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Released July 31, 2008

LARAMIE, Wyo. - The University of Wyoming’s College of Agriculture, in collaboration with two state agencies, has published a comprehensive bulletin on water quality as it pertains to the health of livestock and wildlife.

“The target audience is anyone with an interest in water quality as it relates to animal health, including veterinarians, livestock producers, wildlife managers, conservationists, regulatory officials, extension educators and others,” said the lead author, Merl Raisbeck, a professor in the UW College of Agriculture’s Department of Veterinary Sciences.

“The controversies surrounding water produced by coal-bed methane (CBM) development in Wyoming stimulated enough interest we were able to get funding to undertake this concerted effort,” Raisbeck said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t more than 10,000 man-hours in this project.”

Funding for the research and subsequent 94-page bulletin, B-1183, Water Quality for Wyoming Livestock & Wildlife, was provided by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ).

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) was also involved in the project.

B-1183 is available on the UW Cooperative Extension Service Web site at http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/B1183.pdf into the Publication Number slot.

The Web site also has information for ordering hardcopies, which are $9 each.

Raisbeck and seven others performed an exhaustive review of scientific literature pertaining to the most common contaminants in Wyoming’s water and their potential effects on cattle, horses, domestic sheep, deer, elk and pronghorn antelope. The report targeted domestic livestock and wildlife that rely upon wells, ponds, streams, and other water sources in Wyoming, including water produced by CBM development.

“The last concerted effort in the United States to summarize the literature regarding water quality for animals was conducted in the early 1970s by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS),” Raisbeck said. “That was a good study, well done, but there has been much research conducted around the country since then.”

For example, Raisbeck said, research conducted since the NAS review demonstrated sulfur can cause ruminant polio in cows, sheep, elk and deer.

Raisbeck emphasized his team didn’t conduct new research for the bulletin but instead examined refereed journals, textbooks, proceedings from conferences, abstracts and theses, notably those published during the past 20 years.

The bulletin cites 663 sources.

“It was our absolutely best effort in compiling all of the relevant information available at this time on toxicants in water,” Raisbeck said. “It’s the same information others would find if they had a month per toxicant to dig through the literature.”

The bulletin reviews literature pertaining to arsenic, barium, fluoride, molybdenum, nitrate/nitrite, pH, selenium, sodium chloride, sulfur and total dissolved solids. It examines how each is metabolized by livestock and wildlife and at what levels in water they are toxic to animals.

“I would prefer this document would go into decision making versus going into court after a wreck, after you have a bunch of dead animals,” Raisbeck said. “The energy boom is why we got the money to do this, but I want to emphasize the report is based on science, not politics.”

Raisbeck said billions of gallons of groundwater have been pumped to the surface in areas of Wyoming where CBM gas is being produced, prompting concerns about water quality in relation to consumption by livestock and wildlife.

“There is a lot of misinformation on the Web relating to water quality and animals, which has made it difficult to separate truth from fiction,” Raisbeck said. “A lot of misinformation has been cited and then recited and recited.”

He added, “We believe this report represents a reasonable starting point for evaluating the adequacy of water quality for animals.”

Other authors include Sarah Riker of Dubois, who graduated from the UW College of Agriculture in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in animal and veterinary sciences and is now attending veterinary school at Colorado State University; Cynthia Tate, assistant veterinarian for the WGFD based in Laramie; Rich Jackson of Nampa, Idaho, a Ph.D. student in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Renewable Resources; Mike Smith and KJ Reddy, professors in the Department of Renewable Resources; and Jennifer Zygmunt, who graduated from UW in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in botany and is now an environmental analyst with the WDEQ’s Water Quality Division in Cheyenne.

Also contributing was Becky Dailey of Cheyenne, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Veterinary Sciences.

Persons with questions about the bulletin may contact Raisbeck at (307) 742-6681, extension 231, or e-mail him at raisbeck@uwyo.edu.

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http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news/Bulletin_b-1183.asp

Contact: Robert Waggener,(307) 766-3571, robertw@uwyo.edu

NSBA “In the Stands” Judging Contest

Who: Open to all spectators and exhibitors

What: "In the Stands" Judging Contest

When: Saturday, August 23, 8:00 AM

Where: NSBA World Championship Show Ford Truck Arena

Test your judging skills and match the results with the World Show officials. Entries will be taken in the show office prior to the start of the show Saturday, August 23. A $5 entry fee will entitle you to judge the first 8 classes of the morning using official NSBA judges cards. Contestants will place the top 5 horses in each class. The composite of the judges scores will determine the final placings for the class.

The final payout schedule will be awarded in a youth (18 & under) and adult division as follows:

1st place-$400
2nd place$250
3rd place $100

Winners will be announced and prizes awarded prior to the 3 Year Old Open Western Pleasure that evening.

For more information, visit www.nsba.com

Released Aug. 3, 2008

URBANA, Ill. - One of the best known cures for relieving someone of the hiccups is a good, old-fashioned scare. However, what do you do when it seems that your horse has a case of the hiccups? Sneaking up behind a 1,000 pound thoroughbred and yelling "Boo!," is not advisable for several reasons. For one, you might just get a surprise of your own.

The medical term for the noise we commonly refer to as hiccups is synchronous diaphragmatic flutter or singultus. But in horses it has been specifically called thumps since 1831 when a veterinarian first reported a thumping noise coming from the abdomen of a horse that just ran 13 miles.

"Thumps in and of itself is not a problem," says Dr. Cristobal Navas de Solís, an equine internal medicine resident at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital. "But if a horse does have thumps, there is usually an underlying cause that needs to be treated," he explains.

Many horses that present with the anomaly are endurance athletes that have an electrolyte imbalance and significant fluid loss after an exhaustive workout. For example, thumps is common in Arabian horses competing in long distance races that last 25, 50, or even 100 miles. "Typically these patients are dehydrated and have low blood calcium levels," mentions Dr. Navas de Solís, "but once you treat the underlying problem the thumps usually disappear on their own."

Thumps in horses, and hiccups in humans, although both referred to as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter to the medical experts in each field, are slightly different variations upon the same theme. For one, hiccups in humans are not commonly associated with electrolyte imbalances.

Secondly, the location from which we hear the characteristic noise coming also differs in horse and man. The "hic" we hear in humans is caused by the closure of the vocal chords after the diaphragm spasmodically contracts, quickly inflating the lungs. In horses, however, veterinarians and owners that have witnessed the ailment can attest that the abnormal noise comes from the animal's side.

Low blood calcium levels are the classic abnormality associated with thumps. This may make the phrenic nerve, which runs along both sides of the heart and controls diaphragm movements, more easily excitable. But it is also a good idea to check all electrolyte levels, especially magnesium, potassium, sodium and chlorine.

In a typical scenario with a dehydrated horse and abnormal electrolyte levels, the phrenic nerve might begin to fire at the rate of which the atria of the heart contract. In short, the nerve is inappropriately obeying firing instructions from the heart, instead of the brain, to control diaphragm movements.

"Usually we see the horse's abdomen contract 40-50 times per minute," says Dr. Navas de Solís. Typically, each contraction occurs at the same time the heart beats, but in rare cases that does not always happen, nor do the thumps have to occur on both sides of the horse.

Though hiccups in humans are quite harmless, thumps in horses are usually linked to an abnormality that warrants attention. If you hear the telltale sounds--and don't suspect your horse has merely gotten into the Kentucky bourbon--contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

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http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news4462.html

Contact: Ashley Mitek, 217-333-2907, ope@cvm.uiuc.edu

Released July 24, 2008

MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. -- Preparing large animal patients for evaluation, treatment and care is a huge responsibility.

Four technicians at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine assume that role each day. Their ability to mobilize veterinary personnel helps the college maintain a high level of service and outreach.

With more than 40 years combined service, Becky Harrison, Linda Jackson, Dana Miller and Terri Snead work in areas of animal medicine as varied as their personalities. Harrison is a population medicine technician at the Morgan Freeman Equine Reproduction Research Unit, and Miller has the same position with the Food Animal Clinic. Jackson and Snead work in the Field Services Unit where Jackson is an assistant and Snead serves as a production medicine technician.

The four coordinate veterinary functions that help the medical staff manage their caseloads. These jobs include farm visit and ambulatory scheduling, equipment maintenance, medical records and billing management, and medical care assistance.

Dr. Richard Hopper, professor of large animal reproduction, or theriogenology, said the four are dedicated professionals who make his role as their primary supervisor an enjoyable interaction.

“If a problem arises, I ask them how they think it should be handled,” he said. “They work things out in a way that works best for our group. They appreciate that I don’t micromanage the process, and they, in turn, feel invested in the outcome.”

Hopper said that by performing their duties with poise and finesse, the four women raise the confidence of veterinary students learning to deal with both predictable and unexpected changes in animal behavior resulting from medical intervention.

“Because these individuals demonstrate animal handling to our veterinary students, the students can move, calm and restrain the patients more safely as we care for them,” he said.

Providing Assistance…

Harrison’s goal for the equine unit is to keep clients happy and horses comfortable. She is responsible for scheduling artificial insemination, embryo transfer and other reproductive procedures that clients request. She must determine what supplies are needed and the method of preparation to further conception.

“In a normal day, I may set up numerous shipments of horse semen all over the country,” she said. “I have learned much about overnight mail and airlines.”

Fielding Calls…

Jackson handles the logistics of off-campus visits by personnel in the Field Services Unit. If travel is necessary, she checks the field service vehicles, restocks depleted supplies, and schedules maintenance for vehicles and equipment. Additionally, Jackson books travel schedules for veterinarians, support staff and students assigned to a field call.

“I enjoy watching students as they get involved with treating animals in hopes of getting them well,” she said. “The students get so excited when they see an animal recover, and they learn to act humanely as veterinarians to prevent further suffering.”

Check-in Point…

When food animals, such as beef and dairy cattle, are admitted to the Food Animal Clinic, Miller is often the first person on the scene. After talking with a client, she schedules the visit and makes sure veterinary staff will be available when the animal arrives. At times Miller is asked to assist with the examination.

“I learn something new from every clinician I work with, which is one of the things I like most about this job,” she said. “The clients are some of the best and most interesting people to work with also.”

Conduit for Care…

There are instances on the job when Snead functions as the go-between for veterinarians on campus and clients in the field. Many clients rely on her ability to brief medical personnel working the case for the first time. The opportunity to help gives Snead great satisfaction.

“One day we may deal with a sick calf brought to the hospital, and the next day we may work 300 cows out in the field,” she said. “I enjoy interacting with our production animal clients because they have a true respect for the land and their animals.”

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http://msucares.com/news/print/cvm/cvm08/080724.html

Contact: Dr. Richard Hopper, (662) 325-3432