DeNaples Equine Services

09/03/2025

🍂 ‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice, fall like temperatures and changing leaves which means it is time to talk about the grass. Just because it is nearly fall does not mean that your horse isn’t at risk for developing laminitis triggered by insulin dysregulation due to metabolic issues and seasonal hormonal imbalances. The grass may appear less lush and green; however, the grass is in a stressed state. And due to this stressed state, the grass is high in sugars. We recommend still leaving the grazing muzzle on your horse for their safety and your peace of mind.

🩸 What can lead to insulin dysregulation? 🩸
Equine Metabolic Syndrome is a disorder associated with the inability to regulate blood insulin levels resulting in hyperinsulinemia. PPID (Pituitary para intermedia dysfunction) is the development of benign tumors of the pituitary gland which is responsible for regulating the body’s hormones including ACTH (adrencorticotropic). Both disorders can lead to insulin dysregulation, which can cause laminitis particularly when exposed to a diet high in non-structutal carbohydrates. ACTH and insulin levels can be tested to determine if your horse may need medication.

🐴 Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae between the hoof and the underlying coffin bone. The inflammation weakens the laminae attachments. Depending on severity, this may lead to founder. Founder is when the hoof and coffin bone can separate and the coffin bone can rotate.

Clinical signs of laminitis include:
🍂 Unwillingness to walk and notable lameness at the walk
🍂 Weight shifting
🍂 Heat in the feet
🍂 Increased digital pulses
🍂Wanting to stand with their weight rocked back on their hind feet
🍂 Increased heart rate and respiratory rate due to pain

🩺 If you suspect your horse may be experiencing laminitis, be sure to call your veterinarian for an exam and to formulate a plan that may include medications, management changes, and dietary restrictions.

📸: Photo taken at Sugar Maple Farm NY last fall.

08/15/2025

🐌 It is time to address the snail in the room! Recently, we posted about a number of positive Potomac Horse Fever (PHF) cases in our area. A few people commented that they had never heard of PHF in all of their years of horse ownership. We are here to squash the misinformation surrounding PHF. Let’s jump right in at a snail's pace.

🐌 When was PHF first identified?
Originally PHF was recognized in 1979 near the Potomac River in Maryland.

🐌 Where is PHF?
Originally it was thought that PHF was only found in the eastern United States; however, it has been identified throughout North America. And it has been described in South America and Europe too. Typically, PHF is seen in late spring through early fall.

🐌 How is it transmitted?
PHF has a complicated life cycle. It is transmitted by fresh water insects, not directly from horse to horse. Neorickettsia risticii is the bacterium causative agent. It has been identified in snails and various species of cadisflies. These aquatic insects, found near water, contain the rickettsia-infected trematodes which are ingested by the horse. The trematodes cause inflammation of the intestines often leading to an acute enterocolitis.

🐌 What are the symptoms?
Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, lethargy, colic, and laminitis. It can cause abortion in pregnant mares.

🐌 How do we test for PHF?
Submit EDTA whole blood and/or f***s to the lab for PCR testing. Per the Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center, they have seen a rise in positive PHF PCR tests over the years in NY state, with a higher number of cases diagnosed in Albany, Dutchess, Saratoga and Tompkins counties.

🐌 When did the PHF vaccine become commercially available? Is it effective?
In 1987, PHF vaccines were available. The monovalent PHF vaccine has been shown to provide better immunity than the PHF/rabies combination.

🐌 What can you do to protect your horse?
We recommend horses receive their first vaccination dose in late spring followed by boosters every three months through late fall. Following this schedule will give your horse continuous immunity until temperatures dip below freezing and the vector (disease-spreading) aquatic insects die for the year. While the vaccine is not 100% effective, it can decrease the severity of the illness and increase survival.

🐌 What can you do at the barn?
A simple tip is light at night attracts insects.
To help protect your horses, we advise to eliminate light sources near their drinking water. And provide clean drinking water.

🐌 While early treatment of PHF can be successful, the disease is frequently fatal.

📸: A previous patient diagnosed with PHF and survived.

08/08/2025

🦠 A recent case of the highly infectious equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM) has been confirmed in Sussex County, NJ. Per the NJ Dept of Ag, a 20-year-old mare developed acute clinical signs on August 03, 2025, and was subsequently humanely euthanized. One week prior, another horse on the property presented with similar neurological signs and was humanely euthanized, without diagnostic testing. The property is quarantined.

📖 What is EHV-1?

Equine Herpes Virus type-1 (EHV-1) is a virus that causes respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal death, and neurologic disease. EHV can cause Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the neurologic form of herpes.

🤧How is it spread?

EHV-1 is primarily spread by direct horse-to-horse contact by respiratory secretions. However, indirect contact with contaminated equipment and personnel can spread the virus. Following infection, horses may become latent carriers and the virus may be reactivated after stress such as travel and exercise, or high doses of corticosteroids. The incubation period ranges from two to 10 days.

🩺What are the symptoms of EHV-1?

Common symptoms include fever, coughing, lethargy, nasal discharge, and inappetance. Symptoms of the neurologic form include ataxia (incoordination), weakness, difficulty standing, recumbency, loss of tail tone, and difficulty urinating.

😷How can you protect your horse?

While vaccination can decrease clinical signs and shedding, it does not protect against the neurologic strain.

While at a show, avoid nose-to-nose contact with horses from other barns, and don’t share equipment such as buckets, wheelbarrows, and pitchforks. Wash your hands frequently, and take extra precautions if working with multiple groups of horses.

🌡️ Consider taking your horse's temperature twice a day when traveling. Temperatures greater than 101.5 or any signs of illness should be reported to your veterinarian immediately.

🧬How is EHV-1 diagnosed?

The virus is detected in nasal swabs and blood samples by PCR testing. At Rhinebeck Equine, we offer in-house rapid EHV-1 PCR testing on nasal swabs. Results are available in ~60 minutes.

07/03/2025

06/17/2025

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO TELL IF YOUR HORSE IS IN DISTRESS?

As a horse owner, it's imperative you know how to recognize problems and respond promptly. It's important to know what conditions require veterinary attention, and how to take appropriate action while you're waiting for the veterinarian's arrival.

Types of emergencies you and your horse may encounter on your journey together include colic; lacerations and bleeding wounds; impaled objects or nails in the foot; acute lameness due to conditions ranging from hoof abscess to fractures, laminitis, tendon injuries and more; eye injuries; allergic reactions; choke; and even foaling emergencies.

No matter what you may face in the future, getting to know your horse's normal vital signs (including temperature, pulse and respiration) as well as its normal behavior patterns will help you become a good observer, so that you readily recognize signs of ill health. Being prepared is in your horse's best interest.

Always remember, your veterinarian is one of your best resources. Talk to them about how they can be reached after-hours, and about recommendations for an emergency plan suitable for your individual situation.

06/07/2025

04/18/2025

The more you know...

Gastric ulcer disease is a very common problem in equines, and it affects over 60% of adult horses (depending on age, performance, and evaluated populations). While Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is more prevalent in high performance horses, it's important to remember that any horse can be affected, as all equines suffer from stress (like traveling, stall confinement, changes in diet, etc.) which over time may result in gastric ulcers.

The signs of ulcers a horse might show are highly variable between individuals, but they usually include variations of "bad behavior" like general grumpiness, reluctance to perform, cribbing and teeth-grinding, tail-swishing and other behaviors suggesting restlessness and physical discomfort. Rough hair coat, weight loss and poor body condition are also common.

Has your horse ever expressed any of these signs that led to an ulcer diagnosis? Let us know below ⬇️

If your horse is exhibiting any of these signs, it may be time to consult your veterinarian rather than just chalk them off as behavioral or training issues. Proper diagnosis is crucial to get appropriate treatment started promptly, and your horse doctor will also be able to make recommendations for environmental and management changes that can you help prevent a relapse of ulcers in the future.

04/17/2025

Dentals are so important for our equine athletes. We recommend a sedated oral exam each year to monitor what can’t been seen easily in your horses mouth.

03/26/2025

Preventing problems is the best thing you can do! Check your fences and stalls for any objects sticking out your horse could hook themselves on.

Pasture Safety Check
This image is a stark reminder of why regular pasture checks are crucial! A bolt like this can cause serious injuries to your horses.
When inspecting your fencing, keep an eye out for:
• Loose or protruding nails, screws, or bolts
• Broken or splintered wood
• Sharp edges or exposed metal hardware
• Gaps where a hoof or leg could get caught
Horses are curious, and accidents happen fast—take a few minutes to walk your pastures and ensure they’re safe!

02/11/2025

While the number of confirmed equine rabies cases every year is low, talking about this disease remains important because of the potential for human exposure—which does NOT have to involve a bite from an infected horse, as contact of skin or mucosa with the horse’s saliva could be enough to transmit the disease.

Rabies has many faces, but they are all deadly—once a horse shows clinical signs, the animal invariably dies within a few days as there is no treatment.

The good news is that modern vaccines are highly effective and current AAEP recommendations list rabies as one of the “core vaccines” that should be given to all horses annually to maintain immunity (read the full AAEP vaccination guidelines here: https://aaep.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines).

Equine rabies is a real risk for all horses, and a public health concern as well. Be sure to set up a regular vaccination schedule with your veterinarian if you haven’t already done so. Remember that strange behavior on behalf of your equine friend is always a valid reason to check in with your horse doctor!

01/25/2025

Though we wish our horse doctors could be there for our equine friends in any emergency, the reality is that our horses' primary veterinarian cannot be available 24/7 and still juggle the needs of their own personal lives, health and happiness.

The most significant pain point for many veterinarians is caring for their clients during regular business hours and then also being on call for emergencies after hours. For single-doctor or small practices, this traditionally has been the case most nights of the week.

However, private veterinary practices and veterinary schools have more recently focused on developing new models for emergency care which ease the strain on individual practitioners. This includes the growth of emergency cooperatives where two or more practices in a geographic area work together to share after-hours care, as well as more emergency-only practices and the use of tele-triage services to address client concerns after normal business hours.

As equine veterinarians reevaluate what after-hours care looks like for their practices, the support of their clients is critical to creating a balance that works for both parties. If your horse doctor talks with you about changes in how after-hours care is delivered, we hope you’ll welcome the adjustments. This evolution of emergency care must take place in order for equine veterinarians to avoid burnout and continue to be at their best to treat all of your equine friends.