The number of confirmed Eastern equine encephalitis cases (EEE) in horses has risen to 44 as of May 6 in north central Florida, according to Bill Jeter, DVM, diagnostic veterinary manager for Florida’s Division of Animal Industry. This confirmed earlier speculations that 2003 will have higher-than-normal numbers of EEE cases this year. The virus has been confirmed in 18 counties, and 24 of th

One equine case of West Nile virus (WNV) in Florida had been confirmed by serological testing as of May 1, according to Leroy Coffman, DVM, Florida’s state veterinarian and director of the Division of Animal Industry. This was the first reported equine case of WNV in the state this year, and possibly the first in the United States this year.

The WNV case was confirmed in an unvaccinated

Uterine lavage can be performed immediately prior to artificial insemination in mares without adversely affecting fertility, according to a recent study completed at the University of Idaho (UI) in Moscow, Idaho. The uterine lavage process is used to clear the uterus of inflammatory fluids that could decrease the viability of semen in mares.

Researchers already knew that uterine lavage

A standardized medication and testing policy for Thoroughbred racing in the United States is three to five years away, said Rick Arthur, DVM, vice president and director of the Oak Tree Racing Association and a member of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium. He said this during an April 1 California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) Medication Committee meeting. Arthur said he is encouraged b

The term “laser” conjures up images varying from action movies to removal of skin wrinkles to hands-free toilet flushing. What these things have in common is that a beam of light with a particular wavelength produces a particular desired effect. A surgical laser simply delivers coherent (meaning the beam stays together indefinitely), monochromatic (single wavelength as opposed to the visible

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new, broad-spectrum parasite control product from Merial that will treat and control 61 species and stages of equine parasites, including tapeworms.

Zimecterin Gold combines two active ingredients, ivermectin and praziquantel, to provide a broad spectrum of parasite control. Praziquantel is proven to have a wide margin of safety

Joint trauma can severely limit performance and seriously affect the quality of your horse’s daily life. Owners want and need to know how best to manage equine joint disease. The most important factor in successful treatment is early detection and diagnosis.

Any of the components of joints–the joint capsule, synovial membrane, synovial fluid, cartilage, bone, and ligaments–can b

Equine influenza has spread to nearly 20 premises–mostly Thoroughbred training stables–in the eastern, central, and southern parts of the United Kingdom. “The reason (it’s unusual) is because despite the fact that horses have been very well vaccinated and have very high antibody levels, they are still becoming infected,” according to James Wood, BSc, BVetMed, MSc, PhD, MRCVS, DLSHTM, Dipl.

An outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) detected in late March in South Africa has killed 300 horses, according to a Pro-MED report. African horse sickness is a lethal virus spread by the Culicoides bolitinos midge, a species of small fly. Although AHS is endemic to all parts of Africa (except the Western Cape), rain has increased the midge population.

The outbreak began in th

We have a 4-year-old Thoroughbred with a bowed tendon. He has been laid up for about a year and is now in training and doing well. When we race him, should we wrap his leg to support the bow or leave it open?

“It’s very unusual to get EHV-1 outbreaks all at the same time on different premises,” said James Wood, BSc, BVetMed, MSc, PhD, MRCVS, DLSHTM, Dipl. ECVPH, head of epidemiology at the Animal Health Trust (AHT) in the United Kingdom, about the recent flare-up of neurologic equine herpesvirus-1 cases in his country. At least 12 U.K. horses have been euthanized after infection with the

The landscape of equine reproduction research dramatically changed yesterday (May 29) when a University of Idaho (UI) and Utah State University team announced they were the first to clone a member of the equine family–the mule–according to an article to be published in the journal Science. The research team includes Gordon Woods, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACT, UI professor of animal and

A University of Idaho–Utah State University research team is the first worldwide to clone a member of the horse family, a mule, according to an article to be published in the journal Science.

The research team includes Gordon Woods, UI professor of animal and veterinary science, Kenneth L. White, Utah State University professor of animal science, and Dirk Vanderwall, UI

From the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association

Before adjourning for the Memorial Day recess, the United States Congress passed the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. President George Bush will sign this legislation, which includes a number of provisions that will benefit the horse industry.

The $350 billion tax cut bill