Despite the high incidence of murmurs in racehorses, they are very hard to diagnose. Heart murmurs are usually low-frequency sounds at the lower limit of human hearing which are difficult for the human voice to reproduce accurately.
Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, of Iowa State, reported on the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on suspensory ligament desmitis. He noted that ESWT is being used for the treatment of equine musculoskeletal diseases.
Horses moving faster than a walk could be at greater risk of developing gastric ulcers. Alfred Merritt, DVM, MS, and Mireia Lorenzo-Figueras, DVM, recently discovered that changes in gastric tension during intense exercise can push acidic stomach contents up into the vulnerable, squamous-cell-lined portion of the stomach–a circumstance that hints at why ulcers often develop or worsen when
Robert Maxwell, owner of Sallee Van company in Lexington, said generators are keeping the phones, lights, and a little heat on in the office, but downed trees are keeping larger trucks in the parking lot.
“We can’t get the big trucks off the lot because of trees down everywhere around the office, said Maxwell, but we have some of the smaller vans out. We’re parking them at the Ryder
Despite the disaster of ice, snow, and cold weather, all three of the major veterinary clinics in Central Kentucky are up and running, although Hagyard-Davidson-McGee is on emergency power. Dr. Doug Byars, head of the medicine clinic at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee in Lexington, said generators are keeping services going for the horses, but surgery is on an emergency basis for the moment.
“Diseases like flu and herpesvirus are always going to be problems for horse owners, and they are not going away,” said Tom Chambers, PhD, of the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center. “The secret to effective vaccines for flu is effective surveillance.” This surveillance allows researchers and vaccine manufacturers to stay abreast of which strains are causing
The number of mares bred in Kentucky in 2002–the year after mare reproductive loss syndrome first hit–fell by 3.4% from 2001, but the state’s broodmare population remains 33% higher than it was a decade earlier, according to figures released by The Jockey Club and contained in its annual “Fact Book” available online at jockeyclub.com
Mare reproductive loss syndrome reduced the 2001
U.S. Representative John Sweeney (R-NY), chairman of the Congressional Horse Caucus, and U.S.Representative John Spratt (D-SC) reintroduced the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act on Thursday. The bill would ban the trade in horsemeat and live horses for human consumption.An identical version of this bill will soon be introduced in the Senate.
This is a developing story, pleas
Leonard Patrick, the primary veterinarian used by owner Mike Gill and trainer Mark Shuman, had his privileges suspended by Gulfstream Park on Wednesday for improper storage of Class 3 and Class 4 narcotic medication.
The irregularities were noted during a search of Patrick’s vehicle on Monday, one week after the leg of Gill’s Casual Conflict was amputated following the horse’s
The Equine Hospital at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine has closed its doors to non-emergency horse admissions until Feb. 20, 2003. This action has been taken to allow disinfection of the hospital because of potential contamination by horses admitted January 18, 19, and 24, 2003 from an outbreak of equine herpes virus type 1 (EHV-1) infection that occurred at the
Historically, botulism has usually been seen as a fatal problem for the young foal. However, Pamela Wilkins, DVM, PhD, of the Graham French Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, said that she has had a positive experience in treating affected foals. In her AAEP Convention presentation “Botulism in Foals: A Survivable Disease,” she said that
In the past, some veterinarians have relied on commercially available serologic tests to establish, confirm, or rule out a diagnosis of foal pneumonia caused by the soil-borne bacteria Rhodococcus equi. A recent study at Texas A&M University has proven that these tests are not a reliable indicator of the disease.
We hear a lot about a horse experiencing rhabdomyolysis (tying-up) during or after exercise. However, foals are also susceptible to muscle damage. Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, of the University of Minnesota, presented “A Review of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Rhabdomyolysis in Foals” at the 2002 American Association of Equine Practitioner’s Convention. She began her presentation with a
The Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc. (AAFCO) has recommended a nationwide enforcement event for comfrey in animal feeds to begin on March 3, 2003. At the AAFCO Annual Meeting in August 2002, AAFCO announced that comfrey, determined to be a health and safety concern in animals, is recommended for removal from all animal feeds.
This AAFCO-recommended enforcement
One more horse has shown neurologic signs of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) in the outbreak which began Jan. 12 at the University of Findlay’s English riding facility in Findlay, Ohio. Twelve horses have died during the outbreak, and at least 43 horses have exhibited neurological signs of the disease (including the 12 which died). The latest neurologic case is considered stable, and
The number of equine abortions in Central Kentucky remains ahead of last year’s pace based on the most recent report issued by the University of Kentucky’s Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Thirty-eight aborted fetuses were submitted to the LDDC for examination during 2003’s sixth week compared to 33 during the same time period in 2002. The cumulative total for
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