Equine Herpes Virus Update

California EHV-1 Causing EHM Disease Update as of 12 pm 5/22/2011

·  California has one new confirmed case of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) caused by EHV-1.  There are 17 confirmed EHM cases in the state.

o   The positive confirmed cases are located in the following 11 counties: Amador(1), Glenn(2), Kern(2), Los Angeles(1), Marin(1), Napa(1), Placer (3), Plumas(1),  Shasta(1), Stanislaus(3), Ventura(1). 

o   Sixteen(16) of the confirmed positive EHM CA cases participated in the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah.

o   One(1) of the confirmed positive EHM CA cases participated only in the Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13th in Bakersfield, CA.  

o   One confirmed positive EHM horse was euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with EHM.

o   Three (3) confirmed positive EHM horses are being treated at the University of California Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Davis.

o   Seven (7) positive horses have displayed neurological signs.  The other cases have only been febrile.

o   All positive confirmed EHM cases are under a State Quarantine.

Small Animal Clinic Opens March 21st

East County Large Animal Practice Press Release East County Large Animal Practice Announces SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE OPENING   MONDAY MARCH 21rst Imagine taking your animal to a quaint little clinic in a beautiful countryside setting. Imagine actually getting to spend time with your pet's veterinarian and being involved with their care.  Imagine leaving your experience feeling like your pet's health is the focus and that you have not just emptied your wallet.  ECLAP is that place! ECLAP's Small Animal practice is the place where your pet's health comes first.  Where your pet's health is more important than an expensive office visit.  We hope to provide that country Veterinary feeling, just like in the days of James Harriet.  As we now treat "All creatures great and small" there is no longer a pet in your family that we can not help.     Look for the coupon at the bottom of this email to save even more on your first visit to our Small Animal Hospital! Take a look at our New Treatment and Surgery Room! SERVICES AND APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING Our haul in facility is located in beautiful blossom valley.  We have converted one of our stalls in a full service small animal examination and surgery room.  There will be no "mysterious" office visit fee, our large animal office visits do not have a "haul in" fee and the small animal visits will be the same.  We are committed to being straight forward with our fees and will always stand behind the prices that you are quoted for our services. Vaccinations, Deworming, and Flea Control can be provided by any of our doctors on a ranch visit.  Hopefully this will help you take advantage of a ranch call to allow you to keep up with Preventative Health Care your entire family of Pets.  Drs. Smith and Oman will be seeing appointments in the office.  They are both still committed to Large Animal Patient care, so they are going to be splitting time in the office seeing appointments and then going out on ranch calls following their office appointments. The office is going to try to schedule small animal appointments in the mornings starting the week of March 21st.  Pets can be dropped off at the beginning of the day and picked up in the evening to accommodate your work schedule.  We will always do our best to see you and your pet at convenient times, so do not hesitate to let the office know what time will be best for you.  PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE We believe preventative health care is cornerstone to helping your pet live long and healthy lives.  The focus of our practice is on keeping your pet healthy.  The key to preventing disease in your pet is appropriate vaccinations, regular flea control, parasite monitoring and dental examinations + cleaning.  Here are some fees for preventative services   Vaccinations: most vaccines will be $15 Dog Neuter: $100-$150 (based on size of the dog) Cat Neuter: $50 Dog Spay:$150-$250 Cat Spay: $100 Dentals: $170-$195 Exam:$40   NON-SURGICAL ADVANCED ORTHOPEDICS We are excited to provide your pets with new, cutting edge treatments for their orthopedic issues.  Our doctors have been diagnosing and treating orthopedic issues in horses for many years and very fortunate to be able to bring these skills to aid in the care of the dog and cat.  Most small animals suffer from joint pain at some point in their lives.  They are commonly left with the options of either treating with an anti-inflammatory, or be referred to an orthopedic surgeon.  Our treatments can fill the gap between those options.   Treatment options include, Injectable glucosamine (intramuscular and intraarticular), Intra-Articular Injection of Hyaluronic Acid, Shockwave Therapy, Platelet Rich Plasma Injections, Prolotherapy and Stem Cell therapy We are committed to providing your with honest, affordable, and quality care for your pets.  We always welcome and encourage both positive and negative feedback as we continually strive to improve our service.   We appreciate your continued loyalty and look forward to treating all of your 4-legged animals! The Staff and Doctors at ECLAP Dr. Smith, Dr. Chandler, Dr. Oman and Dr. Rand Save 10% Save 10% on your first Small Animal Visit at ECLAP. Coupon only applies to first time visits and only for Small Animal Treatments and Procedures. Offer Expires: May 31st, 2011

Forward email East County Large Animal Practice | 10312 Quail Canyon Road | El Cajon | CA | 92021

Check Me for TICKS!!!

While the wet winter has provided us with beautiful green mountains and serene trails, it some how created a perfect environment for tick breeding.  Many of you have noticed your horses covered with ticks following a trail ride and are looking for ways to prevent tick infestation.  First lets talk about ticks, as they are actually very interesting little bugs.


Ticks are actually from the arachnid family.  One of the most interesting characteristics of a tick is the fact that they actually grow and extra set of legs as adults.  Seed (or baby) ticks start there life with six legs and after they get there first meal they grow another pair of legs.  Seed ticks have been known to swarm onto animals in mass numbers as high as 30,000 at a time.    Ticks do not fly or jump to get on to an animal.   They do tend to climb into bushes or tree and then fall onto there next meal as you or your horse walk past.
It is important to remember that ticks can carry illnesses from one animal to another. In fact, ticks are the primary disease vector in domestic animals. In terms of human illness, only one parasite spreads more illness -- the mosquito. Ticks can spread a wide variety of disease-causing organisms, including bacteria, viruses and protozoa. A freshly hatched tick might be free from disease, but as soon as it takes a meal from an infected animal, it becomes a potential disease vector. In fact, ticks can carry more diseases than any other arthropod in the world. Their efficiency at spreading infection comes from the way they feed. Many tick species feed on at least three hosts before they die. If one host is sick, the tick can carry the infection to the others.


If  you find a tick on your horse's body or yourself then remove it as soon as possible.  Many diseases transmitted by ticks require them to be attached for several hours before the host in infected by the tick.  It actually requires a tick to be attached to its host for nearly 24 hours before lymes disease is transfered to the host. However, forget all the rumors you may have heard about tick removal. Do NOT crush or twist the tick, apply baby oil or petroleum, or "scare" the tick out with a lit match. These methods can cause the tick to regurgitate blood back into your horse, which increases the chance of infection or disease transmission. Worse, the above methods can cause the head to detach from the body, where it will remain beneath the skin.

Instead, use a pair of tweezers to remove the tick:

1. Grab the tick firmly by the head, where it enters the skin
2. Pull - do not yank - firmly and steadily straight away from the skin
3. Dispose of the tick properly in a small jar of rubbing alcohol
4. Wash the attachment site with a mild antiseptic
5. Wash your hands

Unfortunately, ticks can be difficult to kill. Their flat bodies prevent them from being easily crushed. Some have even been known to survive a fire. But once you have removed a tick from your horse's body, you cannot simply release it back into the wild. Doing so almost ensures the tick will return to your horse or another barn visitor. Instead, place the tick in a sealed glass jar that has been filled with rubbing alcohol.


 Unfortunately there is not a perfect solution for repelling ticks.  The company that makes the Frontline product for dogs, used to make a spray on product that worked quite well.  The Frontline plus or Advantix spot on products can be used on horses and will help remove ticks.  The problem with the spot on products is that it takes two-three vials to place in the commonly affect area of your horse and it will only last for two weeks (these products cost about $15 per vial).  Another option is to use a spot on Pyrethrin product such as Equi-Spot. (Here is a link to some on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Equi-Spot-Spot-Control-Horses-tubes/dp/B000WGU92Q).  Another upcoming organic friendly fly repelling option is the use of wax-based catnip oil formulations. 

Molly: The One Legged Wonder.

You gotta meet Molly...

Meet Molly..  She's a grey speckled pony who
Was abandoned by her owners when Hurricane
Katrina hit southern Louisiana .  She spent weeks
On her own before finally being rescued and taken
To a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled.
While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier
And almost died.  Her gnawed right front leg became
Infected, and her vet went to LSU for help, but
LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare
Case.  You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, He changed his mind.

He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different

Sides so she didn't seem to get sores,

And how she allowed people to handle her.

She protected her injured leg.

She constantly shifted her weight

And didn't overload her good leg.

She was a smart pony with a serious
Survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee,
And a temporary artificial limb was built.  Molly
Walked out of the clinic and her story really
Begins there.

'This was the right horse and the right owner,'
Moore insists.  Molly happened to be a
One-in-a-million patient.

She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain.
She made it obvious she understood that she was
In trouble.  The other important factor, according
To Moore, is having a truly committed and compliant
Owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care
Required over the lifetime of the horse.

Molly's story turns into a parable for life in Post-Katrina Louisiana ..

The little pony gained weight, and her mane finally felt a comb.

A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.

The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life,
Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports.

And she asks for it.  She will put her little limb out,
And come to you and let you know that she wants
You to put it on.  Sometimes she wants you to take
It off too.  And sometimes, Molly gets away from
Barca. 'It can be pretty bad when you can't catch
A three-legged horse,' she laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now.  Kay,
The rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to
Shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation
Centers.  Anywhere she thought that people needed
Hope.  Wherever Molly went, she showed people
Her pluck.  She inspired people, and she had a
Good time doing it.

'It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to
Play in life, Moore said.  She survived the hurricane,
She survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving
Hope to others.' Barca concluded, 'She's not back to normal,

But she's going to be better.  To me, she could be a
Symbol for New Orleans itself.'

This is Molly's most recent prosthesis.  The bottom
Photo shows the ground surface that she stands on,
Which has a smiley face embossed in it.  Wherever
Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind.

 share ... with all of the
animal lovers that you know.

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A Veterinary Outreach Tradition

The view from the top

What November means to me: turkey (of course), warm days and cool nights (usually), northern wave swells and a cooling ocean (freezing already), the end of pelagic fishing (it never really started this year), and an annual trip to the Havasupai Reservation in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. VCF (Veterinary Christian Foundation) led by Dr. Rick Marshall has been providing annual veterinary services to the Supai Tribe for 27 years. Traditionally, we travel to Peach Springs, Arizona, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and overnight at the Hualapai Lodge on Route 66. Sunday morning finds us motoring to Hilltop, 60 miles to the north, readying ourselves for the eight mile, 2000 foot drop from the Canyon rim. Monday and Tuesday are work days and Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, we helicopter out so all can be home for the holiday. This year we flew out in a snow storm.

Supai

The valley floor

The mailman is packed and leaving for Hilltop

Packing his own feed

Supai, Arizona, is the only town in America still served by the US Postal service on horseback. There are no roads. There are no cars or trucks. One walks or rides on horseback or takes the helicopter (when it is running) to get down. Once in Supai, one walks or rides on horseback. A few have a golf cart. There are several tractors and back-hoes for maintenance of the trails and paths and campgrounds at the magnificent Falls. The first of three, Navajo Falls, is located about 1.5 miles further down the Canyon from Supai. The majority of the commerce is based on horse transportation of goods, services, and tourists. All the horse feed (bags of pellets) is imported into the canyon on horseback. The pack trains haul the majority of the Tribal needs down the hill daily with the helicopter supplying the rest on the two days it routinely flies. 

The Havasupai people have inhabited this spot for the last 800 years and until the reservation system was forced upon them. Traditionally, Winters were spent on the plains above the canyon where they hunted wildlife,  gathered pine nuts and traded with other Tribes. In the Spring, they returned to the Canyon, living in the cracks of the walls and farmed the small river valley. They have never been known to be a militant people but rather shy.

Dr. Chandler always enjoys his work in Supai.

My first trip was in 1994 along with my wife of three weeks, Rhonda. That experience has had a prolonged and profound impact on my family. All of our kids (3) have made multiple trips with us since and I have had the pleasure of both Dr. Chandler's and Dr. Oman's company on trips as well. I've met dozens of dedicated people willing to donate their time, expertise, and resources to the Supai community for nothing more than the satisfaction of "loving thy neighbor as you love yourself". 

This past November, there were 34 in the VCF group: 10 veterinarians, 4 junior veterinary students, several medical technicians, a couple of contractors, family members, a fireman, and the remainder were from various churches from California and Nevada. After arriving in Supai on Sunday afternoon, we participated in a huge turkey dinner for the community in the church where over 100 people were served. There are approximately 600 inhabitants. Several hundred live outside the reservation in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Kingman etc. Those people always miss their home in the Canyon.

Havasupai Bible Church (and Veterinary Clinic)

For two days, the veterinarians provide their services. Neutering (spays and castrations) dogs and cats is paramount for animal population control. All that are brought to the church based improvised veterinary clinic are vaccinated and wormed and health issues are attended to. Rabies is a problem for the community so it is essential the dogs and horses receive rabies vaccinations. Last year, one of our veterinarians ended up having to take the rabies prophylaxis treatment when he was bitten and the dog died later the next day! On the large animal side, we vaccinated (West Nile, 5 way, and Rabies) and wormed about 250 horses/mules; a small number since many animals were turned out on the new grass above the Canyon. Dr. White, from northern California, floated teeth and used the opportunity to teach the vet students proper dentistry. I castrated horses and performed other surgeries deemed necessary while students and "horse people" did the vaccinations and wormings. All in all, the process becomes an efficient machine after the first few hours of "cluster". The rest of the VCF group have their own activities: construction, children's outreach, women's outreach, and making acquaintances providing encouragement and prayer when asked.

Small animal surgery recovery room

Pack horses on the way down.

Over the last two years, the Supai village has been the victim of flooding. Rain falling miles away washed down the Canyon floor, through the lower extent of the village and over the Falls into the campground. They have been economically devastated as a result. The campground is closed and once again they are attempting to resurrect it so tourism can return. The village of Supai is closed to outsiders at this time. The Lodge and the restaurant closed down. More jobs lost. Packers have no work without tourists (normally 60K people a year) and commerce.

The Havasupai Lodge at the bottom

I'm not asking for anything from you, our cherished clients. I wanted you to know about the Havasupai people and the efforts made to serve them. If you have interest, you should plan on visiting Supai this Summer. You can trailer your horses to hilltop, ride down to the campground and spend some relaxing time with your family and friends. The packers will deliver pellets to you and there is water everywhere (the river). Otherwise,you could walk down and stay in the Lodge and take day hikes to the Falls, explore the old living quarters in the cracks of the walls and there are wall paintings from the "Old Ones" to explore. But, I will warn you, it is as close to third world as you can get in the continental US. You won't be pampered but you will be contributing to a society that needs your visit and consumerism.

I am certainly happy to answer any questions. Try "Google-ing" Havasupai Tribe. There is quite a bit of information available.           Greg Smith, DVM

Narrow path, tall walls

Sunday night after the community dinner

Nice elk rack

On the top of Navajo Falls 

Dr's Cuadras, Smith, and Oman on the chopper out

Equine Holiday Cheering

The pictures are of an aged mare that was rescued by a rescue facility. One of our clients re-rescued the mare. To be sure the rescue facility was giving good and proper care but had her for a relatively short time before our good hearted human made "Honey Bunny" her own. She has made a wonderful transformation, I hope you agree.

In the near future, you will be hearing more from the San Diego Equine Safety Net Coalition of which ECLAP is one of four equine veterinary practices to be on the Board along with horse rescue facility owners and county officials. Our aim is to "Keep the horse in its home" by offering material, educational and veterinary help to horse owners struggling to do so. The Coalition is on the brink of findings ways to identify horses and their owners that have a TRUE need of a temporary helping hand. We will be providing several educational opportunities to the horse owning community in 2011 and asking your help in identifying animals in need.

To Blanket or Not to Blanket (Does my horse need one?)

Deciding when to blanket your horse can be  challenging, especially in San Diego.  When your friends in Minnesota are laughing at you because you blanket your horse, just explain to them how you actually had frost on your car in late November.  The northerners just can't believe that it can actually freeze here in sunny SoCal.  Cold winter nights combined with thin coats (developed after multiple 100 plus degree summer days) can produce some easily chilled horses. 

Blanketing needs will vary from horse to horse based on their coat condition and tolerance for the cold weather.  You will find that horses that have moved to San Diego from colder climates, will develop much thicker winter coats.  

Here are some simple yes or no questions that can help you determine if your horse should be blanketed. A "yes" answer to any one means your horse would appreciate a little extra insulation.

1. Is it below 50 degrees Fahrenheit? Even if your horse has a natural (unclipped) haircoat, he may appreciate a blanket at this temperature. This is just a general rule of thumb, since other factors (such as wind, humidity and/or precipitation) may call for a blanket when it's warmer. On the other hand, some horses acclimate to colder temperatures, especially those with thick haircoats.
2. Is his coat clipped? If so, your horse may need a blanket (or at least a sheet) when the mercury drops|}below 60 degrees F.
3. Does he usually live indoors? If your horse lives even part of the time in a warm barn, he'll feel the cold more than a horse that lives outside full time.
4. Does he live in an open pasture? A full-time outdoor horse will grow a heavy coat to ward off the elements, but wind and rain can destroy that insulating effect. If there's no shelter in his pasture, he may need wind- and water-resistant horse clothing to stay warm.
5. Is his stall drafty? Drafts in your barn may have the same effect as outside breezes--they blow away that layer of warm air next to your horse's skin, making him feel colder.
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6. Is he shivering? Don't go by formulas--check your horse to see whether he's too cold. If he's shivering, blanket him (or add blankets) and get him to a shelter. (To see if your horse is too warm, slide your hand under his blanket; if he's sweaty, he needs a lighter covering, or none at all.)

It is important to remember to remove blankets in the morning as temperatures can get really high on many San Diego winter days.  
These question have been adapted from an article written by Dr. Hower-Moritz that was published in horse and rider magazine.