Occurrence of equine metabolic syndrome, clinical manifestations, and associated risk factors in Nigeria

Olumide Odunayo Akinniyi; Anthony Kojo Beku Sackey; Gabriel Enenche Ochube; Philip Wayuta Mshelia; Francis Alkali Musa; Mary Oluwatomisin Elijah; Kelvin Olutimilehin Jolayemi

doi:10.1294/jes.34.29

Occurrence of equine metabolic syndrome, clinical manifestations, and associated risk factors in Nigeria

J Equine Sci. 2023 Jun;34(2):29-35. doi: 10.1294/jes.34.29. Epub 2023 Jun 12.

Authors

Olumide Odunayo Akinniyi¹, Anthony Kojo Beku Sackey¹, Gabriel Enenche Ochube², Philip Wayuta Mshelia¹, Francis Alkali Musa¹, Mary Oluwatomisin Elijah³, Kelvin Olutimilehin Jolayemi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna State, PO Box 720, Nigeria.
² Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna State, PO Box 720, Nigeria.
³ Department of Veterinary Pathology, Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna State, PO Box 540, Nigeria.
⁴ Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna State, PO Box 540, Nigeria.

Abstract

Insulin dysregulation (ID) is central to the pathophysiology of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), putting the horse at risk of laminitis. There is a paucity of information on the status of EMS in Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of EMS, clinical manifestations, and associated risk factors in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was carried out. Selected horses underwent an insulin 2-step response test to ascertain insulin dysregulation; a physical examination was carried out to diagnose laminitis and obesity. Risk factors were assessed using a questionnaire. The overall prevalence of EMS was 43.10%. Breed and sex were significantly associated with EMS, but age was not. Horses diagnosed with laminitis showed two signs of laminitis, namely, divergent hoof rings and widened white lines. Risk factors significantly associated with the prevalence of EMS were as follows: being a West African Barb horse (60.00%), being a stallion (67.86%), being a leisure horse (67.86%), only walking horses during exercise (68.00%), exercising horses once every 5 months (82.76%), tethering horses to a stake in the ground (67.86%), obesity (92.86%), and abnormal neck crest (83.33%). The risk of ID remains higher in obese horses. However, some of the horses with ID were not obese, indicating that there are other possible underlying causes of EMS.

Keywords: equine metabolic syndrome; insulin dysregulation; laminitis; obesity.