Latest News – The Horse
Slaughter: U.S. Circuit Court Decision Allows Cavel to Resume Operations
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a motion by Cavel International, allowing the plant to temporarily resume horse slaughter operations, the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL) announced July 18.
In late May
Higher Silicate-Associated Osteoporosis Risk in Some Regions
Silicosis in horses is a respiratory condition caused by exposure to certain types of silicate dust found in some geographic regions. While silicosis is not a commonly diagnosed equine ailment in most areas of the country, Matthew Durham, DVM
Treating Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (or Cushing’s Disease)
Medication options for PPID include pergolide, cyproheptadine, trilostane, and chasteberry extract. One disadvantage is that no treatment is currently FDA-approved for PPID in horses.
MAF Beginning First Phase of Equine Genetic Research Consortium
Equine scientists will begin developing a unique set of research tools that will lead to major advances in the health of horses worldwide through the Morris Animal Foundation’s Equine Consortium for Genetic Research.
The Equine Consortium
Additional Leptospiral-induced Abortions Reported in Kentucky
This is an excerpt from Equine Disease Quarterly, funded by underwriters at Lloyd’s, London, brokers, and their Kentucky agents.
The last report of equine leptospiral-induced abortions was in the April 2004 issue of
Polytrack Debuts Successfully at Del Mar
Trainer T.R. (Ray) Bell II and jockey Jon Court had never received so much attention for capturing a maiden event as they did when Special Smoke became the first horse to win a race over Del Mar’s new Polytrack racing surface July 18.
“I had a
New Study: Equine Obesity More Prevalent than Previously Reported
A team of researchers in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech have determined that horses are facing serious health risks because of obesity.
Of the 300
Large Animal Emergency Response Training Courses Offered in August
Hagyard Equine Medical Institute will once again offer an extensive three-day training course on August 20-22, and August 24-26, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.
This training is designed to educate first responders such as
UPenn Names Laminitis Senior Research Investigator
Hannah Galantino-Homer, VMD, PhD, Dipl. ACT, has been appointed the senior research investigator of the new laminitis research initiative at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She will serve as a leading investigator
Pair With Horse, 7 Dogs in Home Arrested
Authorities removed a Miniature Horse and seven dogs from a Modesto, Calif., home strewn with feces and rotting produce and charged the owners with endangering their 12-year-old child, officials said.
Joe Silva and Nichole Surkala’s house was
Respiratory Viruses Detected at Shows, Sales
In a survey of horses arriving at several different show and sale facilities, researchers found that as many as 4% of the population were shedding equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) from nasal passages, and as many as 2% were shedding equine
Understanding Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (a.k.a. Cushing’s Disease)
Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction–PPID, or Cushing’s disease–is the most common disease of horses and ponies 15 years of age or older. Although it’s not fully understood yet, researchers are learning more about how to treat and prevent it.
Tracking Rabies in Kentucky
While skunk is the predominant rabies variant in Kentucky, the raccoon variant responsible for the Mid-Atlantic states’ rabies epizootic is present in adjoining West Virginia and Tennessee.
Are Mares a Source of R. Equi For Their Foals?
A study of one Lexington, Ky., Thoroughbred farm showed that on average, 30% of the farm’s foals developed Rhodococcus equi pneumonia during the 2004 and 2005 foaling seasons. Researchers searching for a source of the disease questioned if R. equi in the mare’s feces was a source of infection for her foal. Information from this study was presented at the 2006 AAEP Convention.
The Equine Genome: What it Means for the Future of Horse Health
The National Human Genome Research Institute announced the first assembly of the completed horse DNA sequence on Feb. 7, 2007. Why would a human health
