What Is The Vector For Potomac Horse Fever?

Potomac horse fever (PHF) is an acute enterocolitis syndrome producing mild colic, fever, and diarrhea in horses of all ages, as well as abortion in pregnant mares. The causative agent is Neorickettsia risticii. How is Potomac horse fever transmitted? Transmission: Aquatic insects, such as caddisflies, mayflies, damselflies and dragonflies, containing Read more…

Where Do Horses Get Zinc?

An average 1,100-pound (500-kilogram) horse requires a minimum of 400-500 milligrams of Zn in the diet per day. Wheat bran, wheat middlings, and brewer’s grains are good Zn sources. Most forages contain low- to marginal Zn concentration, but fortified commercial concentrates typically contain sufficient amounts. What causes zinc deficiency in Read more…

Can Donkeys Get Potomac Horse Fever?

Natural infection of neorickettsiosis (Potomac horse fever) has not been reported in the donkey but could be replicated experimentally [18]. What are the common diseases in donkeys? Just like horses, donkeys and mules are also susceptible to infection by important virus such as equine infectious anemia (EIA), the eastern, western Read more…

Do All Horses Shed?

Each horse should shed on a consistent schedule each year; even though that timeframe may be different for each horse. Individual horses will also shed their winter coat in the same pattern each year (i.e., shedding from their necks first and then along their flanks). Why isn’t my horse shedding? Read more…

What Is A Capped Knee Horse?

Capped joints are fluid filled swellings which occur over the dorsal surfaces of the carpi, points of the elbows or plantar surfaces of the hocks. Can you ride a horse with capped hocks? An uncomplicated capped hock is considered to be only a cosmetic problem for the horse, and will Read more…