Hendra Virus Guide for Horse Owners

Hendra Virus Guide for Horse Owners link below:

http://www.pacvets.com.au/pages/horses.html

Rod S

Hendra Virus Vaccination Finally Here!

Dear Friends of Horses,

 As you have probably heard already, the wait [and worry] is over.

Hendra Virus HeV sG vaccine called Equivac HeV is about to become available. Accreditation has been completed with appropriate certificate issued to Rod Stephenson.

Vaccine has been pre-ordered for the release date – expected to be November first [next week].

Each horse requires 2 doses exactly 21 days apart. All horses have to be / have been microchipped and all details entered on the data base register.

Please advise by phone if you want to be an ‘early bird’.

Best regards

Rod Stephenson 0414 696 701

The New Website is finally here!!!

Hello friends of PacVets!

It has taken a little while, but we have finally updated the PacVets Website.
The new look website provides a lot of good information about pet and animal care as well as information about services and background to the company.

So make sure you stop by at

http://www.pacvets.com.au/

Let us know what you think of the site on our FACEBOOK Page page too!

Look forward to hearing from you!

Rod S.

Horse Science Snippets from the 2012 Equine Symposium

Hello Everyone!

Each Tuesday night, I will be posting a few facts and pieces of information about new animal advancements. This week I've included a few interesting facts I recently learnt at last week's 2012 Equine Science Symposium.

I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on some of the below ideas, as always feel free to contact me on Facebook or by email!

Hope to speak to you all soon,

Rod

Horse science snipets from the Equine Symposium    [or as others might say “Random Stuff”]

The Australasian Equine Science Symposium presents research from ‘Genomics to the Winning Post’ from scientists, veterinarians and industry people around Australia, New Zealand and some from the USA. The following are some summary snipets that might be of interest.

1.    The digestibility of the starch fraction of cereal grains fed to horses varies considerable – yet it is a very important when developing feed rations. As you know ‘cooking’ of grains can dramatically improve starch digestion in the small intestines. However, the variables [moisture adsorption, temperature, duration of processing] in manufacturing can cause variation >25%. Extruded is the best, then micronized and then steam flaked processing with varying effectiveness between manufacturers has implications for feed use efficiency, and hindgut health. Problematically, stock feed manufacturers do not have any obligation to quantify the digestibility value of the processed grain. So continue to take care with your ration formulations – for horses in hard work, and for ponies and pensioners at maintenance.

2.     In Americian feeding comparisons, hay and grain, pelleted hay+grain, and cubed hay+grain for young horses demonstrated that the cubed feed resulted in the best feed efficiency and without incidence of stomach ulcers. Note – with dry pastures, copra meal provides an ideal supplement that safely improves energy and protein intake to ensure maintenance.

3.    Stress of weanlings when first weaned and stabled was mitigated by music. ‘Calming’ music was played during the day, resulting in less time walking, and more time eating. And when a stallion was walked past, music reduced the immediate increase and duration of elevated heart rate, indicating less stress.                                            The ‘quality’ of the music is important!

4.    The importance of early exercise has been supported by physiological, clinical and epidemiological data. In wild horse populations, foals are capable of covering up to 10 km per day within 9 days of birth. Foals had a positive response to early pre weaning paddock exercise [greater cartilage health] and more recent work has demonstrated that exercise over and above that normally occurring with pasture reared foals, introduced as early as 3 weeks-old, had positive effects on the musculoskeletal system. The ‘quality’ of this extra early exercise is of ‘key’ importance.

5.    Despite the significant research achievements, the dynamics of horse infection from flying foxes is not completely understood. Both QLD and NSW government reports suggest that most infections have occurred in horses that might have been hungry. A review of pasture growth by an independent horse breeder supports this issue because no subtropical pasture growth occurs during winter early spring. A hungry horse is more likely to consume bat related material found on short pastures setting the scene for a HeV spill-over.

6.    A positive update on the Hendra virus. A prototype vaccination of nonhuman primates has been 100% effective in protecting when challenged with the virus. Also, the imminent release [2013?] of the vaccine for horses is progressing well. Significant collaboration has occurred between USA and Australian laboratories and commercial business to make this progress. Importantly, the Australian Animal Health Laboratory at Geelong is the only facility in the world capable of carrying out horse trials with such a dangerous virus.

7.    Currently, equine parentage is verified by testing a minimum of 12 internationally agreed Simple Tandem Repeat DNA markers [STaRs], known as the Equine Primary Panel of STR DNA markers.                        This has been 100% effective.

Completion of the horse genome sequence has characterised thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNiPs]. Serious consideration is being given to using SNiPs as a source of genetic variation, to confirm parentage, and also inherited conditions such as disease, coat colour etc and, comparisons between breeds. It is therefore potentially more comprehensive, but more expensive.

8.    Data were collected from 120 Mongolian horses [average 13.7 hands] used in the 2011 ‘Mongolian Derby’. None of the horses were subjected to routine hoof trimming!  Overall, few conformational abnormalities were observed. Hoof confirmation represented the natural interaction of the environment with the hoof.

9.    A natural fungus has potential to reduce worm burdens on pastures. The spores of the fungus can be fed in a supplement, it then subsequently germinates in the faeces, creating a fungal web [hypae] that traps and kills emerging worm larvae – stopping the usual progression onto pasture.

10.  As some of you well know, hairy caterpillars have for 10+ years been implicated in abortions with episodic 5-10year cycles. Science has now verified the serious issue implicating the fine hairs of the exoskeleton [setae – with small barbs] which when accidently ingested will rapidly migrate from the mares gut. Setae travel throughout the body of the mare and facilitate bacterial infection of the placenta and foetus resulting in death. Ecology to these hairy processionary caterpillars now highlights the importance of destroying white spherical ‘golf ball’ egg nests and the larger dark cream coloured larvae nests if they are found in paddocks containing brood mares. Personal care not to make contact is emphasised.                                                                                                           

More than 50 presentations were all advancing the science and welfare of our horses. Further information can be given if you have a particular query. Best regards Rod Stephenson 0414696701

The Recently Updated Website is HERE!

Hello friends and animal lovers!

Just thought we'd let you know we have updated the PacVets Website with information on Small Pet Insurance; some useful links; and plenty of factsheets for a variety of animals!

So if you're curious about your pets, curious about all animals or just want to know a little more about us, come and visit the PacVets Website and have a look around!

As always, feedback via the blog, website or our Facebook page is always welcomed and appreciated!

Hope to hear from you all soon,

PacVets

Feeding for Topline & Condition Horses

The Speed Gene in Thoroughbred Racehorses

An interesting read for horse breeders and horse lovers alike!

From The Australian Equine Veterinarian Vol. 30 No. 1, 2012

I have a horse - How often should I worm my dog??

I have a horse - How often should I worm my dog?? 

While there are no cross-infestations of worms between horses and dogs, intestinal worms in dogs are common parasites that can get out of control in any house yard / farm yard.

Worms are parasites that are more than just a nuisance. They can kill pups and make adult dogs very unwell. In addition, worms from pets can potentially cause disease in children and adult people. Dog owners need to be particularly aware of the danger of worms and how to prevent them.

Dogs can become infected with four different types of intestinal worms, namely hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms and whipworms [and also heartworms]. Importantly, as these worms can affect humans, especially children, puppies need to be wormed every 2 weeks from 2 to 12 weeks of age, then monthly to 6 months, and then every 3 months as an adult dog. Regular worming is essential – while treatment kills worms present in the intestine at the time, reinfections can occur from other pets and the environment. Once is not enough.

Pregnant dogs need to be wormed prior to mating, 10 days before whelping and at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after whelping.

Dogs in “hydatid tapeworm” areas need to be wormed every 6 weeks, as hydatid tapeworms are a serious health risk to humans. Hydatid disease used to be a problem only in temperate southern areas, however it has spread up along the east coast of Australia – and a lot of peri-urban areas where horses are mostly kept are exposed to feral dogs that can carry these tapeworms. Your vet can check your dog for the presence of worms, give the appropriate treatment and advise you on the best worm control program for your dog. Not all over-the-counter products available treat all the worms, and not all are effective.

For those of you interested in biology – the following relates to ‘Life as a Roundworm’

Toxocara canis has one of the most amazing life cycles in the animal kingdom. It is crucial to understand this life cycle if effective treatment is to be pursued.

Toxocara eggs are passed in the host's faeces. If a faecal sample is tested, the eggs can be detected. The embryonic worm develops in the outdoor environment inside its microscopic egg for one month before it becomes able to infect a new host – therefore fresh faeces are not infectious. Soil contaminated with faeces is infectious. Eggs can remain infective for months to years.

How do I know if my dog has worms? 

 

In puppies, a worm infection can cause a life threatening condition to develop quickly. Despite common belief, it is not common to see worms in a dog or puppy’s droppings under normal circumstances.

Hookworms in young pups often cause soft tar-like faeces that develop into diarrhoea, usually with blood staining of the faeces. The blood loss in puppies can be extreme and a serious anaemia is a common, fatal side effect. Hookworms are quite small so it is not common to see hookworms in the animal’s droppings after proper treatment.

Roundworms are a big worm, measuring up to 18cm in length. They are a particular problem in puppies as they are spread to them while they are in the mother’s uterus. Thus, pups can be born with a roundworm infestation. Roundworms cause diarrhoea, sometimes with bloodstaining, and can commonly cause a blockage of the bowel due to their large size. Affected puppies have a ‘pot-bellied’ appearance and a rough coat. Such puppies are often ‘poor doers’.

Tapeworms are a common problem in dogs. Surprisingly, although they are quite big, they cause only mild disease. They are one, but not the only, cause of ‘scooting’ behaviour of dogs. The segments are easy to identify. They are the size of a rice grain and are quite active. They will wriggle visibly and can be seen with the naked eye on the dog’s droppings or on its fur around its bottom. By continually ‘scooting’, a dog will occasionally cause a lot of self-inflicted irritation around the skin of its anus.

Whipworms are a medium size worm that affects the lower bowel of dogs. It again causes diarrhoea, which characteristically contains mucus and often some fresh blood.

How can I get rid of worms?  

Worms can be eliminated with common worming medications that are available from your veterinarian or pet shop. Be sure to choose a medication that will treat all four worms that your pup can be affected by. However, if your pup is already unwell, it may need other medication to control any diarrhoea that is present and to build up reserves of, for instance, iron that may be depleted from continual blood loss. For advice on this, you should consult your veterinarian.

How can I prevent worm infestations?  

Preventing worm infestations is a very important matter in all animals. A calendar and budget plan can help ensure effective prevention. There are many effective products on the market, and a lot also control other parasites such as heartworm, fleas, mites and ticks.

An integrated parasite prevention plan is best determined for each individual house yard / farm yard. An economical plan requires some calculation – and possible assistance from a vet / vet nurse. New products are constantly becoming available. Some products have the convenience factor, while others are more cost effective.

In Summary, develop and carry out a plan that is effective and ‘works’ for you and your dogs – and you will have peace of mind.

For very competitive online animal health products visit www.obay.com.au and key in HEWX6669  

Rod Stephenson BVSc MVSc PAC VETS for horses and all farm animals  www.pacvets.com.au