Use of FreeStyle Libre for continuous glucose monitoring in adult horses.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of using the FreeStyle Libre (a continuous glucose monitoring system [CGMS]) for instantaneous continuous monitoring of interstitial glucose in adult horses and examine the applicability and accuracy of this system in horses submitted to combined glucose-insulin test (CGIT).

Design: Laboratory measurements and continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) readings were analyzed using a 2 × 2 factorial statistical model with repeated measures over time. This analysis assessed the effects of the test (factor 1), group (factor 2), and their interactions (test × group, test × time, and group × time).

Comparative Assessment of Oxidative and Antioxidant Parameters in Mule and Horse Neonates during Their First Month of Extrauterine Adaptation.

After parturition, a rapid transition occurs from the intrauterine to the extrauterine milieu, exposing neonates to physiological circumstances characterized by oxidative conditions that instigate the generation of reactive oxygen species. These free radicals play pivotal roles in physiological processes; however, an imbalance between their production and the removal of antioxidants can result in severe cellular damage. The main objective of this study was to compare the oxidative and antioxidant profiles in mule and horse neonates immediately post-parturition, as well as at subsequent time points (1, 6, 12, and 24 h, 7 and 30 days) during their extrauterine existence.

Copper Toxicity in Horses: Does it Exist?

Copper toxicity is thought to be a rare condition in horses. However, the number of cases diagnosed in Brazil is growing. This article aims to describe cases of copper toxicity involving horses from different geographic locations and discuss findings of physical examinations, differential diagnoses and potential causes.

Evaluation of Blood Glucose and Lactate Concentrations in Mule and Equine Foals.

Information about mule physiology is scarce. Glucose and lactate serve as prognostic tools in neonates; thus, real-time evaluations would be beneficial. Our main objective was to measure glucose and lactate concentrations from healthy mule and equine foals from birth to 720 hours.

Equine simplified acute physiology score: Personalised medicine for the equine emergency patient.

Background: Scoring models are useful tools that guide the attending clinician in gauging the severity of disease evolution and in evaluating the efficacy of treatment. There are few tools available with this purpose for the non-human patient, including horses. We aimed (i) to adapt the simplified acute physiology score 3 (SAPS-3) model for the equine species, reaching a margin of accuracy greater than 75% in the calculation of the probability of survival/death and (ii) to build a decision tree that helps the attending veterinarian in assessment of the clinical evolution of the equine patient.

Transplacental transmission of Theileria equi in mules: Should we worry?

Equine piroplasmosis, disease globally responsible for significant economic losses, is caused by the transmission of the hemoprotozoa Theileria equi and Babesia caballi by ticks. Transplacental transmission has been reported previously in horses, which is not the case for mules´ foals. The present study investigated, by Real Time-PCR (RT-PCR), the presence of both Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in newborn mules before the ingestion of colostrum.

3-D technology used to accurately understand equine ileocolonic aganglionosis.

Ileocolonic aganglionosis (ICA) is the congenital and hereditary absence of neurons that constitute the enteric nervous system and has been described in various species including humans - Hirschsprung's disease - and horses - overo lethal white syndrome (OLWS). Hirschsprung's disease affects circa 1 in 5,000 live births. At best, this disease means an inability to absorb nutrients from food (humans).