veterinarians

Edited Press Release The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is accepting new applications for experienced industry experts to join HISA's Horsemen's Advisory Group to replace several members whose terms are up at the end of the year. The Advisory Group was formed by HISA in 2022 to provide formal feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of its Racetrack Safety Program and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The Advisory Group has been responsible for recommending a number of rule modifications that were...

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies have launched a new study that focuses on equine foot health and care. The study, open to equine veterinary practitioners and professional farriers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, seeks their input to help quantify key aspects of hoof knowledge, care and maintenance. Topics included in the study: demographic information, hoof education and knowledge, perceptions of collaborative efforts among the surveyed populations, as well as questions on hoof mechanics, recommendations for hoof specific...

Edited Press Release The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is now accepting new applications for experienced industry experts to join HISA's Horsemen's Advisory Group. The Advisory Group was formed by HISA in 2022 to provide formal feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of its Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) regulations. The Advisory Group has been responsible for recommending a number of substantive modifications to the HISA Rules that were ultimately approved by the HISA Board. Now that 18 months...

Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital is set to host the Third Rood & Riddle International Podiatry Conference Apr. 19-20 at the Rood & Riddle Podiatry Center in Lexington, Ky. The seminar is tailored for veterinarians and farriers, aiming to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange in equine podiatry. The conference will explore key areas such as biomechanics, laminitis, and the latest innovations in the field. Distinguished speakers from the equine industry, including Andrew van Eps, BVSc., PhD., MACVSc., DACVIM, from the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, will lead lectures.

Progress towards a new School of Veterinary Medicine at Murray State University continues to be made, as the Kentucky House of Representatives passed House Bill 400 Feb. 15, the institution of higher learning said in a release late Thursday. After advancing from the House Agriculture Committee Feb. 7, the bill, introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chair Richard Heath, would amend the existing state statute to allow Murray State to offer doctoral degrees required to become licensed in veterinary medicine. A complementary piece of legislation, Senate Bill 189, was introduced by...

As we approach the beginning of the Thoroughbred yearling sales season, it is worth reflecting on the process used by buyers to select their racing and sales prospects.  Part of the process includes veterinary scrutiny of the radiographs of yearling's' joints.  Veterinarians review the radiographs, note any abnormal findings, and then are called upon to assign a level of risk for racing and / or resale that the findings may represent.  Another layer of due diligence in recent years has been ultrasound examination of horses' limbs for soft tissue abnormalities,...

In an attempt to help shield California's backstretch veterinary community from possible further punitive actions by the Veterinary Medical Board (VMB), the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has issued proposed emergency regulations designed to clear up discord between these two agencies about the correct use of compounded medications across California's backstretches. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines the compounding of drugs as "the process of combining, mixing, or altering ingredients to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient. Compounding includes the combining of two or...

Editor's note: Jockey and veterinarian Ferrin Peterson is traveling in Southeast Asia to help refugee groups with the veterinary care their animals need, helping humans to survive the refugee crisis in a war-torn area. Click here to read yesterday's blog post. Once we reach the village, we set up camp which means successfully tying up your hammock between two sturdy trees to sleep in overnight. We bathe and wash our clothes in the river, and the pack animal team roams freely like a herd of wild horses. They always return...

At the quarterly California Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) meeting Wednesday, the board acknowledged that yawning practical and philosophical differences between the agency and the state's equine practitioners urgently need to be addressed. According to Richard Sullivan, chair of the VMB's Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee, this disconnect concerns approaches to record keeping and the Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR), calling efforts to bridge this divide as "a huge task, but a very necessary one." During the public comment period at the start of the meeting, former California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director...

InCompass Solutions has launched EquiTAPS, a free service that enables users to submit veterinary treatment and procedure records to racing authorities for horses in their care and to give authorized parties in other jurisdictions access to those records. EquiTAPS satisfies reporting requirements as set forth by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and will accept records submitted by covered persons as defined by HISA, including trainers and veterinarians. When required by HISA's regulations, treatment and procedure information entered into EquiTAPS will be automatically forwarded to HISA. "We are excited...

It must have become rather irritating for virologists, over the past couple of years, to hear so many of us appointing ourselves overnight experts on the best ways to tackle a pandemic. But that was a familiar enough experience for Dr. Peter Timoney, thinking back 20 years to the harrowing time when the Bluegrass was gripped by panic over Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS). At the very time when his skills were most precious, as a world authority on equine virology based right there at the University of Kentucky, so...

   The TDN's 'Let's Talk'--a podcast series featuring TDN's Christina Bossinakis and TVG's on-air analyst Gabby Gaudet, offers candid discussion on personal and professional issues often faced within the racing community.    The latest edition presents a trio of successful veterinarians--The Stronach Group's Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Dionne Benson, equine surgeon Dr. Patty Hogan (Hogan Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, NJ) and longtime racetrack practitioner Dr. Bill Hawk, who counts Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen among his vast clientele. Over the course of the last decade, racing has faced significant...