 |
H & L Online News A collection of informal news from Hoofcare & Lameness: The
Journal of Equine Foot Science This issue of Hoofcare & Lameness is generously sponsored by RIGHT BALANCE, makers of nutrient-enriched horse treats and a pelleted hoof-growth supplement. Visit Right Balance at www.rightbalance.com. Register there to receive free samples of the delicious (to horses) and nutritious treats. Look for Right Balance's ads in the new issue of Hoofcare & Lameness! New e-letter readers: Hoofcare & Lameness is a quarterly printed journal, dedicated to the prevention and treatment of lameness problems in horses and the promotion of professional-quality hoofcare. H&L supports and encourages a worldwide network of farriers, veterinarians, and equine therapists who generously share information with each other and with the horse-owning public through the magazine. Additional resources are a reference book and videotape retail sales center and an active Internet world wide web informational site (http://www.hoofcare.com). IN THIS ISSUE: Have you checked on your Hoofcare & Lameness subscription lately? Renewal invoices have gone out to most states, and we look forward to hearing from you. If you think you need to renew or start your subscription, contact the office as soon as possible. THANK YOU to everyone who has already sent in his or her renewal checks. It is nice to see your familiar names in the mailbox each morning! And be sure to let us know if you have moved or have any kind of address update. It’s important! AUTUMN LAMINITIS WARNING FROM THE LAMINITIS CLINIC Dr. Robert Eustace of the Laminitis Clinic in England has issued a strong advisory to horse owners to control grazing this fall, if the horse is in an area affected by the summer drought. Drenching fall rains will cause a rapid response in stressed grass, causing a bloom of lush greenery even under a weak autumn sun. Even if a horse has grazed safely all summer, cut back grazing on all horses prone to laminitis and begin monitoring horses carefully for any early signs of laminitis. At the first sign of soreness, digital pulse, shifting weight, etc., call your veterinarian and confine the horse to a deeply-bedded stall with hay ration only. Hoofcare & Lameness asks farriers and veterinarians to explain the risks of lush grazing to their clients. CHRIS POLLITT SPEAKS IN SAN FRANCISCO: NEW LAMINITIS EVIDENCE PRESENTED Speaking at an extended seminar about his research as part of last week's American College of Veterinary Surgeons annual meeting in San Francisco, Dr Chris Pollitt of the University of Queensland, Australia, presented the results of his latest research into the pathogenesis of laminitis. Pollitt's research identifies the microorganism Streptococcus bovis in the equine hindgut as the culprit in laminitis. S. bovis produces a substance that activates lamellar enzymes (i.e., "MMP-2") and causes lamellar separation; Pollitt has been able to use this mechanism to create laminitis in vitro. It is known that S. bovis multiplies rapidly in the cecum when excess carbohydrate is present; if Pollitt can now prove that it can cross the mucosal barrier of the hindgut and enter the circulation, the real "cause" of carbohydrate-induced laminitis will be narrowed significantly and, possibly, an inhibiting medication could be developed to prevent laminitis. Pollitt has been able to use an MMP inhibiting agent from human cancer research to inhibit MMP activity in laminitic studies. Plan NOW to attend Dr. Pollitt's lecture at the American Association of Equine Practitioners' Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, December 7. But do your homework first; Dr Pollitt has prepared a world-class guide to the anatomy of the equine hoof wall, published in Hoofcare #72, including a beautiful color poster of the hoof wall structure and anatomy. Dr. Pollitt is also the author of Color Atlas of the Horse's Foot and the video Horse Foot Studies, both available from Hoofcare & Lameness via the web site, or call 978 281 3222 in the USA. (To subscribe to Hoofcare & Lameness, visit www.hoofcare.com and click on "subscribe" to open our secure server and order your subscription) AAEP Therapeutic Options Research Grants The deadline is near if you have a grant proposal to present to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, which is funding pilot studies to investigate the effectiveness of therapeutic options such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and physical therapy. Visit the AAEP's web site at http://www.aaep.org Where to visit the Hoofcare & Lameness Traveling Resource Center this fall: October 28-29 Sports Medicine Seminar, Rochester Equine Clinic, NH (with Dr Hilary Clayton, Dr Jean-Marie Denoix, Dr Joyce Harman) November 4 Farrier-Vet Seminar, Rochester Equine Clinic, NH (with Dr Doug Butler) November 6 Danny Ward/Eastern School of Farriery Get-Together, Martinsville, VA (with Laurie Fiesler and Alice Johnson, two top farrier clinicians) November 13-14 Cornell Vet School Farrier Seminar, Ithaca, NY (with Mike Savoldi, Dan Bradley, Vern Hornquist and other speakers) December 5-8 American Assoc. Equine Practitioners, Albuquerque, NM (http:/ /www.aaep.org) (with Dr Chris Pollitt, Dr Jean-Marie Denoix, and other top speakers) (Other dates may be added, but these are definite) Where you won't see Hoofcare & Lameness.... Unfortunately, there will be no Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium in 2000, according to the International Equine Podiatry Center on October 8th. However, there WILL be a Symposium planned for 2001. See you there! Looking ahead.... For full details, visit http://www.amfarriers.com/2000_convention_preview.html French horseshoe terminology What do you call an extension for support or hoof capsule redirection at the end of the heel on a horseshoe? A trailer, right? In France, they are called "American branches". We must be exporting a lot of horses wearing trailers....I guess it's an American thing? (Thanks to Jean-Marie Denoix for pointing this out to us, and No! Not all American horseshoes have trailers!) Listen Up: Your Computer as a Radio Ever been to www.thehorseshow.com? That's the home of a syndicated radio show called The Horse Show with Rick Lamb. With a simple click of your mouse, you can download RealAudio (if your computer doesn't have it already) and listen to dozens of radio interviews, on- or offline. This week's special guest is the original "natural hoof" farrier, Mr. Jaime Jackson, author of "The Natural Horse" and "Horse Owner's Guide to Natural Hoofcare." Jaime is eloquent and entertaining, a real pro. Dig through the archives and you can even find an interview with yours truly (Fran Jurga) on the importance of hoof awareness for horse owners. And if you're REALLY lucky, you have a local radio station that actually broadcasts the show. We're not so lucky here in New England. We get the haddock landing totals for the day, though, and the tides, on our local stations. Vet-Farrier Relations There may be little wisdom in expecting problems in veterinary-farrier working relationships to be improved because of something that happens in a meeting room at the national level at an AAEP or AFA convention. National bodies can encourage and educate their members, but we all must accept responsibility on the personal and local levels. Along those lines, Hoofcare received an encouraging email from farrier friend Nancy Zwicker in Washington State, who reports: “Hank Greenwald and I have gone grass roots here and started what we call ‘Foot Friday’. At his barn on the last Friday of each month we offer an open house, round table, or whatever, for farriers, vets, and anyone interested in horse feet. So far it is just a few folks, but there were two new faces there this last go-around and we had some good discussion. Got to start somewhere!” Note: Hank Greenwald DVM is a farrier-turned-vet. If you live in Washington State and would like to attend a “Foot Friday”, please contact Hoofcare & Lameness for Nancy or Hank’s email addresses. NEW MARKET: Products That Lead to Solutions! From Thoro'Bred Racing Plate Company: the "bevel-toe Champion" is a hind pattern, but may fit Quarter Horse and Appaloosa fronts. The rolling of the toe is done for you! Available in .5 and 1.5 sizes. Contact your local Thoro'Bred dealer to see if they're in stock yet! Just in time for the end of daylight savings: The Hoof D'Lite hoof pick has a little headlight on it! Visit www.brickfish.com. Give them the cold pastern: Tempra Technologies of Bradenton, FL continues to develop cutting-edge new products for cold therapy, an area of increasing activity in laminitis therapy. Muzzle Solutions: If turnout restrictions are impossible for a founder-prone horse, check the new adjustable line of muzzles from KC2 Equine Supply: 1 800 681 2495. High Tech: Rob Sigafoos's adhesive aluminum shoes with soft Spectra collars are being marketed by Sound Horse Technologies. Visit them at www.soundhorse.com Prolamin is here: The British laminitis recovery supplement Prolamin is now available in the USA. Call 1 800 462 8982 for details. Did you know that Cushing's Syndrome is named after Harvey Cushing, an American brain surgeon? Hoofcare #72 contains an article from the University of Missouri on "peripheral" Cushing's syndrome and the relationship between obesity and Cushing's-like symptoms, including laminitis. There's lots to read in issue #72 of Hoofcare & Lameness! To view the table of contents of the new issue, click here. Coming soon: we have been working with Dr. Larry Bramlage of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, KY on his protocol for preventing support limb laminitis. About our sponsor: Right Balance is a company that has listened to horse owners, who report that they want a feed supplement that is easy to feed, easy to measure, and easy to store. Right Balance fills the bill, with a pelleted supplement sold in buckets. The same formula is baked into alfalfa, oat, and molasses-based cookies...a great treat for farriers and vets to keep in the truck to greet any tense equine clients! But Right Balance isn't just a marketing ploy...deep down inside, it has a heart full of nutrients, including popular ZinPro (Zinc Methionine) plus biotin and a long list of other nutrients. To their credit, Right Balance posts a guaranteed analysis of their product right on their web site! There is a lot of information to be found at www.rightbalance.com, or call 888.869.1804. NEW BOOK Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals is a reference book of value to all practitioners, and to horse owners. Dr. Eleanor Kellon catalogues individual nutrients, explaining their roles in nutrition and any therapeutic roles. Then she examines individual ailments and injuries, and suggests nutritional components that might be beneficial and analyzes the effects of over-supplementation and deficiency of individual nutrients. Easy to read, a terrific value. Order from Hoofcare & Lameness for $45 per copy plus postage. Send an e-mail to order. Also in stock: Conformation and Anatomy in Photographs and Drawings from Equine Research, Vet Clinics of North America Special Publication on Laminitis, Horse Owner's Guide to Natural Hoofcare...and lots more! Coming Soon: "The Equine Distal Limb: An Atlas of Clinical Anatomy and Comparative Imaging" by Jean-Marie Denoix....reserve your copy today! We hope to have the books in stock in time for the AAEP convention in December. Meet Dr. Denoix at the Rochester Equine Clinic seminar on back problems with Dr Hilary Clayton and Dr Joyce Harman October 28-29 in Rochester, NH. Sponsored, in part, by Hoofcare & Lameness! For more details, email PAQEquine@aol.com. P.S.: Dr. Hilary Clayton will be speaking on overall biomechanics of sport horses (i.e., gait, conformation, and breakover/weightbearing hoof studies) in a special lecture on Wednesday evening, October 27 at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH, near the location of the two-day seminar to follow. Admission is just $15 per person. For more info, email sjbruns@christa.unh.edu. You're Not Alone! If you visit Hoofcare.com, you are probably in the USA. But each month, between 10 and 20 percent of visitors are from other countries. In September, the Top Ten Nations were: USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Finland, Sweden, and Japan. Yes, that's the tiny UAR coming in at #7. My theory is that every computer in the country must be tuned in to Hoofcare.com....or else there is a BIG lameness epidemic over there! Brazil is coming on strong.... In closing.... We send our deepest sympathy to our friend Karen Pautz, the REAL woman behind the Hoofcare.com web site. Many of you also know Karen as the originator of her own site, www.haynet.net, the web site of equine web sites. Karen's husband Steve was killed in a small plane crash on September 25 in Kentucky. Many of you met Steve and Karen at the Hoofcare/St Croix Forge Internet seminar at the American Farrier's Association Convention in Kansas City, MO a few years ago. Karen also does the AFA's web site, www.amfarriers.com and is director of new media for Blood-Horse publications. About H&L Publishing.... Hoofcare & Lameness, The Journal of Equine Foot Science, is a professional journal of technical information related to the prevention and therapy of performance-related injuries, conformational challenges, and diseases of the foot that affect the world's horses. Published since 1985, H&L is read by veterinarians, farriers, therapists, and owners/trainers/riders around the world and is the leading resource for the dissemination of new research, technologies, and ideas about the soundness of horses. H&L is published four times in each subscription period and is sold by subscription only. Cost is $50 in US, $55 in Canada and Mexico, $70 elsewhere in US dollars. An industry-wide "e-letter" called "Hoofcare Online" is sent free of charge to anyone interested in reading news from the hoofcare industry. Hoofcare's Editorial Advisory Board includes: Robert Bowker DVM, Doug Butler PhD, Emil Carre, Hilary Clayton MRCVS, Bruce Daniels, David Duckett, David Farley, Paul Goodness, Alison Hayes, Kim Henneman DVM, David Hood DVM, Alice Johnson, Grant Moon, William Moyer DVM, Rob Sigafoos, Allen Smith PhD, Tracy Turner DVM, Michael Wildenstein, Janice Young DVM, Chris Pollitt MRCVS, Alan Bailey AWCF, Simon Curtis FWCF, Edward Martin FWCF, Jean-Marie Denoix DVM, Bernard Duvernay, and Osamu Aoki DVM. H&L's print and email publications are supplemented by a reference book/video resource center, and hoof science information archive on the Internet's World Wide Web at http://www.hoofcare.com. Mailing address: Hoofcare Publishing PO Box 6600 Gloucester MA 01930 tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email webinquiry@hoofcare.com Internet http://www.hoofcare.com Unsubscribing and Change of Email Address: To stop receiving Hoofcare Online, simply send as email to FRAN JURGA@AOL.COM and you will be immediately taken off the list. Just type in a simple message like "take me off the list". If you want to change the email address at which you receive Hoofcare Online, send an email to webinquiry@hoofcare.com with both your new and old email addresses in the body of the email. You can go to Hoofcare's web site (http://www.hoofcare.com) and read past newsletters in the "news and events" section. If you received this issue from a friend and you wish to have your own free subscription, send an email to webinquiry@hoofcare.com and include your real name and address, your email address, and a note about your professional affiliation with horses' feet (i.e. you're a vet? farrier? horseowner?) Hoofcare & Lameness As always, feel free to pass this issue of Hoofcare Online along to friends, clients, and business associates. All we ask is that you do not change the copy and that you make sure our contact information is retained in the body of the text. Just print it out for a friend, or hit your "forward" button to send it on as email. The newsletters are collected in an archive on our web site at Hoofcare.Com under "news and events". Remember that this newsletter is protected by international copyright law. If you wish to use anything printed in this newsletter for anything but your own personal use, please notify Hoofcare Publishing in writing beforehand. We have a few simple guidelines to follow. Now, get back to work! © 1997-99 Hoofcare & Lameness |