What can a blood test on a horse tell you?

What do the results of a a blood test mean for horses?

A blood test can provide your vet with a lot of information about your horse’s health, but the results can be confusing to understand. Vet Anna Hollis, from the AHT, tells us more about what these tests look for There are many reasons why your horse might have a blood sample taken.

Can you test your horse’s blood for viruses?

Your horse’s blood can be tested for viruses, the most topical of which is of course the Hendra virus. However there are long list of other viruses such as Herpes virus, Ross River virus, Kunjin virus, Rotavirus and Coronavirus to name but a few.

How often should you test your horse’s blood?

With advances in equine laboratory testing, you now can have – and should have – a general health profile chemistry panel and a complete blood count (CBC) run on your horses annually. These are the equine versions of what you get with your annual checkup and blood test.

What is the equine herpes virus?

What is the Equine Herpes Virus? Equine Herpes Virus is a contagious disease that affects horses. Although there are nine strains of the virus, Equine Herpes Virus-1 (EHV-1) and Equine Herpes Virus-4 (EHV-4) are most commonly seen.

How often should I test my horse for EHV-1?

Check temperatures of all horses on the farm twice daily (fever spikes can be missed if you check once daily) and keep a log of these recordings. If fevers are detected, then test for EHV-1. The value of starting healthy horses on an anti-viral treatment when there is no evidence of disease on the farm is questionable.

Is a low red blood cell count bad for a horse?

“You may be inclined to think that red blood cell levels need to drop significantly before they cause a problem for your horse. But the truth is that even low-grade anemia – levels hovering around that 30% range on a PCV – can impact your horse physically and may indicate a health problem.

What causes albumin levels to drop in horses?

One of the most common causes of loss of albumin in horses is intestinal disease, especially colitis. In this case, the damaged intestine allows these proteins to seep out. For this test, blood is collected into a blood tube. Total protein is estimated in a simple laboratory test.

When should I test my horse for Cushing’s disease?

If a horse is showing symptoms of Cushing’s Disease and has a normal ACTH level, then we recommend either re-testing ACTH levels during Mid-August to Mid-February, or a TRH stimulation test.

What is Equine herpesvirus?

What is equine herpesvirus (EHV)? Equine herpesviruses are DNA viruses that are found in most horses all over the world. Almost all horses have been infected with the viruses and have most of the times no serious side effects.

Can You give Blood to a horse with a negative test?

Negative test results will allow the horse to be bred or transported with no risk to other horses. Like humans and dogs, horses have several different blood groups. It’s possible to give blood transfusions to a horse, but ideally cross matching would be performed before a blood transfusion is given.

What to do if your horse has EHV-1?

Horses that exhibit sudden and severe neurological signs consistent with EHV-1 should be isolated immediately to prevent the spread of infection to other resident horses. Since EHV-1 is a virus, antibiotics will have no effect and antiviral drugs have shown minimal effect in already affected horses.

How common is EHV-1 in horses?

There are nine strains of EHV, but EHV-1 and EHV-4 are the most common and occurs in horses worldwide. EHV-1 causes respiratory disease (especially in young horses), pregnant mares to abort and neurological disease in horses of any age, sex and breed. Young foals are also at risk and can die from the infection.

How long to quarantine a horse with EHV1?

A shorter quarantine period, such as 21 days, may be justified if, during this time, no horse has had any fever (temperature taken at least 24 hours without treatment with non-steroidal drug), abortion or neurologic signs and all exposed horses are tested and have a negative test result using nasal swabs for EHV-1 by qPCR.

When to test for EHV-1 on a farm?

If fevers are detected, then test for EHV-1. The value of starting healthy horses on an anti-viral treatment when there is no evidence of disease on the farm is questionable. Consult with your equine veterinarian for further guidance. 11. What treatments and specific anti-viral treatments can I use against EHM on a farm?

How can I prevent herpes in my horse?

Practicing good biosecurity is the best form of prevention. Equine Herpes Virus-1 can cause three different forms of disease that include: a respiratory disease (rhinopneumonitis, or sometimes called just rhino) which affects mostly young horses, abortions in pregnant mares, and neurologic disease (equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy).

What does EHV-1 stand for?

Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is one of a large group of DNA viruses that causes potentially serious disease in horses and other species. EHV-1 has four forms, causing respiratory infection, neonatal infection, abortion, or neurological signs. The last form can cause a condition known as Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM),

What is the EHV-1 vaccine for horses?

A single manufacturer provides a licensed modified live EHV-1 vaccine. It is indicated for the vaccination of healthy horses 3 months of age or older as an aid in preventing respiratory disease caused by equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1). None of the available vaccines have a label claim to prevent the neurologic form of EHV-1 infection.

When do horses get EH1 and EH4?

Infection of the respiratory tract with EHV-1 and EHV-4 typically first occurs in foals in the first weeks or months of life, but recurrent clinical infections are seen in weanlings, yearlings, and young horses entering training, especially when horses from different sources are commingled.

Can laboratory tests be used to diagnose clinical problems in horses?

This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn’t claimed this research yet. THE use of laboratory tests as an aid to the diagnosis of clinical problems has become commonplace in equine practice, and should be considered an integral part of the total management of a case.

What is a horse medicine?

A Horse helps you connect with spiritual energies and abilities. Horse also supports you in seeing things in a different light, which opens the path to visionary gifts and a renewed connection with the Earth. Horse Medicine teaches you to be true to yourself.

How do you test for fibrinogen in horses?

Procedures: Shortly after admission, a blood sample (20 mL) was collected from each horse for a CBC, serum protein electrophoresis, and determination of plasma fibrinogen concentration; SAA concentration was assessed with a previously validated immunoturbidometric assay.

What does it mean when a horse loses albumin?

Excessive loss of albumin causes fluid to leak into the tissues, causing swelling (edema). One of the most common causes of loss of albumin in horses is intestinal disease, especially colitis. In this case, the damaged intestine allows these proteins to seep out. For this test, blood is collected into a blood tube.

Is more protein better for horses?

This makes protein an essential part of the diet, but it does not necessarily mean that more is better. Growing horses, which are “building” new tissues as they mature, and horses being used for breeding have a higher protein requirement than do mature horses, whether working or idle. Mature horses have surprisingly low protein needs.

What is a normal blood pressure for a horse?

Clinical Chemistry Normal Values for Horses ALB 2.5 – 4.2 g/dL ALKP 109 – 315 U/L ALT 3 – 25 U/L AMYL < 30 U/L AST 205 – 555 U/L BUN 8 -27 mg/dL Ca 10.7 – 13.4 mg/dL Ionized Ca 50 – 60 % of total Ca CHOL 51 – 109 mg/dL Ck 90 565 U / L Cl 94 – 102 mmol/L

What are the normal values for equine blood tests?

EQUINE CLINICAL PATHOLOGY NORMAL VALUES Clinical Chemistry Normal Values for Horses ALB 2.5 – 4.2 g/dL ALKP 109 – 315 U/L ALT 3 – 25 U/L AMYL < 30 U/L AST 205 – 555 U/L BUN 8 -27 mg/dL Ca 10.7 – 13.4 mg/dL Ionized Ca 50 – 60 % of total Ca

What is Cushing’s disease and ACTH testing?

Equine Cushing’s Disease and ACTH Testing What is “Cushings Disease”? What does ACTH testing mean? “Cushing’s Disease”, also known as Equine Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), is a condition most commonly affecting older horses (typically 15 years or older).

What is Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy?

What is equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy? Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is one of a large group of DNA viruses that causes potentially serious disease in horses and other species. EHV-1 has four forms, causing respiratory infection, neonatal infection, abortion, or neurological signs.