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Is worrying about your horse's cribbing habit keeping you up at night? It turns out that cribbing might keep your horse up at night, too. New research has revealed that the stereotypy could be related to a lack of certain kinds of sleep. Specifically, British researchers say, horses that crib spend less time in "standing sleep" mode than hor...
Thursday, January 10, 2013Infectious respiratory diseases such as equine influenza and equine herpesvirus can have a significant welfare and economic effect on the horse industry, and researchers and veterinarians have devoted much time and money to trying to control and prevent outbreaks. Far less is known, however, about another infectious respiratory disease: equine rhinitis vi...
Wednesday, January 09, 2013Extra scrutiny has been focused this year on the responsibilities and ethical standards expected from veterinarians who dispense medication to racehorses.
Monday, January 07, 2013Exactly how different racing surfaces affect horses--specifically the lower portions of the legs--remains unlcear. Anecdotal evidence suggests that synthetic track surfaces could be more assciated with some musculoskeletal injuries than dirt or turf surfaces. In order to understand the interaction between surface and horse health better, a research team r...
Sunday, January 06, 2013According to a memorandum from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), due to the ongoing outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) at the Chicago, Ill.-area Hawthorne Race Course, restrictions have been placed on equine movement from Illinois to Kentucky.
Friday, January 04, 2013Rarely has a racehorse practitioner not encountered a case of bucked shins (also called dorsal metacarpal disease, or DMD). This commonly identified racehorse injury has both mechanical and biologic roots, so one veterinarian recently set out to test a new treatment protocol in hopes of getting quicker and better results than current treatment options offer.
Friday, January 04, 2013A Standardbred racehorse residing in Genesee County, Mich., has tested positive for neurologic equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), state veterinarian Steve Halstead, DVM, confirmed Jan 2.
Thursday, January 03, 2013A team of researchers at Michigan State University's (MSU) McPhail Equine Performance Center offers hope to horse owners facing underrun heel and flat-footed woes with a 16-month study examining the short-term and long-term effects of a specific barefoot trimming technique on hoof conformation.
Thursday, January 03, 2013Outside of the breeding season, most stallions are fed according to their maintenance requirements or slightly above that amount. However, as breeding season approaches, stallion owners might consider a few key points about their studs' nutritional needs.
Monday, December 31, 2012Equine obesity is an increasingly common problem, leading many owners to seek safe weight loss solutions for their horse. In most cases veterinarians and nutritionists advise restricting diet and increasing exercise, but with some horses--those suffering from laminitis, for instance--exercise might be contraindicated. This leaves dietary restriction as th...
Saturday, December 29, 2012A trio of Miniature Horses from Florida will begin the new year in Newtown, Conn., helping residents of that town heal after a gunman took the lives of more than two dozen children and adults at an elementary school there.
Friday, December 28, 2012Laminitis is a complex disease that is challenging--and often frustrating--to treat and manage. The key, said Raul Bras, DVM, CJF, APF, is a thorough examination and an aggressive but flexible treatment plan, along with owner commitment. "With laminitis we're always trying to stay ahead of what might happen next," he said.
Friday, December 28, 2012Twenty-first century technology brings us into the once-science fiction world described by fantasy writers in the 1950s. We've got retina screens, hybrid vehicles, and a million different apps (not short for "Appaloosas," in this case). We can video chat with people on the other side of the planet in real time, and we can carry 50,000 photog...
Thursday, December 27, 2012Potomac horse fever (PHF), a somewhat regional rickettsial disease, causes acute diarrhea and leads to death in up to 30% of affected horses. In an effort to understand the disease better, Sandra Taylor, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, of Purdue University's school of veterinary medicine, performed a retrospective study in which she and colleagues looked for s...
Wednesday, December 26, 2012While researchers have not yet completed any formal studies of stem cells and laminitis, both Raul Bras, DVM, CJF, of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital's podiatry department, and John Peroni, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, of the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine, have clinical experience using stem cells for laminitis cases, and they p...
Tuesday, December 25, 2012"The No. 1 goal of the equine veterinarian is to help the welfare of the horse," reported Rick Lesser, DVM, during a series of sessions focused on ethics, scope of practice, and racing at the 2012 American Association of Equine Practitioners' (AAEP) Convention, held Dec. 1-5, in Anaheim, Calif. "The best way to do this is through a syne...
Tuesday, December 25, 2012Veterinarians work with horse owners to provide the best possible care from snip to tail. This holiday season, consider the following "wishes" your equine experts made to help maximize your horses' quality of life.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012Laminitis, also referred to as "founder," is an often devastating disease of the hoof that can cripple or kill afflicted horses. It's such an important equine disease that each year veterinarians, farriers, and horse owners from throughout the United States gather at the International Equine Conference of Laminitis and the Equine Foot.
Monday, December 24, 2012Veterinarians use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to manage equine pain in a variety of situations. Foot pain can often be difficult to control, so Jonathan Foreman, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his colleagues examined the possibility that higher-than-standard doses might better alleviate foot...
Sunday, December 23, 2012Horse owners have long heard that laminitis can be associated with sepsis, a word that describes an overwhelming bacterial infection of the body. It came from our veterinarians and laminitis researchers, who've frequently referred to the term "sepsis" when discussing the disease, using it interchangeably with systemic inflammatory response s...
Friday, December 21, 2012
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium has approved minimum withdrawal time recommendations for corticosteroids based on recently completed work partially funded by RMTC.
Thursday, December 20, 2012The Churchill Downs Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to the Kentucky Equine Humane Center for general horse care.
Thursday, December 20, 2012Researchers know that many mammals can adjust the ratio of male and female young depending on the surrounding conditions at the time of conception but how precisely this is accomplished remains a matter for debate. A recent study carried out with equine embryos by Christine Aurich, DVM, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna,...
Thursday, December 20, 2012For a Thoroughbred the road to the racetrack is sometimes a rocky one, wrought with physical challenges such as the musculoskeletal condition osteochondrosis (OC). But recently, English researchers have taken a step forward in understanding a potential genetic component of OC.
Thursday, December 20, 2012Is your mare behaving more (night)marish lately, or is your gelding acting studly? Before recruiting a behaviorist or administering medication, experts advise ruling out medical issues for any animal experiencing behavior problems.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012Veterinarians use an evaluation method called the Obel Grading System to classify and understand the progression of laminitis in horses during diagnosis and treatment of this complex disease.
Sunday, December 16, 2012Laminitis is a painful disease in horses that is often illustrated by classic clinical signs. Recognizing these signs during early onset and seeking immediate veterinary care can improve the outcome of treatment, said James Orsini, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, director of the Laminitis Institute at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.
Saturday, December 15, 2012Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) might offer evidence of laminitic changes in a horse's hoof before the disease is otherwise identified. Equine radiologist and consultant Alexia McKnight, DVM, Dipl. ACVR, of McKnight Insight, in Chadds Ford, Pa., shared her anecdotal experience identifying laminitic changes via MRI during her presentation "Equine...
Friday, December 14, 2012Although they've increased since last update, the number of confirmed equine West Nile virus (WNV) and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) cases has steadied, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) disease maps.
Thursday, December 13, 2012Just in time for winter--a time when many owners opt to pull their horses' shoes for the season--a team of researchers has released results from a study examining the effects of normal gaits on hoof wear in barefoot horses.
Thursday, December 13, 2012The fall is a time of lovely colors, family get-togethers, and winding down the busy show season. However, fall is often a time of increased colic calls to veterinarians. While not all colic episodes can be prevented, paying attention to equine management can go a long way to decrease the incidence and the suffering of episodes.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012TheHorse.com will present "Caring for the Senior Horse," a free webcast on Thursday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. EST, sponsored by Merck Animal Health.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012Think we're getting close to finally figuring horses out completely? Well, we're not. But the good news is that by working entirely objectively, equitation scientists are beginning to enter into a new dimension of understanding equine behavior. And that, according to a leading equitation scientist, will lead us into a "Golden Age" of hor...
Tuesday, December 11, 2012Equine practitioners are undeniably busy individuals, making farm calls, caring for patients, and evaluating test results on a daily basis. To help veterinarians keep up to date on the most recent and relevant research, three veterinarians review the top studies in the fields of surgery, medicine, and reproduction at the annual American Association of Equ...
Monday, December 10, 2012Omega-3 fatty acids have proven to be beneficial for horses with arthritis or other inflammatory conditions, but when it comes to choosing a supplement, which one is best? There are two sources of equine omega-3 fatty acid supplements--one derived from algae and fish oil and the other derived from plants. Recent research performed at Colorado State Univer...
Sunday, December 09, 2012A group of very interactive veterinarians gathered for the table topic discussion on shock wave therapy at the 2012 American Association of Equine Practitioners Annual Meeting, held Dec. 1-5 in Anaheim, Calif. Susan Johns, DVM, CVA, of Virginia Equine Imaging, and Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of equine surgery at Iowa State Uni...
Saturday, December 08, 2012Ivermectin dewormer is considered safe for horses, even at up to 10 times the recommended dosage. But results of a recent case series documented by researchers at Texas A&M University (TAMU) revealed that horses consuming plants from the toxic Solanum (nightshade) family could be in danger of ivermectin poisoning, even when the anthelmintic is dosed a...
Friday, December 07, 2012The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is launching a new program to help horses rescued from cruelty and neglect cases or natural disasters. The HSUS' Safe Stalls Horse Rescue Network will be a nationwide system of horse rescue groups, equine professionals and enthusiasts who can provide emergency care and shelter to horses in need.
Thursday, December 06, 2012Foundered hooves often require extra support to help them heal and grow while also offering the horse pain relief. But, rarely is the hoof undamaged and easy to shoe after a laminitic episode, said Chris Gregory, MS, CJF, FWCF, of Heartland Horseshoeing School in Lamar, Mo. For these cases Gregory employs a W-shoe custom made for the individual horse and ...
Wednesday, December 05, 2012University of Kentucky (UK) Ag Equine Programs will host a UK Equine Showcase Jan. 18 and the 4th Annual Kentucky Breeders' Short Course Jan. 19, both at the UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, 1490 Bull Lea Road, Lexington.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012Barefoot running and glove-like minimalist barefoot running shoes have gained popularity with human athletes in recent years. And, much like the shoes versus barefoot controversy in the horse world, the benefits and drawbacks of going shoeless are highly debated in human podiatry, said Nora Grenager, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, of Grenager Equine Consulting in Midd...
Tuesday, December 04, 2012It takes one egg, millions of sperm (but only one really lucky one), 11 months, and a host of normal physiologic events to make a mare a mom. Also, on the owner's part, "there is a lot invested, both financially and emotionally, in producing a healthy foal," explains Igor Canisso, DVM, MSc, Dipl. ACT, a theriogenologist PhD candidate in the ...
Monday, December 03, 2012Sandro Barbacini, DVM, of Select Breeders Services in San Daniele Po, Cremona, Italy, shares some thoughts on how to prepare for breeding a mare.
Monday, December 03, 2012The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced Nov. 19 that Tim Morris, DVM, PhD, director of equine science and welfare, will leave the organization in January. His departure forms part of the ongoing restructure of BHA services, led by chief executive Paul Bittar.
Sunday, December 02, 2012Mare infertility is a frustrating problem with a variety of causes. Fortunately, many of them are treatable. One manageable condition is fungal endometritis (inflammation of the inner uterus lining, or endometrium).
Sunday, December 02, 2012Of the world's horse population, only about 10% live in countries deemed free of equine piroplasmosis (EP); the United States is one of those regions. However recent disease outbreaks have prompted further investigation into the re-emergence and control of EP in America.
Saturday, December 01, 2012A horse at Hawthorne was euthanized Nov. 26 and a necropsy revealed the horse had EHV-1. It is the fourth horse to die of the disease during the Hawthorne fall meet.
Friday, November 30, 2012A team of researchers from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), recently tested if idiopathic headshaking in horses could be similar to a condition in humans--trigeminal nerve pain caused by the reactivation of a latent virus.
Friday, November 30, 2012Dr. Erin McKerney and Dr. Susan Stover at the University of California-Davis have embarked on a study to better understand the events that lead to catastrophic fractures of the humerus and scapula in racehorses.
Thursday, November 29, 2012Even the quietest of mares can turn into a proverbial fire-breathing dragon during her estrous cycle, which can make riding, training, competing, or handling these horses a challenge for any equestrian. Fortunately, veterinarians have effective methods by which to prevent or lessen the effects of estrus in mares while still allowing them to have a second ...
Thursday, November 29, 2012
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