Rachel Alexandra gives birth to Curlin colt

http://www.drf.com/news/rachel-alexandra-gives-birth-curlin-colt

01/22/2012 7:50PM

By DRF Staff

Stonestreet Farm

Rachel Alexandra with her Curlin colt on Sunday at Stonestreet Farm near Lexington, Ky.

 

Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year, gave birth Sunday in Kentucky to a 125-pound colt by Curlin, the 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year, according to a press release. It was Rachel Alexandra's first foal.

The bay colt was born at 2:40 p.m. at Stonestreet Farm, near Lexington. He took his first steps 1 1/2 hours later. Stonestreet farm manager Gary Megibben said both mare and foal were doing well and that "Rachel is a natural mother, and took to the colt immediately."

The colt is emblazoned with a white star and is said to resemble his mother.

“I am thrilled with the good news of Rachel’s safe delivery and health of the handsome colt that resembles her,” owner Barbara Banke said in the release. “For me and my children, this colt represents Jess’ dream – to raise and race the best. Co-owner Hal McCormick and I look forward to watching him develop and are excited to see him carry the Stonestreet silks as his Mom and Dad did before him.”

Jess Jackson and McCormick purchased Rachel Alexandra from owner-breeder Dolphus Morrison after her 20 1/4-length romp in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks. Jackson died in April 2011.

Rachel Alexandra, by Medaglia d’Oro and out of Lotta Kim, won five Grade 1 stakes in 2009 – the Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Mother Goose, Haskell, and Woodward – on her way to a Horse of the Year title. Curlin won the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic and 2008 Dubai World Cup.

Rachel Alexandra is scheduled to bred this year to Bernardini, who covered 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta last year. That foal is due some time in April.

Havre de Grace

Havre de Grace will make her first start of 2012 at Fair Grounds. Photo by Barbara D. Livingston

Looking ahead at 2012 after Eclipses
One of the gratifying aspects of this year's Eclipse Awards is that so many of the winners, most notably Havre de Grace — who was named champion older female and Horse of the Year — are still in training. Havre de Grace is scheduled to make her first start of the year during the Fair Grounds meet, in approximately two months. drf.com

Equine Kidney Disease

Diagnosis and Treatment of Kidney Diseases in Horses

by: Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
January 09 2012, Article # 19416 

www.thehorse.com

American author Roger Kahn once wrote, "Boxing is smoky halls and kidneys battered until they bleed." Horses don't typically engage in behaviors that batter each other's kidneys; however, there are many causes of both acute and chronic kidney damage worth "boxing around" when faced with a sick horse.

Causes of Acute Kidney Injury

Secondary to a disease:

• Colic
• Colitis
• Hemorrhage
• Exhaustive exercise
• Leptospirosis

Secondary to Drugs

• Aminoglycoside antibiotics (e.g., amikacin, gentamicin)
• Oxytetracycline (used in foals with flexural deformities)
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS, phenylbutazone or "Bute")

Others

• Myoglobin or hemoglobin (in horses that "tie-up")
• Vitamin D or K3
• Heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, zing, cadmium, lead)
• Acorns

"Acute kidney injury usually develops in horses as a complication of another disease process, or as a side effect from medications, or exposure to toxins (see sidebar at left)," relayed Hal Schott II, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of equine medicine at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine during his presentation at the 12th Congress of The World Equine Veterinary Association, held Nov. 2-6, 2011, in Hyderabad, India.

Acute kidney injury is the current term for compromised renal function that is often reversible if treated appropriately. Clinical signs of horses with acute kidney injury can be as nonspecific as anorexia and lethargy or more obvious as little to no urine production.

Horses that survive an acute episode can recover fully or might have persistent kidney damage that is considered irreversible chronic kidney disease (CKD). In early or less severe cases of CKD, increased drinking and urination could be the only signs noted. As CKD progresses horses suffer weight loss and often have decreased exercise capacity, a dull hair coat, and mild edema (swelling) between their forelimbs. Because the kidneys aren't filtering the blood properly when affected by CKD, waste products can build up in the circulation causing tartar buildup on horse's teeth and ulcers in the oral cavity, stomach, and intestines.

"Unfortunately, horses with chronic kidney disease do not have a favorable long-term prognosis, but they can live comfortably with supportive therapy for several months or even a few years," said Schott.
Such therapies include:

• Maintaining body condition (feed grain, fat, and protein while maintaining a neutral nitrogen balance)--the best diet is high quality pasture grass;
• Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids;
• Decreasing calcium intake (by feeding grass hay instead of alfalfa); and
• Routinely monitoring creatinine blood levels (a measure of the "health" of the kidney) as well as electrolyte concentrations and acid-base balance.

Understanding Equine Medications is your A-Z guide to learning more about generic and brand-name pharmaceuticals, possible side effects and precautions, and proper dosage.

Other causes of chronic kidney disease are seen in foals or young horses and include renal hypoplasia (incomplete kidney development) or dysplasia (improper kidney development) and polycystic kidney disease (development of numerous cysts in the kidneys).

Regardless of the cause, once a horse's blood creatinine levels exceed 5 mg/dL, the condition tends to accelerate and the horse's life expectancy is generally limited to a few months.

A full summary of Schott's presentation will be available for free on the International Veterinary Information System.

HORSES SHOULD NOT COUGH

Cough a symptom of a respiratory disease. Horses clearing their throat or coughing several times a day may indicate that the horse is developing a respiratory problem.

Listen to your horse, contact your veterinarian for an evaluation and ask for the right solution or medicines to enhance the clearance of mucus from the airways, and to relieve symptoms of reversible airways condition so your horse can breathe easier. During medication beware in giving medicine to your pregnant mare or horses suffering from cardiovascular impairment.

Also during medication, higher dosage of medicine is not recommended. Signs of mild sweating, muscle tremor, restlessness, must be observed in horses during treatment.

Super Horse Secretariat

LUCK - The world of horseracing and gambling

From acclaimed director, Michael Mann and the creator of Deadwood®, David Milch comes a new HBO original series, LUCK. LUCK is a provocative behind-the-track look at the world of horse racing and gambling's denizens - the owners, jockeys and gamblers - starring two-time Academy-Award winning actor, Dustin Hoffman.  The series premiere of LUCK starts January 29th at 9 PM ONLY ON HBO. And don't miss episode 2 on HBO GO immediately following the premiere.

Philippine Racing Commission 4-year Development Program

Philracom 4-year development program
  - Transparency
  - Professionalism in all industry players
       * Jockeys
       * Trainers
       * Breeders
  - Big races
  - And to gain the confidence of the betting public

Where do we go from here?

"We are on the right track adn we hope to continue this in 2012 onwards."
-- Philracom Chairman Angel Castaño Jr.

"We'll do our share to help our breeders to produce world class race horses," -- Philracom Executive Director Jess Cantos

Top 5 Horse Health Resolutions to Keep in 2012

by: Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
January 01 2012, Article # 19359

With another holiday season in the bag, wrapped up with the turkey giblets and excessive toy packaging, we can now turn and face the impending New Year. After the ball drops approximately 50% of us will yet again vow to make some important changes in our lives, but will we actually follow through?

Experts say that one reason many of us fail to keep our resolutions is because our goals aren't defined well enough. To combat this challenge, TheHorse.com has compiled five specific New Year's resolutions to help horse owners either maintain or improve their horses' health and longevity in 2012.

Resolution #1: Resolve to respect your horse's breathing zone.

The breathing zone is the two-foot sphere around your horse's nose from where he draws his breath. According to N. Edward Robinson, BVetMed, PhD, MRCVS, Matilda R. Wilson Chair in Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University, horse owners often forget about preventing chronic disease such as heaves, inflammatory airway disease, and low-grade cough.

"These are all due to life-long dust inhalation and can be prevented by respecting the 'breathing zone,' " Robinson advised. "Aim to give your horse a dust-free 'breathing zone.' Provide as much pasture time as possible, remove the horse from its stable during clean out, use low dust bedding, and most importantly, use feeds with the least dust, such as pasture, leafy new hay, or pelleted complete feed."

Resolution #2: Resolve to discuss appropriate vaccination and deworming strategies with your veterinarian.

The number of infections and medical problems that can be either minimized or avoided entirely by appropriate basic horse health care is astounding. For example, in 2011 there were at least 125 cases of West Nile virus (WNV) and 43 cases of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in the United States, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Both WNV and EEE are almost 100% preventable by vaccinating at-risk horses.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners' list of core vaccines should be on every owner's mind as he or she decides which inoculation a horse will receive. Additionally, talk with your veterinarian to see which--if any--additional at-risk vaccines he or she recommends, such as botulism, Potomac horse fever, or strangles vaccines.

Also consult a veterinarian about which deworming regimen he or she recommends for specific horses. For example, a horse in a closed herd that does not leave the farm will likely have slightly different deworming requirements than a show horse that travels the nation or the world. Resolve to ensure the ideal deworming protocol is used for each individual horse.

Resolution #3: Resolve to create and maintain a proper first aid kit.

A proper first aid kit cannot-and should not--be created in an emergency. In addition to the medical supplies, knowledge of how to use your first aid kit's contents (do you know how to measure pulse and respiratory rate?) and important and up-to-date information such as age, breed, use of horse, and vaccination status are also needed in emergencies and can be copied and included in the kit. Create a proper first aid kit, with help from Roberta Dwyer, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVPM, professor at the University of Kentucky's Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, via this video on TheHorse.com.

Resolution #4: Resolve to manage your horse's weight.

As if that resolution isn't challenging enough, Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor and department chair of clinical sciences at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, challenges horse owners to take this task one step further. Frank suggests the resolution should actually be, "To better understand how my horse's diet affects his or health; how diseases such as developmental orthopedic disease and laminitis can be prevented by recognizing relationships between genetics and diet."

Several articles have been posted on TheHorse.com over the past year covering these topics. In addition, an article on epigenetics featured in the January edition of The Horse magazine touches on how diet can impact genes during early foal development. While perusing these stories, don't forget to calculate your horse's weight using the weight calculator (a step in the right direction).

Resolution #5: Resolve to recognize all aspects of the equine community.

Explore the power of the human-horse connection as you travel the emotional journey that veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and owners embark on when a beloved horse becomes ill in Equine ER

Consider donating some time or money to the many horse rescue organizations or to facilities that offer equine-related services (equine therapy) to disabled children, for example. If you prefer, you can donate instead to organizations that support research or educate veterinarians, students, or owners. There are also organizations in need of donations to help horses in developing countries where vaccines and medications are not widely available.

TheHorse.com recently caught up with three equine rescues to find out what their most desired items were this holiday season. Take a read to find out which items are most useful before you decide what to donate.

Finally, remember to spend lots of quality time with your four-legged family members in the New Year. As Sir Winston Churchill once said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."

Happy New Year from all of us here at The Horse.