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Friday, July 1, 2011

EHV-1 UPDATE

 
CALIFORNIA DECLARES
CONTAINMENT OF EQUINE
HERPES VIRUS (EHV-1)
OUTBREAK

SACRAMENTO, June 20, 2011 – The recent disease outbreak of the neuropathogenic strain of Equine Herpes Virus -1 (EHV-1) associated with the horses that attended the National Cutting Horse Associations Western National Championships in Ogden, UT is contained. Containment is based on the fact that California has gone more than 14 days from the last clinical case onset date without a confirmed clinical case of EHV-1.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

EHM & EHV -1 HEALTH ALERT UPDATE

Information received from AAEP on 6/3/11-Follow the link below and click on the state to read the current statistics and recommendations. This is especially helpful for those of you planning to participate in shows and competitions. However, it is best to check directly with the event directors before you travel to get the most updated information on requirements or changes.

http://www.aaep.org/state_updates.htm

Sunday, May 29, 2011

UC DAVIS EQUINE HERPES OUTBREAK SEMINAR

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
I have just returned from a trip to UC Davis after attending the “Equine Herpes Outbreak Seminar” on the evening of May 27, 2011. This was an excellent seminar which sponsored six of California’s leading veterinary minds on the topic of the recent Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) outbreak. This disease is also referred to as Equine Herpes Myeloenchephalopathy (EHM) when the herpes virus causes neurologic disease .  Speaker topics addressed the current status of EHV-1 in North America, the regulatory and reporting issues, diagnostic challenges, treatment in both the field and in hospital settings, isolation and biosecurity procedures for affected horses and the use of vaccination during an EHV-1 outbreak.
Since the majority of you have been carefully reading and following the details
about EHV-1 and the recent west coast outbreak, I will omit a review of EHV-1 basics. There were many details about this disease revealed last Friday night that represent a new understanding for me and so may be of interest to you. I will begin with a summary  of the details that have been well researched, and include a list of the observations and questions now being discussed and investigated. 

Thursday, May 19, 2011

EVH-1 UPDATE

5/19/11 Update from UC Davis


May 19, 2011  Equine Herpes in California  VMTH UC DAVIS UPDATE   

Two more horses in CA have tested positive for EHV-1.  They are both located in  Corning, California, and they have not been seen or admitted to the VMTH.  These  horses are cutting horses that have an exposure link to the National Cutting Horse  Association’s Western National Championships (NCHA) that was held at the Golden  Spike Event Center in Ogden, Utah from April 29th to May 8th.   

Recently, two horses were hospitalized in the VMTH Large Animal Clinic Isolation  Facility and they are gradually improving.  There are NO equine herpes cases in the  main clinic which is physically separated from the Isolation Facility. We have tested  all horses admitted to the clinic this past week and all of them have tested negative.  We will continue to monitor and test all horses admitted to the clinic to ensure  maximal biosecurity safety of our hospital. With these heightened biosecurity and  surveillance  measures  in  place to  protect  our  patients,  the  VMTH  equine  clinic  remains open for full patient receiving and emergency services.        

Suggested Guidelines for Minimizing Risk of Disease Transmission:  
1. Restrict movement of horses from the premises.  

EVH-1 UPDATE

5/19/11 Update from AAEP.
Also, follow the links below to listen to the informative radio interviews with Dr. Paul Lunn from Colorado State University. 
AAEP now has an updated web page for horse owners with a very informative FAQ targeted to horse owners located here.


Radio Interviews with Dr. Paul Lunn, Colorado State University
* National Association of Farm Broadcasters
* KCOL 600 AM






American Horse Council and AAEP work with USDA to Facilitate Coordination of
EHV-1 and EHM Case Reporting


Horses exposed to the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) based on attending an event held in Utah will now be monitored through a national case reporting system.  In addition, a guidance document was sent to State Animal Health Officials and Area Veterinarians in Charge (AVIC) in each state on Tuesday, May 17, 2011, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Service (VS).

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

EHV-1 UPDATE

The following is a communication from UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

May 16, 2011
Equine Herpes in California

Update:
During the past week in Colorado, there have been at least 2 confirmed cases of equine herpes-1 infection in horses that competed at the National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah. Other horses that competed in Ogden, Utah were transported to the Kern Country Cutting Horse Association show in Bakersfield, CA, and some of these horses became ill, with one horse being euthanized at the fairgrounds. One horse was transported from Bakersfield to the isolation facility at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Another horse that attended the Ogden show was also sent to UC Davis. Both of these horses have been confirmed as positive for EHV-1. In addition, as of today, at least 4 additional horses in various areas of Northern California have been confirmed as positive for EHV-1.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Long Toes in Horses: A Pain in the Butt?

 Interesting article from THE HORSE magazine featuring Richard A. Mansmann, VMD, PhD, hon. Dipl. ACVIM, professor emeritus at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine...

Your equine athlete's performance hasn't been blue ribbon-worthy as of late. Or maybe your broodmare's gaits are looking a little off kilter. Could long toes on the hind feet be to blame? According to the results of a recent study, the answer in some cases is yes and sometimes the solution can be very simple.
The Horse | Long Toes in Horses: A Pain in the Butt?

Thursday, April 28, 2011

PARASITES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FECAL TEST

photo by Allan Kasof
Wage War on Equine Parasites
Internal parasites are silent killers.  They can cause extensive internal damage, and you may not even realize your horses are heavily infected.  At the very least, parasites can lower resistance, rob the horse of valuable nutrients, and cause gastrointestinal irritation and unthriftiness.  At their worst, they can lead to colic, intestinal ruptures, and death.

Using deworming agents on a regular schedule in combination with good management procedures is critical to relieving your horse of most parasites.

DON'T SKIP THE PRE-PURCHASE EXAM

photo by Carrie Kitley, Ghost Dance Photography
Owning a horse can be a big investment in time, money and emotion.  Unfortunately, horses seldom come with a money-back guarantee.  That’s why it is so important to investigate the horse’s overall health and condition through a purchase exam conducted by an equine veterinarian.  Whether you want a horse as a family pet, a pleasure mount, a breeding animal, or a high performance athlete, you stand the best chance of getting one that meets your needs by investing in a purchase exam.

LEARN TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF LAMINITIS

Radiograph with EponaTech evaluation overlay

Every day veterinarians across the country see hundreds of cases of laminitis, a painful disease that affects the feet of horses.  Laminitis results from the disruption of blood flow to the sensitive and insensitive laminae within the foot, which secure the coffin bone to the hoof wall.  While the exact mechanisms by which the feet are damaged remain a mystery, certain precipitating events can produce laminitis.  Although laminitis occurs in the feet, the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse’s body.