Equine

National Report - The nation's last three horse-slaughter plants have been shuttered since 2007, but new ones may start to open around the country in coming months.

Elmont, N.Y. - Ruffian was considered by many to be the finest Thoroughbred filly in racing history. It is on the site of her burial that the Ruffian Equine Medical Center opened this year.

National Report -- Investigators continue to look for the source of an outbreak that has spread to 48 states.

Furosemide decreases bleeding in racehorses, according to a new study released from the University of Pretoria, Colorado State University (CSU) and the University of Melbourne.

Baton Rouge, La. -- Environmental contaminants at racetracks could possibly skew the results of drug tests in racehorses, according to a researcher at Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine.

Austin, Texas -- What is reported to be the nation's first case of vesicular stomatitis (VS) for 2009 was detected in a horse in Starr County, one of Texas' southernmost counties.

Horse owners open to reopening of U.S. processing plants, according to survey.

Three new courses are available on The Ohio State University's Web site.

Lakewood, Colo. -- The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) released a 12-page consensus statement on equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) as a guide to veterinarians in managing the disease.

Its unwanted horse conference leads to a plan for scientific fact-gathering on the subject.

Lexington, Ky. -- The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) is offering incentives for stallion castration in an effort to address the neglected horse issue in the state.

Elmont, N.Y. -- Mine That Bird, this year's Kentucky Derby winner co-owned by a veterinarian, finished third in Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes, the final race in the 2009 Triple Crown.

Washington -- The American Horse Council (AHC) is putting together what it believes will be "the most inclusive presentation on safety and welfare ever assembled" June 16 at its annual National Issues Forum, focusing on "Welfare of the Horse."

Lexington, Ky. -- A racetrack veterinarian recently suspended for five years for medication violations, including possession of cobra venom, filed suit against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to have the suspension overturned, claiming that it was "not supported by substantial evidence, is arbitrary and/or an abuse of discretion."

Industrywide campaign continues to donate vaccines, other medicine to needy animals.

Louisville, Ky. -- A burglar stole the registration papers for Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird from his trainer's truck overnight Tuesday, but officials at Churchill Downs replaced them by afternoon, ensuring that the horse can compete in Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes.

Montana now allows horse-processing plants to be built within its borders, and a handful of other states soon may do likewise.

Wellington, Fla. - The death of 21 polo horses just prior to the start of the U.S. Open Polo match in April continues to unleash a flurry of questions without answers.

Current risk in U.S. is low, but pathways are present, expert says.

Veterinarian's horse beats 50-1 odds to win this year's Kentucky Derby - then nearly repeats the performance at the Preakness.

Blacksburg, Va. -- Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center is eliminating a handful of positions as a result of economic woes.

A law passed last fall that made it a felony for a non-veterinarian to practice equine dentistry has essentially been overturned.

Davis, Calif. -- This week the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine opened its new stem-cell therapy laboratory.

Roseland, N.J. -- A veterinary program launched four months ago to provide vaccines for unwanted horses through equine rescue and retirement facilities so far has helped more than 1,400 horses nationwide, organizers report.

A new study has cemented the fact that obese horses are more likely to die from laminitis.

Lexington, Ky. -- The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) this week upheld the five-year suspension of a track veterinarian accused of possessing banned medications, including cobra venom.

The House of Representatives is considering a bill to ban transporting horses in double-deck trailers.

Stillwater, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Science's Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has partnered with a sports flooring company to develop a new flooring type for horses.

National Report -- The latest update on the nationwide outbreak of contagious equine metritis (CEM) that began about five months ago shows 18 stallions in six states and five mares in three states so far confirmed CEM-positive by the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

Plum Island, N.Y. -- The risk of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) and bluetongue virus (BT) entering the United States is considered low, but the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is rewriting the nation's emergency response plans, saying pathways do exist for them to enter the country.