EQUINE VIRAL ARTERITIS
Reproduced from The Canadian Horse Journal, March/April 2008 
by Debra Ottier, Iron Horse Equine

Although the advent of transported semen has revolutionized the horse industry, serious ramifications exist when transported semen contaminated with a communicable disease agent are used.  These agents can be bacterial, viral, or protozoal in nature.  While the addition of antibiotics will control bacterial problems, viral contamination cannot be removed, even if the sperm have undergone freezing.  The international shipment of semen requires stringent protocols for testing for infectious agents to prevent the import of transmissible diseases.  However, in North America there are no portocols in place to protect unsuspecting mare owners from obtaining contaminated semen, nor are there any protocols for the isolation of infected animals.
One such disease which has had an impact in the horse breeding world is equine viral artertis (EVA).  EVA is a respiratory disease that has become more prevalent in recent years.  It has been endemic in the racing industry for some time, but has more recently moved to the show ring.

EARLY ARRIVALS:  The Premature Foal
Reproduced from The Canadian Horse Journal, March/April 2008 
by Marcia King

Premature deliveries don't occur frequently, but when they do, difficult decisions must often be made.  How much supportive care shold be given to the preemie foal?  Does the preemie stand a reasonable chance of being the sound, healthy competitor, broodmare, or pleasure horse you were breeding for?  Will the outcome be worth the veterinary expense?
   And what about your mare?  Will she suffer chronic problems as a result of her early delivery or be prone to similar problems in the future?
Here's a little help understanding premature deliveries and the preemie foal, to help you answer these questions if the need arises.

   

RESEARCH:    WNV Vaccine:  Safe for Broodmares
(February 2005 issue of 'The Horse' magazine)

Researchers at Texas A&M University have just completed a retrospective study into the safety of administering the killed West Nile Virus (WNV) vaccine to pregnant broodmares, the first study on this topic in equine reproductive research.  The study looked at 595 mares from four different farms in Texas and Kentucky.  The authors of the study (which was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) hoped to resolve the dispute of whether administration of the vaccine caused reproductive losses in pregnant broodmares.
"The main reason we did the study was to investigate the validity of anecdotal claims made by lay journals and web sites concerning infertility, pregnancy loss, and fetal abnormalities associated with administration of this vaccine to pregnant mares," said Joey Vest, DVM, lead author of the study and equine theriogenology resident at TAMU.
"Given the widespread concerns expressed and possible adverse outcomes of vaccinating pregnant mares, we felt it would be important to systematically evaluate whether there was any association of administration of the killed WNV vaccine and adverse outcomes during pregnancy," said Noah Cohen, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVM, the author responsible for statistical and epidemiological data analysis. 
Terry L. Blanchard, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, one of the study's authors and TAMU professor of theriogenology, said, "We felt it was important to get the best safety information we could. After reviewing our results, we feel comfortable using the vaccine in pregnant mares, but you must realize this study was not a vaccine safety trial, as such."
The authors reviewed the mares' medical histories to include vaccination date(s) and whether a pregnancy loss occurred. According to the study, "The overall incidence of pregnancy loss in (vaccinated) mares fell within the normal range of typical losses and mares vaccinated during any period of pregnancy were not any more likely than mares not vaccinated during that same period of pregnancy to lose their foals," said Vest.
Researchers hope this study gives vets more of a comfort zone when deciding to vaccinate mares.  "This study shoud alleviate some of the horse owners' fears that there are any adverse reproductive side effects to the WNV vaccine," said Blanchard.      writer - John V. Wood

The Art of  BREEDING

By Sue Piscopo, DVM, PHD

 

Successful breeding of horses is not always as easy as presenting a receptive mare to a fertile stallion.  There are many things that can go awry with the reproductive process.  Broodmares that were once fertile and produced many excellent foals might one day face the realities of repetitive foaling injuries, chronic uterine infections, or simply old age.  Stallions also can experience a decrease in sperm number and quality as the years pass.  Pain associated with arthritic hocks or chronic back problems can interfere with a stallion’s ability to mate.  When a mare or stallion develops any kind of problem that interferes with its ability to perform reproductively, it could be time to investigate the options of assisted reproductive technology (ART).  These are the techniques that offer the hope of producing foals from mares or stallions that might no longer be able to pass along their genes to future generations any other way.

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