Equine Science Update

Autumn rise in Atypical Myopathy cases

2011-12-28T19:58:00.001Z

Once again, Europe is seeing a seasonal rise in cases of Atypical Myopathy.Horses with Atypical Myopathy suffer from severe, generalised weakness. They are often unable to get to their feet, or only do so with difficulty. If they are still able to walk, they do so with a stiff gait - especially of the hindquarters. Muscle tremors and generalised or patchy sweating may be seen. Affected animals

Help Solve the Mysteries of Laminitis

2011-12-28T19:54:00.001Z

Horse owners and veterinarians are asked to collaborate with researchers in a new study into pasture- and endocrinopathy-associated laminitis.Rather than being based on laboratory research, the study is designed to make use of the wealth of information available in naturally occurring cases of laminitis. Research is already underway under the direction of epidemiologist, Noah Cohen, VMD, PhD at

Drug combination may limit joint damage

2011-12-28T19:53:00.001Z

Research at the University of Sydney suggests that a new osteoarthritis drug combination could significantly extend the working life of racing and other performance horses.Previous studies has evaluated various medications for the treatment of osteoarthritis in horses, but this is one of the first to show a new drug combination has the ability to slow down damage to joints, rather than just

More help to avoid positive drug tests

2011-12-27T21:53:00.000Z

More detection times for commonly used drugs have been released by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). According to the BHA, the inadvertent carry over of medication following veterinary treatment is the most common reason for a positive drug test on the day of racing. An important part of the Authority's drive to keep racing free of drugs is the provision of data to help vets decide when

Research into gene therapy for osteoarthritis

2011-11-23T20:32:00.007Z

Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, causes pain and suffering to horses and humans alike. University of Florida researchers are developing a gene therapy for osteoarthritis in horses, in the hope that the technique will be applicable to people as well. The goal is to create a one-time treatment that gives long-term benefits. The work involves the use of viruses, called

Foal heat diarrhoea - no treatment best

2011-11-23T20:32:00.005Z

New research shows that the bacterial population of the foal's digestive tract undergoes major changes within the first two weeks of life. This change seems to be directly responsible for the "foal heat" diarrhoea that is often seen in young foals. The work, carried out at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna and the Graf Lehndorff Institute for Equine Science, Neustadt, Germany,

Comparing hot iron branding and microchipping in foals

2011-11-23T20:32:00.001Z

Research shows that foals find both hot iron branding and microchip implantation stressful, but the effects of microchip implantation do not last as long.The study, by R Erber and colleagues, compared the response of groups of foals to the two methods of identification.. Fourteen warmblood foals from the Brandenburg State Stud were divided into two groups. Seven foals were branded with a hot

Seasonal pasture myopathy research

2011-11-20T23:27:00.001Z

University of Minnesota researchers are seeking the help of horse owners to find out more about Seasonal Pasture Myopathy. This condition, which is frequently fatal, has been identified increasingly in the Midwestern US. Horses with Seasonal Pasture Myopathy (SPM) suffer from severe, generalised muscle weakness. They are often unable to get to their feet, or only do so with difficulty. If they

Ancient artists spot on

2011-11-20T23:26:00.001Z

Ancient cave paintings probably give an accurate portrayal of the horses that roamed the earth at the time, according to new research.For years, archaeologists have debated whether cave paintings were intended as a realistic portrayal of life as seen by the artist, or whether they were a flight of fancy, having symbolic significance. The latter view was fuelled by the fact that, although

Management affects large intestinal motility

2011-10-27T20:16:00.003Z

A possible explanation for the increased risk of impaction colic in stabled horses has been revealed by a study that shows that they have lower large intestinal motility compared with horses at pasture.The research team, led by Dr Sarah Freeman at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, measured the motility of the large intestine at three regions of the large

Laminitis due to endocrine disorders

2011-10-27T20:16:00.001Z

Hormonal disturbance (endocrinopathy) appears to be a common underlying cause of laminitis according to research from Finland.The study, conducted at Helsinki University Equine Teaching Hospital, looked for signs of endocrinopathy in all cases of laminitis presented for examination. Almost 90% of horses with laminitis had endocrine abnormalities. Hyperinsulinaemia, associated with obesity was

Jet lag benefits racehorses

2011-10-27T20:13:00.005Z

A new study has shown that not only do racehorses cope better with jet lag than humans do, but also their performance even appears to be enhanced by it. They research showed that horses adapted very quickly to a shift in time zone. Importantly, this rapid adaptation was not accompanied by an increase in the level of stress, but by alterations in endocrine systems that favour an enhancement of

Comparing positive and negative reinforcement training methods.

2011-10-27T20:13:00.003Z

A recent study in Denmark suggested positive reinforcement methods were preferable to negative reinforcement when training horses in potentially stressful situations.They found that found that horses trained with positive reinforcement methods trained more quickly and showed less evidence of stress. What is the difference between positive and negative reinforcement? In Positive Reinforcement (

Progress towards a vaccine against deadly foal pneumonia

2011-10-27T20:13:00.001Z

Rhodococcus equi bacteria can cause “rattles”, a potentially lethal disease in foals which is characterized by chronic broncho-pneumonia with abscesses in the lungs. Other forms of the disease occur including infection of the intestine and lymph nodes. Affected animals show signs of fever, cough, rapid breathing, and nasal discharge. The disease tends to develop insidiously. Few signs may be

Ancient wild horses help reveal past

2011-10-27T20:12:00.001Z

An international team of researchers has used ancient DNA to produce compelling evidence that the lack of genetic diversity in modern stallions is the result of the domestication process.Modern domestic horses show abundant genetic diversity within mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only from the female. In contrast there is practically no variation in the DNA sequence on the male-inherited

Identifying the cause of Foal Immunodeficiency Syndrome

2011-08-25T18:31:00.007Z

Researchers in the UK have now published details of their work which resulted in the development of a genetic test for Foal Immunodeficiency Syndrome (FIS, otherwise known as Fell Pony Syndrome). By comparing the genetic material from affected foals, known carriers with no clinical signs, and normal animals, the research team were able to track down the mutation responsible to a particular

Effect of blinkers

2011-08-25T18:31:00.005Z

How do horses respond to partial loss of vision?In a study at Texas A & M University, eight driving horses were assessed to see if they responded differently to stimuli when wearing blinkers or not. A racing hood with half cup blinkers was used to restrict the field of view behind the horse. A similar racing hood without blinkers was used as a control. One experimenter administered one of

Catching things from horses

2011-08-25T18:31:00.003Z

Two unusual cases of horse to human transmission of bacterial infections remind us of the importance of good hygiene practices when handling horses.One report from the Netherlands concerns the suspected transmission of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) type ST 398, from a foal to a 16 year old girl. The girl, who was confined to a wheelchair, developed an infected wound from

Faecal egg counts after tapeworm treatment

2011-08-25T18:31:00.001Z

It may be more useful to look for tapeworm eggs the day after treatment rather than before. Research carried out by Johanne Elsener of Wyeth Animal Health and Alain Villeneuve of the Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal looked at whether treating for tapeworms one day before carrying out a faecal examination improved the chance of identifying infected animals The study involved

Does soaking make hay safer for laminitics?

2011-07-28T21:28:00.001Z

An important part of treatment and prevention of laminitis is to limit the water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) intake. To achieve this, access to pasture is restricted and the horse or pony is fed hay instead. But even hay may not be safe for horses with laminitis. Most authorities suggest that horses and ponies prone to laminitis or with insulin resistance should ideally receive hay that has a

How does a brumby stallion spend his day?

2011-07-22T22:29:00.002Z

Magdalena Zabek's latest report on the feral horses of central Australia is now available. Click here to read

Research confirms effectiveness of grazing muzzles

2011-06-23T14:27:00.001Z

Using a grazing muzzle appears to be more effective than restricting access to pasture, for reducing the amount of grass eaten by ponies, according to a recent study.Pasture intake by the ponies grazing for three hours without muzzles averaged 0.8% (with some eating close to 1%) of their bodyweight, which is the equivalent of up to two thirds of the recommended daily dry matter intake for many

Making sense of flexion tests

2011-06-23T14:26:00.001Z

Flexion tests are often used as part of a prepurchase examination or a lameness work-up to evaluate lameness or assess the likelihood of future lameness problems. But what does a positive flexion test tell us about which structures are involved? Research published in the Equine Veterinary Journal suggests that the fetlock is probably responsible for a positive response to flexion test of the

Treponemes found in canker lesions

2011-06-18T23:19:00.001Z

Japanese research has found evidence of treponemes in equine canker by looking for specific portions of RNA characteristic for the organisms.Canker is a chronic proliferative condition of the horse's foot - affecting the frog and bars and sole. In severe cases it may extend to involve the hoof wall. Similar conditions in cattle and sheep have been shown to be associated with spirochete bacteria -

Effect of psyllium on glucose and insulin

2011-06-02T11:51:00.001Z

Psyllium, a sort of "super-bran", is already used in horses, particularly for treatment and prevention of sand colic. When mixed with water, it swells to up to 10 times its original volume, turning into a jelly-like substance which is thought to ease the passage of sand through the digestive tract.Researchers at Montana State University conducted a trial to see if adding psyllium to a horse's