A flurry of interest arose this week on an Internet message board started by individuals who think their sick horses’ fatal diseases are linked. As a result, veterinarians are cautioning horse owners not to jump to conclusions in diagnosing their own animals or linking past cases with the alleged disease, because at this time, no disease claims have been substantiated.

Since March 2,

Controversy over medication and drug testing has been around since organized equine competitions came into being. There has always been more disagreement than agreement among the various factions involved, and more contention than harmony. Drug testing is a legal part of nearly all breed and discipline competitions these days, and much of what is done in regard to drug testing in other

With the advent of the Internet, cheaper airline travel options, and popularity of foreign breeds, more people are importing and exporting horses between countries. But whether home or abroad, purchasing or selling a horse is seldom simple. However, if you know what you are getting into and are prepared to wade through the red tape, foreign money exchange, and long-distance phone calls, expanding

When a pregnant mare develops a problem that puts her fetus at risk, what can be done? Some of these foals can be saved if the problem can be discovered early and the mare given proper treatment to reverse the condition.

Jon Palmer, VMD, associate professor of medicine and director of the neonatal and perinatal programs at the Connelly Intensive Care Unit at New Bolton Center (part of th

Infectious diarrhea in young foals can be fatal without prompt treatment, and the age of the foal can make a difference in his vulnerability to certain pathogens and how deadly they might be. In foals less than a week old, the cause is often salmonella or a clostridium bacteria.

Sam Jones, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of equine medicine at North Carolina State University,

There are many scientists who have studied and theorized about how man and horses came to be together, but modern science has changed some of what we thought was fact.

Aminoglycosides, including amikacin, are known for their potent activity against bacteria that cause sepsis in newborn foals. Dosage protocols for aminoglycosides have been extensively studied in humans, and conventional dosing at eight- to 12-hour intervals is now giving way to high-dose, once-daily administration. Human studies have shown that amikacin is more effective and less toxic to th

Diseases transmitted by ticks are becoming more widespread. Recently, a case report was published detailing a common tick-borne illness in horses called equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA), once called equine ehrlichiosis. An 11-year old Hanoverian-cross gelding had recently been imported from Canada in good health and appeared normal when ridden one morning. That afternoon, however, he

When you’re feeling under the weather, sometimes all you want is a nice, hot bowl of chicken soup. Other times, you might hunger for a full-course meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and steaming green beans. Even a mild injury that keeps you planted on the couch instead of sweating at the gym might change the way you think about food, urging you to cut back those desserts to hold your

Bands march past with trumpets blaring and drums banging, and the horse hardly twitches an ear. A mother pushes her baby stroller under the neck of the horse unknowingly while asking for directions, and the horse merely glances down, never moving his feet. Trucks whiz past the horse, inches from his hindquarters, and he appears uninterested. Protestors yell and throw anything handy at the

Twenty-four, seven–that’s what caring for horses entails. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, horses are the responsibility of someone. And that’s if they are young and healthy, turned out, and don’t need special care. If they have physical or psychological problems, or if there are special needs that must be seen to, care can become time-consuming and expensive. Then multiply that b

Ten years after a deadly virus was first discovered in Australia, it has reared its ugly head once again. A horse near the Townsville area of Australia was diagnosed with Hendra virus, a deadly equine morbillivirus, on Dec. 14, 2004, and it was later euthanatized. A short time earlier, a veterinarian in the Cairns area was diagnosed with a mild case of the Hendra virus, but that individual

Illinois agriculture and health officials reported in early January that a LaSalle County horse tested positive for rabies at the Illinois Department of Agriculture laboratory in Galesburg on Dec. 10, 2004. Eleven people received preventive rabies treatment following exposure to the horse. Another domestic animal rabies case–a cow–was confirmed in eastern Bureau County on Jan. 13.

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New Mexico and Colorado have been removed from the Kentucky list of vesicular stomatitis (VS)-embargoed states. Neither state is experiencing active cases of VS and there are no premises currently under quarantine as a result of past infection.

Bans were imposed beginning in May 2004 after a VS outbreak was reported in Texas. Embargoes were placed on animals from New Mexico in June 2004

The USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) will be conducting an Equine 2005 study, which will examine equine events and on-farm health management factors as they relate to the control of equine infectious diseases.

NAHMS conducts national studies on the health and management of America’s domestic livestock populations. In 1998, it took its first in-depth look at the U.S