FOOD OF THE WEST Chef Edgar prepares a chicken recipe that is

With homemade sauces, this out of the world recipe from Chef Edgar will take your backyard chicken bar-be-que to the next level.

By MIKE EDGAR Photos By TWISTED TREE PHOTOGRAPHY

RED ALE GLAZE

1 Litre Red Ale 1 Cup Brown Sugar 1/4 Cup Chili Powder 2 Tbsp. Chopped Chives 2 Tbsp. Shallots 2 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley

Whisk the brown sugar and chili powder into the ale. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and reduce by half or until a syrup consistency is reached. Let cool. Reserve parsley, shallots and chives for later.

CHICKEN

In this recipe we used whole chicken wings and chicken drum sticks on the grill. However, any cut of chicken can work.

Season the chicken with olive oil,

salt and pepper grill over medium heat until cooked. In a large mixing bowl, toss the chicken with the glaze until all meat is coated. Return to grill and allow the glaze to caramelize. Add chicken back to the mixing bowl for a final toss of glaze and now is the time to add the parsley, shallots and chives. Make sure all pieces of the chicken are coated.

GRILLED VEGETABLES

In this recipe we used purple yams, sweet potatoes, and baby bok choy. Cut purple yams in half and toss with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until soft.

Cut the sweet potatoes into wedges and toss with small amount of oil, salt and pepper – no need to peel them. Grill over medium heat until soft. Cut baby bok choy in half and toss with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper. Grill quickly over high heat, maybe 30 seconds a side, as you only want a quick char.

BLUE CHEESE AIOLI

1 Cup Mayonnaise 1/4 Cup Blue Cheese 2 Tbsp. Roasted Garlic 2 Tbsp. Grainy Mustard 1 Lemon (Juice of) Pinch of Salt Pinch of Pepper 1 Tbsp. Chopped Chives

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Store covered in the fridge. You will use this to dip the chicken in later on.

SPICY MAYONAISE

1 Cup Mayonnaise 3 Tbsp. Sriracha Sauce 1 Lemon (Juice of)

Dip your vegetables in this sauce as desired.

Grab a large stack of napkins and enjoy all of the foods together!

About the Chef:

Mike Edgar graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in the Culinary Arts. He stayed in Calgary, AB working at some of the city’s top restaurants. In 2007, he opened his own restaurant in Calgary’s east end. After eight years of being a chef there, Edgar decided to take a step back and left the industry to spend more time with his son. His son has now expressed an interest in learning his father’s skills and in horses simultaneously.

When the Bleeding Won’t Stop

Immune thrombocytopenia is an autoimmune bleeding disorder hallmarked by abnormally low blood platelets. It’s a rare disease that can happen in horses and requires emergency treatment. Here’s how you can recognize it. By Jenn Webster

Imagine walking out to grab one of your horses from the paddock, only to discover his nose is bleeding. Upon further inspection, you notice there are no signs of trauma nor injury in the enclosure and the horse hasn’t been worked in two days, therefore hard exercise had nothing to do with his current condition. As an owner, you’re stumped and disappointed you won’t be riding today and realize the importance of getting your mount to a veterinarian instead.

Following a physical exam, your vet explains that your horse is in fact bleeding not only from his nose, but also from his eyes and other mucous membranes. It’s a shocking revelation and one shrouded in mystery.

What could have possibly happened?

Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia (IMT) is a serious medical condition that can affect horses and other animals, including humans. To put it in plain and simple terms, (IMT) is a bleeding disorder that is a serious issue as the horse’s body attacks its own blood platelets. Platelets are cells that are normally found in the blood to help it to clot. Horses with IMT have low platelet numbers because their immune system starts to destroy them.

Read on to learn more about this potentially fatal disease and learn the signs to recognize. Your quick action could save your horse’s life.

CHECKING OFF THE BOXES

Horses with ITP bleed easily from the mucous membranes. This can include nosebleeds, bleeding from the eyes, trachea, lungs, stomach, urinary bladder or vulva for example. Horses with the condition can also bruise easily, or have mild edema. They may also be lethargic and lacking in energy. Other than that, there may be no additional outward or obvious symptoms of the condition.

“When we see a horse presenting with these kinds of symptoms, the first thing we might think is that perhaps the horse is bleeding

from the sinuses or from the guttural pouches,” says Dr. Gillian Haanen, DVM, MS, of Moore Equine Veterinary Centre north of Calgary, AB.

She goes on to explain that the first step in dealing with such a situation is a physical exam, followed by blood work in order to rule out other medical conditions. In order to properly diagnose IMT, a veterinarian may perform several different kinds of tests to check off serious issues from the list of things that the horse might have.

“Horses with IMT will typically bleed easily and longer than normal when we collect a blood sample from them,” she explains. “We might also observe petechiae on the mucous membranes.”

Petechiae are small red or purple spots caused by bleeding into the skin. If this is noticed on the gums or eyelids, a veterinarian may elect to do an endoscopy of the upper or lower respiratory system, to assess where the blood is coming from. This helps the veterinarian determine if blood is coming from the ethmoids, sinuses, guttural pouches or lungs – again, ruling out other serious issues.

Next, in order to determine if neoplasia (a tumour) is a cause of the excessive bleeding, an ultrasound may be performed on the horse’s chest and abdomen. If no abnormalities show up on the ultrasound, a tumour still can’t be ruled out completely, but an occurrence of one is less likely. An X-ray of the head may additionally be used to determine if there is an abnormality in the skull that other diagnostic tests can’t see.

“When the blood work comes back, we’ll see that a horse with IMT will have a low platelet count,” she says.

Through the combination of tests, if another cause for a low platelet count cannot determined, the horse is usually believed to have IMT.

Thrombocytopenia is a process that occurs as result of; decreased bone marrow platelet production; increased platelet utilization; increased platelet destruction; or platelet sequestration. Therefore, determining the origin of IMT is important for properly determining the prognosis and the treatment a patient will require.

NEXT STEPS

“Typically, when a horse has a very low platelet count, they either have been exposed to a sick horse or they are sick themselves. The immune system is basically causing destruction of those platelets because for whatever reason, the immune system got triggered,” Dr. Haanen states.

The characteristics of IMT are an enhancement of platelet destruction and the presence of antibodies associated to platelets.

“We have to stop that immune system from breaking down those platelets, and make sure the horse is slowly increasing its platelet count. And stops bleeding spontaneously,” the veterinarian explains.

IMT in horses may be primary or secondary to another disorder.

“If all diagnostic tests are found to be within normal parameters (other than the blood work), at this point the most likely explanation for the thrombocytopenia is an immune-mediated reaction to a prior infection, like strangles or Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA). Or something that stimulates the immune system (like vaccines),” Dr. Haanen says.

“This is an overreaction of the immune system to an infectious agent, which can persist even after the infection has resolved.”

Treatment typically involves corticosteroids for a prolonged period of time. This may include prednisolone or dexamethazone

Dr. Haanen performs a physical examination on a horse that came into Moore Equine Veterinary Centre with profuse bleeding from the nose.

and these drugs function by suppressing the clearance of antibodycoated platelets and by increasing platelet production. They can also help improve blood vessel lining cell function.

Blood work must be repeated in the initial days following diagnosis to see if platelets begin to regenerate themselves. If the treatment is successful, the petechiae on the mucous membranes will begin to disappear, as will the horse’s excessive bleeding. Gradually, the dosage of steroids is reduced and with each decrease of the dose, there is a chance that the horse might revert back having to low platelets. There are additionally, possible unwanted side-effects of the steroids that can also cause problems of their own. For instance, treatment with corticosteroids can cause laminitis. Hence, patients trying to heal from IMT must be closely monitored for a long period afterwards.

If the horse experiences prolonged bleeding or soreness from the steroid injections in the weeks following release from veterinary care, the owner should contact their veterinarian immediately. Usually it is also advised that the horse is given time off until the treatment schedule is completed and the horse is deemed healthy enough to begin training and/or exercise again.

A DEFINITIVE ANSWER

Due to the severity of IMT, the situation needs to be dealt with properly and immediately. The goal of treatment is to prevent bleeding, stabilize and hopefully improve the horse’s platelet count. Ideally, the horse will also be able to return to its normal life, with time.

“At the end of the steroid treatment, another complete blood cell count and blood smear should be performed to ensure the horse is not declining after tapering off the steroids,” Dr. Haanen says.

What’s difficult about IMT is that sometimes, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what might have caused the condition in the first place. Which is why horses experiencing the disease need to be carefully monitored for a long time afterwards. Additionally, horse owners should take note of what may have potentially caused the problem in the beginning and try to avoid it for that horse in the future.