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| Fall 2009 Newsletter |
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We hope that you all had a great summer showing, riding and racing your horses. We are proud to congratulate many of you that have qualified for various finals! We wish you the best of luck. Colts Neck Equine is a partner with you in maintaining the health and wellbeing of your horse. All our veterinarians are committed to continuing education so we are aware of the latest treatments available to the equine industry.
According to a memo from our state veterinarian, "This has been a busy season for mosquitoes, as predicted early due to the wet spring and summer. To date in New Jersey, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) infection has been confirmed in 7 horses and 1 alpaca. Three additional horses have been diagnosed as presumptive positive for EEE. The "presumptive" status was given because brain tissue was unavailable for confirmatory testing. Of the EEE infected animals, the earliest onset date was August 18, 2009 and the most recent onset date was October 4, 2009. The EEE positive cases were from the following counties: Atlantic (2), Burlington (2), Camden (1), Cumberland (1), Gloucester (3), and Monmouth (1). Meanwhile, the state has only one case of WNV in a 20-year-old gelding in Salem County who became ill on August 18, 2009 and has since recovered. The horse was last vaccinated for WNV in 2006."
If you would like to check titers and possibly vaccinate less frequently, titers can be submitted for some of the diseases that we routinely vaccinate against.
As the autumn season is upon us we want to remind those of you who have not scheduled fall vaccinations to do so. Call the office to set up an appointment at 732-938-4240.
Healthy horse tips to remember:
Red Maple (Acer rubrum) is very toxic to horses in the fall when the leaves have dried up. This often becomes a problem if a storm knocks down a branch in the horses pasture – check what is surrounding your horses paddocks!! We lost a horse last year to this toxin.
Sand colic is preventable!! All horses should be fed some form of psyllium for one week each month! Assure is a new product that also contains probiotics.
Horses will drink more when offered warm water!!
Feeding more hay will help keep your horses warmer than even the best blanket! And it is healthier for their digestive tract!
Be on the lookout for new feeds that are low in carbs – many horses get too much sugar which may play a role in metabolic syndrome.
We wish you a happy and safe holiday season!
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