Complimentary Content from Covetrus and Zoetis Amy L. Grice, VMD, MBA, shares tips for encouraging clients to embrace wellness care, including vaccinations provided by a veterinarian: Wellness Wednesday post Virtual or in-person event Create a template for your region Develop a wellness plan including some bundling Consider raising your emergency fees, … [Read more...]
Equine influenza virus – a review
EIV is rarely fatal, it is highly contagious and can lead to significant performance impairment and economic loss when outbreaks occur. Similar to influenza in other species, EIV is spread primarily via the respiratory route. The AAEP considers equine influenza virus a risk-based disease, meaning it is not necessarily warranted for every horse. For horses considered at risk, … [Read more...]
Horse cost calculator helps owners understand true ownerships costs
Beyond the initial purchase price, horse care costs accumulate daily. Helping owners budget for all the costs minimizes the cost of veterinary prevention and maintenance. Veterinary teams can use this calculator to position how pet health insurance or wellness plans fit into a horse care budget. Source: Horse Illustrated, May 2019. Link. INSIGHTS: The calculator is a good … [Read more...]
Barn dogs
Realizing it would be beneficial to take a more methodical approach to her barn dogs’ health maintenance, Katie Frank created basic guidelines for keeping her dogs as happy and healthy as her horses. Source: EQUUS Extra. Link. INSIGHTS: This resource addresses the realities of acreage or farm life where species interact daily. Kudos for addressing dogs in the equine … [Read more...]
Understanding Equine Cushing’s disease
Equine Cushing’s disease is a chronic, progressive endocrine disease seen in middle-aged to senior horses. More accurately labeled pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, or PPID, this is a disease of the pituitary gland. Anna O'Brien, DVM, discusses the pituitary gland, disease symptoms, diagnostics and caring for a Cushing’s horse. Source: Horse Illustrated, January 23, … [Read more...]
Crack control: Cause and prevention of toe cracks in horses
In an excerpt from The Essential Hoof Book, writers Susan Kauffmann and Christina Cline share information on the toe crack, one of the most common types of hoof crack. . . . toe cracks are most often due to a combination of mechanical stresses in the toe region paired with compromised laminae that cause a lack of good connection between the wall and the coffin bone.” Source: … [Read more...]
Equine strangles. Identifying the chronic shedder
Strangles occurs when Streptococcus equi subsp equi, a gram-positive, aerobic coccal bacteria, enters the mouth or nose and attaches to the tonsillar crypts, writes Kate L. Hepworth-Warren, DVM, DACVIM. Chronic shedders are often the culprit in new outbreaks when horses suddenly develop signs of strangles with no known exposure. A chronic shedder also can make it difficult to … [Read more...]
Shoe removal. A skill for every horse enthusiast (video).
Certified journeyman farrier Lee Olsen demonstrates how to pull a horseshoe off of a hoof. It is a skill every horse owner should know. Source: Western Horseman. Link. … [Read more...]
Disease Du Jour podcast: New equine vet skill sets
Complimentary Sponsored Content The equine veterinary community is worried about two large problems when it comes to new veterinarians joining the industry. One is getting new vets who have sufficient skills to begin in practice. The second is keeping equine veterinarians to stay in practice within the first five years of graduation. Source: EquiManagement, March 25, … [Read more...]
Endoscopy and respiratory disease in horses
Many clinical signs in horses warrant endoscopy of the respiratory tract, writes Kate L. Hepworth-Warren, DVM, DACVIM. Although endoscopy as a diagnostic tool is often thought of for upper airway dysfunction only, it can be a useful adjunct in other respiratory conditions of both the upper and lower respiratory tracts. She describes evaluations and scoring systems when using … [Read more...]
Jan Pol, DVM: 5 tips for hobby farmers to keep farm animals healthy
Nat Geo WILD’s Incredible Dr. Pol shares tips for hobby farmers. His perspective is multi-species and the tips focus on preventing health issues using vaccines, cleanliness and reducing animal interactions with new or wild animals. Source: Hobby Farms, January/February 2021. Link. The Incredible Dr. Pol is now in its 17th season on Nat Geo WILD <link>. … [Read more...]
4 things to do for horses before a weather emergency
Preparation can be the key to keeping your horses safe during a weather emergency or natural disaster says Jennifer Williams, PhD. Her list to be prepared includes: A list of farms that offer temporary stabling within 100 miles Ensuring you can catch, lead and load your horses so you don’t waste time Secure loose outdoor items so they don’t become projectiles in … [Read more...]
Why is that horse doing that?
A lot of content is still valuable years after its origin. Barb Crabbe, DVM, shared odd horse behaviors, how to tell if something is wrong and what to do about it in this article first published in 2015. She shares some examples when medical disorders were the underlying cause of aberrant horse behavior. . . . a horse can’t talk . . so he depends on you to listen to his … [Read more...]
Colorado State University offers foaling course for owners, managers and students
Foaling and Foal Care is a continuing education course designed to provide horse owners, broodmare managers and foaling attendants an overview of normal foaling, dystocia, routine care of the newborn foal and other important topics. Recommended participants are those responsible for attending pregnant mares through the birth process. The virtual curriculum provides guidelines … [Read more...]
Legal guide to horse care for horse owners
There’s more to owning a horse than feed, water and housing. Horse care administration and documentation is also important. By having accurate and available emergency information, by having appropriate vaccination and health policies, by confirming insurance coverage, and by keeping a medication logbook, horse owners, barn owners, and trainers can protect themselves and their … [Read more...]
Equine asthma, taking their breath away
Equine asthma is an umbrella term to cover previously diagnosed conditions of inflammatory airway disease and recurrent airway obstruction. It is a non-infectious inflammatory disease of the lungs of horses and a lifelong condition for individual horses. The role of infectious diseases in equine asthma is still under review. Source: Veterinary Advantage, February 2021. … [Read more...]
All segments of industry should agree – cruelty, neglect are NEVER acceptable
This blog post by Temple Grandin, PhD, MS, Colorado State University animal welfare specialist, is worth your time, no matter which segment of the industry you represent. It is time for us all to agree on these issues. Animal welfare and neglect are important considerations for all animal health pros regardless of the animal species involved.” It needs to be made very clear … [Read more...]
Understanding insulin resistance in horses
Complimentary Sponsored Content from Kentucky Performance Products, LLC. One of the more common metabolic problems horses develop involves insulin, the hormone that enables the body to use glucose. This edition of EQUUS Extra explores how insulin resistance develops in horses, what can be done about it and how this problem increases the risk of laminitis and other … [Read more...]
AASV attendees learn value of accelerated hydrogen peroxide’s effectiveness against ASFv
Sponsored Content During the recent AASV annual meeting, Jose Ramirez, MS, PhD, shared the recent validation of Intervention® efficacy versus the African Swine Flu Virus. Its subsequent U.S. EPA approval provides producers and veterinarians with a superior alternative to fight environmental contamination by ASFV. He presented the practical considerations of field use and the … [Read more...]
Is that horse fit or fat?
Pat Raia shares the tools and techniques needed to assess equine body condition. Assessing a horse’s body condition requires patience and lots of practice. Raia presents the Henneke body condition scale developed in the 1960s. It is designed to evaluate a horse’s overall body condition, though it does not assess equine weight. Source: EquiShopper, May 6, 2020. Link. Since … [Read more...]
Keeping the horse’s hindgut happy
Although researchers, veterinarians and nutritionists know how critical hindgut function is to overall horse health, they know less about this part of the digestive system than others, writes Katie Navarra in an excerpt from the full article. The stomach is only 10% of the GI tract, but there’s such a focus there. The hindgut is about 25 gallons in a 1,000-pound horse . . . … [Read more...]
When to call the vet for a horse
The veterinarian is too often the last to know when something is amiss with an animal. Harry Werner, VMD, shares four levels of concern when horse owners are confronted with a sick or injured horse. The category lists will help horse owners focus their thinking and decision-making based on specific clinical signs and circumstances. He also recommends proactive planning and … [Read more...]
7th National Thoroughbred Owner Conference to be virtual and monthly series
Complimentary The 2021 Thoroughbred Owner Conference will take place as a free series of virtual panels over nine months. The conference series will be live and interactive, with expert speakers and panelists on topics relevant to Thoroughbred ownership. Source: Bloodhorse Partners, February 4, 2021. Link. The conference series will be held on the first Tuesday of each … [Read more...]
Hoof wall and coronary band injuries in horses
Complimentary Sponsored Content Dr. Craig Lesser DVM and AFA Certified Farrier, discusses hoof wall and coronary band injuries in horses in this episode of the Disease Du Juor podcast. Source: EquiManagement, January 28, 2021. Link. Topics covered in this podcast include: What are the most common hoof wall issues veterinarians see and solution? Abscesses Hoof … [Read more...]
3rd version of the Masters of Beef Advocacy NextGen launched
You don’t have to raise cattle to help answer tough questions about beef and raising cattle. MBA NextGen can arm you with the information you need to be a strong advocate for the beef community and communicate with interested consumers. Source: Beefitswhatsfordinner.com, January 13, 2021. Link. MBA NextGen consists of five self-guided online lessons, open to everyone, and at … [Read more...]
Spotting stress in horses in their eyes
Horses in challenging situations blink less often than horses who are calm, according to researchers at the University of Guelph. Visual clues are important in all species for animal owners and veterinary teams to ensure proper handling and safety for the animal and us. Source: EQUUS, October 22, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: This is good information to share with new horse … [Read more...]
Know your NSAIDS for horses
EQUUS editors provide a crib sheet to show horse owners which non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs work best for specific types of discomfort in horses. Source: EQUUS, December 22, 2020. Link. The crib sheet is a rundown to which NSAIDs work best for different types of discomfort that your horse may experience. INSIGHTS: Concise, this article will fit well with social … [Read more...]
5 horse adoption myths
Although perceptions are changing, there are still some stigmas about adoptable horses, says Pat Raia. She discusses some of the myths that create resistance to adopt some of the estimate 10,000 horses in 800 or more horse adoption agencies operating in the U.S. today. Source: Horse Illustrated, June 2018. Link. … [Read more...]
Make sure horses get enough water
We can’t assume horses will break through a thin layer of ice or be willing to drink water that contains chunks of ice. Some will not do either. The authors share three ways to reduce the risk of dehydration even in the coldest weather. Keep buckets and troughs ice-free Check all automated waterers daily Mix up some mashes Source: EQUUS, January 8, 2021. … [Read more...]
While late, horses still need a fall wellness exam
Winter is in full swing, but with all the confusion from Covid-19, not all horses received their normal exams. Christine Barakat, DVM, stresses the importance of comprehensive wellness exams to help prevent problems. She shares a partial list of the topics likely to be addressed in them and why. With mares foaling now, veterinarians receive calls to assist. Performing exams … [Read more...]