Zoonotic diseases are those that can be passed from animals to humans, and, noted Scott Weese, DVM, DVSc, Dipl. ACVIM, of the Department of Clinical Studies at the University of Guelph, they are an ever-present threat to veterinarians. “A number of zoonotic agents may be encountered in veterinary practice and the severity of human disease can range from mild to fatal,” he said. “Prompt

From Kentucky up through New York, the recent winter storm’s ice and snow has caused major problems for horse owners and those in the horse business. In Kentucky, an inch or more of ice coated every surface starting Feb. 16, causing power lines to sag onto roads and fields, trees to split and drop limbs, and streets to become impassible. There was flooding in other parts of the state.

Robert Maxwell, owner of Sallee Van company in Lexington, said generators are keeping the phones, lights, and a little heat on in the office, but downed trees are keeping larger trucks in the parking lot.

“We can’t get the big trucks off the lot because of trees down everywhere around the office, said Maxwell, but we have some of the smaller vans out. We’re parking them at the Ryder

Despite the disaster of ice, snow, and cold weather, all three of the major veterinary clinics in Central Kentucky are up and running, although Hagyard-Davidson-McGee is on emergency power. Dr. Doug Byars, head of the medicine clinic at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee in Lexington, said generators are keeping services going for the horses, but surgery is on an emergency basis for the moment.

“Diseases like flu and herpesvirus are always going to be problems for horse owners, and they are not going away,” said Tom Chambers, PhD, of the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center. “The secret to effective vaccines for flu is effective surveillance.” This surveillance allows researchers and vaccine manufacturers to stay abreast of which strains are causing

“When you hear hoofbeats on the covered bridge, please think about the zebra!” said Corrie Brown, DVM, PhD, Dipl. American College of Veterinary Pathology, vice chair of the Cornell Committee for Animal Diseases. Her point was that when veterinarians are making diagnoses, they need to consider foreign animal diseases. “The amount of damage that a foreign animal disease will cause is directly

Veterinarians are the first line of defense against infectious and contagious animal diseases, noted Brian J. McCluskey, DVM, MS, of the USDA:Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health in Fort Collins, Colo. “The rapid diagnosis and ultimate control of foreign animal and emerging diseases is dependent on the diagnostic abilities, experiences, an

The results of a survey conducted by the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center and College of Agriculture showed that a small number of Thoroughbred and other farms experienced an unusual increase in what is being termed fall fetal loss syndrome (FFLS). While there are “suspects,” there is no definitive cause known at this time.

The detailed information on the

A question has been raised whether the increased number of West Nile virus (WNV) cases in Kentucky in late summer and fall 2002 contributed to a rise in fall abortions. A retrospective study by the University of Kentucky’s Livestock Disease and Diagnostic Center (LDDC), starting in July of 2002 and going through early 2003, looked at 400 equine abortions for evidence of WNV. Their findings

When frozen semen was first introduced, pregnancies were achieved by checking the mare frequently each day and breeding with a single dose of semen as close to ovulation as possible. Therefore, this was adopted as standard operating procedure, said Squires. Veterinarians checked a mare every six hours once she was in heat and had been given hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) or Ovuplant (deslorel