LSU seeks horses with gastric ulcersMay 23, 2016The Louisiana State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital is seeking horses with gastric ulcers to take part in a study evaluating a new investigational drug. The study is expected to last four to six weeks.
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Australian study questions use of crank nosebandsMay 18, 2016University of Sydney veterinary researchers have found that an extremely tight noseband on horses raises the animals’ stress levels, calling into question whether its use should continue in equestrian competitions.
What to consider after an equine field fractureMay 10, 2016The size, strength and unpredictable nature of the horse makes accidents almost inevitable. While many horses escape from harrowing situations with relatively minor injuries, sometimes the damage is life- or career-threatening.
The value of genetic testing for equine practitionersMay 9, 2016These days, genetic testing poses few challenges for horse owners. They simply pluck a few hairs, place them in an envelope, mail the sample to the laboratory or registering body for testing, and koo koo kachoo, the results appear in their hot little hands in no time.
What You Need to Know About Alternative Medicine for EquinesApril 22, 2016It seems like everyone in the horse world, from rescues to Grand Prix riders to amateurs, are turning to alternative therapies to treat their horses. And, if done correctly, they’re onto something. Alternative therapies can be an excellent way to keep horses of all kinds in top form. If you’re looking to add alternative therapies to your conventional veterinary practice or have clients interested in finding an alternative practitioner, there are a few important things to know. Alternative Medicines are Safe Dr. Giulia Gamberg, a Portland, Ore.-based vet working on her equine acupuncture certification, explains that the risks associated with alternative medicines vary depending on the specific treatment, but generally they are quite low. For example, herbal therapies will cause diarrhea in the worst case, which is easy to solve by simply stopping treatment. Acupuncture is considered relatively benign. This relative safety makes alternative treatments great for owners wanting to offer tune-ups to their horses. They are also great for cases that were previously well-managed with conventional therapies or cases that don’t have a clear diagnosis. The biggest risk associated with alternative medicines, …
Is a “Healthy” Horse Really Healthy?April 22, 2016How do you broach the topic of the elephant in the barn? When I was in college, my best friend and I went to a hockey game and bumped into some old frenemies who looked us up and down and finally decided to greet us with, “Well, you look healthy!” Insert unamused emoji here. That phrase (and unfortunate memory) comes to my mind all too frequently these days when examining patients. Despite several studies suggesting that only 30 to 50 percent of domesticated horses are either overweight or obese (i.e., a body condition score of 6 or greater on the Henneke Scale), that number is way too high for many equine experts’ liking. The Equine Pudge Problem At the 2015 American Association of Equine Practitioners annual convention, one of the sunrise sessions focused on feeding the senior horse. During her presentation, Mary Beth Gordon, PhD, director of Equine Research and New Product Development at Purina Animal Nutrition said, “There is no such thing as a fat healthy horse.” Some of the many known detriments of extra weight in horses include the following: Overweight adult …
Miniature Horse Gets Artificial Hoof, New Chance at Life Thanks to CSU VetsApril 21, 2016 brightcove.createExperiences(); After a dog attack, Shine the miniature horse was left with a mangled hoof and infection. If he had any chance of survival, he needed surgical amputation. As Shine’s owners wrote on their crowdfunding page: “On December 29, 2015 Shine was viciously attacked by a dog/dogs while standing in his paddock. I went to feed that morning before 6:00 am and found him mauled and standing in a pool of blood. I called my husband then my vet. Shine had punctures to his face, his bottom lip was torn, his front knee gashed open and his rear fetlock covered in blood. There was no visible white on him only blood. It was freezing cold and the blood stuck to him like icicles. It was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. I rushed to call the vet and to get him cleaned up. Shine has been under veterinary care ever since. Shine healed up everywhere except his rear leg. It progressively got worse. So on March 8 I …
Merck Animal Health Acquires Rights to Whisper Veterinary Stethoscope SystemApril 20, 2016Merck Animal Health announced plans to acquire worldwide rights for the Whisper Veterinary Stethoscope System from Minnesota-based Geissler Companies. The Whisper Veterinary Stethoscope System is a Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) detection system, which is used to determine the severity of an animal’s lung condition so that the appropriate treatment regimen can be started to protect the health of the animal. Bovine Respiratory Disease is the most common disease affecting cattle in North America. This complex, multi-factorial infection affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts and can often be fatal, causing billions of dollars in economic losses for farmers. Identifying the cause of the disease and appropriate treatment pathways is vital to maintain an infected herd. “We are pleased to add the Whisper Veterinary Stethoscope System to our comprehensive portfolio of vaccines and pharmaceutical products for the cattle industry,” said Rick DeLuca, president of Merck Animal Health. “It is important to provide our customers with the most innovative solutions available today that will meet their needs to maintain healthy stock and advance animal well-being.” Randolph K. Geissler, CEO of Geissler Companies, said they …
Study: Always Use Pain Meds During DehorningApril 20, 2016A study has found that 90 percent of people within and outside the international dairy industry believe that pain relief should be used when debudding or dehorning calves, a practice that is not universally carried out. The research was done by a team at the University of British Columbia Animal Welfare Program in Canada and published in Animal Welfare, a peer-reviewed journal of the British charity Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. The team stated that it hopes the findings serve to promoting awareness of the subject among veterinarians and dairy producers. “Despite evidence that these procedures are painful, and the availability of effective means of pain relief, use of pain mitigation remains low in many parts of the world,” said study co-author Marina von Keyserlingk, MS, Ph.D., a professor of animal welfare at the University of British Columbia. “Although veterinarians are able to provide pain control … approval of additional analgesics for use in food animals is also needed.” She recommended that more effort be put into the breeding of polled, or hornless, dairy cattle. Debudding is performed on young calves—often with hot irons or caustic paste—to eradicate horn-producing cells. Dehorning involves the use of cutting or gouging tools. …
What’s Good to Put on a Horse’s Wound?April 18, 2016Horses sometimes seem almost single-mindedly bent on hurting themselves, so proper wound care is an important part of any equine practitioner’s responsibilities. To help with those responsibilities, a seemingly endless number of products are said to help promote wound healing. Unfortunately, many of them lack evidence of safety or effectiveness, and some can even cause harm. At the American Association of Equine Practitioners conference in December, Colorado State University’s Dean Hendrickson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, gave a presentation on “What You Should and Should Not Put on Wounds,” from which most of this article is drawn. It’s always a good idea for any practitioner to know what effect a wound care product will have on a wound prior to using it. Proper wound care includes removal of any necrotic tissue and debris while, at the same, time reducing bacterial contamination on the surface. While undoubtedly important, cleaning a wound causes additional mechanical trauma, and the cleaning process may introduce potentially cytotoxic agents to the wound surface. Thus, the risks, benefits and costs of various techniques must be considered prior to using any approach. In human medicine, it’s been …
