The New Reality: Helpful Horse Health Weekends

by Fran Jurga | 27 September 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

Oregon farrier Gregg Meyers was among the many horsecare professionals who donated time on Saturday to work on horses who needed some care. A special horse health fair in Albany, Oregon helped prepare needy horses for the winter ahead. (Photo links to Albany Democrat-Herald story about this event.)

I don't get to watch television very often. This weekend was an exception, but only because I was feeling under the weather, and home-in-bed seemed like the place to be.

CNN had a feature about a free health clinic at a big convention center in Houston, Texas. They showed a view of the people lining up about six in the morning on Saturday to take advantage of free medical services from a small army of 700 medical professionals who had volunteered their time. The event was organized by media MD Mehmet Oz, who is often featured on Oprah Winfrey's television show. By day's end, they had helped 2000 patients, many of them chronically ill and without health insurance.

"Wow," I thought, through my feverish haze. "Someone should do that for horses."

And they did.

On the very same day, the Oregon Horse Welfare Council organized a free health fair for horses whose owners needed financial help. At the Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany, Oregon, they set up something quite parallel to what Dr Oz was doing at the same time for humans in Houston. Horses traveled around to stations set up in a big arena and visited a farrier and a massage therapist; they got vaccinations and worming. There was advice from a nutritionist and a trainer. And a lot more.

The professionals providing the services donated their time as an acknowledgment of the hardship some horse owners are facing in providing for their animals during challenging economic conditions. A similar event was held in Sutherlin, Oregon in the spring.

According to its web site, the Oregon Horse Welfare Council is an ad hoc group of concerned horsepeople from throughout Oregon dedicated to helping horse owners struggling to provide for their animals, and saving as many horses as possible from abuse, abandonment and neglect. The group is comprised of individuals from rescue organizations, breed groups, veterinarians, state officials, law enforcement agencies, equine media, and concerned citizens.

You can read a newspaper article from the Albany Democrat-Herald about the horse health fair if you click here.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, it was a big weekend for the Minnesota Horse Welfare Coalition's Gelding Project. Colts and stallions were castrated by supervised veterinary students from the University of Minnesota at a clinic at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Lake Elmo. Horse owners needed a referral from a veterinarian or a humane investigation team, but the surgery was free.

Lots of the news you read on this blog is about how bad things are, but I never, ever underestimate the good and kind spirits of horse people to help each other out. Organizing to help a horse get a healthy start on a winter that will be here before we know it, or to remove the possibility of a stud horse breeding foals that won't have rosy futures--those are very worthwhile ways to spend a weekend as a volunteer in the horse world.

I hope the Oregon and Minnesota organizations have a lot of imitators out there; you can also visit either website and make a donation.

Subsidized Gelding: How Does It Work? Kentucky and North Carolina Launch Programs

by Fran Jurga | 12 June 2009 | The Jurga Report

Yesterday this blog broached the subject of the need for low-cost castration of colts and ungelded older horses as one way to help reduce the burgeoning horse population.

Today I read about new programs launched in Kentucky and North Carolina that might be inspirational to other states or organizations.

The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) program is funded by SoHo (Save Our Horses), a tax-deductible fund to support KHC Health & Welfare offerings. Eligible applicants may work directly with local veterinarians to schedule services. After service completion, the veterinarians are directly paid a portion of fees (up to $100 per horse not to exceed $250 per household for multiple horses).

In April, the Kentucky Horse Council offered a low-cost geld clinic in partnership with Morehead State University (MSU), which was also funded by SOHO.

More information including requirements, limitations, and a program application are available online at www.kentuckyhorse.org

The robust "Stallion to Gelding Support" effort in North Carolina, known as "SGS", has been launched to directly decrease the number of stallions who may intentionally or accidentally produce foals this year. In this way, this program is slightly different from the Kentucky plan.

SGS is particularly aimed at pasture breeding, and owners who run stallions with mares, while not intentionally breeding or selectively combining stallions and mares. Anyone in this situation is eligible for free gelding, as is anyone who has been using a stallion for breeding but who cannot afford a veterinarian's charge for gelding.

Hearing about these programs is like a breath of fresh air. The North Carolina fund is accepting donations, and it is worthy of support--and imitation. A companion program for low-cost euthanasia and burial or disposal would be another giant leap forward.

Click here to read our story on a low-cost euthanasia plan initiative trial launched in 2008 in Northern California.

Second Wisconsin Stallion Tests Positive for Contagious Equine Metritis; 42 States Now Affected

Posted by Fran Jurga | 26 January 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

Bulletin from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture:

A second stallion quarantined in Outagamie County, Wisconsin has tested positive for contagious equine metritis, or CEM, a treatable reproductive disease of horses.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, reported the positive test result Thursday afternoon, January 22. The stallion, a 4-year-old Paint, has been quarantined since January 16, when state animal health authorities learned he had been at a Wisconsin artificial insemination center at the same time as another infected stallion from Outagamie County.

The Paint was one of 18 stallions quarantined because they had been exposed to that earlier reported CEM-positive stallion in Outagamie County. All are located in Wisconsin. In addition, 29 exposed mares are quarantined in Wisconsin because they have been exposed to CEM-positive stallions.

State and federal animal health personnel will examine the newly identified stallion's breeding records and movement history to trace what mares may have been exposed via natural breeding or artificial insemination, and what stallions may have been exposed via shared artificial insemination equipment.

Nationwide, the CEM investigation now involves at least 383 horses in 42 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The outbreak began in mid-December, when a Quarter horse stallion on a Kentucky farm tested positive during routine testing for international semen shipment.

CEM is a contagious bacterial infection that passes between mares and stallions during mating. It can also be transmitted on contaminated insemination equipment. Stallions do not suffer any symptoms, but the infection causes inflammation in the mare's uterine lining. This may prevent pregnancy or cause the mare to abort if she becomes pregnant. The disease is treatable with disinfectants and antibiotics.

CEM is considered a foreign animal disease in the United States. It was first discovered in Europe in 1977, and has appeared in the United States only twice outside quarantine stations where stallions are required to be tested and treated before being released into the country. In 1979, there was an outbreak. In 2006, three Lipizzaner stallions imported into Wisconsin from Eastern Europe tested positive after their arrival, but before they had been used for breeding.

More information about CEM is available on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.

CEM ALERT: Three Stallions in Indiana Test Positive for Contagious Equine Metritis

Testing results announced today confirmed that three Northern Indiana stallions are positive for contagious equine metritis (CEM). The stallions were tested as a result of being exposed to a positive Quarter horse stallion while they were kept at a breeding facility in Kentucky.

Alerts have spread to 20 states and Canada as a result of semen from the infected Kentucky stallions being shipped to mare owners for artificial insemination. The Indiana announcement is the first to confirm positive test results for CEM outside of Kentucky and will undoubtedly lead to the investigation of horses they have been with and mares who have been either bred to them or received their semen by AI.

Contagious equine metritis is a transmissible, exotic venereal disease in horses. It usually results in infertility in mares and, on rare occasions, can cause mares to spontaneously abort. Infected stallions exhibit no clinical signs but can carry the CEM bacteria for years. CEM is commonly transmitted during sexual intercourse, but also may be transmitted indirectly through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or objects.

Testing on the remaining horses that were housed at the Kentucky facility continues as an ongoing investigation. Concerned Indiana horse owners should monitor the state animal health website: www.in.gov/boah.

The first cases of CEM in the United States were diagnosed in central Kentucky in 1978. Another outbreak occurred in Missouri in 1979.

CEM Investigation Expands to 20 States: Virginia Horse Farms Quarantined

(State of Virginia news alert)

Dr. Richard L. Wilkes, State Veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), today placed full or partial quarantines on farms in Floyd and Goochland counties. Mares at these farms have had contact with a stallion in Kentucky that tested positive for Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM).

State animal health officials are trying to verify the location of one other Virginia mare that may have been exposed to the same stallion.

Since the CEM positive stallion was identified in Kentucky last week, animal health officials have identified 20 other states that may have mares that have been exposed to infective semen.

“We don’t know yet if the Virginia mares are infected,” said Wilkes, “but since CEM is not normally found in the US., we have placed the two farms under quarantine to protect other horses while we test the individual mares.”

CEM is a highly contagious venereal disease, which usually results in temporary infertility. Its effects are restricted to the reproductive tract of the mare. Transmission is usually due to sexual contact or artificial insemination but can occur by other types of contact. The disease is diagnosed using special bacterial culturing techniques and has a 100 percent success rate for treatment.

In severe cases, symptoms include an obvious discharge from the vagina. In other cases, mares may be infected with less obvious symptoms or no symptoms at all. Infected mares may fail to become pregnant after breeding or rarely, may abort their foals. Infected stallions usually do not show any symptoms.

The State Veterinarian has quarantined the farms to prevent spread of the disease while exposed mares are evaluated. On farms with isolation capability, only that isolated area is quarantined. Farms that cannot isolate the individual mare are under full quarantine, which restricts movement of any horses on or off the grounds.

For more information on the Virginia suspect cases, click here.

For more information on CEM, click here.

Scroll down to read more posts on this blog containing information from the state of Kentucky, where the infected stallions have been breeding.

Horse Health Emergency in Kentucky: "Bring in the Feds!" State Officials Say, As Labs ID Two More CEM-Infected Stallions

Here's an update from Kentucky, where two more stallions have been found to be infected with Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), an equine venereal disease that does not affect stallions, who are carriers, but can cause abortion and long-term fertility problems in mares.

Via press release on December 18:

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer has asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer to move quickly to declare a state of agricultural emergency and commit federal funds in connection with an outbreak of contagious equine metritis in central Kentucky.

The request is a proactive measure to ensure that sufficient resources are available to manage the disease outbreak, Commissioner Farmer said.

“It is important for the people of Kentucky to understand that this could be a serious situation in our signature equine industry,” Commissioner Farmer said. “The state is working with federal authorities to contain the outbreak and determine its source.”

Kentucky’s horse industry has a total estimated economic impact of approximately $5 billion a year. The horse industry generates an estimated 80,000-100,000 jobs, and another 14,000 jobs come from tourism businesses related to the horse industry. Kentucky farm cash receipts for equine, including stud fees, are estimated at $1 billion annually.

Two more stallions have tested positive for contagious equine metritis, making a total of three from a single central Kentucky farm. The stallions added to the list are a 13-year-old quarter horse and a 4-year-old registered with the American Paint Horse Association. A 16-year-old quarter horse tested positive on Dec. 10, and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the result on Dec. 15. The affected stallions and all exposed horses on the farm have been quarantined.

Testing was performed by the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in Lexington. “The expertise available at LDDC greatly enhances our ability to respond both quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks,” State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout said.

Commissioner Farmer is closely monitoring the investigation and has informed Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear of the progress of the investigation. The Governor has assured Commissioner Farmer that he understands the seriousness of the situation and has pledged to work with the Commissioner to address the matter.

“The state is acting aggressively to contain and mitigate this disease,” Commissioner Farmer said. “Our interstate and international trading partners can be confident that Kentucky will employ all necessary resources to deal with this situation.”

Contagious equine metritis is a transmissible, exotic venereal disease in horses. It usually results in infertility in mares and, on rare occasions, can cause mares to spontaneously abort. Infected stallions exhibit no clinical signs but can carry the CEM bacteria for years. CEM is commonly transmitted during sexual intercourse but also may be transmitted indirectly through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or objects. CEM can be treated with disinfectants and antibiotics.

There is no evidence that CEM affects people

CEM in a Kentucky Stallion; Quarantine Begins

The following press release is from the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Anyone working with horses in the state should be aware of this situation as it may affect how the horse business is conducted and might stop horses from being shipped inot and out of the state of Kentucky. With breeding season upon us, this is NEWS....and not good news.

An important point in this article that is not clearly stated in the press release is that stallions generally show no signs of being infected with CEM. The danger is the effect that the disease has on the mares bred to an infected stallion, and the ongoing transmission of the disease.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — State and federal agriculture officials are investigating a case of contagious equine metritis (CEM) in a quarter horse in central Kentucky.

The 16-year-old stallion tested positive for CEM during routine testing on Dec. 10. The test was performed by the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center as a preliminary step to shipping frozen semen to the European Union. Samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, which confirmed the diagnosis on Monday.

The index horse and all exposed horses are under quarantine and undergoing testing protocols. The index horse is being treated, and exposed horses have been tested to see if they are infected.

The index horse was moved to Kentucky in February from Texas, where he had been located for his entire breeding career. All breeding was done artificially with no history of natural service.

During the 2008 breeding season, 22 stallions from various states were bred on the farm. Thirteen of the stallions were relocated to other states, and one was relocated to another facility in Kentucky. The index stallion was bred to 44 mares both on the farm and by shipped semen.

Contagious equine metritis is a transmissible, exotic venereal disease in horses. It usually results in infertility in mares and, on rare occasions, can cause mares to spontaneously abort. Infected stallions exhibit no clinical signs but can carry the CEM bacteria for years. CEM is commonly transmitted during sexual intercourse but also may be transmitted indirectly through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or objects.

There is no evidence that CEM affects people.

CEM can be treated with disinfectants and antibiotics. CEM-positive mares and mares from CEM-positive counties in Kentucky are required by state regulations to go through a treatment protocol and remain in quarantine for no less than 21 days. Stallions in Kentucky that have CEM or come from a CEM-positive country also are required to remain quarantined until a treatment protocol is completed and they test negative for the disease.

The first cases of CEM in the United States were diagnosed in central Kentucky in 1978. Another outbreak occurred in Missouri in 1979. The disease was eradicated rapidly in both outbreaks.

TO LEARN MORE: This blog covered CEM in detail in 2007 when stallions at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria tested positive for CEM. What is missing from the Kentucky press release is where the other horses are who came into contact with this stallion. Finding them will not be easy, but it is certainly important.

The United States has very strict restrictions against the import of horses from CEM-positive countries, and a very complex testing regimen is required to ascertain that a stallion is negative before it can be imported.

Identifying CEM in the USA, a country believed to be free of the disease, could have far-reaching effects, including stopping the export of horses from the US to some other countries, or even the interstate transport of horses into and out of Kentucky on the cusp of the Thoroughbred breeding season.

In the bigger picture, consider this: in the past six weeks, two very serious equine diseases believed to have been eradicated from US soil--piroplasmosis and CEM--have shown up in our horses, bringing us back to square one in prevention and endangering the livelihood of horse owners, trainers, breeders, and competitors. If Americans don't know much about CEM, it is because they weren't around back in 1978 when it stopped the Thoroughbred industry in its tracks. Thirty years later, reading the history of that year--ironically the last year a horse won the Triple Crown--will send a chill down your spine.

Here are some links to past stories:

CEM: Equine Reproductive Nightmare (2007) This blog post describes the disease and why it is taken so seriously.

When Bad Things Happen to Nice Horses: Equine Venereal Disease at Austria's Spanish Riding School (2007)

Good News from Vienna: Spanish Riding School Stables Are Open Again (2007)

USDA Ease of Import Restrictions Against CEM-Infected Countries (June 2008)