Latest News – The Horse

The one sabotaged Saddlebred still under treatment is recovering well, according to two veterinarians who have been treating the horse at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee (HDM) Associates in Lexington, Ky. However, they cannot say the gelding is completely out of the woods yet. Six-year-old Cats Don’t Dance is currently sound and slowly responding to a combination of cutting-edge treatments

Preventing infectious diseases and parasites from attacking our horses are primary concerns for every horse owner. James D. Smith, DVM, a practitioner at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates, PLLC, in Lexington, Ky., and Craig Reinemeyer, DVM, PhD, president of East Tennessee Clinical Research in Knoxville, Tenn., provided invaluable insight into how to keep the risks of infectious diseases and

The scientists who produced the world’s first clone born to the horse family have announced that the third cloned mule foal was born yesterday (July 27).

The team includes Gordon Woods, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACT, and Dirk Vanderwall, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACT, both UI professors of animal and veterinary science, and Ken White, PhD, a professor in Utah State’s Animal, Dairy and Veterinary

Tennessee animal health officials on alert for the return of West Nile virus are also on the lookout for the re-emergence of another mosquito-borne disease in the Southeast–Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Tennessee’s first EEE case for 2003 was confirmed last week.

“Outbreaks of viral encephalitis in horses is a seasonal occurrence due to the prevalence of mosquitoes this time of

Research and experience by veterinarians have shown that tapeworms are associated with equine spasmodic colic, ileal impaction, and intussusception (where the intestine telescopes back onto itself). It is possible that recent deworming methods have allowed tapeworms to thrive in horses where other parasites are being controlled.

Recent research shows that the prevalence of tapeworms

Is it possible that the horse is a natural intermediate host in the life cycle of the parasite that causes equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), meaning the parasite can develop to a reproductive state in the horse? Are there other parasites that cause EPM? Can Strongid C 2X daily dewormer prevent infection in horses with Sarcocystis neurona? Does shipping a horse twice increase

Even horses are not immune to the changes since September 11, 2001. Florida Equine Veterinary Services prepares to address disaster preparedness in its upcoming Equine Emergency Care Seminar in Orlando in September.

“We don’t know when to expect an emergency, but we can plan for one,” said Dr. Erin Denney-Jones, president of Florida Equine Veterinary Services. “It’s our goal to get

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Center for Epidemiology and
Animal Health, a part of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service’s (APHIS) Veterinary Services program (VS), recently released its
outlook for the occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV) in equids during 2003.

The outlook discusses factors that influence the viral threat to equids and
resistance of

Cats Don’t Dance, one of the two surviving American Saddlebreds injected with a caustic substance several weeks ago, was recovering yesterday (June 21) at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates (HDM) in Lexington, Ky. Nathan Slovis, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, is the treating veterinarian of the 6-year-old gelding at the hospital’s medicine facility.

Two novel methods of wound treatment were used on five valuable American Saddlebreds attacked and injected with an unknown caustic substance in the back of their left front pasterns on June 30. The tissue in the injected area became necrotic (died), leaving painful, difficult-to-treat lesions that has resulted in death of two of the horses. The attackers of the horses based near Lexington,

A third Saddlebred that was the victim of an attack with a caustic substance has been euthanized. Kiss Me, a 4-year-old mare, was euthanized Friday (July 18) as a result of injuries related to the lethal injection of an unknown substance. Two of the four other horses attacked at Dave and Lena Lopez’ Double “D” Ranch in central Kentucky — Wild Eyed and Wicked and Meet Prince Charming–were

A horse is almost bound to experience a hoof problem during his lifetime. How serious it is and how it is handled could make the difference in his return to full soundness. During an early-morning presentation at the Thoroughbred International Exposition and Conference (TIEC) held in Lexington, Ky., June 20-22, Robert Hunt, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, a surgeon at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee and

Two of the American Saddlebreds attacked and injected with a caustic substance in their left front pasterns were euthanized early today (July 17) in Versailles, Ky., due to complications from their injuries.

West Nile virus (WNV) is steadily spreading across the country, having been detected in at least 33 states so far this year*. Horses in 15 states have been infected with the virus in 2003; the most recent announcements of equine WNV cases were from Kansas and New Mexico.

Health officials in Kansas announced July 9 that they had logged the state’s first equine WNV case for this year.

Five American Saddlebreds injected with an unknown caustic substance several weeks ago continue to recover from their injuries under the care of several practitioners. Hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy continues for the animals, and a medication that promotes tissue restoration has been added to the treatment regimen.

Carol McLeod, DVM, MS, a practitioner with the practice of John R.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is concerned about the high number of Eastern Equine encephalitis (EEE) cases in the state and is urging horse owners to get the proper immunizations for their animals against EEE as well as West Nile virus (WNV).

So far this year, 158 horses in 42 counties have been diagnosed with EEE (as of