EQUINE GRASS SICKNESS.

Equine grass sickness is fatal condition in horses on pasture, the condition results in colic and prognosis is guarded.The condition affects all age groups,can occur at any time but very common in wet conditions/seasons. The cause of the condition has been pinned as Clostridium botulinum,this bacteria lives in moist soil and when it spreads on grass its eaten by the horse,resulting in severe poisoning. The bacteria toxins affect the horses's intestinal tract which affects the nerves causing a dysfunction resulting in severe colic. The onset of the equine grass sickness could be per acute, acute and chronic.In per acute cases the horses are found dead.The prognosis in the chronic and acute cases are guarded. The acute case, the onset is sudden, with severe abdominal discomfort, high pulse rate and restlessness. The treatment is colic surgery.While the chronic case ,the horse slowly develops a persistent low grade colic with rapid weight loss.The upper eye lid is droopy and there is sticky nasal discharge, and fecal balls are hard and small.The treatment is pain relief and supportive therapy. Equine grass sickness can be prevented with pasture identification; if an area has record of such sickness avoid letting horses in area.Where there has been recent work lately, that involves soil works or turning should be avoided.Areas where dead animals are commonly found in pasture should be avoided.Horses that do not depend solely on grasses for nutrition hardly come down with grass sickness,thus feeding hay at pasture and bringing horses in to stable at night may help reduce its occurrence.

6 awesome TED talks about science and technology by Arabs

6 awesome TED talks about science and technology by Arabs

TREATMENT OF NEONATAL MALADJUSTMENT SYNDROME.

Watch video of treatment here;https://youtu.be/zmbhp4mbZX4 via @YouTube Using several loops of a soft rope to gently squeeze the foal’s upper torso for 20 minutes—to mimic the time spent experiencing birth canal’s pressure—can ease the disorder’s symptoms, researchers have found. Early cases have produced some success. foal maladjustment syndrome.

FOAL DISORDER LINKED TO AUTISM IN MAN.

Veterinary researchers at the University of California, Davis, are exploring possible ties between a foal disorder and autism.Abnormal levels of naturally occurring neuro -steroids may be the common link, according to a UC Davis release. The horse disorder—known as neonatal maladjustment syndrome—has been a mystery for a century. Signs of the little-understood condition that appear in 3 to 5 percent of live births are detachment, failure to recognize their mothers and no interest in nursing.“The behavioral abnormalities in these foals seem to resemble some of the symptoms in children with autism,” says John Madigan, DVM, MS, UC Davis veterinary professor and expert in equine neonatal health. Nursing newborn horses with the disorder is demanding. Eighty percent of foals survive with intensive care in a veterinary clinic and constant bottle or tube feeding for up to 10 days. Researchers are eying naturally occurring neurosteroids as a top suspect in causing the disorder. The compound acts as a sedative and keeps the foal “quiet” before birth.“Foals don’t gallop in utero,” Madigan says in the release. However, the foal must be able to run shortly after its birth. The biochemical change the newborn undergoes in the birth canal may be triggered by the physical pressure of the birthing process, researchers believe. read more here;http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/new-veterinary-treatment-foal-disorder-simulates-necessary-trigger-birthing-process

Antibiotic-resistant gene discovered in soil bacterium that commonly infects foals.

Rhodococcus equi is one of the most important causes of disease in young horses,A research team based in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine has discovered a novel gene—erm(46)—that confers antibiotic resistance in Rhodococcus equi, a soil-dwelling baterium that commonly infects foals and causes opportunistic infections in immunocompromised people, according to a release from the university. R. equi, a gram-positive intracellular pathogen, is one of the most important causes of disease in foals between 3 weeks and 5 months of age. Read more here;http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/antibiotic-resistant-gene-discovered-soil-bacterium-commonly-infects-foals

WOUND RECONSTRUCTION IN HORSES.

These grafts involve relocating the skin from a donor site to cover a wound and restore function and cosmetics in your veterinary equine patients.In horses, skin grafts are most often used for limb wounds where primary closure is not possible or second intention healing is delayed or not occurring. Grafts may also be considered for large wounds of the trunk, as grafting will decrease healing time. This article concentrates on free skin grafts, with an emphasis on punch grafts. With free skin grafts, the donor skin is severed from its blood supply and relocated to a wound. Free skin grafts are categorized by thickness and type. Full-thickness grafts include epidermis and the entire dermis. Split-thickness grafts include epidermis and a portion of dermis. Full- and split-thickness grafts can be either sheet grafts or island grafts. Sheet grafts are applied to the surface of a wound, and island grafts are embedded in the wound (Figure 1). Island graft techniques include punch, pinch, tunnel and modified meek grafts. The advantage of island grafts is that the failure or loss of one graft does not affect other grafts in the wound. read more here;http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/wound-reconstruction-free-skin-grafts-horses

WOUND RECONSTRUCTION IN HORSES.

These grafts involve relocating the skin from a donor site to cover a wound and restore function and cosmetics in your veterinary equine patients.In horses, skin grafts are most often used for limb wounds where primary closure is not possible or second intention healing is delayed or not occurring. Grafts may also be considered for large wounds of the trunk, as grafting will decrease healing time. This article concentrates on free skin grafts, with an emphasis on punch grafts. With free skin grafts, the donor skin is severed from its blood supply and relocated to a wound. Free skin grafts are categorized by thickness and type. Full-thickness grafts include epidermis and the entire dermis. Split-thickness grafts include epidermis and a portion of dermis. Full- and split-thickness grafts can be either sheet grafts or island grafts. Sheet grafts are applied to the surface of a wound, and island grafts are embedded in the wound (Figure 1). Island graft techniques include punch, pinch, tunnel and modified meek grafts. The advantage of island grafts is that the failure or loss of one graft does not affect other grafts in the wound. read more here;http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/wound-reconstruction-free-skin-grafts-horses