Horses
Unraveling the mysteries of aging in horses
By Alex Jimenez
Most scientific research is prompted by the search for tangible answers to some of life’s most fundamental questions. Where did we come from? Why do we look, feel and act the way we do? In some underlying form, the drive to understand these concepts is at the heart of scientific progress.
Yet, few questions remain as elusive as those surrounding the biological mystery of aging. Human medicine has been attempting to understand—and halt—this process for centuries. Given that aging inevitably brings a slew of health... Read more.
Posted by MAF on November 28, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Equine health, Horse health
PermalinkStudy Finds that Toxins Don’t Necessarily Lead to Laminitis
Laminitis is a painful disease that often leads to death in affected animals. Understanding the genetic processes occurring in the body as the disease develops could help researchers develop new treatments. In this study, researchers from the University of Georgia monitored 19 genes associated with laminitis in two groups of animals: those with laminitis resulting from a high carbohydrate diet and those with laminitis that also had toxins in their blood. The genes associated with laminitis showed no changes in the horses in the latter category, which suggests that this condition,... Read more.
Posted by MAF on November 15, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Equine health, Horse health
PermalinkInternational effort on equine genetics continues making strides
By Kelley Weir & Heidi Jeter
A major Morris Animal Foundation initiative was begun five years ago and is still going strong in advancing the health of horses through genetics research. In 2006, an international team of equine researchers began sequencing and assembling the horse genome, which was completed in early 2007. The collaboration involved scientists at 20 universities around the world. Today, scientists from more than 30 elite academic institutions throughout 14 countries continue to use the initial maps and sequence of the horse genome to identify the molecular basis for diseases that affect... Read more.
Posted by on August 22, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Horse diseases, Horse health
PermalinkSafer Drug for Pain Relief in Horses with Intestinal Injuries
Flunixin is a drug commonly used to provide much needed pain relief in horses with colic, but the drug also inhibits intestinal healing. Scientists from North Carolina State University studied a new pain-relief drug, robenacoxib, and found that it does not interfere with intestinal healing. Also, unlike flunixin, robenacoxib does not increase the permeability (leakiness) of the injured intestine. This suggests that robenacoxib will reduce the passage of harmful pathogens, including bacteria, across the intestine, thereby minimizing complications. This fellowship training grant provided a veterinarian with advanced training in... Read more.
Posted by MAF on June 21, 2011
Categories: Animal health, Equine health, Horse health
PermalinkStrides in Research for Equine Herpesvirus Funded by Morris Animal Foundation
Foundation Is Funding Four Current Studies to Fight Devastating Equine Disease
Amid the national outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), an airborne virus that has infected at least 41 horses this month, Morris Animal Foundation–funded researchers continue their work to develop a vaccine to this highly contagious pathogen. The Foundation is currently funding four studies on the virus with goals of identifying new targets for developing more effective therapies and vaccines to treat and prevent EHV-1 infection, respectively.
Categories:
Animal health, Equine health, Horse health
By Kelley Weir Windy Bill was an exceptional thoroughbred who had spent the first part of his life on the racetrack. He was long-legged, lean and extremely tall. “He was 17 hands of striking, handsome athleticism,” says MK Wohlenhaus, volunteer and event coordinator for Morris Animal Foundation. “It’s one of the reasons I bought him.” At the end of Windy Bill’s racing career, Wohlenhaus was there to help find the horse a new purpose in life. Windy Bill and four other horses she had purchased were about to become hunter jumpers, if they enjoyed it enough to learn.... Read more.
Categories:
Animal health, Equine health, Horse health
By Amy Ettinger new drug offers new hope for colic patients As a loving horse owner, Maria Matlaga knows how traumatic a diagnosis of colic can be. Four years ago her gelding, Flash, spent three days in the intensive care unit fighting for his life. “It’s horrible; it’s overwhelming,” says Matlaga. “You wonder, ‘What caused this? What did I do wrong?'" Thankfully, Flash survived, and Matlaga now carefully monitors his diet, wets his hay and listens to his belly every time she feeds him. Despite advances in medical treatment, colic is still one of the... Read more.
Categories:
Equine health, Horse health
Study Results: Insulin sensitivity indicates how effectively the body metabolizes glucose (sugar). Body composition can influence insulin sensitivity. For example, decreased insulin sensitivity and obesity in horses have been recently linked to inflammatory conditions such as laminitis, but the relationship is not fully understood. Scientists at North Carolina State University investigated the relationship of body condition to insulin sensitivity. Results were contrary to their initial hypothesis. They hypothesized that insulin sensitivity would decrease with increasing obesity, but the results determined that insulin... Read more.
Categories:
Animal health, Equine health, Horse health
In pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), a common disease of older horses, the pituitary gland enlarges and forms a benign tumor. This tumor secretes excessive amounts of multiple proteins, which leads to significant increases in the stress hormone cortisol. This elevation in cortisol and other proteins result in excessive hair growth, excessive drinking and urination and laminitis. In humans and dogs, high levels of cortisol can also lead to inappropriate blood clotting. The student evaluated horses with PPID to determine whether they also exhibit inappropriate blood clotting. To test for clotting, the student drew blood... Read more.
Categories:
Horse diseases, Horse health, Veterinary students
Study Results: Although profound improvements have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of horses with gastrointestinal diseases, colic remains the leading cause of death in horses. Many severe forms of colic result in systemic inflammation, which may be responsible for life-threatening complications, including lameness. Scientist from the University of Georgia studied how severe diseases activate horses' white blood cells and affect the probability of survival. They found that white blood cells undergo different changes among three disease categories; simple colic, non-strangulating obstructions and strangulating... Read more.
Categories:
Animal health, Animal studies, Horse health
MAF Successful Outcome: Bacterial pneumonia, such as that caused by Rhodococcus equi, is the primary cause of death among foals younger than six months. It is unclear why foals are more susceptible to the pathogens that cause respiratory disease than adult horses are, but scientists hypothesize that differences in cell-mediated immune responses account for the disparity. This study focused on dendritic cells, which regulate immune response to invading bacteria or viruses. Researchers compared dendritic cell function in young horses to that in mature horses to learn more about why foals are predisposed to developing... Read more.
Categories:
Animal health, Equine health, Foal diseases
By Carolyn Linville Winston Churchill said, “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” It’s unlikely, though, that Churchill ever experienced a horse with polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM), one of the causes of tying-up disease. PSSM is an incredibly painful, inherited muscle condition most commonly found in quarter horses, draft horses, warmbloods and... Read more.
Categories:
Animal health, Animal studies, Equine health, Horse diseases, Horse health, Nutrition, Tying-up
Research into a new treatment for squamous cell carcinoma-the most common facial cancer in horses-shows great promise. As summer gets under way, many horse owners begin the annual campaign to protect their white-faced horses from the sun. Sun damage causes many different problems-issues ranging from a simple case of sunburn all the way to skin cancers. In fact, squamous cell carcinoma-the most common cancer affecting... Read more.
Categories:
Animal studies, Cancer, Equine health, Horse diseases, Horse health
New research funded by Morris Animal Foundation may provide new tools and hope for equine asthma sufferers. Equine heaves, also known as recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), is a debilitating disease that affects more than half the horses in some countries. Equine experts describe it as one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions affecting the... Read more.
Categories:
Animal health, Asthma , Equine health, Horse health
Far too many horses become unwanted. Morris Animal Foundation took a lead role in identifying why horses are relinquished or abandoned and developing intervention strategies when it hosted the Unwanted Horse Summit in May 2009. Read the summit's final report.
Categories:
Animal health, Animal welfare, Equine health, Horse health
Posted by MAF on June 1, 2011
Strides in Equine Stem Cell Research
Posted by MAF on April 21, 2011
Treating pain without inhibiting healing
Posted by on March 1, 2011
Findings Pave the Way for Research into Sugar Metabolism and Obesity in Horses
Posted by MAF on February 14, 2011
Research Indicates that Horses with Pituitary Tumors Are Not at Higher Risk for Blood Clots
Posted by MAF on December 20, 2010
Determining Likelihood of Positive Outcomes by Studying White Blood Cells of Sick Horses
Posted by MAF on June 11, 2010
Young Scientist Gains Insight into Immune Response of Foals
Posted by MAF on March 24, 2010
Unraveling an Equine Mystery - Tying Up Disease
Dietary changes help prevent and manage tying up
From AnimalNews 9.4
Posted by MAF on December 22, 2009
News About Facial Cancer in Horses
New Cancer Treatment
Posted by MAF on October 26, 2009
Treating Equine Asthma
Veterinarians Take Cues from Human Asthma Patients to Treat Equine Heaves
Posted by MAF on October 16, 2009
Report from Unwanted Horse Summit
Appendix I
Posted by MAF on August 1, 2009
