Exercise, Nutritional Supplement's Effects on Inflammation

Exercise, Nutritional Supplement's Effects on Inflammation: Researchers are closer to helping owners and trainers identify if a horse is at risk for soft tissue injury. A blood test could reveal inflammatory mediators indicating the animal has sustained tissue damage and could be vulnerable to further harm.

What to Consider Before Tooth Removal in Horses (AAEP 2012)

What to Consider Before Tooth Removal in Horses (AAEP 2012): The goal of equine dentistry is to preserve teeth whenever possible, but sometimes a broken or rotten tooth has to go before it causes more problems. Before extracting a tooth, owners and veterinarians must consider a number of important factors.

When to Help a Mare during Foaling

When to Help a Mare during Foaling: Reporductive specialist Dr. Pat McCue of Colorado State University describes instances when a mare needs help during labor.

Trailering Tip: Keep Emergency Lists in Your Trailer

Trailering Tip: Keep Emergency Lists in Your Trailer:

Want to keep your horses safe if an emergency happens? Often we do what we can to prevent accidents, but we fail to make sure things are in place if an accident happens.

Emergency personnel may not know how to handle your horses. If something were to happen to you, such as hospitalization, injury, or death, it is important to make sure there is some way to let Emergency Personnel know what to do with your horses.

We recommend an emergency numbers list, as well as any other important emergency information. Put a list of emergency numbers in an easy to see location on or in your trailer giving consultation sources to help emergency personnel manage your horses. They won’t be looking for it, so make sure it is somewhere easy to see such as right on the door/window, or right inside the door.

This list should include veterinary contact information for horse injuries, as well as personal contacts who can assist in advising what should be done to or with your horses. If there are other areas of concern such as horse injuries, sicknesses, or medications, it would also be valuable to share this information on this list.

Remember, most emergency personnel may not have any experience with horses, and therefore it is important to advise them as to what they should do and make it easy for them to care for your horses the best they can.



The TowPal Trailer Safety Communication system is available to Kentucky Horse Council members at a discounted price.  For more information, visit www.kentuckyhorse.org/all-about-towpal/

14-Mar-13 1:00 PM

Trailering Tips: Brake Controllers - Are You Using the Right One?

Trailering Tips: Brake Controllers - Are You Using the Right One?:

Brake controllers are incredible inventions- they permit us to safely brake our trailers to shorten total braking distance drastically. They allow us to backup without locking brakes like surge breaks do, and they are able to adjust to a variety of terrains.

Brake controller technology has changed drastically in recent years however, and many people find themselves treating all brake controllers the same.

There are 3 main types of brake controllers, Proportional Integrated, Proportional pendulum, and Time Delayed brake controllers.

Time delayed controllers are the traditional brake controller style. They provide power preset by the driver when the brakes are pressed, and over time it increases the braking power. Today, these are only recommended for light duty trailering.

Proportional pendulum brake controllers sense motion and adjust braking dependent on how fast the tow vehicle is stopping. Allowing for smooth comfortable stopping as well as strong stopping power when necessary, these are much more effective for most towing needs than time delayed controllers, and are recommended for horse trailers when a non-oem brake controller is being purchased.

Proportional Integrated trailer controllers are the new kids on the block, and are often the most effective. Typically only offered as OEM equipment, Proportional Integrated Controllers integrate directly with the computers in your vehicle to adjust braking dependent on stopping rate, brake pedal pressure, speed, and other factors depending on your vehicle model. Often, these include integrated displays built into the dash or HUD display, allowing you to keep your eyes on the road, and even offer advanced safety features such as electronic trailer sway control.

Be sure to look at the specific details from the manufacturer however, as they can have a wide variety of features you may not anticipate. Some vehicles for example fail to brake the trailer when at a stop, or adjust stopping power largely based on speed or load. It is important to know the unique aspects of these special features so you understand how your trailer will react at all times.

This Trailering Tip Brought to You by TowPal:

The TowPal Trailer Safety Communication system is available to Kentucky Horse Council members at a discounted price.  For more information, visit www.kentuckyhorse.org/all-about-towpal/

22-Mar-13 9:00 AM

Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test and Surface Antigen ELISAs for Antemortem Diagnosis of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis

This study was comparing two of the most recent tests for EPM. The conclusion was that the newest test is 97% accurate in identifying disease and lack of disease when run on CSF and blood. The high accuracy for identifying infected horses and not exposed horses is a important step forward in identifying and treating EPM.

Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test and Surface Antigen ELISAs for Antemortem Diagnosis of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis:

Background

Recent research suggests that serum : CSF titer ratios could provide the most accurate antemortem diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) caused by Sarcocystis neurona.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of two commercially available tests, the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and the surface antigen 2, 4/3 ELISA (SAG2, 4/3 ELISA), using archived paired serum and CSF samples.

Animals

Samples were obtained from 4 types of clinical patients. Confirmed positive cases (n = 9 horses; 11 sample sets) had neurologic deficits and postmortem lesions consistent with EPM. Confirmed negative cases (n = 28) had variable clinical signs and postmortem lesions consistent with another disease. Suspected positive cases (n = 6) had neurologic deficits consistent with EPM, marked improvement after treatment, and exclusion of other diseases. Suspected negative cases (n = 14) had variable signs with a strong presumptive diagnosis of another disease.

Methods

For each test, descriptive statistics were calculated using serum results alone, CSF results alone, and a serum : CSF titer ratio.

Results

Overall accuracy was highest for SAG2, 4/3 ELISA titer ratio at 0.97 (95% CI 0.88–0.99) with sensitivity = 0.88 (95% CI 0.66–0.97) and specificity = 1 (95% CI 0.92–1). IFAT CSF and titer ratio results also showed high accuracy at 0.88 (95% CI 0.77–0.94), but lower sensitivity = 0.65 (95% CI 0.41–0.83).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Using serum results alone was least accurate for both test types. The more accurate methods, such as the SAG2, 4/3 ELISA serum : CSF titer ratio, should be utilized.

Uterine bacterial isolates from mares and their resistance to antimicrobials: 8,296 cases (2003–2008)

This study looks at common bacteria infecting uterus. This creates a infertility situation and is one of the reasons BVEH recommends culturing open mares, or those that do not get pregnant.

Uterine bacterial isolates from mares and their resistance to antimicrobials: 8,296 cases (2003–2008): Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 242, Issue 7, Page 977-983, April 1, 2013.