Latest News – The Horse

Delaware Testing for Blood-Doping Antibodies

The racing commissions that govern Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing in Delaware have been testing for erythropoietin (EPO) antibodies since June 1, and in the future may implement rules to penalize horses that test positive.

In a

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West Nile Virus Treatment: Plasma Product Licensed

Since December 2001, the donors have been vaccinated multiple times with the WNV vaccine. The company had to prove purity, safety, and reasonable expectation of efficacy to have the plasma conditionally licensed for treating WNV.

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Arkansas Horses Recovering from Brutal Beatings

Nearly three months after they were selected from among several other horses and viciously beaten, two Arkansas Quarter Horses, three-year-old buckskin filly Quarter Horse Puddin’ and five-year-old sorrel mare Fat Girl, are alive but remain seriously injured. The horses were attacked Aug. 6 in the town of Guy, while owner Patrice Swan was gone for 90 minutes helping a neighbor with a

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Aftermath of the California Fires–Deaths and Injuries

Yankee, a 30-year-old bay gelding, is one fortunate survivor of the rampant California wildfires that have plagued the San Diego and San Bernardino areas, and other parts of the state, since late October. Owner Carol Prida’s home in Wildcat Canyon burned and fell on his stall Oct. 26, before he could be evacuated. Everything plastic in Yankee’s stall (including his buckets) melted from the

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Fires Cause Equine Evacuations

The raging California wildfires that have killed 20 people, destroyed about 3,400 homes, and blackened approximately 552,713 acres, also had a profound effect on the equine population. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of horses were evacuated from the fire’s path, by owners with their own trailers, volunteers who rushed in from as far away as Los Angeles (to the San Diego area), and commercial

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More MRLS Research

Mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) has been a primary research project for many veterinarians and scientists since it began causing early and late term abortions, sickness in foals, pericarditis (heart problems), and uveitis (eye problems) in horses in the spring of 2001. Manu Sebastian, DVM, MS, a resident in Veterinary Pathology, and a PhD student at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck

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Public and Animal Health Consequences of Disasters

Even as the California fires were beginning to rage out of control, Sebastian Heath, VetMB, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVPM, senior staff veterinarian for USDA-APHIS, Emergency Programs, was discussing the consequences of animals in disaster situations to an audience at the University of Kentucky.

Rural hazards range from natural disasters to epidemics (such as the foot and mouth diseas

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Newborns Out of Breath

I’d like to know more about foals who after being delivered, dried, and rubbed well, quit breathing in 10-20 minutes. We have done resuscitation by blowing into their nostrils and pumping their rib cages, and have rubbed them vigorously.

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Brushing Horses’ Teeth

Is there anything we can use on a horse’s teeth to get all the gunk off and the grass out of their gums? Is it okay to use toothpaste?

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Adopting a Horse This Holiday Season? Rescuers Share Tips

Picking a Children’s Pony

We’re seeking professional tips for finding and keeping a pony or miniature horse as a family pet. We’d like your opinion, and any suggestions for books or videos that might help us.

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Tough Catches

My gelding was vaccinated with no apparent reaction. A week later, he has become impossible to catch in the stall. He pins his ears, turns his rear to me, and kicks. There haven’t been any routine changes. Why the sudden attitude change?

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Botulism in Horses: An Update

Beware of Botulism!

Botulism is not seen frequently in horses, but some areas are more prone to this deadly disease than others.

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Insuring Good Health

In today’s world, there are many types of insurance that can protect us and our horses in the event of the ravages of disease, the pocket-emptying crisis of colic, and the finality of catastrophic injury and euthanasia. Equine insurance today ranges from major medical to mortality to loss of use to fertility. An owner often opts to purchase insurance so the decision of whether the horse lives

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Feeding The Older Horse

Clearly, horses age differently, so when it comes to reconsidering the dietary program of the senior horse, it’s not a question of age, but of health.

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Stallion Breeding: Can He or Can’t He?

Regardless of the number of mares being bred, it is important to monitor the stallion’s reproductive success in order to maintain his reputation and give yourself time to address any problems he might have.

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Diagnosing Grass Sickness

Equine grass sickness is so named because it occurs in the spring in pastured horses which are eager to eat plentiful green grass. Its cause is unknown, but the result is destruction of the nerves of the gastrointestinal system, which is often rapidly fatal. While extremely rare in North America, grass sickness is a problem in Scotland, northern England, Switzerland, and Australia. There is n

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