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DIARY OF AN EHV-1 SURVIVOR

Twenty-year-old Radar "just wasn't looking right" when he came in from the pasture on April 6, recalls his owner, Bill McCarthy, PhD. "When I picked his feet up to pick them out, he would just fall into me," said McCarthy. "The next day the state came out and diagnosed him with the virus (equine herpesvirus type one, or EHV-1)." MORE...

VESICULAR STOMATITIS OUTBREAK CONTINUES

Vesicular Stomatitis in Delta County, Colorado
Colorado has become the fifth state in the country to have a confirmed case of vesicular stomatitis virus this year. A six-year-old horse in Delta County tested positive for the disease, and the premise has been placed under quarantine. MORE...

Kentucky Officials Extend VS Embargo
According to a July 12 memo from Kentucky State Veterinarian Robert Stout, DVM, officials have extended Kentucky's vesicular stomatitis (VS) embargo to include Sandoval and Santa Fe Counties in New Mexico, and San Juan and Uintah Counties in Utah. MORE...

FANS HONOR SLAIN SADDLEBRED

A crowd of about 300 people overflowed the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions pavilion Sunday, July 10, in Lexington to honor Saddlebred champion Wild-Eyed & Wicked following his re-burial at the park (following exhumation from another site for forensic testing). Wicked was one of three Saddlebreds that perished in July 2003 after malicious injections in their left front pasterns left them too debilitated to survive (two horses recovered). MORE...

HURRICANE DENNIS AND FLORIDA

On Friday, July 9, Florida officials suspended the intrastate and interstate requirements for animal movement to help livestock owners evacuate quickly because of the approaching Hurricane Dennis. The hurricane made landfall in Florida on June 10. MORE...

WNV CONFIRMED IN TWO OKLAHOMA HORSES

The Oklahoma State Department of Health confirmed on July 7 that two horses in the southwest region of the state had tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). The horses resided in Comanche and Washita counties. MORE...

STRANGLES IDENTIFIED IN HORSE AT ELLIS PARK

A 4-year-old filly stabled at Ellis Park in Henderson County, Kentucky, has been diagnosed with strangles. Rusty Ford, equine programs manager for the office of the state veterinarian, said the filly presented June 30 with an elevated body temperature and has since been removed from the grounds and taken to a private quarantine facility near Lexington. MORE...

FARRIER LICENSING CONTROVERSY CONTINUES

Official BWFA Announcement on Farrier Licensing and Regulation
Concerning proposed farrier licensing, regulating horseshoeing schools in the United States and the proposals made by American Farrier's Association (AFA) task forces and their committees the Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association (BWFA) Board of Directors does not support farrier licensing; does not want to regulate horseshoeing schools in the United States; and will not recognize small self appointed committees. MORE...

AFA Names New Task Force
AFA President Craig Trnka, CJF has recently announced the appointment of a new task force to survey the farrier schools in North America. The mission of the Farrier Schools Survey Task Force will be to survey all farrier schools in North America to document the quality of instruction, the qualifications of instructors, the curriculum, physical facilities, cost of tuition, admission requirements, student success/retention rates, and other related information. MORE...

SURGERY TREATS HOCK ARTHRITIS

Roger Smith, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, Dipl. ECVS, MRCVS, professor of equine orthopedics in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Science at the Royal Veterinary College, published research in the March 2005 Equine Veterinary Journal supporting arthrodesis, or fusion of the hock with two or more screws to treat talocalcaneal osteoarthritis. MORE...

AAEP ASK THE VET: HOW TO IMPROVE STALLION FERTILITY?

Q. I have a young (4-year-old) Dutch warmblood stallion with some fertility issues. However, he has had good fertility and a good sperm cell count. He has low motility, some poor morphology, and some dead and immature sperm cells. The longevity of his semen is good.

We want to ship the best-quality semen we can achieve. We have tried different extenders and collecting him into extender (which makes counting sperm cells inaccurate) without improving the quality. Is there anything we can do to improve motility?

A. Click here for the answer.

Sponsored by The Merck Veterinary Manual Ninth Edition.

POLL: NUTRITIONISTS

The Horse wants to know--Have you ever worked with an equine nutritionist to help formulate your horse's ration? Vote here.

Results of Last Week's Poll What types of measures have you taken to prevent West Nile virus in your horse? Vaccinated my horses: 91.90% (499) Reduced standing water on my property: 60.41% (328) Used insecticide: 50.09% (272) Trimmed weeds: 46.22% (251) Gotten rid of anything that collects water: 38.49% (209) Stocked ponds or water sources with larvae-eating fish: 15.65% (85) Outfitted my horse with mosquito-proof clothing: 12.34% (67) Modified turnout schedule: 12.34% (67) Other: 6.26% (34) Nothing: 1.10% (6) Total votes: 543 Other ways readers' reduced mosquito populations on their property was to use a mosquito magnet (a propane-powered mosquito trap), installed bug misters in barns, and encouraged bats and birds to live on the farm and eat the mosquitos.

AAEP HEALTH LINK: XERORADIOGRAPHY

Xeroradiography is a costly type of X ray procedure using specially sensitized screens that give higher resolution on the edges of bone and better visualization of soft tissue structures. Click here to learn more horse health terminology.

LOOKING FOR FARRIERS?

Looking for farriers? Visit The Horse Source and use the pulldown menu at the top of the page to scroll to the "Farriers" category.

Buy a copy of The Horse Source at Exclusively Equine!

BOOK EXCERPT: VACCINATION SIDE EFFECTS

Vaccination may be associated with a limited number of adverse effects. Muscle swelling, stiffness, mild fever, anorexia, and lethargy are all potential side effects. Systemic signs of malaise may be seen more commonly with the administration of intramuscular preparations of inactivated influenza virus vaccine than with others. MORE...

MATCHMAKING: ADOPTABLE HORSE

Patriot is an Arabian gelding that can be ridden English or Western. For more information about Patriot or others at Diamonds in the Rough in Angles Camp, Calif., visit http://holdyourhorsesca.tripod.com/diamondsintheroughhorserescue/id1.html or e-mail [email protected].

Are you a registered not-for-profit organization with an adoptable horse? Send a photo, description of the horse, and your web site URL here to have your horse listed.