This Week in Horse Health News Presented by MediVet Equine

As horse owners and competitors, we want to give our equine athletes every opportunity to feel and perform their best. Keeping up to date with the latest news in horse health and medicine is an important part of that, and it’s why Medivet Equine is bringing you the latest in horse health news each week.

Following the medical model of “do no harm”, MediVet Equine develops scientifically based therapeutics enabling the horse to call on its own healing ability, thus achieving its full performance potential. MediVet Equine provides effective, all natural, drug free products and lab services designed to optimize the overall health of performance horses. They specialize in regenerative treatments that help the body heal itself to get stronger naturally. Boyd Martin has several of his top competitive mounts on MediVet ACS, and has had terrific results!

This Week in Horse Health News …

Everybody poops … and we horse owners really like to obsess over our horse’s manure, so you my have noticed some seasonal changes. Why do some horses get runny manure in the fall? A reader of The Horse recently posed this question to one of their veterinarians, who gave us the scoop on this nasty issue. Frankly, the potential causes are numerous; from parasites to your horse needing dental work to a virus or bacteria inhabiting the gut. [The Horse]

The British Equine Veterinary Association has issued a guidance on how a no-deal Brexit will affect the movement of horses. The United Kingdom (UK) is scheduled to leave the European Union (EU) on October 31st an may not reach a withdrawal agreement before then (a “no-deal Brexit”). Should this happen, owners and competitors will need to deal with additional requirements for horses traveling from the UK to the EU including blood tests, a health certificate and vet consult which all must be obtained within a certain time frame before traveling. [BEVA]

The use of Lasix in racehorses may be most effective for some if given 24 hours before a race. In 2015 The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation put out a special call for research on exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EPIH), commonly known as “bleeding” in racehorses. Two studies from this call have now been published. One study found that treating horses who had never bled in a race before with furosemide (Lasix or Salix) four hours prior to exercise was more effective in decreasing the number of red blood cells found in the lungs than furosemide treatment 24 hours prior to exercise with controlled water access. However, the second study found that in known bleeders, a low-dose treatment of furosemide 24-hours prior to exercise with controlled water access was the most effective in controlling bleeding. [BloodHorse]