Cavalcade Education hosts CE-accredited seminar on Equine Allergies
On Thursday, October 27, at Cosimo's restaurant in Poughkeepsie, Cavalcade Education hosted an exclusive educational seminar as part of their ‘EATS’ program. The acronym stands for ‘Equine Ask the Specialist”; these events are dedicated to veterinarian and veterinary technician education.
Our two presenters, Dr. Sarah Reuss, VMD, DACVIM, Equine Technical Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim, and Dr. Lara Tomich, DVM, MS, DACVD, of Dermatology for Animals, flew in to New York share their expertise with an eager audience.
Dr. Sarah Reuss’ presentation focused on equine asthma. Her key takeaway points were:
Severity matters. In mild-to-moderate asthma cases, clinical signs are apparent only during exercise, not at rest. More importantly, this kind of asthma can be reversed and resolved before permanent damage is inflicted to the lungs.
Severe asthma, on the other hand, is associated with frequent coughing, exercise intolerance, and dyspnea (labored breathing), even at rest. The horse suffers from severe airflow limitation with permanent changes in the lung structure. Severe equine asthma is recurrent and progressive, and while clinical signs can be managed, the condition is irreversible once it has reached this advanced stage.
Good news: not all cases of mild-to-moderate asthma turn into the severe form of the disease. However, all severe cases do initially start as mild, with subtle signs.
The #1 risk factor for equine asthma is environmental challenges. The best thing you can do to help your asthmatic horse breathe easy is to reduce dust in his environment by adopting airway-friendly management practices. This means putting horses outside when mucking stalls, dampening the aisle before sweeping, and using an old-fashioned broom instead of a leaf blower - the latter has been shown to leave dust particles hanging in the air for up to four hours after use. With sensitive horses, soaking or steaming hay to reduce dust, or favoring haylage, may also be warranted.
Boehringer Ingelheim is the maker of both Aservo EquiHaler (ciclesonide inhalation spray) and Ventipulmin syrup (Clenbuterol HCl). For more information on these medications, visit https://aservoequihaler.com/ and https://www.bi-vetmedica.com/species/equine/products/ventipulmin.html.
In her presentation, titled ‘The Skinny on Equine Derm: Approach to the Allergic Patient’, Dr. Lara Tomich shared helpful tips for horse owners trying to manage insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) within their herds:
Cover your horses in fly sheets impregnated with the insect repeller permethrin.
Use halters with pockets designed for repellent sticks or sprays.
Install fly traps around your barn to reduce the flying insect population in your horse’s living quarters
Keep affected horses far away from standing water, because ponds and puddles are breeding grounds for biting insects.
Keep your horses inside at dusk, which is prime feeding time for biting insects. Ideally, IBH-affected horses should be turned out after sunset and brought in before sunrise.
Cavalcade Education is a partnership between Rhinebeck Equine, Millbrook Equine, and the Equine Clinic At Oakencroft. For more information on past and future events offered by Cavalcade Education - both for horse owners and for equine professionals - visit www.cavalcadeeducation.com/events.
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About Cavalcade Management Group
Established in 2019, the Cavalcade Management Group is a joint venture management company created by the partners of Millbrook Equine, Rhinebeck Equine, and The Equine Clinic at OakenCroft. The company aims to create a novel structure that offers the scale and support of a larger entity, while retaining the independence of the individual practices. To get involved, reach out to Cavalcade’s marketing manager Natasha Sprengers-Levine natasha@millbrookequine.com
About Millbrook Equine:
Millbrook Equine Veterinary Clinic is committed to providing personalized care and accessible service to horses and their owners in the Hudson Valley and surrounding region. Our exclusively equine practice includes six doctors with varying interests and areas of expertise. With our team oriented, common-sense approach, we invest in the dreams of every client and their horse. Contact millbrookequine.com or visit us on Facebook or Instagram for more information.
About Rhinebeck Equine:
Rhinebeck Equine LLP is dedicated to improving the health and welfare of the horse, while exceeding our clients' expectations for compassionate care. The Rhinebeck Equine team offers a full spectrum of services providing comprehensive equine health care at the farm and in our full service referral hospital. Services include surgery, internal medicine, sport horse care, lameness evaluations, pre-purchase exams, reproduction, neonatal care, ophthalmology, dentistry and wellness care. For more information, visit www.rhinebeckequine.com or visit us on Facebook or Instagram.
About The Equine Clinic at OakenCroft:
The Equine Clinic at OakenCroft is a ten veterinarian equine exclusive practice serving the capital region of New York and western Massachusetts. Our veterinarians are available to take care of all your equine health needs, all day every day. We offer up-to-date techniques and technology for the benefit of our patients. Please visit our website at www.oakencroftequine.com and on Facebook and Instagram.