Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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Laminitis: what does that word mean to you?
Laminitis: what does that word mean to you? Do you think you know all about it, or does hearing the very word have you shaking your head over all we just don’t know. The recent–and some would say long overdue–expansion in laminitis research has spawned a generation of geeks who can speak the lingo and conject about the future. Their …
September 19th, 2012 Full story »
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Learning about equine laminitis
The Western College of Veterinary Medicine is hosting an afternoon series of presentations focusing on equine laminitis — a challenging inflammatory disease that affects horses of all breeds and ages. The educational event, which is free of charge, takes place from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, September 25, at the WCVM. The afternoon’s keynote speaker is Dr. James …
September 18th, 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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Paton: “It’s not just treating horses”
Dr. David Paton always enjoyed working around large animals while growing up on the family dairy farm in Ladner, B.C. But it was the influence of their local veterinarian, Dr. Gordon Davis, that sparked his interest in veterinary medicine and developed his focus on horses. “He was just an outstanding and astute horseman as well as veterinarian – I think …
May 18th, 2012 Full story »
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Easing the grief through memorial tributes
When Jim Dobie lost his golden retriever Angus to cancer in 1996, he was surprised and touched to learn that his veterinarian, Dr. Lloyd Abbey (WCVM ’77) of Edmonton, Alta., had made a memorial donation to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Companion Animal Health Fund (CAHF) on his behalf. “I certainly never expected that and didn’t even know such …
May 15th, 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 »
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EHRF Research Fellowship program
During the mid-1970s, you could count the number of equine veterinary specialists and researchers who were living and working in Western Canada on the fingers of one hand. Things have dramatically changed in three decades. Today, the region has a thriving population of equine specialists — and much of the credit for that growth goes to the Equine Health Research Fund’s …
May 01st, 2012 Full story »
