Sound-Eklin digital imaging company introduced the new Axxent Veterinary Electronic Brachytherapy System that will make it easier to perform radiation treatment in horses with tumors.

The best way to protect your horses and dogs from influenza virus is to vaccinate at-risk animals, practice good hygiene, and isolate infected animals, according to Tara C. Anderson, DVM, MPH, a PhD candidate at the University of Florida.

When a horse has a skin problem, most people reach for the steroid creams. However, because the creams are topical, many people don’t realize they can have systemic effects on a horse. A recent study showed that a course of topical dexamethasone affects many of the horse’s hormones, including insulin, glucose, and triglycerides.

In horses requiring skin grafts to enhance wound healing, split-thickness grafts are typically used, according to Ferenc Toth, DVM, PhD, of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville; however, full-thickness grafts provide a better cosmetic appearance, which is why they usually are used to cover human facial wounds.

If a horse has a wound, the body tries to repair the damage by form

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new effort to encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily provide public access to their land for outdoor activities, including horseback riding.

If a foal comes down with signs of equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), confirm the diagnosis, treat the affected foal, and monitor the herd for additional cases, Connie Gebhart, PhD, said at the 2010 ACVIM Forum, June 9-12 in Anaheim, Calif.

Clinical signs include peripheral swelling, weight loss or slow growth, lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, colic, diarrhea, and low blood

When people sprain an ankle, they tend to put all their weight on the other foot to compensate. Horses respond similarly to lameness, using sound muscles to compensate for the injury, according to a new study.

This means that lameness affects many muscles, not just those around the injury. This “functional adaptation” can result in secondary lameness in an otherwise so

Equine influenza virus mutates as it travels around the world from one animal to the next, and equine influenza vaccine must be updated periodically if the virus mutates to the point that the current vaccine does not adequately protect horses.

Romain Paillot, PhD, and his colleagues have been testing EI vaccines against a recent strain that caused outbreaks in Japan and Australia

Lukas, a 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding who stands 16.2 hands, may well be the smartest horse in the country–maybe the world, and owner-trainer Karen Murdock is trying to get him into the Guinness World Records for “Most numbers identified by a horse in one minute.”

On June 16, Lukas was able to identify a correct number at least 18 times.

“The

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is useful for identifying arthritis and other joint diseases, but a new study found that it could be used to measure bone density and sclerosis (abnormal hardening of the bone).

The best way to give cloned foals a leg up is to make sure that an experienced veterinary team is present when the mare gives birth, according to a recent study.

Katrin Hinrichs, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACT, and her colleagues recently reviewed the medical records of cloned foals born between 2005 and 2008. They found that most foals did pretty well: Of 14 foals, 12 developed normally.

Horse owners along the border states of Mexico should make sure that their horses are vaccinated against equine influenza virus (EIV) because the virus is prevalent in that country, according to new research.

Unfortunately, germs know no boundaries, and vaccination is not routinely done in some areas of Mexico, according to Bradley J. Blitvich, PhD, of Iowa State University in Ame

Any foal with an abnormally high respiration rate, heart rate, blue gums, or exercise intolerance should be evaluated for heart defects. If one is found, it’s a good idea to look for other congenital problems.

K. Gary Magdesian, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVECC, Dipl. ACVCP, and his colleagues at the University of California, Davis reviewed the medical records of 18 foals that w

Someday people may use a digital audio recorder to evaluate equine respiratory diseases, as well as the air quality of the stable environment.

Marco Duz, MedVet, MRCVS, and his colleagues recorded horses’ coughs over 24 hours, then analyzed the coughs by reviewing the digital recording on a computer, which took about 2-3 minutes for every hour of recording time.

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