The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Center for Epidemiology and
Animal Health, a part of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service’s (APHIS) Veterinary Services program (VS), recently released its
outlook for the occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV) in equids during 2003.

The outlook discusses factors that influence the viral threat to equids and
resistance of

Even horses are not immune to the changes since September 11, 2001. Florida Equine Veterinary Services prepares to address disaster preparedness in its upcoming Equine Emergency Care Seminar in Orlando in September.

“We don’t know when to expect an emergency, but we can plan for one,” said Dr. Erin Denney-Jones, president of Florida Equine Veterinary Services. “It’s our goal to get

Is it possible that the horse is a natural intermediate host in the life cycle of the parasite that causes equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), meaning the parasite can develop to a reproductive state in the horse? Are there other parasites that cause EPM? Can Strongid C 2X daily dewormer prevent infection in horses with Sarcocystis neurona? Does shipping a horse twice increase

Two novel methods of wound treatment were used on five valuable American Saddlebreds attacked and injected with an unknown caustic substance in the back of their left front pasterns on June 30. The tissue in the injected area became necrotic (died), leaving painful, difficult-to-treat lesions that has resulted in death of two of the horses. The attackers of the horses based near Lexington,

Cats Don’t Dance, one of the two surviving American Saddlebreds injected with a caustic substance several weeks ago, was recovering yesterday (June 21) at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates (HDM) in Lexington, Ky. Nathan Slovis, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, is the treating veterinarian of the 6-year-old gelding at the hospital’s medicine facility.

A horse is almost bound to experience a hoof problem during his lifetime. How serious it is and how it is handled could make the difference in his return to full soundness. During an early-morning presentation at the Thoroughbred International Exposition and Conference (TIEC) held in Lexington, Ky., June 20-22, Robert Hunt, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, a surgeon at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee and

A third Saddlebred that was the victim of an attack with a caustic substance has been euthanized. Kiss Me, a 4-year-old mare, was euthanized Friday (July 18) as a result of injuries related to the lethal injection of an unknown substance. Two of the four other horses attacked at Dave and Lena Lopez’ Double “D” Ranch in central Kentucky — Wild Eyed and Wicked and Meet Prince Charming–were

Two of the American Saddlebreds attacked and injected with a caustic substance in their left front pasterns were euthanized early today (July 17) in Versailles, Ky., due to complications from their injuries.

Five American Saddlebreds injected with an unknown caustic substance several weeks ago continue to recover from their injuries under the care of several practitioners. Hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy continues for the animals, and a medication that promotes tissue restoration has been added to the treatment regimen.

Carol McLeod, DVM, MS, a practitioner with the practice of John R.

West Nile virus (WNV) is steadily spreading across the country, having been detected in at least 33 states so far this year*. Horses in 15 states have been infected with the virus in 2003; the most recent announcements of equine WNV cases were from Kansas and New Mexico.

Health officials in Kansas announced July 9 that they had logged the state’s first equine WNV case for this year.

According to a Reuters health story distributed via ProMED-mail, Mexico has declared a state of emergency due to West Nile virus (WNV), declaring it a severe risk to the horse population and a growing public health threat.

The first discovery of avian WNV in Mexico was made on May 16 in Tabasco state. The finding prompted the government to launch an equine vaccination campaign for the

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is concerned about the high number of Eastern Equine encephalitis (EEE) cases in the state and is urging horse owners to get the proper immunizations for their animals against EEE as well as West Nile virus (WNV).

So far this year, 158 horses in 42 counties have been diagnosed with EEE (as of

A reward has been offered for information about those who intentionally injured five American Saddlebreds in Versailles, Ky. USA Equestrian, the national governing body of equestrian sport, is offering the reward.

At least $100,000 has already been pledged to the reward fund. The reward would be given for information leading to the capture and successful prosecution of the

The Equine Health Studies Program (EHSP) at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) in Baton Rouge, La., will receive funds from tax revenue generated from slot machines placed in racetracks throughout the state, which is part of a bill recently passed in the Louisiana Legislature. 

“The $750,000 of annually-recurring funding approved will have a

The five American Saddlebreds that were injected with a caustic substance the weekend of June 28-29 are on the road to recovery, according to Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky. Redden has been checking on the horses daily along with several other veterinarians, and reported that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been added to the treatment

Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines has once again received a generous $10,000 grant from Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) in support of the Farm’s century-long mission of caring for aged and abused horses.

“Ryerss receives no public funds, so we rely entirely on the generous support of friends like TCA,” said Ryerss President Joseph Donahue. “This kind of grant goes a long way toward