Surgically repairing or stabilizing fractured ribs in a newborn foal can reduce the risk of further complications such as puncturing a vital organ, say Robert Hunt, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, and Fairfield Bain, DVM, MBA, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVP, ACVECC. Th
As a rule of thumb, we know that our horses should be trimmed (and shod if necessary) at least every six to eight weeks. But where did those numbers come from? Van Heel recently studied how a hoof changes between trims, and she found that neglecting
Scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) recently recommended that the World Conservation Union (IUNC) upgrade the status of the wild Asian Przewalski’s (pronounced zeh-val-skee) horses from “extinct” to “endangered” after their
Researchers recently identified a highly contagious canine influenza virus strain that is thought to be an adaptation of an equine flu strain, which was transferred from horses to dogs in 2004. It is unclear at this time whether the strain can
Four cases of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) were recently confirmed in horses in two neighboring Michigan counties (three in Kent County in September, one in Montcalm County in October). The disease was also confirmed in seven free-ranging
Smoke rising from wildfires in Los Angeles County, Calif., provided an uneasy backdrop for rescue teams tending to animal evacuees housed at Pierce College, located just eight miles from the fires. The college housed up to 225 horses along with
The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., is one of three locations being considered to host the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG). The F?d?ration Equestre Internationale (FEI, the governing body for international equestrian sport) will announc
A non-hormonal contraceptive, porcine zona pellucida (PZP), has given birth to an alliance between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The two organizations agreed to work together on using thi
The number of new vesicular stomatitis (VS) cases reported in the United States continued to decline during the Dec. 5-11 USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service VS reporting period. One new equine VS-positive premises was identified in
On Nov. 29, the Kaufman, Texas Board of Adjustments moved a step closer to closing Dallas Crown Inc., one of two horse meat processing plants in Texas, on the basis that many residents consider it a nuisance to the community. The board voted 4 t
Developmental and traumatic joint injuries are a significant problem in Thoroughbred foals. These injuries, such as osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and fetlock joint lesions, often require costly medical treatment or surgical repair.
On Thursday, Nov. 10, President Bush signed the 2006 Agricultural Appropriations bill containing an amendment prohibiting the use of federal funds to inspect horse meat. The amendment includes a 120-day phase-in period that allows slaughter
More than 400 wild horses are looking for new homes after buyers baulked at the new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contracts that imposed criminal penalties for selling animals to slaughter, according to an article in the Las Vegas
No call at 2 a.m. is good. Rodney Leibring, DVM, received one of those calls on Nov. 6. Leibring, a Thoroughbred racetrack practitioner, was asked by the male caller if he was at Ellis Park yet. Leibring, confused because he wasn’t expected ther
University of Florida (UF) researchers have reported success with using electroacupuncture to alleviate chronic back pain in horses. The study was published in a recent edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The mosquito population of the Gulf Coast’s hurricane-affected areas is expected to increase at a staggering rate, according to Joe Conlon, spokesman of the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA). However, he added that the possibility of
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