Fran Jurga keeps you up-to-date in this EquiSearch.com blog on news about horse health, care, equine science and research that affects horses.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Laminitis and Colic Top Concerns of US Equine Vets, AAEP Survey Shows
From a press release provided today by the American Association of Equine Practitioners:
The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Foundation has announced the release of its new study assessing the opinions of AAEP members regarding priorities in equine health care research. The second study of its kind, the 2009 AAEP Membership Equine Research Study was conducted to assist the equine industry in directing its financial support of equine research projects.
Study results indicate that the equine body systems of highest research priority are musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, respiratory, endocrine and nervous system, ranked respectively. Respondents also ranked laminitis, colic, arthritis, tendon injuries and navicular disease as the five priorities in the category of equine disease or condition. Regarding new technologies that require more funding, horse-side laboratory tests, regenerative medicine and imaging are considered the most important.
AAEP Vets Inspect Mexican Horse Slaughter Plants, Give Thumbs Up for Horse Welfare Conditions
by Fran Jurga | 19 February 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com
A report in the March 1 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) chronicles the work of a group of representatives of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). The group inspected two Mexican horse slaughter plants and judged the welfare conditions experienced by American horses shipped there to be processed into meat.
The article, which is now available online, documents the process of the horses' arrival from the border in sealed trailers, through the captive bolt slaughter process, and describes the plant, the staff, and how the horses were treated during the inspection.
A key quote from Dr. Tom Lenz: "If you look at it from the hard perspective of the meat industry, they're in the business to produce meat. They don't want an injured or down or stressed horse any more than they have to, because it affects the meat quality."
As stated in the article, both the AVMA and AAEP are working actively in Washington to derail or defeat passage of HR 503, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on January 14, 2009. HR 503 would prohibit the transport of horses to slaughter. Slaughter itself has been effectively banned within the United States, so horse must be trucked to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. The meat is largely consumed in Japan and Europe.
If it sounds counter-intuitive for the two main veterinary groups in the country to be opposing a bill with the words "prevention of equine cruelty" in it, it is because so many words in our world have twisted meanings when it comes to politics. "Humane", for instance, has become a very subjective word and is highly charged with potential votes and influence when used in the political context.
But for some people, the word "humane" has become another word for "animal rights", and it's all wrapped up in a perception of PETA's plot to take over the world. And, they believe, if PETA succeeds with horse slaughter, cattle and hogs and chickens will be next.
For others, humane means reforming the conditions that horses endure during shipment to slaughter, or not allowing any slaughter at all, under any circumstances.
The US vets did not travel in the trucks with the horses, but did mention that the severely injured horses were humanely euthanized when the trucks were opened in central Mexico, and they were there to witness that.
Congratulations to Dr. Eleanor Green: AAEP President Will Be Dean at Texas A&M Vet School in 2009
It's nice to have some good news to report once in a while. No diseases, no crashes, no fractures today: let's celebrate!
Texas A&M University announced today that an exhaustive search for a new dean of the vet school there has been completed and the new dean will be the University of Florida's Dr. Eleanor Green, who is currently professor and chair of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida.
The timing of the announcement is interesting, since this week is the close of Dr. Green's term as president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. I hope she has time to catch her breath!
The problem of unwanted horses in the United States is being studied through a nationwide initiative of the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) with help from equine associations, veterinarians, breeders, state and local law enforcement, horse owners, rescue/retirement facilities, and other facilities using horses. The first step is an online survey — and everyone with an interest in the welfare of horses is encouraged to respond at http://survey.ictgroup.com/uhcsurvey/.
With tens of thousands of unwanted, neglected and abandoned horses in the United States, some say the problem is a fast-growing epidemic. However, much remains unknown. Currently, there are few documented facts about the accurate number of unwanted horses, their age, sex, breed, recent use, value or what happens to them in the long run.
“Although there are numerous media reports and much anecdotal evidence of a growing problem with unwanted horses, there have been no studies or surveys done to attempt to document it,” said Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council (AHC), the national association that represents all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C. The UHC operates with the AHC. “The downturn in the economy, rising costs of hay, the drought that has affected many parts of the United States, the costs of euthanasia and carcass disposal, and the closing of the nation’s slaughter facilities have all made the problem worse. But no one knows its magnitude. That’s why the first step toward a solution is to gather and examine the facts. The goal of this survey is to get the input, observations, opinions and suggestions from anyone and everyone involved with horses.”
The Study on Contributing Factors Surrounding the Unwanted Horse Issue will be instrumental in filling factual gaps with actual data on: -- Awareness of the unwanted horse problem and perceived trends in recent years -- Level of concern -- Factors contributing to the problem -- Direct and in-direct experience with the issue -- Actions taken by owners -- Expectations about responsibility and assistance -- Solutions
Phase I of the study is an online survey of people most affected by and involved with the issue of the unwanted horse. An independent research firm developed the questionnaire. The firm will also tabulate and analyze responses, and provide a full report.
A comprehensive view of the problem depends on representation from all corners of the horse industry, according to Dr. Tom Lenz, chairman of the UHC. “To ensure the broadest possible participation, we’re working to involve a variety of individuals, associations, state and local agencies, and equine-related companies to actively encourage their constituencies to take the survey and voice their opinions.
“Regardless of how horses reached this state, every owner—and the equine industry at large—has a responsibility to ensure that everything possible is done to guarantee the humane care and treatment of unwanted horses,” Lenz said.
World-renowned Neurology Expert to Deliver Milne "State-of-the-Art" Lecture at 2008 Convention
(received via press release from the AAEP)
Stephen M. Reed, DVM, DACVIM, will deliver the prestigious Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture on December 8, 2008 during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 54th Annual Convention in San Diego, California. Equine neurology is the focus of this year’s lecture, which is sponsored by AAEP Educational Partner Platinum Performance in conjunction with the AAEP Foundation, Inc.
Dr. Reed is widely recognized for his commitment to the horse, equine veterinarians and the equine industry. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, he developed an interest in the specialty of equine neurology and became recognized as an expert in this area. He has written and spoken extensively on “wobbler” syndrome, equine protozoal myelitis, head trauma and the neurologic examination.
In addition, Dr. Reed has authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications. He is an editor of Equine Internal Medicine, which is about to enter into its third edition. In 2008 he also co-edited with Dr. Martin Furr another textbook, Equine Neurology. Dr. Reed has received a number of recognitions for his work, including the Schering-Plough Animal Health and World Veterinary Association Award for Applied Research.
Dr. Reed graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1976. In 1983, he joined the faculty at the school as an assistant professor, rising to the title of professor in 1994. In 2003, Dr. Reed was named to the Jenne Professorship in Equine Medicine and Surgery. He received the award for Distinguished University Service in 2002 and The Ohio State University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008.
In 2007, Dr. Reed retired from The Ohio State University as an emeritus professor. At the same time, he chose a new career path away from academia and now practices as an equine specialist at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. Dr. Reed considers the opportunity to assist in the mentoring of twenty-nine residents, more than twenty interns and hundreds of veterinary students as his most significant contribution to the veterinary profession.
The Frank J. Milne Lecture debuted at the 1997 convention in Phoenix, Ariz. Named for AAEP Past President and Distinguished Life Member Frank J. Milne, the lecture series features “state-of-the-art” information on subjects and techniques considered important to the equine veterinary profession.
Admitting there's a "YOU" in "Fugly": Unwanted Horse Coalition Meets in Washington; Free Download of Summary
Who's Fugly today? Fugly Horse of the Day is a blog that delivers a swift kick to the sensitive parts of the horse world. Anyone who thinks he or she is insulated from charges of cruel or questionable practices should think again; this web site has its camera lens focused on all of us. This video is a montage of photos from the blog. If you don't believe there are horses in need in the USA, just click on the "play" icon. "FHOTD" features a few stunners every day, and the blogger never seems to run out of horses. While her anger is apparent, it is a deadeye aim at humans. Humans make a horse Fugly, just because humans make horses, often for all the wrong reasons. (Images in video are direct from YouTube and attributed without explanation by FHOTD; you would have to go through the blog to read each photo's story.)
Many people in the horse world think that all this "unwanted horse" business does not apply to them. It's someone else's problem.
Make that everyone else's problem.
The way I think of it is: If you know that every horse you have owned in your life ended his or her life in the care of a concerned human (preferably yours), maybe you have a clear conscience. But for many of us who have sold a horse on and don't know how its life ended, there is always that little wisp of a cloud of doubt.
Could one of those horses in one of those videos have been your Misty, your Dusty, your Snowball, your Frosty, your Moose, or even my Skeeter?
We hate to think about it, but we have to. And we have to do a lot more than think about it. We have to do something about it.
This week in Washington DC, the American Horse Council and the US Department of Agriculture presented a full day's forum on the status of unwanted horses in our country. The report is slim, and grim. Full of things we already know, questions we have already asked, but the fact that people at the top of the decision-making and influence-peddling heap are paying attention is a ray of hope in a cloud-filled sky.
What can you or I do? Dr. Tom Lenz, representing the American Association of Equine Practitioners, summed it up for me: “Buy rather then breed. Adopt rather than buy. Find alternative careers. Euthanize rather than discard.”
It's time for the AAEP and the AVMA to put that mantra to work. Every time a vet leaves a barn, a card should be left behind with that advice. Posters need to go up in feed stores and at showgrounds.
I know that veterinarians, feed stores, tack shops and yes, horse magazines and web sites, make a lot of money from horse breeding, whether it's selling foal halters or stallion ads or performing AI and ultrasounds on mares.
I saw a bumper sticker from the dog side of the world. It read something like: "DO NOT BREED....when so many are in need!" We need a lot of those printed up with horses on them instead of dogs.
Most days, I force myself to visit an unpleasant blog called "Fugly Horse of the Day" and recommend it to you too. I think "FHOTD" must be the most popular horse blog on the entire Internet. It is irreverent. It is cruel. It is downright nasty. It makes me cringe. But I keep going back, because it keeps going on.
Each day, the blogger finds and ridicules a horse-for-sale ad found on the Internet. Most feature poorly-conformed products of what has come to be called "backyard breeding". Other days she takes aim at trainers or show practices. Some posts show tiny children playing under the hooves of "unbelievably gentle" stallions that are for sale. Some horses are shown in barbed-wire prisons. Others are deparately thin or deformed. Shrill-sounding owners plea for someone to "rescue" their lame, exhausted bred-to-death older mares who can no longer produce. Grade "stud colts" who should have been gelded years ago strut their pathetic stuff and fall prey to the blogger's ridicule.
She (I assume the blogger is female, but I could be mistaken) coins new words for bad colored horses, such as "hideozygous". She can and will make each and every one of us flinch, sooner or later. For many, the graphic language and in-your-face style are too much. For others, it's refreshing that someone has finally taken off the rose-colored glasses and shown us the reality of the American horse-owning public.
What keeps me coming back to FHOTD is the perpetuity of it. She never runs out of bad horse ads. She never quavers from her mission. Each blog post has hundreds of responses from her readers. This tells me that there is an endless supply out there of these horses.
Around here, land may be too valuable for people to have horses they don't use (or can't use). The cost of keeping a horse may too high for there to be too many field-bred accidents born each year, but I know there are some. And there are people everywhere who ride horses with ill-fitting tack, or do just plain dumb things (sometimes by accident). Horses get hurt because of owner ignorance regardless of zip code or boarding costs per month. And hurt horses in the unwanted pipeline go down quickly, until they end up on a trailer bound for Mexico or Canada, a long, long way from the green pastures that older horses romp through in fairy tales.
We invite you to download this article (see link below) on the unwanted horses meeting and read it. Get informed with these basic facts and then figure out where you're going to start to lend a hand. You can begin today, with a donation of time or cash to responsible horse rescue groups and sanctuaries who are hard at work trying to turn unwanted horses into wanted ones.
I hope your first pony lived out its days under the apple tree with Black Beauty and Ginger. That's the way it's supposed to be, but Fugly reality is haunting me. How about you? AHC-USDAUnwantedHorsesFile.pdf
Horse with Lighter Coat Colors Are More at Risk for West Nile Virus
"Have you heard?"
An announcement received today from the Merial corporation is putting horse owners on notice that West Nile virus (WNV) is a risk for all horses in infected areas, but that owners of light-colored horses should be particularly concerned.
The reason? A recently published study shows that light-colored horses have a greater chance of dying from West Nile virus (WNV). (Reference: Epp T, Waldner C, West K, Townsend H. Factors associated with West Nile virus disease fatalities in horses. Canadian Veterinary Journal 2007;48:1137-1145.)
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan evaluated 133 clinical cases of WNV in the southern portion of the province. Of the total cases, 43.8 percent died. Light horses such as palominos, buckskins, grays, whites or duns were four times more likely to die than dark or multicolored horses.
“The study did not explore specific reasons for increased fatality risk for light-colored horses,” says Frank Hurtig, DVM, MBA, Director, Veterinary Services for Merial Ltd. “However, vaccinating for WNV can help protect all horses.”
WNV is transmitted from mosquitoes to horses. If infected, a horse may exhibit signs such as fever, depression, muscle tremors, weakness, lack of coordination and paralysis. (See Canadian study.) About one out of every three equine WNV cases dies.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) recently revised its core vaccination guidelines to include WNV. Every horse in the United States could be exposed at some point during the year, but spring and summer is an especially important time to protect against WNV. The disease shows no geographic borders and has been identified in all areas of the country. (See: Guidelines for Vaccination of Horses: West Nile Virus. American Association of Equine Practitioners. Available at: http://www.aaep.org/wnv.htm.) Plus, more temperate climates may experience longer mosquito seasons, potentially exposing horses to WNV for a longer period.
Blogger's note: this information was provided by Merial; the company is the manufacturer of Recombitek vaccine for West Nile virus. ®RECOMBITEK is a registered trademark of Merial Limited. Duluth, Georgia.
Fun photo courtesy of our friends at Equitana 2009, coming up in March 14-19 in Essen, Germany: see you there!
AAEP Veterinarians are “On Call” for 2008 Thoroughbred Racing Telecasts
Media-trained equine veterinarians representing the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ “On Call” program will support a month of live Thoroughbred racing broadcasts on the major television networks. The program is now in its 18th year.
Already this season, Dr. Rhonda Rathgeber was on hand for the Lane’s End Stakes and Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park on March 22 and Dr. Tom Brokken watched Big Brown whiz to his win at the Florida Derby this weekend at Gulfstream Park in Florida.
Watch for AAEP “On Call” veterinarians to provide on-air insight into horse health issues at the following spring racing telecasts, as well as the 2008 Triple Crown races:
April 12: Toyota Blue Grass Stakes with Dr. Scott Hopper at Keeneland Racecourse; Arkansas Derby with Dr. Milton McClure at Oaklawn Park; and Holy Bull Stakes with Dr. Tom Brokken at Gulfstream Park.
April 19: Coolmore Lexington Stakes with Dr. Alan Ruggles at Keeneland Racecourse.
Once again, the Triple Crown races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes) will have the expertise of Dr. Larry Bramlage embedded with the television crews.
Since the founding of “On Call” in 1991, more than 30 AAEP member veterinarians have volunteered their time and expertise to the program. Offered during all live network racing as well as arena events such as the AQHA World Championship Show, over 75 events are supported by an “On Call” veterinarian each year.
The "On Call" program is made possible in part by an annual donation from Oak Tree Racing Association.
The Infectious Disease Committee of the American Association of Equine Practitioners has issued revised guidelines for the vaccination of horses. The Committee, chaired by Mary Scollay, DVM, has made recommendations for the use of vaccines based on the age of the horse and its previous vaccination history. The guidelines are intended to serve as a reference for veterinarians as they employ vaccines in their respective practices. Highlights of “Guidelines for the Vaccination of Horses” include: · The identification of tetanus, Eastern/Western Equine Encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus and rabies as “core” vaccines. Core vaccines have clearly demonstrated efficacy and safety, and exhibit a high enough level of patient benefit and low enough level of risk to justify their use in the majority of patients. · The addition of a vaccination protocol for anthrax.· Recommendations for the storage and handling of vaccines, as well as information on vaccine labeling and adverse reactions. · Inclusion of the AAEP’s Infectious Disease Control Guidelines, which provide an action plan for the containment of infectious disease during an outbreak. The Committee stresses that veterinarians, through an appropriate veterinarian-client-patient relationship, should use the vaccination guidelines coupled with available products to determine the best professional care for their patients. Horse owners should consult with a licensed veterinarian before initiating a vaccination program. The Committee, comprised of researchers, vaccine manufacturers and private practitioners, updated guidelines that were established by the AAEP in 2001. The complete document, along with easy reference charts, is available on the AAEP Web site at http://www.aaep.org/vaccination_guidelines.htm.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners' Equine Research Coordination Group has published a white paper report on the status of equine colic research and education in the United States.
I have converted the paper to a downloadable pdf file for you to read in its entirety, as it is too long to post here. If you click on the link below, you should be able to have your own copy of the file.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Foundation has announced the release of its new study assessing the opinions of AAEP members regarding priorities in equine health care research. The second study of its kind, the 2009 AAEP Membership Equine Research Study was conducted to assist the equine industry in directing its financial support of equine research projects. 
