Equine Bladder Disease: Antioxidant Support

Owners of performance horses often use antioxidants, like vitamin E and coenzyme Q10, to fight fatigue and rebound from strenuous exercise. Researchers have found a veterinary application for antioxidants.

As highlighted in a recently published case report^*, antioxidants may be useful for horses with exercise-induced hemorrhagic cystitis, a rare condition characterized by hematuria (bloody urine) and caused by inflammation of the urinary bladder, known as cystitis.

Exercise-induced hemorrhagic cystitis has also been described in human athletes. In these cases, hematuria appears to be multifactorial in nature and potentially a result of one or more occurrences, such as a traumatic foot strike to the urinary bladder; break down of red blood cells in the body during exercise; kidney damage; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use; dehydration; increased circulation; and release of myoglobin from muscle.

“According to the authors of the case report, oxidative stress and peroxidation of red blood cells may also contribute to exercise-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. If this theory proves valid, antioxidant supplementation may help squelch the free radicals responsible for widespread bodily damage at a microscopic level and minimize a horse’s chances of developing this condition,” advised Whitehouse.

Common causes of hematuria in horses include:

• Spinal cord disease in those suffering equine herpesvirus-1 infections;
• Urolithiasis, also known as bladder stones;
• Chemical irritation following ingestion of plants (e.g., sorghum) or medications (e.g., phenylbutazone or bute); and
• Tumor formation.

Always seek the care of your veterinarian if your horse’s urine is bloody or dark-colored.

^*Barton, A.K., O. Kershaw, A.D. Gruber, et al. 2019. Equine idiopathic hemorrhagic cystitis: Is it idiopathic or more likely to be exercise-associated? Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 78:6-9.