Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
Stacey Oke, DVM, MSC, is a freelance medical writer based out of Canada. Her areas of interest are nutrition, supplements and osteoarthritis, and she contributes to scientific journals, magazines, and tabloid publications. When not writing, Stacey whiles away her days with her husband and two children.
Articles by Stacey Oke
Parasiticidal Resistance Reported in New Study
June 19, 2008
Kentucky researchers report that roundworms and small strongyles, two common equine intestinal parasites, are developing resistance against most of the commercially available worming products. What's worse, no new drugs against either of these Read More
Vitamin E and Horse Health: Myth or Miracle?
June 15, 2008
Vitamin E, widely referred to as the Wonder Supplement, might indeed live up to its reputation. According to a recent study, healthy adult horses fed vitamin E had higher concentrations of the vitamin in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid than Read More
Providing Horse Transport Breaks
June 11, 2008
"Since transport is known to be stressful and few studies have examined the effect of a mid-journey rest, the purpose of this study was to examine if a 12-hour rest and feeding stop during a long journey would impact the horses' immune response," Read More
Risk Factors for Atypical Myopathy
June 07, 2008
Aggressive research efforts by Belgian veterinarians have culminated in the identification of numerous indicators or factors--including horse management and pasture characteristics--associated with atypical myopathy, a rapidly developing and fatal di Read More
Brain Dysfunction in Cribbing Horses Gives Researchers Something to Chew On
June 03, 2008
In the first study of its kind, researchers from the United Kingdom have discovered that cribbing horses learn differently than horses that don't crib.
Cribbing is a stereotypy in which a horse grasps an object between his incisor teeth and Read More
Decreasing Risk of Enterolithiasis: Hay Type and Pasture
June 02, 2008
Too much alfalfa, too little oat and grass hay, and limited access to pasture grazing are important factors that put horses at risk for developing enterolithiasis (intestinal stones that have the potential to cause colic). Read More
Farm Equipment for Large and Small Facilities
June 01, 2008
From tried and true to novel and exciting, these are the products, services, and techniques that our experts are recommending to facilitate equine management. Read More
Merits of Standing Eye Enucleation Revealed
May 13, 2008
In the first multi-institutional study of its kind, researchers recently reported that eye enucleation (surgical removal of the eye and associated structures) with the horse standing and sedated is safer and more economical than the traditional Read More
Do Tapeworms Cause Colic? Age-Old Question Remains Unanswered
May 09, 2008
Further complicating the debate regarding whether or not the equine tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata causes colic in horses, Canadian researchers did not find evidence of a significant association between A. perfoliata infection and Read More
Permanent Tracheostomy Safe and Effective in Select Horses
May 08, 2008
Creating a permanent hole in the windpipe of horses through a tracheostomy might be the treatment of choice. Read More
Understanding Feeds for the Busy Owner
May 01, 2008
Providing a complete diet for your horse does not have to be time-consuming or expensive. Read More
Oral Joint Supplements for Horses
May 01, 2008
With scores of oral joint health supplements on the market, how do horse owners know which to buy? This article examines the current state of the equine nutritional supplement industry, and it presents a seven-step "ACCLAIM" approach for horse owners Read More
Ponazuril and EPM: An Ounce of Prevention
April 25, 2008
Researchers at the University of Florida studying equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) recently found that administering ponazuril once every seven days might prevent EPM caused by Sarcocystis neurona.
Equine protozoal Read More
Azithromycin Protects Foals Against <i>R. equi</i> in New Study
April 22, 2008
Texas A&M researchers have discovered they can reduce the incidence of foal pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi by giving the antimicrobial drug azithromycin during foals' first two weeks of life.
Rhodococcus equi (R. Read More
Muscle Disorders in Warmbloods Easily Diagnosed through Biopsy
April 16, 2008
Owners of Warmbloods with debilitating--or sometimes just plain baffling--muscle disorders can get useful and reliable answers about their horses' conditions through a relatively simple muscle biopsy. So say University of Minnesota researchers, Read More
Heart Murmurs: No Impact on Racing Performance in New Study
April 15, 2008
According to a group of researchers from the United Kingdom, heart murmurs are common in athletic horses, but do not negatively impact racing performance.
"A high prevalence of heart murmurs is known to exist in horses," explained Lesley Read More
Study: Small Strongyles Developing Resistance to Ivermectin
April 14, 2008
Researchers in Central Kentucky have suggested that small strongyles might be developing resistance to ivermectin (a commonly administered broad spectrum anti-parasitic drug). The scientists found that the number of parasite eggs in study Read More
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy: Blame It on the Genes
April 11, 2008
A genetic mutation in an enzyme called muscle glycogen synthase might be responsible for polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM)--a debilitating and life-threatening disease in horses characterized by abnormally high glycogen (the storage form of Read More
West Nile Virus 'Hot Spots' Identified in Texas
April 10, 2008
In a recently published study Texas A&M University veterinarians identified two "hot spots" of West Nile virus (WNV) based on data they collected between 2002 and 2004. One of these spots is in northwestern Texas and the other in an eastern Read More
New Laminitis Treatment Technique: Preliminary Study Performed
April 04, 2008
The purpose of our study was to determine if plasmid-mediated gene therapy in combination with electroporation was possible in the horse, particularly for the treatment of clinically important diseases such as laminitis. Read More
Virulent<i> Rhodococcus equi</i> in Soil Not an Indicator of Pneumonia Problems
April 01, 2008
The amount and type of Rhodococcus equi in a farm's soil is not an indicator of an increased likelihood of having foal pneumonia cases caused by this bug, reported researchers from Texas A&M University. Additionally, Read More
Glucosamine and Joint Health: Pharmacologic Research Ongoing
March 26, 2008
Canadian researchers recently compared the pharmacologic properties of two different forms of glucosamine--hydrochloride and sulphate. They measured significantly higher levels of glucosamine in synovial fluid samples from horses receiving the oral Read More
Fighting Equine Influenza: Winning the Battle but Losing the War?
March 18, 2008
Over the course of a few short months, the Australian horse flu outbreak cost the country approximately $100 million AU ($92.6 million US) and caused racing, breeding, and other performance horse-related activities to effectively grind to a halt Read More
Tool to Detect Osteoarthritis in Athletic Horses Developed
March 16, 2008
Italian researchers have devised a novel technique for evaluating osteoarthritis in performance horses via measurement of metabolic products in synovial fluid. They do this by using a specialized imaging technique for liquids known as proto Read More
Equine Herpesvirus-1: Mutant Strain an Emerging Problem
March 14, 2008
Scientists from the Gluck Equine Research Center and the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center at the University of Kentucky recently reported that a particular mutant form of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) that causes myeloencephalopathy (a Read More
