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WNV Fast Facts!!
 
Provided by
TheHorse.com
and
Merck Animal Health

 

Infection with the West Nile virus  (WNV) causes a potentially fatal  ncephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord). 

 

 

WNV affects a variety of animals, including birds, horses, humans, and some other mammals. 

 

 

 Signs of WNV in horses include ataxia, weakness of the hind limbs, recumbency, muscle tremors, convulsions, and coma.

 

 

Diagnosis is typically achieved by one or more blood tests and by ruling out other causes of neurologic disease.

 

 

 Treatment is primarily supportive, and approximately two-thirds of affected horses recover from infection.

 

 

Some horses (approximately 40%) will have residual neurologic deficits after recovering from WNV.

 

 

Preventing WNV involves vaccination and minimizing exposure of your horse to mosquitoes and infected birds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations!!
 
 

Johnny Trotter and his connections had quite a Labor Day! His stallion One Famous Eagle  sired the 2012 All American Futurity Champion and Johnny's colt took second in the Derby. Johnny has been a long-time client of Royal Vista Southwest and we could not be happier for his success!

 

 

Press notes from Q-Racing.com

 

Running true to his name, One Dashing Eagle flew out of the gate and never gave up the lead en route to a convincing victory in the $2.4 million All American Futurity (G1) before a record crowd of 24,106 at Ruidoso Downs on Labor Day.

One Dashing Eagle is from the first crop of the Grade 1-winning champion Mr Jess Perry stallion One Famous Eagle. This victory puts One Famous Eagle's first-crop earnings at just over $2 million to extend his lead as the breed's top freshman sire. One Famous Eagle stands at Four Sixes Ranch near Guthrie, Texas, as property of Johnny Trotter and Burnett Ranches LLC.

In the All American Derby, Johnny Trotter's Hez Our Secret, a First Down Dash colt bred by Vessels Stallion Farm LLC, got up to take second with Ricky Ramirez riding for trainer Blane Wood. The California-bred more than tripled his bankroll to $577,985.

 

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About Us
 
Since 2000, we have concentrated on one thing - EQUINE REPRODUCTION.
 That experience has led to the development of a nationally respected Embryo Transfer Program. Year after year, this program boasts industry leading pregnancy rates (per embryo with a viable heartbeat at 26 days) for both shipped and on-site transfers. This allows Royal Vista to back its service with a LIVE FOAL GUARANTEE.

 

Contact Us
All of our staff, including veterinarians, Dr. James W. Bailey, Dr. Ryan Coy, Dr. Kay Thurman and Dr. Renae DelHomme, welcome any questions you might have and would be happy to go into further detail about the Embryo Transfer process or any other services we offer at Royal Vista Southwest.

 

allison@royalvistasouthwest.com

 

405-527-0767 phone

405-527-0763 Fax

 

PO Box 673

26213 170th Street

Purcell, OK 73080

 

www.RoyalVistaSouthwest.com

 
Welcome to Royal Vista Southwest. We are happy to have you as a member of our community. We provide periodic emails meant to educate and inform. Don't forget, you are automatically entered to WIN A FREE EMBRYO TRANSFER just by signing up to receive these emails!! At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe. Just remember that you must be signed up for our newsletter to be in the drawing for the FREE EMBRYO TRANSFER.
 
ROYAL VISTA SOUTHWEST is committed to providing the BEST possible client service and communication in the business!

 

Princess In Diamonds

1998 ~ 2012

 

Princess In Diamonds 

  

  

Our industry lost a legend last month. The great Princess In Diamonds has been a permanent fixture at Royal Vista Southwest for many years.

 

We have retired her neckband and it hangs in our office next to the picture seen here.

 

We will miss her.

 

 

 

The following is from Clinton and Downunder Horsemanship's blog.

 

Great horses are hard to come by and it's even rarer to find one that passes their legacy onto their offspring. Clinton considers himself lucky to have found both of those qualities in Princess In Diamonds, a 1998 buckskin mare by Shining Spark out of Eyed Be A Princess. Clinton bought Princess as an unstarted 2 year old in 2000 along with her dam from Gay Given Owens, a western pleasure trainer in Michigan. After starting Princess late in her 2-year-old year, Clinton sent her to American Quarter Horse Association World Champion and National Reined Cow Horse Association Futurity Champion Todd Crawford to train. In 2001, Princess won the NRHA Futurity Open 1st Go and placed fourth in the finals, and then in 2002, she placed eighth at the National Reining Breeders Classic. Although she was only shown a few times, Princess won $77,002 in NRHA earnings. Her show career was cut short due to a stifle injury, but because she fit every quality Clinton looks for in a broodmare, he kept Princess for his breeding program. In order that the mare received the best care possible, Clinton stabled her at the renowned Royal Vista Vet Clinic in Oklahoma and used recipient mares to carry her foals.



In mid-August, due to increasing complications from her old injury, Clinton made the decision to have Princess humanely euthanized. Although it was a hard decision to make, Clinton firmly believes that a horse's wellbeing and comfort shouldn't be put before human emotions. Princess' legacy will live on as her foals continue to excel at reining competitions at the highest levels. To date, as a broodmare, Princess has foaled eight performers with earnings of $447,992, and has amassed a number of prestigious accolades, including being recognized as the 2009 AQHA Leading NRHA Dam and the 8th NRHA Leading Dam in 2011. She has produced three NRHA Open Futurity Finalists with her best-known offspring being Whizkey N Diamonds (aka Foster by Topsail Whiz) who has earned $212,149 and Cromed Out Mercedes (aka Curly by Custom Crome) who earned $146,645 in his career. Clinton currently has several of Princess' 2 and 3 year olds in training, including 2-year-old Paparazzi Girl (aka Fergie by Gallo Del Cielo) and 3-year-old Hail Of A Princess (aka Brie by Custom Crome), and has five of her embryos saved for future breedings.

 

 

 

 

 

West Nile Virus

Provided by THEHORSE.com and MERCK

  

 

Overview  

West Nile virus (WNV) causes a potentially fatal encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord) in a variety of mammals such as birds, horses, and humans. While long recognized in Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia, and elsewhere, WNV was first diagnosed in North America in 1999. Since then the disease has spread rapidly throughout the continent. West Nile virus is maintained in the wild bird population and is spread between birds by mosquitoes. Humans and horses become infected after being bitten by mosquitoes infected with WNV that have fed on infected birds. The virus enters the horse's bloodstream and spreads to the spinal cord and brain causing a wide-spread inflammation. Clinial signs of disease typically present within three to 15 days of exposure. Horses and humans are considered deadend hosts of the virus and do not contribute to the transmission cycle. The virus is not directly contagious from horse to horse or horse to human. Indirect transmission via mosquitoes from infected horses is highly unlikely because horses have negligible amounts of virus circulating in their blood. Mechanical transmission of the virus, such as through a blood transfusion, is possible.

 

 

Clinical Signs 

Classic clinical signs of horses infected with the WNV include fever, ataxia (incoordination), stumbling, hind limb weakness, depression, anorexia, recumbency with the inability to rise, muscle tremors, teeth grinding, dysphagia (inability to swallow), head pressing, signs of colic, a flaccid  (limp) paralysis of the lower lip, aimless wandering, excessive sweating, behavior changes, and convulsions or even coma.

 

 

Diagnosis

If your horse exhibits abnormal behavior or any neurological signs (such as ataxia), call your veterinarian immediately. It is very important to rule out other neurological diseases such as rabies, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), the viral encephalitides (e.g., Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis), the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV- 1), botulism, or wobbler syndrome (cervical vertebral myelopathy), among others. There are several tests available to help diagnose WNV in horses exhibiting clinical signs of disease. These include identifying the virus, viral antigens, viral genetic material, or antibodies produced by the horse in response to WNV infection. Examples include virus isolation, hemagglutination inhibition, complement fixation, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). One of the most useful tests at present is the IgM-capture ELISA, which measures IgM antibodies produced by the horse in response to the virus. The WNVIgM antibodies are elevated for approximately four to six weeks post-infection. When interpreting test results, it is important to consider the vaccination status of the horse as some tests are incapable of  distinguishing between infected and vaccinated horses. Good recordkeeping regarding vaccine history is recommended.

 

 

Treatment

There is no specific treatment or cure for infected horses. Veterinary care includes administration of anti-inflammatory drugs and intravenous fluids (if necessary). Supportive care is exceedingly important for infected horses to ensure adequate food and water intake, protect the safety of the horse (to prevent injuries in ataxic horses), and to prevent pressure sores in recumbent horses. Some veterinarians have attempted treating horses with antiviral drugs such as interferon and passive antibody products for WNV, but published clinical trials demonstrating efficacy or safety of this approach are lacking at present.  

 

 

Prognosis   

The mortality rate for infected horses is estimated to be approximately 35%. That means almost two-thirds of infected horses recover. Horses that are recumbent are at  higher risk of dying than infected horses that remain standing during the course of disease. Older horses have been reported to have a higher fatality rate. Many infected horses will recover completely; however, some horses (approximately 40%) might experience residual clinical signs. Caution must be used around horses that continue to exhibit neurological deficits after recovering from West Nile virus.

 

 

Prevention 

Since there is no cure for WNV, prevention is key to minimizing the chances of horses becoming infected with the virus. Current preventative measures include vaccination, management strategies, and ensuring your horse is in optimal health. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) recommends vaccinating all horses against WNV. Unvaccinated adult horses should be vaccinated twice, four to six weeks apart. Thereafter, horses can be re-vaccinated based on risk of exposure, up to once every four months. In the north it is recommended to vaccinate horses in the spring prior to peak mosquito levels. In the south, where mosquito populations are present year-round, horses can be vaccinated biannually or more. Horses less than 5 years of age appear to be more susceptible than adult horses that have likely been vaccinated and/or had subclinical exposure. Horses greater than 15 years of age have higher susceptibility to West Nile virus. Therefore, the AAEP recommends more frequent vaccination of these classes of horses. (Complete recommendations can be found on AAEP.org.) In addition to vaccination it is important to minimize mosquito populations near your horses by eliminating breeding and resting areas and keeping mosquitoes away from horses. For example, reduce or eliminate sources of stagnant or standing water, remove muck from areas near the horses, stable your horses during peak mosquito periods (i.e., dawn and dusk), use equineapproved mosquito repellants, place fans inside the barns or stalls to maintain air movement (mosquitoes don't fly well in wind), and avoid using incandescent blubs inside stables at night. Instead, place incandescent bulbs away from the stables. This will attract the mosquitoes to areas outside the stables. Finally, discourage wild birds from roosting near or in your stables. Report any dead birds-particularly crows, blue jays, owls, and hawks-to your local Department of Health as they might want to test the birds for West Nile virus.

 

 

 

If you have any further questions or questions about what you read above, please give us a call.  We are happy to provide any information that you would like.