Horse health recharged

The funding supports three equine health research projects, a summer research student award, two graduate tuition awards and a graduate research fellowship.

While the bulk of the funding stems from the college’s Townsend Equine Health Research Fund, other contributions include $15,657 in funding from the Mark and Pat DuMont Equine Performance Fund as well as a bequest gift of $20,000 from the estate of Kathleen H. Stinson. Originally from Rouleau, Sask., Stinson died at the age of 92 in 2019.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Is ceftiofur use linked to colonization with antimicrobial-resistant organisms? 
Drs. Fabienne Uehlinger, Joe Rubin and Lorena Santos, WCVM. Supported by TEHRF.

Ceftiofur is an antibiotic that’s widely used in equine medicine. While it’s licensed for treating Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus infections in horses, it’s often used in an extra-label manner. By investigating the correlation between ceftiofur use and colonization with resistant E. coli, this study will address the significant threat of third-generation cephalosporin resistance, which is critical to human and animal health.

Can fish skin grafts help metacarpal wounds heal faster? 
Drs. Keri Thomas, Alannah Friedlund and Joe Bracamonte, WCVM. Supported by TEHRF.

Human physicians use acellular fish skin grafts to treat human burn victims and patients with chronic non-healing wounds. So far, no one has evaluated the use of this alternative biologic material to treat lower-limb wounds in horses. In this study, WCVM researchers will investigate the use of fish skin grafts and if they help lower-limb wounds to heal more quickly.

Can troponin testing help vets diagnose heart disease in horses? 
Drs. Vanessa Cowan and Lynn Weber, WCVM. Supported by Mark and Pat DuMont Equine Performance Fund.

This study aims to improve the diagnosis of myocardial (heart) disease in Saskatchewan horses by developing reference intervals in healthy horses and implementing a point-of-care troponin test in hospitalized patients. Cardiac troponins are proteins that act as diagnostic markers of myocardial disease. WCVM scientists will also examine the effect of extreme temperature on cardiac troponin in healthy horses — novel research that can provide valuable insights into how environmental stressors affect equine heart health.

STUDENT AWARDS

Undergraduate summer research award (summer 2024)

• Marilyn Mullan-Fraser of Courtenay, B.C. (WCVM Class of 2026). Research mentor: WCVM professor Dr. Claire Card. Mullan-Fraser helped to investigate the interaction between the embryo and the mare’s endometrium to establish the cascade of events that leads to maternal recognition of pregnancy.

Graduate tuition awards (2024-25)

• Dr. Josefina Ghersa of Argentina is beginning a combined Master of Science (MSc)-equine theriogenology residency program under the supervision of Dr. Claire Card, WCVM Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. Ghersa will study an aspect of maternal recognition of pregnancy, which is still not fully understood in mares. Her aim is to assess and describe the role of exosomes and their lipidic content in equine pregnancy. Exosomes are small vesicles (sacs) that play a vital role in intercellular communication.
• Dr. Bukola Alaba of Nigeria is enrolled in a PhD program under the supervision of Drs. James Carmalt and Suraj Unniappan, WCVM Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. Alaba is studying the role of fibrocarti-lage in equine temporomandibular joint inflammation. The study focuses on the differences between fibrous cartilage and hyaline cartilage and their respective responses to damage and treatment.

Equine fellowship (2024-25)

• Dr. Alannah Friedlund of Fiske, Sask., is the first recipient of the Kathleen H. Stinson Equine Fellowship, which is worth $20,000. Friedlund is completing a MSc-large animal surgery residency under the supervision of Dr. Keri Thomas, WCVM Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. Click here to learn more about Friedlund's research work.