Going Ga-Ga at Feeding Time

Dear Seminole Feed,
(insert photo of SIRKUS) cutline to read: Sirkus, a weanling Standardbred, thrives on nutritious Seminole Feed products.

The first time I ever learned about your great product was a few months ago, when a friend of ours had to have a very old horse put to sleep. We were so very sorry this happened, but because she had no use for the leftover feed, she gave it to us.

We live in North Carolina and had never heard of Seminole Feed. She gave us the Senior Formula. I just figured I would be grateful and if my horses did not like it....well nothing lost.... I would just get rid of it. It was almost three bags, so I started just dressing the top of their regular feed with it.

GOOD GRAVY!!!!!!!!! STAND BACK!!!!!!! ‘Bout the 2 day I was getting mobbed! Stonewall Jackson, my husband's spotted blue roan racking horse, thought he was getting a big treat when he would see that bucket coming across the field and was fighting for his grand share! The horses were delighted with its taste! WOW…you made them MONSTERS at FEEDING TIME!

When I ran out...so did their enthusiasm…

It did not dawn on me until today to go online to find this stuff!

I was SO SUPRISED that you had so much to offer! Where do I begin?

I would like to find the closest place to go to get your feed. I live in Franklin, North Carolina, right at the border of Georgia, near the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I am thrilled that you use BEET PULP! I use it all the time! Wonderful stuff!!!!

I am enclosing a picture of my new addition. She is a Standardbred, a future harness racer. Do any of your products go to feed these wonderful animals? She is 4 months old now. What can I start her on? What can I carry her through to? I would love to start her on your feeds and go through her racing career with you. Can you help?

Thank you,
Raven Feaster

Editor’s Note: Nutritionists at Seminole Feed visited with Raven Feaster soon after receiving this letter and designed a custom feeding plan for the horses mentioned. Feeding time has never been so much fun at the family farm! Contact information for Seminole and SPILLERS/Seminole dealers can be found online at www.worldsbestfeed.com.

Satellite Phones Effective in Hurricane Rescue
Improving communications in the aftermath of hurricanes

With Florida veterinarians and horse owners struggling with power outages caused by hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) Foundation has donated $3,000 to help supply area veterinarians with satellite telephones. Satellite phone capability will ensure communication between area veterinarians, members of veterinary management assistant teams deployed to the area, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local law enforcement.

“ While any communication during an actual hurricane is often impossible, the real difficulty is during the aftermath when there is no power to cell phone towers,” explained Dana Zimmel, DVM, Florida emergency communication contact for the AAEP’s Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee. Dr. Zimmel is also an assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. “Satellite phones are often our only communication link to the hardest hit areas.”

Early assessments following hurricanes Charley and Frances indicated that while most of the state’s horses were relatively unharmed, the ongoing flooding and a lack of drinking water in other areas – due to the loss of power to wells – was a concern. Many farms continue to be without power.

Satellite phones will improve communication in these areas of impact as well. “The Florida state veterinarian has asked us to gather a team of veterinarians, vet techs and students to man a command post in Defuniak, Florida, after Ivan passes. We will be using the phones there or passing them on to practitioners in those areas to use as needed,” Dr. Zimmel said.

Other preparatory steps taken by the Florida veterinary community include the identification of animal hospitals that have generators and are capable of triage; identification of locations where unidentified horses can be placed until the owner is located; identification of suppliers that are prepared to
donate or provide extra supplies and medications as needed; contacting local van companies to be on alert to move homeless horses to a shelter; and gaining the appropriate "clearance" for veterinarians to travel when curfews are in place and federal agents are in command.

" I think the most important aspect for veterinarians in a disaster is to understand how to get assistance when they need it” Dr. Zimmel explained. “They need to know how to utilize the resources that are already in place. I also realized that local disaster officials might not understand the needs of the
equine industry. Equine practitioners need to be proactive in seeking help
for their clients.”

For more information regarding general emergency management in the state of Florida visit www.floridadisaster.org.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its over 8,000 members worldwide and is
actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.

Save a Horse, Buy a Book
The Horses of Proud Spirit by Melanie S. Bowles

Attention horse lovers: there’s a new book for you! The Horses of Proud Spirit, by Melanie S. Bowles, is available in bookstores and online, just in time for Christmas.

The Horses of Proud Spirit is an inspiring memoir about the startup of an equine sanctuary in southwest Florida. Proceeds from the book are donated to care for horses at the sanctuary. According to Melanie, the not-for-profit sanctuary cares for more than 34 horses.

Flu Season Prep
New York, NY (June 29, 2004)—A new vaccine now available from Pfizer Animal Health, Flumune® A2 KY98 contains the most current equine influenza isolate now available in the U.S.: Kentucky 98. Flumune represents an entirely new breed of vaccine, combining a high antigen mass with an established antigen purification system to safely produce significant immune responses in horses.

“Equine influenza continues to be a significant, ongoing concern for all horses and is responsible for approximately 50 – 60 percent of viral respiratory outbreaks,” notes Robert Holland, DVM, PhD, Senior Technical Services Veterinarian at Pfizer Animal Health. “Recent evidence suggests that once aerosolized, it is possible for influenza to travel up to one quarter mile to infect other horses,” Dr. Holland adds. “Flumune’s high antigen mass, combined with its purification system, produces a vaccine that is highly effective and safe. Blinded control studies have shown that this vaccine not only produces an extremely high level of immunity but it eliminates fever and viral shedding in most horses vaccinated.”

Equine influenza is the most common virus that affects horses throughout the world. This virus is spread by aerosolized respiratory secretions of an infected horse and may survive for hours on inanimate objects. Influenza’s transmission period is one to three days and animals can shed the virus for four to eight days after infection. Clinical signs of the disease include a high fever (102 – 106 °F), mucopurulent nasal discharge, coughing, anorexia and lethargy. Flu may progress to life threatening plureal pneumonia and even possible death.

For more information on Flumune® A2 KY98, and Pfizer Animal Health’s complete line of equine products, visit www.pfizer.com/equine.

Springsteen Spotted at Daughter’s Horse Show
Bruce Springsteen might be the star of the stage, but his daughter Jessica Springsteen is the star of the horse show. Jessica competed in the 2004 Winter Equestrian Festival circuit, winning reserve champion honors in the children’s large pony hunter division. Jessica trains with Frank and Stacia Madden of Colt’s Neck, New Jersey.