horse health
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EHRF Research Grants: 2008-2009
What’s the shelf life of pergolide mesylate? Drs. Trish Dowling and Katherine Ball, WCVM; and Dr. Gordon McKay, U of S College of Pharmacy and Nutrition Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) — or equine Cushing’s disease — is a significant health problem in senior horses, affecting one in 10 horses more than 20 years of age. Affected horses commonly suffer career-limiting and …
June 05th, 2013 Full story »
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Vital animal health projects receive funding
Two longtime research funds have directed more than $170,000 in funding to researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in support of vital pet and equine health research projects. The Companion Animal Health Fund (CAHF) is investing more than $67,000 in eight pet health projects while the Equine Health Research Fund (EHRF) will provide eight teams of equine …
May 22nd, 2013 Full story »
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WCVM linked to equine welfare awards
Two Western College of Veterinary Medicine veterinarians were among the recipients of the 2013 Awards of Distinction for Equine Welfare on February 16 in Saskatoon, Sask. During a noon-hour awards ceremony, Dr. Sue Ashburner (WCVM ’79) received an Award of Distinction for Equine Welfare Communication while her colleague, Dr. Steve Manning (OVC ’91) received an Award of Distinction for Equine …
February 20th, 2013 Full story »
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Vet students promote equine health to riders
Members of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Equine Club are gearing up to host hundreds of young horse enthusiasts during the club’s annual 4-H and Pony Club Educational Day in late January. The day-long event, which has become a “must-attend” for many 4-H and Pony Clubs across Saskatchewan, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the …
December 03rd, 2012 Full story »
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Résumé includes salmon, bison and horses
Nicholas Hawkins was born and raised in Humboldt, Sask., just one hour from Saskatoon. But his journey into the veterinary medicine program at the University of Saskatchewan was a much longer trip than 100 kilometres down the highway. Shortly after high school, following a tip from his scuba-diving older brother, Hawkins landed an aquaculture job at a Chinook salmon farm …
November 10th, 2012 Full story »
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Coggins test still vital cog in EIA screening
The standard in equine infectious anemia (EIA) screening is a test known to horse owners everywhere as the Coggins test. A “negative Coggins” is required for import and export of horses and is recommended for any situation in which horses are gathered together, such as a competition or boarding stable. But what exactly is a Coggins test, and how is …
July 12th, 2012 Full story »
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Controlling EIA’s spread has its challenges
Those in the horse industry all share a stake in maintaining vigilance over the spread and control of equine communicable diseases, and this is perhaps most true with equine infectious anemia (EIA), a disease whose only control is through regular screening. But the politics of disease management inevitably bring forth questions. Why do certain competitions require EIA screening but not …
July 12th, 2012 Full story »
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EIA persistent equine disease in the West
The mention of equine infectious anemia (EIA) or swamp fever holds a special kind of fear for horse owners. With no vaccine and no cure for the disease, a positive diagnosis of EIA is essentially a death sentence as an affected horse must be either euthanized or quarantined for life in fly-proof facilities to avoid infecting other horses. EIA screening …
July 12th, 2012 Full story »
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The tick factor
Like many Saskatchewan residents, I’ve have had to resign myself to dealing with ticks in recent years. Slowly but surely, ticks appear to be creeping into parts of the province that were previously (and blissfully) tick-free. The first tick I ever encountered was flung clear across the room in horror (never to be seen again). But I’ve since become a …
July 02nd, 2012 Full story »
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Quick tick facts
“Know your enemy” is a well-known military maxim that’s also good advice for people on the Canadian Prairies who are seeing increasing populations of tick species in the region. Here are some quick facts about ticks and tick-borne diseases: Ticks, like spiders and mites, have eight legs in their mature form (as adults) and are members of the class Arachnida. …
May 11th, 2012 Full story »
