Foals developmental orthopedic disease associated with metabolic and biometric characterization of pregnant overweight crioulo mares

ABSTRACT

Background: Musculoskeletal changes in growing foals can be linked to metabolic disorders which affect the cartilage metabolism associated of obesity during the late gestation of the mares, negatively affecting the athletic performance of the otherwise prospective foals. High basal insulin levels can be associated with increased weight and obesity of the mares, altering the supply of the glucose to the fetus and the production of IGF-1, which plays an important role in the endochondral cartilage metabolism. The present study aims to describe the association of metabolic and biometric alterations in overweight Criollo mares with IGF-1 levels and the presence of articular and physeal lesions in their foals. Materials, Methods & Results: A prospective and observational cohort study was conducted using the foals and the overweight mares at field conditions. Twenty-eight foals and their overweight mothers were utilized. The foals’ biometric and metabolic features as weight and height; glucose, total cholesterol, cholesterol HDL, triglycerides, basal insulin, leptin, glucose, total T4 and IGF-1 were analyzed, from the birth until the weaning period around sixth month of life of it. All the foals, at the weaning period, were submitted to the radiograph examination of the tarsal joints and the metacarpal-phalangeal joints to evaluate signs of lesions and the possible distal metacarpal physeal changes, respectively. The mares’ biometric and metabolic features as weight, height and fat tail-head deposition; basal insulin, leptin, glucose, total cholesterol, cholesterol HDL and triglycerides were analyzed at the final period of gestation. The basal insulin levels of the foals at the second, fourth and sixth month of life were 9.87 ± 1.82 µUI/mL, 9.13 ± 1.94 µUI/mL, 9.39 ± 2.54 µUI/mL. The IGF-1 levels of the foals at the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth...