Welcome to the first August edition of the Equine Science blog. Here's this week's round up of science news from the equestrian world:

Tomorrow (Saturday Aug 8) sees a seminar on “Science of Horses” at Gloucester County College, in the US. The event is aimed to educate school teachers and those working in further education in agricultural and equine areas such as 4-H. The session covers basic horse behaviour, careers and education, nutrition as well as equine abnormalities. Event coordinator, Emily Allen is keen to get students aware that there are other careers working with animals than just being a veterinary surgeon. The seminar will show teachers how to incorporate equine science into laboratory exercises such as hose dealing with anatomy, physiology and nutrition. There are still spaces available on the seminar, so if you’re interested, pop along to the website to register online.

In the United Kingdom, Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic have posted an equine flu alert on their website. The clinic have confirmed that a case of equine influenza has been found in an unvaccinated pony in northwest Kent. The pony is now recovering, and the case seems to be an isolated one - other vaccinated horses on the yard have not been infected so far. However, they are warning all horse owners to be vigilant for the signs of equine flu:
- very high temperature 39-41oC (103-106oF)
- harsh dry cough
- clear, watery nasal discharge that may become thick and yellow/green
- enlarged glands under the lower jaw
- clear discharge from the eyes
- depression, loss of appetite and swelling of the lower limbs.
Owners should remember that vaccinated horses can still be affected by the disease, although the illness is usually then less severe.

Equine flu can be spread between horses either through direct contact, indirect transmission using the same tack or equipment and can also b transmitted through coughing and blowing into the atmosphere. Bell Equine strongly recommend that you should consider vaccinating all horses, ponies and donkeys to prevent infection.

There's positive news for British horse owners, with news that a UK vaccine for African Horse Sickness (AHS) is a step closer. The AHS Working Group is looking at the financial and logistical implications of AHS and the findings of the project will be used to help raise money for the vaccine, as well as lobbying changes to the EU rules on AHS and prepare a plan of action in the event of an outbreak.

Horse & Hound Online have reported that the project will be carried out by the University of Reading, but will involve contributions from various people within the equestrian industry with results anticipated by the end of the year.

Although vaccines are available in other countries, they make use of a live-vaccine, which if used in the UK could compromise the UK's AHS-free status and lead to problems with horse imports and exports.

Owners in America are on the alert, after there was an attempt to kill 30 show horses in San Diego. The horses were poisoned with oleander leaves, which have left 3 horses in hospital and 20 more sick, including two pregnant mares.

According to Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, oleander is a common outdoor woody shrub with white floors that is found in warmer regions and is grown occasionally as a large potted plant. A single ounce of its leaves can kill a horse, but if less of the leaves are eaten, the effects are reversible. It can cause heart arrhythmia and cardiac arrest. The symptoms of oleander include colic, sweating, difficulties breathing and bloody diarrhoea and in the event of suspected poisoning, your vet should be contacted immediately.

Many horse owners rely on fly repellents containing deet for helping their horses survive the hot summer months. However, new research has expressed concern about the of deet after observing the chemical's toxic effect in mammals.

The study which was published in the journal BioMed Central Biology found that deet works in the same way as paralysing nerve gases used in World War 2.

Researchers from the University of Angers and the Institute of Research and Development in Montpellier, Franc, have been looking at the effects of deet on rodents at the cellular level. Deet blocks the enzyme called acetylcholinesterase which controls one of the main chemical messengers used by the nervous system.

According to the BBC website, Researcher Vincet Corbel said: These findings question the safety of deet, particularly in combination with other chemicals, and they highlight the important of a multidisciplinary approach to the development of safer insect repellents for use in public health."

Although no research has currently suggested that deet is harmful to horses, this new study may stimulate research into the effects on equines and also cause some owners to think twice about using deet on their horses, preferring instead to use fly rugs and more natural fly repellents such as garlic.

This week's been very busy for veterinary news, so here are a few other articles worth checking out:
"West Nile Virus confirmed in three Washington horses" (Horse & Hound Online)
"Horse owners told: don't ask vets to backdate vaccination records" (Horse & Hound Online)
"Horse killed by lethal seaweed fumes" (Horse & Hound Online)
"Equine Leg Wounds: Should You Bandage?" (TheHorse.com)

And here's this week's trivia question:

How many pairs of ribs does the horse have? How many of these are false?
1. 18 pairs - 10 false pairs
2. 18 pairs - 8 false pairs
3. 16 pairs - no false pairs
4. 16 pairs - 8 false pairs

The answer can be found on my profile page by clicking here.