Not Vaccinating Horses Carries High CostAugust 29, 2012 Robert E. Holland Jr., DVM, Ph.D., can’t help but wonder, “Why would you risk the death of your horse to save $20?” But horse owners indeed are doing just that by forgoing core vaccines in a struggling economy. “Times are tough in many places in the U.S.,” says Rob Keene, DVM, an equine professional services veterinarian for Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. of St. Joseph, Mo. “I would hope that the administration of core vaccines would not suffer due to the economy.” Tom R. Lenz, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, estimates that the cash crunch has led to a 15 to 20 percent decline in equine vaccinations over the last couple of years. “For instance, many people feel that West Nile Virus is no longer a threat, but they are wrong,” says Dr. Lenz, senior director of Equine Veterinary Services at Pfizer Animal Health of New York. “It still exists.” Dr. Holland, Pfizer’s associate director of outcomes research, says not vaccinating a horse is shortsighted, pointing to a surge in Eastern Equine Encephalitis cases in Florida, including seven reported in one day. “The majority of mosquito-borne infections can be prevented by proper vaccination,” Holland says. …
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Equine Dentists See Portable Digital Radiography As Must-have ToolAugust 10, 2012 Today’s more practical and portable direct and computed radiography units top the must-have lists of equine dentists. “If you’re in the field and you see something else, or need to change an angle or get a different shot,” says K. Jack Easley, DVM, MS, “you can take retakes right then, rather than having to make a return trip to the farm.” Dr. Easley, Dipl. ABVP (Equine), has a special interest in equine dentistry. He is the owner of Equine Veterinary Practice LLC in Shelbyville, Ky., and is also on the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Dentistry Committee. Easley considers the technological advances in X-ray equipment over the past 10 years some of the greatest improvements to diagnosing and treating equine dental disease. He says the high quality of today’s radiographic images adds to this greater basic understanding. “Technology has put 80-90 kV portable units in the field,” he says. “Veterinarians have become even more efficient–we are finding more dental disease earlier, including under the gum, rather than waiting until problems become much worse. “In the past five years,” Easley says, “advances in equipment technology have allowed researchers to look at horse’s teeth and heads …
Injured Donkey Responds To Laser TherapyAugust 6, 2012 Donkey Boy was a miniature Sicilian donkey, mature and intact, with all the characteristic grouchiness found in that species. What he lacked in size, he made up for in stubborn will. He was so ornery that you couldn’t help but love him. Matthew Lovell, DVM, an equine practitioner in middle Tennessee, was initially called to see Donkey Boy because he was down, in pain and wasn’t passing manure. The equine was dragging his left hind leg and appeared weak and ataxic in the back end. He was treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and dexamethasone. Dr. Lovell passed a nasogastric tube and gave him oil, water and electrolytes. The next day Lovell was called back to see Donkey because the animal had still not passed manure. His abdomen was distended and he was still weak behind. His previous treatment was repeated with the addition of DMSO per NG tube. On the third day, the owners gave Donkey an enema. He passed manure that was very hard and dry. Lovell gave him a high enema, which produced some soft balls. This finally provided some relief and Donkey was happy to enjoy a few handfuls of grass. The owners …
A Cool Discovery During Horse Racing SeasonJuly 16, 2012During the recent horse racing season, I was fortunate to discover an incredibly wonderful, electrifying and riveting movie. Yet some viewers would consider it boring. After all, there are no explosions, no special effects and no sex scenes. The movie is “Secretariat” (Disney, 2010), named after one the greatest race horses ever. The American Thoroughbred was only 16’2 hands tall and 1,200 pounds. In 1973, Big Red, as he was nicknamed, became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years. Incredibly, some of his records still stand today, almost 40 years later. Secretariat’s specialty seemed to be that he started races rather slowly and sped up to beat his competitors toward the end. Among others: In the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga Race Course (New York, 1972), he passed eight horses in a quarter mile and ended up winning by five lengths. In the Laurel Futurity (Maryland, 1972), he won by eight lengths. Then came the 1973 Triple Crown, which consists of three races: In the Kentucky Derby, Big Red broke last, but won by 2 1/2 lengths. In the Preakness Stakes (Maryland), he again broke last, and won by 2 1/2 lengths. The Belmont Stakes (New York) may be …
Feed Routines Play Role In Equine GI ProblemsJuly 10, 2012 It’s taken a lot of guts to become Dr. Frank Andrews, career-long student of equine gastroenterology and gastric ulcers. The director of the Equine Health Studies Program at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine holds the titles DVM, MS and diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (large animal). After collaborating on more than 27 scientific articles, most of which seek to discover ways mankind interferes with the delicate workings of horse digestive components, Andrews has learned common-sense nutritional practices that could save clients and veterinarians a belly full of pain, anxiety and heartache. “There’s so much myth and tradition with horses, especially with feeding,” Andrews said. “Although we make our money on horses with colic, we’d like to see more preventive medicine out there.” Dietary Needs A diet high in nonstructural carbohydrates, particularly soluble sugar, combined with heavy training and stall confinement can predispose race and performance horses to gastric ulcers. Under normal conditions, horses spend about 10 to 12 hours daily eating, which allows them to maintain a full stomach and a continuous nutrient supply and the necessary microbes in the hindgut, Andrews said. Horses grazing at pasture are less …
Success In Deworming HorsesJuly 10, 2012 The most successful deworming programs for equine intestinal parasites begin with a fecal egg count for the individual horse and an anthelmintic schedule based on those results, says Frank Andrews, DVM, MS and ACVIM diplomate. A light parasite burden in a horse is preferable to a total kill, because it perpetuates the horse’s immunity, he said. A fecal egg analysis classifies a horse as a low, intermediate or high shedder of parasite eggs, said Andrews, director of the Equine Health Studies program at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Then a strategic deworming schedule can be conceived, with products and frequency based on types of worms and the client’s geographical location. For example, in Louisiana and other southern states, summer heat generally kills off life stages of worms on pastures, Andrews said. He recommends deworming horses with a double dose (quantity, not repetition) of fenbendazole in the spring, and ivermectin in September or October. Depending on the patient, a third deworming might be warranted in January. Experts discourage giving anthelmintics to horses routinely every eight weeks because it is probably unnecessary and breeds resistance, Andrews said. …
Therapeutic Lasers For Elite Level Equine CompetitorsJuly 2, 2012 The United States equine competition season for three-day eventing reached its apex at Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, Ky. It is one of the pivotal international competitions which help determine who is to be selected for the Olympic teams competing in London this summer. The pressure on every athlete, human and horse, to stay healthy, focused and yet relaxed and comfortable is enormously challenging. The eventing season is an endurance trial that requires either avoiding or recovering from fatigue and injuries. Managing these conditions in both the human and equine athlete plays a big role in determining who advances and who goes home. Virginia is home to many of the top three-day eventing competitors, who mostly travel and compete in Florida and the Carolinas for the winter, then return North for the summer and fall events. As equine sports medicine veterinarians to elite competitors, my wife, Stephanie Davis, DVM, and I travel with our clients not just as their veterinarians, but also as participants. Dr. Stephanie is also an avid eventer at the preliminary level. We seek every advantage with technology to keep our sport horses at peak performance. Many …
Ultrasound Remains A Sound InvestmentJune 15, 2012The way Danny W. Dutton, DVM, sees it, “If precision is the placement of several darts on a dart board, and accuracy is the placement of those darts in the bull’s-eye, ultrasound is the nexus of accuracy and precision in diagnosis and treatment for a large number of equine veterinary problems.” Dr. Dutton, chief of staff for Frontera Division – Equine Sports Medicine & Surgery in Sunland Park, N.M., says ultrasound has allowed him to detect arthritis and osteochondromas missed on radiographs. He’s also able to follow up with increasing precision the recovery of horses from a variety of musculoskeletal injuries. “With improved detail and technique, we are now putting our finger right on the problem instead of addressing a ‘general area,’ ” Dutton says. “Having the ability to look under the skin greatly enhances success, perception of ability and accuracy of prognosis.” Carol Gillis, DVM, of Vacaville, Calif., says she was one of the first equine practitioner to use musculoskeletal ultrasound. Before 1984, Dr. Gillis says, ultrasound was used only in reproductive modalities. Today, practitioners use CT and MRI scans, but she still likes to use ultrasound for lame horses. “Ultrasound can evaluate damage from inflammation and swelling as …
Non-Core Vaccines Make Travel SaferMay 31, 2012 Equine veterinarian Rob Keene, DVM, believes that controlling travel is paramount in limiting diseases that spread from horse to horse. For horses transported routinely across town or across the nation, he says, non-core vaccinations make a lot of sense. “Significant disease outbreaks occur in environments where horses are very mobile,” says Dr. Keene, an equine professional services veterinarian for Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. of St. Joseph, Mo. “Increasing the number of horse-to-horse contacts will increase the chances of disease transmission of many respiratory viruses.” Keene, who has served on committees of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, says the most important tools are sometimes the simplest. “An example would be to quickly identify febrile or anorexic horses so that adjacent individuals can be monitored,” he says. “Establishing a quarantine strategy for new arrivals to a population can also be helpful.” AAEP Protocols The AAEP’s list of risk-based, or non-core, vaccines includes those for anthrax, botulism, equine herpes virus (rhinopneumonia), equine viral arteritis, equine influenza, Potomac Horse Fever, rotaviral diarrhea and strangles. Recommended protocols, available at AAEP.org, take into account a horse’s age, breed, use, general health, environment and exposure to disease—factors in the …
Equine Practice: EPM Diagnosis Still A ChallengeMay 3, 2012 The difficulty in diagnosing equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, or EPM, is a source of investigation and consternation for veterinarian Stephen M. Reed. But the challenge really hits home when he encounters a particularly vexing case like the one he treated on familiar turf. A horse being ridden at Dr. Reed’s home clinic, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., appeared to be dragging a toe, even as it was able to clear the fences. The owner brought the horse in two days later for an exam. “His gait was a bit off, so we did a lameness exam, and there were some subtle changes but nothing so dramatic to think there was a neurological problem,” said Reed, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM. A blood test for EPM revealed barely any antibodies, “So it didn’t look like a recent big exposure to a causative organism,” Dr. Reed said. “Because we couldn’t make a diagnosis, we recommended that we see the horse back in a week or two.” Six days later, the horse was down and unable to rise. The owner struggled to get him into a trailer and to the hospital, where a serum test was a strong …
