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Warm summer weather is just around the corner, which means many owners will be hosing sweaty horses after exercise on a regular basis. But how much sweat are you rinsing down the drain after each ride? The National Research Council and German Society for Nutrition Physiology's current estimation methods depend on the amount of work the horse performs,...
4 days agoVeterinarians and scientists have made great strides in understanding, diagnosing, and treating pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, often referred to as equine Cushing's disease)—a neuro-degenerative disorder of aged horses, in which dopamine production of the pituitary gland decreases. However, questions about the disease still abound....
Thursday, May 02, 2013While prolonged use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs has long been associated with gastrointestinal problems in horses, some newer NSAIDs on the market could have fewer adverse effects than older ones.
Monday, March 04, 2013Research shows that adult performance horses can subsist on a quality forage-only diet, but what about their younger counterparts? Recent study results from a Swedish research team indicate that a high-energy, high-quality forage diet is not only adequate for growing horses, but can also reduce their risk of several health problems associated with a conce...
Friday, January 11, 2013Equine obesity is an increasingly common problem, leading many owners to seek safe weight loss solutions for their horse. In most cases veterinarians and nutritionists advise restricting diet and increasing exercise, but with some horses--those suffering from laminitis, for instance--exercise might be contraindicated. This leaves dietary restriction as th...
Saturday, December 29, 2012Omega-3 fatty acids have proven to be beneficial for horses with arthritis or other inflammatory conditions, but when it comes to choosing a supplement, which one is best? There are two sources of equine omega-3 fatty acid supplements--one derived from algae and fish oil and the other derived from plants. Recent research performed at Colorado State Univer...
Sunday, December 09, 2012Ivermectin dewormer is considered safe for horses, even at up to 10 times the recommended dosage. But results of a recent case series documented by researchers at Texas A&M University (TAMU) revealed that horses consuming plants from the toxic Solanum (nightshade) family could be in danger of ivermectin poisoning, even when the anthelmintic is dosed a...
Friday, December 07, 2012Endophytes--fungi that benefit some grasses such as fescue by acting as a natural insect deterrent--have proven harmful to grazing animals, such as cattle and horses.
Tuesday, November 06, 2012A recently published French study suggests a horse's neck posture might indicate correlating back pain.
Friday, October 26, 2012Unintentional weight loss in horses is frustrating to both owners and veterinarians, especially when the horse is still eating well. Numerous causes are possible but often difficult to pinpoint. Due to the lack of descriptive information on this condition, a group of Irish researchers recently set out to establish a link between clinical findings and outc...
Tuesday, October 23, 2012Some owners might be searching for the most cost-effective ways in which to feed their horses, especially as provision prices continue to rise. Recently, a team of German researchers took a different approach to evaluating the effectiveness of horse feeds by carrying out a study establishing which diet--hay and grain or solely forage--consisted of a more ...
Saturday, October 06, 2012When it comes to equine injuries in the proximal (upper) suspensory ligament (PSL), many veterinarians rely on ultrasonography (US) to diagnose and monitor the problem. But obtaining accurate US measurements of the PSL could be a challenge, even for experienced operators, according to the results of a recent German study.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012Here's some good news for owners of horses with kissing spines: A British research team recently developed a new, minimally invasive treatment method that boasted a 95% success rate in a recent study.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012Monitoring equine joint disease and determining the effects of nutraceutical agents, such as chondroitin sulfate (CS) and glucosamine (GlcN), is difficult to say the least. However, a group of Brazilian researchers recently determined that analyzing urinary glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) could be helpful, especially in mild osteoarthritis (OA) cases.
Saturday, August 04, 2012With countless types of grains and concentrated feed available for performance horses, some horse owners might wish for a simpler approach to feeding their equine athlete. Well here’s some good news for these owners: According to recent study results, a diet devoid of concentrates and entirely based on forage could be suitable for some high-performa...
Wednesday, August 01, 2012Researchers recently evaluated and compared the absorption rate of the common equine anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing corticosteroid drug dexamethasone (DXM), finding the drug behaves similarly regardless of how enters the equine body.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012The inherit risks and costs associated with general anesthesia have led to an increase in the number of surgical procedures performed under standing sedation. Risks of general anesthesia include injury during recovery, cardiorespiratory collapse, and reduced blood flow, among others.
Sunday, June 10, 2012The results of a recently completed study indicate that oral administration of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) firocoxib could benefit horses suffering from osteoarthritis-related pain or lameness.
Friday, June 01, 2012While the exact cause of inflammatory small bowel disease (ISBD) in horses remains unknown, a group of Dutch researchers suspect that gluten intolerance could be a contributing factor of the disease. They recently tested their hypothesis and found that gluten sensitivity in horses is a possibility.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012A group of researchers recently evaluated how food deprivation affects a horse's autonomic nervous system and found that it slows the animals' heart rates, a conclusion opposite of the team's original hypothesis.
Friday, May 04, 2012Obesity among equines seems to be a ubiquitous problem that leaves many owners seeking a weight loss program for their horse or pony. When it comes to devising a weight loss program, some caretakers turn to restricting the animal's caloric intake; however, one research team found that it's important to consider all possible materials that might be...
Friday, April 06, 2012Horse rescues and adoption facilities typically deal with two groups of people: those who are there to adopt a horse and those there to relinquish a horse. While each situation has its own set of circumstances, the USDA recently funded a study to determine just who is relinquishing the animals and who is adopting them.
Sunday, February 19, 2012When most caretakers develop a diet for their horses, the environmental impact of the comestibles once they're passed through the horse's body often isn't the first thing they consider. But a team of researchers recently set out to see which forage-based diet is healthiest for both the horse and the environment.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012Persimmon trees, commonly found in the southeastern United States, produce a fruit that's often enticing to horses and other equids. Consuming this fruit, however, can be deadly; its fibers and seeds can create an obstruction within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, resulting in potentially serious impaction colic.
Sunday, January 15, 2012An effective training regimen is crucial for all equine athletes. One program used with racehorses, for instance, is high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT), where horses run at near top speed for short periods and then are given rest periods between sprints. How exactly trainers should implement HIIT, however, can be tricky business.
Sunday, December 11, 2011Laminitis has long been known as a condition in horses that can result from carbohydrate overload, among other causes, but it can also result from endocrine gland dysfunction; this is known as endocrinopathic laminitis. Equine Cushing's disease (also known as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, or PPID) and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) are two c...
Saturday, December 03, 2011Grasses and hays high in water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) can spell disaster for horses with laminitis or insulin resistance (IR). Some veterinarians and nutritionists suggest soaking hay to reduce the amount of WSC in the hay (because water-soluble means these simple sugars dissolve in water), but how much WSC content does soaking actually reduce? Accor...
Wednesday, November 30, 2011Preventing colic often is easier than dealing with it. But how can you tell if your horse is at risk for colicking and, thus, make necessary adjustments to his life to reduce his colic risk? A group of Brazilian researchers recently proposed that a fairly simple method, known as cortisol circadian rhythm (CCR) ratio, could be used to identify horses under...
Tuesday, October 11, 2011Every horse owner wants to avoid the dreaded "C" word, and although it sometimes is unavoidable, there are some steps owners can take to prevent colic. Housing horses in pastures rather than stalls, for example, could reduce the likelihood of a horse developing colic. According to the results of a recent study performed by a group of British res...
Tuesday, September 27, 2011Performance horses are kept in top physical condition by a variety of methods, and where facilities exist, swimming can be a beneficial means of exercise. However, some veterinarians have observed an association between swimming and the onset of colic. A team of Australian researchers recently took a closer look at the link and determined that while swimm...
Sunday, August 28, 2011When an equine athlete suffers a sesamoid fracture, the owner will often ask his or her veterinarian that daunting question: "What's his prognosis to return to competition?" A team of researchers recently set out to determine if, in some cases, the size and shape of a bone fragment could help veterinarians give a more accurate prognosis for ...
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