All in all, vaccine reactions are very rare, and the process of vaccination against a disease process is one of the best ways you can safeguard your horse’s health. Vaccination is one of the most impressive discoveries of modern medicine; the ability to protect a horse against the ill effects of several severe and often fatal diseases is a huge benefit. However, you should understand the

“West Nile virus (WNV) is the number one diagnosed neurologic disease in horses, or close to it,” said William Saville, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, of The Ohio State University, at a March 10 Fort Dodge Animal Health educational seminar for veterinarians held in Lexington, Ky. “Because of the decreased number of cases in 2003 compared to 2002, people are starting to think we’ve got WNV under

A friend swears that I put my horses at serious risk by mowing my pasture with a rotary finish mower. Is this true?

Horse owners and veterinarians alike have wondered if they can use Merial Limited’s Recombitek equine West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine in horses previously vaccinated with Fort Dodge’s West Nile-Innovator. Recently, Merial released the results of a study investigating this issue.

In the study, 27 horses were vaccinated in spring of 2003 with a two-dose initial series of Innovator per label

My horse has septic osteitis, and I don’t think my vet has had much experience in this and feels that surgery would be detrimental. I’d like to talk to someone with more experience for more information.

Thirteen horses in the Western Cape, South Africa, are believed to have succumbed to an outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) by March 22, according to several news reports. The affected horses were from the Stellenbosch magesterial district and surrounding areas, reported www.sabcnews.com.

The first cases occurred at the Elsenburg

We have been struggling with a very particular behavior problem with a young colt. From birth, he’s been a strong and athletic rascal, and has been “full of himself,” with the usual colt behavior tendencies. We have dealt successfully with all the nippiness and rearing when leading him and turning him out, etc. He has occasional relapses, but we feel confident that he’s under control as far a

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) issued a call in March for proposals to research the efficacy of aminocaproic acid and/or conjugated estrogens related to use as race day medications for the prevention of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH).

The use of aminocaproic acid and conjugated estrogens, commonly known as adjunct bleeder medications, was cited as a

Referral centers are godsends to the equine community. Often housed in state-of-the-art buildings, featuring the latest in scientific technology and equipment, and manned by specialists, referral centers offer a strong ray of hope when the best efforts by veterinarians in the field just aren’t enough. There is a down side, of course: They can be expensive. Owners and operators of referral

Anvils on wheels, horses on loading docks, and a fleet of oversized pickup trucks from nearly every state in the union were evidence that the farriers had come to town. Close to 1,000 farriers, friends, and trade show exhibitors jammed the Rochester Convention Center in Rochester, N.Y., Feb. 24-28, for the world’s largest single gathering of the hard-hammering professionals–the annual

Whether you realize it or not, and most likely you don’t, administrative bodies of one type or another affect nearly every aspect of your horse activity. On the public side, for example, state departments of transportation license your farm truck and trailer, local zoning boards dictate whether you can keep horses on your property, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration establishes

Patricia N. Olson, DVM, PhD, joined Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) as executive director on April 19. Olson brings more than 30 years of experience in the veterinary profession, education, non-profit, corporate, and public policy fields to the 56-year-old animal health-focused organization. She replaces Robert Hilsenroth, DVM, who is retiring as the executive director after 12 years of

Horses with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) need careful dietary management to reduce or eliminate its characteristic muscle dysfunction attacks.

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Board of Directors voted March 9 on the recommendations of the AQHA standing committees as approved in the general membership meeting at the annual convention. The following are the final results of the vote regarding hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) and the “white rule.”

HYPP

HYPP is a genetic disease characterized by

More than a half-century ago, noted science fiction author Isaac Asimov began his acclaimed series of Robot novels, examining increasingly complex interactions between humans and robots in a future world. Asimov’s underlying premise for the books was that robots had advanced sufficiently to become sentient beings. Questions raised by this development include whether robots should be