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• Equine excellence fund at University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Improved technology keeps service at its best
  • Long-time client establishes funding source
  • With your help the legacy can grow
• The horse receives top magazine award
• Platelet-rich plasma for tendon and ligament problems
• Professor and Alexander Chair in Equine Reproduction
  • College of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences Colorado State University

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Equine excellence fund at University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Improved technology keeps service at its best 

Horse owners from all over appreciate the expertise, years of experience, and caring touch available at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Equine Hospital. Painstaking diagnosis followed by dedicated treatment yields a high success rate.

To maintain this level of service excellence, the hospital's facilities must be state-of-the-art. Yet the equipment needed for large animals is expensive, and the needs outstrip the available resources. That is where vision comes in.

To continue to provide clientele with the best services, using the latest techniques, veterinarians in the Equine Hospital envision service that goes beyond excellent, to the exceptional.

Long-time client establishes funding source 

Longtime hospital client Morrie Waud was so intrigued by this vision that he established the “Fund for Excellence in Equine Health.” In appreciation of the outstanding service veterinarians and staff at the School of Veterinary Medicine provided to his horses over the years, he is providing $200,000 over 10 years as a funding source.

Through his gift, new technologies and equipment will keep the hospital at the forefront of equine medicine, surgery, and reproduction.

With your help the legacy can grow 

You can build on this gift by contributing to the fund. Contributions to this fund are earmarked for new technology that allows horses to benefit not only from the expertise available at the Equine Hospital but from state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

Thank You for Your Support!

Contact: Ann Hunt, Development Specialist hunta@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu Reprinted from University of Wisconsin-Madison Equine Excellence Fund website: http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/equine_excellence_fund.229.3.html

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The horse receives top magazine award 

The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care was honored on Saturday, June 24, as the best overall publication in the General Excellence category at the 2006 American Horse Publications (AHP) Annual Awards. Sixty publications were entered. The Horse also was named outstanding publication in its class, self-supported with circulation over 15,000.

“This monthly publication has big shoes to fill as an all-breed, all-discipline resource, but it certainly fills them beautifully,” remarked the judge. “I'm quite impressed by this publication's tenacity and willingness to take on the tough issues in the equine industry, including horse welfare and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on horses and the industry—this coverage was objective, thorough, and enlightening.

“This extremely tough decision boiled down to who best served their targeted audience,” the judge noted. “This magazine does an outstanding job of delivering helpful, hands-on information to its target audience of horse owners involved in a deep way in their horses' health care.”

Seventy-one AHP members were named finalists in the awards contest. Participation in this year's contest represented 105 AHP members and 1,058 entries. Thirty-one professional judges placed the classes and provided constructive critiques for all entries.

American Horse Publications is a non-profit professional association of more than 400 publications, individuals, and equine-related businesses dedicated to promoting better understanding and communication within the equine publishing industry. Since its inception in 1970, the American Horse Publications Annual Awards has recognized excellence in editorial content and graphic design.

For the General Excellence category, judges reviewed the April 2005 issue, which featured a cover story on equine welfare in Mexico, and the November 2005 issue, which included Hurricane Katrina coverage. According to one judge, “This publication is a must-have for those interested in horse health.”

“What a wonderful way to help celebrate our 90th anniversary this year,” commented Stacy V. Bearse, President and CEO of Blood-Horse Publications, parent company of The Horse. “The AHP Awards recognize the creativity and contributions of our entire team and their continued committed service to our readers and the equine industry. We are honored by the recognition and extend our congratulations to all of the evening's award winners.”

Visit The Horse.com at: http://www.thehorse.com/

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Platelet-rich plasma for tendon and ligament problems 

Amy DeGeer Overdorf, TheHorse.com June 2006, Article #7176

A Cornell University researcher recently showed that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy can enhance the healing response and quality of repair at the cellular level in treatment of tendonitis and suspensory ligament desmitis. Lisa A. Fortier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, is also studying whether this treatment method reduces susceptibility to re-injury.

Tendonitis and inflammation of suspensory ligaments are common injuries of performance horses that can result from overloading or overworking. Historically, treatment has included icing, supportive bandaging, medication, and rehabilitative exercise. Although these methods are valuable, they often do not restore the tendon or ligament to normal, leaving the horse prone to re-injury.

PRP is a blood by-product produced by centrifugation of the patient's blood. It's rich in platelets—the body's biggest reservoir of growth factors. Additionally, Fortier noted, “Because PRP is a natural, patient-derived product, there is virtually no chance of rejection by the body or disease transmission.”

This first phase of Fortier's study began in the fall of 2005 and was completed by February 2006. The study was performed in vitro (in the laboratory, not in the live horse) using tendons treated with PRP. The tendons showed increased synthesis of normal collagen (which provides elasticity) and enhanced synthesis of other normal tendon components. This study will be published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research.

Clinical application of PRP in client-owned horses began after that study was completed. PRP remains Fortier's preferred treatment method for tendonitis, and she uses PRP injections combined with traditional therapies. She said that when injected at the site of injury, PRP functions to enhance the normal healing process. Part of the healing cascade that is stimulated by PRP is inflammation. The ability of PRP to stimulate inflammation is important because it suggests that PRP would also be useful in chronic cases of tendonitis.

With clinical cases continuing to be treated, Fortier said the real test will be patient re-entry into performance, which she will be monitoring this year.

Reprinted with permission of The Horse; visit www.TheHorse.com for more horse health news.

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Professor and Alexander Chair in Equine Reproduction 

College of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences Colorado State University 

The Departments of Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Sciences seek an Associate or Full Professor to fill the John Alexander Endowed Chair in Equine Reproduction and serve as Director of the Equine Reproduction Laboratory (ERL). This individual will be expected to lead an independent research program that will be externally funded and recognizable as an outstanding program of research that will advance equine and comparative reproductive science. The successful candidate will provide research leadership and also collaborate with the Equine Reproduction Team. The person hired will contribute to professional veterinary medicine, graduate and outreach teaching efforts. The ERL houses an active theriogenology clinic, and this person will be expected to participate actively as a theriogenologist. The individual will have a 12-month appointment, and can choose a primary departmental home in either the Department of Biomedical Sciences or the Department of Clinical Sciences.

The ERL is a program within the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory (ARBL), which is recognized as one of 16 Programs of Research and Scholarly Excellence at Colorado State University. The internationally known ERL/ARBL program has an administrative home in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, but also includes faculty members from other departments in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the College of Agricultural Sciences. ARBL faculty members interact through a wide variety of sub-disciplines including reproductive endocrinology, developmental biology and pathology, and assisted reproductive technologies, and support an NIH Training Grant. A team approach is usually used to identify problems, determine approaches and conduct research. Additional information on these programs can be found at: http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/bms/arbl/. The Departments of Biomedical Sciences and of Clinical Sciences both house strong and diverse research programs, with outstanding resources and opportunities for collaboration. The clinical program at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is among the best in the nation, with outstanding facilities and faculty, and includes a highly successful equine clinical section.

Applicants must have a DVM or equivalent degree and a Ph.D. is strongly preferred. Board certification by the American College of Theriogenology or evidence of equivalent clinical expertise is required. A letter of application, curriculum vitae, statements of research, teaching and clinical interests, and a list of three references who may be contacted when appropriate should be sent to Dr. George Seidel (George.Seidel@colostate.edu), ARBL, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1683. Review of applicants will begin October 10, 2006 and will continue until a successful candidate is found.

Colorado State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations and executive orders regarding affirmative action requirements and programs. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services. In order to assist Colorado State University in meeting its affirmative action responsibilities, ethnic minorities, women and other protected class members are encouraged to apply and to so identify themselves.