The Scoop
Equine
news that you can use.
Compiled
by Kim Paquette
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Celebrate
National Day of the American Cowboy – July 28, 2007
American Cowboy magazine is proud to announce that the Senate
has once again approved the National Day of the American Cowboy,
Senate Resolution 130, sponsored by Senator Craig Thomas R-Wyoming.
The
resolution names July 28, 2007 as the official day of the
3rd annual celebration. The National Day of the American Cowboy
was set aside as an official day to honor and remember the
contributions of the cowboy into the history of the American
West, and to encourage Americans to live the values and the
code of the cowboy. |
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"I'm pleased the Senate has once again recognized the
need for a National Day of the American Cowboy," Senator
Thomas said. "Cowboys and cowgirls hold a special place
in American lore, and they continue to provide an invaluable
link in our nation's strong agricultural system. It is appropriate
that we celebrate their contributions."
Ongoing
efforts are aimed at making the 4th Saturday in July a perpetual
holiday. Support from local communities and individuals are
integral in getting this celebration named as a permanent
holiday. American Cowboy magazine, a western lifestyle publication
and the organization initiating the campaign for the official
day, has provided a website with information on the history
and future of the official National Day of the American Cowboy.
More
information and the history of the national cowboy day can
be found at www.nationaldayofthecowboy.com.
Also, on www.cowboyday.com
interested parties can download items to help them stage their
own successful National Day of the American Cowboy event.
They can also submit their event for the event calendar.
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DNA
TEST for HERDA Now Available
Recently, the University of California Davis and Cornell University
have both developed separate DNA tests for hereditary equine
regional dermal asthenia (HERDA). The tests were developed independently
from each other, one at each university. These tests will allow
horse owners to know if their horses are carriers of the disease.
The tests can be preformed by using hair samples from the horse
at a cost estimate of $50 per test. |
HERDA, as it is commonly called, is a genetic disorder, found
mainly in Quarter Horses. It is usually fatal and appears in
pleasure and performance horses, especially cutting horses,
who trace their ancestry back to the Poco Bueno lines. Horses
that are affected by the disease have skin that is easily broken,
probably due to a collagen defect. When these horses are ridden
under saddle, or have trauma to the skin, the layers of the
skin separate or tear off completely. The horse is usually not
affected until about 1 to 2 years of age, but it can show up
earlier. The disease can cause death by the age of 3 to 4 years
of age.
The gene, which carries HERDA, is auto recessive, which means
that both the sire and the dam must have it in order for the
disease to be expressed in the offspring.
Nena Winand, DVM, PhD, research scientist, Department of Molecular
Medicine, Cornell University commented that,
“These new DNA tests will help in the control of the disease.
There is no cure so controlling the disease is the optimal thing
to do at this point.”
Funding for the tests was provided in part by the American Quarter
Horse Foundation and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s
Center for Equine Health.
For more information or to have your horses tested you may contact
Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California
Davis at (530) 752-2211. Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic
Laboratory also will shortly be performing tests and may be
reached at (607) 253-4136.
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| New
Choice in Osteoarthritis Pain Relief - Merial Lauches EQUIOXX
(fibrocoxib) for Horses |
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EQUIOXX® (firocoxib) is a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drug (NSAID) proven in field trials to relieve the pain and
inflammation associated with osteoarthritis (OA) in horses.
EQUIOXX is a coxib class NSAID, and the first new NSAID entity
in many years to be registered for oral use in horses. In trials,
EQUIOXX paste was shown to improve the mobility of treated horses.
"Field trials with EQUIOXX have provided impressive results
in reducing pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis
in horses" said Peter Hanson, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVS, executive
director, pharmaceutical R&D projects, Merial. "EQUIOXX
provides veterinarians a long-awaited new NSAID that has an
excellent safety profile."
"As we have come to expect with NSAIDs generally, the responses
of individual horses can vary," explained Hanson. "However,
what has impressed us, our clinical investigators and owners
of treated horses, is that improvement following EQUIOXX treatment
can be quite dramatic, and that this improvement was observed
within just a few hours of treatment."
Upon administration, EQUIOXX is quickly absorbed to provide
effective all-day pain relief. A pharmacokinetic study showed
that after one dose of EQUIOXX, firocoxib was maintained at
blood levels to ensure efficacy until the next dose 24 hours
later, and steady-state concentrations were achieved after seven
daily doses.
To evaluate the efficacy of EQUIOXX, horses were rated for improvement
in a multicenter field study based on four variables: lameness,
pain on manipulation, joint swelling and range of motion. Based
on the results, 84% of horses treated with EQUIOXX were improved
over the study.
A targeted study evaluated clinically-relevant side effects
related to long-term treatment at 1 to 5 times a dose. In the
study, 30 horses of various breeds and sizes received doses
of 0.1 to 0.5 mg firocoxib/kg/day for 30 days. Results of this
study showed no treatment-related side effects for body weight
change, bleeding time, urinalysis parameters, gastric ulcer
scores and renal toxicity. Clinical pathology and gross and
histopathologic lesions were also measured at various dosing
levels. At a 1X (actual dose) and even at a 3X dose, groups
did not experience any clinical pathology side effects. The
5X dose group had lowered red blood cell count, hematocrit,
hemoglobin, total protein, albumin and globulin that were likely
associated with parasitism. No cases of gross or histopathologic
lesions were observed in the 1X dose group, and the 3X and 5X
dose groups had an increase in ulcers and erosions of the tongue,
lips and gums.
EQUIOXX, an oral paste, is approved for use up to 14 days for
the control of pain and inflammation associated with equine
osteoarthritis. It is a prescription product available through
veterinarians. The recommended dose is 0.045 mg/lb. (0.1 mg/kg)
body weight.5 For more information, visit www.equioxx.com. |
Filly Wins Belmont Stakes
Girls can run with the boys. On June 9 in the 138th running
of the Belmont Stakes, Rags to Riches proved just that. Owned
by Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith and trained by Todd Pletcher,
the chestnut filly with the white blaze did not let people’s
doubt about a filly winning the Grade 1 race interfere with
her performance. Despite stumbling out of the gate, the filly
quickly regained ground and ran stride for stride with the rest
of the field. |
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Ridden by jockey John Velazquez, the filly made her move as
the field turned down the backstretch. With one quarter of
a mile to go, she went wide on the outside and outran most
of the field and ended up in a match race with Preakness winner,
Curlin. As they went under the wire, Rags to Riches prevailed
as the winner by a nose. It was the first time a filly had
won the 1.5 mile race in 102 years. Only two other fillies
since the running of the first Belmont in 1965 have achieved
such a feat. The first was Ruthless in 1965 and the last filly
to win was Tanya in 1905. It has been since Winning Colors
won the 1988 Kentucky Derby that a filly has won a Triple
Crown race.
For
her win, Rags to Riches received $600,000 to increase her
total earnings this year to $1,292,528, placing her 4th in
total earnings for racehorses in 2007. The Belmont win leaves
Rags to Riches undefeated after 5 starts this year. Her other
wins this year include the Santa Anita Oaks, the Las Virgenes
and the Kentucky Oaks. The Belmont was her first race against
the colts.
For more information and stories about Rags to Riches, the
National Thoroughbred Racing Association has created a special
blog page dedicated to this remarkable filly. You may also
post comments and questions directed to Todd Pletcher about
Rags to Riches. Visit www.ntra.com.
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