Latest News – The Horse
West Nile Virus Vaccination
The following responses to questions are from Rob Keene, DVM, a field technical consulting equine veterinarian with Fort Dodge Animal Health (FDAH), manufacturers of the West Nile virus vaccine.
The West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine is probably one of the best-known vaccines on the market right now. How did you get it ready so quickly after WNV was found in the United States?
Braces for Horses?
I read in a magazine that you can have braces put on a horse to correct an overbite. How can I learn about this? I have a super nice filly that is show quality except for the overbite. If I can get this corrected on my filly, I will show her.
Fescue Allergy?
Have you ever heard of a systemic allergy to fescue grass?
Trailer Resistance
I’ve had my yearling filly all of her life. I trained her from week one to trailer load, and she was fine with getting in and out. However, this was with a four-horse slant load trailer that steps up. Now I need to load her into a two-horse trailer with a ramp and a divider. When I tried to load her into the two-horse trailer, she would not load and tried many evasive tactics (rearing,
Vaccinations: Kick-Starting the Immune System
These days, research protocols are a little more sophisticated and complicated, although the basic premise for testing a vaccine is pretty much the same: The researcher vaccinates the animal against the infection or disease using some sort of disease component originally isolated from affected animals and, by one means or another, determines whether the vaccine is safe and effective.
Farm Equipment: Nice or Necessary?
Proper equipment will help you manage your barn efficiently and safely, but there is a big difference when it comes to equipment you need versus equipment that’s just nice to have.
Ohio EHV-1 Outbreak; Strain Might Be Atypical
The worst is over in an equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) outbreak that thus far has caused the death of 12
horses, and scientists are still studying the virus to see if it is somehow different from the normal EHV-1 strain. The outbreak, which began Jan. 12, quarantined the entire equine population of 138 horses at the University of Findlay’s English riding facility in Findlay, Ohio. It
Emerging Disease in Foals
A bacteria that causes weight loss, colic, diarrhea, and hypoproteinemia (abnormally low protein in the blood) in foals is being seen more often in North America and Europe. The affected foals are usually four to eight months old, but can be older. While the causative bacteria Lawsonia intracellularis can cause severe disease, it is very treatable if caught early.
Lawsonia
Medication Rules Revised
The USA Equestrian (USAE) Board of Directors approved a rule change on Jan. 19 that should reduce the incidence of corticosteroid abuse in equine athletes. The USAE sets rules for 27 breeds and disciplines competing in the United States, and is the U.S. equestrian national governing body. The corticosteroid rule will go into effect Dec. 1, 2003.
The USAE’s Veterinary and Equine Drugs and
West Nile Virus Found In Aborted Kentucky Fetuses
Evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) was found in 35 aborted fetuses in Kentucky since July of 2002, according to Lenn Harrison, VMD, head of the Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in Lexington. “We have handled about 400 aborted fetuses and tested them, so this is less than 10%,” he reported on Feb. 4. He emphasized that WNV has not been known to cause abortion in mares; therefore,
New Treatment for Endotoxemia
Michelle Henry Barton, DVM, PhD, of the University of Georgia, recently completed a project on treating endotoxemia with polymyxin B (PMB), an alternative to endotoxin antibody products. The drug PMB kills many Gram-negative bacteria and also binds endotoxin, preventing interaction of endotoxin with white blood cells (WBC) as do endotoxin antibody products–thus heading off the damaging
More Pigeon Fever in Kentucky
The bacterial disease “pigeon fever,” also known as dryland distemper, usually is seen west of the Mississippi–especially in California and southwestern states–but it has been recognized in Kentucky and Florida in increasing numbers in recent years. There was a small outbreak in Kentucky in November 2002 (see article #4040 at www.TheHorse.com). Some
Lower Limb Research at the Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium
Probably the foremost biomechanics researcher in the country, Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University’s McPhail Equine Performance Center, discussed recent lower limb research during the 16th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium. Some of the studies she described were performed in collaboration with researchers at
Marbles Keep Mares Out of Heat
Mares in performance careers are sometimes a frustration to their trainers and riders because during estrus, they can have difficulty concentrating on their work or have “behavioral problems.” Many horse owners resort to hormone therapy to keep mares from coming into heat while training or showing. The most commonly used drug is a synthetic progestin (altrenogest, marketed as Regumate) given
Blood Test for Ovarian Tumors
Granulosa-theca cell tumors (GTCTs) are usually tentatively diagnosed by rectal palpation and ultrasound examination after an owner complains of poor performance or aggressive, sexual, stallion-like behaviors. However, the diagnosis can’t be confirmed unless an exploratory laparotomy is performed and the tumor is biopsied (or removed and sectioned for histopathology). These tumors tend to mak
Lasers for Removing Skin Masses
Skin masses in horses have historically been removed by surgical excision (cutting them out). Regardless of the type of mass, the surgeon’s goal is to remove all of the tissue, limit hemorrhage, and prevent infection while achieving the best possible cosmetic outcome. Equine surgeons at Purdue University have been using a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser in place of a scalpel blade to
