Latest News – The Horse

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Adequan i.m. Multi-Dose (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan), a new 10-dose 50mL vial.

This new vial will allow veterinarians to draw ten injections from one vial quickly with less handling compared to the traditional 5mL single-dose vial that is still available in a 7-dose package. The multi-dose package has a 24-month shelf life.

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston will sign copies of her new book Horses: In Living Color and her previous release More Old Friends on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at the Circa 1840 Restaurant in Georgetown, Ky. The book signing will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

A portion of the proceeds of the sale of the two books, which were published by Eclipse Press, will be donated

Once a horse is infected with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), the dormant virus resides in the horse’s nervous system, where it can reactivate when the horse’s immune system is compromised by stress or illness. Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, and his colleagues at the University of California, Davis, wondered if stress caused by transporting horses would reactivate a latent infection.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has approved new procedures that regulators say will streamline and reduce the cost of equine drug testing in the state by as much as 25-30%.

Under the new procedures, approved unanimously by the commission Dec. 1, at least two horses out of every race will be taken to the test barn where samples, including blood and urine, will be collected

Horse owners looking for up-to-date information on parasites and drug resistance can find two new videos on TheHorse.com containing presentations made in Kentucky to a group of veterinarians, vet techs, and horse owners. These are sponsored by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.

“Drug Resistant Parasites: Rules &

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has weighed in on the recent endorsement of a national welfare code of practice for the horse industry. Drafted by the American Horse Council and endorsed by several major horse industry groups, the welfare code offers generic guidelines for responsible breeding, training and care of horses (

The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for horses are believed to be numerous: decreased inflammation in various tissues, increased immune response, maintenance of healthy membranes, and an upsurge in sperm production, to name just a few.

Flaxseed and flaxseed oil have been fed to horses for decades, primarily to improve coat condition of sales or show horses. Both flaxseed and

Electroacupuncture–the electrical stimulation of acupuncture points–can be an effective method of controlling laryngeal hemiplegia (roaring), reported researchers performing the technique on horses presented to the Veterinary Medical Center of the University of Florida.

Law enforcement authorities in three Wisconsin counties are investing a series of shooting incidents that left five animals dead or dying in their pastures.

Three Dunn County horse owners discovered their animals either dead or dying in their pastures on Sunday morning. One wounded horse died the following day. All the animals had sustained small caliber gunshot wounds, said Dun

Officials at Calder Race Course Nov. 30 said a horse previously in its stable area has tested positive for equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) and that the track would not permit horses to ship into the facility for stabling or for a race for 14 days.

Officials at Calder, in Miami Gardens, Fla., said no other horses are showing signs of illness.

"This appears to be

Phil McCarthy, DVM, a veterinarian who specialized in reproductive issues and the owner of Watercress Farm near Paris, Ky., died Nov. 29 of cancer at his home in Lexington. He was 58.

"Phil McCarthy was a pioneer in many different areas of the horse business; from fetal sexing of mares to diagnosing and treating stallion infertility," said James Robertson, DVM, Dipl.