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- Appaloosa Horse Club Board of Directors Votes to Oppose Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
- WSU Veterinarian Instrumental in Development of Laparoscopic Surgery
- WSU Adds Eye Care Among its List of Specialties
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Equine Practice: Great Information and Growing Pains
Appaloosa Horse Club Board of Directors Votes to Oppose Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
The Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) Board of Directors voted in a December 5th, 2006 meeting to oppose passage of Senate Bill 1915 (H.R. 503), the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. According to President Dennis Dean, “ApHC agrees with other opposition groups that believe this legislation sets a dangerous precedent by banning a livestock product for reasons other than food safety or public health.”
Despite the range of emotional issues attached to the bill, it fails to address the welfare of affected horses, it fails to ensure levels of funding required to properly care for horses when humane slaughter is removed as an option, fails to recognize professional judgment in the appropriate application of methods of euthanasia for horses, and fails to consider potential environmental concerns associated with disposal of these horses.
H.R. 503 is alarming because it bans the processing of horses with no scientific justification. The processing of horses is done under regulation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as mandated by the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service ensures that meat and meat products are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled. Meat inspectors are also charged with enforcing the Humane Slaughter Act, which requires that animals be rendered unconscious before slaughter. In addition, the 1996 Farm Bill included the Commercial Transportation of Equine for Slaughter provision that mandates the humane treatment and protection of horses being transported to processing plants. These plants are subject to the same regulations, inspections, and humane treatment standards as other livestock processing plants. USDA vets are on hand to make sure these horses are not mistreated. Both the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recognize properly conducted slaughter as a humane form of euthanasia.
The elimination of processing as a management option poses a risk to horse welfare. Some owners of unwanted horses want to recapture some value out of their animal. Without the ability to recapture value out of a horse at auction, it is expected that some owners will not spend money to have animals euthanized and taken to a renderer. This means that unwanted horses could be neglected or abandoned, and those that are sick or infirm could be forced to suffer from discomfort and pain, and the healthier ones will starve to death. Both starvation and a life of pain are much worse treatment than humane euthanasia at processing.
To contact your Senators electronically, go to this link: http://capwiz.com/naiatrust/issues/alert/?alertid=8888026&type=ML
Contact: Mary Uravich, Public Relation Coordinator, (208) 882-5578 ext. 229 or at publicrelations@appaloosa.com
WSU Veterinarian Instrumental in Development of Laparoscopic Surgery
Emmy Widman, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Over the past decade, laparoscopy has emerged in veterinary medicine as a type of minimally invasive surgery that allows for a faster recovery, less scarring, and less pain.
Laparoscopes are inserted through small incisions in horses and contain viewing capabilities that allow surgeons to see structures inside the abdominal cavity, such as the large and small intestines, uterus, ovary, bladder, liver, spleen, diaphragm, inguinal rings, epiploic foramen, and stomach.
Modern laparoscopes contain a fiber-optic telescope that is connected to a video camera, light source, and TV monitor. Long, narrow surgical instruments are passed through portals permitting operations to be performed.
Laparoscopes had limited uses in human surgery for decades, even without video-viewing capabilities. However, since the development of video computer chips in the 1980s, which allows images to be viewed on TV screens, laparoscopes have found wide acceptance in human and veterinary medicine.
“Prior to cameras, surgeons had to look directly through an eyepiece to see,” said Dr. Claude Ragle, a WSU associate professor and board-certified equine surgeon. Many laparoscopic techniques require surgeons to use both hands to guide the instruments, which made looking through a fixed eyepiece impractical.
“The technology aspects of minimal invasive surgery had to advance first, and then the surgical procedures came afterward,” he said.
Dr. Ragle was one of the first veterinarians to adapt laparoscopy to clinical practice and helped develop useful procedures. As in human medicine, it is rapidly becoming a popular and preferred method of surgery for horses.
“Dr. Ragle is truly one of the pioneers in the development of laparoscopic surgery in horses,” said Dr. Kelly Farnsworth, a WSU clinical assistant professor and board-certified equine surgeon. “He was one of the very first people to get out there and do research on it and publish on it and perform a lot of the procedures. He flies around the country performing laparoscopy at various clinics, and people call on him to speak at national and international meetings. I do quite a bit of laparoscopy, but he is world-renowned for it.”
Dr. Ragle's interest in laparoscopy was initially spawned in the late 1980s when he was looking for a better way to perform ovariectomies in horses and mules. It continued as he sought ways to reduce specific complications of advanced surgical procedures, such as a cryptorchidectomy to remove an undescended testicle in stallions, and removal of granulosa cell tumors of the ovary in mares. As technology improved, research and procedures for performing laparoscopic surgery began to proliferate and be refined.
Laparoscopy use in horses falls into two different categories: specific operative procedures and procedures used to diagnose, make prognoses, and treat horses therapeutically. Some techniques can be performed on standing horses, and others require the animal to be under general anesthesia.
Operative procedures include cryptorchidectomies, ovariectomies, ovariohysterectomies, closure of the nephrosplenic space, and bladder stone removals.
Laparoscopy is also useful for evaluating horses with diseases in the abdominal cavity, such as chronic colic, peritonitis, or reproductive problems, breaking down adhesions in horses that have repeated colic episodes, viewing and obtaining biopsies of internal masses, and performing site-guided tissue samples of various internal organs.
In fact, clear viewing inside the abdominal cavity is one of the main advantages of laparoscopy, not only for performing surgical procedures, but also for teaching.
“It is great for continuing education of veterinarians and teaching students anatomy,” Dr. Ragle said. “You can look at anatomy books, but it is a real eye-opener to see and study the real anatomy. There is a lot to learn. For many types of equine operations we do, only one or two people actually doing the surgery can see what is going on. Every time we do a laparoscopic surgery, everyone can see what is being done via large video monitors.”
Still, laparoscopy is an emerging skill, generally only offered at large veterinary hospitals and performed by board-certified veterinary surgeons.
“It takes considerable time to train and become competent with minimal invasive operative techniques,” Dr. Ragle said. “There are hospitals in most regions of the country that have laparoscopic equipment, and will vary in the range of laparoscopic procedures offered.”
WSU continues to be a leader in the laparoscopic field. Recently, the college obtained a new electrosurgical instrument, called a Ligasure, that seals blood vessels during laparoscopic surgery.
“It really speeds up the whole process of doing ovariectomies in horses,” Dr. Farnsworth said. “It is a clamp that seals across a vessel up to the size of a pencil in diameter. So rather than placing ligatures around a vessel, we are able to go in and seal it. We have had it now for about a year and we continue to be impressed by its performance.”
For more information about laparoscopy or to schedule an appointment, contact the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital or Dr. Ragle at 509-335-0711 or ragle@vetmed.wsu.edu.
Reprinted from: Equine News, Winter 2007, Vol. 4, Number 1, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine
WSU Adds Eye Care Among its List of Specialties
Emmy Widman, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Ophthalmology is the newest specialty added to the repertoire of services offered at the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. In July, WSU teamed up with Spokane veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Bill Yakely to form a combined residency program to treat animals with eye problems and train veterinarians seeking board-certification as eye care specialists.
Currently, the ophthalmology team at WSU consists of Dr. Yakely, a board-certified ophthalmologist for 31 years, who runs the Animal Eye Clinic in Spokane, and resident veterinarian Dr. Terri Schneider, a WSU clinical assistant professor and former head of the WSU Community Practice Service. At present, WSU offers the only ophthalmology service for animals in the Palouse area.
“Our goal is to increase WSU veterinary students' awareness of animal eye diseases, and to diagnose and care for animals that have them,” Dr. Yakely said. “We also think it will be very useful to have Dr. Schneider board-certified in ophthalmology to help clients and serve the needs of the community.”
“We treat all species of animals, including horses, dogs, cats, alpacas, birds, and geckos,” Dr. Schneider said. “Animals can be seen by referral or owner scheduling.”
“Typically, the cases we see are referred because of a failure to respond to treatment or the animals have complicated ocular problems,” she said. “Patients with cataracts are also referred for surgery. Many times, general practitioners refer eye problems because certain conditions can deteriorate rapidly and the eye is not very forgiving.”
Commonly seen eye problems in horses include non-healing corneal ulcers, deep ulcers, traumatic injuries, perforations, and an inflammatory disease of the eye called equine recurrent uveitis (ERU).
“Some problems are curable, and others such as ERU need to be managed and controlled to keep the animal's vision,” Dr. Schneider said. “Even if the animal can't see, there are ways to make the animal more comfortable. People need to know if their pet's condition is treatable or not, and sometimes owners just need an explanation for what is going on. From there, we can help with the best treatment for that animal.”
Many conditions such as chronic eye ulcers can be treated medically. Surgery also can be performed for traumatic injuries, cataracts, and other qualifying conditions. Some cases that come to WSU with cancers in and around the eye, including squamous cell carcinomas, are handled in a team fashion with the equine medicine and surgery service and oncology service.
“WSU is a great place for us to see horses because of the combined services offered here and the equipment that is available,” Dr. Schneider said. “The demand for ophthalmology services is high. Our caseload is very full, both in Spokane at the Animal Eye Clinic and at the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
“Most ophthalmologists are located in big cities, and because there are so few board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists, many universities that have them are losing them to private practices,” she said. “WSU is trying to overcome that problem through this program.”
In addition to providing more specialized care for clients, the goal of training WSU veterinary students was also a large motivating factor in implementing the program.
“For the past 2 years that I was in the Community Practice, the students really wanted to be involved with ophthalmology cases,” Dr. Schneider said. “The feedback I got from students was that they were so grateful to help with eye care cases and that it was a real asset to their education. The clients always say thank you too. They know how hard it is to get specialty eye care.”
For more information about ophthalmology care for horses or to make an appointment, contact the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital at 509-335-0711 or the Animal Eye Clinic of Spokane at 509-535-9394.
Reprinted from: Equine News, Winter 2007, Vol. 4, Number 1, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Equine Practice: Great Information and Growing Pains
Christy West, TheHorse.com January 2007, Article #8622
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become one of the most popular go-to tools for diagnosing the causes of lameness in horses, in large part because it allows us to see all of the components of a horse's living limb for the first time. Now we can see pictures of a horse's limb that look eerily like the anatomy diagrams or dissections in a textbook, and diagnose problems in all the various structures (bone, tendon, ligament) with one imaging modality—MRI.
But as always, things are not as easy as they seem. Rich Redding, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of equine surgery at North Carolina State University, believes that there are several concerns with the use of MRI in equine veterinary medicine today along with the great benefits it can offer.
On the Plus Side
First of all, Redding is a great proponent of MRI in veterinary medicine. “[MRI in horses today] is a lot like when I graduated veterinary school in the 80s and ultrasound was just starting to be introduced into veterinary medicine,” he opines. “We used to treat all bowed tendons the same until we started ultrasounding them and found that they weren't all the same injury. That's where we're going with MRI, is finding they're all different injuries.
“For example, the hind end has really been a problem for diagnosing lameness,” he explains. “When you block them out to an area (pinpoint the area of pain with nerve blocks) and take an MRI, you find that half of the cases have a bony lesion and the other half have a suspensory ligament lesion, which is important when you start talking about how to treat them. It's giving us a much more guided approach on how to manage injuries, and it's particularly helpful in the hind limbs.”
Standing or Down Magnet?
A significant advantage of MRI as it is done at NC State is the use of a high-powered 1.5-tesla unit (tesla is the unit of magnetic field strength), compared with the 0.3-tesla units found in many practices worldwide. NC State's unit was installed as a joint venture with IAMS, a company that is probably best known for its high-end dog and cat food. “They (IAMS) lease the space, remodeled it all and made it theirs, and we contract them to do our MRIs,” explains Redding. The system is used for small animals as well as horses; imaging of horses began in late 2004.
There are more differences than just field strength between the two MRI systems, however—the 1.5-tesla unit is a “down magnet,” or one for which the horse must be anesthetized. The 0.3-tesla units are “standing magnets,” where the horse is imaged while standing and sedated. Both have a place, says Redding.
“The smaller units can't really go up as high on the leg, and then when we start looking at the images they're certainly suboptimal,” he comments. “The resolution on this 1.5-tesla unit is so much better. (The 0.3-tesla units) are standing units, and that's one of the problems—the horses rotate (sway a bit) with sedation and motion restriction is extremely critical to acquiring a good image.”
In comparison, “The 1.5-tesla unit is just like a large radiograph machine—you can take more power and generate a faster shot to virtually eliminate motion,” he goes on. “This unit has the advantage of a very high resolution and the horses are under anesthesia, which is not necessarily an advantage to some people's minds. And it is an ordeal to get a horse in here. But it's an advantage in terms of eliminating motion. You do still get some motion artifacts just from the ventilator, particularly in the upper leg (the limb on the top side when the horse is lying down).
“You're only going to be able to get so much with the smaller system,” he states. “I'm not trying to talk them down because I'm used to the big system; there's a place for them. For one, you can put a lot more horses into them (because they don't have to be anesthetized). They're best for the foot, because the foot's planted on the ground (compared with the leg, which can sway with changes in the horse's weight). The only thing that would really move in the foot with that sway might be the deep digital flexor tendon. Motion correction software is available, but I think motion correction software will never be as good as a good still image.”
The latest down MRI units offer even more benefit to horses, as they have a slightly larger opening for the patient (4 cm wider) and a shorter bore. This means the body part being imaged doesn't have to go so far into the magnet to get a good image. “With that magnet, there is no restriction on the horse getting in there until it hits his chest,” says Redding. “Alamo Pintado (in California) has one, and it can image stifles. Right now that's as good as it gets.”
MRI Concerns
“The biggest challenge with using MRI in horses is just learning what's normal and abnormal and how does it apply?” says Redding. “That's the major source of discussion at veterinary meetings right now—what is a significant lesion and how does it relate to other imaging modalities? The learning curve is unbelievable.”
With a new modality comes a lot of learning, but also a great need for education about its capabilities and training in its use, says Redding. “One of the things that really concerns me is that everyone wants to embrace this technology and wants to get it (in their practices),” he comments. “But they don't realize when we're showing graphic representations of these lesions at meetings that we had to go through 600 images (all the images from a typical hour-long MRI study) to get that. It's not that easy. It takes a lot of time both to take these and to read them. I'm fortunate that I can sit in here while [the images] are coming in, but then I'll go back later and read them again to make sure I haven't misinterpreted something. I might have an hour and a half, two hours in reading these things by the time it's done.”
Reprinted with permission of The Horse; visit www.TheHorse.com for more horse health news.
PII: S0737-0806(07)00043-3
doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2007.01.004