Horse News & Views - July 2004

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Ontario Association of Equine Practitioners

• Lawn clippings are not suitable for feeding to horses. Antidotal reports indicate that horses have developed colic after consuming grass clippings. Two horses died of botulism after a neighbour threw three-day-old lawn clippings over the fence to the horses. Clippings are often wet and very lush, containing highly digestible nutrients. If they are left in a pile, they quickly heat and ferment and are ideal media for growth of molds and bacteria. Horse owners should ensure that horses do not have access to potentially toxic materials such as grass clippings, hedge trimmings and garden refuse (e.g., rhubarb leaves).
• Vesicular stomatitis has been diagnosed in Texas and New Mexico. Owners of horses entering Canada from the USA will be asked by border officials; ‘Do the equines originate from Texas or New Mexico or have they been in Texas or New Mexico within the past 21 days? Have the equines traveled through Texas or New Mexico en route to Canada?' If the answer to either question is ‘yes,' the horses will be referred to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency veterinary inspector for a detailed health inspection. The results of the inspection will determine whether the horses will be allowed to enter Canada.
• Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a viral disease causing a mild fever, the formation of blister-like lesions on the inside of the mouth, and on the lips, nose, hooves and udder. It affects horses, ruminants (such as cattle, sheep and members of the deer and llama families) and swine. While VS causes discomfort to affected animals, and may result in loss of markets for live animals, meat and animal genetics, it is most significant because it closely resembles foot and mouth disease (FMD). Foot and mouth disease affects ruminants and swine, but not horses. www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/disemala/vssv/ vssvfse.shtml

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