Equine and Horse Blog February Archive

Equine Herpes Outbreak

By Alex at 02/27/08 17:41

There was recently an out break of Equine Herpesvirus at Churchill Downs. Two horses had to be put down and the rest have been quarantined. This is definately a scary virus. It actually has five different forms (EHV-1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.) Of these EHV-1 and EHV-4 are the most deadly.

It is actually pretty hard to distinguish beween the two. EHV-1 is a REPRODUCTIVE disease that has been known to cause respiratory and neurological disorders. EHV-4 is a RESPIRATORY disease that is known to cause abortions and neurological disease. So as you can see, they present similar effects. The worst thing about this disease is that once you horse has it they will ALWAYS have it. The good news is that it is treatable.

If caught early enough (symptoms are coughing, lung sounds, abortions in older pregnant mares, and mucous running from nose), your horse is likely to survive. Make sure to give your horse adequate rest and do NOT overwork them until they are completely better.

Also, make sure to clean your barn thoroughly so other horses are not infected. Burn the dirty hay and bedding and disinfect stable equiptment. Isolate horses that have been diagnosed or are showing symptoms as it is passed through close contact (Ex: mom and foal). Just be aware of the signs so you can catch it before it is too late!

Read more: Equine Herpes Outbreak [click]

Money talks in Australia - To get a flu shot for Equine Influenza..what does it take?

I read with great intensity many blogs from people in Australia on the topic of the EI outbreak and the subsequent virtual shut down of the horse industry. I was apalled to read accounts from normal people like me who could not obtain a vaccination for their horses because they were not in the racing industry or otherwise in the favored sectors.

It is just like everything else in this world it seems, money buys you everything whether it does you any good or not. The DPI was deciding the fate of people's horses there. They were changing the rules as they went. The people in the racing industry were having their horses get the flu shots and they were WITHIN the red zones, which meant their horses would certainly come down with the flu whether they got the shot or not.

Read more: Money talks in Australia - To get a flu shot for Equine Influenza..what does it take? [click]

MRSA rears its ugly head in the equine industry

MRSA isn't just for people any more. Staphylococcus aureus, many times just called staph is a cause of disease in both humans and animals. About one-third of all people in the world are colonized; or have this bacterium present on their bodies , primarily in the nose and skin.

There has been a recent increase in the number of cases seen of MRSA, which is an antibiotic resistant strain of this staph infection (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). This is currently one of the most discussed health issues facing us today.

Read more: MRSA rears its ugly head in the equine industry [click]

Groundbreaking news - Use of stem cells in surgery on horses proving to be effective

AQHA's World Champion Racer "Be A Bono" received stem cell surgery on his damaged knee. He had bone chips and also damage to the sac that holds the cushioning fluid in the knee joint itself.

Dr. Troy Ford, D.V.M. performed groundbreaking surgery on Be A Bono and used the horse's own body fat to glean his stem cells. The cells were then injected during surgery back into the horse's joint in a concentration more powerful than the body could provide normally. The stem cells regenerated the cartilage and damaged bone in the right knee of the sprinter.

In an interview during ABC's Nightline News, Be A Bono's trainer, Dan Franciso provided his views on the groundbreaking surgery and the use of stem cells. Remember, these stem cells were from the horse's OWN BODY.

After this surgery, Be A Bono went back to racing and has since earned 1.25 million dollars in prize money! Without the surgery, his career would have surely ended as a racehorse, even though it was not life threatening.

Vet-Stem's CEO and founder Robert Harman says that over 3,000 horses, many with joint problems, have been treated with stem cell surgery. Click here to view the clip on ABC News with Martin Bashir talking about Vet-Stem Regenerative Veterinary Medicine.

The stem cell surgery is now also being performed on pets such as dogs and cats with great success. They use the animal's own stem cells in treatments for ailments such as including hip displaysia. The animals are experiencing rapid results which gives hope to owners with beloved pets that previously had no such chance as this.

Horse and Equine Blog is now up and running

For everyone that is interested in the world of horses, this website is going to be really exciting. It will be a forum where people can ask questions about their equine friends, learn something new maybe every day, find a horse or sell a horse and even find great STUFF for your horse.

Take advantage of it. Ask your questions. Let's help each other learn things we don't know!