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Equine Recurrent Uveitis And Appaloosas: What’s The Correlation?

Every Appaloosa over the age of 12 should have an eye exam to ensure the horse isn't suffering from equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) or moon blindness, a disease that disproportionately affects the breed. As the disease progresses, it can lead to blindness.

A study by Drs. Sandmeyer, Nicole Kingsley, Cheryl Walder, Sheila Archer, Marina Leis, Rebecca Bellone and Bianca Bauer completed a retrospective study using horses that were referred to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Canada.The research team found that ERU occurred 13 percent more often in Apps than in other breeds; of all horses at the hospital who had ERU, Appaloosas made up 62.5 percent of the ERU cases.

The study team then had board-certified ophthalmologists examine 145 Appaloosas on 11 farms in Western Canada to determine what risk factors Appaloosas have that may be relevant to ERU development. They sought to study if coat pattern correlated at all with ERU risk: Specifically, if Appaloosas that had extensive white were more at risk to develop ERU.

Horses were categorized as having no signs or mild, moderate or severe signs of ERU. Of the 145 horses examined, 20 (14%) were confirmed with ERU. The research team determined that:

ERU occurred 11 percent of the time in horses with few spots; 29 percent of the time in Apps with white blankets and no spots (called snowcap); 15 percent in leopard apps, which are white with spots all over; 11 percent on Apps with a white rump that has spots and 13 percent of the time in Apps with no patterning over the topline
There was no association between gender or base coat color and ERU
Age is a significant risk factor; 12.3 years old being the mean age of affected horses. For each year older, the odds of ERU increased 1.15 times
The study did not find ERU in horses that had white-flecked coats, lace blankets or solid coloration that does not roan with age
Apps with leopard spotting are at increased risk for ERU
A common ancestor was identified in 83 percent of affected horses within eight generations, and five were inbred to that ancestor

The scientists determined that many horses have chronic, low-grade clinical signs of ERU that go undetected until the condition worsens. Because of this, it's imperative that owners of Appaloosas have their eyes checked yearly, specifically after 12 years old.

Horse In PA Diagnosed With EHM

A 22-year-old Trakehner gelding that lived in Allegheny County, PA, was diagnosed with the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) on June 17 and euthanized, reported the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. A veterinarian was called after the horse showed signs of incoordination, abnormal urination and lying down without being able to rise. It is unclear if he had been vaccinated for the disease. An additional 39 horses boarded with the affected horse have been placed under official quarantine, reports The Horse.

EHV is highly contagious; it can cause respiratory issues and abortion in pregnant mares; it can also develop into the neurologic form of the disease, called equine herpesvirus myeloencephalitis (EHM). A horse that has the virus may have a fever, nasal discharge or cough; he may be uninterested in food or be depressed. Pregnant mares may show no symptoms of the virus before they abort, typically later in their pregnancies.

EHV-1 is spread through direct horse-to-horse contact as well as through contact with objects that have been contaminated by the virus, which includes human hands, equipment, tack, buckets, trailers and other such surfaces. The virus can be viable for between seven and 30 days in the environment.

Biosecurity measures such as limiting shared equipment and disinfection of tools and equipment that encounter an infected horse can prevent the spread of EHV. There is an EHV-1 vaccine that may reduce viral shedding of the disease, but it is not protective against the neurologic form.

Ointment Containing Semi-metallic Element Helps Heal Equine Leg Wounds

Texas A&M researchers have found that an ointment containing a semi-metallic element is showing promise in healing lower-leg wounds on horses. The cream, which contains 0.5 percent gallium maltolate, reduced wound size more rapidly, reduced proud flesh and reduced the number of bacteria present on the skin when compared to a similar ointment without the element.

Drs. Shauna Lawless, Noah Cohen, Sara Lawhon, Ana Chamoun-Emanuelli, Jing Wu, Andrés Rivera-Vélez, Brad Weeks and Canaan Whitfield-Cargile noted that wounds on the lower legs of horses are difficult to manage: they can be difficult to keep clean and can be difficult to manage.

Gallium possesses antimicrobial properties, but it had not been studied in relation to equine injuries. The scientists sought to compare healing rates between gallium-treated and untreated wounds to see if gallium could help heal wounds that were inoculated with the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.

The study team used six horses with induced injuries. The use of the gallium-infused ointment reduced healing time, saw less granular tissue growth and reduced the amount of bacteria in the wound when compared to wounds that were not treated with the element. The researchers concluded that its not just the antimicrobial properties of gallium that assist in healing; the element alters the expression of specific genes that aid in wound healing.

CA Horseshoeing School Barred From Enrolling Certain Students

Recently, the decision of a lawsuit brought forth by a horse shoeing school, farrier and student was overturned in a California court. The lawsuit alleges that the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 violates the First Amendment rights of Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School (PCHS) and Bob Smith to teach farriery, and also violates the rights of Esteban Narez to learn.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the United States Court for the Eastern District of California, stating that the Act controls more than contractual relations and that content discrimination was apparent. The panel does not contest that the state cannot regulate for-profit teaching, but it does ask for demonstration of why PCHS cannot enroll Narez, a high-school dropout.

Keith Diggs, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, is representing PCHS, Smith and Narez. He is asking for evidence to back up why Narez should be barred from the school. The state plans to file a petition for rehearing, which is rare. If the rehearing is denied, the case will return to district court, where the state must provide an evidence-based argument as to why PCHS cannot teach horsehoeing to students who don't have a high school diploma.

The law had a well-intentioned goal when it was written: curbing schools that preyed upon underqualified students, giving them fake credentials and massive student loan debt. The California law applies to all schools, even those that don't accept student loans, like PCHS.

As written, the law prohibits PCHS from enrolling Narez because he doesn't have a high school diploma or GED, nor has he passed a government-approved exam stating that he is proficient in math, reading, writing and other criteria. The state has threatened to shut down the horse shoeing school because PCHS doesn't require that students take the test.