Latest News – The Horse

A recent study conducted at the University of Berne Equine Clinic in Switzerland demonstrated that the prokinetic (promoting movement) drug tegaserod stimulated gut motility and accelerated gastrointestinal transit in healthy horses. The study findings, published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, are consistent with those observed in large clinical trials involving human patients and

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has promoted a longtime staff veterinarian to fill key positions responsible for protecting the health of the state’s livestock.

Mark Ernst, DVM, of Washington, Ill., has been named state veterinarian and bureau chief of Animal Health. The appointments are effective immediately.

Ernst worked in private practice for five years after earnin

The Illinois Department of Agriculture’s animal disease lab in Galesburg has confirmed that a cow owned by an eastern Bureau County resident tested positive for rabies on Jan. 13, the second domestic animal to be euthanized due to this disease in Illinois since December. The state departments of Public Health, Agriculture and Natural Resources have reminded Illinois citizens to stay away from

Congressman Nick Rahall of West Virginia introduced a bill (H.R. 297) to the House of Representatives on Jan. 25 that would restore the prohibition on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild horses and burros.

In a speech to the 109th Congress, Rahall said, “My legislation is necessary because of 36 lines that were hidden away in the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act

SmartPak Equine has teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) to offer Kensington’s line of durable and functional horse products in a striking pink plaid design, dubbed SmartPink, available exclusively through SmartPak. SmartPak will donate 20% of the net profit from the sales of the SmartPink line to NBCF, which works to increase breast cancer survival rates through

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium has set a deadline for adoption of recommended uniform medication violations and testing protocol for “milkshakes,” which are mixtures of bicarbonate of soda and a liquid given to a racehorse before it competes.

The consortium met Jan. 24 for about eight hours in Southern California. It set a deadline of March 1 for adoption of the rules an

As breeding stallions age, their reproductive abilities can wane, leaving their breeding managers with a problem–too many mares to breed, and not enough sperm. J. Scott Weems, DVM, of Weems & Stephens Equine Hospital in Aubrey, Texas, has successfully incorporated low-dose hysteroscopic insemination (LDHI)–direct placement of sperm at the site of the oviductal papilla (an ideal site for

Probably the best-attended session at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Convention, the Kester News Hour features brief reports of new research that was too new or brief for inclusion in the scientific program. The information is presented in a fun, rapid-fire format by two of the country’s top equine veterinary specialists–internal medicine guru John Madigan, DVM, MS,

Michigan Department of Agriculture Director Dan Wyant announced the confirmation of a third case of equine herpes virus type-1 (EHV-1) at Northville Downs in Northville, Mich., on Jan. 20. One barn at Northville Downs has been placed under quarantine while the source of infection and extent of spread is investigated by regulators.

On Jan. 14, 2005, animal health surveillance

Kentucky state veterinarian Robert Stout, DVM, lifted an embargo last week on the importation of livestock, wild animals, and exotic animals into Kentucky from Colorado. This embargo had been enacted because of vesicular stomatitis (VS), and it was the last of the VS-related restrictions that began with an outbreak in Texas last May.

“These embargos have ended because there are no mor

Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Iowa State University, recently evaluated extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in treating 32 horses with navicular syndrome diagnoses.

The theriogenology program at Louisiana State University’s (LSU) School of Veterinary Medicine manages reproduction in its clinical practice and reproductive research regarding horses, dogs, and other animals. According to Dr. Dale Paccamonti, professor and service chief of theriogenology, and Dr. Sara Lyle, an instructor in theriogenology, approximately 65% of the program’s patients are

In an ideal scenario, horses that have been seized by humane organization officials and local law enforcement should be evaluated to determine if there’s evidence of neglect or abuse, and to educate (owners) on how to take better care of the horses.

Amy Labbe, owner of the mare and foal seized by the Lexington Humane Society (LHS) in Lexington, Ky., on Jan. 5 and brought to Hagyard Equine Medical Institute (HEMI) because of their malnourished condition, comes to the defense of Nancy and Kathleen Nygaard, caretakers of the horses.

“First, Nancy Nygaard has nothing to do with this. She is 62 years old and is just trying to hel

The USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) will be conducting an Equine 2005 study, which will examine equine events and on-farm health management factors as they relate to the control of equine infectious diseases.

NAHMS conducts national studies on the health and management of America’s domestic livestock populations. In 1998, it took its first in-depth look a