HORSE
H E A LT H
L
I
N
E
S
B r in g in g be t t e r h e a lt h to yo u r h o r ses
DR. JENNY KELLY
2005-07 EHRF Research Fellow
summer 2006
WESTERN COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE • EQUINE HEALTH RESEARCH FUND
Q
I N S I D E
4
Lidocaine: Colic’s Damage Controller?
Surgical specialists test the merits of lidocaine in colic surgery.
6
It’s in Your Genes
8
Horse Health, One Step (Stitch) at a Time
10
Equine Ed, Electronic Style
11
The Making of an Equine Veterinarian
12
The True View of Equine Anatomy
14
Program Brings Honours and Better Health to
Horses
Using genetic risk factors to identify high-risk endotoxemia patients.
High-tech teaching tools help veterinary students learn about the
horse.
Q & A with veterinary graduate Tracy Epp of Boissevain, Man.
The Equine Foundation of Canada donates $5,000 to WCVM.
A new equine anatomy atlas gives readers a true view of the horse.
EHRF introduces its new equine memorial program.
FRONT COVER: EHRF Research Fellow Dr. Jenny Kelly listens in on a horse’s heart.
Photo: Juliane Deubner.
HOR S E
H E A L TH
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.
2
H o r s e H e a l t h L i n e s • S u m m e r 2006
Do equine wound care products really work?
Drs. Spencer Barber and James Carmalt, and Tyler Undenberg
Wounds are a common occurrence in horses — and that’s why every
tack and feed store in North America carries numerous equine wound care
creams and gels on their shelves. While companies constantly promote these
products, no firm can provide sound, scientific data to support their claims
of efficacy.
This summer, a team of WCVM scientists will evaluate some popular
wound care products and determine which treatment results in the most
rapid healing, the least amount of proud flesh, and the most durable repair
with the most cosmetic appearance.
As a first step, the surgical specialists will create standardized wounds
(in size and location) on the legs and bodies of horses since there are key
differences in how wounds heal in these areas. The research team will use
general anesthesia while creating the skin-deep wounds, and all animals
will receive pain control medication until all of the superficial wounds are
completely healed.
Researchers will treat the leg wounds with different wound care
products: a topical hydrogel called Dermagel,® a ketanserin tartrate gel
called Vulketan,® and platelet rich plasma therapy consisting of RemX,®
Lacerum® and Lacerum II.® Clinicians will use the same three products
to treat the body wounds as well as two other products: Preparation H®
reportedly stimulated certain phases of healing in previous equine leg
studies, while elk velvet antler is a non-commercial product that’s known to
encourage wound healing.
The research team will photograph each wound on a weekly basis to
monitor the speed and type of healing. Once the wounds are completely
healed, a scientist who is blinded to the treatment group will use image
analysis software to measure and evaluate the wound areas. Results will
provide horse owners with the first scientific data available about the
efficacy of these wound care products.
Q
Can a hormone combination advance the breeding season in
transitional mares?
Drs. Claire Card and Tal Raz
The natural breeding season for western Canadian horses arrives in
May — but that’s not soon enough for many people in the region’s horse
industry. Owners of performance horses often want to advance the breeding
season so foals are born early or so they can complete embryo transfers
ahead of show or racing seasons. Placing mares under artificial lighting
has been shown to reactivate ovarian activity and speed up the breeding
season. However, the practice is expensive and impractical since horses need
to be stabled indoors for three months.
As an alternative, WCVM scientists are investigating the use of
hormonal therapies in transitional mares (mares with renewed ovarian
activity). One hormonal therapy is deslorelin that’s available as Ovuplant®
and as a compounded pharmaceutical product. Deslorelin works through
the pituitary gland to stimulate the simultaneous secretion of two gonadotrophic hormones: follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone.
Other researchers have reported that deslorelin hastens the first
ovulation in mares during early and late transition, and that ovulation
rates may improve if the treatment protocol includes human chorionic
gonadotrophin (hCG) — a hormone that directly stimulates the dominant
follicle. But so far, no one has examined the combined effect of deslorelin
and hCG in transitional mares.
This spring, Drs. Claire Card and Tal Raz will test this protocol on
15 mares and evaluate their progress in comparison to 10 mares that will
The $60,000 Investment in Equine Health
Western College of Veterinary Medicine scientists have received nearly $60,000 from the College’s Equine Health
Research Fund to conduct four studies that will ultimately improve the health and care of horses around the world.
receive no hormone treatment. The researchers will evaluate the combined
effects of deslorelin and hCG on ovarian function, on the quality, size and
viability of recovered embryos in transitional mares, and on the number of
estrus cycles after treatment.
If results indicate that the combined treatment protocol shows promise,
this will be one of the first steps in developing a cheaper and less labourintensive alternative to preparing transitional mares for breeding outside
of the normal season.
Q
Do genetic factors contribute to the development of sepsis in foals?
Drs. Katharina Lohmann and Michelle Barton (University of Georgia)
Neonatal sepsis, a systemic response to infection, is a major cause of
disease and death in young foals. The condition causes young foals to develop
clinical signs such as fever or hypothermia, irregular breathing and heart
rate, and blood abnormalities. Sepsis develops because of an imbalance of
the host’s pro- and anti-inflammatory responses. Cytokines such as tumour
necrosis factor (TNF), which are produced by inflammatory cells in response
to stimulation, are the mediators of these immune responses.
Scientists have identified many risk factors for sepsis in young foals, but
so far, no one has investigated the potential role of genetic risk factors. During
the next two years, Dr. Katharina Lohmann of WCVM and Dr. Michelle Barton
of the University of Georgia will investigate this possibility by comparing the
frequency of genetic factors in about 100 septic and non-septic foals.
Specifically, the researchers will collect DNA samples from all foals so
they can measure the prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
in the equine TNF gene promoter. SNPs are stable gene sequence variations
within a population that occur more frequently than random mutations.
In the past few years, Lohmann has been studying the prevalence of SNPs
and their biological significance in the development of diseases like equine
endotoxemia and sepsis.
The scientists will compare the frequency of SNPs in septic and nonseptic foals, and the frequency of SNPs between survivors and non-survivors of
sepsis to assess a potential effect on disease outcome. The concentration of TNF
in serum samples will also be compared between horses with and without SNPs
to investigate whether the gene sequence variations may be associated with
altered production of TNF.
This is the first clinical evaluation of the role of gene polymorphisms
in equine diseases, and results from this study will help to secure funding for
larger scale clinical studies. By learning more about genetic risk factors and
their role in the development of sepsis, scientists may eventually be able to
identify foals at risk ahead of time and develop new strategies for preventing
and treating the condition.
Q
Can georeferenced data help predict the risk of West Nile virus?
Drs. Cheryl Waldner, Hugh Townsend and Tasha Epp (WCVM), and Dr. Olaf Berke
(Ontario Veterinary College)
Since the West Nile virus (WNV) spread to Saskatchewan in 2002, many
horse owners have adopted costly vaccination programs and other preventive
measures to minimize infection. But as researchers now understand, the risk
of WNV infection varies in different geographic areas and changes over time.
As horse owners’ level of interest in preventing this disease diminishes, more
information is needed to direct efforts to monitor and control the virus’ impact
on horses in Saskatchewan and in other parts of Western Canada.
WCVM scientists have learned about the prevalence of WNV infection
and disease in Saskatchewan horses through a large field study in 2003 and
through the province’s continued surveillance of horses for clinical disease
in 2005. All of this information, as well as data about climate, the virus’
prime vector (the Culex family of mosquitoes) and environment, have been
referenced to geographic regions in Saskatchewan.
During the next year, researchers from WCVM and the Ontario Veterinary
College will combine all of this information with environmental and climate
data collected from specialized satellites operated by NASA and other scientific
centres. With the use of geographic information systems (GIS), the team can
then develop a predictive map for the risk of WNV in Saskatchewan.
By gaining a better understanding of where the risk of infection is
diminished or elevated, scientists can identify specific areas in Saskatchewan
where WNV surveillance and vaccination programs are needed. As well, the
information will help to predict the risk of infection in future seasons and
determine ways to consolidate surveillance programs. But the benefits go
beyond predicting the risk of WNV infection: researchers can use this project as
a useful model to develop surveillance and predictive modelling programs for
other emerging diseases.
Western College of Vet e r i n a r y Me d i c i n e 3
Lidocaine: Colic’s Damage Controller?
The prognosis for all types of colic surgery has dramatically improved in
the past 20 years, but horses that undergo surgery for small intestinal colic still
have a 50-50 chance of survival.
The main problem that faces surgical specialists during small intestinal
colic surgery is having enough healthy intestinal tissue left to repair the
damage caused by colic, explains Dr. Ryan Shoemaker of the Western College
of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). The surgical specialist and assistant professor
in WCVM’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences adds that small
intestinal-related surgeries are more expensive than other types of colic
surgeries.
Besides trying to prevent further damage to the patient’s intestine during
surgery, Shoemaker says surgeons need to determine which part of the intestine
is healthy and safe to use and which part of the intestine is dead.
And even if horses survive colic surgery, they still aren’t certain to recover.
Post-operative complications such as ileus (partial or complete paralysis of
the intestine) or intestinal adhesions (when the intestine abnormally attaches
to itself or to other structures in the abdomen as a result of intestinal wall
inflammation) can cause horses to colic once again — anywhere from seven
days to six months after surgery.
“Horses that develop post-operative intestinal adhesions can experience
recurrent colic that may require additional surgery to deal with the problem,”
says Dr. Jenny Kelly, a large animal surgical resident at WCVM. In some cases,
adhesions forming after colic surgery can become so extensive that they can’t
be corrected. Surgeons faced with this problem may be forced to euthanize a
patient during surgery.
“Even if we get the horses happy and healthy and leaving the hospital,
adhesions could affect them later, so it’s not cut and dry,” points out Kelly. “We
always make sure that owners are aware of the potential for more problems.”
4
H o r s e H e a l t h L i n e s • S u m m e r 2006
By Jessica Eissfeldt
Surgical specialists use lidocaine as a local
anesthetic during surgeries and as a nerve block
in lameness tests — but can they rely on it
for damage control after small intestinal colic
surgery? A team of scientists at the Western
College of Veterinary Medicine is striving to
answer that very question.
That’s where a WCVM research study on horses undergoing colic surgery
comes into play. Supported by the Equine Health Research Fund, four scientists
— Shoemaker and Kelly along with Drs. David Wilson and Andrew Allen
— are determining whether intravenous (IV) administration of a drug called
lidocaine can actually help to prevent intestinal adhesions after colic surgery.
Lidocaine is commonly used as a local anesthetic and as a nerve block
in lameness tests. It reduces pain, acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and also
helps to maintain movement in a horse’s gut after colic surgery.
What’s intriguing about lidocaine is its potential ability to prevent
neutrophil-related intestinal damage after colic surgery. Neutrophils are the
primary white blood cells that appear and invade the damaged intestine,
causing swelling, inflammation and common complications like ileus and
intestinal adhesions.
Other researchers have reported that IV administration of lidocaine has
decreased the migration of neutrophils and reduced the white blood cells’
adverse effects on tissue in humans and other species. “If we can keep the
A SECOND FELLOW: The Equine Health Research Fund has selected
large animal surgical resident Dr. Luca Panizzi as the second EHRF
Research Fellow for 2006-07. Panizzi, who will begin his graduate
studies program and residency at WCVM this summer, is a 2003 DVM
graduate of the University of Parma, Italy. In April 2005, Panizzi
completed a one-year internship at Chino Valley Equine in Chino,
Calif., then stayed on for a fellowship until March 2006. During his
time at Chino Valley, Panizzi gained exposure to a wide range of
equine surgical procedures at the specialty surgical referral practice.
outside of a horse’s intestine from becoming invaded with neutrophils, it’s less
likely that we’ll get adhesions and other complications associated with these
problems,” says Shoemaker, the study’s lead investigator.
Specialists often use three other drugs when a horse undergoes colic
surgery: flunixin meglumine, used as an anti-inflammatory agent and pain
killer, and a combination of the broad-spectrum antibiotics gentamicin and
penicillin. But because lidocaine is cheap, readily available at most surgical
clinics and has minimal side effects, Shoemaker says the research team wanted
to test its ability as a neutrophil-blocker.
“If we can administer lidocaine and decrease inflammation, that’s the
biggest benefit we’re hoping to achieve,” Shoemaker says.
As outlined in the study, two surgical teams have conducted experimental
surgery in 12 horses during the past 12 months. For each horse, the surgeons
recreated two common scenarios related to small intestinal colic: partial
occlusion (obstruction) of the small intestine and a distended bowel.
Once the teams completed their surgical protocols in each horse, the
patient received a saline solution intravenously (the control group) or an
initial dose of lidocaine (1.3 milligrams per kilogram over five minutes)
followed by a continuous flow of the drug at .05 mg per kg (per minute) over
a two-hour period (the treatment group). To maintain the study’s impartiality,
the surgical teams weren’t aware of which treatment was used on each horse.
Dr. Andrew Allen, a veterinary pathologist at WCVM, is in charge
of evaluating tissue samples from the horses’ intestines to measure the
concentration of activated neutrophils and to evaluate the organ’s outer layer
for neutrophil infiltration. By comparing results from horses in the treatment
group to animals in the control group, the scientists can determine whether
lidocaine administered intravenously has any impact on neutrophil numbers.
And what if the lidocaine treatments appear to reduce neutrophil
numbers and activity in the small intestine?
“I think horse owners will respond very positively because everything
we’re trying to do is prevent intestinal damage. If we can administer lidocaine
and prevent any more intestinal damage, then horses with colic have a better
chance of survival,” Shoemaker says.
As a result, surgical specialists may soon have a new, cost-effective
method of treating and preventing colic surgery complications, says
Shoemaker. “Hopefully, lidocaine equals fewer complications, fewer repeat
surgeries — and fewer horses dying.” H
Jessica Eissfeldt is an award-winning equine journalist whose
articles have appeared in Equus, Cablallus, Canadian Arabian Horse
News, Riding Instructor and Blaze. The Saskatchewan-based writer holds
a degree in English and news-editorial journalism from Oklahoma State
University.
PRECEDING PAGE: Drs. Ryan Shoemaker and Jenny Kelly with an equine
patient at WCVM’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Photo: Juliane Deubner.
Dr. Jenny Kelly, Resident
By Jessica Eissfeldt
Warm ocean breezes and ice and blowing snow seem
an unlikely combination, but in Dr. Jenny Kelly’s case, they
mesh perfectly for the time being. Originally from Hawaii and
transplanted to Saskatchewan, Kelly grew up knowing she wanted
to be a veterinarian: “I was always the kid who rescued baby birds
that fell out of the nest, the one who brought home stray cats and
dogs and cared for them.”
That early interest in animals led to a zoology degree at the
University of Hawaii. After completing her undergraduate work in
1995, Kelly taught high school for a few years before sending her
application to Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine
in West Lafayette, Ind. Once she received her veterinary degree
in 2002, Kelly began a one-year internship at the Surgicare Horse
Center in Brandon, Fla.
The experience was the ideal chance to work in her interest
field — colic and post-operative colic complications — since
her caseload at the equine referral clinic was mainly horses that
developed sand colic. “At least one out of every five cases that I
saw involved sand colic. There were ten times more colic cases in
Florida than in Saskatchewan because of the sandy soil, the types of
hay, and the way horses are housed.” says Kelly.
After finishing her internship, Kelly stayed for another year
to gain even more field experience with the clinic’s ambulatory
emergency equine care group. In July 2004, she moved to
Saskatoon, Sask., to begin a three-year large animal surgery
residency and a Master of Veterinary Science program at the
Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
Based on her performance during the first year of her program,
Kelly was selected as the 2005-2006 EHRF Research Fellow — a
distinction that provides full financial support for her residency.
This winter, the Fund’s advisory board and management committee
recommended that Kelly’s fellowship be renewed for one more year.
“I feel lucky and fortunate to be the EHRF Research Fellow.
I think it’s also great that the Fund supports our project, and that
we can experience so many aspects of research with the different
researchers,” says Kelly.
She and her residency supervisor, Dr. Ryan Shoemaker, are
working on an EHRF-sponsored project that evaluates the use of
lidocaine to prevent post-operative damage in colic patients. When
Shoemaker brought the idea to Kelly, she saw it as a perfect fit.
“The topic interested me because I had an understanding of
colic overall, and I enjoy working with horses. It was just something
that I wanted to look into: to help get a better prognosis for
colic patients so owners can make more informed decisions about
whether to go ahead with surgery.”
At one point, scientists from the National Research Council
contacted the WCVM researchers and came to the College to collect
some of the study’s information about monitoring blood flow rates.
“That’s what makes the study such a great tool because information
is made available to so many people and will benefit so many
others.”
While Kelly has survived through a couple of Saskatchewan
winters, she plans to return to warmer climes after she finishes her
residency in 2007. Eventually, Kelly’s career plans may even take
her back to her Hawaiian roots where once again, she could be a
caregiver for the Island’s animals.
Western College of Vet e r i n a r y Me d i c i n e 5
Based on statistics from large clinical
studies, equine specialists can inform their
clients about the percentage of horses that
survive certain types of colic surgeries, the
number of cases that develop post-operative
complications and even the percentage of colic
patients that suffer relapses.
But can a clinician accurately predict the
outcome for an individual sick horse? “Unless
it’s something very striking, we can’t predict
whether a particular horse is more likely to
die or less likely to die,” says Dr. Katharina
Lohmann, a specialist in veterinary internal
medicine at the Western College of Veterinary
Medicine (WCVM).
“While we have a lot of information about
colic patients overall, we’re not doing a good
job of predicting the outcome for individual
animals.”
But things could soon change — mainly
because researchers’ knowledge of equine
genetics is growing. Some day, Lohmann says
every horse’s clinical file may include a detailed
“genetic profile” that clinicians could use to
improve the diagnosis and treatment of individual animals.
During the past 18 months, Lohmann has been one of the
scientists working toward that long-term goal. The focus of her
research, which is supported by WCVM’s Equine Health Research
Fund, is an investigation of genetic risk factors for the development
of endotoxemia — a life-threatening complication of many
common equine diseases like colic, neonatal sepsis and endometritis.
Specifically, the WCVM specialist is looking for the presence
of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in particular equine
genes. As Lohmann explains, SNPs are stable genetic variations within
populations that occur at a higher rate than random mutations.
“About one per cent of a population will have SNPs, but so far,
we don’t know enough about their occurrence in horses,” explains
Lohmann.
While other scientists have reported certain SNPs in some equine
genes, “we still don’t know how frequently they occur, which ones are
stable variations and which ones we can find repeatedly in horses.”
To begin with, Lohmann is searching for SNPs in the promoter
region of the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) gene — a gene that
mediates the body’s inflammatory response. If one of the SNPs is found in parts
of the TNFa gene that remain in the nucleus (known as the introns), these
variations may have an effect on how much of the gene is translated or on the
stability of the translations.
“These variations in TNFa wouldn’t have an effect on what the protein
looks like, but it may have an effect on how much of the protein is made. This
could be important since the higher the number of inflammatory mediators
produced, the more inflammation and more disease there is in the host’s
body,” explains Lohmann.
Scientists have already shown that SNPs in human TNFa are associated
with an increased risk of death in human septic patients, she adds.
“If you took the same amount of infection and put it into two people
— one with SNPs and one without SNPs — the one with SNPs will have his
immune response ‘turned on’ and is more likely to die because that person has a
6
H o r s e H e a l t h L i n e s • S u m m e r 2006
It’s In Your Genes
Identifying genetic risk factors may eventually
lead to the use of “genetic profiles” that
would improve the way equine specialists
diagnose and manage diseases such as
neonatal sepsis and colic and the complications
that arise from these conditions.
predisposition to making a lot of TNFa. In other words, sepsis or endotoxemia
is the original cause of the patient’s problems, but it’s the overabundance of
inflammatory mediators (TNFa) that actually causes death.”
Last summer, Lohmann and Sarah Stewart, an
undergraduate summer research student, collected genetic
material and blood samples from 50 healthy horses, then
stimulated the horses’ blood samples with an endotoxin (E.
coli) in test tubes. Next, the researchers used PCR (polymerase
chain reaction) assays to amplify areas of interest in the genetic
material for sequencing. Once sequencing is completed, Lohmann
is evaluating the horses’ gene sequences for the presence of SNPs
by comparing them with previously-published genetic sequences.
While Lohmann has processed and evaluated all of the
genetic material isolated from most of these samples, there’s still
more work to be done before she can draw conclusions about the
frequency of SNPs appearing in equine TNFa. Once all of her
work is completed with the gene promoter, Lohmann also plans to
reevaluate the horses’ genetic material for the presence of SNPs in
endotoxin receptor genes (TLR4 and MD-2) — other key players
in the body’s defense system against infection.
“The beauty of this project is that it establishes the
methodology we can use to genetically evaluate a variety of equine
diseases,” says Lohmann, pointing to conditions like chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (heaves) as another potential
research area.
She also hopes her work will help to develop standardized,
clinical definitions of equine diseases. A universally-accepted
set of guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of diseases would
then allow genetic researchers like Lohmann to collaborate
with multiple veterinary institutions — a move that would
substantially increase the number of clinical cases included in
future studies.
That collaborative spirit is already providing Lohmann
enough clinical cases for her next EHRF-sponsored study where
she will once again investigate the role of SNPs in the equine
TNF gene promoter by comparing their frequency in septic and
non-septic neonatal foals. The two-year project will involve
approximately 100 foals admitted to veterinary teaching hospitals
at WCVM and at the University of Georgia where Lohmann
completed her PhD in 2004.
“One benefit of working with septic foals is that our
profession does have a ‘sepsis score’ which we can use to ensure
that all of the septic foals involved in our study have similar levels
of disease,” explains Lohmann.
While her research of genetic risk factors is still in its early
stages, Lohmann hopes the results of her studies will help to bring
practitioners closer to the point where they can use an individual
horse’s genetic information to make a more definitive diagnosis,
to flag potential problems with specific drugs, and to be aware of
a horse’s or a particular breed’s susceptibility to conditions like
endotoxemia so they can be more proactive in using drugs or
therapies to prevent further problems.
“Genetic profiling won’t happen today or in the next few
years, but it’s definitely something that could be in place 10 years
from now,” says Lohmann, adding that there’s a more immediate
benefit from her work.
“All of this information is helping us gain a better
understanding of these diseases. We’re learning more about
how certain diseases develop and how they work, and that will
eventually help us to improve the care we provide all of our equine
patients,” says Lohmann. H
Colic: Rolling vs. Operating
Medical treatment of horses suffering from a type of colic called
nephrosplenic entrapment of the large colon (NSELC) is just as effective and less
expensive than surgery, reports a 10-year retrospective study conducted at the
Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM).
The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary
Medical Association, included 19 equine clinical cases at WCVM’s Veterinary
Teaching Hospital between 1992 and 2002. Clinicians used medical options to
treat 11 of the clinical cases while the remaining eight underwent surgery for
this painful condition.
Study authors Drs. Sameeh Abutarbush and Jonathan Naylor showed that
both groups had similar mortality rates: two surgical cases died, while one horse
died after medical treatment. However, the hospitalization period was three
times longer for surgically-treated horses (an average of 8.6 days versus two
days). As a result, their owners paid about five times more than the owners of
horses that received medical treatment.
“One reason for conducting this study was to demonstrate to practitioners
that they can successfully use medical treatment out in the field for these cases
as long as the diagnosis has been confirmed. If surgical treatment of NSELC is
recommended but just isn’t an option and money is an issue for the client, why
not try the medical treatment route?” says Abutarbush, who conducted the
retrospective study during his large animal residency at WCVM.
Commonly diagnosed in middle-aged horses, geldings and larger breeds,
NSELC occurs when the colon becomes entrapped between the left kidney and
spleen. Treatment choice depends on several factors including the clinicians’
preferences and the owners’ financial concerns.
In three of the study’s medical cases, clinicians initially treated the horses
with phenylephrine hydrochloride — a drug used to reduce the size of the spleen
in an attempt to release the entrapped bowel. After the animals were trotted
for 30 minutes, clinicians conducted transrectal and ultrasound examinations to
confirm outcome.
If horses fail to respond to drug therapy and the bowel or colon is
still entrapped, the next step is to “roll” them, explains Abutarbush. The
anesthetized horses are positioned on their right side, then rotated to lie on
their backs while their abdomens are rocked back and forth for several minutes.
In some cases, clinicians use a chain hoist to elevate the horses’ hindquarters
before rocking their abdomens once again. The horses are rolled on to their left
sides before clinicians repeat ultrasound and transrectal examinations.
Surgical treatment is recommended in cases where a definitive diagnosis
can’t be made, or when the patient shows severe signs of severe colic and
systemic deterioration. Surgery is also recommended in mares more than five
months pregnant or when the option of rolling doesn’t work, says Abutarbush.
To ensure accuracy, Abutarbush and Naylor didn’t include cases where the
colon was entrapped between the spleen and the left body wall in their study.
“When the colon is between the spleen and body wall, these cases are very
easy to treat: you just fast the horses, put them on intravenous fluid and they
soon recover,” explains Abutarbush, now an assistant professor in the Atlantic
Veterinary College’s Department of Health Management in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
“Defining these colic cases as NSELC would provide incorrect numbers about
treatment and outcome since these particular colic cases don’t need any further
treatment. That’s why we were so stringent with our case selection: we wanted
the results of our study to reflect the outcome of true cases of NSELC.”
As well, the researchers only included cases in the medical treatment
category if diagnosis and response to treatment was evaluated using both
ultrasound and transrectal examinations. The combination of diagnostic methods
ensured that all cases had accurate diagnoses and outcomes.
Abutarbush SM, Naylor J. “Comparison of surgical versus medical treatment
of nephrosplenic entrapment of the large colon in horses: 19 cases (19922002).” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 2005; 227(4):
603-605.
The efforts of hundreds of Canadian horse
enthusiasts — including one very talented quilt
maker — are behind the Equine Foundation
of Canada’s latest donation of $5,000 to the
Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
When Charlene Dalen visited WCVM’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in
December 2005, she soaked up as much information as she could about the
hospital’s new arthroscopic fluid pump system.
Her keen interest stemmed from the fact that she and hundreds of other
horse enthusiasts across Canada spent several years raising $5,000 toward the
purchase of the vital device through the Equine Foundation of Canada (EFC)
— a charitable organization dedicated to the health and welfare of horses. “I
knew our donors would have plenty of questions about this piece of equipment,
so I wanted to learn as much as I could from the people who actually use it,”
explains Dalen, EFC’s representative in Saskatchewan.
Dalen’s information sources were Drs. David Wilson and Ryan Shoemaker
— two of the hospital’s equine surgical specialists who rely on the fluid pump
system while they’re using arthroscopy to diagnose and treat joint-associated
lamenesses in horses. Some examples of common arthroscopic procedures
Horse Health
One Step (Stitch) at a Time
include the treatment of articular (joint) “chip” fractures and the removal of
osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions in horses’ stifle or hock joints.
With the help of video images, the specialists described how the fluid
pump system uses pressure to maintain a steady flow of fluid through
a horse’s joint during arthroscopic procedures so there’s no build
up of excess blood and debris. “It keeps the joint distention
at just the right level so we don’t suddenly run into the
problem of not being able to see during a procedure
or having fluid accumulate around the joint due
to excessive pressure,” Shoemaker explains.
Wilson adds that the system
maintains a fluid pressure at a
high enough level to prevent
hemorrhaging into the
joint during a surgical
procedure. “If
hemorrhaging isn’t
prevented, then
the fluid
gets too
bloody and makes it difficult for us to see,” says Wilson. Another use for the
unit is laparoscopic “irrigation” when specialists need to rapidly infuse fluids
during a procedure.
For Dalen, the chance to learn more about the equipment, to meet
the specialists and to hear the genuine appreciation in their voices made
her visit to the College extremely worthwhile. “I was totally impressed after
hearing about their work,” says Dalen. “Through our gift, we’re helping these
specialists do a more efficient and a more accurate job of helping horses in
trouble. That’s something all of us who helped to raise this money should be
really proud of.”
Equally impressive are the fund raising efforts of the people who
contribute to EFC — members of all types of breed organizations and sport
groups. In the past three decades, these dedicated supporters have raised more
than $150,000 by organizing trail rides, raffles and other fund raising events
in every Canadian province.
While EFC previously directed some of these funds to scholarships and
research grants, the foundation now focuses its efforts on purchasing medical
equipment that’s used to diagnose and treat horses. To meet this goal, EFC
rotates its annual donation among Canada’s four regional veterinary colleges.
Altogether, EFC has contributed $31,190 to WCVM for equipment
purchases and research grants, plus it has provided $20,000 worth of
scholarships for the College’s veterinary students.
“The foundation raises money all across Canada, but when a province
knows that that next contribution will go to its regional veterinary college,
local horse people usually go above and beyond to raise funds since the
C O N S T R U C T I O N Z O N E
This spring, crews have made rapid progress on
WCVM’s expansion — a series of projects that will
deliver more specialized services, new technologies
and a higher level of health care to large and small
animals.
For WCVM’s large animal clients, the upgrades
will bring big benefits like a safer chute complex in
the large animal handling area, an expanded “stocks”
area for equine patients, and more spacious suites
for large animal surgery, Other improvements include
better biosecurity, larger isolation facilities for horses,
and the introduction of nuclear scintigraphy to the
College’s medical imaging repertoire.
At top right, workers prepare to pump concrete into the Veterinary
Teaching Hospital’s column and elevator shaft forms. Bottom right: the
two-storey research wing is taking shape on the College’s south side.
For further construction updates, visit www.wcvm.com.
Make a donation to the Veterinary Teaching
Hospital Expansion Campaign by:
•using the enclosed tear out card
• visiting www.wcvm.com/supportus
• contacting Joanne Wurmlinger, WCVM
development officer, at 306-966-7450
(joanne.wurmlinger@usask.ca).
donation will stay within their region and benefit their communities,” says
Dalen.
In Saskatchewan, that extra effort translated into a raffle for a
beautiful quilt made by CMHA member Peggy Gwillim of Strasbourg, Sask.
Gwillim’s horse-themed handiwork helped to raise $1,000 — an exceptional
contribution to the foundation’s annual donation.
“It’s not just money that makes this organization so successful: it’s all of
the time and effort that people put into making quilts, organizing fund raisers
and praying for good weather during our trail rides and poker rallies,” says
Dalen with a laugh. “We just couldn’t accomplish as much as we do without
all of these people who are willing to go that extra mile for their horses.”
One of the most dedicated supporters of the foundation was George Wade
of Nova Scotia, who founded the organization in 1978. Wade died in 1997
— but his dream of contributing to the health of all horses continues to grow
in the hands of his friend, Eldon Bienert of Leduc, Alta.
“Eldon worked very closely with George to set up the foundation, and
as EFC’s president, Eldon does a wonderful job of communicating George’s
vision to the next generations of horse owners,” says Dalen, adding that the
foundation has been successful in involving young horse people in fund
raising events. “People are willing to give to the Foundation and to support its
work because they really do love their horses — it’s that simple.” H
F o u n datio n F acts
• George Wade, a Morgan horse breeder from Coldbrook, N.S.,
founded the Equine Foundation of Canada in 1978 to improve
the health and welfare of Canada’s horses.
• Initially christened the Canadian Morgan Horse Foundation,
the charity’s name was changed to Equine Foundation of
Canada to reflect its aim of helping horses of all breeds and
disciplines in all Canadian provinces. While EFC is an affiliate
organization of the Canadian Morgan Horse Association, it
has its own president and board of directors.
•EFC has contributed $89,650 to the purchase of equipment
and equine health research in Canadian veterinary colleges.
An additional $64,000 has supported regional scholarships,
while another $2,300 has supported other horse health associated activities in Canada. Altogether, EFC has invested
$155,950 in horse health care, research and training.
PRECEDING PAGE (from left to right): Charlene Dalen, Dr. David Wilson and
Dr. Ryan Shoemaker with the new fluid pump system (foreground).
Western College of Vet e r i n a r y Me d i c i n e 9
E q u i n e E d ,
Electronic-style
Through Dr. Jonathan Naylor’s explorations of new media,
future equine specialists at WCVM are now using tools like
multimedia teaching modules, electronic stethoscopes, and
digitalized sound and images to learn more about the horse.
Taking notes
during a lecturer’s
PowerPoint presentation,
downloading electronic copies of
journal articles and working through a
multimedia teaching module is now routine for students at the Western College
of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM).
That’s a far cry from the 1970s when Dr. Jonathan Naylor was a veterinary
student at the University of Bristol. Back then, he and his classmates relied
on their notes and journal readings to learn, while their professors simply
transferred information through lectures with little discussion or direction
about the look and feel of a sick patient.
Naylor used that same basic model during the early days of his teaching
career — until he discovered computers. “Computers revolutionized my
life: my research, writing, managing databases and references. That’s when
I thought about how it could affect teaching,” says Naylor, a specialist in
veterinary internal medicine who joined WCVM’s faculty in 1981.
Naylor initially used simulation software to develop exercises that gave
students experience in diagnosing and treating different types of cases. He saw
them as a step between the gaining of knowledge and its application to clinical
material — with the advantage that the modules could be used at the student’s
convenience. Mistakes, while penalized by the program, didn’t affect patient
care so the student could explore different diagnostic and treatment options.
His next project: using technology to interpret equine heart sounds.
“The horse has a wonderful heart which I never quite understood as a
student or as a young veterinarian,” says Naylor. “But with new technology, it’s
easy to understand: it has a nice, slow heart rate that’s well-defined with lots of
interesting murmurs and arrhythmias. There’s a lot of interest in the equine
heart for insurance purposes, so it was a good place to start. New media make it
possible to transfer our new understanding in ways that are clinically relevant.”
When Naylor spent a sabbatical leave at the University of Edinburgh
several years ago, he worked with a cardiologist, Dr. Karen Blissitt, and a
wonderful machinist, Jimmy Brown, to develop an electronic stethoscope that
recorded horses’ heart sounds. Then he perfected the design of software that
could display those heart sounds on computer together with their interpretation.
The last piece of the puzzle was to combine the sounds and computerized
indicators with ultrasound images of the beating heart taken on live horses.
“When we heard a murmur, we could actually see the murmur happening
in the horse’s heart with ultrasound images,” explains Naylor. “If it hadn’t been
for ultrasonography, we would still be trying to understand what those sounds
meant.”
10
H o r s e H e a l t h L i n e s • S u m m e r 2006
The result was Hearing Horse Hearts: An Illustrated Guide to Equine
Cardiac Auscultation — an educational CD that integrates digital audio
and video clips with still images and text. Since its release in 2002, Naylor
believes the CD has helped to increase veterinary students’ understanding of
horses’ heart sounds and to standardize their descriptions of what they hear.
The veterinary scientist also used his resources to record and interpret
horses’ gastrointestinal sounds. These findings, combined with his equine
cardiac auscultation work, will ultimately be available on one updated
CD. “What I’d eventually like to develop is a complete, audiovisual guide
to equine internal medicine,” says Naylor, who developed a similar CD for
bovine practitioners.
Another of Naylor’s multimedia projects is a CD that walks students
through the process of stomach tubing a horse. The program includes
self-learning modules, synchronized video clips, interactive tutorials and a
literature review. The CD was also the focus of a study to determine whether
students preferred live stomach tubing demonstrations or learning about the
process through the multimedia program: most of the study’s participants
preferred the latter.
“We’re gaining support from the profession and industry for these
projects because they can potentially replace teaching animals with simulated
exercises on CD. They also improve students’ skills when they actually use
these techniques in practice,” says Naylor. He adds that increased use of
technology out in the field and knowledge-thirsty horse owners are two other
factors influencing the acceptance of high-tech tools.
“Access to knowledge is becoming easier, but techniques to apply that
knowledge — that remains valuable,” points out Naylor. “I don’t think
veterinarians need to be concerned that technology will replace them.
However, our best protection is to adapt and use the technologies so we’re
ready for the next step.”
What about future equine veterinarians? How will their education differ
from the education that Naylor and his classmates received three decades ago?
“They will definitely leave veterinary school with better skills,” says Naylor.
“Electronic learning improves their interpretive and manipulative skills, and
gives them far more opportunities for ‘active learning.’”
As for the basic “information transfer” approach to teaching, Naylor
believes the days when professors recited facts in front of a lecture theatre
are past. “That’s a strength of new media. It encourages more involvement
in the learning process, and that will only help to improve the quality of our
students’ education.” H
Q
How has WCVM’s Equine Club contributed to your training?
It’s been a huge help. Club members usually organize “wet labs” so
students gain hands-on experience with teeth floating, plaster casting,
joint injections and administering drugs. The club’s links with the
American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) keep us aware
of any awards, plus groups can arrange to attend the AAEP’s annual
convention or meetings of the Western Canadian Association of Equine
Practitioners. The Equine Club also organizes seminars for local 4-H
and Pony Clubs, and it’s a great way to review all that we’ve learned.
Q
What other activities have contributed to your education?
I attended equine-oriented lectures and volunteered at events like local
endurance rides. During the summer after my second year, I worked
for an equine veterinarian who had many clients at Assiniboia Downs
in Winnipeg, Man., so it was a fantastic experience. Last summer, I
worked in a mixed animal practice in rural Manitoba —the same
practice where I used to volunteer.
Q
What happens in your fourth and final year at WCVM?
Besides our required four-week rotations, we can choose rotations
related to our interests. In May 2005, I spent four weeks with WCVM’s
equine surgery and field service, and another four weeks with surgery
and field service last fall. This spring, I took rotations in large animal
medicine and reproduction.
We can also spend a rotation at an external university or practice
of our choice that offers additional experiences for our education.
Last August, I spent time in California at the Alamo Pintado Equine
Referral Center where equine specialists use magnetic resonance
imaging, computed tomography and nuclear scintigraphy. The clinic’s
mentor for interns and externs took us on rounds and discussed
different procedures that specialists were performing on the clinic’s
patients.
The Making of an Q
Equine Veterinarian
Born and raised on a cattle and sheep farm near Boissevain, Man., Tracy
Epp rode her first horse at two, joined her local 4-H Club when she was eight
and decided to become a veterinarian when she was 12.
This spring, nearly a dozen years after making her career choice, the 23year-old student earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree at
WCVM. Her training has prepared her to work with a range of large and small
animals in a variety of areas — but after reviewing her options, Epp wants
to focus on horses.
“I always thought I would like to be in a mixed animal practice, but as
I’ve learned about different aspects of veterinary medicine, it’s the equine
aspects of the profession that spark my interest,” says Epp. “I don’t think
that would have been the case if I hadn’t grown up with horses and started
riding them at an early age.”
Q
How much exposure did you have to veterinarians when you were younger?
We had veterinarians come to our farm, but what really helped me was when the local
veterinary practice allowed me to volunteer while I was in high school. I watched
surgeries, did odd jobs and asked tons of questions about beneficial classes and types
of experiences.
What are your future plans?
In June, I begin a year-long internship at the Alama Pintado Equine
Referral Center where I’ll have exposure to advanced imaging, surgery,
neonatal care and more. I still want to learn about all aspects of
equine-related veterinary medicine, but I may eventually apply for a
residency program in a specialized area.
Q
You love animals, but what ultimately attracts you to
veterinary medicine?
This profession isn’t just about working as a veterinarian in a mixed
animal practice: you can work for the government, conduct research
or become a specialist in surgery, radiology or internal medicine. It’s
a fast-changing area where new drugs, better ways to manage patients
and new surgical techniques are being introduced every year. You can
continuously learn and grow, and you can customize your role in
veterinary medicine to whatever you want. For me, that means I can
work with horses — and that freedom is what I really love about this
profession. H
For more information about WCVM’s veterinary degree
program, visit www.wcvm.com.
Western College of Vet e r i n a r y Me d i c i n e 1 1
What sets Clinical Anatomy of the Horse apart is that this is the only
atlas of equine anatomy composed of photographs of rapidly dissected, fresh
tissue. Those dissections are complemented by numerous images made by
radiographs, computed tomography, ultrasonography and endoscopy.
“We wanted to illustrate what normality really looks like. When you
examine a diseased organ in pathology, you don’t only want to know about its
shape, you want to know about its colour and texture. This book is intended to
portray some of those subtleties,” explains Flood, who describes the atlas as an
“illuminating companion” to the standard veterinary anatomy texts.
Flood, now professor emeritus at the Western College of Veterinary
Medicine (WCVM), is an anatomist and reproductive biologist. Clayton taught
anatomy at WCVM for some 15 years and now specializes in equine locomotion
and gait analysis at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Rosenstein is an associate professor specializing in medical imaging at MSU.
This isn’t the first time that Flood and Clayton have collaborated on a
book. In 1996, the two long-time friends shared the work of producing the
Color Atlas of Large Animal Applied Anatomy — a pictorial guide to the
anatomy of the horse, cow, sheep, llama and pig. “Hilary focused on the head
and limbs while I did the trunk: thorax, heart, digestive tract and reproductive
tract,” explains Flood.
The popular atlas, which was eventually translated into Portuguese, is
now out of print. But based on its success, the publishers approached Clayton
and Flood about producing a similar style of book that focused on equine
anatomy. While the pair decided to split the anatomical
areas as they had done in their previous project, they
also asked Rosenstein to contribute additional medical
images to the text.
For Flood, finding high quality images to
illustrate anatomical parts of the horse’s trunk soon
became an interesting challenge. Since he had relied
on dissections of cattle, sheep and other large animals
to illustrate some of the basic anatomical structures
in the previous atlas, he couldn’t reuse many of the
illustrations. Another complication was that publishers
had lost the original image files used in the earlier project.
Undaunted, Flood gathered more images from a variety of sources to
illustrate his designated areas of the atlas. Drs. Gregg Adams and David Wilson
at WCVM supplied some of the photographs, while University of Saskatchewan
photographer David Mandeville was responsible for a large number of the
dissection images that appear in the atlas. As well, many of the photographs
The True View of Equine
Anatomy
If you’re interested in studying the
anatomy of the horse in vivid detail,
leafing through the 122 pages of Clinical
Anatomy of the Horse by Drs. Hilary
Clayton, Peter Flood and Diana Rosenstein
is the closest to seeing and experiencing the
real thing in an anatomy lab. Together, the
three authors have created a unique resource for
students, clinicians and pathologists as well as for
people who work with horses on a daily basis.
were found in Flood’s 40-year compilation of images
— including some that he recently took using a digital
camera.
“To some extent, this collection extends over my
entire teaching career,” says Flood, flipping through the
pages of the atlas. “It goes from Kodachrome in the 1960s
and 1970s to the joys of digital imagery today.”
The project also expanded Flood’s ability to use
imaging editing software on his computer. Through the
magic of Photoshop, he meticulously removed bits of dirt
and hair, enhanced details in the medical images, and
even “melded” images together.
“It’s like all of such projects: afterwards, if you can’t
think of ways you could have done better, you might as
well be dead,” says Flood. “But I’m fairly pleased with it.”
Based on the initial response, Clinical Anatomy
of the Horse is meeting the public’s demand for a highly
realistic portrayal of equine anatomy. Nearly 1,500 copies
have been shipped to customers in North America and
Europe since the book became available in November
2005, and Mosby Ltd. (the publisher of the atlas) has now
scheduled a second printing for this year. H
Visit www.us.elsevierhealth.com for more details
about Clinical Anatomy of the Horse.
PRECEDING PAGE: Dr. Peter Flood, professor emeritus at
WCVM.
DR. HILARY CLAYTON:
Equine Motion Detector
When Dr. Hilary Clayton came to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine as
one of its D.L.T. Smith visiting scientists last spring, it was a homecoming of sorts for
the internationally-known equine scientist.
Clayton, who has held the McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at
Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine for the past nine years, was
an anatomy professor at WCVM from 1982 to 1997. It was during her 15-year stay in
Saskatoon, Sask., that Clayton’s research interests in sport horse conditioning, equine
locomotion and equine biomechanics gained real momentum. Those early research
initiatives — some of which received financial support from the College’s Equine Health
Research Fund — earned recognition from the international community of equine
scientists as well as the sport horse world.
During Clayton’s time at WCVM, some of her many achievements included writing
a book on conditioning sport horses in 1991, co-authoring the Colour Atlas of Large
Animal Applied Anatomy with her WCVM colleague Dr. Peter Flood, and being part of
the chief research group for dressage and show jumping at the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona, Spain. As well, Clayton was actively involved in EHRF — serving as
editor of Horse Health Lines and as chair of the Fund’s management committee for a
number of years.
Today, Clayton is considered the world’s leading researcher in equine locomotion
and biomechanics. Besides publishing a number of peer-reviewed journal articles, book
chapters and conference proceedings, Clayton has shared her research findings at
international conferences, meetings and events for equine veterinarians,
members of the sport horse community and horse enthusiasts. She
is also the author of Conditioning Sport Horses, Equine Locomotion
and The Dynamic Horse, and co-author of her latest book — Clinical
Anatomy of the Horse.
To learn more about Clayton’s work, visit the McPhail Equine
Performance Center’s website: http://cvm.msu.edu/dressage
Q. How do you choose your projects?
When I went to Michigan State University, Mary Anne and Walter McPhail
had no specific requirements for research — they simply gave the money with
the idea of creating a research centre to study performance and lameness of sport
horses. Mrs. McPhail has been a dressage enthusiast all of her life, so many of
our projects are of great interest to her.
Our current projects include cutting edge research that involves
sophisticated equipment and custom software that we have developed for
equine applications. In addition, we have projects that are of direct relevance to
veterinarians and trainers. I spend a lot of time conveying the results to riders,
trainers and judges because that was a big part of the McPhails’ vision. They
wanted practical research that could produce tangible improvements in the
equestrian sports.
Q. How has your dressage training influenced your research? Would you
ask the same questions if you weren’t a serious rider?
No, I don’t think I would be interested in the same types of questions if
I didn’t ride. I like to study things that are important to riders and trainers. I
started doing this type of research at WCVM and have continued it at Michigan
State University.
Western College of Vet e r i n a r y Me d i c i n e 1 3
Q. What interested you in questions involving bits and bitting, rein
tension and rider motion?
I’ve worked on these research projects mainly because I was just curious
about some of those questions. For example, it has been suggested that
horses are unable to swallow with a bit in their mouth, so I designed a study
to measure frequency of swallowing during exercise while wearing different
bits and bridles. For that study, we put an endoscope in the horses’ throats to
record swallowing as they cantered on a treadmill. We tested a bitless bridle as
well as different bits, and found minimal differences in swallowing frequency.
However, we did find that swallowing frequency with different types of tack
varied a great deal between horses, regardless of the bit and bridle used.
Q. What’s a “gait fingerprint”? How will this technology help to
develop this concept?
A “gait fingerprint” is the idea of a horse having a characteristic gait
profile that doesn’t change significantly with growth and aging. It’s based on
work that was done by Dutch scientists who studied young foals over a period of
two years. The group showed that the horses’ swing duration, their protractionretraction angles and the joint angular events are consistent from the foal
stage to adulthood. This allows the possibility of assessing the movement of a
performance horse at a young age.
Q. Can you tell us about your horses?
Most of the horses I owned in the past were Thoroughbreds or
Warmbloods, but now I own Arabians that were bred at MSU’s Horse Teaching
and Research Farm. My first Arabian was MSU Magic J, named after Magic
Johnson (an MSU graduate). I’ve taken him to the Arabian Nationals three
times and we’ve come with a championship each time. I have another Arab
that I bought at our university’s annual auction. We have a program where
students “break” and train young horses, then sell them at auction to support
the horse breeding program. The farm manager always keeps her eyes open for
potential dressage horses, and she called me about this one.
When I went to see him, he was so small — but he was a lovely mover
with three really good gaits. At the sale, he was so scared when he came in the
ring! I bid on him intending just to get the bidding started, but no one else
placed a bid so I went home with another horse! MSU Fanfare has proved to
be a great buy. Last year, as a five-year-old, he won two dressage championships
at the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals.
Q. What hot topics in dressage are you investigating?
One of the hot topics is the difference between “competitive” versus
“classical” dressage. An example of how my research was involved in this
debate was when I analysed the “piaffe” in videos from the Olympics.
According to the dressage rules, piaffe was supposed to have a prolonged period
of “suspension.” The biomechanical definition of suspension is a period
when all four feet are off the ground. My research showed that there was no
suspension in piaffe; when one pair of diagonal feet were on the ground, the
other diagonal feet were held momentarily in an elevated or “suspended”
position, but at no point were all four feet off the ground. The question then
arose as to whether this was an aberration of competitive dressage and that
if I looked at classically trained horses the results would be different. So I
videotaped some of the classically trained Lippizzaner horses at the Spanish
Riding School in Vienna, Austria, and found that they did not show suspension
either.
14
H o r s e H e a l t h L i n e s • S u m m e r 2006
Q. Will the day will come when lameness analysis technology replaces
the traditional lameness exam?
No, I think the lameness exam will always be a mainstay. Our goal
in gait analysis is to determine what are the most useful features of gait for
experienced veterinarians to focus on when they examine a horse for lameness.
It’s a matter of taking all of the small nuances that they pick up and send to
their “computer” brain, then trying to find a computerized representation
that will sort out all of that information. Biomechanical analysis is very useful
for increasing our understanding of how and why horses go lame and for
monitoring progress over time.
Q. Why is equine locomotion analysis still relatively new?
The limits of technology held us back in the 1990s, but there have been
huge changes during the past 10 years. We can do so many things so much
faster and more accurately now — and that’s why this is such an exciting area
for research right now.
Q. You work with the same type of virtual animation used in “Lord
of the Rings” and “Polar Express.” How has this technology affected
your work?
It allows us to analyse the whole horse at once rather than only looking
at one limb or one side of the horse’s body, and it provides results much more
quickly than the older systems for gait analysis. We can slow down the motion
to detect subtle changes that we wouldn’t be able to see in regular movement.
We also use the data to calculate other biomechanical data that we can’t
measure directly. We are applying this information to develop a computerized
“lameness model” to teach undergraduate and graduate students about
different types of lameness. H
PRECEDING PAGE: Dr. Hilary Clayton and MSU Magic J perform a walk pirouette
at a dressage competition in Virginia. ABOVE: During a study of rider technique,
Clayton and her research mount, Raison, wear markers (the glowing balls) that are
detected by infrared cameras. Clayton is also wearing EMG (electromyographic)
electrodes that detect activity in specific muscles. As well, rein sensors measure
tension in the scientist’s reins.
Program Brings Honours
and Better Health to Horses
Nearly two years ago, one of Dr. David Paton’s clients was faced with
a tough decision: the farmer’s favourite Clydesdale horse was so ill that
the only humane choice was to euthanize the prized animal.
“It was quite an emotional situation for him because he was very
close to this horse. He was a typical farmer who didn’t want to show
his feelings, but I knew it was very hard for him,” recalls Paton, a
veterinarian in Aldergrove, B.C. He and Dr. Eric Martin operate Paton
& Martin Veterinary Services Ltd. — an equine clinic that serves horse
owners in B.C.’s Lower Fraser Valley.
Paton had often sent sympathy cards and flowers to grieving clients
in the past — but in this case, those gestures just didn’t seem right.
That’s when Paton thought of the Equine Health Research Fund.
Dedicated to supporting equine health research and training programs
at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), the Fund has
helped to improve the quality of horse health care for horses of all breeds
and ages throughout Western Canada. Paton, who is a member of the
Fund’s advisory board, was convinced that it was an ideal fit and made a
donation to EHRF on the farmer’s behalf.
“My client phoned me up when he received my note, and he was
very grateful. For him, that was a fitting tribute for his horse,” says Paton,
who has repeated the gesture for other clients.
“I’ve had several people actually write thank you letters rather
than calling or mentioning it the next time we see them. In particular,
I remember the response of one client — a young woman — who had
owned her horse for a long period of time before it died of cancer. She was
very appreciative of our donation, and it was a great comfort for her to
know that a contribution in her horse’s memory was going to benefit the
health of other horses.”
Based on those experiences, Paton began to wonder: if this was a
fitting way to honour horses at his practice, what if other veterinary clinics
across Western Canada made the same gesture?
In February 2005, Paton introduced the idea of developing an equine
memorial program at the EHRF annual meeting. His fellow board members
responded with enthusiasm, and almost a year later, Paton described aspects
of the initiative at the Western Canadian Association of Equine Practitioners’
annual meeting in Saskatoon, Sask.
Every time a veterinarian makes a memorial donation of $10 or more
to the Fund in honour of a deceased patient or client, administrative staff at
WCVM’s Research and Development Office sends the client or the client’s family
a letter acknowledging the veterinarian’s contribution to EHRF. The College
also includes some background information about the Fund and about its
research and training activities.
“It gives you a warmer, more rewarding feeling to contribute money
to something that has long-term benefits for equine research. Flowers are
beautiful, but they’re not going to last as long as a donation to the horse
health fund,” points out Paton.
He adds that practitioners and horse owners alike shouldn’t feel that only
large investments of thousands of dollars make any difference in horse health
research. “That’s just not true: a little bit of money goes a long way in certain
areas of research, and the College is well-suited to conducting some effective
research without having to secure huge amounts of money per project. All of
those donations — $25 here, $25 there — they all add up to do so much.”
Paton initially donated to the Fund only on behalf of long-time clients,
but his practice now sends in memorial donations for any client who loses a
horse. The practitioner says the program is also ideal for honouring the lives
of people and can serve as a fitting tribute to individuals who have enjoyed a
lifelong involvement with horses.
“It shows that you care and that you’re sorry for the family’s loss. At the
same time, it will hopefully help to give the Fund greater exposure and more
potential for raising more money for research. In the long run, that will benefit
everyone who is involved in horses,” says Paton. H
For more information on how to donate to the Equine Health Fund,
visit www.ehrf.usask.ca, call 306-966-7453 or send an email
message to wcvm.research@usask.ca.
Western College of Vet e r i n a r y Me d i c i n e 1 5
G A L L O P I N G G A Z E T T E
Changing faces in equine health: Dr.
Jonathan Naylor, a 24-year member of WCVM’s
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences,
left the College last fall to take on a new position
at Ross University’s School of Veterinary Medicine
on the West Indies island of St. Kitts. Naylor’s
numerous research contributions to equine
health include the initial identification of HYPP
(hyperkalemic periodic paralysis) in Quarter horses,
the discovery of the true function of equine guttural
pouches, using new technology to interpret equine
heart and gastro-intestinal sounds, and developing
new electronic teaching tools to enhance veterinary
training.
Naylor regularly shared his research findings
with veterinarians and western Canadian horse
owners, and he was an active member of the Equine
Health Research Fund’s management committee.
A former editor of Horse Health Lines, Naylor also
fulfilled the editorial role for a highly successful
continuing education publication called Large
Animal Veterinary Rounds for five years.
• A new WCVM faculty member is Dr. Fernando
Marqués who graduated from the University
of Buenos Aires in 1987. For more than 15 years,
Marqués practised equine medicine in Argentina
— primarily in the areas of theriogenology,
neonatology and sports medicine on Thoroughbred
stud farms and equine facilities. Marqués became
a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary
Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in 2005 after successfully completing a large animal internal medicine
residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
His research interests include infectious diseases,
sepsis and inflammation, the immune response to
infection, and vaccine formulation.
Besides his clinical and research interest in
horses, Marqués has competed in show jumping as
a second category rider (first category being professional) under the Argentinian Equestrian Federation for many years. As well, Marqués is a long-time
show jumping instructor and a successful coach
whose riding teams have won multiple championship awards.
student ATTENDS symposium: WCVM
graduate student Dr. Tal Raz will be a presenter
at the Ninth International Symposium on Equine
Reproduction in The Netherlands this summer. The
symposium, which takes place from Aug. 7 to 11 in
the southern Dutch town of Kerkrade, will include
150 oral and poster presentations by researchers
from around the world.
Raz, a Master of Science student and
theriogenology resident under Dr. Claire Card’s
supervision, will present two research abstracts
based on research conducted at WCVM. The first
presentation is on “the effects of equine arteritis
virus positive semen on mare fertility” while the
second abstract focuses on “the effect of equine
follicle stimulating hormone (eFSH) on pregnancy
rate and embryo development in mares.” These
presentations will be published along with all of the
conference’s proceedings as extended abstracts in a
special issue of Animal Reproduction Science.
Vi s i t H o r s e H e alth Lines on line at www.ehr f.usask.ca
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40112792
RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:
Research Office, WCVM
University of Saskatchewan
52 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4
wcvm.research@usask.ca
HORSE HEALTH IN TRANSIT: As the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride makes
its annual pilgrimage across North America, the
Ride’s team members take great pains to ensure
the health and safety of their 36 horses.
Before the Warmblood horses leave in
May for their six-month tour, the Musical Ride’s
regular veterinarian thoroughly examines each
animal and ensures that all of their vaccinations
and medical records are up to date. On the road,
Ride team members rely on on-call veterinarians
in every region to provide medical assistance.
During their travels, the horses’ mobile
homes are padded, rubber-matted stalls in
tractor-trailer trucks. The fleet’s professional
drivers stop every five or six hours so officers
can water the horses and check for any signs of
trouble.
Once the Musical Ride arrives at a
community, local organizers deliver feed for the
horses. “They need to supply about 500 pounds
of oats and 1,000 pounds of hay per day. Since
water quality varies across the country, that can
make things challenging on the road — especially
in hot weather — and we have to monitor each
horse’s water intake during the day,” explains
equitation instructor Corporal Eric Simard. Two
officers are always on stable duty, 24 hours
a day, to ensure that each horse is eating and
drinking properly.
Some centres need to be creative in
supplying shelter for the Ride’s horses.
“Organizers have set up stalls in tents or in large
portable shelters. We’ve even had box stalls in
the middle of a forest!” says Simard.
But the best makeshift stable is a typical
Canadian solution: local hockey rinks, says
Simard. “The aeration is great, the building is
large, and we can keep our eye on all of the
horses at the same time. It’s perfect.”
• Visit www.ehrf.usask.ca to read more about
the Ride’s horse health care plans, or visit
http://www.rcmp-grc.ca/muscialride/index_
e.htm to view the Ride’s 2006 schedule.