Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) doesn’t make headlines as often as it once did. But this potentially debilitating neurological disease remains a threat to horses all over the United States. If anything, its range is spreading.
Therefore, a primary objective in disease prevention should be to minimize stress so a horse’s immune system can operate at maximal capacity. Bill Saville, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor and chair in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University, and his colleagues investigated risk factors for development of EPM. In this study they acknowledged the important role of the immune system in fending off disease. “When animals are stressed, suppressive proteins produced by the central nervous system are released and lead to suppression of lymphocyte production and function,” said Saville. This, coupled with elevated cortisol levels related to stress, might increase a horse’s risk of developing EPM.
Control Measures to Reduce Risk Saville’s comprehensive study (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000) revealed the following findings that tell us how we can more effectively prevent EPM in our horses:
Age The highest risk of infection occurred in horses aged 1-5 years. This could be due to the use of young horses in competitive situations and the associated stress.
Opossums Presence of opossums on a farm poses an increased risk.
Location Horses on farms with previously EPM-infected horses had a higher risk of developing EPM, likely due to the presence of protozoa in the feed or water and increased likelihood of exposure.
Seasonal effects More EPM cases occur in spring, summer, and fall, possibly related to hot weather acting as a stressor, as well as this being a time of increased travel to competitions with accompanying transport stress affecting the immune system.
Stress An association of stressful events (such as injury, accidents, foaling, surgery, transport, and illness) with increased risk might be related to suppression of a horse’s immune system.
Natural water source Presence of water sources (creek or river) on the farm provided a preferred habitat for opossums away from the horse barns, thereby decreasing exposure and risk.
Food storage Securing feed and water sources from opossum fecal contamination is important in limiting exposure and risk. It is important to limit opossum presence since sporocysts (the infective stage of the protozoon) are able to survive for as much as a year in the environment. Additionally, birds feed on insects and plant material in the feces of opossums, thereby serving as a vehicle to disseminate sporocysts in the environment. David Granstrom, DVM, PhD, one of the pioneer researchers of EPM when he worked at the University of Kentucky, emphasizes how environmental management can go a long way toward limiting infection.
“It looks like the only way to clean barns that is effective and will not destroy the barn is by the heat of steam cleaning.” –Dr. David Granstrom
“It’s most important to protect feed and the local environment from contamination with opossum feces,” states Granstrom. “Protect livestock feeds and hay from opossums. Keep the local area free of anything that attracts opossums, such as pet food, garbage, and carrion.”
Saville says it isn’t easy to kill the parasites in the environment, and sporocysts are resistant to even the most intense disinfectants.
Granstrom adds, “It looks like the only way to clean barns that is effective and will not destroy the barn is by the heat of steam cleaning.”
Source: The Horse & Equis links are attached to this blog.
Donkey Whisperer Farm is proud to announce Donkey 101 Online Training Video Course, the first in a series of online training courses by Trainer Melody Johnson.
Donkey 101 teaches the fundamentals of resistance-free, natural training for you and your donkey. Donkey 101 offers a holistic training approach that includes insight and guidance into donkey psychology, emotion and behavior. Donkey 101 focuses on unique and proven techniques that train you, the owner, to train your donkey so you and your donkey enjoy a balanced, positive and rewarding relationship.
Donkey 101 includes 19 instructional videos and a PDF highlighting the vital aspects of donkey training for just $59.99. Videos include such topics as, building trust, staying on donkey time, teaching your donkey to catch you, introverts vs extroverts, teaching your donkey “walk-on and “whoa”.
Donkey Whisperer Farm is proud to announce Donkey 101 Online Training Video Course, the first in a series of online training courses by Trainer Melody Johnson.
Donkey 101 teaches the fundamentals of resistance-free, natural training for you and your donkey. We offer a holistic training approach that includes insight and guidance into donkey psychology, emotion and behavior. Donkey 101 focuses on unique and proven techniques that train you, the owner, to train your donkey so you and your donkey enjoy a balanced, positive and rewarding relationship.
Donkey 101 includes 19 instructional videos and a PDF addressing the topics below all for just $59.99!
Introduction
A Small Training Area
Training Tools
On Donkey Time
Building Trust
Three Second Rule
Personal Space
Your Donkey Catches You
Walk-On and Whoa
You are the Leader!
How to Ground Tie
Going in and out of Stalls
Introverts and Extroverts
Backing up
Teaching “Over”
Walk-On, Whoa and Back Up
Donkeys are not Stubborn!
Going in and out of Gates
Taking Your Donkey for a Walk
We recommend each Course participant purchase aDonkey Whisperer Farm Rope Halter. Our rope halters are designed specifically for the training donkeys, not horses or mules! Our rope halters are made in the USA with high quality yacht rope and have a lifetime warranty.Visit our Online Store to purchase your rope halter and the Donkey 101 Online Training Video Course.
The Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC sells donkey (mini, standard and Mammoth) donkey rope halter with a matching lead line custom made to fit your donkey. Our donkey halter is made in the U.S.A. with yacht rope to never mold, a brass screw on snap and a leather end. Training is simple now.
SelectOUR STORE to order. Yacht rope will never mold. Lifetime warranty with all new halters and FREE SHIPPING in the U.S.A.
Mini donkey halter with matching lead line comes with a 6ft lead line.
Standard donkey halter with matching lead line 9ft lead line.
Mammoth donkey halter comes with a 12ft lead line.
All of our Donkey rope halters are custom made to fit the head of a donkey not a horse. If you want a longer or shorter line simply unscrew the brass snap. The brass snap is used for training the donkey too. Additionally each lead line has a leather popper on the end for touching not beating your donkey.
All of our donkey halter/lead lines come with a lifetime warranty and have free shipping in the U.S.A. You will not find quality like this anywhere else. Select Our Storeto order your donkeys halter lead line. Secure store via Paypal. You do not need a Paypal account to use our store.
Please never leave any halter on a donkey, horse or mule while not in attendance to avoid self-mutilation or death. We train you the owner to train the donkey to come to you. Never chase your donkey!
“Horses Dream Of Being Trained The Way A Donkey Demands To Be Trained” Melody Johnson, Trainer.
Melody teaching via skype and Dropbox worldwide. Melody teaches the owner how to train virtually worldwide! Why? Donkeys are smart not stubborn. Training the owner to train the donkey saves donkeys lives from auction, sales and slaughter. We purchased our twenty acre farm in Sequim, WA with nothing on the land. Finally after everything is competed for the donkeys and horses we are going to build a home. Living in a 5th for two years now. Our home begins in 2017, thank you Jesus.
GOD Bless You And Your Family Two And Four-Legged!
