Where passion for animals, science, and medicine lives…
Who of you can resist dipping your toes in an inviting lake or pond on a hot summer day? Even dogs appreciate the fun and relaxation that comes with swimming and wading in water. Hidden in that water are many toxins, some produced from harmful algal blooms. We will cover the most common ones here.
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Clean water is the key to maintaining any civilization. John Snow is credited with linking a cholera epidemic to contaminated drinking water in 1855. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diarrheal diseases (such as cholera) kill more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined, making diarrheal disease the second leading cause […]
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What happens when equine feet are neglected, or environmental conditions are less than ideal? The hoof is under constant assault from arid conditions, wet conditions, bacteria, fungi, and physical trauma. We will continue to address common hoof diseases here. In the previous post, we introduced the basics of hoof anatomy and care. The first ailment […]
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Benjamin Franklin once said: “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And […]
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Weaning will be upon us sooner than expected. Are your calves ready? Are they protected from blackleg? All breeds of calves are susceptible to blackleg, not just black ones. Beef cattle have a slightly higher risk, do to heavier muscling. Clostridium chauvoei causes an emphysematous swelling in muscles, affecting cattle and sheep. Also referred to […]
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Well, cholera me crazy to be talking about cholera in 2018. Isn’t this what my great-grandfathers’ dad had to worry about when horses where transport de jour, and the terms racist and two-ply didn’t exist? In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates up to 4 million people will suffer from cholera this year and […]
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It’s springtime again, and you should already have your mare booked to a stallion. If you have a Quarter Horse, you have the advantage of being able to utilize artificial insemination. If you choose live cover, there are a few infectious diseases you should be concerned about. One foreign animal disease (FAD) to remember is […]
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Oligodynamics: Copper, element 29, perches atop the eleventh column of the periodic table above some extraordinary transition metals. Leading the way with oligodynamic, or bacterial neutralizing properties, copper kills bacteria upon contact through several supposed methods. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, can reportedly kill a million coliform bacteria per millimeter. Despite copper […]
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A new type of infection first described in Australia in 1930 is in the news again. Known by many names, including Buruli ulcer, Barnsdale ulcer and Mossman ulcer, infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans causes severe, debilitating ulcers of the skin and soft tissue. This bacterium is in the same genus as tuberculosis and leprosy. Reports show […]
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Bacteria have evolved some very unique methods of transferring genes amongst themselves. One trait that is of high concern is antibiotic resistance. How is it that bacteria can so quickly develop resistance to a given antibiotic? The answer lies in conjugation, transformation, and transduction.
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