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“Livestock is the lifeblood of rodeo,” says Douglas Corey, DVM, of Pendleton, Oregon, who has played a central role in crafting animal welfare rules for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) for more than 30 years and is a PRCA Hall of Fame inductee. The organization adopted its first livestock policy in 1947, and today it has 70 rules governing animal health and safety. Keeping horses and livestock injury-free has been and will continue to be a PRCA priority, he told attendees during the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held virtually.
Data collected during the last five years show animal injuries occur in just one of every 1,000 runs at PRCA events a safety record of 99.9%. This statistic is based on approximately 355,000 “animal exposures” during a single year, Corey explained. Specific PRCA requirements, along with detailed action plans, make personnel better prepared to respond when emergencies do occur.
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Depending on product availability or veterinarian preference, an adult horse might not be vaccinated against the equine influenza virus (EIV) using the same vaccine every time. Does this practice place horses at risk of infection, or would it be more prudent to booster the vaccination weeks later when switching manufacturer products?
“Vaccination plays a very important role in controlling EIV infection a highly infectious disease associated with high morbidity and important economic repercussions,” said Bruno Karam, DVM, from The University of California, Davis, William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. “As such, vaccinating with different products and, therefore, different strains of the virus might not be conferring full immunity to these horses. This could put patients at risk of EIV infection when an owner believes they have only a low risk.”
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Many horses receive medications or nutritional supplements to help manage joint discomfort associated with the prevalent joint disease osteoarthritis (OA). Some therapies designed for arthritic horses can be irritating to the stomach wall, potentially contributing to gastric ulcer development.
Per North American Supplement Council (NASC) regulations, joint supplements containing turmeric and devil’s claw, for instance, must have a caution on the label stating that these products can be gastrointestinal irritants.
During a presentation at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held virtually, Michael St. Blanc, DVM, from Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, said such warnings raise the question of whether turmeric and devil’s claw contribute to the worsening of gastric ulcer scores in supplemented horses.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy;
Therapeutic hoof boots; and
Biologics such as mesenchymal stem cells.
The treating veterinarians’ main goals were to reduce the pain in the foot which, in itself, is complex and affects multiple tissues and relieve the secondary pain in the rest of the horse’s body, which can develop when horses try to reposition themselves to get comfortable, said Ellis. Another critical goal was to stop the disease’s potential incidental effect on the horse’s nervous system, as laminitic pain can lead to maladaptive pain throughout the body meaning the horse becomes extra sensitive and feels pain when he shouldn’t or more than he should.