Diseases / veterinary
          • Male
          • Pain / physiopathology
          • Pain / veterinary
          • Pain Measurement / veterinary
          • Predictive Value of Tests

          Citations

          This article has been cited 34 times.
          1. Wonghanchao T, Sanigavatee K, Pongnarudech P, Suchairat T, Jitsopin S, Wanichayanon B, Rattanakarn D, Jantakanangkoon P, Jaraswutiwong T, Kalanuson N, Simasurapoj N, Srisujja W, Tippayaratsoontorn S, Kranpan P, Charoenchanikran P, Poochipakorn C, Chanda M. Heart rate and heart rate variability responses during three exercise tests and recovery in horses participating in the Fédération Équestre Internationale Eventing World Challenge. BMC Vet Res 2025 Oct 24;21(1):631.
            doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-05090-3pubmed: 41137117google scholar: lookup
          2. Wells A, Hiney KM, Brady CM, Anderson KP. Enhancing equine welfare: a qualitative study on the impact of RAiSE (Recognizing Affective States in Equine) as an educational tool. Transl Anim Sci 2025;9:txaf033.
            doi: 10.1093/tas/txaf033pubmed: 40242489google scholar: lookup
          3. Lundblad J, Rhodin M, Hernlund E, Bjarnestig H, Hidén Rudander S, Haubro Andersen P. Facial expressions during compound interventions of nociception, conspecific isolation, and sedation in horses. Sci Rep 2025 Feb 13;15(1):5373.
            doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-89329-xpubmed: 39948238google scholar: lookup
          4. Hall C, Kay R. Living the good life? A systematic review of behavioural signs of affective state in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) and factors relating to quality of life. Part 2: Horse-human interactions. Anim Welf 2024;33:e41.
            doi: 10.1017/awf.2024.41pubmed: 39469043google scholar: lookup
          5. Flores JEM, Terrazas A, Lara Sagahon AV, Aleman M. Parasympathetic tone activity, heart rate, and grimace scale in conscious horses of 3 breeds before, during, and after nociceptive mechanical stimulation. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Sep-Oct;38(5):2739-2747.
            doi: 10.1111/jvim.17174pubmed: 39150630google scholar: lookup
          6. Nowak M, Martin-Cirera A, Jenner F, Auer U. Time budgets and weight shifting as indicators of pain in hospitalized horses. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2024;5:1410302.
            doi: 10.3389/fpain.2024.1410302pubmed: 39109240google scholar: lookup
          7. Eichler F, Ehrle A, Machnik M, Jensen KC, Wagner S, Baudisch N, Bolk J, Pötzsch M, Thevis M, Bäumer W, Lischer C, Wiegard M. Behavioral observations, heart rate and cortisol monitoring in horses following multiple oral administrations of a cannabidiol containing paste (part 2/2). Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1305873.
            doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1305873pubmed: 38234983google scholar: lookup
          8. Medill SA, Janz DM, McLoughlin PD. Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Feral Horses and the Influence of Physiological and Social Factors. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jun 27;13(13).
            doi: 10.3390/ani13132133pubmed: 37443930google scholar: lookup
          9. Mercer MA, Davis JL, McKenzie HC. The Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutic Evaluation of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Adult Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 May 10;13(10).
            doi: 10.3390/ani13101597pubmed: 37238029google scholar: lookup
          10. Moss A, Leise B, Hackett E. Stress response as a contributing factor in horses with laminitis. J Vet Sci 2023 Mar;24(2):e33.
            doi: 10.4142/jvs.22039pubmed: 37012040google scholar: lookup
          11. McCrae P, Spong H, Golestani N, Mahnam A, Bashura Y, Pearson W. Validation of an Equine Smart Textile System for Heart Rate Variability: A Preliminary Study. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 1;13(3).
            doi: 10.3390/ani13030512pubmed: 36766401google scholar: lookup
          12. Golzari K, Kong Y, Reed SA, Posada-Quintero HF. Sympathetic Arousal Detection in Horses Using Electrodermal Activity. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jan 7;13(2).
            doi: 10.3390/ani13020229pubmed: 36670768google scholar: lookup
          13. Hernández-Avalos I, Mota-Rojas D, Mendoza-Flores JE, Casas-Alvarado A, Flores-Padilla K, Miranda-Cortes AE, Torres-Bernal F, Gómez-Prado J, Mora-Medina P. Nociceptive pain and anxiety in equines: Physiological and behavioral alterations. Vet World 2021 Nov;14(11):2984-2995.
            doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.2984-2995pubmed: 35017848google scholar: lookup
          14. Nyerges-Bohák Z, Nagy K, Rózsa L, Póti P, Kovács L. Heart rate variability before and after 14 weeks of training in Thoroughbred horses and Standardbred trotters with different training experience. PLoS One 2021;16(12):e0259933.
            doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259933pubmed: 34882704google scholar: lookup
          15. Kelemen Z, Grimm H, Long M, Auer U, Jenner F. Recumbency as an Equine Welfare Indicator in Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease. Animals (Basel) 2021 Nov 8;11(11).
            doi: 10.3390/ani11113189pubmed: 34827921google scholar: lookup
          16. Lundblad J, Rashid M, Rhodin M, Haubro Andersen P. Effect of transportation and social isolation on facial expressions of healthy horses. PLoS One 2021;16(6):e0241532.
            doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241532pubmed: 34086704google scholar: lookup
          17. Contalbrigo L, Borgi M, De Santis M, Collacchi B, Tuozzi A, Toson M, Redaelli V, Odore R, Vercelli C, Stefani A, Luzi F, Valle E, Cirulli F. Equine-Assisted Interventions (EAIs) for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Behavioural and Physiological Indices of Stress in Domestic Horses (Equus caballus) during Riding Sessions. Animals (Basel) 2021 May 27;11(6).
            doi: 10.3390/ani11061562pubmed: 34071859google scholar: lookup
          18. Torcivia C, McDonnell S. Equine Discomfort Ethogram. Animals (Basel) 2021 Feb 23;11(2).
            doi: 10.3390/ani11020580pubmed: 33672338google scholar: lookup
          19. Panzera M, Alberghina D, Statelli A. Ethological and Physiological Parameters Assessment in Donkeys Used in Animal Assisted Interventions. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 13;10(10).
            doi: 10.3390/ani10101867pubmed: 33066258google scholar: lookup
          20. Gehlen H, Faust MD, Grzeskowiak RM, Trachsel DS. Association Between Disease Severity, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Serum Cortisol Concentrations in Horses with Acute Abdominal Pain. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 2;10(9).
            doi: 10.3390/ani10091563pubmed: 32887514google scholar: lookup
          21. Gehlen H, Jaburg N, Merle R, Winter J. Can Endocrine Dysfunction Be Reliably Tested in Aged Horses That Are Experiencing Pain?. Animals (Basel) 2020 Aug 14;10(8).
            doi: 10.3390/ani10081426pubmed: 32824027google scholar: lookup
          22. Trindade PHE, Hartmann E, Keeling LJ, Andersen PH, Ferraz GC, Paranhos da Costa MJR. Effect of work on body language of ranch horses in Brazil. PLoS One 2020;15(1):e0228130.
            doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228130pubmed: 31990951google scholar: lookup
          23. Rowland AL, Navas de Solis C, Lepiz MA, Cummings KJ, Watts AE. Bone Marrow Aspiration Does Not Induce a Measurable Pain Response Compared to Sham Procedure. Front Vet Sci 2018;5:233.
            doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00233pubmed: 30327768google scholar: lookup
          24. Lenoir A, Trachsel DS, Younes M, Barrey E, Robert C. Agreement between Electrocardiogram and Heart Rate Meter Is Low for the Measurement of Heart Rate Variability during Exercise in Young Endurance Horses. Front Vet Sci 2017;4:170.
            doi: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00170pubmed: 29090214google scholar: lookup
          25. De Santis M, Contalbrigo L, Borgi M, Cirulli F, Luzi F, Redaelli V, Stefani A, Toson M, Odore R, Vercelli C, Valle E, Farina L. Equine Assisted Interventions (EAIs): Methodological Considerations for Stress Assessment in Horses. Vet Sci 2017 Sep 8;4(3).
            doi: 10.3390/vetsci4030044pubmed: 29056702google scholar: lookup
          26. Ohmura H, Jones JH. Changes in heart rate and heart rate variability as a function of age in Thoroughbred horses. J Equine Sci 2017;28(3):99-103.
            doi: 10.1294/jes.28.99pubmed: 28955161google scholar: lookup
          27. Boivin GP, Hickman DL, Creamer-Hente MA, Pritchett-Corning KR, Bratcher NA. Review of CO₂ as a Euthanasia Agent for Laboratory Rats and Mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2017 Sep 1;56(5):491-499.
            pubmed: 28903819
          28. Patt A, Gygax L, Wechsler B, Hillmann E, Langbein J, Keil NM. Context Specificity of the ANS Stress Response during Two Regrouping Experiments in Goats. Front Vet Sci 2016;3:58.
            doi: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00058pubmed: 27551679google scholar: lookup
          29. Boivin GP, Bottomley MA, Dudley ES, Schiml PA, Wyatt CN, Grobe N. Physiological, Behavioral, and Histological Responses of Male C57BL/6N Mice to Different CO2 Chamber Replacement Rates. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2016;55(4):451-61.
            pubmed: 27423153
          30. Wilson NM, Ripsch MS, White FA. Impact of Opioid and Nonopioid Drugs on Postsurgical Pain Management in the Rat. Pain Res Treat 2016;2016:8364762.
            doi: 10.1155/2016/8364762pubmed: 27069684google scholar: lookup
          31. Krause A, Tuchscherer A, Puppe B, Langbein J. Interchangeability of Electrocardiography and Blood Pressure Measurement for Determining Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability in Free-Moving Domestic Pigs in Various Behavioral Contexts. Front Vet Sci 2015;2:52.
            doi: 10.3389/fvets.2015.00052pubmed: 26664979google scholar: lookup
          32. Villas-Boas JD, Dias DP, Trigo PI, Almeida NA, de Almeida FQ, de Medeiros MA. Acupuncture Affects Autonomic and Endocrine but Not Behavioural Responses Induced by Startle in Horses. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2015;2015:219579.
            doi: 10.1155/2015/219579pubmed: 26413116google scholar: lookup
          33. Wong DM, Vo DT, Alcott CJ, Stewart AJ, Peterson AD, Sponseller BA, Hsu WH. Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation tests in healthy foals from birth to 12 weeks of age. Can J Vet Res 2009 Jan;73(1):65-72.
            pubmed: 19337398
          34. Arras M, Rettich A, Cinelli P, Kasermann HP, Burki K. Assessment of post-laparotomy pain in laboratory mice by telemetric recording of heart rate and heart rate variability. BMC Vet Res 2007 Aug 2;3:16.
            doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-3-16pubmed: 17683523google scholar: lookup
          Subscribe to our newsletter
          Join 99,101 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.