Equine

Washington - Dr. Michael Blackwell isn't ungrateful. But the $500,000 grants tied to the U.S. Senate's version of the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, passed in July, will do little to add seats to the University of Tennessee's (UT) veterinary program. Such funds fall short of expanding even one classroom, and neglect the public's need for more DVMs, the veterinary college dean explains.

Lexington, Ky. - For the last five years, Dr. William A. Rood, co-founder and director of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, has been doing some proselytizing - seeking to convert as many young veterinary students as he can to the practice of equine medicine.

Austin, Texas - Veterinary regulators employ a "monopolistic licensing scheme" to put lay equine dentists out of business. Their anti-competition tactics are unconstitutional, punishing those with skills that "far exceed that of nearly every veterinarian in the state of Texas."

Minneapolis - For 59 years, Dr. Carl Seemann practiced as northern Minnesota's surgical "spine man," a solo generalist who, at age 84, saw three clients a day until Christmas last year.

Seattle - Just over two years ago, Dr. Mark Dedomenico, MD, a renowned cardiovascular surgeon with a passion for developing elite equine athletes, opened one of the nation's most luxurious and state-of-the-art equine training and rehabilitation facilities.

The AHC says the horse industry has a direct impact of $3.9 billion on the U.S. economy.

Live foals throughout North America so far in 2007, as reported to the Jockey Club, are running slightly behind last year's pace, but the organization says that, with additional reports in the next few months, its previously announced projection of 37,500 registered live foals in 2007 is likely to be on target.

DeKalb, Ill. - 9/24/07 - The nation's last horse slaughter plant will again shut down after a court ruled against their appeal to a state law banning the practice.

Orlando, Fla. - 9/13/07 - More than 3,000 equine practitioners, veterinary students, technicians and horse owners are expected to attend the 53rd annual convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Dec. 1-5 at Orlando's Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center.

Fort Collins, Colo. - Two dozen of the nation's top experts in equine medicine identified five key areas of lameness research that should get priority attention during the next five to 10 years.

On June 9, 2007, Rags to Riches nosed out Preakness winner Curlin in a courageous duel down the stretch to become the first filly in 102 years to win the Belmont Stakes, and only the third filly to do so in its 139-year history.

This is the second in a series of articles introducing the toxic plants most likely to poison horses in North America.

Athens, Ga. - 8/27/2007 - A University of Georgia alumnus with a lifelong love of horses donated $1 million to the university's College of Veterinary Medicine to endow a chair in equine studies.

Louisiana - 8/20/2007 - The state is urging horse owners to vaccinate their animals after the mosquito-borne virus Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) caused the deaths of at least eight horses in Lafourche Parish, La.

During the initial five-year operational phase, the center will focus on diagnostics and orthopedics.

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.