Latest News – The Horse

The Drug Compounding Task Force of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has released guidelines regarding the responsible use of compounded medications by veterinarians. The guidelines are the result of the association’s commitment to educating its members on this increasingly important topic within the animal health industry.

Issues addressed in the guidelines

Influenza, equine herpesvirus, and strangles were the diseases highlighted by Bonnie Rush, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, professor and section head of equine internal medicine at Kansas State University, at a seminar on infectious respiratory diseases sponsored by Fort Dodge Animal Health in Lexington, Ky., on Feb. 4. Rush emphasized the importance of vaccinating against these

Selection of Thoroughbred horses for racing and breeding is based primarily on equine performance, pedigree, and phenotype (physical characteristics). Although conformation plays a critical role in the evaluation of horses, current methods of analyzing equine conformation are largely subjective and vary according to personal opinion and individual experience.

To develop practical,

Central Kentucky equine abortion accessions so far in 2005 do not indicate mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS). The University of Kentucky’s Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) is posting the number of abortion accessions of all breeds weekly along with comparisons to totals from 2004. MRLS struck horses in several states (including Kentucky) and Canada in 2001 and 2002. The problem

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently announced the launch of a new web site to inform stakeholders about the national animal identification system (NAIS). The web site, www.usda.gov/nais, is designed to be a one-stop resource for information about NAIS.

“We hope our stakeholders will visit the site

“Ask the Expert,” a new feature of the Rutgers Equine Science Center web site, www.esc.rutgers.edu, invites horse owners and enthusiasts to seek science-based answers to their questions about horse health and management.

The Equine Science Center, located at Rutgers-Cook College, taps the expertise of some 30 faculty, researchers

As one might expect in a gathering of equine veterinarians discussing colic, much of the Sunrise Session dedicated to the topic covered evaluation of the colicky horse to determine severity and decide on medical vs. surgical management.

This forum revolved around the on going issue of drug compounding. The take-home message for veterinarians was: If there is an FDA-approved product out there, it should be used even though it might be more costly.

Robert Holland, DVM, PhD, of Lexington, Ky., discussed West Nile virus and appropriate vaccination protocol. He said the disease is now considered endemic to the United

Much of the discussion involved sharing professional information, such as specific instruments involved, but they also addressed such matters as preparation of the recipient mare and the most optimum state of embryo maturation for transfer.

A New York state authority that supports Standardbred purses and breeding has lax internal financial controls, according to an audit released Tuesday by state Comptroller Alan Hevesi.

The New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund helps support the state’s harness industry, but gets part of its funding from the state’s four Thoroughbred tracks and off-track betting

Officials from Michigan’s Office of Racing Commissioner (ORC) are requiring all horses entering any of seven licensed pari-mutuel facilities in the state be vaccinated for equine herpesvirus (EHV), in an effort to keep the virus confined to Northville Downs, where it has been detected in four horses. Three of those horses had to be euthanatized because the neurologic form of EHV type-1 caused

Discussion in the session primarily revolved around personal experiences with courses in acupuncture and chiropractic, incorporation of what they’ve learned in these courses, payment for these services, and the reminder that Western medicine should never be forgotten when treating patients.

Following the release of human clinical trial data demonstrating the link between pain-relieving medications known as COX-2 inhibitors and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a public health advisory recommending limited use of the drugs. The advisory, which also covers various non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Ken Bedell, DVM, of Cornell University, addressed one of the newer maladies that has shown up in the horse world–equine motor neuron disease–at Horseman’s Day at the 50th annual American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Convention in Denver, Colo., Dec. 4-8, 2004. He characterized the affliction as any disease that targets the nerves that coordinate the muscle structure, such as