Diagnosing and preventing West Nile virusMarch 26, 2019Although it does not dominate the equine health headlines in the same manner it did nearly two decades ago, West Nile virus (WNV) is an ever-present threat, and one about which veterinarians should remind horse owners to be vigilant. For example, last year, health officials confirmed 31 cases of WNV in Ohio, which was more than twice as many cases than in 2017. Even in California, with its arid climate, approximately 20 cases per year have been reported since 2009. What is West Nile virus? Isolated in Uganda in 1937, West Nile virus was first detected stateside in 1999 in the New York City area. WNV is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae. After its introduction, the virus subsequently spread throughout the U.S. and Canada via mosquitoes, infecting birds, humans, horses, and other animals in the process. The virus's morbidity is perhaps unappreciated; as of 2015, more than 27,000 horses in the U.S. have been infected since the disease was first identified. WNV also is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental U.S. WNV virus is maintained in the wild bird population and spread between …
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Vitamin E: Necessary to horses, but there's a lot to learnFebruary 5, 2019Vitamin E seems to be at the forefront of many discussions about horse nutrition these days. Contrary to appearances, vitamin E is not a vitamin in and of itself. Rather, it's a group of eight compounds—four tocopherols and four tocotrienols—that are fat soluble. This vitamin is important for myriad functions in the horse's body, including but not limited to, and in no particular order, the eyes, the reproductive tract, and the neuromuscular system. The most important function of vitamin E seems to be as a biological antioxidant. In this way, and probably by other ways that haven't been determined yet, vitamin E serves to maintain many normal body functions of the horse. Vitamin E-related problems generally manifest in the horse's neuromuscular system. In young horses, these include nutritional myodegeneration, neuroaxonal dystrophy, and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy; in older horses, a lack of vitamin E is associated with vitamin E-deficient muscle problems or equine motor neuron disease. The grass is greener and packed with vitamin E Happily, for most horses, there is ample vitamin E provided in the diet. Green grass is a great source of vitamin E—most things that are green have a good bit of it. Those horses lucky …
AAEP Good Works Award nominations now openJanuary 11, 2019The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) is inviting horse owners and organizations to submit the names of veterinarians who have contributed services or resources to benefit the local equine community.
FDA requests preventative labels on dewormers to combat antiparasitic resistanceDecember 13, 2018Animal drug companies are being asked to revise the labels of medicine made to treat certain internal parasites in livestock and horses.
Merck Animal Health, AAEP celebrate 10 years of helping rescue horsesDecember 5, 2018The Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign (UHVRC), which helps protect the health of horses in rescue, celebrates its 10-year anniversary this month.
Say nay to nonchemical parasite controlSeptember 24, 2018Most horses will need to be dewormed occasionally. Happily, there are a number of reasonably effective and very safe products available. Unfortunately, there also are quite a number of strategies and products that don’t work at all. While it may seem obvious that those should be avoided, nevertheless, some may have a vocal and ardent following.
Remind horse owners to safeguard against rabiesJune 7, 2018According to veterinary research published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the American Horse Council, horses are nearly four times more likely to contract rabies than dogs. Across the U.S., the majority of horses are not vaccinated for rabies and often run a higher risk of exposure than dogs, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Everybody is at risk for developing rabies," said Bonnie R. Rush, DVM, MS, DACVIM, Interim Dean at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. "[Horses are] at higher risk for being exposed probably at pasture, but being in a stall does not preclude exposure. The consequences of interacting with a horse that has rabies are significant." Horses can be exposed to rabies most commonly through bats, raccoons, foxes, and skunks. Two examples of public equine rabies cases include the 2008 Missouri State Fair; and the 2006 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, which required the notification of more than 150,000 people for potential rabies exposure. Rabies is the deadliest among the five core equine diseases, which also include Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, tetanus, and West Nile. Horses are continually exposed …
Why equine back pain isn't easy to diagnose—or fixMarch 1, 2018Back pain is one of the more frustrating problems for those who ride horses—especially performance horses. So much conflicting information exists about diagnosis and treatment. Back pain is not—or at least shouldn’t be—easy to diagnose or fix.
Equine dietary supplementsSeptember 14, 2017In the past few decades, the equine health market has seen a significant uptick of myriad supplements that purport to do just about anything that a horse might need—to support, enhance, or boost everything from hooves to intestines to joints to hair coat.
Pet, vet industries provide emergency relief after Hurricane HarveyAugust 31, 2017In response to Hurricane Harvey, PetSmart Charities has dedicated at least $1 million in emergency relief funding to help animal welfare agencies working to rescue, relocate, feed, and care for pets left homeless due to flooding.
