Latest News – The Horse

If an educated horse owner wishes to make informed decisions about health care for his or her equine companion, he or she needs to understand the basics of equine dentition and how the teeth affect overall health–after all, proper mastication is the first step in the long process of digestion.

Timely deworming, immunizations, and farrier work are only part of the equation. Ongoing observation is required to ensure your horse is properly fed and cared for.

Intestinal parasites, or “worms,” have been problematic since the domestication of horses. In this first section of a two-part series, we’ll review the identification, transmission, and problems associated with internal parasites.

Dawn of a New Era

It’s important that we focus on equin

A lot is asked of young show stallions, particularly when it comes to juggling performance and breeding. I wondered what your experience has been on this subject. Do you feel breeding can actually benefit the performance behavior?

I have searched the Internet and asked everyone I know about the abnormal sheath buildup on my 17-year-old palomino gelding. Ever since we bought him, we noticed a large, crusty buildup all over him.

My 18-year-old Percheron/ Morgan gelding was diagnosed with insulin resistance. Just prior to being confined to stall rest for a connective tissue injury, his insulin was 67 microIU/mL. The vet did a dexamethasone suppression test to rule out PPID,

Twice, my 12-year-old Paint gelding has gotten his third eyelid “stuck” over the top of his eyeball for 10 or 20 seconds. The first time was when water splashed in his eye during a bath.

Strangles is a dreaded disease for horse owners. It is caused by bacterial infection with Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (referred to as S. equi). The bacteria typically infect the upper airway and lymph nodes of the head and neck. Strangles has affected horses for centuries, is highly contagious, can recur on farms with previous outbreaks, and is one of the most commonl

Progression of obesity and insulin resistance exacerbates laminitis risk. As a horse gets fatter, insulin sensitivity decreases. Insulin resistance worsens with chronic obesity, making a horse more susceptible to laminitis and less tolerant of triggering events.

The International Collating Centre, Newmarket, England, and other sources reported the following disease outbreaks:

Two cases of contagious equine metritis (CEM) were confirmed in non-Thoroughbred horses in France. As of Feb. 23 the USDA reported 11 non-Thoroughbred stallions positive for (CEM) during the recent outbreak–four in Kentucky, three in Indiana, three in Wisconsin, and one in

Michigan Horse Racing Commissioner Christine C. White April 1 gave notice to the state’s horse racing industry that effective immediately, the presence of anabolic steroids will be prohibited in all horses entered to race at any pari-mutuel track in Michigan.

“Integrity remains our priority,” said White. “By incorporating a testing program for anabolic steroids, we are letting everyone

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) Equine Center at Nevins Farm is on pace to receive and care for a record number of horses in 2009. However, the upcoming warmer months of the year are traditionally when equine adoption rates increase.

“We are currently caring for more than 30 homeless horses both on and off of our property with support from our

Our horses’ lifestyles, career demands, and the way we manage them can cause more stress than we might expect. Sue McDonnell, PhD, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, was preparing a horse for long-distance transport. Getting the horse fro

There are many ways to support a laminitic horse’s foot; one common European method is to use plaster of paris foot casts.

EasyCare has developed the Easyboot Rx, a new rehabilitation boot and padding system.

The Easyboot Rx provides support and relief for horses suffering from chronic lameness, laminitis, injury, surgery, navicular disease, and other lower limb and hoof problems.

The Easyboot Rx sole is made of durable and soft material in a lightweight package. Upper edges are rounded for safety

On Feb. 27 Ivonne Rodriguez’s Paint horse, Geronimo, went missing from his Miami, Fla., pasture. Rodriguez immediately filed a police report and canvassed the neighborhood for information about her horse. Six days later, Miami-Dade County police discovered Geronimo’s remains in a field across the street from Rodriguez’s farm.

“He was tied to a palm tree and butchered for his