The Louisiana Department of Agriculture is proceeding with cases against two people associated with a well-known kill pen operation in the state. Hearings for Jacob Thompson and Tara Sanders were postponed from an October meeting of the state's Board of Animal Health until its next regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 3.
Earlier this year, the Department asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order against Gary Thompson and Jacob Thompson, both of Vernon Parish, to stop them from buying and selling livestock. The order was also designed to prevent anyone from acting as a livestock dealer on the Thompsons' behalf. According to the state's complaint, both Thompsons had acted in the capacity of livestock dealers — buying horses and cattle and selling them within 30 days of purchase — while they did not hold dealer licenses in Louisiana.
Charges from mid-September state Jacob Thompson is alleged to have committed ten violations of state regulations requiring agents and dealers to be licensed by the Board of Animal Health and ten violations of a different regulation requiring dealers to file a surety instrument with the state in order to operate.
The Department also alleges Sanders committed 11 violations of the regulation requiring agents and dealers be licensed by the Board of Animal Health. Correspondence from the state to Sanders allege she bought and sold at least 11 horses between May and August of this year while she was unlicensed.
According to the state, Sanders submitted an application in mid-August for a dealer's license and a copy of the requisite bond or surety instrument. State officials claim the application contained material misstatements that could put the application in jeopardy. They claim there were discrepancies between Sanders' application and secretary of state filings about whether she or Thompson currently own the kill pen. Sanders claims she has purchased the kill pen business from longtime partner Jacob Thompson, and that he is now employed by the business.
Louisiana Director of Animal Health John Walther told Sanders on Aug. 14 she could not conduct business as a livestock dealer until she had a permit. The state says she did so anyway, triggering a cease and desist letter on Sept. 3 that Sanders is also alleged to have ignored. The lot has continued marketing horses for sale on its Facebook page throughout recent weeks.
Sanders told the Paulick Report in August that the state's petition for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary and permanent injunction against the business did not apply to her because she maintained residency in Oklahoma, where livestock dealer permits are not required.
The company operated by Sanders and Thompson has been marketed under various names on social media but is most commonly known as Thompson Horse Lot or JT Livestock. The lot is known for purchasing horses from various auctions in the area and threatening to ship horses to slaughterhouses in Mexico if they are not sold. Social media users are offered the opportunity to purchase the horses at a set price based on photos and videos or to contribute to the horse's “bail” fee and allow someone else to own the horse.
In addition to the state's proceedings against the pair for licensing issues, a public information act request from early October revealed the Department is in the midst of an “active animal health investigation” related to the lot. No further details were available on the nature of the investigation as of Oct. 6.
New diagnostic standards for thyroxine use in California could be on the way after a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) staff report suggests some trainers are ignoring board warnings about overuse of thyroxine.
A staff report released ahead of a meeting of the CHRB's Medication, Safety and Welfare Committee this week revealed that two unidentified trainers in Southern California were responsible for more than half the 256 prescriptions for thyroxine on the circuit so far this year, and three veterinarians accounted for 80 percent of the prescriptions. Those figures are based on required reporting to the CHRB which, per rule language, prohibits the board from disclosing the identities of horses or connections involved.
Thyroxine (commonly known by its trade name as Thyro-L) is product for the treatment of hypothyroidism, or underperformance of the thyroid gland, in horses. Horses with hypothyroidism are typically overweight with cresty necks, struggle to lose weight with exercise, and are often lethargic with a poor hair coat — not a typical picture of a fit, healthy racehorse. Hypothyroidism is relatively rare in horses, and is most commonly found among foals who suffered an iodine deficiency.
Thyroxine overuse in racehorses first gained attention in 2013 when the Board launched an investigation into the sudden deaths of seven horses trained by Bob Baffert between 2011 and 2013. Baffert told investigators at the time that he had all the horses in his care on thyroxine, which was given as orally in a horse's grain in a similar manner as powdered supplements. At that time, trainers would commonly reach for thyroxine as a way to help get weight off horses, particularly if they'd recently returned from a lay-off.
The tendency to think of thyroxine as a supplement rather than a drug extends well beyond one barn, however. The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and American Association of Equine Practitioners put out an advisory earlier this year emphasizing to trainers that thyroxine is a drug which should be given based on a medical diagnosis, not a wellness product to be distributed to the whole shedrow.
Hypothyroidism may be diagnosed by measuring a horse's T3 or T4 levels in their bloodstream. Those hormones are produced by the thyroid and can be an indicator of its function. The trouble with relying on those blood tests for a diagnosis in a racehorse, according to CHRB staff, is that T3 and T4 are known to circulate in lower levels in fit horses, thanks to certain common therapeutic drugs, lots of exercise, high protein diets, or high carbohydrate hay — all of which are the norm for horses in training.
It seems some practitioners are less concerned than others to use blood tests for diagnosis.
“Veterinarians have argued a 'positive' clinical response in a thyroxine treated horse is evidence of hypothyroidism,” the report read. “That is incorrect.”
A 2018 academic study on racing Standardbreds found that horses appeared more alert after being given thyroxine, leading some horsemen to believe it was having a positive effect. That study also found thyroxine-treated horses tired more easily, did not experience improved performance, and that four of six treated study horses developed cardiac arrhythmias.
The committee was urged to consider requiring a blood test for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) as a more reliable indicator of hypothyroidism. Proposed changes to board rule 1866.4 would restrict thyroxine use to horses who had a positive hypothyroid diagnosis based on a TRH test. Test results would have to be submitted to the CHRB equine medical director for review and would have to be reauthorized every 90 days. Horses would be ineligible to race for 30 days after administration.
The staff report indicates there may be serious risks with giving thyroxine to a horse who doesn't need it.
“Thyroxine has been associated with cardiac arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation in humans and anecdotally similar cardiac arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation have been reported in horses,” the report read. “While we cannot assert a cause and effect relationship, one sudden death in 2020 occurred five days after the horse was prescribed thyroxine.”
The board will consider the new thyroxine rule language at its meeting on Nov. 19.
The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis is taking one of the lead roles in the university's new $2 billion fundraising campaign, “Expect Greater: From UC Davis, For the World.” This marks the largest philanthropic endeavor in the university's history, and the school's 25% portion of the goal is also its largest fundraising challenge. This bold goal will help create the future Veterinary Medical Center, where clinical innovation, transformational research, and compassionate healing come together.
The school's portion of the $2 billion goal includes a decade-long campaign to raise more than $500 million to create a new veterinary hospital that sets the gold standard of care while defining advanced clinical research and education. The school's existing Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital opened in 1970 and was built to see 3,000 patients per year. While there have been additions to the facility over the years—increasing the square footage by about 60%—the hospital's caseload has increased more than 1,600% to more than 50,000 cases per year.
“This caseload increase is stretching our personnel and resources to an extreme extent,” said Dr. Karl Jandrey, associate dean of Admissions and Student Programs and a critical care specialist in the hospital's Emergency Room. “Our large and diverse caseload provides a tremendous learning environment for our students and house officers, but we have to ensure those opportunities are not jeopardized by the limited footprint in which we train them.”
“It is clear that a new hospital is necessary,” said Dean Michael Lairmore. “This campaign, led by donations from our community partners, will enable us to envision a new standard of excellence in veterinary medicine, innovation, and discovery.”
The “Expect Greater” campaign will harness the power of philanthropy to propel the school—already the #1 ranked veterinary school in the world—into a level of veterinary care, research, and advancement that meets the challenges of an increasing caseload; that allows for the adoption of the latest technology in veterinary medicine; and that provides the infrastructure and efficient services to facilitate translational research and breakthroughs.
“Expect Greater” launches at a time of growing philanthropic momentum at UC Davis – the last four years have been the strongest for fundraising in its history. Since the campaign's quiet phase began in July 2016, the university's closest donors and friends have given $1.2 billion toward the goal, with more than $250 million of that raised by the veterinary school. Now UC Davis is reaching out to the entire university community and beyond to help make a greater impact on the world.
Expertise for California and the World
As the global leader in veterinary medicine, UC Davis leads the way in research, innovation, and clinical care breakthroughs. The school is at the forefront of serving California's animals, especially in times of great need.
With the state in turmoil caused by raging wildfires and a global pandemic outbreak, the hospital has remained open to serve animal owners. In just the past two months alone, the school's Veterinary Emergency Response Team has treated thousands of animals at evacuation centers and performed search and rescue missions in the fire zones, while the hospital has treated dozens of some of the most critically burned animals. Additionally, the school recently created the Wildlife Disaster Network to care for wildlife affected by wildfires and other disasters.
Beyond the creation of the Veterinary Medical Center, fundraising efforts will focus on supporting students financially. UC Davis is already a leader in scholarship support, helping to make it the veterinary school with the third-least median debt for its graduates. Low debt makes it easier for new veterinarians to choose options that further benefit society, such as going into public service or pursuing research careers or medical specialties.
The school is also raising efforts to create endowed chairs and professorships, demonstrating support for the diverse, world-class faculty who make UC Davis a premier research and clinical institution. These positions enable the school to recruit and retain the world's top minds in veterinary medicine – faculty who will have the sustained funding to maximize their impact, all while teaching the next generation of veterinarians and veterinary specialists.
Donors are also supporting research and the work of the school's centers and institutes. For example, with a One Health approach to medicine, the university conducts groundbreaking research at the nexus of animal and human medicine – the focus of the school's One Health Institute. With donor support, UC Davis veterinarians and physicians routinely collaborate on research and clinical care projects that cross veterinary and human medicine boundaries to advance the health of both humans and animals.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, veterinary and human health researchers quickly began collaborating on diagnostic and vaccine testing. Meanwhile, PREDICT—One Health Institute's pandemic prevention and response program—is part of an international effort to provide emergency support to collaborating countries in response to coronavirus spread.
The “Expect Greater” campaign will strengthen all of these entities and help UC Davis continue its One Health mission of advancing the health of animals, humans, and the environment.
Future Veterinary Medical Center Goals
Inspired by UC Davis clients' devotion to their animals, the future Veterinary Medical Center will push the limits of veterinary medicine to increase knowledge and provide optimal care. School leadership envisions a comprehensive center for veterinary medicine unlike any in the world: a center of healing where clients trust that their beloved animals will be treated with unparalleled expertise and compassion; a center of innovation where clinicians, scholars, and students collaborate in integrated teams to advance the health of animals, people, and the environment; and a center of discovery where transformational research breaks new ground in areas from stem cell therapies to food safety.
The multi-phased Veterinary Medical Center campaign commenced over the past two years with several Phase I renovation projects in the hospital—including six new examination rooms, a feline-only suite, laundry and support facilities, locker rooms, and restrooms—and the construction of a new Large Animal Support Facility.
In 2021, the school looks to continue Phase I with commencing construction of the All Species Imaging Center, where the world's largest veterinary radiology team will diagnose patients, and train students and residents with the most advanced imaging technologies in medicine – including CTs, MRIs, and PET scanners.
Greater in scope than any previous school expansion, the Veterinary Medical Center campaign will then focus on transforming the Large Animal Clinic into three distinct treatment areas – the Livestock and Field Services Center, the Equine Surgery and Critical Care Center, and the Equine Performance Center.
“The equine specialists at UC Davis have provided the very best care to so many horses, including our own,” stated long-time clients and donors Robert and Colleen Haas. “The Equine Performance Center will take their capacity for assessment, treatment, and clinical research to an even higher level and will be a tremendous resource to horse owners everywhere.”
Plans for an entirely updated Small Animal Hospital will be the final phase of the decade-long project, coming in the late 2020s and more than doubling the size of the current clinical space for small animals.
To learn more about the Veterinary Medical Center, please see the campaign website.
Horses are one of the most frequently transported domestic species in the world; they are frequently moved by vans, ships and planes. Horses that travel between locations are at risk for disease, injury and welfare issues. Many studies have been done on how to alleviate the stresses caused by traveling by road, but little is known on how horses handle traveling by air.
A new study funded by Morris Animal Foundation and spearheaded by Dr. Barbara Padalino, an associate professor of animal science at Italy's Università di Bologna, will investigate what factors increase or decrease the risk of health and behavior issues.
The findings of the study, which involves both stakeholders and researchers, will be used to develop protocols for flight associations like the International Air Transportation Association (IATA). Currently, protocols focus on air safety and cargo requirements, not on equine welfare issues; they are based on experience, with little scientific backing.
It is estimated that nearly 30,000 horses are flown each year. A recent study used 81 flights to Hong Kong and found that for every 100 horses flown, about 11 percent got pneumonia from the flight and 60 percent of flights had at least one horse affected; horses flown in the spring were particularly at risk. That study concluded that flight duration and time of year were risk factors for horses getting sick.
Padalino and her research team hope to use 2,000 horses in their study; these horses will be flying between the United States, Europe, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia and New. The study will involve asking questions regarding horse's welfare before, during and up to five days after the flight. This will include questions about heart rate, alertness and body condition scores, among others.
Padalino hypothesizes that horses with less transport experience and training will be more at risk of transport-related problems, as will those horses who have different temperaments. She is hopeful that the study will assist in the creation of protocol to increase the welfare of horses shipping by air, as well as provide an economic benefit to horse owners by reducing health complications.
