What's New

Dr. Susan Johns just arrived back from Jarantow, Poland where she was the veterinarian for the USA Team at the World Singles Driving Championships.

Dr. Laurie Tyrrell will be leaving her VEI family and starting a new chapter in her life. She has been a loyal employee for VEI since she graduated from Michigan State University in 2004.  Her bubbly attitude and excellent cooking skills will be missed along with the monthly bouquet of flowers she was sent by her fiancé, Steve.  Laurie and Steve were married at Dr. Allen’s farm, Brightwood, on May 17th, 2008.  We wish them both the best of luck in their new home in Michigan.

 

AAEP Releases Updated Equine Vaccination Guidelines

January 24, 2008

The Infectious Disease Committee of the American Association of Equine Practitioners has issued revised guidelines for the administration of vaccinations to horses.  The Committee, chaired by Mary Scollay, DVM, has made recommendations for the use of vaccines based on the age of the horse and its previous vaccination history.  The guidelines are intended to serve as a reference for veterinarians as they employ vaccines in their respective practices.

 

Highlights of “Guidelines for the Vaccination of Horses” include:

·     The identification of tetanus, Eastern/Western Equine Encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus and rabies as “core” vaccines.  Core vaccines have clearly demonstrated efficacy and safety, and exhibit a high enough level of patient benefit and low enough level of risk to justify their use in the majority of patients.

·      The addition of a vaccination protocol for anthrax.

·      Recommendations for the storage and handling of vaccines, as well as information on vaccine labeling and adverse reactions.

·      Inclusion of the AAEP’s Infectious Disease Control Guidelines, which provide an action plan for the containment of infectious disease during an outbreak.

 

The Committee stresses that veterinarians, through an appropriate veterinarian-client-patient relationship, should use the vaccination guidelines coupled with available products to determine the best professional care for their patients.  Horse owners should consult with a licensed veterinarian before initiating a vaccination program. 

 

“The goal of the guidelines is to provide current information that will enable veterinarians and clients to make thoughtful and educated decisions on vaccinating horses in their care,” explained Dr. Scollay.  “The vaccination schedules are complemented by supporting information on topics including vaccine technology and disease risk-assessment, allowing veterinarians to customize vaccination programs specific to the needs of an individual horse or group of horses.  The impact of infectious disease has been felt across the equine industry in recent years, and the Committee hopes that these guidelines will be a useful tool in preventing or mitigating the effects of equine infectious disease.” 

 

The Committee, comprised of researchers, vaccine manufacturers and private practitioners, updated guidelines that were established by the AAEP in 2001.

 

The complete document, along with easy reference charts, is available on the AAEP Web site at http://www.aaep.org/vaccination_guidelines.htm.

 

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse.  Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.

 

 
 
 
Dr. Kent Allen and Dr. Laurie Tyrrell attended the ISELP-module 8 seminar at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Lexington, KY, November 9-11. The topic was Clinical Consideration of the Equine Pelvic and Coxofemoral Regions. Dr. Allen is the Vice President and one of the founding members of the ISELP. For more information about ISELP go to www.iselp.org

   On December 1 at the USDF Annual Convention in Orlando, FL, Dr. Allen presented a lecture titled Understanding the USEF/FEI Medication Rule; How Not to get your Horse to Test Positive.

At the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Annual Convention December 1-6 in Orlando, Dr. Allen did an In Depth lecture with Sue Dyson on Lameness and Imaging in the Sports Horses. He participated in a talk with Sergio Salinas discussing FEI Medication Concerns and was on a panel discussing MRI.

World Games 2010 Foundation Selects Dr. Kent Allen as Official Veterinary Coordinator

The World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc. today announced it has selected Dr. A. Kent Allen as the official Veterinary Coordinator of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010.

"Dr. Allen will be a tremendous asset to the 2010 Games," stated Jack Kelly, CEO of the World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc. "This event is all about the more than 900 horses that will be competing here in 2010. We want to ensure the best medical care in the world for them and Dr. Allen's expertise will help us provide just that."

"I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to be involved with the 2010 games," said Dr. Allen. "I and a tremendous team of veterinarians look forward to making sure these horses receive the world class care they deserve."

Dr. Allen received his DVM degree at the University of Missouri in 1979. His practice currently focuses on top level sports medicine, lameness and diagnostic imaging at Virginia Equine Imaging. He lectures veterinarians and horse people throughout the world on lameness, imaging, and sports medicine topics. He remains a key contact veterinarian for the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

Dr. Allen has served as the team veterinarian for the United States Equestrian Team and was vice-chairman of the FEI Veterinary Committee. He is also a chairman of the USEF Drug and Medication Committee and vice-chair of the FEI Medication Advisory Group. Dr. Allen was the Veterinary Coordinator for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and was the Foreign Veterinary Delegate for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park, are the world championships of the eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the FEI, and are held every four years. The Games have never before been held outside of Europe; nor have all eight disciplines ever previously been help together at a single site – both firsts that will be achieved at the Kentucky Horse Park. The 2010 Games are expected to have a statewide economic impact of $150 million. It is anticipated that more than 600,000 spectators will attend the 16-day competition.

FEI List of Detection Times



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