The Horse Doctor

There is a report on Jacksonville.com of a horse with Eastern Equine Encephalitis in St Johns county. EEE also called sleeping sickness ,like the other encephalitis viruses (Western,Venezuelan and West Nile) are transmitted by mosquitoes . The reservoir for the virus are birds. Once bitten by mosquitoes the virus is then transmitted to any animal that the mosquito chooses to feed on next. Horses are acutely susceptible to the encephalitis viruses and are at increased risk since they are outside (without the benefit of clothes) most of the day. Humans in the nudist colony would be equally susceptible. Since there is now a positive case we know that the virus is in the local bird population and horses are at risk. The vaccine is very effective at preventing infection but the peak immunity is only up to 4 months. This means that all horses should have a booster vaccine this summer, 4 months after their previous vaccine. This should protect them until their fall vaccinations. The...

I just heard a disturbing comment from a friend in Ocala. Since the national uproar over horse slaughter caused the closure of the last plants in Texas ,there has been a problem with unwanted horses. It now appears that those horse are being released into the Ocala National Forest. With rising feed cost ( the idiotic plan of using corn for fuel production) some owners must be unable to feed some of these horses and opt to turn them loose. I haven't been able to confirm this report but they were adamant. I will check with other sources and see if this is true, if so it can't be good for the horses ( thoroughbreds) ....they aren't mustangs.

There have been several horse show signs of acute liver dysfunction recently while eating Purina feeds. The company seems to have jumped on this quickly and found an aflatoxin (mold toxin) contamination from one of their suppliers. It only affects 3 of their plants and the North eastern United States.The following states are under the recall, Connecticut; Delaware; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; More info on Aflatoxins can be found HERE . " Aflatoxins are potent toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, immunosuppressive agents, produced as secondary metabolites by the fungus Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus on variety of food products. Among 18 different types of aflatoxins identified, major members are aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is normally predominant in amount in cultures as well as in food products. Pure AFB1 is pale-white to yellow crystalline, odorless so...

The AAEP list serve ( American Association of Equine Practitioners) has been having a vigorous debate about the tragic death of Eight Bells and where we need to pursue changes to help prevent these catastrophic injuries. While the statistics show only a 0.2% occurrence rate , it is still awful when it happens. Unfortunately many pundits are stating opinion and not science and filling the 24 hour news cycle with talk about what is wrong with the racing industry. I'm sure there are those that don't like horse racing or people doing anything with a horse for that matter ( ie .PETA). Thats OK, it's there opinion....I don't like soccer, so we're even. The public needs to be made aware of all the oversight that occurs during a horse race, from drug testing to physical exams . Video of each race is reviewed by the stewards to look for any action that is deemed to be abusive or dangerous, which can lead to fines or suspensions. I'm not sure why Veterinarians are p...

Like everyone else I was amazed at the performance of Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby and terribly saddened at the tragic loss of eight bells. Here we are almost a year after Barbaro was injured and the racing industry suffers another setback and the fans must witness another heartache. Sadly another thing to come from this is the media whirlwind that has spun up creating an endless stream of stories about the dangers of horse racing and all that is wrong. PETA has even taken the opportunity to grab some headlines at the fillies expense by saying the jockey should be suspended , implying "he must have known something was wrong" and that the winnings for 2nd place should be withheld. They complained about the use of the crop saying " the merciless whipping of the horse". First you must realize that the average jockey is not much bigger than most 8th graders (no offense) , is perched atop a 12oo lb animal going faster than 30mph while reaching behind them to "wh...

Watch this video, it will blow your mind. While this is being developed for the military(a lot of scientific advances are) it could have huge implications in medicine. Imagine taking those with spinal injuries, ALS, MS and severe arthritis and being able to walk and function with only minimal exertion. I have to admit I had flashbacks to Robo-cop and darth Vader but it is truly amazing. I'm sure the expense is astronomical but like much of technology the price will come down as the product comes on line and more advances are made. Think about the implications for Equine medicine in generations to come where the lame horse or laminitic horse could move about effortlessly. I don't think we will be around to see it but we can surely see it coming.

This past week Dr Mary left us and went to run the Boston Marathon. The amazing thing about it is that she has been coughing like a chain smoker for the last month. She got checked out by the doctors and ran anyway finishing in the top third in her class. While Dr Dick and I fight the pull of the outgoing tide by dieting and hitting the weights.....Mary effortlessly stays in unbelievable shape. Here are some pics from the race.....congrats Mary.

This is a great Aussie political satire that shows how politicians are viewed the world over. Think of this every time you see an upcoming political interview this presidential season.

The AAEP journal Equine Veterinary Education frequently publishes highlights of clinically relevant papers and this months edition does just that. There are several very interesting abstracts presented including the following. "Induction of Laminitis by prolonged hyperinsulinemia in clinically normal ponies" by K.E.Asplin et al. The purpose of the study was to determine what are the effects of prolonged insulin administration on hoof wall integrity. High serum insulin states exist in the horse such as in Metabolic Syndrome and the associated insulin resistance. In this study 9 clinically normal ponies were divided into 2 groups, 1. treated n=5 ,2. control n=4. The treated group was given insulin over a 72 hour period via a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique which keeps the blood glucose level normal in the face of increased insulin. there was no gastrointestinal disease and no systemic illness during the study, ruling out those causes of laminitis. In the treatment ...

I have had quite a few responses to a post on "Gallium Nitrate and Tildren". The main point of my post was the pushing of Gallium nitrate on the public as a scientific treatment for navicular disease, which still has no scientific backing today. This one came in recently. "Isn't the primary effect of Tildren to inhibit bone resorption? A related effect would be, yes, to reduce the Calcium in the blood, if this were coming from excess bone remodelling. It's not to treat the blood Calcium , but to reduce damage to the bone...which increases blood Calcium. I'm absolutely sure you know this already, but your comment is leading and misleading. You must be a fan of Richard Dawkins". I'll try to address those questions here. Tildren (tiludronate) was also mentioned as a recent treatment for Navicular disease (also tarsal arthritis and thoracolumbar pain ) American Journal of Veterinary Research , March 2007, Vol. 68, No. 3 , Pages 329-337. Til...

This is a short film produced by a Dutch politician named Geert Wilders. In it he uses the Quran and video clips of the extremists that perpetrate this global jihad. I must warn you that it is quite shocking. His point appears to be that someone in the Muslim world needs to step forward and propose a reformation where the violent passages are removed. I have over the last year read the Quran ( it' s really not long, just hard to read) many of the stories are similar to Old Testiment Bible stories. What is missing is the concept of Grace and forgiveness. The Netherlands ,specifically and Europe in general, is seeing a great deal of Islamic violence, using free speech and democracy against them. This film has caused outrage among the religion of perpetual outrage and forced Live Leak ( Europes You Tube) to pull it down, even getting condemnation from the UN Secretary General. Watch it for yourself and make up your own mind. Listening to many of these Imams speak in there own words mi...

Here is a disturbing story from Utah. Someone in a red truck stopped on a Interstate overpass and threw a Boxer over the edge. The dog survived with amazingly minor injuries.

A friend sent me this yesterday and it is hilarious. You can tell this Anchorman has never set foot on a farm.

This is just a follow up on a previous post about "bute toxicity". The horse that received 60 grams of bute by mistake was finally put down. It is a very sad story but it highlights the need to be constantly aware of exactly what medications you are giving your horse......make sure you know what you are are giving,how much to give and what problems can occur. Once the drugs are in you cant get them out. Here is a sonogram I did the other night on this horse and it is far and away the worst Right Dorsal Colitis I have ever seen. The ulcered area was over 3 feet long. Can you imagine how painful a 3 foot long ulcer would be. Additionally, typical anti-ulcer medications don't reach this part of the bowel very effectively so there is little that can be done. The liver is to the right and the RDC is to the left, the measured area is the colon wall that should o nly be 3mm thick. You can see how swollen it is. Double click on the image to enlarge.

I had to look at a horse for tying up the other day and the owner Pam Cramer, has a very unique business. She makes jewelery from your horses mane or tail hair. We have recommended this to clients that have lost a horse. It's a wonderful way to remember a special friend. In the past many owners held onto a horse's shoes,halter,blankets, ect. Now they can have a bracelet or other form of beautiful jewelery made from a small segment of mane or tail to keep forever. I would never have thought that something so nice could be made from horse hair but Pam does it somehow. You can look at her website here www.cottagetails.com

The USS New York was christened today in New Orleans. This is significant because the Bow was constructed with steel salvaged from the World Trade Center . I had heard that the steel was to be used but didn't know what the destination would be. " The vessel's bow stem comprises 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center . As the Navy notes: "The ship is named New York in honor of the state, the city and the victims of Sept. 11, 2001.... Use of this steel symbolizes the spirit and resiliency of the people of New York." And the official motto of the vessel? "Never Forget." How appropriate....I think it's a shame that so many of us have forgoten what happened and that the threat still remains. Our sensitivities prevent our media from showing the images on TV, I feel we should see that over and over, because our enemies have not gone away. The massive, 684-foot-long ship was a sketch on a drawing board on 9/11 when the towers fell. The...

This kind of news just makes me laugh and blogging about it I'm sure will torque off all of those followers of the Church of Global Warming and the High Priest Al Gore. As I've stated many times....the weather is cyclical and it changes. Historically we have been coming out of the little ice age so naturally the climate has warmed. Now there is this startling news ....this past years showed the largest cooling trend since we started recording it. There have been many reports of cooler temps and more snow "But now, that evidence has been supplanted by hard scientific fact. All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS , UAH , RSS ) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously. A compiled list of all the sources can be seen here . The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to wipe out nearly all the warming recorded over the past 100 years. ...

NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) have been around for a long time. Many people know that these drugs by their common names, aspirin,Advil, bute Banamine, etc. Additionally most people realize that like all medications...to much can cause a problem. We see this toxicity several times a year, usually after someone has been treating a colic with many doses of Banamine. This last week Dr. Thomas saw one that had mistakenly been given Bute tablets when the owner thought they were antibiotic. They were giving the horse 10 tablets (10 grams) twice a day for 3 days. You can imagine the damage. Phenylbutazone can cause many problems at such high doses but the principle one is a condition called Right Dorsal Colitis. In this disease the colon becomes edematous and large ulcers form on the inner surface that are very difficult to treat. The horse frequently becomes colicky and loses protein as it oozes from the large ulcerated colon. Fluid replacement and Plasma replacement are ...

I just got back from our annual trip to Cumberland Island Georgia, and ohhhh did I need it. You can feel your blood pressure drop the moment you get off the boat. We've been very fortunate to rent Nancy's Fancy for a week each year since we were married over there. It is a house on pilings behind the dunes overlooking the beach......a deserted beach. The kids can run wild and like it was when I was a kid, you just have to be back before dark. One of the cool things about Cumberland Island are the wild horses....I know, I see horses everyday so whats the big deal. I don't usually see herds of them walking down the beach. There are those that want the horses removed and have their own agenda but for everyone else it really adds to the whole Cumberland experience.The National Park Service does a good job of keeping the environmental extremists at bay and follows the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to protect them." The Wild Free Roaming Horses and B...

I received a good response and question from a reader and it touches on one of my favorite topics......medical scams, holistic treatments and other 3rd world treatments. This person researched the problem and applied some scientific rigor and has a highly likely diagnosis of Photic Head shaking. Here's the email.. "Hi I have a 17hh warmblood who was treated with steriods last yr and we changed all bedding soaked hay fly masks etc etc and it alll stopped so we put it down to allergy! Well he is off work now and the sun came out this w/e and I found him violently head shaking in the field and in the stable he goes to the back, after alot of research he is looking like a photic cause. I have come accross a product and was wandering if anyone has tried it or heard any feedback? Equiwinner performance patches they are formulated for a variety of things but seem to cure headshaking or so they say? " .....and even better, this scientist questions the claims of a product....