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.

New Year's Resolution: Update Your Disaster Plan for Pets and Horses (and Yourself); Watch AVMA Video Tips

I hope that Mother Nature's resolution for the new year is to have a quiet, peaceful year without hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards, ice storms, tidal waves, earthquakes or wildfires but just in case, take a few minutes to watch this helpful new video featuring Dr. Heather Case, Coordinator for Emergency Preparedness with the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Case reviews common sense steps to take to have your pets and horses ready to evacuate in the event of a disaster. There are sure to be specific aspects for your geographic area or the type of pets you own but the dawn of a new year is a great time to go over your basic plans and inventory your contacts and supplies.

Don't forget your own health, as well as your pets. The first of the year is a great time to take 15 minutes (that's all it takes, honest) to fill out a Google Health Profile. This profile lives online and can contain just simple information like your doctors and family contacts in the event of an emergency, or you can list allergies, or vaccinations, or medications and dosages. If you are away from home and become ill or injured, this data could be of supreme value to hospitals providing your care. This is a no-brainer for trail/endurance riders and eventers, but valid for anyone working around horses.

What will those clever people at Google think of next? My Blue Cross Blue Shield newsletter recently advised me to set up a Google Health Profile, so this system is widely recognized for its value. You can fill in as much or as little information as you wish.

Another new year's task that will start your year on the right hoof is to book your routine health appointments now: your annual physical, your dental xrays and cleaning, eye exam, your mammogram and gyn exam (if you're a woman), and (especially) those Big Tests like bone density and colonoscopy, if you are due to need one. Don't put off your routine health until the middle of riding and travel seasons, get those appointments onto your calendar now! You'll also be able to book your best time of the day if you have a few months to spare.

Check on your tetanus booster status; anyone working outdoors or around animals needs to stay up to date on that one! I think a skin cancer screening is a good investment, too.

And, while you're at it, go shovel out that horse trailer, if you live in a snowy zone, and make sure that you can open all the ramps and doors. No, you can't run away from an ice storm or blizzard, but if you have a sick or injured horse that needs to get to the hospital this winter, your trailer must be ready to roll! (Check the tire pressure, too!)

Taking care of things sooner instead of later will give you more time to enjoy with your animals, and who doesn't want that? Your animals need to have their plans in order, and if something goes wrong, they need you to be healthy and able to care for them!

Careers in Equine Health: What's the Best Vet School? How Do You Get Advice on Colleges?

This is the time of year when students are thinking very hard about the next steps in their education. High school and college students who are hoping to find a rewarding career in veterinary medicine need to do a lot of research to pick between the programs (equine science or equine studies?) (is an associate's degree a good way to get started?) (pre-vet or bio major?) and, especially, to zero in on the vet school of their choice, if they want to pursue a DVM degree.

Choosing any career with animals does not begin with blindly signing up for a few courses at your local community college. You need a plan. Before taking any course at any school, a prospective student needs the help of a professional career adviser to avoid wasting time and money--and risking great disappointment when you apply for a job or further study.

With all the talk about careers in the horse industry, and all the schools that offer programs, there is very little talk about how to find a professional adviser who can sift through the available choices with a student to find the best investment of time and money. I hope that someone will leave a comment on this post and let us know that there is a national network of equine career advisers and how to access the services of its members.

More and more, vet school classes in the USA are divided between bright young straight-from-undergrad students who have a lock on study skills and back-to-school older students who are perhaps techs or from other fields who finally have the finances or the time or the motivation to finish their education.

The older students may be wiser about the real world out there and, if they have been working in the field, the reality of their chosen profession. Bu they also may have children at home, need to work while in school, or find that their study skills are a bit rusty compared to the ultra-sharp 22 year olds who are their lab partners.

It's great that the two types of students can learn from each other, and that vet school classes are so much more diverse than ever before.

US News and World Report kindly ranks graduate schools for every degree. I have yet to find a ranking of vet tech programs (I hope there is one; please post a link or resource!) but I know of several books that can be helpful.

A good place to start is with the book Horse Schools by Angelia Almos. It lists everything from farrier schools or masters' programs and contains all sorts of contact and "drill deeper" information.

Prospective students should watch for career days at colleges and universities and for programs like open houses at vet clinics and hospitals. When the top vets and techs have a day off from surgery and procedures, they can take the time to really talk to you, and that's exactly why those open days are held.

In case you are wondering, here's the 2007 ranking of vet schools by US News and World Report:

1. Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine
2. (tie) Colorado State University and the University of California-Davis
4. University of Pennsylvania
5. (tie) North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, Texas A&M University-College Station and the University of Wisconsin-Madison
9. Michigan State University
10. University of Minnesota.

Before you panic that your chosen university or alma mater didn't make the list, please note that this ranking is for the entire vet school, covering all species. Schools have great disparity when it comes to equine services and the expertise connected to it. We all know that some schools are very strong in dairy and swine, or cats and dogs, and you only have to read the posts in this blog to know which ones are leading the way with research and surgical/treatment advances in equine veterinary medicine.

There is no such thing as a "bad" vet school, since all undergo very careful scrutiny in order to be accredited. If a school loses its accreditation or is on probation, prospective students should be aware of that, and a professional career adviser should know those facts.

A great resource for anyone considering applying to vet school is to study the information on the web site of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). Learn the lingo. Learn the names. Memorize the dates and deadlines.

Always aim for the best possible program you can afford, and look into financial aid, work-study and scholarship opportunities that may be available. You can live your dream, as long as you know the process and what to expect. Go for it!

What's Killing England's Fell Ponies? Charity Funding for Research Intends to Find Out

Fell ponies look like miniature Freisian horses, but look again: this is a unique breed with a long and glorious history. With long feathers and arched necks, they make the loveliest children's ponies, and the sight of them wandering their native Cumbrian countryside is the stuff that wild horse legends are made of.

But their numbers have dropped since World War II, and the gene pool has shrunken to a bottlenecked puddle. Can this breed be saved? The Horse Trust, a UK charity, has given a donation of more than US$200,000 to the Animal Health Trust, a research center known for its work on strangles and orthopedic problems in horses, and the University of Liverpool. The charity has charged them with the task of finding out how to stop Fells Pony Syndrome (FPS).

FPS is a severe immune system disorder that results in the death of some of the newborn foals, further shrinking the breeding stock available to help the breed survive. The breed is listed as "at risk" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Foals affected with FPS appear normal at birth but within a few weeks begin to lose condition and suffer diarrhea, coughing and weight loss. Severe anemia and immune dysfunction follows, leading to wasting and finally death. The disease is always fatal.

Studbook analysis and knowledge of affected foals strongly suggests that this is an inherited disease caused by an autosomal recessive genetic mutation. The problem may trace to a single stallion who was a dominant force in the breed. A DNA-based test for this mutation would enable carriers of FPS to be identified and the conception of affected foals prevented.

As well as identifying carriers in the Fell pony population, the project will be used to identify any carriers in other breeds which have been involved in the extensive outbreeding of Fell ponies over the years.

“Breeders are supportive of our attempt to develop a diagnostic test which will help to prevent carrier-carrier matings, one in four of which results in an affected foal,” says project leader Dr June Swinburne, senior post-doctoral equine molecular geneticist at the Animal Health Trust Centre for Preventive Medicine. “Foals affected by the condition inherit an incurable genetic defect which results in severe wasting and a profound anaemia together with multiple infections. Veterinary intervention is in vain and once the condition is diagnosed foals are often euthanized. The gradual but relentless decline in these foals leaves both veterinary surgeons and breeders powerless."

According to the Horse Trust, FPS at the moment is restricted to the Fell pony population but could spread to other breeds at any time. Indeed it may be possible that carriers of the condition already exist in other breeds which have interbred with the Fell pony over many years.

Another rare breed, the Dales pony, and other native British breeds will be randomly tested to detect any further penetration of the defect into the equine population.

To learn more: The Horse Trust has one of the best horse charity web sites anywhere on the web. This remarkably generous and insightful organization funds research and welfare projects that benefit horses all over the world, not just in Britain. The Horse Trust was formerly known as the Home of Rest for Horses and has a long tradition of recognizing the welfare and health needs of horses.

The Fell Pony Society is trying to cope with the devastation of their breeding stock and preserve this lovely breed of pony, which dates all the way to the Roman occupation of Britain.

Photo from the Fell Pony Society.

Thoroughbred Filly Dies of Rabies Despite Vaccination

The rabies virus as seen through the microscope. (University of South Carolina photo)

From the Animal Health Lab at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada comes this sobering report:

Recently in Ontario, Canada, a 15-month-old Thoroughbred filly was suspected of suffering the muscle disorder commonly known as "tied up" just one hour after appearing normal and being brought into the barn. Over the next 42 hours the horse's condition worsened drastically until she was unable to stand.

The horse was euthanized and her remains were sent to the Animal Health Laboratory (AHL) at the University of Guelph for necropsy.

Testing of spinal cord samples showed that the horse was infected with rabies virus, and specifically the Arctic fox strain. This type of infection was very widespread in foxes in the second half of the 20th century, but is now seen mostly in skunks in restricted parts of Ontario.

It is important to note that this horse had been vaccinated with a killed 3-year vaccine product at 4 and 5 months of age. Newer DNA vaccines that are now used in horses for West Nile disease, and have been studied for use in equine rabies, may hold promise for better protection in the near future.

Efforts by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources have greatly reduced rabies in Ontario to the point where in 2007 there were only 106 confirmed cases of rabies in Ontario (with no horses affected). This case illustrates the need to consider rabies as a rule-out in any horse showing neurologic signs, regardless of vaccination status.