British Horse Society to use posters on buses to avoid horse injuries

The British Horse Society is hoping that posters placed on the back of buses will help raise awareness of the plight of horses and riders on the road.

Ask any horse rider and they will tell you about an incident they have been involved in while riding on the road. The British Horse Society wants drivers to be aware of the need to be careful when they meet horses on the road. It is not only horse and rider that can be injured; a horse colliding with a vehicle can cause significant damage to a vehicle and its occupants.

To tackle this problem, the Society has recently trialled a pilot equestrian road safety advertising project in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The ‘Hit the Brakes, not my Horse’ poster was displayed in the region on the back of ten buses for four weeks. The project was enthusiastically welcomed by the horse owning community in the area and much interest has been expressed from other regions in running a similar project.

For more information visit Horse Accidents.

Study to analyse first assessments of colic

Although most cases of equine colic can be treated and less than 10% of cases are severe enough to require surgery, it is one of the conditions horse owners most dread.

The research team is hoping to enrol veterinary surgeons from across the country to help gather information on 1000 cases. So far nearly 80 vets have registered to take part, but more are needed. They are being asked to participate in the survey by completing online survey or paper forms about the cases they see.

The study is being carried out by Laila Issaouli a PhD student at The University of Nottingham. She said: “We are specifically looking at first presentation and evaluation of colic.

For more information on equine colic visit Vetstream Equis

Equine grass sickness vaccine to trial in Scotland

It has been announced that the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies of the University of Edinburgh, will be conducting a small pilot vaccine trial to protect against equine grass sickness.

Following approval by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the pilot study is set to take place in eastern Scotland, since equine grass sickness was first reported in the region more than a century ago.

The pilot study is in preparation for a full nationwide vaccine trial involving at least 1000 horses and ponies. This will likely commence in 2014, but is subject to securing sufficient funding.

For more information visit the Equine Grass Sickness Fund.

The Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum (OVAM) launched on November 20

OVAM offers free access to detailed, annotated diagrams, specimens and radiographic images. Podcasts and dissection videos will follow soon.

Throughout development OVAM made use of veterinary student curators to help build and shape the site. The benefits of a free digital museum for students are obvious, and as the museum grows it’ll become an integral, community driven learning aid.

Take a digital stroll through OVAM today!

Reported Outbreak of Neurological Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1)

THE BHA have warned trainers to be vigilant for signs of disease after it was announced that Victor Dartnall’s Devon yard had been temporarily closed due to the discovery of an outbreak of what is believed to be equine neurological herpes.

Professor Tim Morris, director of equine science and welfare at the BHA, said that horses may have been infectious before disease was diagnosed, although he said the risk of contagion was small.
He said: “We have been working with the trainer and his veterinary surgeon to ensure that the correct, robust security measures have been put in place.

For more information on all four types of EHV visit Vetstream Equis.

Racecourse under quarantine after EIA detected

A racecourse in Cologne has been quarantined after Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) (Vetstream definition) was detected in at least one horse stabled there.

It could take up to 90 days for the quarantine, in which Arc favourite Danedream is caught, to be lifted.

UPDATE: EIA detected in the UK

Defra has confirmed at least one EIA case in Cornwall. EIA is extremely uncommon in the UK.

The premises on which the horse was kept has been quarantined and the affected horse has been humanely destroyed.

EIA is not thought to spread quickly as the flies which carry the disease rarely fly more than 200m to feed. However any signs of EIA in the area should be reported immediately.

For more information visit Defra.

Vetstream will be at BEVA 2012 from 12-15th September

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) 2012 congress begins tomorrow on Wednesday 12th September. BEVA is the biggest event for equine vets in the UK, with a host of informative lectures and exciting stands.

See what we got up to last year at BEVA 2011. Don’t forget you can catch up on any missed lectures at BEVA Congress lectures online.

More information about the congress can be found on the BEVA site.

If you’re going to BEVA stop by our stand R2 in the commercial exhibit.

New data demonstrates that Cushing’s disease is common in laminitic horses as young as 10 years old

Following the hugely successful ‘Talk About Laminitis’ campaign which saw over 3100 horses tested for PPID (Cushing’s disease) during the spring, data collected by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has demonstrated that one third of laminitic middle aged horses (between the ages of 10 and 15 years) tested positive for the disease.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica will be re-launching its highly popular disease awareness initiative ‘Talk About Laminitis’ which is complemented by free ACTH blood tests during September, October and November.

To receive free ACTH blood test vouchers visit Talk About Laminitis.

Pfizer Animal Health has launched Zylexis for horses, the first and only immunomodulator licensed in the UK

Zylexis contains inactivated parapox ovis virus (iPPOV), a super-antigen that boosts a horse’s immune system to reduce the effects of infectious respiratory disease.

Zylexis works by stimulating the horse’s non-specific immune system, inducing antiviral interferons and interleukins and stimulating innate immune cells. In this way it bridges the gap until the horse’s adaptive immune system can develop a pathogen-specific response.

For more information visit Pfizer.

Vets from Redwings Horse Sanctuary and the Animal Health Trust collaborate to save pony’s eye

Blaze, a one year-old 12.3hh black filly, had suffered a full penetrating injury to her eye. In fact, Blaze’s injury was so severe that her iris had prolapsed through her cornea, and when Redwings vet Roxane Kirton contacted the Animal Health Trust for its expert advice, it was so concerned by the severity of the pony’s injury, it sent a team of ophthalmologists and an anaesthetist to assist with her surgery.

The incredibly delicate operation, which was carried out at Redwings’ specialist horse hospital in Norfolk, involved suturing two layers of amniotic membrane over the site of the injury to assist with the healing process.

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