|
|
Although Australia has the second largest thoroughbred broodmare population in the world after the United States, no systematic investigation of the incidence of Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) in Australian horses has been conducted.
However, veterinarians and stud managers in different regions of Australia are becoming increasingly concerned with the problem, which affects skeletal growth and development in foals.
As the first step in generating a better understanding of this complex and costly disease, RIRDC commissioned Dr Janine Aldred to compile an up-to-date review of DOD after an industry workshop called for a coordinated approach to the problem.
She summarises her findings in the booklet Developmental Orphopaedic Disease in Horses.
Dr Aldred, a veterinary graduate from the University of Melbourne, is completing a PhD at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science on aspects of mineral metabolism and DOD in thoroughbred horses.
Her booklet is the result of close interaction between the RIRDC Equine Research and Development Program, horse breeders, farriers, researchers and veterinarians.
Recognising the problem for thoroughbred breeders in the Hunter Valley region of NSW, Billy Neville, a local farrier, together with prominent stud managers, raised breeders' concerns with Dr Bill Howey, a veterinarian with longstanding experience in the region.
Discussions between Dr Howey and Professor Reuben Rose, the research manger of the RIRDC Equine Research and Development Program, led to a workshop in Scone which aimed to establish a coordinated approach to the problem of DOD.
The workshop, facilitated by RIRDC, was attended by stud managers, veterinarians, farriers, and scientists from the University of Sydney and the University of Glasgow.
The major findings at the workshop were: About 3000 thoroughbred foals are born annually in the Hunter Valley;: 80 per cent will have some degree of angular limb deformity; 40 per cent will require corrective hoof trimming for angular limb deformities; eight per cent will require surgery to correct angular deformities; three to five per cent will have contracted tendons; six per cent will become wobblers; five per cent will develop osteochondritis dissecans (OCD); 10 per cent will not be sold at yearling sales because of DOD.
Based on these findings, workshop participants estimated that DOD collectively costs the Hunter Valley thoroughbred industry $9.8 million each year. This figure includes costs for diagnosis and treatment, increased labour, loss of sale value and training fees.
If these figures were applied Australia wide, the costs to the thoroughbred industry alone could be as much as $60 million a year, the booklet says.
The workshop agreed that further investigation of the DOD problem was urgently needed and recommended retrospective audits of veterinary and stud records to accurately establish the incidence of the disease and a progressive study of its causes.
Dr Aldred's booklet is an important first step in generating a better understanding of the disease and will be of value to all those involved with horse breeding and racing. It has been written in a way that minimises the use of complex scientific terminology so that readers with a basic knowledge of biology can understand and apply the information.
The booklet provides an introduction to DOD syndrome. It gives a brief description of the diseases and describes the incidence of the problem both in Australia and overseas.
Dr Aldred examines the way foals grow and develop, outlining both normal and abnormal bone development, and helps breeders identify individual diseases.
The booklet examines ways to minimise the incidence of DOD in young horses and gives a brief outline of equine nutrition requirements, feed intake, and feed-nutrient contents.
She discusses current knowledge of the causes of DOD but stresses that while many of its causes are now well understood and information has often been extrapolated from research on similar diseases in pigs, dogs and chickens, further research into the causes of DOD in horses is needed.
"There is still much to learn about DOD, and until the exact nature of the causes has been established, it is unlikely that we will be able to completely prevent its occurrence," Dr Aldred says.
The report Developmental Orphopaedic Disease in Horses is available from the RIRDC for $10, plus postage and handling.
Contacts: Janine Aldred, phone (02) 9351
2709
Communications Unit, RIRDC, phone (06)
272 3186
