Health

horses frolicking in mud

Your Vaccination Program may be Impacted by Climate Change

Learn more during Equine Guelph’s Vaccination Education Month in March Have you noticed bug season starting earlier and finishing later?  Have changes in the weather caused more standing water in your paddocks? If you answered yes to these questions and wonder how climate change may impact your horses, not to mention your vaccination program, read…

Horses drinking from trough

Colic Prevention Education Month 2024 Focuses on GI Health for Your Horse

February is Equine Guelph’s Colic Prevention Education Month when we tackle the number one killer of horses with our highly popular free healthcare tool, Colic Risk Rater (http://www.thehorseportal.ca/ColicTool). After you complete the free risk rater to assess your horse’s risk, you will have the option to learn more by signing up for Equine Guelph’s short…

Dr Arroyo discusses equine gut health in Equine Guelph 2024 Research Annual

A Stable Gut:  The Key to a Healthy Equine

Equine Guelph 2024 Research Annual Volume 21 – cover story by: Jackie Bellamy-Zions Gastrointestinal issues (GI) are the number one cause of morbidity in horses other than old age.   An unhealthy digestive system can cause poor performance, pain, discomfort, diarrhea, and a whole host of issues that can sideline your horse.  It’s no wonder researchers…

World Rabies Day

September 28 is World Rabies Day

Did you know there is a Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC)?  On September 28, 2023, GARC coordinates World Rabies Day and this year’s theme is: All for 1, One Health for All.  This date also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first Rabies vaccine.  The…

Pony grazing by approaching forest fire

Air Quality and Air Pollution’s Impact on Your Horse’s Lungs

Story by:  Dr. Janet Beeler-Marfisi There’s nothing like hearing a horse cough to set people scurrying around the barn to identify the culprit. After all, that cough could mean choke, or a respiratory virus has found its way into the barn. It could also indicate equine asthma. Yes, even those “everyday coughs” that we sometimes…

Anatomy of Horse illustration by Ruth Benns

The Impact of Antibiotics on the Equine Gut

The thinking on how we use antibiotics is changing in the world of medicine especially as we learn more about their impact on the inhabitants of the gut.  Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Dr. Diego Gomez, took part in a collaborative study with researchers across North America to study the effects of intravenous antimicrobials on the…

Gut Health and Colic

Equine Guelph declares February Colic Prevention Education Month

Equine Guelph has announced that the month of February, Canada’s coldest month, will be Colic Prevention Education Month. The next four weeks will be dedicated to increasing awareness of ways for caregivers to decrease the risk of colic in their horses. Although horses can be afflicted with gut pain in any season, the cold weather…

Diagram of a horse digestive tract

Equine Supplement Research Explores Potential Gastric Health Benefits

Collaborating on three recent research papers on a nutraceutical called ‘Gs Formula’, Dr. Wendy Pearson, PhD Associate Professor, at the University of Guelph has been very busy.  Approached by GS Organic solutions out in BC, Pearson has been investigating the potential for Gs Formula to improve gastric health, particularly for horses with a history of…

Don’t Let Dust Diminish Your Horse

Avoid asthma and respiratory issues with barn management Have you ever walked in a barn, and felt like your lungs were being assaulted? Imagine how a horse feels, particularly if they spend hours in a stall.  When horses exercise, they take on upwards of 16 times as much air per second than their human owners. …

Tick removal

What to do About Ticks

Both people and their animals have been encountering more ticks and there is a real concern when it comes to the possibilities of contracting Lyme disease.   Dr. Luis Arroyo, researcher at the Ontario Veterinary College was involved in a study on the growing numbers of ticks in southeastern Canada and the risk factors to horses. …

Coughing? The time to take action is now!

 Prevention of airway problems is the best way to protect your horse, but when not successful, what is next?  Early intervention is paramount when dealing with the irreversible disease, equine asthma, commonly referred to as heaves, RAO or IAD. Equine asthma starts off with a hypersensitivity reaction to particles in the air (e.g., dust, mould).…

Diagram of a horse digestive tract

The Healthy Horse: Understanding the Role of Equine Digestion & Nutrition Webinar

Take a journey through the horse’s digestive system in a free webinar April 14, 7pm-8:15pm EST.  Equine Guelph’s life size model of the digestive system will be featured so participants can identify what the entire tract looks like, how it works, and what this means for feeding horses. This  interactive webinar will help viewers understand strategies and…