PR Special Keeneland September: How Canadian Consignors Are Navigating Uncertain Times

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It's opening day of the bellwether Keeneland September Yearling Sale, and the Paulick Report has the insight and analysis you need in today's edition of the PR Special newsletter.

In this edition, bloodstock editor Joe Nevills checks in with Canadian-based consignors Bernard McCormack and David Anderson to see how the restrictions surrounding COVID-19 have affected how they'll sell horses during the September sales and beyond.

This issue's Stallion Spotlight features Mark Toothaker of Spendthrift Farm discussing Cross Traffic, the leading freshman sire of his class. Dr. Bart Barber of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital offers his opinion on the medication policies implemented by sale companies in Ask Your Veterinarian, and we look at the young sires already making an impression in the prestigious Book 1 of the Keeneland September Sale in Young Sire Watch.

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Thanks as always to the advertisers who made this issue of the PR Special possible:

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Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: Leaving Dental Work To The Vet

Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock.

QUESTION: Why is it important to have a veterinarian perform dental work on your horse?

DR. BRAD TANNER: Responsible horse owners have mental checklists of the things that need to be done each year for their horses. These include deworming, vaccinations, Coggins test, health certificate and of course annual floating. The annual float is a treatment for the condition of sharp enamel points. No treatment, be it antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, etc. should be administered without an examination and proper diagnosis.

Why should a dental float be any different?

Dr. Brad Tanner

The tooth of a horse continues to grow (erupt) throughout life. Those areas of the tooth that do not get worn away become long and sharp. Left to their own devices these sharp teeth may cause cuts in the cheeks and tongue (see below). These sharp teeth cause increased discomfort in performance horses as bit and bridle change head carriage which forces increased contact of these teeth with the cheek tissue. Dental floating is the necessary treatment for this common condition in the horse.

While responsible owners are correct to have their horse's teeth checked annually, the floating is not the most important thing happening — it is the exam. A proper dental exam performed by your veterinarian can provide insight into your horse's general health as well their oral health.  This veterinarian has spent years of training in anatomy, physiology, medicine, surgery, imaging etc. and is equipped to recognize, diagnose and treat oral pain.

The dental examination will include assessing facial symmetry, bone enlargements, lymph nodes, draining tracts, maleruptions, malocclusions, soft tissue lacerations and abrasions. The exam will also include a close inspection of each tooth surface with a dental mirror or an oral camera. These close looks often show painful problematic teeth with cracks, fractures or feed packing that may need to be investigated with additional imaging.

Recognition of abnormal dental wear or other pathology may be indication for dental radiographs or a CT scan to further investigate problematic teeth. These imaging modalities are common practice in human medicine as the ADA (American Dental Association) recommends radiographs every couple of years, and with increased access to quality digital radiography this is also becoming more common in horses.

This image shows damage to a horse's tongue that has arisen from sharp points on the teeth. Photo courtesy Dr. Brad Tanner

Horse teeth do develop cavities and these can lead to fracture, pain, and sometimes sinus infections. These problems can be avoided with early detection and treatment. The treatment for these is cavity fillings (restorations) and can be done as a routine standing procedure. Our goal is to preserve functional occlusion of the teeth and allow continued grazing. Given the opportunity horses on pasture will graze up to 16 hours daily.

Dr. Brad Tanner received his DVM from Auburn University in 2005 and completed an internship at Rood and Riddle thereafter. He is a shareholder in the clinic, where he focuses on advanced dentistry, primary care and reproduction. Tanner became board certified in equine dentistry in 2019.

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Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: What Do We Know About Ulcers?

Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock.

QUESTION: What do we know about the causes and best treatments for ulcers?

DR. KATE CHRISTIE: Equine gastric ulcer syndrome is a common condition in the performance horse with upwards of 90% of horses having evidence of gastric ulceration within two to three months of intensive training. Frustratingly, clinical signs vary from horse to horse and gastroscopy remains the only definitive diagnosis for ulcer disease in the adult horse.

The majority of gastric ulcers occur in the non-glandular portion of the stomach and are associated with exposure of this area to the acidic contents of the stomach. Some of the most important conditions that increase exposure to stomach acids include long periods between eating and high levels of exercise and training. Ulcers can also be located in the glandular portion of the stomach, specifically in the pylorus or outflow tract of the stomach. Gastric ulcers in this region of the stomach are less completely understood, but may be associated with breakdown of natural protective barriers. Unlike other species, bacterial infection does not seem to play a role in equine gastric ulcer syndrome.

Dr. Kate Christie

Once a diagnosis of gastric ulcer disease has been reached, treatment and management should be tailored to each individual horse. A combination of pharmaceutical intervention as well as environmental management is often the most successful. Horses that go long periods of time without access to forage, especially those on a high grain diet, are at increased risk of gastric ulcers.

Providing constant access to forage is key in the prevention and management of equine gastric ulcers. Adding alfalfa to the diet may also be helpful as it is naturally high in calcium and can act as a buffer for the highly acidic contents of the stomach.

Medications used to treat gastric ulcers in horses have the main goal of decreasing the acidity of the stomach. Commonly used medications include omeprazole (GastroGard, UlcerGard) and ranitidine (Zantac). Sucralfate is also commonly administered as a coating agent to help heal ulcerations. GastroGard is the most commonly used medication and is the only medication with FDA approval for the treatment of gastric ulcers in horses.

A long-acting injectable omeprazole has shown promise and may offer an alternative to traditional omeprazole therapy although further study is needed. Glandular ulcers can be more difficult to treat and often require longer courses of treatment.

In some cases, treatment with a medication called misoprostol may be recommended if these ulcers fail to respond to GastroGard alone. The only way to confirm resolution of gastric ulcers is repeat gastroscopy which is typically recommended after a four-week course of treatment.

Dr. Kate Christie grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she developed her love of horses actively competing in the show hunter world and watching Standardbred racing at the with her grandfather. She received her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences as well as a Master's degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario where she continued her riding career and further developed a passion for veterinary medicine. Kate graduated from the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014 and went on to complete a year-long rotating hospital internship at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital (2014-15) prior to entering a Large Animal Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Georgia. She became boarded in large animal internal medicine in 2018 at the completion of her residency program. Kate remained at the University of Georgia as a clinical associate professor for one year and is excited to be returning to Lexington to join the Rood and Riddle internal medicine team.  Her professional interests include gastrointestinal disease, infectious and non-infectious respiratory disease, and equine pharmacology. Outside of work, Kate enjoys spending as much time as possible with her retired show jumper, Skye. When not in the saddle, she enjoys trail-running, hiking, and traveling with her husband. 

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Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: What To Do About ‘Parrot Mouth’

Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock.

QUESTION: What is “parrot mouth” in a horse, and can it be resolved?

DR. BRAD TANNER: Horses come in all shapes and sizes and so do their mouths. A parrot mouth describes the upper lip that hangs forward and down ahead of the lower lip. This term is synonymous with overbite malocclusion of the incisors of a horse. As the top jaw grows, if it grows at a faster rate than the lower jaw, the front teeth will be extended forward and no longer make contact with the lower incisors. This is what gives the characteristic large, goofy lip of the top jaw that we so often call “parrot mouth.” When an owner raises the top and lower lips, you will notice that those front teeth often times barely contact or sometimes don't contact at all.

Dr. Brad Tanner

Is it a problem?

Yes and no. While it's cosmetically unpleasant to look at for some people, does it really affect performance? The answer is that it doesn't if managed correctly. These horses will continue to eat, they will continue to grow and they will not be skinny because of this malocclusion. However, this can be a problem for some horses. The question is whether the only malocclusions present impacting the incisors; if the front teeth that no longer contact, it's possible the entire top jaw could have shifted forward, which can create a ripple effect. This means that the first cheek tooth on top may no longer be grinding on the first cheek tooth on the bottom. Conversely, the last cheek tooth on the bottom may no longer be chewing in contact with the last cheek tooth on the top and the results of this will be large hooks and excessive growth of these teeth.

This image shows the “hooks” that can appear when the top and bottom jaws don't align properly and part of a tooth is not worn down as normal. Photo courtesy Dr. Brad Tanner

This can cause significant problems and pain for horses, as these large hooks cause collateral damage to the soft tissues, gums, and cheeks. This is compounded when a bit is applied to the horse's mouth and a rider asks the horse to put the head into a frame/collection, causing increased contact of these teeth overgrowths and the soft tissues surrounding them. In Thoroughbred racehorses the effects are less dramatic than in dressage and other disciplines. This is due to the fact that racehorses run largely on looser reins with an extended head and neck rather than in flexion of the poll.

Can it be corrected?

While this is a permanent deformity in adult horses, it can be corrected in young growing foals. Correction should take place between four to six months of age, ideally. As the maxilla (top jaw) is growing ahead of the mandible (lower jaw) at a higher rate, an orthodontic appliance can be applied with orthodontic wires to halt the growth of the maxilla allowing the mandible to catch up. Additionally, an inclined plane is applied in the form of an aluminum plate allowing the lower teeth to engage with it during each chewing motion.

Corrective devices can fix parrot mouth if it is caught early in a horse's life, before skeletal development is complete. Photo courtesy Dr. Brad Tanner

Corrective devices can fix parrot mouth if it is caught early in a horse's life, before skeletal development is complete. Photo courtesy Dr. Brad Tanner

Once the skeletal development of the horse is complete, there is no way to effectively correct the overbite/parrot mouth malocclusion.

How do you manage this problem long term?

Long term management of these malocclusions should be focused on effectively floating and reducing the large overgrowths. These are the overgrowths that form because some teeth are not in occlusion and chewing along one another. Normally, the teeth will grind and wear out at the same rate but when one tooth is not in contact it is allowed to continue to grow through the life of the horse at a rate of three to four millimeters per year. Left unchecked, this can wreak havoc on the horse's mouth and be a painful situation.

Long term management often will require routine floating examinations at six-month intervals on horses that have these types of malocclusions. So long as these are managed effectively the horse will be able to have normal dentition and perform at a normal level. Horses will not run faster or slower because of the parrot mouth. So long as they are managed effectively it should have no influence on performance.

The heritability of a parrot mouth has been called into question for some time. It's often viewed as a heritable trait that can be passed along from generation to generation and is therefore undesirable in breeding stock. Unfortunately, while much research has been done in this area, the heritability of overbites/parrot mouth is a very complex genetic trait. Recent studies have shown there are complex patterns of genetic alleles that are involved in the expression of the genes that lead to this defect. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly which foals could develop this trait and which sires are more or less prone to passing it along because of the complexity of alleles that are necessary to give this result and deformity.

In summary, parrot mouths are not really a big deal for a lot of horses. They have managed to survive for millennia this way and will continue to eat and graze. Proper management of a mature horse with parrot mouth will lead to decreased dental problems, decreased pain, and better performance in a show ring or racetrack. Recognition at an early age does allow for surgical correction and normal dentition for the rest of the horse's life.

Dr. Brad Tanner received his DVM from Auburn University in 2005 and completed an internship at Rood and Riddle thereafter. He is a shareholder in the clinic, where he focuses on advanced dentistry, primary care and reproduction. Tanner became board certified in equine dentistry in 2019.

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