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Despite the growing concern about the impact of obesity on equine health, little information is available on equine obesity in Nigeria. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity in leisure and polo horses as well as associated risk factors in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was carried out. A total of 116 horses were selected for the study, and the modified Henneke method (1-9 scale) was used to assess body condition scores, with animals having a score of ≥ 7 classified as obese. Information regarding age, breed, and sex was documented, while information regarding feeding and management was obtained from a structured questionnaire. Factors associated with obesity were assessed using logistic regression analysis. The overall prevalence of obesity in horses sampled was 12.1 % (14/116). The prevalence of obesity in leisure horses (21.4 %) was higher than in polo horses (3.3 %). Factors associated with increased odds of obesity were being a local breed of horse (18.6 %), being a stallion (21.4 %), horses not being exercised (66.7 %), horses tethered to a stake in the ground (23.2 %), and horses fed ad libitum on concentrates (21.4 %). Knowing the prevalence of obesity in this population and associated risk factors will enable optimal targeting of owner education regarding management strategies to reduce the prevalence of equine obesity, reducing the risk of conditions such as laminitis and insulin dysregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A classical Chinese herbal medicine, Wu Mei Wan, was used to treat horses affected with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) with concurrent laminitis and/or uveitis associated with a pattern in Chinese medicine known as Jue Yin syndrome. Twentyfour EMS patients with concurrent laminitis (16/24) or uveitis (4/24) or both presentations (4/24) that were poorly responsive or unresponsive to conventional treatments were enrolled. All horses were orally medicated with Wu Mei Wan for 30 days. Horses with laminitis, received baseline scores (0-5) before treatment followed by weekly scores until study termination. Horses with uveitis were assessed by the degree of eye opening at the same time points (0 fully open to 4 tightly shut). Successful treatment outcome for either condition, was at least 50% improvement (with respect to the clinical assessment score) by the end of the 4-week study. All 20 horses with laminitis had improved lameness scores after 1 week of treatment (mean score 3.85 ±0.88 reduced to 1.2 ±1.11) with percent mean reduction among subjects of 69.8%, 81.2%, 93.8% and 97.1% after 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks of treatment, respectively. All 8 uveitis subjects had improved scores after 1 week (mean score 3.25 ±0.89 reduced to 0.625 ±0.74) and mean reduction of 80.2%, 86.5% after 1 and 2 weeks of treatment, respectively. The response rate for both laminitis and uveitis was 100% (50% improvement, week 4) with all p-values < 0.001. Study results suggest that the Chinese herbal medicine, Wu Mei Wan, may be an effective treatment for unresponsive cases of laminitis and/ or uveitis associated Jue Yin and equine metabolic syndromes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), like human metabolic syndrome, comprises a collection of clinical signs related to obesity, insulin dysregulation and susceptibility to secondary inflammatory disease. Although the secondary conditions resulting from EMS can be life-threatening, diagnosis is not straightforward and often complicated by the presence of other concurrent conditions like pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). In order to better characterize EMS, we sought to describe the variation within, and correlations between, typical physical and endocrine parameters for EMS. Utilizing an unsupervised statistical approach, we evaluated a population of Arabian horses using a physical examination including body measurements, as well as blood plasma insulin, leptin, ACTH, glucose, and lipid values. We investigated the relationships among these variables using principle component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering, and linear regression. Owner-assigned assessments of body condition were one full score (on a nine-point scale) lower than scores assigned by researchers, indicating differing perception of healthy equine body weight. Rotated PCA defined two factor scores explaining a total of 46.3% of variation within the dataset. Hierarchical clustering using these two factors revealed three groups corresponding well to traditional diagnostic categories of “Healthy”, “PPID-suspect”, and “EMS-suspect” based on the characteristics of each group. Proxies estimating up to 93.4% of the composite “EMS-suspect” and “PPID-suspect” scores were created using a reduced set of commonly used diagnostic variables, to facilitate application of these quantitative scores to horses of the Arabian breed in the field. Use of breed-specific, comprehensive physical and endocrinological variables combined in a single quantitative score may improve detection of horses at-risk for developing EMS, particularly in those lacking severe clinical signs. Quantification of EMS without the use of predetermined reference ranges provides an advantageous approach for future studies utilizing genomic or metabolomics approaches to improve understanding of the etiology behind this troubling condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laminitis is one of the most common and frustrating clinical presentations in equine practice. While the principles of treatment for laminitis have not changed for several decades, there have been some important paradigm shifts in our understanding of laminitis. Most importantly, it is essential to consider laminitis as a clinical sign of disease and not as a disease in its own right. Once this shift in thinking has occurred, it is logical to then question what disease caused the laminitis. More than 90 per cent of horses presented with laminitis as their primary clinical sign will have developed it as a consequence of endocrine disease; most commonly equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Given the fact that many horses will have painful protracted and/or chronic recurrent disease, a good understanding of the predisposing factors and how to diagnose and manage them is crucial. Current evidence suggests that early diagnosis and effective management of EMS should be a key aim for practising veterinary surgeons to prevent the devastating consequences of laminitis. This review will focus on EMS, its diagnosis and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]