Horse Health
Quick tick facts
May 11th, 2012
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“Know your enemy” is a well-known military maxim that’s also good advice for people on the Canadian Prairies who are seeing increasing populations of tick species in the region. Here are some quick facts about ticks and tick-borne diseases: Ticks, like spiders and mites, have eight legs in their mature form (as adults) and are members of the class Arachnida. …
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Milagros, the miracle foal
Last spring, Dawn and Dave Roberts were enjoying a Saturday afternoon with friends and family at their farm that’s located minutes west of Saskatoon, Sask. Annie, one of their experienced broodmares, looked like she was going into labour. “Our friends’ kids were excited because they thought they’d be able to see a baby horse being born,” says Dawn, whose family …
April 24th, 2012 Full story »
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Emergency care for orphan foals: five tips
It’s a position you hope you never need to be in — but if you suddenly become responsible for an orphan foal, here are five tips from Dr. Fernando J. Marqués, a specialist in large animal internal medicine at the WCVM, on what to expect. 1. Consult a veterinarian. “Because foals have no energy reserves in place,” explains Marqués, “they …
April 24th, 2012 Full story »
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Monensin: fatal feed
This month, a Nebraska-based livestock feed company voluntarily recalled two lots of its “Kountry Buffet” 14 per cent feed because it could contain monensin sodium — a potentially fatal drug for horses. The feed, packaged in 50-pound bags with the Payback logo, was distributed to retailers in Nebraska and Wyoming in December 2011. The company, Western Feed LLC, made the …
March 05th, 2012 Full story »
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Marathon surgery saves mare’s life
When Dr. James Carmalt examined the grey Arabian mare named Noor for the first time at the WCVM’s Veterinary Medical Centre last fall, the first thing that surprised him about the horse was her body condition. “You could tell that Mr. Abidi (her caregiver) had been working hard to ensure that she had the right type of feed available and …
December 13th, 2011 Full story »
