Background: Animal Osteopathy is a manual therapy that utilizes manipulation of body tissues to promote self-healing. Human-based studies suggest that osteopathic treatment induces biochemical changes during and after intervention. Evidence is limited in the veterinary field. Objectives: To evaluate short-term endocrine and molecular markers in horses undergoing an osteopathic treatment. Study design: In vivo randomized controlled trial. Methods: 8 clinically healthy Thoroughbred geldings were assigned to two groups, treated ([OT], n=4 horses) or control ([C], n=4). Blood was drawn from the jugular vein before the treatment, in the middle of the treatment (20 minutes after the beginning of treatment), and at the end of the treatment (40 minutes after the beginning of treatment). The following hormones and markers were measured in the serum by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA), adrenocorticotropic hormone, beta-endorphin, cortisol, dopamine, epinephrine, erythropoietin, growth hormone, interleukin-6, oxytocin, serotonin, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. 18 clinically healthy thoroughbred geldings were assigned to two treatment groups, treated ([OT], n=9 horses) or control ([C], n=9). Beta-endorphin, cortisol, and interleukin-6 concentrations were measured with ELISA kits. Results: No significant difference is noted in cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone using catheter and venipuncture. The initial screening shows an increasing trend for beta-endorphin, a significant increase in erythropoietin (0.298 ± 0.109, P = 0.01), and in interleukin-6 (0.0903 ± 0.0398, P = 0.03) in treated horses. No significant changes were noted in serum concentration of adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, dopamine, epinephrine, growth hormone, oxytocin, serotonin, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. The second screening confirmed that beta-endorphin (0.130 ± 0.0436, P = 0.003) and interleukin-6 (0.0765 ± 0.0264, P = 0.005) were significantly increased immediately after osteopathic treatment when compared to controls. Main limitations: Only short-term responses were monitored. Conclusions: A single osteopathic treatment elicited a quantifiable physiologic response in horses, potentially improving animal health and well-being.

Background: Herbal supplements containing Siberian ginseng (SBG; Eleutherococcus senticosus, ”eleuthero”), among other ingredients, are administered to horses to maintain health and wellbeing. SBG has been reported to cause hypertension, anxiety and hypoglycemia in humans and other species, but there are no published reports documenting events in horses. Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine if the administration of a supplement containing SBG results in hypertension, hyperactivity, anxiety, and/or hypoglycemia in horses. Methods: Sixteen clinically healthy adult Thoroughbred horses, housed in stalls and randomly assigned to treated (N=8; supplement pellets containing SBG, 1,000 mg, fed once daily for 28 days) or control (N=8; supplement pellets without SBG) groups. Blood work was evaluated and blood pressure, and movement in the stall were measured after feeding the SBG or control pellets. Horses were subjected to a novel object test (NOT) on days 0 and 28, two hours after administering the supplements. Anxiety scores were assigned by a masked observer based on the observed reaction to the NOT test. Horses were monitored daily for clinical signs or adverse events. Results: The supplement was readily consumed by the horses and no adverse effects were seen over the treatment period. Mean systolic blood pressure significantly (P<0.05) decreased in the SBG-treated group by day 15 and 28 when compared to Day 0. Anxiety scores, after the NOT, were not significantly different between treatment groups. There were no treatment effects on heart rate, blood values, including glucose, indicators of anemia and blood proteins, liver enzymes, kidney values, electrolytes or calcium. Mean body weight of the horses did not change during the study period. Conclusions: The supplement containing Siberian ginseng (1,000 mg, once daily) was readily consumed and the administration for 28 days did not cause health issues, or result in hypertension, increased anxiety, or hypoglycemia.

TITLE Report from the 2025 Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation meeting on Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS): Advances in the field. AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS Benjamin W. Sykes; b.sykes@uq.edu.au; BW Sykes Consultancy, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia. Gayle D. Hallowell: gayle.hallowell@medicine.vet; Medicine Vet Equine Referrals, Melton Mowbray, UK. Frank M. Andrews; fandrews@lsu.edu; Equine Health and Sports Performance, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisianna State University. The full names of the authors, email addresses, and the institutional affiliations where the work was conducted. KEYWORDS N/A FUNDING INFORMATION Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Research Foundation and Boehringer Ingelheim. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS N/A CONFLICT OF INTERESTS B.W.S. has active consultancy or research engagements with Kelato Australia, Kelato USA, MDS-Vet, MAI Animal Health, and Mayohealth, and within the past 3 years, has provided research, consultancy or educational services for Abbey Laboratories, A-Vet, Health Food Symmetry, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Kentucky Equine Research, and Salfarm Denmark, all of whom have products within the EGUS space. G.D.H. has affiliations with Salfarm Denmark having provided consultancy services; this company has products in the EGUS space. F.M.A. consults and has had funded grants from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, which has medications in the EGUS space. See Section 4.7. If there are none to disclose, please include the following statement below: ‘The authors have declared no conflicting interests’. DATA INTEGRITY STATEMENT N/A ETHICAL ANIMAL RESEARCH N/A INFORMED CONSENT N/A ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP POLICY N/A DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.