A two-day exclusive gathering of leading reproductive researchers and practitioners from around the world convened at the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center in Lexington, Ky., Dec. 5-6, to discuss the equine placenta. From the evolutionary development of the placental layers to mare reproductive loss syndrome, no topic was left untouched if it dealt with the fine, and sometimes little

So what do veterinarians talk about when they get together? Pretty much what other horse people talk about–successes, problems, the high cost of doing business, and the latest “hot” topics of the industry. At the 2003 gathering of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), one of the hottest topics is the problem of illegal compounding of medications. Other topics included the

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) meeting is an interesting gathering of practicing veterinarians, researchers, industry businesses, and horse owners. That convention has delayed some of my entries, but I’ll try and keep up better now. Chief Eric Bush of the Prineville, Ore., mounted police, sent a note to us. He’s currently training a 5-year-old Percheron cross to

During the recent fires in California, horse owner and full-time wildlife photographer Frank Hendriks ventured into the hills to chronicle the fears and victories of the area’s horses and horse owners. Below you will see a collection of his San Diego Firestorm images.
 
Hendriks, who has been a professional nature and wildlife photographer for 16 years, is selling copies of these

The 2003 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) held its annual convention in New Orleans, La., just before Thanksgiving (Nov. 21-25). This was a record-breaking meeting in the number of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary students in attendance (3,107) as well as total attendees (6,175).

Next year the AAEP annual convention will be held in Denver,

Put aside for the moment your belief that the PMU (pregnant mare urine) industry is right or wrong. The issue at hand is Wyeth pharmaceutical company’s reduction in the number of ranchers under contract to collect pregnant mare urine as the main ingredient for hormone replacement therapy for post-menopausal women. Wyeth has cut ranchers from 409 to 264. This will put 10,000-18,000 horses on

Because of a reduction in the number of prescriptions being written for hormone replacement therapy in women, and because of recent federal approval of a lower-dose hormone replacement medication, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals met with ranchers who supply the raw product (pregnant mare urine, or PMU) on Oct. 10 and announced that the number of ranches under contract for 2004 would be reduced from 409

Nearly 250 veterinarians from across the country attended a continuing education conference sponsored by Purina Mills Oct. 3-5.

Besides researching and developing horse feeds, which on average takes five years for a new feed to go from idea to feed store, Purina conducts research on how feeds affect and react with the physical animal.

Many of the talks discussed the “hot” topic of

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. announced Nov. 19 that it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market and sell Navigator (32% nitazoxanide) antiprotozoal oral paste, a new treatment for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). EPM is a progressive, degenerative disease of the central nervous system that can cause serious or even fatal neurological problems in horses

My apologies for the prolonged interim between entries. Family medical and other emergencies (drunk driver demolishes grandmother’s attached garage with full-size pick-up truck) took away from writing time.

The boys are really growing, but there has been a medical mystery. Seems Conan did have an abscess, or at least a deep muscle bruise that might be harboring an abscess. Carol

Field and Stream columnist Thomas McIntyre is free in this country to say what he pleases, but methinks he’s gone too far. While he rambles around quite a bit in his column, taking pokes and jabs at all equids and their owners along the way, his final paragraph is something that horse owners should read and ponder. If you have any thoughts on this column, please feel free to reply to

Even as the California fires were beginning to rage out of control, Sebastian Heath, VetMB, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVPM, senior staff veterinarian for USDA-APHIS, Emergency Programs, was discussing the consequences of animals in disaster situations to an audience at the University of Kentucky.

Rural hazards range from natural disasters to epidemics (such as the foot and mouth diseas

Trust is an important part of any partnership, whether between two people or between an animal and a human. There has been much talk about the revival of natural horsemanship. Honestly, it’s not a revival; it’s a concept new to many people today who didn’t grow up with horses. When we were kids, we enjoyed the same things our horses did (for the most part). We liked running over fields and

The Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act of 1994 states that it is illegal to produce a compounded drug designed to treat a disease or condition when an FDA-approved drug for the disease or condition is available. As an exception to this rule, compounding a particular drug is legal when the approved drug is not available in the required dosage, form, or concentration. That lets horses

There is new evidence that the setae (hair-like projections) on Eastern tent caterpillars (ETC) can become embedded in the submucosal lining of the alimentary tract (from the mouth to the colon) of animals and cause microgranulomas (small, localized areas of inflammation only visible under a microscope). These sores could possibly allow bacteria normally found in the alimentary tract access t