Latest News – The Horse

Thoroughbred Grade I winner Booklet, who entered stud this year at the Greathouse family’s Glencrest Farm near Midway, Ky., was euthanized the morning of March 4 because of complications from colic at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates veterinary clinic near Lexington.

“We discovered it this morning, and immediately sent him to Hagyard,” said Allen Greathouse. “During the surgery, the

Six horses in the Western Cape, Africa, succumbed to an outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) during the week of Feb. 23, according to several news reports. The affected horses were from the Stellenbosch area, reported www.sabcnews.com.

The first cases occurred at the Elsenburg Agricultural College, and another case was discovered 16 km from

Spaying a mare (ovariectomy) means removing her ovaries so she no longer comes into heat and has a more mellow attitude, like a gelding. An ovariectomy can be done standing (under sedation and local anesthesia) through a flank approach or a vaginal approach.

An infrequent complication associated with the old method of spaying (using a very old surgical instrument, a chain escraseur) is

Assessing neurologic conditions might seem difficult, but with practice and attention to the subtle differences between different conditions’ deficits, the process can become easier. Additionally, practitioners discussed vaccination and treatment options for the different diseases.

Several researchers have been working the past few years to determine if any U.S.-registered equine vaccine had advantages over others. It turns out that the serologic responses to–and protection given by–these vaccines varies significantly.

Severe injury of a racehorse is one of the most visible and critical situations race track practitioners must handle. Mary Scollay, DVM, senior association veterinarian for Gulfstream Park and Calder Racecourse, and Celeste Kunz, VMD, chief examining veterinarian of the New York Racing Association, moderated a Sunrise Session on triage of acute racing injuries.

Research has shown that boars can be fed a specific diet to increase fertility, and the same might be true of stallions. Steven Brinsko, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACT, from Texas A&M University, discussed the potential of feeding a nutraceutical to stallions to enhance their fertility.

Morgan stressed that good management practices can reduce the risk factors that contribute to neurologic disease incidence. Keep feed sources clean and free of opossums and protect your hay from rodent infestation.

A study to determine the clinical signs of gastrointestinal rupture during colic was done by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and results were presented by Diana Hassel, DVM, of UC Davis.

“The foot is involved, either directly or indirectly, in the large majority of lameness cases,” said Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky.

Surgery for DDSP

Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) occurs when the palate partially obstructs the airway by becoming displaced on top of the epiglottis. This can affect breathing, especially during intense exercise. Jennifer Smith, DVM, University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, discussed the combined effects of the surgeries

With researchers worldwide working on solutions to various horse health problems, there is a veritable mountain of information being published continuously. Much of this information is included in AAEP convention presentations, but some of this valuable research was either too new or brief to be included in the program.