The Pony Express Veterinary Hospital, Inc.
|
The Pony Express Veterinary Hospital, Inc.
|
|
|
This page is for posting items of interest on any subject. It will replace the "blogs" page that used to appear here. The purpose is the same, to provides content that will help our clients and site visitors stay current on news and important information. Contributions are encouraged and welcome, email us at: webmaster@ponyexpressvet.com .
We may have a second case of Potomac Horse Fever in the Greene County area, lab tests are pending. There is little known about the source of infection for PHF and the vaccine does not appear to be effective in preventing certain strains. However, if you keep your horses near a wooded area or they have access to a stream for drinking, please make sure your vaccination status is current. Horses going to Michigan as of May 18th 2010, must have a negative test for Piroplasmosis if they are coming from a state that has had reported cases, (Indiana for example). More information can be found on the Michigan Department of Agriculture web site as well as the USDA. The samples have to go to Iowa for testing. Many other states are adopting similar regulations so be concerned if you plan to travel and you are located in a state that has confirmed cases of Piroplasmosis. Currently, Ohio is not on the list. (June 16th, 2010) Useful Links: http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-48096_48099-14223--,00.html http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/piroplasmosis/ The 2008 Rabies survey and update has been released, (this April 2010), no new scares for Ohio, but if you stable horses in Michigan, you may want to vaccinate your horse. Older Articles for your review are listed below, there was an outbreak of Herpes in 2010 reported near the East Coast, but nothing locally. We did see an increase in the number of Potomac Horse Fever cases last year in Ohio. Equine Viral Arteritis is a hot topic in the Quarter Horse industry as we approach breeding season. There are innumerable articles on EVA on the web site which you can sort through. Basically, here is a brief summary of the situation as I see it: 1) EVA has been around along time, this is not a new disease. The vaccine has been on the market for 20 years. 2) If you vaccinate a horse against EVA, then the blood test cannot be used to separate horses that were infected naturally from horses that are positive on the blood test from the vaccine. A positive blood test from the vaccine or natural infection can have huge ramifications if you want to send a horse overseas or ship semen to places outside of the USA. 3) There are very few official requirements regarding EVA or how to handle infected horses. There are however, a ton of recommendations. 4) Some breeding farms are handling the EVA situation just like some of the countries outside of the US. They have hoops for you to jump through before you can ship semen to any mares stabled on their farms. Since there are very few "official" requirements or procedures, you need to check with the farms you plan to do business with and see what specifically they want you to do. Some farms have requirements specific to stallions and shipped semen, some farms may have rules regarding the mares as well. 5) The bottom line: Most people won't be shipping semen or mares overseas so the international requirements for EVA do not matter. Hence, vaccination of your horses will not be a big issue unless you fail to test them before you vaccinate. Consider the possibility that the EVA situation could expand in 2007 and restriction of seropositive horses may be instituted. (Seropositive means their blood test is positive for EVA). Unless you can prove that the horses were negative prior to vaccination, you may run into problems. On the other hand, like the last outbreak in 1997, this whole situation may disappear and be forgotten about. If you have a stallion and plan to ship semen all over the country, you had better decide what you are going to do quickly. Most of the requirements I am seeing will take several weeks to comply with. (January 2007) Equine Herpes Virus is back in the news due to an outbreak in Florida. We still do not have a vaccine that will protect your horse from this infection. Since the highly publicized outbreak in Ohio, the blood testing for this infection has improved as well as the knowledge and quick reaction by veterinarians and state authorities to an outbreak. There are different strains of equine herpes virus some of which are in the current vaccines. The strain that is causing the industry grief is a very nasty version that can bring a horse down quickly. Right now, your best bet is to avoid areas/stables where the disease has been reported until you get an "all clear" from whomever is monitoring the situation. Many horses went to Florida for shows during the time of the outbreak or shortly there after, they all returned safe and sound. Many clients asked about additional requirements to enter Florida. There were quarantined facilities but the state did not close their boarders. I think people should not worry so much about getting in, I personally would worry more about getting out. If you happen to be at a show and an outbreak occurs on premise, you may not be going home anytime soon. (January 2007)
Digital Radiography: The Pony Express Veterinary Hospital is proud to announce the availability of digital radiography for diagnostic imaging. On the equine side we have a portable system which is the current "state of the art" in technology for diagnostic imaging. A separate system was installed in early October of 2006 for use on small animals. Both systems create digital images which can be electronically transmitted to referral hospitals for consultation or provided on a CD for the owners records. Here is an example of what digital radiograph looks like from a young horse:
This image is from the portable IDEXX DR System. If you want to learn more about this system here is a link to the IDEXX website: http://www.idexx.com/animalhealth/digital/equiview/index.jsp A similar in house system is also available for small animal imaging, more information on this system can be found at: http://www.idexx.com/animalhealth/digital/dr/ One of the goals of the practice is to provide our clients with the best medicine and diagnostic tools available. The two systems for processing radiographic images are in addition to many of the other services we provide which include an in house laboratory, blood pressure monitoring, ECG, endoscopy, fluoroscopy, ultrasound and many other tools that will aid in the diagnosis. Most tests can be run same day or at the time of your appointment. In addition to all of our in house options, we use several outside laboratories and referral centers for more complicated or difficult problems. |
|
Send mail to
webmaster@ponyexpressvet.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
