Horse News & Views - February 2007

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Ontario Association of Equine Practitioners

"loriner" - While researching a presentation on horse brasses, I was baffled by the term "loriner." Loriner is a noun referring to a maker of bits, spurs, and metal mounting for bridles and saddles; hence, a saddler.

Neurological Form

In the past few years, and more recently in Florida, California and New Jersey, outbreaks of the neurological form of herpes (EHV-1) have been of great concern. The cases are sporadic and can occur without warning but are commonly linked back to a common source, such as exposure at a recent sale or event. Horses with the neurological form of EHV-1 exhibit weakness and paralysis of the muscles of the hind limb, with incoordination, gait abnormalities and, in many cases, the inability to rise from the sitting position. The neurologic deficits result from damage and inflammation to small blood vessels in the spinal cord and/or brain. The interval between initial EHV-1 infection of the respiratory tract and the subsequent onset of neurological signs is 8 to 12 days. The neurological deficits appear suddenly and reach their peak intensity within 48 hours. Vaccination is not known to be effective in preventing this form of disease. The prognosis for survival is favourable, but is poor for animals that remain down for longer than 24 hours. The basis of EHV-1 paralytic disease was recently discovered. A single gene alteration endows mutant virus strains with enhanced virulence for the horse. This discovery has led to a genetic test to identify latent equine carriers of mutant, neuropathogenic strains of EHV-1.

| Top of Page |
| OMAFRA Newsletters |