Horse Health Glossary
Not sure what that veterinary word means? Look it up below!
Reprinted with permission from the University of California, Davis, The Book of Horses edited by Mordecai Siegal.
- ECCRINE SWEAT GLANDS:
- Sweat glands that empty their contents directly onto the skin surface
- ECHINOCOCCOSIS:
- Hydatid disease
- ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY:
- Examination of the heart by means of ultrasonic sound waves, for the purpose of disease diagnosis; also known as cardiac ultrasound
- ECLAMPSIA:
- Calcium deficiency in a lactating mare
- ECTOPARASITE:
- External parasite; examples include ticks, fleas, and mites
- ECTOPIC:
- In or at an abnormal site; not in the normal position
- EDEMA:
- The accumulation of abnormally large quantities of fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces (spaces between cells); pulmonary edema refers specifically to fluid buildup in the lungs
- EDEMATOUS:
- Swollen with fluid
- EFFUSION:
- Fluid escaping into a body cavity or tissue
- ELASTIN:
- Protein found in elastic connective tissue fibers that imparts flexibility to the tissue
- ELECTIVE SURGERY:
- Surgery that is medically necessary but need not be performed immediately
- ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG):
- Examination of the electrical activity of the heart, for the purpose of disease diagnosis. The ECG records the size and direction of the waves of depolarization that spread across the heart during muscle contraction and relaxation
- ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY (EEG):
- Examination of the electrical activity of the brain, for the purpose of disease diagnosis
- ELECTROLYTES:
- Simple, inorganic salts that act as charged particles in water solutions, i.e., they are able to conduct electricity; examples include sodium, potassium, and chloride
- ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG):
- Examination of the electrical activity within a muscle at rest or during voluntary or evoked muscular contractions, for the purpose of disease diagnosis
- ELECTROPHORESIS:
- Separation of components of a mixture by their differing migration in an applied electric field
- ELECTRORETINOGRAM (ERG):
- Examination of the electrical activity of the retina (light-sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye), for the purpose of disease diagnosis
- ELECTROSURGERY:
- Surgical techniques (such as electrocautery) wherein electrical methods are used to remove tissue and/or seal broken blood vessels to alleviate hemorrhage
- ELISA:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; any of the many highly sensitive color-based test methods for detecting either antibody or antigen in blood, serum, or plasma
- EMBOLISM:
- Sudden blockage of an artery by a blood clot
- EMBRYONIC VESICLE:
- The fertilized egg (embryo) with its surrounding fluid and membranes
- EMETICS:
- Drugs used to induce vomiting
- ENAMEL:
- The thin, calcium-rich outer surface of the teeth, overlying the harder dentin layer; it functions to resist wear
- ENAMEL HYPOPLASIA:
- Underdevelopment or incomplete development of the enamel layer of a tooth
- ENAMEL POINTS:
- Sharp points that develop in the enamel of the teeth, owing to the normal positioning and growth of the teeth in the mouth; the sharp points can be ground down with a special instrument called a dental float
- ENDOCARDITIS:
- Inflammation of the innermost lining of the heart (endocardium), usually caused by bacterial infection of one or more heart valves
- ENDOCARDIUM:
- A thin serous membrane, the innermost lining of the chambers of the heart
- ENDOCRINE GLANDS:
- Glands that secrete their contents directly into the blood or interstitial fluid (the fluid surrounding cells)
- ENDOCRINOLOGY:
- The study of hormones and hormone-producing glands
- ENDOCRINOPATHY:
- Hormonal imbalance leading to disease
- ENDOGENOUS:
- Originating within the body
- ENDOMETRITIS:
- Inflammation of the innermost lining of the uterus; the leading cause of infertility in broodmares
- ENDOPARASITE:
- Any parasite found inside the host, chiefly in the gastrointestinal tract
- ENDOSCOPY:
- Procedure wherein tubelike viewing apparatus (an endoscope) is inserted into an orifice or body cavity, for the purpose of examining the internal portions of that cavity or a hollow organ
- ENDOSPORE:
- The type of spore produced during the spherule stage of the life cycle of the fungus Coccidioides immitis, the cause of coccidioidomycosis ("valley fever")
- ENDOTRACHEAL TUBE:
- A plastic tube for breathing, commonly inserted into the trachea during general anesthesia
- ENERGY DENSITY:
- The amount of energy contained in a given quantity of food
- ENOPHTHALMOS:
- Recession of the eye deep within the orbit
- ENTERIC:
- Referring to the small intestine
- ENTERITIS:
- Inflammation of the small intestine; contrasts with colitis (inflammation of the large intestine)
- ENTEROLITH:
- Stony concretion that develops in the large intestine
- ENTROPION:
- Turning in of an eyelid
- ENUCLEATION:
- Surgical removal of the eyeball
- ENZOOTIC:
- Widespread in a population and always present, but producing disease in only relatively few animals; said of infectious disease agents
- ENZYME:
- Any of a myriad number of different proteins produced by cells, capable of accelerating biochemical reactions occurring within the cells
- EOSINOPHIL:
- A white blood cell that contains granules readily stained with eosin; functions in the allergic reaction to parasitic infections
- EPICARDIUM:
- The outermost membrane of the surface of the heart
- EPIDERMAL APPENDAGES:
- Collectively the hair follicles, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands
- EPIDERMIS:
- The outermost layer of the skin
- EPIDERMOID CYST:
- Follicular cyst
- EPIDIDYMIS:
- In the male, the duct connecting the testis to the vas deferens; used for the storage, maturation, and movement of sperm
- EPILATION:
- Plucking of hair by the roots
- EPILEPSY:
- Brain disorder resulting in seizures
- EPINEPHRINE (ADRENALINE):
- A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands; it acts to increase blood sugar levels and blood pressure and to accelerate the heart rate
- EPIPHYSIS:
- Either end of a long bone
- EPISIOTOMY:
- Surgical enlargement of the vulvar opening
- EPISTAXIS:
- Bleeding from the nostril; nosebleed
- EPITHELIOGENESIS IMPERFECTA:
- A rare, lethal skin defect of draft-horse foals; inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder
- EPITHELIUM:
- Cellular covering of the internal and external surfaces of the body
- EPIZOOTIC:
- Attacking many animals over a short period of time, with resulting high morbidity (high percentage of animals becoming ill); said of infectious disease agents. Also, an acute disease outbreak
- EQUIDS:
- Members of the horse family
- EQUINE COITAL EXANTHEMA:
- Disease characterized by painful wartlike lesions on the skin of the vulva and perineum or on the shaft of the penis; caused by equine herpesvirus type 3
- EQUINE COLLAGENOLYTIC GRANULOMA:
- The most common nodular skin disease of horses, possibly caused by a hypersensitivity to insect bites; also called nodular necrobiosis
- EQUINE DEGENERATIVE MYELOENCEPHALOPATHY:
- Chronic, progressive disease of young horses, characterized by abnormalities of gait; the cause is thought to be related to a vitamin E deficiency and is associated with lack of green forage or the feeding of heat-processed pelleted rations
- EQUINE GRANULOCYTIC EHRLICHIOSIS:
- Tick-transmitted disease characterized by fever, depression, reluctance to move, depressed white blood cell and platelet counts, and lower-limb swelling; caused by a rickettsia, Ehrlichia equi
- EQUINE HERPESVIRUS MYELOENCEPHALITIS:
- Inflammatory disorder of the brain and spinal cord, caused by
- EQUINE HERPESVIRUS TYPE 1, THE ABORTION-INDUCING S:
- EQUINE INFECTIOUS ANEMIA (EIA):
- One of the most important viral diseases of horses, caused by a retrovirus; it is a chronic infection resulting in a persistent (lifelong) carrier state with periodic exacerbations of anemic illness; also called swamp fever
- EQUINE INFLUENZA:
- Very important viral respiratory disease of horses caused by subtypes (A1 and A2) of equine influenza virus, an orthomyxovirus
- EQUINE MONOCYTIC EHRLICHIOSIS:
- Potomac horse fever
- EQUINE PROTOZOAL MYELOENCEPHALITIS:
- Inflammatory disorder of the brain and spinal cord, caused by a poorly characterized protozoan parasite tentatively designated Sarcocystis neurona
- EQUINE VIRAL ARTERITIS (EVA):
- Contagious viral disease of horses causing fever, ocular and respiratory signs, fluid distension or swelling of the limbs, and abortion
- EQUINE VIRAL ENCEPHALOMYELITIS:
- Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, caused by eastern equine encephalo-myelitis (EEE) virus, western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) virus, or venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (vee) virus
- EQUINE VIRAL PAPILLOMATOSIS:
- Disease characterized by the development of papillomas (warts) on the muzzle, around the lips, or on the extremities; caused by equine papillomavirus, a member of the Papovaviridae family of DNA viruses
- ERECTILE TISSUE:
- Tissue capable of erection, i.e., stiffening following engorgement of blood; found in the penis of the male and the clitoris of the female
- EROSION:
- A superficial denudation of the skin involving only the epidermis
- ERUCTATION:
- Forceful, retrograde expulsion of air from the stomach; "burping" or "belching."
- ERYTHEMA:
- Reddening of the skin, due to congestion of the underlying capillaries
- ERYTHEMA CHRONICUM MIGRANS:
- A skin reaction seen in human beings with Lyme borreliosis
- ERYTHEMA MULTIFORME, EPIDERMAL TYPE:
- An uncommon but highly characteristic skin disease with a proposed immunologic basis
- ERYTHROCYTE:
- Red blood cell, the carrier of oxygen in the blood
- ERYTHROPOIETIN:
- A hormone produced by the kidneys that stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow
- ESOPHAGITIS:
- Inflammation of the esophagus
- ESOPHAGUS:
- The muscular tube extending from the pharynx (back of the mouth) to the stomach
- ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS:
- Amino acids that cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by the body and therefore must be provided in the diet
- ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS:
- Fatty acids that have structural functions in cell membranes and serve as precursors for prostaglandins
- ESTROGENS:
- General term for female sex hormones
- ESTRUS:
- "Heat"; a recurrent period of varying length, during which the mare produces a watery secretion from the genital tract, becomes sexually receptive to the stallion, and ovulates
- ETIOLOGY:
- The cause of a disease
- EUMYCOTIC MYCETOMA:
- A swollen, progressing, tumorlike lesion caused by certain species of fungi
- EUSTACHIAN TUBE:
- Short canal that connects the middle ear with the back of the throat
- EUTHANASIA:
- Humane killing; putting to sleep
- EXCISE:
- To cut out; remove surgically
- EXCISIONAL BIOPSY:
- Biopsy sample representing an entire (small) lesion, removed surgically both as diagnosis and treatment
- EXERTIONAL MYOPATHIES:
- Muscle diseases caused by exertion; these include azoturia, tying-up, and endurance-related myopathy
- EXHAUSTIVE DISEASE SYNDROME:
- Condition seen in endurance horses, three-day event horses, and horses on long trail rides; characterized by a significant level of dehydration, owing both to massive losses of fluid and electrolytes in sweat and to decreased fluid intake
- EXOCRINE GLANDS:
- Glands that secrete their contents through ducts (tiny tubes)
- EXOGENOUS:
- Originating outside the body
- EXOSTOSIS:
- A benign growth protruding from the surface of a bone
- EXPIRATION:
- The act of breathing air out; exhalation
- EXTENDER:
- Fluid added to collected semen to increase or "extend" the volume
- EXTERNAL URETHRAL SPHINCTER:
- Sphincter located at the junction of the bladder and urethra
- EXTRAGONADAL:
- External to the testes
- EXTRAOCULAR:
- External to the eyeball
- EXUDATE:
- A high-protein fluid derived from blood and deposited in tissues or on tissue surfaces, usually as a result of inflammation.</p>
