Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Original article
Austral J. Vet. Sci.
Vol 49, 9-14 (2017)
DOI: 10.4067/s0719-81322017000100009

Clinical presentation and biochemical profile of horses during induction and treatment of hypocalcemia

1 Department of Animal Science, Federal Rural University of Semi-Arid.
2 Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, Sa Paulo, Brazil.
Keywords: calcium phosphorus treatment Na2EDTA

Submitted: 2015-12-01

Accepted: 2016-09-08

Published: 2017-01-01

*Corresponding author:
ortolani@usp.br

How to Cite

Barrêto-Júnior, R. A., Minervino, A. H., Rodrigues, F. A., Meira Júnior, E. B., Lima, A., Sousa, R., Mori, C., Araújo, C. A., Fernandes, W. R., & Ortolani, E. (2017). Clinical presentation and biochemical profile of horses during induction and treatment of hypocalcemia. Austral Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 49(1), 9–14. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0719-81322017000100009

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the clinical presentation, biochemical profile and response to treatment among horses with experimentally-induced hypocalcemia. Twelve adult, mixed breed mares were used. A 5% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium (Na2EDTA) solution was infused into all the mares until the animals presented clinical signs of hypocalcemia, at which point they were divided into a control group (n = 5) and a treatment group (n = 7). The treated group received an infusion of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and glucose at a dosage of 1 mL/kg/BW during 30 minutes. The control group received 0.9% saline solution at the same dosage. Clinical examination and blood sample collection were performed at the times T0 (baseline- thirty minutes before beginning the Na2EDTA), T1 (at the end of the Na2EDTA infusion), T2 (at the end of the treatment) and T3 (24 hours after the end of the experiment). Serum calcium and magnesium concentrations decreased in response to Na2EDTA administration. The clinical signs of hypocalcemia in the mares included tachycardia, tachypnea, hypophonesis and cecal atony. These signs disappeared over the course of treatment, while total calcium and magnesium increased. Treatment produced recovery from clinical hypocalcemia within 30 minutes and promoted return of the main biochemical parameters to baseline values.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

  1. Aguilera T, Escolástico R, Garfia B, Estepa JC, Lopez I, et al. 1998. Effects of exercise and EDTA administration on blood ionized calcium and parathyroid hormone in horses. Am J Vet Res 59, 1605-1607.
  2. Beyer MJ, Freestone JF, Reimer M, Bernard WV, Rueve ER. 1997. Idiopathic hypocalcemia in foals. J Vet Int Med 11, 356-360.
  3. Cesco FTRS, Fagliari JJ, Silva SL, Martins Filho LP. 2004. Contribuição ao modelo experimental de hipocalcemia em vacas induzida pela infusão intravenosa de Na2EDTA. ARS Vet 20, 180-184.
  4. Chiachio SB, Yonezawa LA, Amorim RM, Gonçalves RC, Teixeira RBC, et al. 2005. Hipocalcemia em pônei gestante: relato de caso. Resumo no Congresso Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária – CONBRAVET, Uberlândia, Brasil, Pp 140-141.
  5. Fenwick DC, Daniel RCW. 1990. A comparison between the main clinical signs of milk fever in cows with those of hypocalcaemia induced by Na2EDTA solution. J Vet Med 37, 721-728.
  6. Fernandes WR, Silva LCLC, Silva SLE. 1995. Hipocalcemia em égua: relato de caso. Resumo noCongresso Paulista de Medicina Veterinária, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil, Pp 21.
  7. Herdt TH. 1988. Metabolic diseases of ruminant livestock. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 4, 410-437.
  8. Kerr MG, Snow DH. 1983. Composition of sweat of the horse during prolonged epinephrine (adrenaline) infusion, heat exposure, and exercise. Am J Vet Res 44, 1571-1577.
  9. Knottenbelt CD, Pascoe RR. 1998. Afecções e distúrbios do cavalo.1a ed. Manole, São Paulo, Brasil. Kohn CW. 1990. Failure of pH to predict ionized calcium percentage in healthy horses. Am J Vet Res 51, 1206-1217.
  10. Mansmann RA, Carlson GP, White NA, Milne DW. 1974. Synchronous diaphragmatic flutter in horses. J Am Vet Med Assoc 165, 265-270.
  11. McDowell LR. 1999. Minerais para ruminantes sob pastejo em regiões tropicais, enfatizando o Brasil. 3a ed. University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
  12. Mellau LSB, Jorgensen RJ, Enemark JMD. 2001. Plasma calcium, inorganic phosphate and magnesium during hypocalcaemia induced by a standardized EDTA infusion in cows. Act Vet Scand 42, 251-260.
  13. Ortolani EL. 1995. Aspectos clínicos, epidemiológicos e terapêuticos da hipocalcemia de vacas leiteiras. Arq Bras Med Vet Zoo 47, 799-808.
  14. Paulino CA, Bondan EF. 2002. Cálcio e fósforo. In: Spinosa HS, Górniak SL, Bernardi MM (eds). Farmacologia Aplicada à Medicina Veterinária. 4a ed. Guanabara Koogan, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
  15. Radostits OM, Gay CC, Hinchcliff KW, Constable PD. 2007. Veterinary medicine. 10th ed. Saunders Elsevier, Edinburgh, UK.
  16. Richardson JD, Harrison LJ, Edwards GB. 1991. Two horses with hypocalcaemia. Vet Rec 129, 98.
  17. Scarratt WK, Furr MO, Robertson JL. 1991. Hepatoencephalopathy and hypocalcemia in a miniature horse mare. J Am Vet Med Ass 199, 1754-1756.
  18. Schryver HF, Hintz HF, Lowe JE. 1978. Calcium metabolism, body composition, and sweat losses of exercised horses. Am J Vet Res 39, 245-248.
  19. Smith VR, Brown WH. 1963. Response of some blood constituents to infusion of disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate in intact cattle. J Dairy Sci 46, 223-226.
  20. Toribio RE, Kohn CW, Chew DJ, Sams RA, Rosol TJ. 2001. Comparison of serum parathyroid hormone and ionized calcium and magnesium concentrations and fractional urinary clearance of calcium and phosphorus in healthy horses and horses with enterocolitis. Am J Vet Res 62, 938-947.
  21. Toribio RE, Kohn CW, Sams RA, Capen AA, Rosol TJ. 2003. Hysteresis and calcium set-point for the calcium parathyroid hormone relationship in healthy horses. Gen Comp Endocrinol 130, 279-288.
  22. Toribio RE. 2011. Disorders of calcium and phosphate metabolism in horses. Vet Clin N Am-Equine 27,129-147.
  23. Underwood EJ, Suttle NF. 1999. The mineral nutrition of livestock. 3rd ed. Cabi Publishing, Wallingford, UK.
  24. Wijnberg ID, Van-Der-Kolk JH, Franssen H, Breukink HJ. 2002. Electromyographic changes of motor unit activity in horses with induced hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia. Am J Vet Res 63, 849-856.

Make a Submission

Make a Submission

Journal Metrics (2023) & Ranking

Impact Factor
→
0.5 (2024)
5 years Impact Factor
→
0.8
JCR Quartile
→
Q4
JIF Rank
→
134/170 (Veterinary Sciences)
SJR (2024)
→
0.244
SNIP (2024)
→
0.35

 

 

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Indexed in

Publisher


This journal is published by the Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile

Keywords