A recent study found potential epidemiologic factors associated with the development of the neurologic form of EHV-1. (The neurologic form of equine herpesvirus type-1, or EHV-1, is known as equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy, or EHM). The study was based on one of the largest outbreaks of neurologic equine herpesvirus type 1. The outbreak occurred among horses that had attended the 2011 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Western National Championship.

Rotate or rest? That is a very good question when it comes to the use of deworming products.  After speaking with parasitic disease expert and Ontario Veterinary College researcher Dr. Andrew Peregrine, I am not only eager to pick up more poop but I am keen to have it analyzed.  When a growing resistance to dewormers is cited as a major issue concerning horse owners today, a fecal exam to see if your parasite control program is working makes logical sense.  The results may indicate it’s time to rotate wormers or perhaps your deworming is being applied to a problem that does not exist?  Parasite burdens are not the same for every horse.

On Behalf of the Equine Research Coordination Group 

Equine herpesvirus-1, also known as EHV-1, has been making headlines for the past few years. In 2011, some horses that had attended the National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championship in Ogden, Utah, began showing neurologic signs after leaving the event. This particular outbreak affected the equine industry in multiple states, and lead to fatalities in some horses that developed the neurologic form of EHV-1, called equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM).

According to NBHA competitor and nurse practitioner Martha Smith, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.