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Conquer® Liquid Conquer® Liquid The liquid joint supplement with the most Sodium Hyaluronate (HA) per dose on the market…and at the lowest price! At 100 mg per dose (200 mg per ounce), Conquer® Liquid is developed specifically to help maintain the health of your animal’s joints. With Conquer® Liquid joint supplement your animal receives more HA at less cost per 15 ml dose than any other product on the market. HA is safe, non-toxic and a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan with its highest concentration found in all vertebrates’ connective tissue and joint fluid. Conquer® Liquid is the only clinically proven HA product on the market based on a controlled blind study, as published in the Equine Veterinary Journal (2006). Just as with human joints, Hyaluronic Acid is a vital component that provides lubrication in your animals’ joints. Hyaluronic Acid is found in the joint fluid, cartilage, eye and skin. As we age, the level of Hyaluronic Acid decreases. Injury and surgery can also compromise our ability to produce Hyaluronic Acid. The same is true of horses, dogs and cats. As a natural substance in humans and animals, Hyaluronic Acid is important in supporting joint comfort, lubrication and flexibility. Veterinarian-researched and developed, Kinetic supplements have been tested and proven to be the safest, most natural way to promote joint health in animals! Microbial Colonization of the Foal’s Gastrointestinal Tract Dr. Laurie Lawrence, (859.257.7509) eMail: llawrenc@uky.edu Article by; Lloyd's Equine Disease Quarterly. Department of Veterinary Science, Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky. http://www.ca.uky.edu/gluck 
In the past, study of the GI flora has been limited by the availability of accurate, economical, and relatively time-efficient laboratory methods. New molecular techniques are now being developed that will facilitate the study of the equine flora and hopefully enhance our knowledge of this important part of equine health.
We have recently used an analysis called denaturing-gradient-gel-electrophoresis (DGGE) to compare the similarity between the fecal flora of neonatal foals and their dams from birth through about 12 weeks of age. Because most of the microbial population of the horse’s GI tract resides in the large intestine, feces are an accepted and non-invasive substitute for actual large intestinal contents. For DGGE, microbial metagenomic DNA is isolated from the feces and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The resulting amplicons are then separated on a gradient gel to produce a banding pattern that represents the diversity of the microbial community. The number and placement of the bands are distinctive to the community that was sampled. On the first day after foaling, the similarity between the microbial DNA in mare feces and foal feces was low. However, the similarity rapidly increased, and by 2 weeks of age mares and foals appeared to have similar microbial populations in their feces. None of the foals in this study suffered from pathogenic diarrhea, so these observations suggest that the foal’s gastrointestinal tract is colonized by normal microbes within a few days of birth. Several questions remain in our study of the colonization of the foal’s GI tract. It is unknown whether a failure of the normal flora to colonize the gastrointestinal tract increases the susceptibility of the foal to pathogenic diarrhea. If so, strategies to enhance the development of the normal flora might be beneficial to the foal. Our research group examined the effect of a prebiotic on the incidence of diarrhea in foals in a two-year study. In the first year, there was a trend for the prebiotic to decrease the number of days foals were treated for diarrhea. However, in the second year there was a low incidence of diarrhea in both treatment groups (control and prebiotic-treated), and therefore no significant effect of the prebiotic was noted. In the future we hope to study the effects of both prebiotics and probiotics on the development of the GI flora of the foal. In addition we would like to identify the normal progression of microbes that colonize the foal’s gastrointestinal tract in the first few days of life. . . The Changing Face of Mosquito-Borne Diseases: 2010 Dr. Charles Issel, (859.257.4757) eMail: cissel@uky.edu Article by; Lloyd's Equine Disease Quarterly. Department of Veterinary Science, Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky. http://www.ca.uky.edu/gluck 
Mosquito-borne virus infections of the horse pose a continuous and expanding threat to equine health in the United States and internationally. The majority of equine mosquito-borne diseases in the United States today are preventable by immunization; however, the delivery of preventive health care to the equine industry can be improved.
In the last 40 years, two arthropod-borne equine pathogens were introduced into the United States. The virulent 1AB epidemic strain of Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus made its entry in 1971 with much warning and sufficient time to prepare. It was eradicated by strict local quarantines, large-scale aerial spraying for vectors, and extensive mandatory immunization of equids. The effective response was accomplished at great expense because VEE was judged an important human as well as equine disease. West Nile virus (WNV), first seen in the United States in 1999, was unanticipated and challenged the U.S. diagnostic infrastructure. Once the virus spread from the initial epicenter in New York State, it quickly established itself in multiple mosquito species and a diversity of susceptible vertebrates. This establishment caused unprecedented viremia levels in some bird species and high mortality rates in numerous bird species. Its transcontinental spread was unparalleled. A safe and effective vaccine to protect horses against the now-endemic WNV was rapidly developed and conditionally licensed in August 2001. Several additional WNE vaccines have since been produced. The distribution and host range of Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus has not significantly changed over the last 20 years. EEE virus is the arbovirus of great concern to horses and humans because of high case-fatality rates (approximately 40% in humans and 90% in horses). Safe and effective vaccines for EEE in horses are widely available. Regretfully, the vast majority of cases in horses each year continue to be in animals that have had no history or an incomplete history of EEE immunization. Although the capability of stimulating durable protective immunity against EEE with a single immunization would be welcome, available vaccines provide an excellent level of protection if administered appropriately. The American Association of Equine Practitioners considers both WNV encephalitis and EEE of such significance that it recommends the vaccines against those diseases be considered “core vaccines.” Even though the United States has not had an equine case of VEE since 1971, the risk of its re-introduction remains. The virus exists as multiple subtypes in nature (I-VI), and while subtypes 1AB and 1C are the epidemic strains of the virus, the endemic 1E subtype caused clinical disease and deaths in horses in southwestern Mexico in 1993 and 1996. Recent outbreaks of a horse-virulent strain in Central/ South America serve as a reminder that active surveillance must continue if we are to be prepared to protect our equine population. It has been nearly 20 years since the last reported equine case of Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE) occurred in the United States. The fact that the virus is endemic in some of the western states should not be overlooked; mutations could yield strains with greater potential for epidemic disease. Active surveillance and reporting must remain at a heightened level to prevent or limit the spread of “exotic” vector-borne diseases that could affect horses in the future. Furthermore, increased education and awareness of the value of vaccination in preventing the major diseases of horses are critical. . . Page 9 |
