Page 40 - March 2005 The Game

40 The Game, March 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Special Advertorial Feature
Health & Nutrition 2005
One Easy Vaccine Now Protects Horses Against Three Deadly Diseases
-- Wyeth Animal Health Introduces New West Nile-InnovatorTM + EWT --
The newest protection against three devastating health threats to Canadian horses now comes in one convenient vaccine. Wyeth Animal Health is proud to introduce West Nile-InnovatorTM
+ EWT, the first and only vaccine to protect horses against the mosquito-borne diseases of West Nile virus, and Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis. Since its discovery in the United States in 1999, West Nile virus has spread across North America at an alarming rate.
1. Cases of Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE/Sleeping Sickness) are up nearly 8,000% in some areas.
2. One in three clinically affected horses will die of West Nile disease,
3. while nine in ten horses will die from EEE/Sleeping Sickness.
4. Horse owners are urged to continue to vaccinate against West Nile virus. Catherine Martin, Equine Product Manager for Wyeth Animal Health said,
“It’s important to remember that vaccines which protect your horse against Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis do not protect against encephalomyelitis caused by West Nile virus. If you vaccinate against EEE, you should vaccinate against West Nile virus as well. West Nile-InnovatorTM + EWT is available in two convenient combinations, with or without Tetanus for customized protection.”
Fort Dodge Animal Health, a division of Wyeth, developed the West Nile- InnovatorTM vaccine immediately after the disease began appearing in the
United States in 1999. Provinces that actively began vaccinating horses in the fall of 2002 experienced a decline in equine cases in 2004, despite the rise of human cases and positive mosquito pools. Efficacy data Wyeth has received from both challenge and field studies prove that West Nile-InnovatorTM vaccination protocols are 95% effective in protecting horses against this devastating disease.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) recommends that due to the unpredictable nature of the exposure and geographic distribution of West Nile, all horses should be immunized against the disease. The current 2005 AAEP guidelines suggest primary WNV vaccination of previously non-vaccinated horses involves administration of two doses of vaccine three to six weeks apart followed by an annual booster prior to expected risk or mosquito season. This is consistent with vaccination recommendations for Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis. A complete schedule of vaccination guidelines is available through the AAEP and through Wyeth Animal Health.
For more information regarding West Nile-InnovatorTM vaccines, please contact Wyeth Animal Health at 1-800-267-1777 or visit the Wyeth Animal Health website at www.wyethah.ca.
Wyeth Animal Health, a division of Wyeth and an affiliate of Fort Dodge Animal Health, is a leading Canadian manufacturer and distributor of quality animal health care products that include pharmaceuticals and biologicals servicing the livestock, companion animal, equine, swine and poultry industries. Key prod- ucts include: West Nile-InnovatorTM vaccines, Duramune® canine vaccines, ProHeart® 6, and Cydectin® Pour-On. Wyeth is one of the world’s largest research-driven pharmaceutical and health care products companies. The Wyeth Animal Health division is
headquartered in Guelph, Ontario.
1. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service.
2. “2003 Equine WNV Outlook for the United States”,
USDA APHIS Info Sheet, published June 2003.
3. Clinically affected horses. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/wnv/wnv.html
4. “Summary of Selected Disease Events,” Center for
Emerging Issues, USDA Veterinary
Services, October 2003,
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cei/disease_summa- ry070903.htm

Horse News andViews
• A handy suggestion from a number of veterinarians is the use of a 60-cc syringe to create a breast pump for mares. Cut off the needle end; smooth the cut edges with a piece of sand- paper and turn the plunger backward so it faces the flanged ends of the syringe. The flanged ends are smoother, more comfortable for the the mare and give a better seal. Clean the udder with a clean, warm, damp cloth. Place the open end (flanged ends) of the breast pump over the teat. Push upwards to get a seal and pull down the plunger. MIlk will fill the syringe as fast as you can pull down
• An international group of researchers is collaborating on the DNA sequencing of Rhodococcus equi, a major cause of pneumonia in young foals. Funded by Britain’s Horserace Betting Levy Board, the group is being coordinated by the University of Bristol, and the sequencing is now underway at the Sanger Centre. Canadians, John Prescott (University of Guelph) and Julian Davies (University of British Columbia), are part of the team. Researchers are sequencing Rhodoccus equi strain 103, which was originally isolated at the University of Guelph. This will be the third horse bacterial pathogen to be fully sequenced. The first was the agent of glanders in horses, and the second completed was Steptococcus equi, the agent of strangles.