Texas Equine Veterinary Association

• 26 • Texas A&M Animal Science Department system of measuring body condition). is may compromise the foal; breeding the mare back is compromised also. Another common error is on overweight mares that are fed a low feeding rate of concentrates. In this case mineral deficiencies or imbalances can occur which may contribute to poor mineralization of the fetal skeleton. ere is supporting evidence that shows that high starch meals may interfere with cartilage and bone maturation. In a study on oroughbred farms in Kentucky done by Joe Pagan and associates, there was an increased incidence of Osteochondrosis related to hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. is study was based on clinical cases that required surgery. ere was an incidence ranging from 0% on low starch diets to 32% on farms using a high starch diet. ere appeared to be a definite relationship of high starch diets resulting in elevated blood sugar and elevated insulin levels and the occurrence of Osteochondrosis. A conclusion was reached that alternative energy sources such as fat and digestible fiber would be prudent. Exercise management is also extremely important. Recent research has shown that stall confinement of as little as two weeks will lower bone density that can be seen radiographically. If there is not sufficient exercise ("bone loading" ) there will be an increased risk of Developmental Orthopedic Disease. Forced exercise at too early an age has been incriminated, as has exercising on too hard a surface. Exercising in a round pen where the surface is so and deep has also been incriminated as contributing to Osteochondrosis. ere may be a direct genetic predisposition to Osteochondrosis, as well as an indirect relationship resulting from a predisposition for poor conformation, a high body weight, and fine bones. All of this increases trauma or pressure on the growth plate. A genetic relationship to DOD has been reported in dogs, swine, horses and people. ere have been reported incidences of flexural deformities linked to a particular sire. Cervical vertebral malformation has been shown to have a high degree of heritability. In Denmark and Norway, heritability estimates for Osteochondrosis of the hock and fetlock joints have been established. ere was no correlation between stallion breeding values of hock and fetlock Osteochondrosis, indicating there were separate genes for each condition. us one stallion could produce fetlock lesions while another could produce hock lesions. References 1. Equine Clinical Nutrition; Lon D. Lewis 2. Feeding Young Horses For Sound Development; Pete G. Gibbs and Gary D. Potter 3. Equine Applied and Clinical Nutrition; Raymond Geor, Patricia Harris, Manfred Coenen 4. Equine Nutrition and Feeding; David Frape 5. Wayne McIllwraith; Personal communication 6. Don Kapper; Personal communication Precision Pharmacy is exclusively a Veterinary Compounder. This specialty enables us to stay on the cutting edge of compounding to better support the needs of veterinary practitioners. Susan Welch-McCulloch Pharmacy Liaison • Reliable Quality • Fast Delivery • Personalized Customer Service Why Precision? Susan Welch-McCulloch | swelch@precisionpharmacy.com | 817-550-7237 877-734-3338 | info@precisionpharmacy.com | 5301 Young Street | Bakersfi eld, CA 93311

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