Recent News for Genetic Problems
Article
Medicinal Control of Tying-Up
December 01, 2004
Dantrolene sodium (Dantrium) is used to control exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER, also called tying-up) in horses. Diagnosis of ER is typically confirmed by a finding of increased serum creatine kinase (CK), which is often greater than 1,000 IU at... Read More
Article
Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis and Colic
September 01, 2004
Q: I have a 4-year-old Quarter Horse gelding who is HYPP N/H positive. This horse is very gassy and tends to colic once a month, which causes a minor HYPP attack. I have tried everything, from changing his diet (no grain) to jus... Read More
Article
Good/Bad Effects of Antioxidants
July 01, 2004
In a society that is trying to slow the aging process, free radicals and antioxidants are terms that are regularly tossed around. One might not realize their importance in horses, but researchers continue to pursue the details of how and why the... Read More
Article
Fatal Genetic Quarter Horse Disease Identified
June 09, 2004
Glycogen branching enzyme deficiency in Quarter Horses might cause unexplained stillbirths/deaths of foals.... Read More
Article
HC/HERDA Update; Owners of Carrier Stallions Notified
May 17, 2004
Approximately 100 Quarter Horse stallion owners have received, or will receive, a message that the stallion is a carrier of the recessive gene that causes HC, also known as hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA).... Read More
Article
Feeding HYPP Horses
May 01, 2004
Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) horses need careful dietary management to reduce attacks.... Read More
Article
HC/HERDA In the News
May 01, 2004
I'm amazed at some of the angry reactions that followed our publication of a news item last month on a hereditary disease called hyperelosis cutis (HC) or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA). Some of the researchers involved--Ann... Read More
Article
HERDA: Not Just Skin Deep
April 01, 2004
Today, it is primarily through Poco Bueno's bloodline that the recessive gene that causes hyperelastosis cutis (HC) has passed. In some scientific circles, the disease is called hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA).... Read More
Article
Diet: When Horses Need Less Carbs
April 01, 2004
Research suggests some horses (growing foals, laminitic horses, etc.) could do well on low-glycemic diets. ... Read More
Article
Fever of Unknown Origin in the Foal
March 11, 2004
"Take an organized approach to elucidate causes of fever of unknown origin in the foal," said Robert Franklin, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital in Victoria, Australia, during the Western Veterinary Conference held February... Read More
Article
AQHA Board of Directors Votes on Key Rule Changes at Convention
March 11, 2004
The American Quarter Horse Association Board of Directors voted Tuesday on the recommendations of the AQHA standing committees as approved in the general membership meeting. The following is the final results of the vote regarding hyperkalemic... Read More
Article
AQHA Statement on HC/HERDA
March 08, 2004
The American Quarter Horse Association's (AQHA) statement regarding hyperelastosis cutis (HC) or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA): 1. AQHA is aware of the condition known as hereditary equine regional... Read More
Article
Inherited Quarter Horse Disease Traces To Poco Bueno
February 26, 2004
Poco Bueno was identified as the sire line associated with hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA).... Read More
Article
Hereditary Disease Research Into HERDA
February 26, 2004
If we have any doubt about a horse with lesions that look like HERDA (also called HC), we can test to see if that animal does have this disease. Usually it's easy to diagnose, once you've seen a few.... Read More
Article
The Future of Horses with HYPP
December 30, 2003
Letter to the Editor: This letter must begin by saying how proud I am of a man whom I have never met. His name is Steve Stevens of Houston, TX, the current president of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). Mr.... Read More
Article
Dietary Clues to Tying-Up
June 20, 2003
Recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER, a type of tying-up) is an inherited disorder in Thoroughbreds. Research suggests that RER involves an abnormality in the regulation of calcium in muscle cells. High-grain diets have been implicated as... Read More
Article
Speed Limit
March 05, 2003
The racing Thoroughbred is trapped between a rock and a hard place. The rock is speed, which evolved slowly by natural selection for 50 million years, then rapidly by human hand the last 500. The hard place is where we find our ward today, beset... Read More
Article
When Your Horse's Muscles Ache
March 01, 2003
Equine muscle injuries are often elusive, leading to frustration for the rider and a challenging diagnosis. ... Read More
Article
Diagnosis and Treatment of Rhabdomyolysis in Foals
February 13, 2003
We hear a lot about a horse experiencing rhabdomyolysis (tying-up) during or after exercise. However, foals are also susceptible to muscle damage. Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, of the University of Minnesota, presented "A Review of the Diagnosis... Read More
Article
High-Risk Pregnancies and Sick Foals
January 09, 2003
In defining a high-risk mare, Bain said she is one which has had previous foaling problems such as dystocia (difficult delivery), hemorrhage, or a red bag delivery. He said a mare also could be at risk because of medical illness, surgery, colic... Read More
Article
Retina and Optic Nerve Disease
December 01, 2002
The retina is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body. It consists of 10 layers of cells and nerve fibers. Nine layers compose the sensory retina, with a final layer, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), present next to the... Read More
Article
Locked Into Place
August 01, 2002
Much has been learned about exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying-up) in recent years, but unfortunately some of that knowledge has been troubling. For example, at least one newly recognized cause of tying-up in foals has, in identified cases, always... Read More
Article
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy and Back Pain
August 01, 2002
As many as 40% of all cases of equine back pain are the result of soft tissue injury. The primary causes include chronic and recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (CER and RER, respectively), and an inherited enzyme deficiency called polysaccharid... Read More
Article
Tying-Up in Horses
July 01, 2002
Tying-up is the most common muscle problem in horses. This syndrome is also called azoturia, set fast, paralytic myoglobinuria, and chronic exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER). HYPP (hyperkalemic periodic paralysis) in Quarter Horses is a different... Read More
Article
Equine Pediatric Medicine (AAEP Convention 2001)
February 01, 2002
"While many outbreaks of respiratory disease in foals are infectious in nature, this is not always the case," she began. "Environmental factors can have a profound effect."... Read More
