Kern Road Veterinary Clinic

Spring 2009 Newsletter

HELP US BE GREEN

Although Global Warming is probably the farthest thing from most peoples’ thoughts after the winter weather we have just endured, the environment is still all of our responsibility. In an attempt to be responsible stewards we are trying to reduce the waste that we produce. Currently we are recycling as much of our paper products as we can and conserving on our use of plastic products. We also welcome any suggestions that you have to help us conserve our environment.


WEBSITE SUGGESTIONS

In an effort to keep our website relevant, we are asking that you give us feedback and suggestions about what we can do to make our website interesting and informative for you. If you haven’t visited our site the address is www.kernroadvet.com. A new link that we have added to our website is www.aaep.org . This website has many educational articles on key horse health issues. The articles can be found in the horse owner section.


SPRING VACCINATIONS

With spring rapidly approaching it is time to start planning for protecting the health of our horses. Vaccination can prevent or minimize infection of many diseases. Our recommendations for vaccinating have not changed significantly. We remain firmly convinced that preventing disease through vaccination is in the best interest of the horse and is by far the most cost effective way to insure the horses health. We recommend vaccinating against Eastern and Western Encephalitis, Tetanus, Infuenza, Rhinopneumonitis, PotomacHorse Fever, West Nile Encephalitis, Rabies and Strangles. Additionally pregnant mares should be vaccinated against Rotovirus. With the recent outbreaks of Eastern Encephalitis it is now recommended to vaccinate twice per year against this mosquito borne disease.


CONTAGIOUS EQUINE METRITIS

This winter it was discovered that several Quarter Horse stallions in Kentucky were infected with Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM). CEM is a highly contagious disease that is spread in the semen of infected stallions. If a mare becomes infected she may spread the disease to other stallions during live cover. The disease can cause infertility and abortion. Because of the potential for spread of CEM the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has traced all the mares bred to the known infected stallions and is conducting testing on these mares. The disease has been found in mares in several states.


COGGINS TESTING

As spring approaches and we start doing more coggins testing, we again ask for your help in having the correct information when the sample is drawn. We ask that you let us fax or mail the information sheets to you prior to your appointment. The forms can also be printed off of our website www.kernroadvet.com. It is very time consuming to try to obtain this information if it is not available, and even more time consuming to submit corrected forms. THANK YOU in advance for having your paperwork ready.


SHIPPING HORSES TO THE CLINIC

As always we encourage you to ship horses to the clinic for most procedures. This will provide a savings on your bill by eliminating a service call. It also will eliminate the inconvenience of waiting for a doctor when we get emergencies that create scheduling difficulties.


Remember to Deworm Your Horse!

Horses are grazing animals that eat off the ground where they eliminate, so they are almost constantly exposed to internal parasites (worms). By deworming your horse every 6-8 weeks, you are breaking the life cycle of the parasite before it can mature and produce millions of worm eggs. The goal is to eliminate as many parasites as possible inside the horse and prevent eggs from contaminating the environment. Horses that live in crowded paddocks should be dewormed even more often. Rotate types of dewormer ingredient (not just brands) with each deworming to reduce the development of drug resistance. The name of the ingredient can be found on the tube or box. Have a fecal exam done yearly to make sure that your deworming program is doing its job. If ignored, internal parasites in horses can cause colic, weight loss, skin and hair problems and respiratory illness. Sometimes these problems can even be fatal. Foals are even more susceptible than adults and should be dewormed regularly as well; just check to make sure that the dewormer you use is safe for foals. Deworming is an inexpensive and easy part of preventive health care for every horse. Don’t miss out on this essential task!

Sample Rotational Deworming Schedule

Month	Dewormer	Notes
Jan/Feb	Panacur (fenbendazole)	This is a good time to give a Panacur PowerPac while environmental parasites are low (these can be purchased through Kern Road Vet or other suppliers).
March/April	Strongid (pyrantal)
May/June	Ivermectin or Equimax/Zimectrin Gold (ivermectin + praziquantal)	Be sure to use something with praziquantal at least once a year to eliminate tapeworms
July/Aug	Panacur (fenbendazole)
Sept/Oct	Strongid (pyrantal)	A double dose of strongid can also eliminate tapeworms
Nov/Dec	Ivermectin or Equimax/Zimectrin Gold (ivermectin + praziquantal)	Give after the 1st hard, killing frost to eliminate bots.

This schedule is only a guideline. Different dewormers can be used at different times; the rotation of ingredients is what is important. The Nov/Dec deworming is the only one that should not be changed, due to the limited window of opportunity to kill bots.

Please contact us at 517-223-9618 if you have any questions.