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Common Euthanasia Drug In Short Supply

Veterinarians will need to begin making alternative humane euthanasia plans for animals in their care as a nationwide shortage of pentobarbital deepens, reports the Chronicle of the Horse.

The low inventory wasn't reported immediately; veterinarians began to have trouble obtaining pentobarbital when their orders were backordered or unavailable because of supply chain issues. It was added to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's list of animal drug shortages in May.

To combat the dwindling supply, the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy and other animal care organizations are urging vets to adhere strictly to dosing guidelines and to consider alternative euthanasia methods.

In anticipation of a potential continued shortage, the AAEP has published guidelines for preferred humane euthanasia methods, including gunshot, captive bolt or combinations of other drugs. The organization notes that right now they have not received calls from members about the issue and that the alternative methods are humane when done by a trained veterinarian.

It is unclear when the pentobarbital shortage will be resolved.

Webinar Addresses How To Help At-Risk And In-Transition Horses

Join the American Horse Council (AHC) on Thursday May 27, 2021, at 1 p.m. EST to learn about some of the many resources available to help owners, horses at risk and horses in transition.

Ashley Harkins, Program Director for the United Horse Coalition will demonstrate the UHC Equine Resource Database, explore safety net programs available nationwide to help owners in need of assistance, share the UHC's COVID Resource site, and reveal new initiatives planned for 2021.

The mission of the UHC is to advocate responsible ownership through education. One of the many facets of this mission is to inform owners about assistance options, not only during the pandemic, but in any type of hardship.

Included in the discussion will be Emily Stearns, Program Manager of the Equine Welfare Data Collective (EWDC). The EWDC is a program of the UHC to collect, analyze, and report data on at-risk equines, those in transition, and the multitude of equine welfare organizations working diligently to help those in need.

The webinar will conclude with updates coming from UHC Members A Home For Every Horse (AHFEH), the ASPCA/Right Horse Initiative, and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) about some of the programs and initiatives they have been working on to help owners, at-risk horses, and horses in transition.

Study: This Type Of Bone Lesion May Not Be A Reason To Turn A Sales Yearling Down

Subchondral cystic lesions (SCLs) in the distal (lower) aspect of a yearling's cannon bone occur relatively infrequently. Nonetheless, these lesions will most likely raise eyebrows if found on a yearling's pre-sale radiographs. Research shows that bone cysts occurring in this location do not necessarily need to spur a frantic phone call to the local equine surgeon.

SCLs are fluid-filled pockets found in the region of bone directly underneath the layer of articular cartilage that lines the ends of long bones inside joints. How they form remains unclear. Trauma might be involved, or they could result from the failure of the bone and cartilage to develop properly.

“Only six percent of all cystic bone lesions occur at the ends of the cannon bones,” said Dr. Mitja Miklavcic of Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. “They typically are found in the femoral condyles in the knee (stifle) or in the pastern bones.”

Subchondral cystic lesions in locations such as the femoral condyle are associated with poorer racing performance compared to lesions in other locations. This explains why cystic lesions located in “prime real estate” such as the stifles are cause for pause in the sales arena.

In contrast, the presence of subchondral bone cysts in the distal cannon bone, farther from the joint, do not appear to be of particular concern in yearlings. Miklavcic relayed this message while presenting his data during the 2020 annual convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, which was held virtually.

In total, Miklavcic identified 42 yearlings with radiographic evidence of cystic lesions in the distal metacarpus/metatarsus. These X-rays were the requisite repository or pre-sale radiographs for yearlings up for sale at public auctions. In those 42 yearlings, 41% of the SCLs were in the left forelimb, 21% were in the right forelimb, and 12% were bilaterally in the front. The hind limbs were less commonly affected. Males were slightly overrepresented (43% of yearlings with SCLs were female).

Sixty-two percent of the lesions measured more than five millimeters along their greatest length, and most (71%) occurred in the medial condyle of the cannon bone. Most yearlings (80%) had evidence of a disrupted joint surface on the radiographs. Equibase was subsequently used to track the racing performance of those 42 yearlings with SCLs. Their racing performance was compared to the yearlings sold at the same sales that did not have SCLs in the distal cannon bones.

“No significant differences in number of starts, earnings, or earnings per start were noted between the horses sold as yearlings with and without cystic distal metacarpal/tarsal bone lesions,” said Miklavcic.

These results suggest that cystic lesions of the distal cannon bones do not affect racing performance. Miklavcic did suggest, however, that other factors could affect racing performance in this population of yearlings, not just bone cysts.

“Individual athletic capability, training techniques, and injuries or potential surgical interventions that occurred after the yearlings were sold could all have skewed the study results,” he said. “Other radiographic abnormalities were identified in 31% of the yearlings, such as osteoarthritis and sesamoiditis (inflammation of the sesamoid bones).”

In sum, simply finding a bone cyst on pre-sale radiographs in the distal cannon bone should not necessarily sound the alarm bells. To borrow a phrase from the sport horse world, you're buying the horse and not the x-rays.

Dr. Stacey Oke is a seasoned freelance writer, veterinarian, and life-long horse lover. When not researching ways for horses to live longer, healthier lives as athletes and human companions, she practices small animal medicine in New York. A busy mom of three, Stacey also finds time for running, hiking, tap dancing, and dog agility training.

The post Study: This Type Of Bone Lesion May Not Be A Reason To Turn A Sales Yearling Down appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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AAEP Publishes Epizootic Lymphangitis Guidelines

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has published on its website comprehensive guidelines to assist practitioners and regulatory agencies with identification, diagnosis and control of epizootic lymphangitis, a contagious, chronic granulomatous disease of the skin, lymphatic vessels and nodes of the limbs, neck and chest of horses and other equid species.

Although epizootic lymphangitis is not known to occur in horses in the United States, the disease is common in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Russia and Asia, where it is responsible for significant morbidity with chronic weight loss and progressive debility in affected animals.

“While epizootic lymphangitis has not been recorded in the United States, its importance as a transboundary/foreign animal disease needs to be emphasized because of its similarity to several domestic diseases with which it can be clinically mistaken, including ulcerative lymphangitis and streptothricosis,” said guidelines author Peter Timoney, MVB, MS, Ph.D., FRCCVS, the Frederick Van Lennep Chair in Equine Veterinary Science at the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center. “Were it to be introduced, the causal agent can survive in dust and soil for an extended interval under conditions of heat and humidity, making it virtually impossible to eliminate.”

Epizootic lymphangitis is an OIE non-listed disease even though it is of significant socioeconomic importance in countries in which it is endemic, some of which engage in international trade of animals and animal products. Any suspicion of the disease in the United States is immediately reportable to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and State Animal Health Officials in all 50 states and territories.

The Epizootic Lymphangitis Guidelines were edited and reviewed by Abby Sage, VMD, DACVIM, chair of the Infectious Disease Guidelines Subcommittee of the AAEP's Infectious Disease Committee.

View the Epizootic Lymphangitis Guidelines or save them to your mobile device as a PDF file here. Besides epizootic lymphangitis, AAEP guidelines for two other foreign animal diseases are available here. In addition, AAEP guidelines for 22 other equine infectious diseases are available here.