Latest News – The Horse
Pack Horse Abuse Appeal Yields Jail Sentences, Fines
A father and son found guilty of overworking and neglecting their horses during a pack trip in Montana in 2008 were each handed six months in jail during their appeal last week.
Craig Heydon and his son, Curtis Heydon, will also have
Broodmare Nutrition Requirements Ramped Up
Mare nutritional status is a critical component in foal health from conception through weaning.
Milne Lecture: The Horse’s Fetlock
During each convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, one veterinarian is chosen for the honor of giving the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture on a topic of importance to the profession. In 2009 Larry Bramlage, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, was selected to discuss the orthopedics of the horse’s fetlock joint, from disease and injury to surgical repair.
Equitarian Session
“There’s a large part of the world that depends more than ever on working equids,” said Jay Merriam, DVM, of Massachusetts Equine Clinic, in Uxbridge, who moderated the first-ever AAEP convention session on equitarian initiatives (2009). Merriam defined an equitarian as “one who serves equids with compassion, and whose only reward is their improved health and welfare.”
The Latest in Equine Veterinary Medicine
The hottest news in equine veterinary medicine in 2009 included a lethal medication compounding error, genetic deafness in Paint horses, bacteremia in foals, piroplasmosis, exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, and more. (Presented at the Kester News Hour session, American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, 2009)
Lameness Presentations
Several topics related to lameness in horses were presented at the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, from racehorse lameness to regional limb perfusion, nerve blocks, and radiographic findings in Quarter Horses.
Lameness Treatments
Treatments for lameness in horses, including tenotomy surgery for laminitis, arthritis treatments, stem cells, maggots for wound therapy, electrotherapy, manual therapies, and more were discussed at the 2009 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Colic Insights
Updates on preparing for colic, enteroliths, tapeworm colic, and cortisol hormone levels in colicky horses, from the 2009 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Horses and Veterinarians
With a bit of patience, time, and understanding of the horse’s flighty nature, veterinarians and horse owners can easily train a horse to work with them rather than against them. Included are training methods from an authority on equine training.
Neurologic Diseases
Diagnosis and treatment recommendations for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), the evolution of West Nile virus, and a new treatment option for equine herpesvirus were discussed at the 2009 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Critical Care for Horses
There have been marked changes in the level of equine critical care, noted Fairfield Bain, DVM, MBA, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVP, ACVECC, during the 2009 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. These changes, he said, are in large part due to improved skills, training, and experience of practitioners that facilitate expeditious case assessment.
Prepurchase Exams
For more than 150 years veterinarians have been performing prepurchase exams, also referred to as vetting, purchase exams, and soundness exams. Two veterinarians discussed purchase exams in general and specifically for Western performance horses at the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention.
Anesthesia and Pain Management
Options for general anesthesia in horses, analgesics (painkillers), and standing sedation were covered in depth at the 2009 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Hoof Care and Farriery
Guidelines for trimming horses’ feet and the results of a study evaluating toe grabs and catastrophic injury in racing Quarter Horses were discussed at the 2009 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Respiratory Conditions
Researchers discussed respiratory topics in horses including influenza outbreaks and vaccination boosters, furosemide for exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, dorsal displacement of the soft palate, dynamic respiratory tract endoscopy (during exercise), and more at the 2009 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Equine Gastrointestinal Tract/Ulcers
Deworming medication resistance, persimmon risks, peritonitis treatment advances, Salmonella biosecurity guidelines, and more equine gastrointestinal topics were discussed at the 2009 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
