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Articles Diagnostic   Strangles What is strangles? Strangles is an infection caused by bacteria called Streptococcus equi. It is highly contagious and the infection can be spread by horse-to-horse contact or by humans, tack, drinking troughs and other environmental factors.    View Article    Preventative   Joint Disease – Osteoarthritis Degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis or arthritis is the NUMBER ONE reason for premature horse retirement in the equine industry, regardless of horse occupation. Arthritis is a natural aging process in animals that live long enough to tell. In other animals it is produced by different reason with TRAUMA (one time or repeated) being the most common. Infection is another common insult that may result in DJD. The joint is composed of:    View Article      Is WNV Vaccine Safe in Pregnant Mares? Recently, rumors have been circulating around the horse community that the West Nile Virus Vaccine is causing abortions in pregnant mares and birth defects in foals. The rumors began on May 30, 2003, when the Denver Post newspaper published an article entitled “West Nile Vaccine Eyed in Foal Losses.” On June 16, 2003, the Post published another article entitled, “Vet Wants Warnings on W. Nile Vaccines: Some Blame Shot for Horse Illnesses.” The author of both articles assigned a causal relationship between the use of West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine and subsequent abortions in pregnant mares and newborn foal birth defects. The articles were based on claims from some Midwestern horse breeders that their mares had aborted or produced deformed foals soon after vaccination with the WNV vaccine. Unfortunately, the articles were sensational and compelling to many broodmare owners despite the fact that much of the information was speculative and not based on scientific fact. Despite the misleading information, the rumors are flying and many broodmare owners, including some of my clients, are afraid to vaccinate their mares.    View Article