equine

  • Safeguarding Texas livestock from skin infections after severe weather

    As hurricane season ramps up in Texas, so do threats to livestock health. Beyond downed fences and flooded pastures, contaminated water can quietly set the stage for dangerous skin infections in cattle, horses, sheep and goats. June marks the start of hurricane season, and each year the southern United States experiences increasingly intense and frequent…

  • Measuring equine breeding soundness with diagnostics

    Extended daylight in the spring signals the start of the equine breeding season. Sunlight stimulates the release of hormones that influence ovarian activity. Before breeding mares, it is crucial to conduct a comprehensive reproductive evaluation. A complete breeding soundness examination includes an overview of the overall health of the mare, a physical evaluation of the…

  • Preventing strangles through diagnostic testing

    Strangles is a highly contagious respiratory disease in horses caused by the bacterium Streptococcus equi subspecies equi. Horses of all ages can be affected by the infection, but younger horses are especially vulnerable. Although the mortality rate for strangles is low, the disease can develop into more complicated problems if untreated. In rare cases, the…

  • From Polish farm to freestyle victory: TVMDL technician achieves dream of competing in the Thoroughbred Makeover

    One afternoon in the Polish countryside a family and their plow-horse, Kasztan, were strolling along a quiet road. Six-year-old Julie Anna Prusak sat in front of her five-year-old cousin Szczepan, Polish for Stephen, as they rode on the horse’s bare back. With Prusak’s uncle Tadek holding the lead rope, the children were enjoying the ride…

  • More is not always better – Frequent deworming could “stirrup” trouble for equine owners

    Gastrointestinal, GI, parasites bring serious concern to equine health. Among the various types of parasites includes the most common nematodes from the Strongylidae family. In the last two years, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, has detected parasites in approximately 49% of equine fecal samples submitted for parasitology testing. Of this group, 45%…

  • Equine owners advised to act against EEE

    This article was originally published in AgriLife Today. A Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, expert advises horse owners to take proactive steps to protect their horses after cases of eastern equine encephalitis, EEE, infections in two Houston County horses were confirmed. These are the first reported cases of the mosquito-borne illness in Texas, according to…

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