NEW YORK AND VERMONT  HORSE HEALTH ALERTS This page is provided as a public service for all Equine Veterinarians and Equine Vet Clinics in NY and VT. All horse related health topics, recommendations and alerts may be posted here with your e-mail address, clinic address, and other contact materials. Always contact your own veterinarian for their recommendations for the health care for your horse. To submit an alert or recommendation: Contact   NO MORE BUGS ORGANIC-SAFE for people, animals & Environment! Automatic Systems & FLIXX Insect Repellant STATE ALERTS HORSE OWNERS OF EHV-1 OUTBREAK IN WESTERN U.S. No New York Horses Known to be Exposed to the Virus; State Vet Offers Guidance 5/20/11 New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine today alerted horse owners of an outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) that is traced to horses that attended the National Cutting Horse Association’s (NCHA) Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah April 30 through May 8, 2011.  At this time, there are no New York horses known to have been exposed to the virus at the Utah show.  The Department is closely monitoring the situation in the western part of the U.S. and has been in close contact with federal animal health authorities and other states.  Approximately 29 states are believed to have horses that were exposed to EHV-1 at the show. Equine Herpesvirus is commonly found in equine populations worldwide, and can cause respiratory disease, abortion and sometimes neurologic disease.  While EHV-1 is highly contagious among horses, it does not pose a threat to human health. New York State Veterinarian Dr. David Smith advises horse owners concerned about EHV-1 to contact their veterinarian.  In general, exposed horses should be isolated and have their temperatures monitored twice daily for at least 21 days.  If an exposed horse develops a fever or other signs consistent with EHV-1 infection, diagnostic testing should be performed.  Testing healthy horses is generally not recommended. As a basic biosecurity measure, all newly purchased horses or horses that return from events should be immediately isolated from other horses for at least three weeks. These horses should be monitored for signs of illness, which could include fever, cough, lack of appetite, nasal or ocular discharge, swelling around the throat or incoordination. It is recommended to take the temperature on these animals twice a day during the isolation period, and have separate equipment. If a fever is recorded, a veterinarian should be called immediately.  Direct horse-to-horse contact is a common route of transmission of EHV-1, but it can be indirectly transmitted as well. This occurs when infectious materials, such as nasal secretions, are carried between infected and non-infected horses by people or objects such as buckets, grooming tools, tack, etc. Fever is one of the most common clinical signs, as well as coughing and nasal discharge.  Abortions caused by EHV-1 generally occur after five months of gestation.  Neurologic signs of the virus are highly variable, but affected horses may appear weak and uncoordinated.  Severely affected horses may become unable to rise.  The neurologic form of the disease is sometimes referred to as Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM).  Any horse in New York that exhibits signs consistent with neurologic disease should always be considered as a potential rabies case and therefore, handled with caution.    New York did have two confirmed cases of EHV-1 in March that was linked to an incident at Cornell’s Equine Hospital in which an infected foal died and a gelding that was exposed and confirmed with the virus is now recovering. For more information on EHV-1, visit the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ website or check USDA APHIS’ brochure on the virus.  Unwanted Horse Coalition Survey UHC Continues to Compile List of Facilities to Accept Horses WASHINGTON, DC. The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) seeks more facilities that accept, place, or use horses to list themselves on the UHC website. Currently, there are over 200 facilities listed. “This is a continuing process for the coalition,” said Dr. Tom Lenz, UHC chairman. “We have received many inquiries not only from horse owners who are seeking retirement homes or second careers for their horses, but also from people who are interested in adopting a horse or volunteering at equine placement organizations. We expect that this online directory will continue to furnish valuable information to all these people, and in doing so, be good for the horses.” According to recent national and regional news reports, the number of unwanted horses in the United States is rising. Media reports suggest that rescue groups and state agencies are seeing an increased number of horses that can no longer be cared for by their owners. Some of these reports are suggesting that many rescue, retirement, and rehabilitation facilities are struggling to feed their current inventory as well and have been forced to start turning horses away The UHC hopes that its website resources will remain an important bridge between people who are seeking alternatives for their horses and the many facilities that are able to accept them. Such facilities include rescue, retirement and retraining facilities; therapeutic riding programs; colleges and universities; police and military organizations; public stables; and government and park service programs. “The more facilities we can list on our website, the better. The larger our on-line network becomes, the more options become available for the unwanted horse. If you are a facility that will help with the care, training and use of these horses, we encourage you to sign on,” said Julia Andersen, UHC director. The UHC website is set up so that these facilities can list themselves easily. Any facility that wishes to be listed can go to the UHC website and complete a brief questionnaire. To complete the questionnaire or view the facilities in the directory, go to www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org, click Resources, follow the link to Facilities that Accept Horses and fill out the short questionnaire. Facilities will be listed by state. The information sought is intended to advise horse owners about what type of facility it is, contact information, whether it is tax exempt, year founded, horse capacity, number of staff and whether it follows the “Care Guidelines for Rescue and Retirement Facilities,” published by the American Association of Equine Practitioners. A facility will also be able to describe itself and spell out its purpose and philosophy. "There are plenty of horses who need care, training, and a good home.  We want horse owners to be aware of the large rescue/ retirement facilities with multiple locations as well as the smaller facilities that may serve a local area.  They all have an important place in this effort," said Dr. Lenz The UHC website also has a series of questions that owners should consider when trying to decide on a facility, program or second use for their horse. “These questions will help owners know what options are available and what to look for in a facility. This is a difficult decision for many owners to make and we want to help them make the best one for their horse,” said Andersen.  The UHC is a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together under the American Horse Council to reduce the numbers of unwanted horses and help horse owners understand the various options, services and assistance available to them when they are considering what to do with a horse they can no longer care for. The coalition’s website has information on the issue of the unwanted horse along with an ever-expanding resource section dedicated to educational materials and news articles. A brochure highlighting the coalition and its activities is available online along with a hand book entitled “Own Responsibly: Guidance for Current and Potential Horse Owners from the Unwanted Horse Coalition.” Both can be downloaded for use. Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile in Horses  Laboratory confirmation of the first equine case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in New York this year occurred in October of 2008 in a horse stabled in Oswego County, NY.  Another horse from Clinton County, NY was confirmed positive with both West Nile Virus and (EEE) earlier in September. This is the first case of duel infection in NY. As recentely as late October a third positive case was found in Clinton County. This is  a total of 2 West Nile confirmed cases (Onondaga and Suffolk Counties) and 2 confirmed EEE cases (Oswego and Clinton Counties) and 1 case of duel West Nile and EEE infection (Clinton County) for the year to date.  Talk to your veterinarian about the scheduling of vaccinations for EEE, WNV and Potomac Horse Fever. New York State Horse Health Assurance Program The NYSHHAP is a voluntary certification program designed to promote and to teach a pro-active approach to equine health, care, and welfare through the use of certain “best management practices” and to recognize exceptionally managed equine operations.Contact: Dr. Lyda W. Denney NYSHHAP Coordinator Phone: 315-430-2529
	PERGOLIDE CRISIS UPDATE LINK
	EHV-1( Equine Herpes Virus) recommendations and guidelines  provided by Vermont Large Animal Clinic, Milton, Vermont. Philip D. van Harreveld, DVM, MS Diplomate ACVS Vermont Large Animal Clinic 1054 Lake Road Milton, VT 05468 802-893-6800 website posted 1/3/07 4th ANNUAL WINTER  HORSE SEMINAR Feb

>>>>>>> CORNELL UNIVERSITY ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RECENT PET FOOD RECALL<<<<<<<LINK   NEW BELOW: NEW YORK LABORATORIES IDENTIFY TOXIN IN RECALLED PET FOOD Aminopterin Confirmed in Recalled Pet Food and Implicated Tissue Samples New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker and Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Donald F. Smith announced today that scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory identified Aminopterin as a toxin present in cat food samples from Menu Foods, the manufacturer of the many brands of dog and cat food that are currently the subject of a nationwide recall.    The Food Laboratory received the pet food samples from a toxicologist at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University, where testing has been underway to try to identify the cause of kidney failure in dogs and cats that consumed the recalled brands of pet food.  At Cornell’s request, the Food Laboratory tested the samples for poisons and toxins, and identified Aminopterin in the pet food samples at a level of at least 40 parts per million.    “We are pleased that the expertise of our New York State Food Laboratory was able to contribute to identifying the agent that caused numerous illnesses and deaths in dogs and cats across the nation,” the Commissioner said.  “New Yorkers can be assured that we have two of the nation’s leading laboratory programs in food safety and animal health working on this problem.”    The Dean of the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine Donald F. Smith concurred by saying, “The close partnership between the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University and the  Department of Agriculture and Markets was key to this finding.”   Aminopterin, a derivative of folic acid, can cause cancer and birth defects in humans and can cause kidney damage in dogs and cats.  Aminopterin is not permitted for use in the United States. On March 16, 2007, Menu Foods initiated a recall of numerous varieties of dog and cat food that were manufactured at two of its plants in the United States between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007.  The products are both manufactured and sold under private-label and are contract-manufactured for several national brands. Information on the specific brands of pet food subject to the recall can be found at www.menufoods.com/recall. Since the recall, Department food inspectors have contacted all of the organizations that represent retail food and pet food stores to ensure that the stores were aware of the recall and that the recalled products had been removed from store shelves in New York State.  New York State is home to two laboratories that are part of federal emergency lab networks, created through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after 9-11 to keep the nation’s animals and food supply safe.  The New York State Food Laboratory is part of the Federal Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) and as such, is capable of running a number of unique poison/toxin tests on food, including the test that identified Aminopterin.  The New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University is a member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network and thus, is uniquely qualified to investigate the causes of animal health emergencies, like the sudden deaths of dogs and cats from the recently recalled pet food. ### Jessica A. Chittenden  Director of Communications NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets 10B Airline Dr., Albany, NY 12235   518-457-3136 PERGOLIDE CRISIS UPDATE   Posted by: "Eleanor Kellon, VMD" Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:48 am (PST)  Please cross-post this to every list you are on, and send to all horse owners you know. Below is the early stages of an exchange with the FDA. Bottom line situation here is that the compounded pergolide most of you rely on is, according to an FDA policy statement, illegal. LINK The FDA cannot police every compounding pharmacy, but they can more easily target the wholesalers. The wholesalers know this. No wholesale shipments, no drug available to the compounders. The FDA has proposed two solutions which appear below. One is to convince the prior pill manufacturers to produce the drug for veterinary use. This hasn't happened yet, and if it does it will be the ONLY legal source of pergolide and your costs will more than likely go up. Second option is to have your veterinarian petition the FDA for an urgent need exemption for use of pergolide in your horse: LINK Since compounding from bulk is the only available option at the moment, they would have to grant that permission but so far are offering it only on a case by case basis. Considering the thousands of horses that are probably on it, there's a chance that if we get the ball rolling with these petitions they will quickly see the size of the need and publish an exemption that allows bulk compounding of pergolide for horses. This is a link to the process of getting an exemption for an individual horse: LINK Urge your vets to do this. Third thing is that I have sent a letter and background information to every state's Board of Pharmacy. The FDA Compliance Guidelines reference two court decisions that upheld the illegality of compounding from bulk drugs. However, a recent Federal Court decision in Texas found that it was legal. We can't wait for the courts to hash it out, but the differences of opinion do leave the door open for any individual state to make an exception. Susie Gordon found a roster of state pharmacy boards yesterday. All the e-mails work. I just put it up as a .pdf file. Anyone with a horse that needs pergolide should contact your state board and let them know. Ask your vets to do the same. If we keep the pressure on, there should be some resolution of this before supplies disappear. We need to keep the petition Kellie put up rolling too. It's the documentation of need. Kellie is adding the FDA Ombudsman and all the state pharmacy boards to her list of people that get copies of the signatures every few days. Contact your local horse groups, 4-H clubs, breed organizations - anyone you can think of. Send them to the library to sign if you have to, but keep the signatures coming. We can do this! OK, below is a mail I put up on a vets' list this morning. It has the exchange with the FDA in it, and what I wrote on that list. Eleanor   Below is a copy of the first stages of an exchange with the FDA regarding pergolide. It is important to remember that the pergolide compounded from bulk drug that most are using is actually an illegal product. The FDA does not have the manpower to police every compounding pharmacy, but they can keep track of what goes into and out of a handful of wholesale supply houses. Now that there is no longer any legal market for the drug, the supply will dry up.The first option the FDA suggested was to convince manufacturers of the pills to resume production. So far, they're not interested in doing that. Maybe with FDA intervention they will. However, in that case the only option will be the manufactured pills, likely to considerably increase the cost to owners. Their second suggestion was for individual veterinarians to petition for a medically necessary veterinary drug exemption which, if I am understanding her correctly, would need to be done on a case by case basis. This could be an agonizingly slow and laborious process but if it comes to that I wanted all of you to know there may be hoops to jump through before you can get pergolide to your clients. Since there aren't any other options, you could be granted permission to use bulk compounded pergolide - assuming your compounder could get it. I'm hoping that the sheer magnitude of the need will lead to the FDA publishing a specific exemption for compounding of pergolide from bulk sources for use in horses with PPID, although that's probably the last thing they want to do. Letters and background information have also been sent to each state's board of pharmacy, to hopefully open the door for exemptions on a state by state basis. The 1994 AMDUCA legislation permitting compounding did not specifically mention compounding from bulk drug one way or the other. The compliance guidelines are FDA policy statements, not law. They reference two court decisions that upheld the ban on compounding from bulk drug, but a recent decision in a Texas federal court ruled that veterinary compounding from bulk drug was not illegal.   Eleanor M. Kellon, V.M.D. Equine Nutritional Solutions 58 Maple Farm Road Ephrata, PA 17522