“Our perennial topic this morning is West Nile virus (WNV),” began Rocky Bigbie, DVM, MS, director of field veterinary services with Fort Dodge Animal Health, at the 2005 Western Veterinary Conference held Feb. 20-24 in Las Vegas, Nev. He also focused on myriad hot topics in equine veterinary medicine, discussing WNV vaccination guidelines, influenza vaccination challenge, vaccine care and

A flurry of interest arose this week on an Internet message board started by individuals who think their sick horses’ fatal diseases are linked. As a result, veterinarians are cautioning horse owners not to jump to conclusions in diagnosing their own animals or linking past cases with the alleged disease, because at this time, no disease claims have been substantiated.

Since March 2,

Infectious diarrhea in young foals can be fatal without prompt treatment, and the age of the foal can make a difference in his vulnerability to certain pathogens and how deadly they might be. In foals less than a week old, the cause is often salmonella or a clostridium bacteria.

Sam Jones, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of equine medicine at North Carolina State University,

A federal judge in Lexington, Ky., has ordered that the body of American Saddlebred champion Wild Eyed and Wicked be exhumed for additional forensic testing. The exhumation was set to begin on Feb. 2.

Wicked was one of five top Saddlebreds that were injected with an unknown, necrotizing (tissue-killing) substance on June 28-29, 2003, at Double D Ranch in Versailles, Ky. In the following

There are many scientists who have studied and theorized about how man and horses came to be together, but modern science has changed some of what we thought was fact.

Rapid intravenous administration of isotonic saline solution does not relieve airway obstruction in heaves-affected horses, says Daniel Jean, MedVet, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of clinical sciences at the University of Montreal.

“Massive administration of large volumes of saline has been recommended to achieve thinning of secretions and improve expectoration,” says Jean. Horses with

Stopping Equine Aggression With An Electronic Collar

“Aggressive behavior in horses is expensive,” said Michelle A. Kennedy, DVM, a private practitioner in Delta, Colo. Veterinary expense, property damage, loss of use of affected horses, and the emotional cost associated with the death of an animal if injured severely during an aggressive act all demand a reliable way to change

Aminoglycosides, including amikacin, are known for their potent activity against bacteria that cause sepsis in newborn foals. Dosage protocols for aminoglycosides have been extensively studied in humans, and conventional dosing at eight- to 12-hour intervals is now giving way to high-dose, once-daily administration. Human studies have shown that amikacin is more effective and less toxic to th

Horseman’s Day, as part of the annual American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, just keeps getting better and better. And attendance is strong no matter where the convention is held. Most recently, the locale was Denver, Colo., on Dec. 8, and nearly 275 horse enthusiasts showed up for the day-long session. In addition to presentations that ranged from dentistry to Cushing’s

Diseases transmitted by ticks are becoming more widespread. Recently, a case report was published detailing a common tick-borne illness in horses called equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA), once called equine ehrlichiosis. An 11-year old Hanoverian-cross gelding had recently been imported from Canada in good health and appeared normal when ridden one morning. That afternoon, however, he

Probably the best-attended session at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Convention, the Kester News Hour features brief reports of new research that was too new or brief for inclusion in the scientific program. The information is presented in a fun, rapid-fire format by two of the country’s top equine veterinary specialists–internal medicine guru John Madigan, DVM, MS,

When you’re feeling under the weather, sometimes all you want is a nice, hot bowl of chicken soup. Other times, you might hunger for a full-course meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and steaming green beans. Even a mild injury that keeps you planted on the couch instead of sweating at the gym might change the way you think about food, urging you to cut back those desserts to hold your

We all need protection from the elements. That goes for your horse’s hooves as well. Millennia ago, when humans first vaulted aboard equine backs and guided them over terrain they probably would not otherwise have traversed, the value of providing protection for hooves became clear–as the leather “hipposandals” and early iron shoes unearthed by archaeologists attest.

These days, of

Bands march past with trumpets blaring and drums banging, and the horse hardly twitches an ear. A mother pushes her baby stroller under the neck of the horse unknowingly while asking for directions, and the horse merely glances down, never moving his feet. Trucks whiz past the horse, inches from his hindquarters, and he appears uninterested. Protestors yell and throw anything handy at the