At the 2019 British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress earlier this month in Birmingham, England, three speakers emphasized the need to further educate horse owners on the prevention of laminitis and in the dangers of equine obesity. Their lectures have been condensed down to talking points for communicating with owners about changes in horsecare that may help horses avoid the disease.
Veterinarians have been upgrading their skills at both communicating information about their research and in making their research more accessible to the public. Laminitis prevention is an area that is in critical need of more outreach. Navigating the literature on laminitis research can be confusing and overwhelming.
At last week's British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress in England, the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) gave an award for video interpretation of equine research. The video abstract they presented is remarkable on two counts: The winning author is an American, and the subject is laminitis prevention and education of horse owners.
Irish researcher Sonja Egan (right) received the BEVA Congress's Peter Rossdale Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) Open Award for 2019 for her review of more than 500 equine motion analysis papers published since 1978,. The paper includes data on the shortcomings of the past and suggestions for the future, including specifics on hoof and horseshoe research. Presenting the award is 2019 BEVA President Renate Weller.
News from the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress underway in England this week is that a paper in the field of equine motion analysis has received a prestigious award. The winning paper was the result of a "scoping" review of what equine motion research has been accomplishing for the past 40 years, and how productively the field is moving forward.
Among the results from the paper are analysis of the way that hoof movement and shoe effects research has been conducted in the past and suggestions for future modification. Some findings from the study are outlined for you here.
"Keeping the sport horse on the road" will be the theme for the final day at this year’s British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress, to be held September 11-14, 2019, in Birmingham, England. The session on Saturday, September 14th will bring together leading vets, farriers and physiotherapists for an holistic look at keeping the sports horse at the top of its game.
Links between equine obesity and laminitis are well documented, but veterinarians still report an increase in obesity; latest estimates are that as many as fifty percent of all horses in the United Kingdom may be overweight and at risk for related health problems. Today the British Equine Veterinary Association issued an official warning to owners that is valid all over the world.
Many ponies and horses suffer from pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), known in the past as equine cushings disease. Among the common clinical signs of the endocrine-related condition, seen commonly in older (but not exclusively older) animals are long, non-shedding coats and chronic laminitis. PPID can, in most cases, be successfully managed by the medication pergolide mesylate, which is currently only FDA-approved in a poorly palatable tablet. A recent presentation on an alternative form of the medication has been recognized with a prize from the British Equine Veterinary Association.
Research into what may one day be a significant advance in options for the treatment of horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), once known as equine cushings disease, has received an award in the United Kingdom.
The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress is only six weeks away, and the time has come to make plans to attend this world-class event. Touting itself as "organized by horse vets for horse vets", the BEVA Congress is Europe’s largest equine veterinary conference. This year it will be held at Liverpool Arena Convention Centre from 13-16 September.The Hoof Blog has dissected the schedule to pull out interesting speakers and topics of interest to veterinarians and farriers.
Speaking of farriers, this year the BEVA Congress is hosting a full day of farriery speakers, moderated by Professor Renate Weller of the Royal Veterinary College, on Saturday, September 16. Farriers may attend the one-day session at a special rate, but the rate ends on August 4.
The schedule for BEVA Farriery Day:
Anatomy and biomechanics of the foot | Jean-Marie Denoix
How do nerve blocks help in the management of foot pain? | Michael Schramme Radiography of the foot – how does it help farriery management? | Renate Weller MRI of the foot – how does it help farriery management? | Tim Mair
How does arena surface modify distal limb biomechanics in sport horses? | Nathalie Crevier-Denoix
How to read the hoof capsule | Grant Moon Farriery of the foal | Simon Curtis
The natural balance approach | David Nicholls
Kinesitherapic shoes | Jean-Marie Denoix
Managing the Thoroughbred foot | Declan Cronin
Keeping the dressage horse sound | Haydn Price
Guidelines for trimming and shoeing the sport horse | Grant Moon
Farriery panel and case discussions on The Barefoot Revolution--Fad, Fiction and Facts with panelists Renate Weller, Michael Schramme, David Nicholls, Simon Curtis, Haydn Price, Grant Moon, Declan Cronin and Jonathan Anderson
Here's a message from Professor Weller about the farriery event:
Early registration rates close on August 4, 2017, however direct online registration is not available for those registering for the Farriery Day only. The form can be filled out and emailed to Verity at BEVA.
The BEVA Congress has a wide-ranging program of events; in addition to the packed multi-track lecture schedule, the Congress hosts a large trade show of equine veterinary products and some innovative specialty topics are covered in depth, such as an afternoon session on equine "end of life" decision making. The pros and cons of incorporating a veterinary practice will be debated.
In addition to the farriery day, there is also a dentistry day and a nursing day. Derek Knottenbelt will present the 2017 John Hickman Memorial Plenary Lecture; his topic: Using the past to make the future better. Tom Divers of Cornell University is one of the US veterinarians who will be speaking at Liverpool.
This video offers some reactions to the BEVA Congress from 2016 attendees:
Some lameness highlights from the main Congress lecture schedule:
Thursday Lameness Topics and Speakers from the Main Congress Schedule
Dealing with excessive granulation tissue | Yvonne Elce
Chronic progressive lymphoedema | Marianne Sloet
CAT: What is the risk that corticosteroid treatment will cause laminitis? | Edd Knowles
Skin problems of the distal limb | Marianne Sloet
Foot conformation and placement | Thilo Pfau
Training aids | Russell Guire
Pelvic movement asymmetry | Thilo Pfau
Tendon properties | M. Verkade
Sole packing and impact vibrations | Amy Barstow
Wounds | Jonathan Anderson
Acute Laminitis | John Keen
Common fractures | Matthew Smith
Lymphangitis/cellulitis | David Rendle
Choice of intra-articular medications for treating joint disease | Andrew Bathe
Use of stem cells in treatment of osteoarthritis | Michael Schramme
Use of bisphosphonates in bone disease | Olivier Lepage
Complications of biologic therapies in the treatment of musculoskeletal disease | Roger Smith
CAT: Is it worth me operating on a DIRT lesion in a juvenile Thoroughbred intended for racing? | Richard Reardon
Imaging the proximal suspensory ligament | Jean-Marie Denoix
Medical treatment of proximal suspensory desmitis | Kent Allen
Surgical management of proximal suspensory desmitis | Andrew Bathe
Acupuncture in the management of equine lameness | Dietrich Von Schweinitz
CAT: What is the best treatment option for a medial femoral condylar subchondral bone cyst? | Etienne O’Brien
Diagnosis of PPID and EMS | Kelsey Hart
CAT: Does pergolide therapy prevent laminitis in horses diagnosed with PPID? | Edd Knowles
Fractures secondary to kick injuries | A. Schreier
Friday Lameness Topics and Speakers
from the Main Congress Schedule
Limb and hoof conformation: When do variations affect intended use? | Sue Dyson
PPE of horses intended for breeding. What can be done? | James Crabtree
PPE across Europe – understanding the clash of cultures | Malcolm Morley
PPE and radiology of sports horses. What is the evidence? | Werner Jahn
PPE disasters – and how to avoid them | Malcolm Morley
Resveratrol in osteoarthritis | D. Ryan
Synovial fluid metabolomic profiles | J. Anderson
Computed tomographic contrast tenography | R. Agass
Hock conformation and PSD | J. Routh
Suture patterns for DDFT repair | L. Chapman
Catastrophic condylar fractures – MRI | J. Peloso
Nuclear scintigraphy in sports horses | L. Quiney
Facial expressions and pain | S. Dyson
EHV-2 in tendon | R. Wardle
Return to racing after SDFT injury | R. Alzola
Complications of arthroscopic surgery | Bruce Bladon
Where are we and where are we going with objective lameness evaluation? | Filipe Serra Bragança
Objective lameness evaluation in clinical practice | Michael Schramme
Why I prefer subjective evaluation of lameness | Sue Dyson
CAT: Can I give alpha-2 agonists for blocking and accurately assess the horse’s lameness once blocked? | Michael De Cozar
Pragmatic approach to multi-limb lameness | Luis Rubio-Martinez
Changing disease patterns in an aging equine population | John Marshall
Fasted insulin for EMS diagnosis | R. Olley
Effects of Karo dose on oral sugar test | N. Jocelyn
PK and PD of oral pergolide in horses with PPID | D. Rendle
When nerve and joint blocks go wrong | Bruce Bladon
CAT: Is nuclear scintigraphy helpful in the diagnosis of chronic lameness in competition horses? | Jonathon Dixon
Evaluation of flexion tests | John Marshal
Owner perceptions of equine obesity | T. Furtado
Regional anaesthesia of the distal limb | Luis Rubio Martinez
Ultrasound of the distal limb | Roger Smith
Regional anaesthesia of the distal limb | Luis Rubio Martinez
Distal limb dissection Parts 1, 2, and 3 | Jean-Marie Denoix
Saturday Lameness Topics and Speakers
from the Main Congress Schedule
Emerging methods using ultrasound for detection of soft tissue musculoskeletal disease | Valeria Busoni
Is MRI of the proximal metacarpal or metatarsal region worth it? | Lucy Meehan
Body condition scoring – how to do it and how to engage horse-owners | Lizzie Drury
Use and abuse of NSAIDs | John Marshall
Live Horse Ultrasound with Jean-Marie Denoix | Sponsored by The International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology
Basics of medication of competition horses | Andrew Bathe
Do vets need to understand the rules of competition, showing and racing? | Jonathan Pycock
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Professor Renate Weller of the Royal Veterinary College, London, will be president of the British Equine Veterinary Association in 2018, following results of an election held this year. (BEVA photo)
The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) issued a press release this week with some news about a British veterinarian well-known to everyone exposed to equine hoof research. The Hoof Blog is happy to share this news.
That was the question at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress Farriery Day earlier this fall in Birmingham, England. One thing that came out of this day long poking and prodding of contemporary farriery was that you might think a bit before answering that question the next time someone poses it.
Professor Belknap surveyed farriers in the United States and Great Britain about their involvement with veterinarians in the treatment of laminitis and asked for their feedback about working relationships with veterinarians on foot cases. The survey also asked how farriers perceived the level to which the success or limitations of the farrier-vet relationship may affect the outcomes of cases or the perceptions of clients.
As the calendar gets ready to turn to September, it's time for the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress in Birmingham, England. The conference runs from September 10-13, with a full day "Foot and Farriery" program on September 13.
A new study published today in Great Britain sorts out what is likely to send horses to vets and farriers for treatment there, and you have to look pretty far down to find hoof-related problems (other than laminitis) on the list.
Great Britain's National Equine Health Survey (NEHS), held annually every May, has confirmed for the second year that lameness is the most common syndrome affecting the UK’s horses and ponies. This year’s top results, compiled in this report, have also revealed an apparent increase in laminitis compared with previous years.
The news is coming in from the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress, which ended yesterday at the National Exhibition Center at Birmingham, England.
Hoofcare & Lameness Consulting Editor Dr. Hilary Clayton, McPhail Chair in Sport Horse Lameness at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, was a popular speaker. Her lecture "Current Trends in Equine Gait Analysis" was sponsored by Equinalysis and will be summarized here as soon as possible.
Our British correspondent, Mark Andrews MRCVS, was at the conference and will provide his usual succinct reports.
Speaking of farriers, this year the BEVA Congress is hosting a full day of farriery speakers, moderated by Professor Renate Weller of the Royal Veterinary College, on Saturday, September 16. Farriers may attend the one-day session at a special rate, but the rate ends on August 4.
The news is coming in from the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress, which ended yesterday at the National Exhibition Center at Birmingham, England.