Norepinephrine and dobutamine are better alternatives than vasopressin for restoring cardiovascular function and maintaining splanchnic circulation during isoflurane-induced hypotension in neonatal foals.

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Summary Reasons for performing study: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a mainstay of treatment for acid‐related ulceration in man and horses. Currently, only an oral preparation of omeprazole is approved for use in horses in the USA. Intravenous administration of a PPI would provide a useful therapeutic alternative for those foals in which oral medication is not feasible. Objective: To investigate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of pantoprazole following i.v. or intragastric administration in healthy neonatal foals. Methods: Seven healthy foals age 6–12 days at the start of the study were evaluated. Treatments included no drug administration, i.v. pantoprazole (1.5 mg/kg bwt) and intragastric pantoprazole (1.5 mg/kg bwt). Intragastric pH was recorded for 24 h after drug administration for pharmacodynamic evaluation. Plasma pantoprazole concentrations were measured using high‐performance liquid chromatography. Results: Plasma concentrations of pantoprazole were detectable at the 5 min sampling point following i.v. or intragastric administration. Bioavailability of intragastric‐administered pantoprazole was 41%. Baseline mean hourly pH was 1.5–6.1. There was a statistically significant increase in mean hourly pH relative to untreated foals 2–24 h after i.v. or intragastric pantoprazole administration. Conclusions: Based on these data, i.v. or intragastric administration of pantoprazole results in a significant, prolonged increase in intragastric pH. Potential relevance: The i.v. formulation of pantoprazole may provide a clinically useful alternative means of acid suppression in foals unable to tolerate enteral administration of a PPI, such as those with pyloric outflow obstruction.

The objectives of this study were to compare relative vaccine-specific serum immunoglobulin concentrations, vaccine-specific lymphoproliferative responses, and cytokine profiles of proliferating lymphocytes between 3-day-old foals, 3-month-old foals, and adult horses after vaccination with a killed adjuvanted vaccine. Horses were vaccinated intramuscularly twice at 3-week intervals with a vaccine containing antigens from bovine viral respiratory pathogens to avoid interference from maternal antibody. Both groups of foals and adult horses responded to the vaccine with a significant increase in vaccine-specific IgGa and IgG(T) concentrations. In contrast, only adult horses and 3-month-old foals mounted significant vaccine-specific total IgG, IgGb, and IgM responses. Vaccine-specific concentrations of IgM and IgG(T) were significantly different between all groups, with the highest concentrations occurring in adult horses, followed by 3-month-old foals and, finally, 3-day-old foals. Only the adult horses mounted significant vaccine-specific lymphoproliferative responses. Baseline gamma interferon (IFN-␥) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) concentrations