Each state has a veterinary practice act, which is a legal interpretation of what constitutes veterinary practice in that state on all species. For example, chiropractic or acupuncture might be considered veterinarian-only skills in some states, while in other states they can be performed by a skilled lay person under a licensed veterinarian’s direction.

The American Veterinary Medica

Ohio and Pennsylvania have confirmed or reported cases of the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1, see Pennsylvania information on page 15). But the worst problems reported thus far have occurred in Ohio, where 12 horses died in an outbreak at the University of Findlay (see article #4127 at www.TheHorse.com) and three other Ohio horses die

While Ohio veterinarians are busy fighting what seems to be an especially aggressive strain of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), two horses were euthanized due to illness from the virus at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Penn., in an outbreak that appears to be a more typical, sporadic episode. Additionally, at least two Iowa horses have been euthanized after battling what officials

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), from July of 2002 through early 2003, looked at 400 equine abortions for evidence of WNV. Their findings were “surprising,”

The long-awaited reference Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse was recently released by Elsevier Science. The book was co-authored by Mike W. Ross, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, of the University of Pennsylvania’s school of veterinary medicine; and Sue J. Dyson, FRCVS, of the Center for Equine Studies at the Animal Health Trust in the United Kingdom. Ross and Dyson offer comprehensive

Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) has been confirmed as the cause of illness in three Thoroughbreds that were stabled in a training barn at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. Tuesday’s announcement follows treatment of several EHV-1 outbreaks in Ohio and Pennsylvania since January.

The EHV-1 organism can cause three different forms of disease, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory

Animal health officials today explained that the announcement about the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) cases at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., was not made sooner was because the virus wasn’t considered to be actively circulating in the environment until a third horse exhibited clinical signs and tested positive for the virus.

A gelding and a filly with neurologic signs were

Kentucky has kept extensive statistics on West Nile virus (WNV) cases in the state. At the March 7 West Nile Virus Workshop at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center, Rusty Ford, Kentucky Equine Programs Manager, reviewed equine WNV statistics from past years. He also described how the state planned to make reporting cases easier in 2003.

West Nile virus was first

“This is the largest arboviral (disease) epidemic ever documented in the Western Hemisphere,” said Sue Billings, DVM, MSPH, Kentucky Department for Public Health Medical Epidemiologist. Billings has been working with the public health side of West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance since the virus first appeared in mosquitoes, birds, and horses in Kentucky in 2001. Billings attended a recent WNV

Rob Keene, DVM, field veterinarian for Fort Dodge Animal Health, talked about the West Nile virus vaccine at the West Nile Virus (WNV) Workshop held March 7 at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center. Keene explained plans for packaging and marketing the vaccine–which received a full license from the USDA on Feb. 6–and described the efforts already underway to combine the

There is no significant difference between rates of wound healing with povidone iodine ointment and two formulations of silver sulfadiazine versus untreated controls, according to a recent study completed at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM). Additionally, all bandaged wounds regardless of treatment, produced exuberant granulation tissue, or proud

(Updated 3/07/03) Ohio and Pennsylvania have confirmed or reported cases of the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus type 1. But the worst problems reported thus far have occurred in Ohio, where 12 horses died in an outbreak at the University of Findlay (see article #4127) and three other Ohio horses died from exposure t

New research is leading veterinarians one step closer to being able to detect the first stages of cartilage damage in joints, which could lead to crippling osteoarthritis. Researchers eventually want to analyze joint fluid or blood samples and assess the concentration of specific biochemical markers thought to be involved in the degradation process of cartilage to predict actual damage i

The worst is over in an equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) outbreak that thus far has caused the death of 12
horses, and scientists are still studying the virus to see if it is somehow different from the normal EHV-1 strain. The outbreak, which began Jan. 12, quarantined the entire equine population of 138 horses at the University of Findlay’s English riding facility in Findlay, Ohio. It

The USA Equestrian (USAE) Board of Directors approved a rule change on Jan. 19 that should reduce the incidence of corticosteroid abuse in equine athletes. The USAE sets rules for 27 breeds and disciplines competing in the United States, and is the U.S. equestrian national governing body. The corticosteroid rule will go into effect Dec. 1, 2003.

The USAE’s Veterinary and Equine Drugs and

Evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) was found in 35 aborted fetuses in Kentucky since July of 2002, according to Lenn Harrison, VMD, head of the Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in Lexington. “We have handled about 400 aborted fetuses and tested them, so this is less than 10%,” he reported on Feb. 4. He emphasized that WNV has not been known to cause abortion in mares; therefore,