One of the competitors at the Devon Horse Show this year will be an unlikely Thoroughbred champion currently undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center.

As the weather warms up and the grass starts to green, it is tempting to turn horses out on pasture.

Pusterla’s study, presented at the American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, examined 268 horses from eight outbreaks in six states, including California. The researchers were able to determine several items, including length of infectiousness, common clinical signs, and the most effective method of testing.

Once at the VMTH, Drs. Monica Aleman, Krista Estell and Elsbeth Swain, with the Equine Medicine Service, quickly took notice of his symptoms – anorexia, lethargy, fever, diarrhea, colic. All of these are common signs of equine coronavirus (ECoV) infection, a recently discovered contagious disease that has been on the rise in adult horses.

The weather has been wet and soggy and now it’s warming up – a combination which means (among other things): more mosquitoes and a higher risk of mosquito-borne diseases to humans, pets and livestock.

If something should happen to your pet en route or at your destination, it is important to be able to find a veterinarian quickly. A great resource is the AVMA’s MyVeterinarian.com, where you can search vets by zip code or city/state.

Hay quality has a big influence on animal performance—for health and body condition, growth of young horses, broodmares, stallions, show horses, etc.

No matter the discipline, proper conditioning is a key element toward enhancing your horse’s athletic performance and its ability to endure the activity without succumbing to injury or health problems.

“Initially, animals will arch their backs, show an anxious expression or be reluctant to move, using an uneasy, careful gait,” Troxel said. “Forced sudden movements as well as defecating, urinating, lying down, getting up, and stepping over barriers may be accompanied by groaning.”

“The signs range from depression, muscle weakness, recumbency, choke or colic-like symptoms to dark red urine. The sooner AM is diagnosed the better the likely outcome.”