Latest News – The Horse

With summer just around the corner, now is the time to vaccinate horses against Potomac horse fever (PHF).

“Horse owners need to be aware of the disease and its seasonality,” said Julia Wilson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of large animal medicine at the University of Minnesota.

PHF is a potentially deadly disease that can cause mild depression, anorexia,

Year-and-a-half-old testing for anabolic steroids in racehorses produced some unusual results–including the discovery of a Standardbred filly that’s actually a male.

In Pennsylvania, tests showed a high elevation of testosterone in Arizona Helen, who was raced at the harness track Harrah’s Chester Racetrack and Casino, officials said April 23 during a session at the Association of Racin

With 22 riders making up the largest foreign contingent to ever compete at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, it was no surprise that the European delegation made a strong showing yesterday, the first day of dressage. Tim Lips of the Netherlands grabbed first place, riding Concrex Oncarlos to the score of 42.0. British riders Oliver Townend, on Carousel Quest (45.2), and William Fox-Pitt, on

Franck’s Pharmacy Chief Operations Officer Jennifer Beckett released the following statement April 23:

“On an order from a veterinarian, Franck’s Pharmacy prepared medication that was used to treat the 21 horses on the Lechuza Polo team. As soon as we learned of the tragic incident, we conducted an internal investigation that was led by an outside lawyer and, upon its conclusion,

An official at a Florida pharmacy said Thursday the business incorrectly prepared a supplement given to 21 polo horses that died over the weekend while preparing to play in a championship match.

Jennifer Beckett of Franck’s Pharmacy in Ocala, Fla., told The Associated Press in a statement that the business conducted an

Most horse owners are familiar with Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, if only through the statement they receive from their veterinarian following their horses’ annual vaccinations. But there’s another “EE” that, while long absent from the United States, should not be forgotten: Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, or VEE.

The zoonotic disease recently made

The equine sarcoid is an unpredictable skin tumor capable of wreaking havoc on a horse’s body. While not technically a “cancer” (neoplasm) in the pathological sense, sarcoids are often considered as such because they are a potential career- and even life-ending condition.

“Even the most benign-looking small lesion can erupt into a potentially catastrophic mass in a short period of time,”

Equine dentistry is a rapidly expanding field that encompasses a number of procedures. These include occlusal equilibration (how the teeth contact the opposite tooth surfaces), endodontics (the treatment of diseases of the tooth pulp), exodontics (the extraction of teeth), oral surgery, orthodontics (the supervision and guidance of the growing dentition and the correction of the mature

A field of 50 horses is set to compete in the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, which starts today. Riders presented 52 horses at Wednesday’s horse inspection, but two riders decided to withdraw their mounts after the three-member ground jury held them for re-inspection.

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, a part of the HSBC FEI Classics Series, will run a CCI4* and the 12th

Chromosomes are large segments of DNA wound around special proteins within each cell’s nucleus. They contain nearly all of the body’s genetic material. Horses have 64 chromosomes (or 32 pairs) including the two sex chromosomes (XY in males and XX in females). The sire and dam each contribute 32 chromosomes to their offspring. Modern cytogenetic methods enable the identification of all 32 pair

Horse owners in Washington should take advantage of the vaccines available to prevent West Nile virus, particularly as the state led the nation last year in the number of horses testing positive for the disease.

West Nile virus (WNV) is spread by mosquitoes that have fed on an

To better control blood sugar and insulin levels, horse owners are encouraged to limit starch intake in their animals, rather than only supplementing their horse’s diet with fats, recommends Ingrid Vervuert, DrMedVet, PhD, and colleagues from the Institute of Animal Nutrition in Leipzig, Germany.

“Controlling post-prandial (post-feeding) sugar and insulin levels is

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will offer two education events, which will run concurrently, in Ohio this summer. Focus on the Foot and the 17th Annual Practice Management Seminar, will provide a comprehensive continuing education package for equine practitioners July 19-21 in Columbus, Ohio.

Focus on the Foot will explore the intricacies of one of the mos

The owner of a Nebraska training ranch and sanctuary for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustangs and burros has surrendered more than 200 animals to two equine rescue agencies.

On Tuesday, Jason Meduna, operator of 3-Strikes Ranch in Alliance, Neb., relinquished custody of 200 mustangs and 10 wild burros to Habitat for Horses, a Texas-based rescue, and the