Latest News – The Horse
Stallion Infertility and the Y Chromosome
Environmental factors, management, and genetics all play a part in determining a stallion’s fertility. Bhanu P. Chowdhary, BVSc, AH, MVSc, PhD, associate professor in animal genomics at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine,
WNV Satellite Conference: Remain Wary of Disease
The years 2002 and 2003 have been the years of the horse, as far as West Nile virus (WNV) is concerned, said Robert Restifo, MS, Public Health Entomologist Administrator and chief of Ohio’s Vector-borne Disease Program, at the third annual West
African Horse Sickness Cases Lessen in Western Cape
The African horse sickness (AHS) death toll in the Western Cape of South Africa has risen to 15 confirmed cases since the first death on the Elsenburg Agricultural Research Farm was confirmed on Feb. 25. Two cases are awaiting confirmation, with
Skin Problems in Horses: The Creeping Crud
Dealing with skin problems, unfortunately, is part of having a horse. Since skin is the largest organ of the body, it’s no wonder there’s much that can go wrong. Designed to safeguard internal organs from external forces and to help maintain consistent temperature, water, and nutrient levels, the skin is an integral part of a horse’s health.
Arkansas, Illinois Clamping Down on Equine Milkshakes
Arkansas and Illinois have altered their medication policies to, among other things, provide harsher penalties for trainers if a horse in their care tests positive for a milkshake (a sodium bicarbonate mixture administered via stomach tube, intended to decrease blood acidity, countering the lactic acid that is produced during high speed performance and which increases fatigue).
Milkshake
Alberta Court Upholds Farrier’s Right to Float Horse Teeth
The technicalities of defining veterinary medicine were tested in February in the Alberta, Canada, Court of Appeal when three appeal court justices ruled that a farrier was not guilty of illegally practicing veterinary medicine when he floated horses’ teeth as a service to horse owners.
According to reports in The Western Producer, an agricultural news publication for Western
Grass Sickness Linked to Clostridium botulinum Bacterium
United Kingdom (U.K.) researchers recently found that grass sickness is strongly associated with low antibody levels to the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, indicating that affected horses couldn’t fight off infection. Findings from the study, which was conducted at the U.K.’s University of Liverpool (UL), funded by The Home of Rest For Horses, and published in the Equine Veterinary
AQHA Board Votes on Key Rule Changes at Convention
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Board of Directors voted March 9 on the recommendations of the AQHA standing committees as approved in the general membership meeting at the annual convention. The following are the final results of the vote regarding hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) and the “white rule.”
HYPP
HYPP is a genetic disease characterized by
Morris Animal Foundation Names New Executive Director
Patricia N. Olson, DVM, PhD, joined Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) as executive director on April 19. Olson brings more than 30 years of experience in the veterinary profession, education, non-profit, corporate, and public policy fields to the 56-year-old animal health-focused organization. She replaces Robert Hilsenroth, DVM, who is retiring as the executive director after 12 years of
Farriers Hammer Home Their Message
Anvils on wheels, horses on loading docks, and a fleet of oversized pickup trucks from nearly every state in the union were evidence that the farriers had come to town. Close to 1,000 farriers, friends, and trade show exhibitors jammed the Rochester Convention Center in Rochester, N.Y., Feb. 24-28, for the world’s largest single gathering of the hard-hammering professionals–the annual
AAEP Issues Call For Adjunct Bleeder Medications Research Proposals
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) issued a call in March for proposals to research the efficacy of aminocaproic acid and/or conjugated estrogens related to use as race day medications for the prevention of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH).
The use of aminocaproic acid and conjugated estrogens, commonly known as adjunct bleeder medications, was cited as a
Deadly African Horse Sickness Outbreak
Thirteen horses in the Western Cape, South Africa, are believed to have succumbed to an outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) by March 22, according to several news reports. The affected horses were from the Stellenbosch magesterial district and surrounding areas, reported www.sabcnews.com.
The first cases occurred at the Elsenburg
WNV Vaccine Research
Horse owners and veterinarians alike have wondered if they can use Merial Limited’s Recombitek equine West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine in horses previously vaccinated with Fort Dodge’s West Nile-Innovator. Recently, Merial released the results of a study investigating this issue.
In the study, 27 horses were vaccinated in spring of 2003 with a two-dose initial series of Innovator per label
WNV: Prevention is Key
“West Nile virus (WNV) is the number one diagnosed neurologic disease in horses, or close to it,” said William Saville, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, of The Ohio State University, at a March 10 Fort Dodge Animal Health educational seminar for veterinarians held in Lexington, Ky. “Because of the decreased number of cases in 2003 compared to 2002, people are starting to think we’ve got WNV under
Shot Spots
All in all, vaccine reactions are very rare, and the process of vaccination against a disease process is one of the best ways you can safeguard your horse’s health. Vaccination is one of the most impressive discoveries of modern medicine; the ability to protect a horse against the ill effects of several severe and often fatal diseases is a huge benefit. However, you should understand the
HC/HERDA In the News
I’m amazed at some of the angry reactions that followed our publication of a news item last month on a hereditary disease called hyperelosis cutis (HC) or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA). Some of the researchers involved–Ann Rashmir, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of surgery and head of the Hyperelastosis Cutis Research Program at Mississippi State University, an
