WCVM’s matching gift program doubles
the impact of a $10,000 gift from the
Equine Foundation of Canada.
E
I N S I D E
4 Idea Expands into New Technique
EHRF Research Fellow Dr. Chris Bell and summer research student
Dane Tatarniuk transform an idea into a new, minimally-invasive
treatment for sinusitis.
6 Anatomy Project Goes Live
A basic anatomy project turned into a golden opportunity for EHRF
summer research student Dane Tatarniuk.
8 The Future’s Bright for Horse Health Care
Meet three young veterinary students at the WCVM who represent the
future of horse health care in Western Canada.
10
EHRF Studies Build on Research Experience
EHRF invests $69,000 in five WCVM equine health research projects.
12 Horse Health Care Through the Ages
Tips on how you can keep your older horses healthy and happy.
14 Lasting Value
Paint breeder Shirley Brodsky talks about the health and care of
Double Value, her 25-year-old broodmare.
FRONT COVER: Large animal surgery resident Dr. Chris Bell of
Airdrie, Alta. Bell is one of three EHRF Research Fellows at the
WCVM.
ABOVE: A curious colt at Jack and Shirley Brodsky’s farm near
Saskatoon, Sask. Foaled by Jackie on April 7, the palomino
Paint’s sire is Far Ute Finale (Finnegan).
H O R S E
H E A L T H
L I N E S
Horse Health Lines is produced by the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s
Equine Health Research Fund. Visit www.ehrf.usask.ca for more information. Please
send comments to:
Dr. Hugh Townsend, Editor, Horse Health Lines
WCVM, University of Saskatchewan
52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4
Tel: 306-966-7453 • Fax: 306-966-7274
wcvm.research@usask.ca
For article reprint information, please contact sm.ridley@sasktel.net.
ldon Bienert remembers the early days of the Equine Foundation
of Canada when Nova Scotia horseman George Wade and a small
band of volunteers from across the country regularly met in the
early 1980s to set up the fledgling charity.
Wade, a successful Nova Scotia businessman and Morgan horse
breeder, had a simple but ambitious dream for the organization: he wanted
the EFC to improve the health and welfare of all horses — no matter what
breed — across Canada.
That dream has led to more than $230,000 in support for veterinary
scholarships, research grants and the purchase of medical equipment over
the past 25 years. The money has been spread across the country through
the foundation’s rotation of annual donations among Canada’s veterinary
colleges.
“I always said to George, ‘This is something that we gotta carry on.’
And George said to me, ‘Well, when I’m gone, it’s something that you gotta
carry on,’” said Bienert, a Morgan horse breeder from Leduc, Alta. “And
that’s what happened. I couldn’t go back on my promise.”
But keeping that promise to his longtime friend wasn’t always easy.
After Wade died in 1997, Bienert, his wife Peggy MacDonald and others
struggled to keep the foundation afloat and to attract more interest among
Canada’s horse owners. “You have your lean years and you have your good
years,” said Bienert, who became the foundation’s president after Wade’s
death.
Last year was one of the EFC’s good years. Through several fundraising trail rides in Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with a generous gift
from the Alberta Trail Riding Association, the foundation raised $10,000
for the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s equine health research
program.
For Bienert, things got even better when he learned that the EFC gift
met the requirements for the college’s matching gift program. Developed
by the Heather Ryan and L. David Dubé Foundation, the Saskatoon-based
organization will match any new or increased donations to the WCVM’s
equine research programs between 2006 and 2011. In its first two years,
the program has already helped to raise more than $300,000 in increased
funding for the WCVM’s horse health activities.
“We think the matching gift program is just wonderful news, and
we’re very pleased that our donation will bring additional money to the
WCVM’s horse health research projects. It makes all of the hard work of
organizing our fundraisers throughout the year even more worthwhile for
our supporters,” said Bienert.
The new funding will support the WCVM’s ongoing research investigations of equine sarcoids — the most commonly diagnosed skin tumours
in horses around the world (see sidebar).
“We’re extremely grateful to the hundreds of horse owners and
enthusiasts across Canada who worked together through the EFC and
raised this significant donation for the College’s horse health research
program,” said WCVM Dean Dr. Charles Rhodes. “The EFC’s long-standing
commitment to enhancing the health and welfare of all horses is an
impressive example for the country’s entire horse industry.”
The gift is the largest that the EFC has ever presented to the WCVM
since the national charity was created in 1983. Altogether, the foundation
has contributed nearly $42,000 to the WCVM for equipment purchases and
research grants, plus it has provided $20,000 worth of scholarships.
owners can raise money for the EFC by
participating in trail rides in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Alberta and B.C.
“We usually head out at 1:30
p.m., ride for a couple of hours and
then come back for a big potluck supper. We always have lots of good food
— it makes an enjoyable evening for
everyone,” says Bienert, whose enthusiasm for the volunteer-run foundation
hasn’t waned during the past quarter
century. He’s also proud of the fact
that 94 per cent of every dollar raised
through the EFC goes directly to support
horse health and welfare.
“A lot of horse people don’t
know about the Equine Foundation
of Canada, so if we just take the time
to explain what we do and why we do
it, the light usually comes on. We just
need to make people aware of why it’s
important to take care of our horses.”
For more information about the EFC and upcoming fundraising
events, visit www.equinefoundation.ca. H
A Perfect Match
“The WCVM was our very first recipient of a whopping $500 in 1984. Over
the years, we’ve just been giving and you’ve been giving back,” EFC vice president
Charlene Dalen-Brown told a group of WCVM representatives and researchers during the cheque presentation at the veterinary college on April 24.
“Twenty-five years — that’s how long the Foundation and the WCVM have been
in partnership. We’re helping you and you’re helping our horses — so thank you.”
While Dalen-Brown was celebrating the EFC’s latest donation at the WCVM,
Bienert and MacDonald were already talking about the foundation’s next season of
fundraisers with visitors at the Mane Event in Red Deer, Alta. This summer, horse
SARCOIDS, WESTERN CANADIAN STYLE: The Equine Foundation
of Canada’s gift, along with the matching funding, will help to support
an investigation of equine sarcoids — common skin tumours that can
seriously impair a horse’s comfort and performance.
Led by Dr. Andy Allen of the WCVM’s Department of Veterinary
Pathology, the study is a continuation of work that began two years
ago when Allen, PhD student Dr. Bruce Wobeser and veterinary pathologist Dr. Beverly Kidney set out to answer some of the unknowns about
sarcoids and to develop a western Canadian “profile” of the tumours.
The team is still analyzing more than 800 biopsies of sarcoids from
horses in Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C., but based on preliminary
findings, their results may demonstrate some regional variations in
sarcoid epidemiology.
One difference may be in the breeds that are most susceptible
to developing equine sarcoids in Western Canada. Another regional
distinction showed up when researchers looked at the link between
sarcoid development and a common cattle virus called bovine papillomavirus (BPV). In the majority of existing research, BPV-1 is the most
commonly found virus in about 80 per cent of sarcoid samples taken
from horses in Europe and the eastern U.S.
In contrast, the WCVM research team found that in sarcoids from
which BPV DNA was recovered, 80 per cent was BPV-2 while only 20 per
cent was BPV-1. These results are similar to what researchers have found
in equine sarcoid samples taken from horses living in the western U.S.
ABOVE, left to right: Dr. Gillian Muir, WCVM’s acting associate dean of
research, EFC supporters Laurie Friesen and Sharon Elder, researchers
Drs. Janet Hill, Bruce Wobeser and Andy Allen, EFC supporter Anita
Zadorozny, researchers Dr. Beverly Kidney and Betty Chow-Lockerbie,
Dr. David Wilson, WCVM Equine Health Research Fund chair, EFC
supporter Nicole Shedden, WCVM Dean Charles Rhodes, EFC vice
president Charlene Dalen-Brown and her husband, Bill Brown.
In a second study, the team developed immunohistochemical techniques to demonstrate markers of apoptosis
(programmed cell death) in archived tumour tissue samples.
Based on recent research in human cervical cancer, which is
also caused by a papillomavirus, the expression of apoptosis
markers can be useful to determine the prognoses of these
tumours. WCVM researchers are working to find similar diagnostic markers in equine sarcoids.
Now, microbiologist Dr. Janet Hill and lab technician
Betty Chow-Lockerbie are joining the original research team
for a third study — one that will use molecular techniques
to further explore the role of BPV in the growth of equine
sarcoids. Based on recent studies, BPV may also play a role
in inflammatory skin lesions and non-sarcoid neoplasms — a
possibility that the WCVM researchers wants to investigate in
western Canadian horses.
Based on their findings, the team hopes to develop more
effective methods of diagnosing the skin tumours and to
eventually find better strategies for treating the disease. Visit
www.ehrf.usask.ca for more background information about
the College’s equine sarcoid investigations.
Western College of Veterinar y Medicine
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