ABSTRACT
An 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding used for jumping was evaluated for gait abnormalities and hoof problems in the hindlimbs. Clinical examinations revealed signs consistent with shivers. A thyroid gland enlargement was noticed, baseline serum thyroid hormone (TH) concentrations were low, and a low response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone administration was observed. Hypothyroidism was suspected. The horse was treated with levothyroxine for 1 year. TH concentrations returned to the normal range by week 4 of treatment. Thirty weeks after the initiation of levothyroxine therapy, the gait abnormality improved. Our findings suggest that the assessment of thyroid status and especially of the subclinical thyroid gland disorders in horses affected with shivering, as well as evaluation of the effects of levothyroxine on the improvement of clinical signs could be promising in establishing the aetiopathogenesis and/or treatment of shivering in horses.
Subject(s)
Gait , Horse Diseases/drug therapy , Hypothyroidism/veterinary , Lameness, Animal/drug therapy , Shivering , Thyroxine/administration & dosage , Animals , Horses , Hypothyroidism/drug therapy , Male , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Zearalenone (ZEN) is a nonsteroidal estrogen mycotoxin produced by Fusarium graminearum and other Fusarium species, which are plant pathogenic fungi that infect many plants and their products, including corn, barley, fruits and vegetables. This study presents the results of a survey for ZEN contamination on barley, corn, silage and wheat bran. A total of 54 samples were collected from Shahrekord in spring and summer 2010, including 20 barley, 8 corn, 12 silage and 14 wheat bran and analyzed using direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. From 54 samples analyzed, ZEN was found in 8 samples (14.8%), with a mean level of 142 ng/g. Corn had the highest incidence of ZEN (25.0%), followed by barley (20.0%) and silage (16.7%). No ZEN was detected in any wheat bran samples. The results of this study show that ZEN-exposed corn, barley, silage and wheat bran would not be a health concern in animals.
