Equine Veterinary Journal

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) are common in racehorses and have been of increasing concern in horses travelling internationally to compete. Understanding the differences in bone turnover between local horses and international horses following long-distance air transportation may inform MSI prevention strategies. OBJECTIVES: To understand the differences in bone turnover markers and risk of MSI between local horses and international horses following long-distance air transportation...

BACKGROUND: Insemination of mares with frozen-thawed spermatozoa requires intensive management and results in 40%-60% per cycle pregnancy rates. OBJECTIVES: To determine if satisfactory fertility is possible for frozen-thawed semen after processing it through a microfluidic device, followed by storage at 17°C for up to 24 h before fixed-time insemination. STUDY DESIGN: Uncontrolled field trials. METHODS: A pilot study evaluated the motility of frozen-thawed spermatozoa after centrifugation and storage (17°C) in two different media for up to 48 h...

BACKGROUND: Endometritis is a common condition in mares that causes significant economic loss. Lacking obvious clinical signs, the clinical diagnosis of endometritis in mares relies on case-by-case clinical examinations, which can be particularly inefficient in large-scale farms. Therefore, the identification of potential biomarkers can serve as a non-invasive and efficient screening technique for endometritis in mares. OBJECTIVES: To compare the blood proteome between fertile mares and mares with endometritis to identify biomarkers potentially associated with the development of endometritis and validate their predictive potential...

BACKGROUND: Post-operative reflux (POR) is rare following large colon volvulus (LCV) but does occur despite the absence of a small intestinal lesion. The prevalence, risk factors and association with survival of POR after LCV are currently unknown. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of POR in horses with an LCV and its association with survival. A further objective was to assess factors which may predict POR. The hypothesis was that horses with POR following LCV surgery have a worse outcome for survival compared to those without POR...

Twin gestation in the mare is undesirable and can have disastrous consequences. As in many cases, the key to success in twin management lies in a thorough follow-up and accurate recording of clinical findings in the pre-breeding examination. A pregnancy diagnosis in the mobility phase is imperative for a good outcome in the event of twin reduction. If a twin gestation is not diagnosed during this early pregnancy stage, several other procedures exist for managing post-fixation twins (>16 days) with varying degrees of success...

BACKGROUND: The neuro-central synchondrosis (NCS) is a physis responsible for the growth of the dorsal third of the vertebral body and neural arches. When the NCS of pigs is tethered to model scoliosis, stenosis also ensues. It is necessary to describe the NCS for future evaluation of its potential role in equine spinal cord compression and ataxia (wobbler syndrome). OBJECTIVES: To describe the NCS, including when it and other physes closed in computed tomographic (CT) scans of the cervical spine of foals, due to its potential role in vertebral stenosis...

BACKGROUND: Safe, efficacious therapy for treating degenerate deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and navicular bone fibrocartilage (NBF) in navicular horses is critically necessary. While archetypal orthobiologic therapies for navicular disease are used empirically, their safety and efficacy are unknown. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) may overcome several limitations of current orthobiologic therapies. OBJECTIVES: To (1) characterise cytokine and growth factor profiles of equine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (BM-EV) and (2) evaluate the in vitro anti-inflammatory and extracellular matrix (ECM) protective potentials of BM-EV on DDFT and NBF explant co-cultures in an IL-1β inflammatory environment...

BACKGROUND: Condylar fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Thoroughbred racehorses. Condylar fractures have a variety of fracture configurations that suggest there may be differences in aetiopathogenesis. OBJECTIVE: To determine if exercise history differs with condylar fracture location in a population of Thoroughbred racehorses. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of clinical and exercise data. METHODS: Exercise history of Thoroughbred racehorses that had condylar fracture repair between 1 January 2018 and 28 February 2021 was compared between racehorses that had fractures located radiographically either within the parasagittal groove (PSG) or abaxial to the PSG (non-PSG)...

BACKGROUND: Artificial insemination with cooled-shipped semen is the primary method used in the equine breeding industry; yet, sperm quality and fertility can be suboptimal for some stallions when standard techniques are used. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop alternative approaches for these stallions. OBJECTIVE: To assess sperm quality parameters and fertility of cooled-stored stallion semen processed by SpermFilter® or centrifugation and resuspended in three extenders...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim was to compare ophthalmic diagnoses made by veterinarians to a deep learning (artificial intelligence) software tool which was developed to aid in the diagnosis of equine ophthalmic diseases. As equine ophthalmology is a very specialised field in equine medicine, the tool may be able to help in diagnosing equine ophthalmic emergencies such as uveitis. STUDY DESIGN: In silico tool development and assessment of diagnostic performance...

BACKGROUND: Injuries of the sagittal groove of the proximal phalanx (P1) in equine athletes are considered to predominantly occur due to chronic bone stress overload. OBJECTIVES: To describe the range of abnormalities that is present in the sagittal groove in a large group of horses diagnosed with sagittal groove disease (SGD) on low-field MRI. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, cross-sectional. METHODS: Medical records were searched to identify initial MRI images of horses diagnosed with SGD and these were blindly evaluated using a semi-quantitative grading scheme and novel SGD MRI classification system reflecting potential pathways of pathological progression and severity of stress injury...

BACKGROUND: A markerless artificial intelligence (AI) system for lameness detection has recently become available but has not been extensively compared with commonly used inertial measurement unit (IMU) systems for detecting asymmetry under field conditions. OBJECTIVE: Comparison of classification of asymmetric limbs under field conditions and comparison of normalised asymmetry data using a markerless AI system (SleipAI; recorded on a tripod mounted iPhone 14pro [SL]); the Equinosis Q Lameness Locator (LL); the EquiMoves (EM); and subjective evaluation (SE)...

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation has been successfully applied to treat right atrial arrhythmias in horses. Ablation of left-sided arrhythmias requires a retrograde transarterial approach which is complicated. In human medicine, the left atrium is accessed through transseptal puncture (TSP) of the fossa ovalis (FO) using a caudal approach via the femoral vein. OBJECTIVES: To develop a zero fluoroscopy TSP technique for horses using a jugular vein (cranial) and transhepatic (caudal) approach...

BACKGROUND: Clinically, flunixin meglumine (FM) and phenylbutazone (PBZ) are preferentially selected for the treatment of visceral and musculoskeletal pain, respectively, in horses. In donkeys, there is no information to support or refute this conventional conjecture. OBJECTIVES: To compare postoperative outcomes in a group of jennies treated with intravenous FM or oral PBZ. ANIMALS: Fourteen jennies unilaterally ovariectomised by standing left flank laparotomy...

BACKGROUND: Equine embryonic loss following the development of endometrial cups delays return to cyclicity due to the production of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG). Natural degradation of endometrial cups coincides with an influx of immune cells at 100-120 days of gestation, but therapeutic stimulation of reduced eCG production has been relatively unsuccessful. Recently, we observed an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine production following the use of the immunostimulant mycobacterium cell wall fraction (MCWF)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Equine embryos >300 μm require puncture before vitrification. Protocols that do not require pre-puncture would make vitrification easier and allow for its widespread use. OBJECTIVES: To design a successful vitrification protocol for embryos >300 μm without puncture as a pre-treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental in vivo study. METHODS: Thirty-eight embryos were divided into 3 groups (G1: ≤300 μm, n = 11; G2: >300-500 μm, n = 20; G3: >500 μm, n = 7)...

BACKGROUND: Endometritis is a major cause of subfertility in mares. Multiparous old mares are more susceptible to developing endometritis given that ageing is associated with an altered immune response and with inadequate physiological uterine clearance after breeding, which can lead to degenerative changes in the endometrium. Molecules such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been proposed as endometritis markers in the equine species. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Accurate prediction of parturition is paramount to ensuring monitoring of delivery and preventing complications. Assessing the pH and electrolytes of the mammary gland secretions (MGS) helps detect impending parturition. As conductivity is related to electrolyte concentrations and pH, it could be a useful alternative for predicting impending parturition; however, this hypothesis warrants a critical assessment. OBJECTIVES: To assess the ability of conductivity, pH, and Brix in the MGS to predict parturition and to investigate their associations...