Petsmart Will Close State Line Tack Store Departments

If you thought it was a great convenience to be able to shop for horse supplies and feed supplements in the evenings at a strip mall, you'll be disappointed to hear that retail giant Petsmart is discontinuing the sale of horse feed and horse care products in close to 200 "box" stores throughout the USA. The company made the announcement today via press release; they also said that they are seeking strategic alternatives for the State Line Tack catalogue.

The announcement was quite candid and included this statement: "Unfortunately, as we've grown to understand our equine and pet customers better, we've learned that equine is not something we do best. It is much different from our core pet product and services business. We've concluded that exiting State Line Tack and focusing solely on our core pet product and services is the best thing for our business."

The buying habits of horse owners are fascinating. When seeking a special horse care item or supplement, many seem to seek the advice of knowledgable local feed stores and tack shops, where they can also see, touch and smell the product, read the label, and compare it with other similar products. Others scan web sites and mail order catalogs in search of the lowest possible price. Petsmart's acquisition of State Line Tack and the opening of horse products aisles in many of their stores was another alternative for horse owners.

PUBLIC HORSE AUCTIONS AND SALES CANCELLED IN VIRGINIA THROUGH MONDAY

From the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:

Dr. Richard Wilkes, State Veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, has cancelled all public horse sales and auctions throughout the Commonwealth through Monday, March 5, 2007. This is one of the continuing efforts to stop the spread of Equine Herpes Virus-1 (EHV-1) currently present in Northern Virginia.

The cancellation order is effective statewide. While EHV-1 is not harmful to humans, people can spread it on their shoes or with their vehicles, and an infected horse at an event could infect other horses, which would then carry the disease back to their points of origin.

The ban will remain in effect until March 5 unless extended by the State Veterinarian. The Department's Web site, www.vdacs.virginia.gov, has additional information about EHV-1. A “Read more” box on the homepage will take you directly into the EHV-1 site.

In other news, an additional test result came back negative today on a horse from Fauquier County in Virginia. This brings the total test results to five positives and two negatives to date.

Mysterious Hong Kong Horse Virus Strikes Island Racecourse

The FEI can't be pleased with the news out of Hong Kong this week. The island city will be hosting the Olympics 18 months from now, but last week horses at the local Sha Tin track were ravaged by an unidentified flu-like virus and fever, as reported in today's South China Morning Post.
.
The newspaper article states that the head of veterinary regulation for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Brian Stewart, contends that test results from the Hong Kong government laboratories have ruled out equine influenza and it is "99 per cent" certain that the nine racehorses in one stable and two lead ponies were not infected with an equine herpes virus.

Whatever did affect them has abated, and the horses are recovering.

The outbreak took place over the same period of days when Hong Kong's superstar horse Silent Witness was saying farewell to 35,000 loyal fans before he entered quarantine in preparation for his flight to Melbourne, Australia, where he will enter retirement at the "Living Legends" farm for celebrity retirees.

An unspecified bilateral degenerative hind limb lameness caused the great racehorse's retirement.

EQUINE HERPES VIRUS-1 IN VIRGINIA: Update

The following information is provided by the Commonwealth of Virginia:

February 23, 2007

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is taking precautionary measures and quarantining additional farms in Virginia due to an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus-1 (EHV-1). Previously, VDACS quarantined the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) in Leesburg and one farm in Loudoun County.

In the hours following discovery of a horse possibly infected with EHV-1 at the EMC, both Virginia and Maryland learned of additional horses that may have had contact with that animal. Both states are conducting investigations and doing trace-backs on at-risk horses. Virginia is placing more quarantines today.

This represents a total of approximately 175 horses under quarantine, only three of which have shown neurological signs of EHV-1. One of those horses resides in Fauquier County and two in Loudoun County.

EHV-1 in a highly contagious disease that presents no known health threat to humans, but humans can spread it from farm to farm on their clothing, shoes, tires, or equipment. To enhance bio-security, VDACS has cancelled the Casanova Hunt Club Point-to-Point and the Casanova Hunter Pace events this weekend because of their proximity to a quarantined premises.

Dr. Richard Wilkes, Virginia State Veterinarian, said, “We are being very conservative in our approach and are quarantining farms that have horses on the premises that were at the equine center during the possible contagious period. The quarantines are precautionary measures and do not mean there are sick horses on the premises. No horse on a Virginia premises outside the equine center has been confirmed to have EHV-1, but we have tested some horses on contact farms that have fevers and no other signs and one horse that has neurological signs. We expect to receive test results early next week. This aggressive approach is to try and contain any possible exposure while we assess the risk that this event holds for our horse industry. Virginia horse-owners need to understand that we are being proactive and pre-emptive at this time to protect our state’s horse industry. We have cancelled a couple of equine events to add another measure of protection.”

Wilkes added, “We are working with faculty at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at their Blacksburg and Marion duPont Scott facilities, the Virginia Association of Equine Practitioners, USDA, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture to be sure that we take responsible, effective action to control EHV-1.”

Wilkes encourages activity planners to consider upcoming events in Northern Virginia carefully and to postpone all non-essential ones to minimize the occasions where horses co-mingle. The mixing and mingling of horses has the potential to compromise bio-security as they move from area to area.

Quarantines will restrict movement on and off the affected facilities. In addition, veterinarians are urging horse owners to observe strict hygiene control procedures to avoid spreading the disease in the environment. This includes a thorough cleaning and disinfecting routine using a proven disinfectant/cleaner.

Editor's Note: An informational meeting is being held at Morven Park today (2/24) for local veterinarians. An informational meeting for the horse community will be held at the Best Western in Leesburg from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, February 26, according to an article in the Leesburg Times.

FEI Veterinarians Will Study Endurance Horse Health in Dubai

(edited from a press release received today from FEI)

The Federation Equestrian International (FEI), the world-wide governing body of equestrian sports, has announced a new scientific study on Endurance horses in competition.

A number of horses, who will compete at an FEI event to be held in Dubai tomorrow, will be studied by a group of Scientists, headed by Dr David Marlin (GBR) and assisted by a panel of Vets headed by Dr Bobby Surendra Babu BL (IND).

Information will be obtained both before, during and after the event to enable the FEI to investigate the effects of top level endurance sport on competition horses.

Dr Marlin's comments: “We are very grateful for this wonderful opportunity provided to us by the Dubai Equestrian Club which will allow us to study elite endurance horses under truly competitive desert ride conditions. We have recently studied elite horses competing in the UK and this work will allow us to build up a clearer picture of the elite horse, especially in relation to warmer conditions.

He continues: "A small international team of respected scientists and veterinary surgeons (Dr Pat Harris, UK; Dr Hal Schott, USA; Dr Rod Fisher, UK; Dr Ray Geor, USA) will join me in Dubai to carry out the work. We will be examining weight loss, water consumption, heart function and looking at changes in the blood during and following the ride.

In summary: "This information will form part of the overall review of endurance being undertaken by the FEI and help ensure we protect the health and welfare of the horses in this fast developing and highly competitive sport”.

The FEI is grateful to the Dubai Equestrian Club for the valued assistance in the project.

© 2006-2007 The Jurga Report: Horse Health Headlines. All rights reserved.
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Horse Hauler's Nightmare in New York City

If you own a truck and trailer, what's your worst nightmare?

Right. The floor will give out. Or a rambunctious horse will kick right through the wall. Or, my favorite, the ramp will fly open. I know for some of you, it's The Hitch Will Let Go One of These Days. And let's not forget that one about the semi behind you losing its brakes as you head down a long hill.

If you have ever driven a car or a truck or anything eastbound across Manhattan's George Washington Bridge, what's your worst nightmare?

Right. That you will make it to the other side, only to break down on the elevated Cross Bronx Parkway. New Jersey, behind you on I-95, looks like paradise compared to this three-lane, litter-strewn, pot-holed stretch of highway that is perpetually under construction and walled with miles of yellow traffic barrels. Connecticut or Long Island beckons ahead of you, depending on your destination, but you have to cross through No Man's Land to get there.

Before you see that "Welcome to Connecticut" sign, you have to dodge the pot holes and hubcaps in the road, all without veering out of your lane. Tough to do if you are hauling a trailer.

Now imagine for a minute that you are driving your car home from work on that highway tonight. You are following a big horse van. Lots of horses live in metro New York, and there are horses going back and forth between Belmont and Meadowlands and Yonkers raceways and the farms in New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, and Upstate New York. so there's nothing that unusual about seeing a trailer up there, even in February.

You're listening to the radio, minding your own business. Then you see it, dangling out of the trailer ahead of you.

It looks like a horse's leg. It is. Flash your lights. Honk your horn. Get the truck to stop. You're way up high, above the rooftops. Somebody, call for a vet.

It happened today. A horse put his leg through the floor of a horse van way up high on the Cross Bronx Parkway. (I never did understand the "Park" part.) Traffic that was already snarled became more snarled. The television traffic helicopters had something to report, that's for sure. They were the only ones who could see what was going on.

Somehow, a vet, a transfer van, and the ASPCA got up there during rush hour.

Latest reports are that the horse was taken to Belmont Park and euthanized there. Three other horses on the trailer were uninjured.

Film at eleven, no doubt. (You can see a clip on the local ABC affiliate.)

WNBC has a slide show of the incident.

Post script: The New York Times has a good article with interviews with the veterinarian and trainer.

Photo from the New York Times story.

Barbaro's Legacy in Research: Byars and Moore Quoted in JAVMA

Here's an interesting quote from the upcoming (March 1) edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA).

"Barbaro has given veterinary medicine an update on how important it is to know how much you don't," said Dr. T. Douglas Byars, an independent equine medical consultant for Byars Equine Advisory LLC. "Barbaro has had the largest impact for research by any animal of any species. That is his legacy."

Readers of The Jurga Report may remember Dr. Byars as the Lexington, Kentucky-based infectious disease expert who was brought in to independently assess the quarantine situation in Wellington, Florida last month following an outbreak of EHV-1.

Dr. Rustin Moore, chair of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, commented on the need for much more laminitis research.

"My hope is that the events over the last few months, and in particular Barbaro's unfortunate passing, have raised the public's awareness of the frustrating and devastating effects of laminitis and will catapult efforts to raise substantial research funding that can be used to advance our knowledge and understanding of this horrible disease through unified, collaborative research efforts," Dr. Moore said
in the JAVMA article.

Dr. Moore is the program chair of the 4th International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, to be held in West Palm Beach, Florida November 2-4, 2007.

Click here to read a detailed memo from Dr. Moore on the need for more research on laminitis in the wake of hte Barbaro tragedy.

EHV-1 Quarantine Imposed at Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Virginia

Virginia state officials have imposed a quarantine of the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center's facilities at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia, effective today (Tuesday, February 20). Officials there suspected infection of the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) in three hospitalized horses. No additional patients will be admitted to the hospital until further notice. Hospital officials expect the quarantine to last anywhere from 14 to 28 days.

"Based on the clinical signs and one positive test from the first horse with neurologic signs, we are treating this as an infection with EHV-1. We are taking extraordinary precautions and following the most stringent procedures possible in order to protect the horses in our care as well as the general equine population," said Dr. Nat White, Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Director of the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center. "The health and safety of our patients is our first priority.

According to White, a horse that was brought to the hospital on Wednesday, February 7, to be treated for an unrelated emergency subsequently developed a fever and signs of nervous disease. The horse was immediately isolated in the hospital's Biosafety Level 2 isolation unit. Initial PCR testing revealed that the horse was positive for the EHV-1 virus. "Though this test can have false positive results, we are treating this as a true infection," said White.

In addition, hospital officials elected to impose a voluntary quarantine of patients in the area of the hospital where a risk of exposure was possible. These horses were promptly separated from the rest of the hospital's equine population in designated isolation barns.

As of the morning of Tuesday, February 20, two additional horses being treated at the center for unrelated problems developed fever and neurological symptoms leading state officials to deem necessary an immediate quarantine of all hospital facilities.

The center has always followed strict biosafety procedures governing patient care, movement in and out of the isolation unit, and cleaning of stalls between each horse occupancy in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases," said Dr. Martin Furr, Adelaide C. Riggs Chair in Equine Medicine at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center. "However, this quarantine, which is the first that we've had since the center was opened in 1984, has been implemented to ensure that there is no chance of spreading the virus."

EHV-1 is a reportable disease and the state veterinarians of Virginia and Maryland were notified on Monday, February 19. The mandate to quarantine the facilities was issued by Virginia State Veterinarian's Office on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 20. Referring veterinarians and owners of all horses that may have been exposed to the disease have also been informed.

"I would like to emphasize that though these are not confirmed cases of EHV-1 by virus isolation or serology, we are implementing appropriate measures to prevent the spread of any contagions," said White. "We are taking this situation very seriously and will do whatever is necessary to safeguard the well-being of our patients."

In 2002, four horses with EHV-1 in the nearby town of Middleburg were euthanized.

Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center is a Leesburg-based full-service equine hospital that is owned by Virginia Tech and operated as one of three campuses that comprise the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

More information is available in an article in the region's newspaper, Loudoun (VA) Times Mirror.

Photo of Dr. Nat White provided by Marion duPont Scott Equine Center.

© 2006-2007 The Jurga Report: Horse Health Headlines. All rights reserved.
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Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine Celebrates 100th Anniversary

FORT COLLINS - Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences celebrates its 100 year anniversary in 2007.

Responsible for research that has improved health for animals and humans, the college is consistently ranked among the top two colleges of its kind in the nation and receives more federal funding to support research than any other college of its kind.

In 1907, the Department of Veterinary Sciences was established by the Colorado State Board of Agriculture, the board that governed Colorado State University at that time. The first class of 27 students graduated in 1910. Today, admission into the college is extremely competitive with more than 1,600 annual applications to the professional veterinary medicine degree program alone - admission is limited to 134. More than 85 percent of the students in the college are women, a trend that took many years to establish. The first female student graduated from the college in 1932.

CSU's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences boasts numerous firsts in the care and treatment of horses that highlight the history of the college since its establishment.

Included on that list are:
- CSU was home to the first calves and foals produced by artificial insemination in which research pre-determined the sex of calves;
- CSU was the first to produce twin foals by splitting a single embryo;
- in 1915, CSU's Dr. Harry Kingman, Professor in the Department of Veterinary Science, took the first
radiograph of a horse’s hoof;
- CSU developed a test to evaluate the status of joint cartilage, allowing the identification of early stages of arthritis in animals and humans.
--in 1912, CSU's Dr. Benjamin F. Kaupp, Director of the Pathology Laboratory, helped stop a devastating outbreak in horses in the Arkansas Valley of an unknown disease by developing an experimental vaccine from infected brain tissue. The disease was later identified as cerebrospinal meningitis;
--in 1937, CSU's Dr. James Farquharson, Head of the Department of Surgery, presented a milestone paper before the Section of General Practice at the 77th Annual Meeting of the AVMA in Washington, D.C. His paper, “Abdominal Surgery in the Horse,” advanced the concept of aseptic surgery in large animals at a time when this approach was generally regarded as costly and unnecessary.

Most horse people know CSU today as a leading institution in equine reproduction research and in orthopedics and joint disease in horses.

Visit the college's anniversary web site to learn more about the past and present accomplishments of the university's equine programs.

World's Wealthiest Mules at University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine

Hot on the heels of the announcement of a $3 Million endowed chair in equine medicine at the University of Pennsylvania by Barbaro's owners is a smaller but none the less touching announcement of a gift to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.

Mule lover Virginia Etheridge died recently and specified in her will that approximately $420,862 be donated to the school to supplement an existing College of Veterinary Medicine Mule Team and Public Relations Endowment.

The mules have represented the vet school, MU and Missouri to thousands of people since they became part of the vet school in 1982. Pulling a dozen-passenger wagon, they've paraded in MU homecomings, governor inaugurations, Missouri State Fair opening ceremonies, the St. Louis Charity Horse Show and the Kansas City American Royal Parade, as well as small town parades, picnics and weddings.

Etheridge's gift will be used for the mule team's travel expenses, care and feeding; passenger wagon maintenance; and support for a truck and trailer.

A former vet school employee, Mrs. Etheridge was no stranger to the College. With the help of Hill's Pet Nutrition and Bayer Pharmaceuticals, she donated funds for the purchase of two mules. For more than two decades, Etheridge brought the mules fresh carrots and apples on most Sunday afternoons.

Because mules can withstand heat that horses cannot, they were important in the early days of American cotton and tobacco production. They also were an important part of Missouri's early economy. Missouri became an important provider of mules because of westward expansion; mules were sold to pioneers, carried freight, cleared trees to start farms and even pulled trains and riverboats. When motorized alternatives became popular, the mules faded slowly from Missouri agriculture. The students who care for the MU mule team today are practicing skills almost forgotten in the 21st century.

Former US President Harry S. Truman, proud to be the son of a horse and mule dealer, invited a four-mule hitch from his hometown of Lamar, Missouri to drive in his 1948 inaugural parade up Pennsylvania Avenue.

The mascot mules are tended by the college’s Mule Club, about 20 or so veterinary medical students who care for and exhibit the mules.

Regarding her gifts to the mule team, Etheridge was known to say, "I have never before donated to a project that has given me such satisfaction."

Photo courtesy UMCVM; story written from a press release provided by the University.

Analyzing a New Virus: Australian Government Web Site Explains Emergence of Hendra Virus

CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world.

With an economy based heavily in agriculture and livestock, Australia has a lot to lose if a pandemic like foot and mouth disease, or a mutation of bird flu, or a completely new disease affects animals there.

At the same time, the country is mad for horse sports, especially flat racing, eventing, harness racing and rodeo sports. Australia is a hub for horses headed to and from the Philipines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and everywhere in-between, and, along with New Zealand, a nursery of bloodstock for horse sports all over Asia.

The country was shocked in the 1990s when an unidentified virus struck not only a group of racehorses, but the trainer and groom as well. The more researchers looked at it, the more baffled they became. They had found a new virus, a new disease threat, and one with that worst of all characteristic, the ability to jump from horses to humans. "Hendra" virus, named for the town in the state of Queensland where it first emerged, had the infectious disease community on the edge of its lab stool.

Comparison with other viruses, through sequencing of some viral genes, soon showed that the mystery virus was most closely related to a group known as morbilliviruses, which contains viruses such as measles, rinderpest and canine distemper viruses. It had not been reported before anywhere in the world.

Now, the Australians have created a web site with a downloadable PowerPoint lecture and slide show for educators to use in the classroom, or for those interested in equine (or any species) infectious diseases. Created by Judith Maunders of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), this is a gem of equine science education.

Let's hope we never need to study Hendra virus because of another outbreak, but this educational program is a great introduction to how scientific investigations approach a disease and how a virus was identified and categorized. Thanks to CSIRA and AAHL for posting this material on the web for all to see and use.

Barbaro's Owners Endow Chair in Equine Medicine to Honor Dean Richardson

(via press release)

Roy and Gretchen Jackson Endow Chair for Equine Disease Research at Penn Veterinary Medicine School

(Feb. 13, 2007--PHILADELPHIA, PA) A $3-million gift from Roy and Gretchen Jackson, owners of Barbaro, will endow a chair in the name of Dean W. Richardson at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

In acknowledging the gift, Penn President Amy Gutmann said, “Gretchen and Roy Jackson have already done so much for veterinary medicine through their commitment to giving Barbaro every possible opportunity to recover from his catastrophic injuries. People throughout the world now understand that veterinary medicine –- and Penn veterinary medicine in particular –- shares in the advances that define today’s biomedical science. Now, with this generous gift, Gretchen and Roy Jackson not only promote continued progress, but they pay tribute to the doctor who, like them, gave his heart to a magnificent horse.”

“This endowed chair,” said Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine, “is a strong recognition of the power of translating fundamental scientific advances into new real-world treatments. With a new faculty position dedicated to the study of equine disease, we will be better positioned to fight deadly conditions like laminitis.”

The endowed chair is the cornerstone of a major new Penn Vet initiative to fight laminitis, which afflicted Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Laminitis is a severe, painful condition in horses that can be fatal. The laminitis initiative will foster training programs and studies for new treatments of equine diseases.

“We are very pleased to make this commitment in support of the School of Veterinary Medicine’s research of equine diseases,” Gretchen Jackson said. “Our close relationship with Dr. Richardson over the last eight months persuaded us to name the chair in his honor. We are indeed grateful to him, and we especially look forward to a future without laminitis.”

Roy and Gretchen Jackson have a long and close connection with Penn and the School of Veterinary Medicine. Both are Penn graduates, and they have been dedicated supporters of Penn's athletic, medicine and veterinary programs for many years. In addition, Gretchen Jackson serves on the Penn Vet Board of Overseers.

“I am deeply honored by this generous and important gift,” said Richardson, chief of surgery at Penn’s George D. Widener Hospital and leader of the team that treated Barbaro. “The Jacksons’ remarkable philanthropy will translate into better outcomes for injured and ill horses in the future.”

Barbaro's Legacy: What about other horses?

Barbaro's battle to survive after his injury in the Preakness Stakes last May made him the most newsworthy horse in decades, if not in history. He's gone now, and many people are left with an empty feeling. What can you do to express your concern for horses who need special care?

My personal advice to people who ask me is to recommend a donation to the Animal Health Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity that gives 100% of donations directly to laminitis research. The lion's share of the money goes to Dr. Chris Pollitt at the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit. Dr. Pollitt is generally regarded as the world's leader in laminitis research, but, for some reason, does not receive funds from US equine research funds except for the Animal Health Foundation. He does receive funds from the Australian government, but he is woefully underfunded for the terrific work he does to help horses all over the world.

Before giving to any equine charity, I recommend a look at the charity rating sites that are available online, to see what percent of your donation dollar actually goes to research...and how much of it goes to administrative salaries, glossy fundraising mailers, and posh parties.

Another worthy recipient for a donation in Barbaro's memory is the growing effort to increase the number of equine ambulances at racetracks and horse shows. If you think back to the day of the injury, the special ambulance with a hydraulic floor was key to getting Barbaro safely off the track and on the road to New Bolton Center. I'm not aware of a charity related to racetrack ambulances but there may be one. An alternative is HEART, a horse ambulance team based on the horse show circuit that promotes education about horse injuries and provides ambulance services at shows and race meets all over the country. A wonderful article about the HEART equine ambulance service was published recently in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Finally, it would have been nice to see Barbaro live out his life at the Kentucky Horse Park, but it wasn't meant to be. Two farms (among many) who are worthy of your donations are "Living Legends" in Australia, where retiring champion Hong Kong sprinter Silent Witness will be headed this week, and "Old Friends" in Kentucky. Both farms not only provide homes to retired Thoroughbreds of note, they also use their star residents to raise public awareness of the need for support of retirement homes for horses of all kinds and used-up racehorses in particular.

Take your pick. There is no shortage of people or organizations out there who deserve our support and contributions. Be careful to give your money to organizations who will invest directly in the care or study of horses. But do give, please, while the fire of Barbaro's memory is still flickering in your consciousness.

Genesis Awards Nominees for 2006 Announced

Image courtesy of Pom: Le Poulain from Ring Productions

Hollywood will bark, purr, moo and chirp next month, when the Genesis Awards are presented, but will it whinny? The brain child of the Humane Society of the United States, the Genesis Awards are given to print and electronic media releases that provide outstanding coverage of the humane treatment of animals.

The nominees were announced on Thursday. It was a bumper year for animal films, but horses were not highly represented. This is one event where Barbaro won't be feted. The stories and films that were nominated are an interesting assortment. Among them was a news report from KHOU-TV in Houston, Texas, for a documentary on what it is like to live in the neighborhood of a horse slaughter plant.

In print, one of my favorite articles was recognized. Vanity Fair published "Galloping Scared" by Kurt Brungardt; the feature was nominated "For a thorough examination of the history and plight of America's wild mustangs, victims of cattle ranching interests."

The good news about Brungardt's piece: you can read it online.

The article is more about politics than it is about horses, but if you don't know who Wild Horse Annie was or why she mattered, maybe you'd better take a few minutes and read this article. But, as always, make up your own mind! It is also very nicely crafted, for all you fans of outstanding horse-related journalism.

Finally, in the foreign language film division is a French movie that I had never heard of until Thursday but I am already a devotee; POM: LE POULAIN from Ring Productions was nominated "For a moving portrayal of the bond between a draft horse and her young colt and the stable hand who struggles to keep them together."

The film clips on the web site are extraordinary. When was the last time you saw an orphaned Ardennes (what we call loosely "Belgian") draft horse foal in a starring role? The web site is in French but you'll get the idea. The French really seem to have a corner on the horse-art theater/film market with Cavalia, the Versailles Palace productions, the Camargue roman riding video, and now this film in which the star bottle-raises an orphaned foal that probably weighs more than he does! Bring your tissues if it ever opens in the USA, which I hope it will.

The 21st Annual Genesis Awards will be a star-studded event held on Saturday evening, March 24, 2007 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Tickets can be ordered at the web site. I hope the colt wins!

Scientists Use Horse Teeth to Trace History of Climate Change

Image courtesy of B.A. Rucker DVM from his Digital Equus DVD on equine jaw anatomy, development and dentistry.

The University of Florida has just released a great story about equine-specialist paleontologist Bruce MacFadden, curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

MacFadden and colleagues have constructed a chronology of climate change in eons past by analyzing the biochemical content of horse teeth.

The study was published in yesterday's edition of the esteemed weekly scientific journal, Nature.

Fear not, the University of Florida has simplified the scientific paper for us, and created a reader-friendly interpretation of why horses are just as good an indicator of climate change as the marine species normally used.

“Fossil mammals are archives of ancient information,” MacFadden said. “Their teeth are like little time capsules that allow us to analyze chemicals captured millions of years ago within the animals’ skeletons.”

Researchers analyzed oxygen and carbon isotopes in the preserved teeth and bones of primitive fossil horses and a primitive cloven-hoofed mammal called an oreodont.

Isotopes are atoms of naturally-occurring elements, characterized by varying numbers of neutrons but constant numbers of protons. Oxygen isotopes act as thermometers, telling scientists at what temperature they were formed; and carbon isotopes act as barometers, revealing relative humidity.

Click here to go to the story on the University of Florida's web site.

Horses Immune to Bird Flu? Chinese Study Shows Horse Antibodies Key to Possible Prevention

Horses can be health heroes for more than their own kind, check out this news:

Courtesy of Science Daily

Antibodies against the bird flu virus H5N1, derived from horses, prevent mice infected with H5N1 from dying from the virus. A study published in the open access journal Respiratory Research (http://respiratory-research.com) reveals that a dose of 100 µg of horse anti-serum effectively protects infected mice. These results suggest that anti-H5N1 antibodies developed in horses could potentially be used to prevent death from H5N1 influenza, or as early treatment for the disease, in humans.

Jiahai Lu from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China and colleagues from other institutions in China infected dog kidney cells in vitro with a lethal dose of H5N1 and simultaneously exposed the cells to horse antibodies against H5N1. Lu et al.'s results show that horse antibodies to H5N1 protected cells against H5N1 in vitro – the cells simultaneously infected with H5N1 and exposed to horse antibodies did not die.

Lu et al. then injected horse antibodies into 40 mice that had been infected with a lethal dose of H5N1 24 hours earlier. The authors also injected horse serum without H5N1 antibodies into a group of mice that acted as controls.

The authors found that 50µg of antibody protected 70% of the mice against death by H5N1 and 100 µg of antibody protected 100% of the mice. The mice in the control group died nine hours after receiving the normal horse serum.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by BioMed Central.

P.S. Cats aren't as lucky as horses, and can actually become host organisms for bird flu; this has been happening in Asia and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization warns that cats should be removed from sites where bird flu exists. Cats can become infected by feeding on sick domestic or wild birds; they can develop severe to fatal disease and excrete the virus from the respiratory and digestive tracts.

This raises some concern not only because cats could act as intermediary hosts in the spread of the H5N1 virus between species but also because growth in cats might help the H5N1 virus to adapt into a more highly infectious strain that could spark an influenza pandemic. However, the UN is advising that cats NOT be killed routinely at outbreak sites, since they are so vital to the control of rats, which can spread so many diseases.

To learn more about cats and bird flu:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21496&Cr=bird&Cr1=flu

EHV in Wisconsin: Only One Farm Affected, Report Says

Thanks to the Wisconsin State Horse Council and Wisconsin Equine Clinic for the following information on an occurence of Equine Herpes Virus, Type 1, in the state of Wisconsin. Please note that the farm is not named, nor is the breed of horse specified. The update is provided by Scott Austin, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM, of the Wisconsin Equine Clinic:

(begin quote from report)

The current outbreak is confined to a single farm (to my knowledge, I haven't been able to track down all the rumors) located in Jefferson County.

The index case (Horse A) was diagnosed with EHV-1 infection on January 22 based on a positive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test of both a nasal swab and blood. At that time a voluntary quarantine of the farm was put into effect and twice daily temperature manitoring was instituted.

On January 23 the EHV-1 was confirmed as the neurotropic form of the virus. All resident horses were tested for EHV-1 by PCR testing of a nasal swab and blood. On the day of testing, 3 horses were identified as having fevers (horses B, C, & D). No horses were positive on nasal swabs for EHV-1 and 1 horse was positive on the blood test (Horse B).

The current status of horses on the property is as follows:

* Horse A: index case, confirmed positive for neurotropic EHV-1. He developed rear limb paralysis and went down. This horse was euthanized 4 days after the diagnosis was made.
* Horse B: Fever and positive PCR on blood. Fever has resolved and no other clinical signs have been seen.
* Horse C: Fever and negative PCR on blood and nasal swab. This horse developed rear limb ataxia and bladder paralysis on day 3 after testing. He became recumbent within 12 hours and was euthanized. A PCR on his blood at the time of euthanasia was still negative for virus. Results of post-mortem examination are still pending.
* Horse D: Fever and negative PCR on blood and nasal swab. The fever resoloved within 36 hours and no clinical signs of respiratory or neurological disease have been seen.

The voluntary quarantine on the farm remains in effect. No new febrile horses or clinical signs of respiratory or neurolgical disease have been identified since January 27, 2007."

end quote from report

Note to blog readers: This report gives you a good idea of the "lingo" used to describe horses with medical and neurological symptoms of disease. It is not known if these horses were racehorses, show horses, or pleasure horses.

Web Tip: Worth a Read for Barbaro Fans (and Writers)

A quick heads up: here's a link to an "opinion" piece from The Blood-Horse by Sean Clancy, author of the new book on Barbaro from Eclipse Press. Sean reflects on what it was like to write a book without knowing the ending.

If you are a fan of good writing about horses, remember Sean's name. And also learn the name of his brother/partner, Joe. Sean's style is Red-Smith-meets-Jack-Kerouac but this former steeplechase rider knows his way around a racetrack and always manages to punch up the prose until I think, "Why don't more horse sports journalists (including me) write like that?"

Here's the link to the Blood-Horse piece:
http://opinions.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=37454

For more of Sean's excellent writing (and manic moments) on the racing scene, go to his site and read some of his "Cup of Coffee" editorials in the Saratoga Special back issues, or pick up a copy of the Clancy brothers latest book, Best of the Saratoga Special.

I can't wait to read his account of Barbaro's life...and wish I could have been a fly on the wall (or had a seat at the table) when he shared that bottle of wine with Dr. Dean Richardson...

Can You Say "Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms?" International Horse Genome Project Is Complete

Meet Ms. EveryHorse: Genetics researchers have succesfully sequenced the genome of this Thoroughbred mare, named Twilight, from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Photo courtesy Dr. Doug Antzak. While Twilight's genetic makeup has been scrutinized, researchers also did comparative studies of some other breeds.

Bethesda, Maryland — The first draft of the horse genome sequence has been deposited in public databases and is freely available for use by biomedical and veterinary researchers around the globe, leaders of the international Horse Genome Sequencing Project announced today.

The $15 million effort to sequence the approximately 2.7 billion DNA base pairs in the genome of the horse (Equus caballus) was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A team led by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Ph.D., at the Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, carried out the sequencing and assembly of the horse genome.

Approximately 300,000 Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) end sequences, which provide continuity when assembling a large genome sequence, were contributed to the horse sequencing project by Ottmar Distl, D.V.M., Ph.D. and Tosso Leeb, Ph.D., from the University of Veterinary Medicine, in Hannover, Germany and Helmut Blöcker, Ph.D., from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany. Production of the BAC end sequences was funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and the State of Lower Saxony.

Sequencing of the domestic horse genome began in 2006, building upon a 10-year collaborative effort among an international group of scientists to use genomics to address important health issues for equines, known as the Horse Genome Project (www.uky.edu/Ag/Horsemap/).

The horse whose DNA was used in the sequencing effort is a Thoroughbred mare named Twilight from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Researchers obtained the DNA from a small sample of the animal’s blood. Twilight is stabled at the McConville Barn, Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, at Cornell University, with a small herd of horses that have been selected and bred for more than 25 years to study the mechanisms that prevent maternal immunological recognition and destruction of the developing fetus during mammalian pregnancy. The research, conducted by Cornell professor Doug Antczak, V.M.D, Ph.D., and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, has implications in reproduction, clinical organ transplantation and immune regulation.

In addition to sequencing the horse genome, researchers produced a map of horse genetic variation using DNA samples from a variety of modern and ancestral breeds, including the Akel Teke, Andalusian, Arabian, Icelandic, Quarter, Standardbred and Thoroughbred. This map, comprised of 1 million signposts of variation called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, will provide scientists with a genome-wide view of genetic variability in horses and help them identify the genetic contributions to physical and behavioral differences, as well as to disease susceptibility. There are more than 80 known genetic conditions in horses that are genetically similar to disorders seen in humans, including musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The SNPs are available at the Broad Institute web site (www.broad.mit.edu/mammals/horse/snp) and will be available shortly from NCBI’s Single Nucleotide Polymorphism database, dbSNP (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/SNP).

The initial sequencing assembly is based on 6.8-fold coverage of the horse genome, which means, on average, each base pair has been sequenced almost seven times over. Researchers can access the horse genome sequence data through the following public databases: GenBank (www.ncbi.nih.gov/Genbank) at NIH's National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI); NCBI's Map Viewer (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); UCSC Genome Browser (www.genome.ucsc.edu) at the University of California at Santa Cruz; and the Ensembl Genome Browser (www.ensembl.org) at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England. The data is also available from the Broad Institute Web site (www.broad.mit.edu/ftp/pub/assemblies/mammals/horse/).

Over the next several months, researchers plan to further improve the accuracy of the horse genome sequence and expect to deposit an even higher resolution assembly in public databases. Comparing the horse and human genomes will help medical researchers learn more about the human genome and will also serve as a tool for veterinary researchers to better understand the diseases that affect equines.

A publication analyzing the horse genome sequence and its implications for horse population genetics is being planned for the future.

To learn more about the expanding field of comparative genomics go to http://www.genome.gov/11509542.

Parts of this post are from a press release received from NIH.

© 2006-2007 The Jurga Report: Horse Health Headlines. All rights reserved.
http://special.equisearch.com/blog/horsehealth/index.html

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AAEP Foundation Donates New Saddles and Tack to New Orleans Police

New Orleans, Louisiana -- The Mounted Division of the New Orleans Police Department received a donation of 20 saddles, bridles and other equine equipment during a special presentation at the New Orleans Police Department stables on Friday, February 2.

The donation was made by the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky; the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association's Equine Committee, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Tucker Saddlery, located in Yoakum, Texas.

Following hurricane Katrina in 2005, both the AAEP Foundation and LVMA Equine Committee formed equine disaster relief funds to help horses and their caretakers. Veterinarians, horse owners, equine organizations and corporations from across the country answered the call and donated generously to these two groups. Since that time, both organizations have been helping horses and their caretakers through various feed and medical relief efforts throughout the Gulf Region.

"Donors from across the country should be thanked for the support and willingness to help horses," said AAEP Foundation chairman Nat White, DVM. "We are delighted to be able to give back to the New Orleans Mounted Patrol through this donation and we thank the many partners and their donors that have helped us to be able to do this for such an important and proud symbol of New Orleans."

Top Canadian Racehorse Euthanized After Anesthesia Recovery Injury

The Thoroughbred Times is reporting that 2000 Canadian Horse-of-the-Year Quiet Resolve was euthanized after colic surgery in February 1.

The 12-year-old Affirmed gelding, owned by Sam-Son Farm in Milton, Ontario, was trying to stand after emerging from anesthesia and had to be euthanized, according to a press release from the farm.

Blog readers will remember Barbaro's many pool recoveries after his surgeries. Many horses react violently and flail out involuntarily with their legs as they emerge from unconsciousness. New Bolton Center lowers the horses into and out of a pool so that the flailing is minimized and there are no hard objects for the horse to hit.

Many of us will never forget the gallant effort to repair the broken leg of champion filly Ruffian following her breakdown in the match race against champion colt Foolish Pleasure way back in 1975. While the surgery was deemed successful, she re-injured herself in the recovery stall as she came out of anesthesia and was euthanized.

There's a nice music and stills video montage about Ruffian in case you've forgotten her (who could forget?) or you are too young to have known how exciting a horse race could be...

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96wka0rBHWM

Interesting to note: ESPN is making a made-for-TV movie about Ruffian, which is due out in time for the Belmont Stakes in June of this year. The inevitable comparisons to Barbaro will bring him back into the news as a new Triple Crown series begins and this movie will fan the flames. I also highly recommend Jane Schwartz's book, Ruffian: Burning From the Start, which is no doubt out of print but I am sure you can still order it from Robin Bledsoe's horse bookshop.

The recovery stall injury syndrome is one reason why many racetrack breakdowns are not pursued. Most hospitals have padded recovery stalls with soft matted floors, but recovery can still be very dangerous to a horse.

© 2006-2007 The Jurga Report: Horse Health Headlines. All rights reserved.
http://special.equisearch.com/blog/horsehealth/index.html

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Get Ready for the Barbaro Lit Blitz

From an article by Lynn Adriani posted today on the web site of Publisher's Weekly, via my friend at the Lit Soup blog:

"Following the January 29 death of beloved Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, three publishers are rushing to press with books that were initially scheduled to pub in April and May. The books—two adult titles and one for children—will now hit stores as early as February 26, all with print runs higher than initially planned.

"The books won’t compete directly with each other, since one is a narrative nonfiction work for adults with some photographs, one a coffee-table book and one a children’s title. Collins’s narrative Barbaro: A Nation’s Love Story by Pamela K. Brodowsky and Tom Philbin was originally an April 1 pub, but will now go on sale February 26, with a first printing of 50,000 (up from 30,000). The Aladdin children’s book Barbaro: America’s Horse by Shelley Mickle was initially set for April 10, but now has a February 20 release date and March 13 on-sale date. Aladdin will also go to press for 50,000 copies. And Eclipse Press’s coffee-table book, Barbaro: The Horse Who Captured America’s Heart by Sean Clancy, had been set for a May 1 release, but will now be available in early to mid-March. The Lexington, Ky., house plans an initial print run of 7,000 to 10,000 copies."

Funny thing is, I think I have heard about at least one other one...

Along the same lines, I am expecting my Barbaro memorial edition of The Blood-Horse any day; cover date was February 3rd.

Collins, Aladdin and Eclipse were all able to edit their books to reflect Barbaro’s death in forewords, afterwards, epilogues and final chapters.

Barbaro is Still Making News...

The Daily Racing Form has a very good, informative article about the complexity of laminitis with interview comments from researcher Dr. Jim Belknap (Ohio State University) and orthopedics authority Dr. Wayne McIlwraith (Colorado State University). The article also mentions Dr. Chris Pollitt and his research at the Australian Laminitis Research Unit at the University of Queensland in Australia.

You may have to register with DRF to read the article.

Strangles and Human Plague: AHT Makes the Research Connection

Scientists at the Animal Health Trust in England have discovered that Streptococcus equi, the bacterial cause of the equine respiratory disease known as "Strangles," has genetic characteristics typically found in Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of human plague. Although S. equi does not present a risk to people, it could be said to represent the equine equivalent of human plague.

Scientists at the AHT are currently developing blood tests capable of identifying horses that recover from the disease but who remain long-term carriers of strangles. This will reduce disease spread.

Once recovered, most animals will eliminate S. equi fairly rapidly. However, approximately 10% become carriers. The bacterium usually resides in the guttural pouches and can do so for several years after the outbreak. If they are not identified, carriers can be released into a susceptible population, causing new outbreaks.

Carriers can be difficult to detect and negative results from a single nasopharyngeal swab do not prove that an animal is not infected. Three consecutive negative swabs over a two-week period tested for culture and PCR testing will provide strong evidence that shedding has ceased and the infection has been eliminated. However, guttural pouch endoscopy followed by bacteriological analysis of guttural pouch washes is the preferred method for identifying carriers.

It is hoped that the new diagnostic blood test being developed at the Animal Health Trust will provide an improved means of diagnosis.

Safe and effective strangles vaccines are also being designed at the AHT that can be widely used throughout the equine community.

One vaccine product from AHT research was recently found to be safe on intramuscular administration to horses; researchers are seeking funds to continue the development of this exciting new strangles vaccine.

Fundraising Campaign Launched to Fight Strangles in Britain

(edited from a press release)

(Thursday, 1 February) The British Horse Society (BHS) and the Animal Health Trust (AHT) today launched a campaign to raise £250,000 (approximately US$500,000) to eradicate the equine disease known as “Strangles.”

HRH The Princess Royal, known abroad as Princess Anne, helped the two charities launch the campaign at the Royal Society of Medicine, London. Regional launches will take place over the next week in seven cities in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

Princess Anne said, “This is the beginning of a serious campaign that could make a real difference in welfare and economic terms to those involved in the equine industry.”

Strangles, which is triggered by the bacterium Streptococcus equi, is one of the world's most common equine respiratory diseases, and kills up to 10 percent of the horses it attacks, according to the BHS/AHT report.

When a horse contracts the disease, it initially loses its energy and appetite. Swelling and abscesses occur around the throat. The horse then finds it hard to breath and swallow, and may act as if it is being strangled (hence the name “Strangles”). When the abscesses rupture, other horses can be infected. If the abscesses spread to other parts of the horse's body, the condition is usually fatal.

Some horses survive the disease but become “carriers” without any exterior symptoms. Carrier horses may go on to infect other horses over time.

British eventing legend Lucinda Green said: "Strangles is a problem we can no longer afford to ignore. Every horse owner should be aware of the threat and be prepared to join in the fight against it."

Top show jumper Nick Skelton said: "Strangles is a terrible disease that causes great distress to horses. I fully support The British Horse Society and The Animal Health Trust in their efforts to eradicate the disease."

About the researchers: The AHT, based in Newmarket, England, is a charity dedicated to improving the health of dogs, cats and horses by addressing the problems of disease and injury. It achieves this by providing specialist clinical services for animals in need and by advancing veterinary science. Even if your horse or pet has never been treated directly by the AHT, it will have benefited from the results of the Trust's work.

The British Horse Society is the UK's biggest horse charity with a membership of more than 100,000 horse enthusiasts. BHS held a Strangles Awareness Week in Britain in 2006 and BHS Scotland has been lobbying in the Scottish Parliament for new measures to help to slow the spread of Strangles in Scotland.

To donate to the fundraising effort, send contributions to Strangles Appeal, Animal Health Trust, FREEPOST CB360, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk, England CB8 7BR.

Please see accompanying post on strangles research at the AHT to learn more about the direction of the research to be funded.