For those Equine Clients and lovers of things Horsey.
This will be an area where we will post "horse stuff".
-
Information and educational tid-bits from time to time.
-
Any news bulletins about events or alerts concerning equine health issues.
-
Information of new equipment or training staff has undergone.
-
Things you should know about your horse or the industry.
To start off:
I've just completed my second show as an FEI Veterinarian Delegate (in training). For those that don't know, the Federation Equine International is the body that governs the international competitions such as the Olympics, Pan Am, the World Cups and Games. Their mandate is the welfare of the horse and integrity of the sport.
The first competition was an Eventing CIC */**at Willow O' Wind and a Dressage CDI *,
CDI-W show at Palgrave. Nothing too drastic, but a lot of paper work. Quite a lot of differences between the two shows, the way they were run, the competitors, but there were a lot of nice horses.
Dr. Corradini
Dr. M.S. CORRADINI ATTENDS EQUINE VETERINARY CONVENTION
Dr. M.S. Corradini of the Bradford/ Tottenham Animal Clinic recently attended the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 61st Annual Convention, the world’s premier continuing education meeting for equine veterinarians. The convention, held in Las Vegas Nevada, Dec. 3-11, offered veterinarians the latest advances in equine health care. Scientific sessions covering topics ranging from lameness to regenerative medicine were attended by an international gathering of over 2,500 veterinary professionals. Many of the sessions focused on providing new equine health care techniques that can be applied immediately to a veterinarian’s daily practice.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through it's over 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.
Equine Health Advisory
September 13, 2017 | IN NEWS
On August 21, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) was notified of two positive test results for West Nile Virus (WNV); one from a 10 year old gelding in Simcoe County and the other from a 25 year old mare in Bruce County. The Simcoe County gelding was euthanized after developing severe neurological signs and seizures. The mare developed severe neurological deficis in all four limbs as well as facial hyperaesthesia and is recovering under veterinary medical supervision.
Veterinarians in Ontario should consider WNV as a differential diagnosis in horses with neurological signs, and can identify positive cases through appopriate testing. WNV is an immediately notifiable disease under both the federal Health of Animals Act and the provincial Animal Health Act. Signs of WNV (such as lethargy, ataxia, facial tremors, muscle fasciculation and limb paralysis) can mimic a variety of encephalitides including rabies, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), hepatic encephalopathy, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), and equine herpes virus 1 (EVH-1). Please visit CFIA's webpage for more information on testing ( http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/diseases/immediately-notifiable/west-nile-virus/surveillance/eng/1346131121021/134613213336 )
Effective equine vaccines for WNV are available and veterinarians should ensure that vaccinations are up to date in their clients' animals. There is no vaccine for humans and no treatment, other than supportive, once a person is infected.
West Nile Virus is endemic in Ontario and cases occur in the horse population at varying levels each year. Most equine cases of WNV occur betwen August and September, although cases can occur in October if environmental conditions permit the survival of the mosquito vector species. Ontario's local public health units are currently coducting mosquito surveillance. Birds are the natural host for the virus, which is transmitted to horses and humans by mosquitoes which have bitten and infected bird. As of August 19, 2017, there have been 14 reported (confirmed or probable) human cases of West Nile virus infection in Ontario. As well there have been 264 positive mosquito pools, from 26 different health units, identified across the province.
WNV infections have been reported in a wide range of animal and bird species, including horses, dogs, cats, deer, crows, chickens, geese, jays, raptors and owls. Horses and birds of the corvid family, including ravens, magpies, jays and crows, are particularly susceptibel to WNV.
Positive equine cases of WNV in Ontario, when identified, may be followed up by the local public health unit to determine the vaccination status of the horse and whether the exposure of the horse was local or travel related. The public health unit will also ensure that human exposure to mosquitoes in the area which may potentially be carrying WNV is minimized. Depending on the time of year, the owners of properties on which a positive equine WNV case is diagnosed may be asked to allow public health mosquito traps to be placed around their property for surveillance purposes - there is no cost to the property owner for this.
RESOURCES
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Agriculture Information Contact Centre:
1-877-424-1300
email: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca