Feb 21, 2012
Managing Severe Colic in the Field (AAEP 2011)
Horse Health
According to a recent poll on TheHorse.com, nearly 49% of respondents named colic as their most feared horse health emergency, and for a good reason. While some cases resolve without incident, others prove deadly. Colic surgery is an option for owners in some severe colic cases, but what if referral isn't possible?

David Freeman, MVB, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, professor and interim chair of Large Animal Surgery at the University of Florida, provided some insight on treating severe cases in the field during a presentation at the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Nov. 18-22 in San Antonio, Texas.
More info...

Jan 20, 2012
Inside the Broodmare’s Belly…
- Lactation demands a lot from a broodmare! Are you anxiously awaiting that first foal of the spring?
Are you anxiously awaiting that first foal of the spring? Do you have the foaling stall ready, the vet on speed dial, and the video camera on the battery charger? While you’ve been busy prepping, here are some of the amazing changes that have taken place (or are about to take place) in your mare:

6 Month Mark: During 2nd half of pregnancy, 60 – 65% of fetal growth occurs!
Energy requirements of the mare go up almost 30% over a normal maintenance horse – from 16.7 Mcal DE per day to 21.4 Mcal DE per day.
Her protein requirements will increase 32%, and vitamin and mineral requirements also increase significantly during this time.
The mare needs to be receiving adequate calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese and selenium to provide minerals for the development of the foal and to build the foals own trace mineral reserves. Trace minerals are also critical for immune support.
Adequate protein/amino acid intake is essential – lysine, methionine and threonine, the first 3 limiting essential amino acids, need to sufficient in the diet for placental and fetal development. More info...

Jan 17, 2012
The Latest Insights into Managing Joint Disease in Horses Read more: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19454#ixzz1jkGdrx41 Looking for new ways to manage joint disease in horses? According to one researcher, there's no need to throw the baby out with the bath water--a mix of traditional options with new therapeutic methods could be what's needed.

"Traditional corticosteroids remain a mainstay in the treatment of joint-related lameness in horses," relayed David Frisbie, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, from Colorado State University's Gail Holmes Equine Orthopaedic Research Center, at the 12th Congress of the World Equine Veterinary Association, held Nov. 2-6, 2011, in Hyderabad, India



Read more: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19454#ixzz1jkGiQlwn More info...

Jan 13, 2012
Nutrient Deficiencies in Horse Feed Diets
National Academy of Science.
Horses, like all animals, have a range of nutrient requirements to meet their daily needs. These are spelled out as minimum nutrient requirements in the Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th Edition, published by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Science.

If these minimum requirements are not met, the horse may experience deficiency symptoms. The severity of the deficiency symptoms may depend on the degree of the deficiency and the time period over which the deficiency exists.

A sub-clinicaldeficiency may be the result of a small deficiency over a period of time.
Subclinical deficiencies may also result in decreased immune response, decreased reproductive efficiency and decreased performance.
A clinical deficiency is present when there are readily observed or measured symptoms. More info...

Jan 12, 2012
What about your horse's health makes you worry? If your horse has problems breat...
Lung Sounds
Just as lung sounds can reveal a lot about our own health status, the noises your horse makes when he breathes can be quite telling. Horses with advanced respiratory distress emit rasps and wheezes audible to your unaided ear. To hear the more subtle sounds of brewing trouble, however, you'll need a stethoscope and a certain proficiency in using it. Practice often when your horse is healthy, so you will be able to recognize abnormal noises when they do occur. An inexpensive stethoscope designed for listening to adult lungs (available at most drugstores) is best for listening to your horse's lungs. More expensive canine or pediatric stethoscopes won't pick up the low-frequency sounds of normal equine respiration. More info...

Jan 10, 2012
How to Listen to Your Horse's Lungs
Horse Health


Just as lung sounds can reveal a lot about our own health status, the noises your horse makes when he breathes can be quite telling. Horses with advanced respiratory distress emit rasps and wheezes audible to your unaided ear. To hear the more subtle sounds of brewing trouble, however, you'll need a stethoscope and a certain proficiency in using it.

Practice often when your horse is healthy, so you will be able to recognize abnormal noises when they do occur. An inexpensive stethoscope designed for listening to adult lungs (available at most drugstores) is best for listening to your horse's lungs. More expensive canine or pediatric stethoscopes won't pick up the low-frequency sounds of normal equine respiration. | More info...

Jan 10, 2012
Does Equine Hoof Shape Have an Effect on Soundness?
Hoof Health
Could it be? A potential predisposing factor for lameness that can be seen with our very eyes? According to one British researcher, this dream could be a reality. A recent study revealed that certain hoof shapes and characteristics can be associated with chronic lameness, while others point to a sound horse.

"Despite being widely accepted that abnormal foot conformation may be associated with lameness, there is a paucity of evidence-based information concerning foot size and shape and lameness; the purpose of this study was to photographically document the foot shape and external hoof characteristics of lame and nonlame horses," said Sue Dyson, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FRCVS, head of Clinical Orthopaedics at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, England. Dyson presented her study at the 12th Congress of The World Equine Veterinary Association, held Nov. 2-6, 2011, in Hyderabad, India.



Read more: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19421#ixzz1j5ZuA5nq More info...

Jan 9, 2012
Winter Feeding Tip: Your Horse Also Needs Omega 3sI’m sure you’ve heard that you should have Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet–did you know your horse should, too?

According to equine nutritionist Dr. Juliet Getty, Omega 3 fatty acids keep your horse healthy in a variety of ways. They balance immune function, protect joints and ligaments, diminish airway inflammation, support gastrointestinal function, reduce skin allergies, and decrease nervousness.

Keep in mind that there are several fatty acids that can be classified as “omega 3” based on their chemical structure, but there is only one omega 3 fatty acid that your horse cannot produce on his own, and which, therefore, must be in his diet: Alpha Linolenic Acid (or ALA).

Given this, however, your horse can manufacture two other omega 3s, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). 

Fresh grass has ample omega 3s — four times more than omega 6s, which can promote inflammation. Hay, however, has virtually no omega 3s left. More info...

Jan 5, 2012
Horse owners urged to be ready for weather disasters
Prepare for all kinds of bad weather
Those reliant on electricity to pump water from a well should consider obtaining a backup generator to ensure their horses get enough water.

University of Kentucky faculty members Dr Roberta Dwyer, from the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, and Dr Melissa Newman, from the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, have provided a summary of disaster planning in the January issue of Equine Disease Quarterly.

The pair noted that in 2010, more than half of the United States, from Texas to Maine, was engulfed in a major winter storm. More info...

Dec 29, 2011
Support Strategies in Chronic Laminitis Cases
Horse Health
When a horse owner sits down with his or her veterinarian to look at a radiograph of a horse's laminitis-plagued foot, the last thing that owner wants to see is rotation of the coffin bone in the hoof capsule. Fortunately, in these cases farriers and veterinarians can try to minimize structural damage to the hoof by designing support systems that aim to improve circulation and stimulate hoof growth. At the 6th International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, held Oct. 28-31 in West Palm Beach, Fla., Scott Morrison, DVM, described his strategies for supporting and treating the feet of horses with low-grade, compensated (stable coffin bone) laminitis and uncompensated (unstable coffin bone) chronic laminitis.

"An effective support system for the compromised hoof involves identifying the areas of compromise and then designing a specific strategy that addresses all the needs of that foot," said Morrison, who heads Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital's podiatry unit, in Lexington, Ky.



Read more: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19310#ixzz1huzkSH3k More info...