What Mobile Equine Vets WantJanuary 5, 2015Originally published in the December 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Vetel Diagnostics The Generation II Wireless Digital Radiography system weighs 6.5 pounds and is designed to go 10 hours on a single charge, manufacturer Vetel says. Veterinarians who travel from office to farm to stable looking after their equine patients carry all the equipment they can along with a wish list of items they would add if the opportunity arises. Kenneth Marcella, DVM, of KLM Equine Services in Canton, Ga., has just about everything he wants, minus one piece of equipment that’s yet to be invented. Dr. Marcella owns digital X-ray equipment, ultrasound for reproduction uses, ultrasound for tendons, a tomography camera and a Lameness Locator. He also has the standard stuff, such as power floats and equipment to treat problem hooves. He fits it all into his Chevrolet 2500 extended cab pickup with Porta-Vet box. “There’s not a whole lot of stuff out there, equipment-wise, that we don’t have,” Marcella said. Marcella said he would own a shockwave sound therapy unit, but because other equine veterinarians operate in his rural area, he and the other practitioners agreed not to duplicate equipment that isn’t used regularly. …
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$42.5 Million Gift to Fund Regenerative Research at CSUDecember 30, 2014Two horse lovers plan to donate $42.5 million to Colorado State University to help researchers develop regenerative medical therapies for animals and people. The gift, the largest in the university’s history, will be used to construct and equip the Institute for Biologic Translational Therapies. The research conducted inside will look at stem cells and other therapeutic options for the treatment of ailments such as musculoskeletal disease, the university reported Monday. The gift from Denver-area philanthropists John and Leslie Malone allocates $10 million toward operating costs and $32.5 million for construction of a building that will house laboratories, surgical suites and meeting areas for veterinarians and physicians. The donation requires the university to raise $32.5 million in matching funds for the building’s construction. “We are tremendously grateful to John and Leslie Malone for their generous philanthropy, foresight and dedication to scientific discovery,” said Colorado State President Tony Frank, DVM, Ph.D. “In addition to being the largest cash gift in the university’s history, their commitment positions us to build on our foundation as a leader in translational medicine, where advances in veterinary medicine very rapidly move into the sphere of benefiting human health.” The institute will be unique, Colorado State reported, in its …
Another Investigation Takes Vet Industry to TaskDecember 29, 2014Two leading U.S. veterinary organizations are criticizing a published report that questions the financial ties between food animal veterinarians and the drug industry and casts doubt on whether practitioners can be counted on to oversee the judicious use of antibiotics in animals such as chickens and cattle. The investigation by the news service Reuters came on the heels of a similar report in The Indianapolis Star, which examined potential conflicts of interest between pharmaceutical companies and small animal veterinarians. Both accounts noted that while financial connections between drug makers and doctors of human medicine are open to public scrutiny, the veterinary industry is free to arrange and keep secret its relationships. “That means veterinarians can be wined and dined and given scholarships, awards, stipends, gifts and trips by pharmaceutical benefactors without the knowledge of the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] or the public,” according to the Reuters series, titled “Farmaceuticals.” The American Association of Bovine Practitioners objected to the tone of the Reuters report and pointed out inaccuracies. One article in particular, headlined “Veterinarians Face Conflicting Allegiances to Animals, Farmers and Drug Companies,” was meant to “disparage the ethics, scientific training and food animal veterinarians’ relationship with …
FDA Approves Equine Lameness DrugDecember 22, 2014Ceva Animal Health has brought to the United States a drug that earned wide support around the world for the treatment of navicular syndrome in horses. Tildren (tiludronate disodium) went on sale on U.S. soil this month after winning approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. More than 250,000 doses of the intravenous solution have been administered worldwide over the past 12 years, Ceva announced today. Ceva earlier this year launched a U.S. equine division, promising drugs such as Tildren, the estrus suppressant Altresyn (altrenogest) and the stress reducer ConfidenceEQ. Some U.S. equine veterinarians knew about Tildren but couldn’t obtain it without a special import agreement, Ceva noted. “The approval of Tildren by the FDA provides veterinarians and horse owners an excellent new tool for managing navicular syndrome,” said Steve Hoffman, vice president of Ceva’s equine business unit. Navicular syndrome is the most common cause of chronic forelimb lameness in horses, the company noted. Tildren is formulated to regulate osteoclasts in areas of excessive activity. “In navicular syndrome, excessive mechanical stress results in bone resorption outpacing bone formation,” Ceva added. “Tildren works at areas of active bone resorption, restoring balance to the process of bone remodeling.” Kyle Creech, DVM, Ceva’s equine …
Zebu’s Illness Was Tough Nut to CrackDecember 18, 2014Sluggishness, inappetence and constipation were the clinical signs. Acorns were the cause. A miniature zebu, the world’s smallest cattle breed, is recovering at home after University of Florida veterinarians treated the animal for kidney failure, which they believe was brought on by his taste for acorns. The zebu, named Brutus, underwent hemodialysis in what the university stated may have been the first time for a bovine patient with acute disease. The life-threatening episode began Nov. 18, when 1-year-old Brutus was brought to the Gainesville, Fla., hospital. “He’d had a two-day history of lethargy, not eating and constipation,” said Rob MacKay, BVSc, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, a professor of large animal medicine. “When he arrived at UF, his vital signs were stable, but he was not having the stomach contractions that move food from the stomach into the intestines, and he wasn’t producing urine. He also was lethargic and trembling.” Blood work and ultrasound revealed acute kidney injury, Dr. MacKay said. The “aha!” moment came during a discussion with owners Mark and Rachel Duncan of Ocoee, Fla. “It was revealed that there were oak trees in Brutus’ pasture and that they had seen him eating acorns,” MacKay said. “Unfortunately, unbeknownst to his …
Why You Can Benefit From Using the “EyePhone” on the JobOctober 28, 2014Smart phones are becoming the modern Swiss army knife for veterinarians, with apps aimed at making the devices everything from mobile formularies to digital medical record-keepers. As the cameras embedded in smart phones evolve, experts say that digital photography is good for more than just gathering evidence of gruesome wounds. Imaging the equine eye has evolved in the past few years, and veterinarians have lots of options as to how best to evaluate a problem. “It depends quite a lot on what and where the problem is,” said Dr. Caryn Plummer, assistant professor at the Department of Small Animal Clinical Services at the University of Florida. If clinicians suspect the issue lies behind or around the eye, rather than inside the eye, an MRI or a CT scan can be the best options to get a closer look. Both those types of imaging are also sometimes useful for looking at the inside of the eye. Plummer advises that MRI is best at analyzing the soft tissues in and around the eye, including the retrobulbar optic nerve and the extraocular muscles. CT is best at checking for fractures or tumors present around or inside the eye. The method of choice for …
Hunkering Down: How To Prepare Horses For WinterOctober 22, 2014As the days get shorter and the leaves start to change color, your clients are (hopefully) calling you for a round of fall vaccines for their horses or health papers for upcoming shows or trail rides. These pre-winter visits are a great time to prepare them for changes to their horse’s feeding programs to compensate for the cooler temperatures. Some people may know that their horse’s nutrition needs change in the winter, but they may not know exactly what to change and what to keep consistent. How to Talk About Nutrition The best way to start a talk about nutrition may be to teach clients how to use the Henneke body condition scoring system. Depending on the horse’s breed, some people might think that the 1 to 9 grading scale reflects a horse’s relative fatness or thinness based on their barrel size. It’s important to show clients where fat tends to deposit or recede (crest, behind the shoulder, along the spine, tail head) so they can keep track of any changes through the winter. A score around a 5 reflects a horse with a moderate body condition, in which you can easily feel ribs beneath the coat, but they are …
Texas Now Free of VS, But Colorado Isn’tOctober 20, 2014An outbreak of vesicular stomatitis appears to have run its course in Texas, but dozens of locations in Colorado remain under quarantine. The Texas Animal Health Commission last week reported no active cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS), a viral disease that forms blisters on the mouth, tongue, muzzle, teats or hooves of horses and cattle, making eating and drinking painful or difficult. Pigs, sheep, goats and llamas may be stricken as well. The first Texas case of the year was identified in late May in Kinney County. In the end, 62 premises in 13 counties were quarantined, bringing restrictions on the movement of infected or exposed animals. The release of the last two quarantined premises—in Bastrop and Travis counties—marked what Texas authorities hope is the end of VS. Until May, the state had gone five years without a confirmed VS case. “I would like to thank all cattle and equine owners and Texas veterinarians for the constant support and generous help with harnessing the spread of VS,” said Dee Ellis, DVM, the state veterinarian and executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission. “All livestock that were tested positive for VS this year have been released because of …
Antibiotic Use in Animals on Decline in EuropeOctober 16, 2014An international push to reduce antibiotic resistance in people by limiting the use of antimicrobials in animals is showing promise. The European Medicines Agency reported Wednesday that animal antibiotic sales across Europe declined by 15 percent from 2010 to 2012. The drop-off in 18 nations ranged from 0.4 to 49 percent. “These latest figures, which suggest a positive trend in terms of the responsible use of antibiotics in animals in Europe, are highly welcome,” said David Mackay, BVetMed, Ph.D., MRCVS, who directs the agency’s Division on Veterinary Medicines. “However, the report also shows that there is scope for further decrease.” Antibiotic resistance is potentially life threatening in people. In the United States, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology issued a report in September recommending the improved surveillance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the smarter use of existing antibiotics and the development of new drugs. “The evolution of antibiotic resistance is now occurring at an alarming rate and is outpacing the development of new countermeasures capable of thwarting infections in humans,” the task force stated. “This situation threatens patient care, economic growth, public health, agriculture, economic security and national security.” The American Veterinary Medical Association has taken action …
Therapy Lasers for Horses: Another Tool in the Toolbox?October 8, 2014When Randall Brandon, DVM, was using laser therapy to treat a sore back in steeplechase racing champ Sunshine Numbers in 2011, he decided to also work the laser on the horse’s neck. After a while, Dr. Brandon moved the laser back to the horse’s back. The horse immediately let him know what he wanted. “He backed up and stuck his neck right in my face,” said Brandon, owner of Equine Diagnostics in Sumter, South Carolina. Sunshine Numbers, the son of Polish Numbers, went on to win the Carolina Cup that year. Brandon uses laser therapy on a variety of horses, but especially on athletes. “They get really sore in their necks,” Brandon said. “This is unbelievable for them.” Depending on size of an affected area, Brandon could use as few as 2,500 joules of output, or for an area as large as 2-feet by 1-foot he might use up to 20,000 joules and take 40 minutes or longer to work the area. It’s the ability to generate such focused power that has made lasers more useful and the clinical results more apparent in the last few years, and it was the lack of power that helped perpetuate a healthy skepticism …
