Candlewood Equine, LLC

Why our Vet Tech Needs a Vacation! Wedgewood Pharmacy Contest Entry

2011-10-17T12:14:00.002-04:00

This is a submission written by Dr. Ronald Emond for his vet tech, Angela Rimbach, in honor of National Vet Tech Week.

My vet technician, Angela, deserves a vacation because she puts up with me! An equine veterinarian and sole practitioner with a mobile practice and in-house reproduction clinic. We have a demanding practice with stallions sometimes arriving as early as 7:30 am for a collection. By that time, Angela, with a 45-minutes drive behind her, has already helped turn out horses, stocked the vet truck with inventory, ultrasounds, digital x-rays and everything else we need for a day on the road. After the collection, she climbs in the vet truck...and I mean climb - she is 5’4”, and drives while I call or do paperwork in our mobile office.
It’s a difficult day...she’s restrained horses, wrestled foals, held heads for dentals, tackled a goat, monitored anesthesia for a castration, and collected manure samples for parasite testing. After a smile for the clients- compassion for the horses- empathy for me while I agonize over a difficult diagnosis - we roll into the clinic after a long day and she efficiently reorganizes the truck, empties sharps containers, spins blood, prepares manure samples for testing, assists with mares to inseminate and is finally ready to leave. It can be a physically dangerous and emotionally demanding job. Some days she might witness abused, unwanted or hopelessly injured horses or suffered through a euthanasia. It can be stressful, but also extremely rewarding. It’s all in the day of a vet tech. As she gets in her car and waves goodnight... with yet another smile on her face, her phone rings and her three children (did I mention she has twins?) are wondering where she is? Dinner to get ready, her own horses to feed, homework to go over, and all before a 4-H meeting at 7:30- and she is the leader!

Candlewood Equine Implements New Deworming Strategy!

2010-01-15T14:15:00.003-05:00

New research discussed at the American Association of Equine Practitioners Annual Convention shows that dewormers used in the calendar-based 8-week rotational deworming program have become totally ineffective due to the presence of drug resistant parasites. Rotation of dewormers based on brand names and not chemical classes, deworming more frequently than necessary and under-dosing horses have all become contributors to parasite resistance.

Research has shown that horses evolved with their intestinal worms and small numbers of most worms do not cause any significant health impairment, but rather help to stimulate immunity that serves to protect the horse from the establishment of a more serious worm burden. Furthermore it has been found that about 20-30% of horses harbor about 80% of all the worms on the property. Thus, some horses carry extremely high amounts of parasites, even when treated with dewormers, while other horses have strong immunity and are infected with only a few worms. These infected horses continue to shed high amounts of parasitic eggs into the environment acting as reservoirs of contamination. Many of these infected horses may also appear to be unthrifty, hard keeping and some may tend to colic frequently.

Climate is also often overlooked. When the temperature is below 45℉, strongyle larvae development on pastures is arrested; when temperatures are above 85℉, strongyle larvae begin to die. Therefore, it is important for the horse owner to modernize their parasite control practices to meet the problems we now face.

Treatment programs based solely on the calendar without regard to the medical needs of the individual horse, the biology of the parasites, or whether the drug is actually effective against the target parasites can no longer be justified or recommended.

To deworm your horse properly, we are now recommending the following protocol:

Fecal egg counts need to be performed on all horses. After the parasite types are identified, the parasite egg shedders are then ranked accordingly (low, moderate, high).
We will then determine which drug is effective for each horse in the population based on parasite burden, previous deworming history, and time of year. Certain horses will require less or more frequent treatment.
The overall success of the worm control program will be evaluated by monitoring the fecal egg count of all horses on the property at certain intervals.

If you are concerned that the fecal egg counts will be too expensive, a recent cost analysis found that the cost of deworming your horse six times a year (approximately $110 per horse if rotating between the 3 main classes of dewormers) is more than the average two fecal egg counts and two dewormings ($90) based on this program. In addition, by using this system, you know if your parasite control program is working.

Treating blindly there is no way to tell if your program is effective and money can be wasted spent on a drug that does not work. The commonly used rotational program where all horses are treated on the same schedule with the same drug may be easy to manage, but we have found it does not address the health needs of the horse or the biology of the parasite and parasite-host interactions. Let us help you re-evaluate each horse as an individual patient with individual needs. By working together we can control parasite populations, combat resistance and get rotation right!

Classes and Seminars

2009-11-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

On November 2nd, Carol Baker's Equine Reproduction class from Post University visited our facilities for an in-house demonstration of equine reproduction techniques. Utilizing palpation and ultrasonography with a mare, we analyzed the images and discussed the anatomy and physiology of the mare's reproductive system, management for optimal breeding, and the mare's reproductive cycle. We also thawed out a frozen semen sample and using a phase contrast video imaging system illustrated sperm motility and morphology, artificial insemination of the mare and the use of fresh, cooled or frozen semen.

On November 9th, Sheryl Keeley's class from the Vet Tech Program at Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted, CT traveled to Harwinton for a lecture on Equine Restraint. Holly DiCrosta of Whispering Woods kindly donated the use of her facilities for the class. I reviewed the various restraint techniques used on horses; including physical and chemical. Students were given the opportunity to practice these techniques on volunteer horses using restrain apparatuses such as a nose twitch and chain lead shank.

In the future, we will post classes so our clients may also attend.

Upcoming Seminars

2009-11-10T08:38:00.004-05:00

As winter approaches and this hectic pace slows down, I am once again thinking of putting together a series of seminars based on the educational needs of my clients and their horses. If anyone has ideas or topics they would like put on the agenda, please let me know. In the past I have given a seminar on Equine First Aid and Emergency Management at Nonnewaug High School and am curious if anyone would like to see this again?

I will keep you informed as we narrow down topics and dates.

AAEP Convention

2009-11-10T08:35:00.005-05:00

In a few short weeks I will be attending the AAEP's 55th Annual Convention being held in Las Vegas, Nevada- December 5th-9th. There will be over 4,000 veterinarians gathered in one city with lectures, sessions, and labs covering topics in every aspect of equine healthcare. To top it all off - the National Finals Rodeo is also being held at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas that week and I hope to get tickets! I look forward to bringing back information on the latest advances in horse health to my clients.