Colic is one of the most feared conditions horse owners encounter. However, the term “colic” refers only to abdominal pain without identifying the cause of the disease. Though, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is often the cause of abdominal pain, other abnormalities may also cause a horse to exhibit signs of colic. Some gastrointestinal causes of colic include intestinal displacement of a portion of the GI tract, blockage with feed material or a foreign body and inflammation [17]. The most common factors that may cause the pain associated with colic are spasms caused by contractions of the intestine wall, and distention from a buildup of fluid or ingesta that causes expansion of the intestine and ischemia of the GI tract because of dehydration [8]. Past research studies reviewed colic cases examined by veterinarians on the farm, 46% were spasmodic colic, 29% were large intestine impactions, 11 % were undiagnosed, 8% were the result of inflammation of the small intestine and 6% were strangulating obstructions [16].
Horses are hindgut fermenters, meaning bacteria help in digestion of roughage in the cecum and large intestine [21]. The GI system of a horse measures around 100 feet. long and holds approximately 50 gallons of water and ingesta or food. The GI tract starts with the stomach, which holds up to 5 gallons of fluid or food [7,33]. Enzyme secretion and acid production are two of the primary functions of the GI tract [34]. Ingesta is passed from the stomach to the small intestine, which consists of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum [32-34]. The duodenum is where bile and pancreatic enzyme secretion occur. The jejunum is where amino acids, fatty acids, glucose, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes are absorbed. This part of th...
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... as a Cause of Intestinal Disease in Horses. Parasitology Today, 15(4), 156-158.
30 Abbott, J. B., & Barrett, E. J. (2008). The problem of diagnosing tapeworm infections in horses. Equine Veterinary Journal , 40(1), 5-6.
31 Slocombe, J. O. D. (1979). Prevalence and treatment of tapeworms in horses. The Canadian Veterinary Journal , 20, 136-140.
32 Dyce, K. M., Sack, W. O., & Wensing, C. J. (2002). Textbook of veterinary anatomy. Philadelphia: Saunders.
33 Dienhart, C.M. (1979). Basic human anatomy and physiology. Philadelphia: Saunders.
34 Tinker, M.K., White ,N.A., Lessard ,P. (1997). Prospective study of equine colic risk factors. Equine Vet J, 29(6):454-458.
35 Hillyer, M.H., Taylor ,F.G., French, N.P. (2001) A cross-sectional study of colic in horses on thoroughbred training premises in the British Isles in 1997. Equine Vet J; 33(4):380-385.
Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) was first discovered in 1977, subsequent to outbreaks in Newmarket, United Kingdom and Ireland affecting Thoroughbred populations (Timoney, 2011). Following these outbreaks of CEM, a ban on the importation of horses into the United States from the UK, Ireland and France was put into effect (Schulman et al., 2013). Despite implementation of strict requirements concerning the import of breeding horses from countries known or suspected to be affected by CEM, the first United States outbreak was reported within a year of the discovery of the disease (Timoney, 2011). According to Timoney (2011), the U.S. outbreak in 1978 affected Thoroughbred horses in Kentucky and the source of the outbreak was determined to be two stallions imported from France. The 1978 outbreak of CEM in Kentucky resulted in a total economic loss of 13.55 million, with about 1 million dollars lost for every day mares were not successfully bred and movement restrictions were in place (Timoney, 2011).
Tilley, Lawrence P., and Francis Jr. W. K. Smith. The 5 Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline. Third ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004. 372-73. Print.
Dogs infected with Canine Heartworm Disease can have from 1 to 250 worms living in them for 5 to 7 years. The organs us...
Young, Rhoria Lee, and Maggie Bracher. "Horsemastership part 2: Physical, psychological, educational and social benefits." International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation 12.3 (2005): 120-125. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.
This is because the different types of training, racing, transport, breed and temperament can produce variations in blood constituents levels (Assenza, et al. 1996). However, only few researches studied the responses during a specific training period (McGowan, et al.,2002). Although the changes occur after exercise were poorly studied so the aim of this research was planned to evaluate the modifications of some physiological and heamatochemical parameters occurring after exercised thoroughbred horse at different interval of rest in order to assess their relationship to the standard
Tom Dorrance (May 11, 1910 - June 11, 2003) can be considered a pioneer of the natural horsemanship movement. He sometimes referred to himself as the horse’s lawyer and believed any “issues” a horse had were just “people problems” (Miller) When Ray Hunt, Dorrance’s most important pupil, once asked Dorrance where he learned so much about horses; Dorrance replied that he had “learned it from the horse” (About). His theories and methods are still very much relevant today. Of the many natural horse clinicians around today, most would probably cite Tom Dorrance as an influence (Miller).
The digestive system of the horse consists of a simple stomach, small intestines, cecum, large and small colons, rectum and anus. The horse’s stomach is comparatively small for its size. The stomach of an average horse has a holding capacity of about two gallons. This may be the reason horses eat small but frequent meals. From the stomach food moves to the small intestine, which is the main site of digestion. The small intestine empties into the cecum. The cecum; along with the large colon; make up the large intestine. Digestion in the large intestine occurs by action of bacteria and protozoa. (arg.gov.sk.ca)
With over nine million types of horses in the United States, the need for quality health care for the horses has never been stronger. It’s certain that more equine veterinarians than ever before will be needed in the years to come to provide the care that owners want for their horses. According to the American Association of equine practitioners (AAEP), nearly half of the equine veterinarians are involved with performance horses(44.8%). The AVMA’S most recent employment survey of 2016 indicated that there were about 3,874 veterinarians in exclusively equine practice, with and additional 4,177 involved in mixed practices.
Heartworm Disease is a very serious disease that affects and kills thousands of dogs each year.
Laminitis. “An inflammatory condition that affects the sensitive laminae, the fingerlike projections that line the surface of the bones within the hoof.” (Crabbe, DVM pg 74). It’s the most common cause of lameness and disability of horses and ponies (www.laminitis.org) and most often attacks the forelimbs over the hind ones. Laminitis is thought to be the cause of a toxic type of condition in the bloodstream of horses. The toxin is thought to originate in various spots, sometimes in the respiratory tract, sinuses, kidneys, liver, and in the mares, the reproductive tract. Finding it in the digestive tract is most common.
domestic horses (equus caballus). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(3), 947-951. doi:10.1073/pnas.0809127105
In order for you to understand how Echinococcus works. You have to understand how it is transmitted into your system and begins infecting you. Echinococcus goes through several different steps on how it is developed and then transmitted to other hosts. The adult echinococcus tapeworm is about 5 mm long and lives in the small intestines of dogs and another canine species such as coyotes, wolves and foxes. The stage where a cyst begins usually occurs in intermediate hosts; typically sheep’s but they can also affect cattle’s, horses, camels, pigs and goats and many others. Tapeworm eggs are passed by the feces of infected dogs and then are digested by grazing sheep’s. These eggs then hatch into the embryos within the intestines, and then penetrate the intestines to be carried by the blood to major organs such as the liver and lungs. This larval stage of the parasite is called an oncosphere. The larval stage spreads by the bloodstream to target organs and other parts of the body, such as liver, lungs, ...
...tigation of selected biochemical indicators of Equine Rhabdomyolysis in Arabian horses: pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers. Vet Res Commun. 2010;34(8):677–89. doi:10.1007/s11259-010-9439-5.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2014. Web. 20 May 2014.
Blowey, R. W. (1990). A Veterinary Book for Dairy Farmer (Third ed.). Old Pont Publishing Ltd.