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Nutritional supplements are widely used in the equine industry with the aim of improving horse health, sports or reproductive performances. Over the years, a number of studies have focused on investigating the effects of several dietary compounds on the quality and preservation of stallion semen. This paper reviews the literature available on the use of nutritional supplementation for the improvement of reproductive performance and semen quality in equine species, critically appraising the benefits and negative effects of several compounds found in complementary feeds such as PUFAs from different sources, vitamins and antioxidants, carnitine and botanical extracts. Different nutraceuticals have been highlighted to improve stallion fertility by providing optimal levels of antioxidants, with the most promising results obtained by the combination of PUFAs and antioxidants that resulted to be essential for the maintenance of normal reproductive functions and the reduction of cryodamage in cooled and frozen equine semen.

Summary Lameness due to stifle and especially meniscal lesions is frequent in equine species. In humans, mechanoreceptors involved in proprioceptive function are well studied. Given the high incidence of meniscal injuries in horses, and the lack of information concerning them in equine menisci, our objective was to study these corpuscles in six healthy anterior horns of the equine medial meniscus, which is the most common localisation reported for equine meniscal injuries. Immunohistochemical stainings were performed using antibodies against high molecular weight neurofilaments and glial fibrillary acidic proteins. From a purely fundamental point of view, our work highlights for the first time the presence of Ruffini, Pacini and Golgi corpuscles in equine meniscus. They were found, isolated or in clusters and always located at the vicinity of blood vessels, at the level of the anterior horn of the equine medial meniscus. This morphological approach could serve as a basis for clinical studies, to evaluate the impact of these corpuscles on the poor sportive prognosis in equine meniscal tears.

Progress in mass spectrometry-based methods for veterinary research and diagnostics is lagging behind compared to the human research, and proteome data of domestic animals is still not well represented in open source data repositories. This is particularly true for the equine species. Here we present a first Equine PeptideAtlas encompassing high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry analyses of 51 samples representing a selection of equine tissues and body fluids from healthy and diseased animals. The raw data were processed through the Trans-Proteomic Pipeline to yield high quality identification of proteins and peptides. The current release comprises 24,131 distinct peptides representing 2636 canonical proteins observed at false discovery rates of 0.2 % at the peptide level and 1.4 % at the protein level. Data from the Equine PeptideAtlas are available for experimental planning, validation of new datasets, and as a proteomic data mining resource. The advantages of the Equine PeptideAtlas are demonstrated by examples of mining the contents for information on potential and well-known equine acute phase proteins, which have extensive general interest in the veterinary clinic. The extracted information will support further analyses, and emphasises the value of the Equine PeptideAtlas as a resource for the design of targeted quantitative proteomic studies.

This is a comprehensive study of fatty acid (FA) profiles in milk from bovine, caprine, ovine, asine, and equine species. Milks from these species are universally common as constituents in a variety of different food and dairy products. We have obtained structural information on FAs, and discussed their correlation to health effects. The extracted fat from all species were derivatized to FA methyl esters for analysis by GC-MS. Large differences in the lipid content and FA composition between ruminants and non-ruminants were observed. Ovine milk showed the highest lipid content of all the animals tested, both ruminants and non-ruminants. Among the ruminants, bovine milk was richer in saturated FAs (69.7%) than ovine- and caprine milk (57.5 and 59.9%, respectively). Ovine milk contained the highest amounts of monounsaturated FAs (39.1%) and also odd- and branched-chain FAs (5.5%). Milk from the monogastric animals, mares and donkeys, were highest in polyunsaturated FAs with a content of 19.3 and 14.2%, respectively. The assumed health negative trans FAs were analyzed to be highest in the ruminant milk (0.7–1.0%). Milk from these species contained also the highest amount of the health beneficial CLA (0.4–0.7%). Practical applications: This is a comprehensive study of milk from five species analyzed under identical conditions. The different fatty acids and their derivatives are increasingly important components because of the contradictory reports on positive and negative effects on human health. New information on the composition of milk from different species is of great importance. The results may give valuable information to producers and nutritional advisors on the consumption of milk and milk products.

Summary Reasons for performing study: To date, no information is available on the true biological elimination half-life (T1/2) of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in the equine species. Such data are required to better evaluate the optimal time to acquire the cTnI sample following acute myocardial injury. Objective: To determine the T1/2 of equine cTnI. Methods: Four healthy ponies received i.v. injections of recombinant equine cTnI. Plasma cTnI concentrations were measured with a point-of-care cTnI analyser at multiple time points after injection. Standard pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to establish the T1/2 of cTnI. Results: The average T1/2 of cTnI was determined to be 0.47 h using a single rate elimination model. Conclusion: The elimination of recombinant equine cTnI following i.v. administration is very rapid. Establishing the T1/2 of troponin provides critical information in understanding the clinical application of this cardiac biomarker in equine practice.

Summary This paper gives a brief review of the cytogenetic knowlege of equine species, the chromosomal errors currently known to exist, and an account of the interspecific hybrids that have served man during the 4500 years of domestication of horse and donkey.

LIFE as a veterinarian or farrier in the 21st century involves the diagnosis, treatment and management of one of the most debilitating conditions to affect the horse throughout history: laminitis. This article provides a commentary on the scientific evidence and is aimed at helping equine clinicians in their understanding of laminitis and highlighting potential areas for future research. New research in the field of paleopathology (the study of ancient diseases) has found evidence of laminitis in prehistoric horses, millions of years before equine species were domesticated (Wallet 2013). A study of wild horses also identified pathology associated with laminitis (Hampson and others 2011) which was thought to be influenced by environmental factors (Hampson and others 2012). In domesticated horses, the frequency of laminitis has been reported to range from 3 to 17.1 per cent. However, a recent study in Great Britain found that active episodes of laminitis accounted for nearly one in 200 veterinary visits (Wylie and others 2013), and in a study summarised on p 72 of this issue of Veterinary Record , the prevalence of supporting limb laminitis in one particular referral practice in the UK was found to be 0.02 per cent (Wylie and others 2014). With a long history of laminitis in prehistoric, wild and domesticated equids, the question is why, as veterinarians …

Development of dry powder inhalation (DPI) for horses requires the use of an adapted face mask. In experiment I, 4 masks (A, B, C and D) were tested and factors influencing the delivery of the dry powder were determined. Mask A was one which is commercially available for metered-dose inhalation. Mask B had the same shape as Mask A but an airtight rubber seal was added for the connection between the mask and horse's head. Mask C was a prototype adapted for DPI with connection for the DPI device between the nostrils, airtight expiratory valves in front of each nostril and airtight rubber seal to attach the mask on the horse's head. Mask D was the same as Mask C but the airtight expiratory valve was situated in front of one nostril and the connection for the DPI device was placed in front of the other nostril. Inhalet emptying and peak inspiratory pressure were measured on 5 healthy horses with each face mask. Both Masks A and B gave a low rate of inhalet emptying. Inspiratory pressures created in Masks C and D were negative enough to ensure inhalet emptying rates of mean +/- s.d. 98.28 +/- 1.79% and 100% respectively. In experiment 2, the face masks giving the greatest inhalet emptying were used to test the therapeutic efficacy of ipratropium bromide DPI. This was tested on 6 horses suffering from acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). At a dose of 200 micrograms/100 kg bwt, ipratropium administered with Mask D improved significantly pulmonary function measurements compared to baseline values and placebo inhalation. With Mask C, a double dose of ipratropium (400 micrograms/100 kg bwt) was necessary to improve these parameters compared to baseline values. This indicated the importance of locating the DPI device in front of one nostril. It was concluded that inhalet emptying is correlated to inspiratory pressures measured in the face masks. Secondly, these pressures are in turn dependent on the air-tightness of the mask, i.e. air-tightness of the expiratory valve and close connection between the horse's head and the mask. Thirdly, position of the DPI device in front of a nostril allows bronchodilation at a dose half that required when the device is placed between the nostrils. Finally DPI using Mask D (EquiPoudre) is a rapid, effective and well tolerated inhalation treatment for COPD horses.

Veterinary Euthanasia Techniques: A Practical Guide Kathleen A. Cooney, Jolynn R. Chappell, Robert J. Callan, Bruce A. Connally 204 pages, paperback, £37.99 Wiley-Blackwell. 2012 ISBN 978 0 470 95918 3 ‘VETERINARY Euthanasia Techniques’ is very much a practical guide for veterinary surgeons and technicians on what is a difficult decision to make – and to get right. The book covers most species, with different sections for companion, exotic, farm and equine species (reflecting the authors' fields), although there is often repetition between these. The main exception is a complete omission of wild animal species. This may aid the book's international market, since countries' fauna differ (one country's …

Summary In general, 4 types of hypersensitivity reactions can be defined according to their immunological basis and clinical appearance. The differing mechanisms of these responses are described with particular reference to chemical mediators which through their pharmacological actions contribute to the clinical manifestations of hypersensitivity. Chemical mediators may exert their influence locally or systemically through their action on effector, tissues or organs and in addition, may be involved in the recruitment of cells of specific type to the site of the reaction. The possible role of these mediators in hypersensitivity in the equine species is discussed to provide a background for a subsequent paper which will be concerned with the therapy of hypersensitivity conditions. Resume On peut d'une maniere generale definir quatre types de reactions d'hypersensibilite en se basant sur leurs fondements immunologiques et sur leurs apparences cliniques. Les differents mecanismes de ces reactions sont decrits avec une attention particuliere pour les mediateurs chimiques; ceux-ci, par leur action pharmacologique contribuent aux manifestations cliniques de l'hypersensibilite. Les mediateurs chimiques peuvent exercer leur influence localement ou generalement, en agissant sur les effecteurs, sur les tissus, sur les organes. En outre, ils peuvent participer a la mobilisation de cellules specifiques au site de la reaction. Le role possible de ces mediateurs dans l'hypersensibiliteequine est discute et prepare le champ a un prochain article traitant du traitement des manifestations de cette hypersensibilite. Zussammenfassung Vier verschiedene Typen von Ueberempfindlichkeitsreaktionen konnen definiert werden, je nach ihrer immunologischen Grundlage und den klinischen Erscheinungen. Die sich unterscheidenden Mechanismen dieser Reaktionen werden beschrieben, wobei besonders Bezug genommen wird auf chemische Mediatoren, die durch ihre pharmakologische Wirkung zu den klinischen Aeusserungen einer Ueberempfindlichkeit beitragen. Chemische Mediatoren konnen ihren Einfluss lokal oder systemisch geltend machen uber ihre Beeinflussung von Effektoren, Gewebe oder Organen, und dazu konnen sie an der Mobilisation von spezifischen Zellen an der Reaktionsstelle beteiligt sein. Die mogliche Rolls dieser Mediatoren bei der Ueberempfindlichkeit des Pferdes wird diskutiert, um den Hintergrund fur einen weiteren Artikel zu bilden, der die Behandlung von Ueberemp-findlichkeitsreaktionen zum Gegenstand haben wird.