Quarterly news
FEI Veterinary Department
No 01-2007
Editorial
Dear friends and colleagues,
We hope that this newsletter finds you well. As you may have guessed, this years’ list of activities within the department reaches unprecedented levels, which is a poor excuse for not sending you this issue earlier.
On a good note, our new veterinarian in the department, Dr Lies De Backer, is enjoying her work for the FEI and seems to be very well appreciated by all of you. Lies had her first high-tension mission to the EU Championship Ponies, where for the first time measuring on-site was executed. Most teams seemed to have done their preparations in good order, so there were few problems as to overheight ponies entered for competition. Her next visit was to the EU Championships Jumping in Mannheim, where the FEI once more had thermography and clinical exams in place, to ensure that no horses with an abnormal sensitivity of the lower limb would be participating in the competition. It appeared that the combination of thermography immediately followed by a clinical examination was an effective procedure to continue. However, there still needs to be some work done to clarify the responsibilities of the decision taking officials if a horse is diagnosed as hypersensitive.
The progress on detection times for the Medicine Box is slow but steady. In collaboration with the EHSLC (Racing), the department and the Medication Advisory Group are trying to make progress on this complicated issue. Below you will find more details on the matter.
And last but not least, the HKG Test Event is behind us and resulted in valuable information. Dr McEwen (GBR) and Dr Kohn (USA) are working on the data collected, to make sure that the outcome of this test is as applicable to all horses as possible. A heat and humidity seminar is planned for February 17, 2008 in Lausanne; more details will follow in the near future.
Frits Sluyter, Lies De Backer
HKG Test Event
The following NFs were participating at the HKG test event: GBR, GER, SWE, NED, AUS, FRA, IRL and the USA, with a number of 17 horses. The Veterinary Committee chairman made an effort to have all teams carry out parallel research, so that the results of the test event will be as reliable as possible. Dr Marlin was also present to aid in the collection of research data. Weather measuring and monitoring of air quality has taken place; intake of feed and water of horses has been monitored in some cases. The horses were weighed and blood parameters were being evaluated to check the flight recovery and acclimatisation process. The outcome of the test event will be discussed with all interested parties during a workshop on heat and humidity on February 17th in Lausanne, Switzerland. Application forms for that workshop are currently being made and will soon be available on our website.
PanAm Games 2007
The 2007 PanAm Games, which were organised in BRA, have not been a relaxed exercise at FEI headquarters. Initially there were great problems with the health requirements for temporary importation of the horses, underlining once more that the standard protocol and certificate developed by the IMHC (a working group by Racing and the FEI) should be used as much as possible by event host countries. Having endless discussions on diseases such as CEM or EVA is not only time consuming, but does not really apply to FEI horses. Now that the Games are finished, it is possible to state that all samples taken for medication control tested negative at the FEI central laboratory in Paris. This was an important step as it proved feasible to send the samples from BRA to FRA, which was an important bottleneck in the preparations to this event.
EU championship Ponies
From 17-22 July 2007, the CH-EU-P took place in Freudenberg (GER). On the first day, all ponies of the three disciplines were measured by two independent FEI appointed measuring veterinarians. Following the new rules for pony riders, effective as from the 1st January 2007, only ponies that do not exceed 150cm without shoes and 151cm shod, were allowed to compete. The 2cm tolerance is given to compensate for measuring under competition conditions. However, the FEI definition of a pony has not changed (148cm barefoot, 149cm shod). From a total amount of 170 ponies, only one pony was overheight, which means that most NFs were pro-active in measuring and selecting all their ponies at home before coming to Freudenberg. Striking, however, was that the greater part of all ponies measured between 149cm and 151cm. Consequently, the FEI will continue its efforts to ensure that all ponies competing in international pony competitions are in compliance with the FEI definition of a pony.
List of Detection Times
The progress in developing detection times for the Medicine Box is ongoing. A recent meeting with the EHSLC (the Racing group that works on this issue as well and provides the research data) illustrated how complicated this issue is. Thus far, the FEI has officially published detection times on its website for phenylbutazone, flunixin, ketoprofen, dipyrone, dembrexine, mepivacaine and detomidine. In the last MAG meeting (Oct 5, 2007) the substances on which decisions could be made are N-butyl-scopolamine i.v. (Buscopan mono), lidocaine s.c., clenbuterol p.o. and dexamethasone i.v. The cortico-steroids for intra-articular (i.e triamcinolone, betamethasone, methylprednisolone) use represent a difficult category, since there is not only the issue of an analytical detection time, but also the issue of rest and recovery of the horse that has a veterinary problem in that area. In addition, the laboratories must be able to detect low levels of these substances; this becomes even more an issue if administration by inhaler is also to become part of the picture.
Authorisation of Treatment
Much debate was seen recently on retro-active authorisation of medication such as intra-articular corticosteroids. The Vet Regs (Annex VI.1) clearly state that intra-articular treatment should not be authorised; however, the paragraph refers to medication forms for treatment during an event. For all clarity, the FEI does not authorise intra-articular treatment. Horses which require this type of treatment should also be rested and detection of the treatment during events should not take place. This means that, if any form 1 is submitted to the FEI Veterinary Official for i.a. treatment which took place prior to the event, this should not be authorised.
Guidelines for Equine Influenza
To our surprise, the issue of influenza vaccinations continues to create some problems during passport controls at events. While the objective was to have the rules as user-friendly as possible, we still see the need to carry out a further revamping of our relevant website text, which is being done as we speak. However, once more the bottom line:
A recorded primary course, at least an annual booster schedule thereafter and the last booster given within a period of 6 months (+ 3 weeks) but not within 7 days prior to event arrival.
As far as the first booster (to be given within 6 months after the second vaccination of the primary course), we advise to check for it, not to sanction if that first booster is not there but to write down that the horse needs an extra vaccination (21-92 days after the next 6-month booster), which will make the next 2 vaccinations effectively a new primary. The following booster at 6 months will then bring the horse back in line.
Equine Influenza (AUS & JPN)
At this moment, outbreaks of EI are ongoing in JPN and AUS. These outbreaks have had a devastating effect on the competition and breeding arena. AUS, a country which was free of EI and did not vaccinate (a complete naïve horse population), tries through a policy of containment to prevent further spread of EI; ring vaccination around infected areas is going to be used in the process. EI has been reported from the states NCW and QLD. The outbreak apparently originated from the Quarantine centre in Sydney.
In JPN, infected holdings have been closed off and race meetings were cancelled. JPN does routinely vaccinate against EI. It is hoped that the specifics of the virus strains involved can be shared between the infected countries and the OIE soon, so that a verification of the protective effect of current vaccines can be evaluated. There is an OIE Advising Group on the composition of EI vaccines; this group would be very much helped by receiving scientific data as soon as possible.
Vet course, Avenches (SUI)
From the 1st to the 3rd of August, an FEI veterinary course took place in Avenches at the IENA (Institut Equestre National Avenches), which is about 45 minutes driving from FEI headquarters. 37 veterinarians from 17 countries have attended the course, which is required to be listed as an FEI event veterinarian. Thanks to the organising committee this event could be organised during the Eventing European Championship Juniors. A good combination between practical work in the field and FEI lectures came out from these three days meeting. We would like to thank all the participants for their enthusiasm and their positive input in the course.
The number of countries illustrates that there is a shortage of vet courses in general; we strongly advise national federations to organise these courses. This is not only necessary to have new vets enter the list of officials, but also very much to serve as a ‘refresher’ course for vets who have been in the circuit for a number of years.
FEI Veterinary Courses
Event Veterinarians
● Geneva, (SUI), 5-7 December 2007
Application forms are available on our website.
Some useful links
2008 Olympic Games, Beijing(CHN)
http://fr.beijing-2008.org/
The official website of the BEIJING2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Equine Veterinary Journal
http://www.evj.co.uk/
The journal of the Equine Veterinary Profession
The Horse
http://www.thehorse.com/
The latest news and in-depth veterinarian-approved articles on equine health care.
European Ongoing initiatives
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/index_en.htm
Office International des Epizooties
http://www.oie.int/eng/en_index.htm
World Organization for Animal Health
International League for the Protection of Horses
http://www.ilph.org/
BCM
http://www.bcm.nl/
BCM consists of two important business units: publishing and event management.
National Equine Welfare Council
http://www.newc.co.uk
The Veterinary Journal
www.elsevier.com/locate/tvjl
The Veterinary Journal is an international journal of veterinary research that publishes original papers and reviews on all aspects of veterinary science. Contributions reporting investigative work in the scientific disciplines involving veterinary species including horses are particularly welcome.
Fédération Equestre Internationale
Veterinary Department
Av. Mon-Repos 24
1005 Lausanne
Switzerland