New Health Advice section covering Vaccinations in particular Equine Influenza vaccination.

HOPEFULLY you all have your horse’s vaccinated against Equine Influenza….but what does that mean?  what is in that vial of vaccine? and why have I chosen this vaccine to use?

Equine Influenza is a large, continually evolving virus family split into groups or lineage.

Since 2011 almost ALL the equine flu outbreaks in Europe belong to clade 2 of the Florida sublineage, while a few are from Clade 1.  Whereas in the USA and Latin America, mostly clade 1 virus are isolated.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recommend that vaccines should contain both Clade 1 and Clade 2 strains of the Florida sublineage in order to ensure optimum protection.

My vaccine, PROTEQFLU, not only contains Clade 1 and Clade 2 strains of the Florida sublineage BUT it is the only such vaccine on the market to offer such protection.

As they say never accept compromise….

Phenylbutazone, Annexe IX and Horses ‘intended for human consumption’.

Horses, ponies and donkeys are considered to be food producing animals in the EU. That means any drugs administered to these animals must state a Minimal Withdrawl time afterwhich the animal may be slaughtered and the meat deemed free of medicinal residues and safe to eat. 

Unfortunately due to the present economic situation, the number of horses being slaughtered for human consumption has almost doubled over the last three years, and now represents approximately 1 percent of the UK horse population.

Therefore we cannot ignore the FACT that significant number of horses do enter the food chain each year, though normally for Export trade only.

DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency have been reminding veterinary surgeons that phenylbutazone (Equipalazone® and ProDynam®), and suxibuzone (Danilon®), cannot be used in animals intended for human consumption.  

The background to this ban is that when Phenylbutazone was initially licensed, as a veterinary product, no Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) were established.  These MRLs determine the Minimum withdrawl time, after which a treated animal can be safely slaughtered, without any residues of administered drug being present in the carcase. 

The human medical concerns relating to phenylbutazone being present in the carcase surround the myelotoxic effects of phenylbutazone in humans, carcinogenic, nephrotoxic and hepatoxic effects in laboratory animals, and evidence of mutagenic activity in lymphocytes in human lymphocytes.

However as Phenylbutazone is such a useful Non-steroid Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID) for the management of orthopaedic conditions, the drug was licenced but, mindful of food safety issues, restricted to the use in non-food horses only. 

So whenever prescribing phenylbutazone or suxibuzone vets must ensure that part II of section IX of the horse passport is signed to exclude the horse from the food chain.

Horses or Ponies treated with ‘Bute’ must not enter the food chain, and their passports must be signed at part II of section IX to indicate that the animal is not intended for human consumption.

This is an irreversible decision.  Once confirmed ‘not intended for human consumption’ the horse may never enter the human food chain. 

Bute is not only medication that requires Owners to sign part II of the section IX. Other commonly used drugs include:

• Cronxyin (flunixin painkiller)
• Depocillin (penicillin anitbiotic)
• Dexadreson (betamethasone steroid)
• Intra Epicaine (local anaesthetic used in nerve blocks)

 In fact it may be IMPOSSIBLE to find a PET horse QUALIFIED to enter the human food chain considering the number of medications that exclude them!

Due to recent publicity surrounding this issue ALL carcasses are now being tested for phenylbutazone residues. DEFRA and the FSA have indicated a desire to prosecute individuals who ignore the Horse Passport regulations. 

The Equine Passport exist to protect public health and ensure that veterinary medication continues to be available.

 Further information about Horse Passports is available from the Horse Passports team within Defra – tel: 020 7238 6039, email: horse.passports@defra.gsi.gov.uk, http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/horses/

EQUINE INFECTIOUS ANAEMIA  diagnosed in Cornwall 

Equine Infectious Anaemia is a virus disease of horses causing intermittent fever, anaemia, emaciation and death. It is transmitted normally is through large biting flies such as horseflies or stable flies.

It’s a rare condition and the last case of EIA in the UK was confirmed in September 2010.

Transmission of the disease may occur where there are adult flies of this type in proximity to infected horses. The adult flies are usually active between May and October, with activity peaking in July-August. The flies normally travel no more than 200m to feed so it is very unlikely infected flies to spread far from the point of an infected horse.  It can also be spread by procedures that might result in transmission of small amounts of blood from an infected horse to penetrate the skin of another horse.

The incubation period is variable, from a matter of days to a few months but generally one to three weeks. It can be fatal for horses but even if a horse recovers it remains infectious for life [which is why it is important to destroy animal infected with the condition]. It is a notifiable disease and if suspected must be reported to a vet.

For further information, please visit the Equine Infectious Anaemia pages on the Defra website at http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz/eia/