Equine

Chicago - The last remaining U.S. horse-slaughter for human consumption plant closed after a judge threw out a constitutionality argument against a state law banning the practice.

National Report - 7/27/07 - A progressive new equine respiratory ailment identified by researchers has limited treatment options and a poor prognosis for affected horses. With clinical signs similar to heaves, Equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF) is possibly linked to equine herpesvirus-5 -- a common disease thought to be non-pathogenic.

University Park, Penn. - 7/24/2007 - The Penn State Equine Identification Program, to be held over the next year, will assess the the impact of microchipping horses for identification and tracking for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

Horse injuries at the nation's racetracks might be reduced significantly if track veterinarians and officials had better informational tools in making pre-race assessments of horses and track conditions, experts say.

Hot weather requires an increase in water intake ... to compensate for sweat and respiratory losses.

Greensburg, Kan. - When warning sirens wailed just before 10 p.m. on Friday, May 4, residents of this oil, gas and farming town sought cover, bracing themselves for a storm. What they didn't know was that, while most of them would survive the F-5 category tornado, at least 11 people and almost their entire city would succumb to the power and brutality of 205-mph winds.

Leesburg, Va. - Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center resumed full operations, including inpatient and emergency care, after a quarantine of nearly six weeks, imposed by the Virginia State Veterinarian's Office, was lifted April 2.

The technology will help many patients, but will be of particular benefit to athletic horses.

There are no signs this Spring of widespread high populations of eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) – the insect linked to Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS) – but horse farms still should take precautionary measures, says Lee Townsend, PhD, entomologist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Washington, D.C. - The National Research Council is behind a project to assess current and future workforce needs in veterinary medicine and conclude with a report identifying industry options for continued success.

Blacksburg, Va. - While almost 400 Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) students attended classes and labs the morning of April 16, the start of a massacre was underway just 500 yards across campus.

Rockville , MD. - The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine posted its Cumulative Adverse Drug Experiences (ADE) Summaries Report, providing veterinarians and animal owners easy access to information about reactions and other signs that have been associated with drugs.

Columbus, Ohio - Dr. Stephen Reed, Bud and Marilyn Jenne Professor in Equine Clinical Sciences and Research, announced his retirement from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine after 25 years.

Richmond, Va.- State veterinary officials quarantined six farms in northern Virginia that could have come in contact with a horse infected with equine herpes virus-1 (EHV-1).

Dallas - More than 85 percent of horse owners have a dog.

Lexington, Ky. - Not even a team of horses will be able to keep Dr. Kent Allen, a Middleburg, Va., DVM who specializes in equine sports medicine, away from this city three and a half years from now.

Ames, Iowa - 3/29/07 - Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine has been granted accreditation status by the American Veterinary Medical Association's Council on Education for the college's academic program, including a new partnership program with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Kenilworth, N.J. - 3/12/07 - A deal valued at $14 billion, Schering-Plough is purchasing the animal and human healthcare businesses of Akzo Nobel NV, the parent of Intervet. Pending regulatory approval, the deal is slated to close by the end of 2007.

A federal appeals court recently upheld a 1949 law that bans horse slaughtering in Texas.

New guidelines give equine practitioners information on containing outbreaks.

Pleasant Hill, Calif. - Veterinarians vulnerable to lawsuits and state board complaints must remain vigilant when it comes to liability in their practices, and graduates equally should beware the dangers of working in an unsound legal environment.

Las Vegas - More than 850 wild horses and burros were gathered from southern Nevada's Spring Mountains, thinning the densely populated herds, improving group balance in sex, age and condition and allowing nature to support the remaining animals.

National Report - State racing commissions now have the ability to screen for what once was only a whispered-about technique - using vodka injections to calm racehorses.

Barbaro's eight-month stay at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center had a dramatic effect on the work environment at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals and other school facilities.

For most adolescents it was a rite of passage. Signed and decorated by their friends, it was that itchy, white-plaster cast on his/her wrist, arm or ankle. It may have been acquired from a bike, skateboard or skiing mishap, a sports injury from football or hockey or just a fall on the ice.

Excess cortisol may increase the risk of laminitis ...

Grand Island, Neb. - A state veterinary leader and trusted doctor challenges critics to "get both sides of the story" before drawing conclusions on charges that he injected vodka in horses before races - a practice rumored to soothe animal anxiety.

Springfield, Ill. - 2/28/07 - A bill that would prohibit the transportation of horses into Illinois for the purpose of slaughter for human consumption was introduced to the state legislature last week. Sponsored by Rep. Bob Molaro (D-Chicago), the bill was introduced Feb. 22, representing the state?s second try at an anti-slaughter bill. A similar bill was passed in the Illinois Senate in 2004, but was defeated in the house.

National Report - A horse imported from Germany and treated for fever at a USDA facility has been connected to an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus – type 1 (EHV-1) affecting 14 horses, half of which have died.

Schaumburg, Ill. - Reported rabies cases dropped in 2005, according to a report in the December Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA).