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Kentucky EHV-1 Outbreak: Five New Positives At Training Center

E.S. “Rusty” Ford, equine operations consultant to the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian, released the following update regarding EHV-1 in the state Friday:

Results of the PCR testing conducted on samples collected Thursday were reported Thursday evening and did identify five additional EHV-1 positive horses (neuropathogenic strain). Two of the horses had been previously moved to the separate isolation barn and we did relocate the additional three positive horses to isolation last night as well. With the five additional positive horses, our population of potentially exposed horses grew and samples are being collected and submitted from each of those 25 horses later this afternoon with results expected to be available over the weekend.

We appreciate the commitment, effort, and resources Blackwood's management, horse owners, horsemen and attending veterinarians have provided. Biosecurity and health monitoring protocols that include temping horses multiple times daily have and will continue to be practiced by horsemen at Blackwood. These same procedures and protocols have been adopted and are routinely practiced by other training venues as well. State animal health officials and attending veterinary practitioners are working together and following up with testing of any horse suggesting evidence of an infectious condition. These combined efforts have helped us identify affected horses, thus better enabling us to mitigate further transmission and aide our ability to ensure we have safe and healthy environments for our horses and horsemen to continue normal operations within the commonwealth.

Index Case Update: Following a period of stability, the index case rapidly deteriorated and has been euthanized.

Other Guidance: Clearly, with the multiple ongoing EHV-1 events involving multiple breeds, disciplines, and venues, farms accepting new arrivals are to be reminded the importance of knowing the environment and status of where the horse arriving their farm originated and implementing needed husbandry practices that should include isolation, observation and assessment of the horse to insure healthy horses are introduced to your herd.

While our investigation of the Kentucky event as well as monitoring of disease events in other states continues, Kentucky State Veterinarian Dr. Katie Flynn and I will be providing further updates as information becomes available.

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Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: Spring Skin Ailments

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: Spring is often the time of year horses struggle with skin ailments due to humidity and wet weather. How do you recognize and treat the most common skin ailments and when do you need to call your veterinarian for help?

Dr. Ashton Broman: With the onset of the rainy and humid season, many owners may dread the thought of going out to the barn to find their horse has skin disease. While there is no single cure-all treatment for “skin disease,” there are distinguishing characteristics of common skin ailments owners can learn to recognize while also knowing when veterinary involvement is necessary.

With the onset of the wet season, one of the most common skin ailments is pastern dermatitis, commonly known as dew poisoning or scratches. Most owners know how to recognize this by the small scabs and sometimes cracked and painful skin along the pastern. Horses in wet, muddy conditions as well as those with non-pigmented skin (often with white hair) or long feathered fetlock hair are more predisposed to this condition. If caught early, clipping and washing the pasterns, gently removing the scabs, and keeping the pasterns as dry as possible can alleviate the problem. For more severe cases, there are medicated ointments containing anti-inflammatories and antimicrobial products that can be prescribed by your veterinarian and applied topically. Occasionally, dew poisoning can predispose a horse to more severe inflammation of the leg and lead to cellulitis. If you notice swelling up the leg with heat and sensitivity to the touch, call your veterinarian.

Some owners, when grooming their horses, will notice scabs or areas of hair loss along their horse's body and assume it is a fungal skin disease. While fungal disease of the skin is common especially during the rainy season, there are other allergic and bacterial causes. It is important to be able to differentiate between each to ensure proper treatment is started and it is recommended you work closely with your veterinarian to diagnose the problem and come up with an appropriate treatment plan.

Dr. Ashton Broman

Allergic dermatitis can often be seen as small, raised swellings along the skin with actively seeping or dried crusts which are often extremely itchy. It is usually seasonal, coinciding with the onset of spring and summer, with horses presenting with the same problem year after year. It is often caused by an allergy to insect bites but can also be due to reaction to certain chemicals or plants. As the foundation of treatment is prevention, it is important to identify the cause and attempt to prevent exposure. Because this condition is recurrent, some owners will become familiar with treatments to use for their particular horse and be able to implement treatment as soon as clinical signs begin to appear. Occasionally, some horses can develop a secondary bacterial infection so if you notice the lesions are hot or painful to the touch, contact your veterinarian for further treatment.

Rain rot, also known as rain scald, is medically termed dermatophilosis. While most assume it is a fungal disease, it is actually caused by a bacterium called Dermatophilus congolensis. It is characterized by areas of hair loss and scabs that easily flake off containing entire hair follicles. Lesions are usually concentrated to certain areas of the body such as along the croup, back, and face but can extend to any part of the body. Treatment consists of bathing the horse using medicated antimicrobial shampoos, regular grooming, and keeping the affected areas clean and dry. The scabs should be removed with the bathing, but carefully, so that the affected areas are not irritated. It may take more than one bath to effectively “de-scab.”

Ringworm is a skin disease caused by a fungus, not an actual worm. It is recognized by characteristic circular, flaky lesions with hair loss and tends to be concentrated in smaller areas with single or multiple lesions. This is important to identify because it is highly contagious between horses and may be zoonotic so it can be passed to humans as well. Treatment consists of the use of anti-fungal shampoos and topical anti-fungal medications. In severe cases not responsive to topical treatment, there are systemic treatments that can be used by your veterinarian.

For all skin diseases, early recognition is key so frequent grooming and attempting to keep horses in as dry an environment as possible are critical. Remember that brushes, etc. may get contaminated with the causative microorganisms, so be aware of the need to change grooming equipment between affected areas and between horses. While most common skin diseases are easily treated on the farm by owners, it is important to work closely with your veterinarian to ensure the correct treatment is being used and to recognize when veterinary intervention is necessary.

Dr. Ashton Broman was born and raised in Glendale, Calif., where she first developed her love of horses at the age of three. After high school, she earned her bachelor's degree at the University of California, Davis where she later worked as a technician at the veterinary school. She was accepted to Colorado State University for vet school and graduated in 2018. Dr. Broman started an ambulatory internship at Rood and Riddle with Dr. Brad Tanner in 2018, where she discovered a passion for equine dentistry and foal medicine, this passion was greatly increased during my second internship at Rood & Riddle. Dr. Broman plans on following her passion for dentistry and foal care in her new position as a Rood & Riddle associate.

She got married in 2020 and with her husband, Kris, and stepson, Bentley, has three faithful dogs and two beautiful horses.

The post Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: Spring Skin Ailments appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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New Shipping Precautions At Turfway As Thoroughbred Tests Positive For EHV-1 Near Lexington

E.S. “Rusty” Ford, equine operations consultant for the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian, released the following note to media on Thursday:

Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) has been confirmed in a 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly in Woodford County, Ky.

The filly reportedly had a fever on Saturday, and was referred to a veterinary hospital in Lexington Tuesday evening after becoming unstable and ataxic.

The Kentucky State Veterinarians Office was alerted of the suspected EHV case on Tuesday night and the training facility was placed under restriction pending completion of diagnostic testing.

PCR Testing conducted at Equine Diagnostic Solutions in Lexington, Ky., reported the neuropathogenic strain of EHV1 was detected from the nasal swab.

Animal health officials have been present at the facility, previously imposed restrictions remain in place, and 27 exposed horses had samples (nasal swabs and whole blood) collected earlier today and submitted for PCR testing.

The horse was reported last night as showing signs of improvement.

There is no connection to any other EHV-1 incidents.

In addition to the affected premises, precautionary measures have been implemented at Turfway Park, with all horses shipping in to race being required to stable in the receiving barn unless trainer has permanently assigned stalls at Turfway. In addition to adjustment of stabling, biosecurity protocols have been elevated. The State Veterinarian's office has personnel onsite examining health documents and coordinating efforts with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's staff.

Updates will be provided as information is learned.

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Study: Bronc Horses Can Become Accustomed To The Rodeo Environment

A new study — the first to deal with the welfare of bucking horses used in rodeos — shows that horses used for bronc riding in rodeos can become accustomed to the high-pressure performance. Drs. Christy Goldhawk, Temple Grandin and Ed Pajora found that experienced horses used at the Calgary Stampede had fewer reactive behaviors during loading and holding in the chute before they performed. Horses with increased rodeo experience were also less likely to balk during loading.

The three-year study used 116 horses involved in saddle bronc, novice saddle bronc, bareback and novice bareback events. The research team observed the horses in holding areas behind the chutes, where they found a low frequency of adverse behaviors in rodeo horses. They note that this may be because the horses have been habituated to the rodeo, meaning they understand the sequence of the event.

The places where the horses exhibited discomfort can easily be modified to make them more comfortable, the research team said. For example, when the horses appeared uneasy when spectators were above them, the research team recommended that a tent be placed over the holding area to shield the horses from view.

Read the study here.