News from Your Equine Health Care Provider | Vol. 7| Spring 2020
A letter to our Clients IN THIS ISSUE
Letter to Clients RREH 2020 Client Education Seminar 2020 Workshop on Neurologic Disease Hats Off Day & the Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix Update Dr. Wes Sutter
-How Long Do You Have To Perform Corrective Surgery?
Dr. Kevin Hyde
-Switching Vaccine Sources
Dr. Lilly Haywood
-Snotty Noses At The Sales
Dear Valued Clients,
traveling to your farm. You may not be able to recognize your veterinarian when they arrive
The term “Business as Usual” is non-existent in
gloved and masked! We do this for the protection
our current pandemic and Rood and Riddle is
of you, your farm personnel and for our doctors
no exception. The timeline of events and series
and staff. Our rule in and outside of the hospital
of restrictions started in early March and have
is that if you cannot maintain a 6-foot distance
escalated almost daily. The measures we have
between yourself and another individual you
taken to keep our staff, you and your horses
must wear a face mask. It has been a challenge
safe are constantly evolving. Our first change
to get enough masks since we are not using our
was to close our facility to visitors. This included
usual surgical masks that are needed for human
tours, students, visiting veterinarians and you,
healthcare workers. In fact, we have donated
our clients. We know this has been hard and we
large amounts of personal protective equipment
appreciate your understanding. Perhaps the best
(PPE) including surgical masks, gowns and
analogy is that of not allowing new horses on
gloves to local human hospitals. We have some
a farm to mix with the resident population, as
very talented staff members who have sewn
maintaining a closed population is very important
cloth masks for their fellow employees for use
in controlling infectious disease. The next step
in surgery as well as in day to day activities. Our
was to admit all patients directly from vans
industry partners are helping to get masks to
and trailers. We know at times this has been an
central Kentucky farm workers as well.
inconvenience and it is possible you have had to
I am very proud of our staff and their willingness
wait on us. Thank you for your patience with this
to come to work amidst so many restrictions
new process.
as well as the viral threat. All of us at Rood and
Within the hospital we have created a “New
Riddle are completely dedicated to the veterinary
Normal.” This includes increased sanitization
service and care of your horses.
frequency throughout the facility and intensified hand washing for personnel. Fortunately, the
Sincerely,
Rood and Riddle Veterinary Pharmacy has been
Deborah Spike-Pierce DVM, MBA
able to produce hand sanitizer for the hospital which has been a huge help. Our staff is taking their own temperature twice daily to monitor
Rood & Riddle News
their health and stay at home if a fever is detected. We have also decreased the number of personnel on the grounds with most office staff working remotely. We are proactive in regard to biosecurity when www.roodandriddle.com
2020 Rood & Riddle Client Education Seminar
Held on March 4th at Embassy Suites and attended by over three hundred (300) people, Rood & Riddle’s thirty-fifth annual Client Educational Seminar was a huge success! The question and answer format took center stage again this year.
The program began with presentations from Doctors Lilly Haywood, Laurie Metcalfe, Bill Gilsenan, Bart Barber, Brad Tanner and Etta Breadecamp. Topics included maintaining catheters on a farm, thoughts on givng plasma to foals, the challenge of developing a vaccination for Rhodococcus pneumonia, treatment options for a foal with an overbite and benefits and drawbacks of routine broadspectrum antibiotics for pregnant mares. The evening continued with presentations on a wide array of subjects. These presentations were made by Doctors Alan Ruggles, Maria Schnobrich, Kate Christie, Scott Morrison, Katie Garrett and Larry Bramlage. The submitted questions they answered included corrective screws, hepatitis virus, nocardioform placentitis, comparison of EMS and Cushings disease, yearling hoof problems, diagnostic modalities and when to use each and current issues in racing and what each of us can do. Sponsors of the seminar included Rood & Riddle Veterinary Pharmacy, Platinum Performance, Hallway Feeds, Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Aurora, Wire 2 Wire and Neogen. The seminar was recorded and the videos will be released on the Rood & Riddle YouTube channel & Facebook page!
2020 Workshop on Equine Neurologic Disease The first Workshop on Equine Neurologic Disease was held February 20-23, 2020. The Workshop hosted some of the most respected names in veterinary medicine in neurology, rehabilitation, chiropractics, surgery and internal medicine. Rood & Riddle clinicians Kate Christie, Katie Garrett, Steve Reed and Brett Woodie were joined by Doctors Jonathan Anderson, Sherry Johnson, Kevin Haussler, Amy Johnson, Yvette Nout-Lomas and Barrie Grant. Each spearker gave lectures along with demonstrations and hands on wet labs. Atendees came from all over the country and the world and numbers were limited to 30 in order to provide personal attention from the speakers. We were able to hold the wet labs at the state-of-the- art educational center at Spy Coast Farm.
Dr. Sherry Johnson
Speakers with group 1 attendees
Neuro vs. Lame Wet Lab at Spy Coast Farm
2020 Hats Off Day and the Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix Unfortunately Hats Off Day 2020 has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. We hated to call it off but we just didn’t feel it was right to ask attendees to come together even in the spacious Kentucky Horse Park. Rood and Riddle is still committed to celebrating the horse industry and we were looking forward to this year’s theme promoting the beauty and versatility of the Thoroughbred. All the plans for 2020 will now be focused on 2021. Rood and Riddle will continue to sponsor the Rood and Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix which will take place on Saturday, July 25, 2020. This competition for showjumpers has attracted many top horses and riders for 29 years.
Rood & Riddle in Wellington The evening of Cocktails & Conversations presented by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Wellington, along with exclusive partner Zoetis, held on February 11, 2020, was a smashing success! Nearly 250 guests were able to attend the seminar session held at the Wanderers Club at Wellington. The seminar was open to the public, free of charge, and well-attended by South Florida equestrians representing multiple disciplines who were educated on a variety of topics by the experts of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. Jose Bras, DVM, MS, DACVS, kicked off the event by discussing colic, the diagnosis and decision to operate or not operate followed by Karen Beste, DVM, DACVS who discussed common injuries and treatment options in performance horses. Stephen Reed, DVM, DACVIM then held a quick, bonus question and answer session about neurologic disease and issues in the horse, and Stephanie Walbornn, DVM, DACT, explained different genetics and genetic preservation through breeding. Completing the evening’s roster was International Equine Veterinarian Hall of Fame member, Raul Bras, DVM, CJF, APF, who spoke on a better understanding of Navicular, a devastating disease that effects so many horses. Raul Bras DVM, CJF thanked the guests, “We appreciate everyone for coming out and joining us for a successful and educational evening. We would also like to thank Zoetis and Dr. Kevin Hankins for their continued support of Cocktails & Conversations and look forward to seeing everyone next year.”
www.roodandriddle.com
Rood & Riddle in Saratoga Rood & Riddle in Saratoga held a client seminar at Longfellows in Saratoga Springs. The focus of the seminar was on Rhodoccoccus equi. Dr. Noah Cohen was the featured speaker. His lecture emphasised the importance of the use of hyperimmune plasma. Dr. Cohen is a professor of large-animal clinical sciences at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Cohen received the 2008 Schering-Plough Animal Health Applied Equine Research Award for his research in equine neonatology and perinatology. He has recently focused on a collaborative study on Rhodococcus equi foal pneumonia, as we know is a major cause of disease and death in foals.
Rood & Riddle Adds Three New Shareholders Rood & Riddle is proud to announce our newest shareholders to the practice. Dr. Scott Fleming, a podiatrist at our Lexington facility, Dr. Bill Gilsenan, a Lexington internal medicine clinician and Dr. Maria Schnobrich, a Lexington based theriogenologist.
Scott Fleming DVM,CF
Bill Gilsenan VMD, DACVIM
Maria Schnobrich VMD, DACT
Rood & Riddle Donates PPE to Local Hospital Rood & Riddle is excited to announce that thanks to Dr. Barr, Dr. Woodie and the surgery groups efforts to conserve personal protective equipment, we have been able to donate to some human medical needs. We were able to donate 1,200 surgery masks, 9,000 gloves of varying sizes and 100 pairs of Tyveks to Baptist Health. We would like to thank Maggie Nawa, Sadie Winslow and Ali Ernst for going above and beyond in making masks for our doctors and staff! During his nightly updates Governor Andy Beshear mentioned the Rood & Riddle donation!
HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO PERFORM CORRECTIVE SURGERY? by Dr. Wes Sutter Board Certified Surgeon QUESTION: What’s the deadline for performing corrective surgery on a yearling
prospect for angular deformities of the ankles or knees?
DR. WES SUTTER: The deadline for performing corrective surgeries is based on functional growth plate closure times and sale date. There are surgical procedures that can be done for growth acceleration and procedures that can be done for growth restriction. Growth acceleration procedures, (i.e. periosteal stripping and elevation) are most effective when done in the first few months of life. I will focus on growth restriction procedures because they are now more common and provide a more predictable and consistent result. Transphyseal screws are used for ankle and knee angular deformities and transphyeal bridges (screws and wire) are used for knee angular deformities. They are applied to the side of the limb that is longer and removed when the limb is correct. Ankle (fetlock) Corrective surgeries on the ankles need to be done as a suckling before growth plate closure. In most foals, the growth plate used to correct deformities in the fetlock functionally closes between four to five months. While there are some exceptions, the ideal time for surgery to correct fetlock deformities is approximately 60 days. This gives time for natural correction of deformities present at birth and sufficient remaining growth to correct the deformity. Transphyseal screws can prematurely permanently close the growth plate, therefore if the surgery is done too early, there is a higher risk of over-correction. If the procedure is done later, there is a higher risk of under-correction. Depending on the age of the foal, growth rate and severity of the deformity, most screws are removed in four to eight weeks. Knee (carpus) The growth plate used to correct angular deformities of the knee stays open much longer than the ankle. Severe deformities of the knee will often need to be addressed as a suckling or weanling to prevent damage to small bones of the knee. Mild to moderate deformities can often be corrected as a yearling. In general, these procedures are usually done between April and June of the yearling year. Similar to ankles, it generally takes between four to eight weeks for the limb to correct. Correcting the deformity earlier increases the risk of the knee drifting back to the original angle possibly necessitating a second surgery. If a transphyseal screw is used at an early age, premature closure of the growth plate can occur causing severe permanent overcorrection. This is less of a concern as the yearling ages and the amount of potential long bone growth diminishes. Because a transphyseal screw immediately stops physeal growth, it typically works much more quickly than a screw and wire. This technique allows correction much closer to the sale and while not recommended it is possible in some instances to correct deformities as late as July for the September sale. Please consult your veterinarian when making the decision on performing corrective surgery.
Wes Sutter DVM, MS, DACVS, DACVSMR “Growth acceleration procedures, (i.e. periosteal stripping and elevation) are most effective when done in the first few months of life. “ “Corrective surgeries on the ankles need to be done as a suckling before growth plate closure. “ “The growth plate used to correct angular deformities of the knee stays open much longer than the ankle. “ “In general, these procedures are usually done between April and June of the yearling year.“ “Please consult your veterinarian when making the decision on performing corrective surgery.”
Reprinted with permission of the
Dr. W. Wesley Sutter graduated from veterinary school at Colorado State University, completed a surgical residency at The Ohio State University and entered private practice at Ocala Equine Hospital. He co-founded Lexington Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine in Lexington, Ky. before joining Rood and Riddle in 2018. www.roodandriddle.com
SWITCHING VACCINE SOURCES by Dr. Kevin Hyde Ambulatory Veterinarian QUESTION: Since some veterinarians and farms use different types of vaccines, is it a problem to buy an individual and start it on another type? DR. KEVIN HYDE : The short answer to this question is no. In this day and age, vaccines from all of the major pharmaceutical companies have a significant amount of research behind them and do a good job of protecting our horses from the diseases they were created against. Is there one vaccine that is slightly more effective than another? Maybe. But if you feel more comfortable with one brand or line of vaccine than another and it has done a good job on your farm, there is no reason you can’t switch a new horse over to the brand you are comfortable with In an ideal world, we would always get the complete vaccine history from the previous owner and could just continue giving the same vaccine without missing a beat. Unfortunately, more times than not, we don’t get a complete history and there can be questions about how well the horse has actually been vaccinated. In these cases, we should probably treat the horse as if it has never been vaccinated. We should begin vaccinating with the initial series recommended by the manufacturer to ensure that an adequate immune response is initiated to protect our new horse. After that, the new horse can be placed on the routine vaccine schedule you have put together with your veterinarian for your particular farm. Even if we know the vaccine history and still decide to switch to a vaccine we are more comfortable with, we should use the recommended initial series for that vaccine. This is to ensure that the levels of protective immunity are reached for that specific vaccine. Because each vaccine works slightly differently to create an immune response, the full recommended series may be needed to get to the levels of immunity to be protective. There are a couple of other things to think about when selling or buying a horse at a public sale. Sales and long-distance transport can be very stressful for a horse. Stressful events such as this can reduce the level of immune response that a horse will have in response to being presented with an infectious agent. If selling a horse, it is really important to vaccinate early enough to give the horse’s body adequate time to build up protective immunity prior to the sale. If buying a horse from a sale, we need to realize that their protective levels may have been lower during that “stressful” event and treat the new horse accordingly. This includes effective biosecurity measures and herd health practices to protect all of the horses on the farm. Once the new horse has settled in at the new farm, it is important to get them vaccinated as soon as possible, before being introduced to the rest of the herd if possible. Every farm has slightly different needs, but every horse needs to receive, at a minimum, the “core” vaccines recommended by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). We do have to remember that no vaccine is perfect and can’t be guaranteed to prevent 100% of infections. But by following the manufacturer’s guidelines, under the direction of our veterinarians, we will have the best chance for success.
Dr. Hyde graduated from the Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. He completed an internship at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in 2006 and then became an associate with the practice for five years. Dr. Hyde became a shareholder at Rood and Riddle at the beginning of 2019.
Kevin Hyde DVM “In this day and age, vaccines from all of the major pharmaceutical companies have a significant amount of research behind them and do a good job of protecting our horses from the diseases they were created against. “ “We should begin vaccinating with the initial series recommended by the manufacturer to ensure that an adequate immune response is initiated to protect our new horse. After that, the new horse can be placed on the routine vaccine schedule you have put together with your veterinarian for your particular farm.” “Every farm has slightly different needs, but every horse needs to receive, at a minimum, the “core” vaccines recommended by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).” “We do have to remember that no vaccine is perfect and can’t be guaranteed to prevent 100% of infections. But by following the manufacturer’s guidelines, under the direction of our veterinarians, we will have the best chance for success.”
Reprinted with permission of the
www.roodandriddle.com
SNOTTY NOSES AT THE SALES by Dr. Lilly Haywood Ambulatory Veterninarian
QUESTION: What can I do to prevent respiratory infections in young sales horses? DR. LILLY HAYWOOD: Breeding stock sales serve as the “perfect storm” for the development of respiratory disease in weanlings and short yearlings. Horses arrive from multiple farms and states, are housed together and are stressed. Lilly Haywood VMD
“Ensure that your horses are adequately vaccinated for both herpes and influenza prior to arriving at the sale.” “Thorough vaccination is not a guaranteed prevention of infection, but it does significantly decrease the risk.”
Fortunately, most young horses arrive to the sale healthy – but the stress of shipping, new cohorts and new activities can take their toll. Two of the most common pathogens that affect these horses can lie latent in healthy horses (equine herpes virus 1 and 4 [EHV-1 and EHV-4]) and can recrudesce (recur) in stressful situations. Both EHV-1 and EHV-4 typically manifest with fevers and nasal and ocular discharge. Equine influenza is another common respiratory virus in young horses, and also presents with fevers, nasal discharge and coughing. All three of these diseases are capable of spreading rapidly through nose-to-nose contact, aerosolization of viral particles via coughing and fomite transmission (such as human hands and water buckets). The herpes viruses, EHV-1 and EHV-4, are especially concerning at breeding stock sales, as EHV-1 may cause abortion in mares and neurologic disease in horses of all ages. In addition, both viruses can set young horses up for more serious secondary bacterial infections. So, what can be done to help prevent these viruses from spreading? First, ensure that your horses are adequately vaccinated for both herpes and influenza prior to arriving at the sale. Follow the manufacturer’s and your veterinarian’s guidelines regarding type of vaccination, age at primary vaccination and booster vaccinations. Both Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton require proof of vaccination against EHV-1 to be noted on the health certificate. Thorough vaccination is not a guaranteed prevention of infection, but it does significantly decrease the risk. Most importantly, implement good biosecurity practices while at the sale. Limit nose-to-nose contact between horses as this is the most effective way for the virus to spread. Encourage frequent hand-washing, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer and even disposable exam gloves among staff, especially around any horses displaying clinical signs of infection.
“Most importantly, implement good biosecurity practices while at the sale.”
It is also important to thoroughly clean and disinfect equipment such as water and feed buckets and chifney bits between horses. Monitoring temperatures twice daily on all young sales horses can help catch disease in the early stages so that more stringent biosecurity measures can be taken to prevent spread. Finally, limit staff overlap and contact between pregnant mares, racehorses and young horses as much as possible.
“Good biosecurity does not end at the sales grounds.”
Good biosecurity does not end at the sales grounds. It is common for a healthy-appearing sales weanling or yearling to arrive back on a farm, and spread a respiratory virus throughout a barn of non-sales horses. New arrivals should be isolated for two weeks and be monitored closely for clinical signs of disease. Ideally, farms should house new arrivals in a separate barn from native horses; in situations where this is not possible, farms should strive to turn out new arrivals separately, minimize shared equipment and encourage hand-washing among staff. Any young horses that exhibit signs of disease should be evaluated by a veterinarian.
“ New arrivals should be isolated for two weeks and be monitored closely for clinical signs of disease.”
Reprinted with permission of the
One last disease of concern among sales horses of all ages is Streptococcus equi equi, commonly known as strangles. Strangles is a bacterial disease that causes fevers, severely swollen lymph nodes on the head and nasal discharge. It can spread rapidly throughout a population of horses and can be very difficult to eradicate once established on a farm. Good biosecurity is a key element in preventing its spread, but testing can also be useful. One easy screening test for all new arrivals is a nasopharyngeal wash; the collected sample can be submitted to look for bacterial DNA. Respiratory disease can represent a significant cost to farms and clients. In cases where viral disease progresses to secondary bacterial infection, treatment with antibiotics can be lengthy and expensive. In rare instances, horses may even end up hospitalized. Additionally, horses with upper respiratory tract infections may have temporary changes on their upper airway endoscopy exams, which can impact their value. Finally, several of these respiratory viruses can have effects beyond just the respiratory tract – such as abortion. Vaccination and good biosecurity practices are relatively inexpensive and can be key in preventing these impacts. Dr. Lilly Haywood grew up riding and showing hunters in Raleigh, N.C. Haywood attended the University of Pennsylvania for veterinary school, graduating in 2013 with an equine focus. She joined Rood and Riddle in June of 2013. Her areas of interest include emergency medicine, primary and preventative care, and neonatal medicine.
Hand Sanitizer Spray Available Through RRVP! During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the FDA is allowing temporary compounding of alcohol-based Hand Sanitizers. By utilizing the World Health Organization and FDA’s guidelines, Rood & Riddle Veterinary Pharmacy has created a liquid spray hand sanitizer formulation we are proud to offer for sale. No prescription necessary!
Sizes available: 5oz
$7
8oz
$10
16oz
$15
1L
$25
Gallons
$85* (*only available for local Lexington, KY area pickup and delivery) To order these and all of your Pharmacy needs:
Call our Customer Service Representatives at 859-246-0112 or visit our website www.rrvp.com
Stay Safe!! www.roodandriddle.com