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Postural stability helps horses (and humans and other species) maintain balance and protect the spinal column. It also allows them to respond to the destabilizing forces that can occur during movement, thus reducing injury risk. For this reason, you would assume that the better a horse’s postural stability, the stronger his spinal muscles. However, until now, no studies had been done proving this connection.
A team from Colorado State University (CSU) recently assessed the relationship between muscle strength and postural sway in rehabbing horses to confirm that certain rehab exercises work. Katherine Ellis, DVM, now an Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation clinician at the University of Georgia, presented their findings at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held virtually.
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Anesthesia plays an integral role in everyday equine veterinary practice. While we now enjoy having a wide array of medications at our disposal to carry out procedures with minimal patient discomfort, especially compared to the state of affairs a century ago, we still have much to learn in this field.
John A.E. Hubbell, DVM, MS Dipl. ACVA, delivered the Milne State of the Art Lecture at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held virtually. Hubbell, the current chief of anesthesia at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, has authored more than 70 scientific articles and 30 book chapters and co-authored two textbooks.
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Antibiotics can be life-saving for many horses, given to either treat a current infection (e.g., joint, soft tissue) or to prevent infection prior to surgery. Those antibiotics, however, can disrupt the normal, healthy population of microorganisms that make up the intestinal microbiome. In fact, antibacterial-induced dysbiosis (microbial imbalance) can result in antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) that can potentially be as, or even more, life-threatening than the original infection.
“Virtually every antibiotic used in equine medicine has the potential for causing diarrhea due to dysbiosis,” said Carolyn Arnold, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, of Texas A&M University, during her presentation at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held virtually. “The bacteria being disrupted all have important biological functions that can, when interrupted, cause disease. Further, the diarrhea can develop not only with the start of antibiotic administration b
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Editor’s note: Euthanasia by gunshot should only be performed by veterinarians or those properly trained in the practice. Improper technique can create serious horse welfare and human safety issues.
In recent years authorities have tightened restrictions on the disposal of equine carcasses euthanized with the barbiturate pentobarbital. Concerns include groundwater contamination, soil contamination, pet food contamination at rendering facilities, and poisoning of scavenging wildlife or domestic animals. Consequently, veterinarians need alternative options for euthanizing horses.
J.R. Lund, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVPM, ACVR, diagnostic animal radiologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, in Madison, and a team recently assessed the safety and efficacy of gunshot euthanasia. She presented their findings at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held virtually.
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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.