Latest News – The Horse

A record crowd of nearly 6,200 attended the 49th annual convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) in New Orleans, La. Included in that total was twice the number of veterinary students who attended the 2002 convention. The convention offered nearly 100 scientific presentations, hands-on wet labs, and an equine health seminar for horse owners.

The 50th Annual

Each year we report more information on this convention than can be covered in these pages. Full versions of some articles and additional reports can be found by visiting www.TheHorse.com/AAEP2003 or by using the given article numbers.

• “Dystocia Management,” #4954

If a new foal develops a problem requiring surgery, time is of the essence, said Rolf Embertson, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. The time from recognition of abdominal pain to arrival of the foal at the clinic, evaluation for surgery, and surgery preparation and execution could affect the prognosis dramatically.

Compounding is not permitted by the FDA, she said. However, the FDA recognizes that veterinarians often need to compound drugs and therefore exercises its enforcement discretion to permit compounding. She said the confusion starts because of the broad law that puts the veterinarian in incompliance de facto, but enforcement is discretionary.

“Laminitis in the contralateral (opposite fore or hind) limb is a well-recognized and potentially devastating sequela (result) in conditions that cause unilateral non-weight-bearing lameness,” said Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky., in his presentation on the topic.

“The mechanism of contralateral limb (also called supporting limb)

When a horse is lame, he often seems to be changing his gait in the diagonal limb to compensate. Recent research has shown this to be true, but the manner in which the horse does this is surprising.

Research was conducted at the McPhail Equine Performance Center at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Often in hind limb lameness diagnosis, veterinarians look for a

Five winners are sharing prize money totaling $17,500 in the IVERCARE–Because You Care award program. The program, sponsored by Farnam Horse Products, rewards nonprofit organizations and individuals who strive to improve the health and welfare of horses and/or humans who love them.

All nominees were posted on www.IverCare.com for

Farnam Horse Products has released ComboCare, a new over-the-counter dewormer that kills ascarids, tapeworms, small strongyles (including the encysted stages), and bots.

Research suggests that more than 50% of U.S. horses have been exposed to tapeworms. ComboCare provides praziquantel to ensure effective control against the parasites by preventing tapeworm larvae from clinging to the

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was first identified in the United Kingdom in 1986. A fact sheet from Iowa State University said BSE is one of several diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). There are three rare forms of TSE diseases in humans, scrapie in sheep (not transmissible to man), chronic wasting disease in deer and elk (not transmissible to man), and

Leptospirosis, often called just “lepto,” can cause flu-like illness in horses that sometimes results in abortion or uveitis (moon blindness). In Kentucky, there seems to be a cyclic pattern to abortions caused by leptospirosis. In 2001, there were about 40 cases, but the past two years there were less than 10 each year. Through Jan. 29 of this year, there have been 33 cases, according to Nei

Purina Mills officials recently announced plans to roll out Purina Mills Horse Owner’s Workshops (HOW), which will give horse enthusiasts across the country the opportunity to hear about the latest in equine nutrition, veterinary care, and training tips from expert clinicians.

The workshops, hosted by local Purina dealers, will feature speakers from Purina, and will also feature local

Thousands of horses from shut-down PMU (pregnant mare urine) farms in Canada and North Dakota are finding new homes in the United States, but few are winding up at slaughter houses at this time, according to slaughter plant managers.

Dick Koehler, general manager of the Beltex plant in Fort Worth, Texas, said that his firm is never in the market for PMU horses because many of them are

Horse owners should have equine survivors of West Nile virus (WNV) re-examined by their veterinarians before putting the animals back into work. In a study of Minnesota horses which survived clinical WNV infection, 40% showed WNV residual effects at six months after diagnosis; these neurologic effects can make the horse more dangerous to ride or drive. Julia Wilson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, is an

Keeping equids in a “backyard horse” situation, subdivision, or small acreage presents a different set of challenges than keeping horses on a large farm or ranch. In urban/suburban settings, some of the important considerations include zoning, building codes (if you plan to have a barn, run-in shed, indoor arena, etc.), space for exercise, waste management, fencing, and neighbors. Security an

“There are really only two ophthalmic disease: Corneal ulcers and everything else,” said Brooks. Therapies are different, and some therapies for the “everything else” can make ulcers worse, cautioned Brooks.