The aims of this study were to determine the concentrations of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, sodium, urea, total cholesterol, triacylglycerols, non-esterified fatty acids, total protein, creatinine, total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, insulin, insulin growth factor 1, and glucose in the blood serum and to monitor the body weight changes in nine clinically healthy Lipizzan mares at weekly intervals within 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the parturition. A significant body weight loss (P < 0.01) was found in the mares after the foaling. The peak of insulin growth factor 1 concentration in serum was reached at the day of parturition and similar patterns were revealed for the concentrations of insulin and glucose. After parturition, all these indices were significantly decreased. The concentrations of phosphorus and triacylglycerols were decreased, while the concentrations of potassium and sodium were increased at the day of parturition. Moreover, the concentration of non-esterified fatty acids was increased at the day of parturition (P < 0.05) with a tendency to higher values even on the 7 th day postpartum. Other studied indexes remained relatively stable throughout the transition period. We can conclude that periparturient mares face some degree of negative energy balance with concomitant significant homeostatic and homeorhetic changes. For this reason, our results can be used as a basis for reference values and a diagnostic tool to examine the health status in horses during the transition period. Horse, metabolic indices, transition phase, homeostatic changes, homeorhetic changesThe peripartal period is a very challenging interval of life of dams due to the decreased feed intake in the late gestation that is accompanied by the increasing metabolic demands of the foetus, and then after the parturition due to the onset of milk production to cover the nutritional requirements of the offspring as well as for the postpartum (p.p.) recovery of the dam. It is well understood mostly from research performed on high-yielding animals, that all these events trigger different cascades of metabolic reactions as a part of the adaptation mechanisms of the organism of the dam concomitant to the transition from the pregnant non-lactating state to the non-pregnant lactating state. From the physiological point of view, the endocrine changes in mares around the parturition have been well described but only limited literature data are available in the field of biochemistry. It is known that especially during the transition period, both pregnant and lactating mares are highly vulnerable to various health disorders which could lead to different productive and reproductive problems (Reed et al. 2010). For this reason, it is recommended to perform a set of metabolic blood tests in dams over the transition to determine the dynamics of homeostatic and homeorhetic changes, and thus predict the course of puerperium in these animals. In general, the assessment of energy balance (non-esterified fatty ac...

Although several new implants have been developed using animal studies for the treatment of osteochondral and cartilage defects, there is a lack of information on the possible metabolic and biochemical reactions of the body to the implantation of biomaterials and cartilage reconstruction. Therefore, this study was aimed at evaluating the serum protein pattern and the alterations in the concentrations of selected acute phase proteins in five clinically healthy female sheep before and after the reconstruction of experimentally induced articular cartilage defects using polyhydroxybutyrate/chitosan based biopolymer material. The concentrations of total serum proteins (TSP), protein fractions, and selected acute phase proteins—serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), and C-reactive protein (CRP)—were measured before and on days seven, 14, and 30 after the surgical intervention. The TSP concentrations showed no marked differences during the evaluated period. Albumin values decreased on day seven and day 14 after surgery. In the concentrations of α1-, α2-, β-, and γ2-globulins, a gradual significant increase was observed during the postoperative period (p < 0.05). The γ1-globulins decreased slightly seven days after surgery. The concentrations of SAA, Hp, and CRP increased significantly after the surgical intervention with a subsequent decrease on day 30. Presented results suggest marked alterations in the serum protein pattern after surgical intervention.

The vertebral arteries, as the first branches from the subclavian arteries, normally enter into the transverse foramen of the sixth cervical vertebra in dogs. This case report presents the non‐standard course of the left vertebral artery and unilateral asymmetry of the sixth cervical vertebra in a 14‐year‐old female mixed breed dog. The anomaly was an incidental finding during the preparation of a corrosion cast prepared for educational and scientific purposes. The left sixth cervical vertebra transverse foramen and the ventral lamina were not developed. The left vertebral artery originated normally from the left subclavian artery, but atypically entered into the transverse foramen of the fifth cervical vertebra. On the right side, the anatomical structures of the sixth cervical vertebra and the course of the right vertebral artery were normally developed. To our knowledge, this is the first case of such an anomaly described in a dog.

The aim of this study was to offer an alternative therapy for gastric ulcers in horses as the interest in natural products is growing not only among practicioners but also horse owners. We compared the treatment of equine gastric squamous mucosa ulcers by omeprazol and by nutraceutical herbal mixture PREVUL (Dzsar Ltd., FitoCavallo, Hungary). A total of 36 horses, 18 geldings, 15 non-pregnant mares and 3 stallions were diagnosed with Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) by gastroscopy. Horses were randomly divided into three groups. The first group was treated with 4 mg/kg omeprazole paste (Peptizole, Norbrook, United Kingdom) per os once daily on empty stomach for 28 days. The second group received 20 g of pulverized herbal mixture PREVUL twice daily in cracked oats for 28 days. The third experimental group received 2 mg/kg omeprazole per os once daily on empty stomach followed by 15 g of PREVUL mixed with cracked oats twice daily for 28 days. Ten healthy horses were used as control to evaluate the palatability and voluntary intake of PREVUL. Control gastroscopy was performed afted 30 days. The use of PREVUL alone P < 0.05 or in combination with omeprazole paste P < 0.01 appears to improve the healing of gastric ulcers in horses.

The aim of this study was to monitor and evaluate the seasonal changes on selected reproductive parameters in mares. Ninety-six mares of different breeds, aged 3 to 23 years were evaluated during the breeding season 2015–2018 at the Equine clinic at University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmaco­logy in Košice, Slovakia (48°42´N, 21°15´E). The beginning of the estrus was determined by history or observation, mares were examined every 6 hours, blood for progesterone analysis was taken from the jugular vein. Correlation analyses were performed using both the Pearson and the Spearman correlation coefficient. Statistical analysis was performed using the functions of Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism. The day length (r = -0.708, P<0.0001) and the average ambient temperature (r = -0.754, P<0.0001) had a statistically significant effect on the duration of estrus. The shortest estrus was recorded in July with day length of 15 hours 40 minutes at an average temperature of 21.4 ± 0.52 °C, with duration 4.67 ± 0.58 days. The longest estrus was recorded in April with day length of 11 hours 48 minutes at average temperature of 6.9 °C. The environmental factors did not affect the size of the preovulatory follicles, the concentration of progesterone, the internal changes of uterus and the external manifestations of estrus.