Equine Matters - Spring 2016

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17 EQUINE MATTERS
Question 1: My 15 year old Arab gelding
has bone spavin and I have been using
Devil's Claw, which I think helps. I compete
in endurance rides and have been told that
I cannot compete on Devil's Claw - is this
correct?
Devil's Claw is a plant native to southern
Africa. Its name comes from the small hooks
on the plant's fruit. The active ingredient in
Devil's Claw is called harpagoside, which is
found in the plant’s root.
Despite many anecdotal reports of the
successful use of Devil’s Claw in arthritis,
results from human clinical studies are mixed
and, as yet, there are no convincing
controlled clinical trials to support its use.
Devil's Claw does have properties that
decrease levels of inflammatory molecules
but research in animals suggest that this
effect is lost by passage through the stomach
i.e. administration by mouth. Additionally,
stomach irritant side effects have been noted.
From 1st January 2016 the International
Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) added
harpagoside (Devil’s Claw) to the prohibited
substances list. Endurance GB operates using
the FEI prohibited substances list. Therefore
any rides operating under the jurisprudence
of Endurance GB would disqualify any horse
tested positive for harpagoside (Devil’s
Claw).
Devil’s Claw is frequently used in many
equine supplements and so all endurance
competitors are advised to be extremely
careful and check in detail the ingredients of
any supplements they are using. If there are
known orthopaedic problems, such as bone
spavin, please contact your vet regarding the
many other legal ways to help manage this
condition.
ask the experts...
Here, our experts will answer any veterinary or health related questions you may have.
Just send them in to and your question could feature here.
Graham Hunter BVM&S GPCert(EqP)
CertEP CertAVP(ESO) MRCVS,
Ardene House Veterinary Practice Ltd
Imogen Burrows BVetMed CertAVP(EM) MRCVS, Cliffe Equine Clinic
Question 3: I have read that new rules have
been made about applying for a new pass-
port for my horse. Is this true and what do I
have to do now?
The requirement for foals to have an
identification sketch done by a vet was
removed when the legislation was last
updated to include compulsory microchipping,
but from January 2016, it has become
mandatory for a sketch to be included once
again. From July 2016, the UK will also be
required to have a central database with
records of all horse passports and microchip
numbers, which will make it easier to trace
horses’ details if passports are lost.
It is still a legal requirement for all horses
and ponies to have a valid passport issued by
a registered Passport Issuing Authority. You
could be prosecuted if you own a
horse without a passport or transport a
horse without a passport. Vets are required
to check passports before administering
or prescribing any medication. Section IX
of the passport should be signed if you
do not wish your horse to enter the
human food chain. This allows vets to
prescribe medicines such as phenylbutazone
(‘bute) which carry restrictions for food
producing animals.
Paul Smith BVM&S CertEP MRCVS, North West Equine Vets
Question 2: I've heard there is a new
tapeworm saliva test - can you tell me
if it is any use ?
Tapeworm infections are associated with
certain kinds of colic; however, diagnosing
tapeworm burdens in the horse is a tricky
business. Unfortunately, faecal egg counts do
not detect tapeworm burdens accurately, so
until recently the most reliable test available
required a blood sample. However, a new
test based on saliva has been released.
Both blood and saliva tests look for markers
(antibodies) of the horse’s exposure to
tapeworm and give a low, borderline or
moderate/high result. The developers of the
saliva test recommend deworming horses
with more than one tapeworm present - those
that fall into the moderate (1-19 tapeworms)
or high (>20 tapeworms) groups. Disease is
only thought to occur when burdens are
greater than 20 (figure 1). False negative
results have been reported, but in all cases
the horses with false negative results had
tapeworm burdens of less than 20, therefore
this was unlikely to result in disease.
The blood and saliva tests seem to correlate
well. Trial data suggests the saliva test
has less ‘memory’ for previous burdens
(indicating past rather than current infection),
therefore saliva samples taken after
successful deworming are likely to register
a lower result sooner than the blood test.
Considering current evidence, the saliva test
is useful and should be considered a reliable
option for evaluating a horse’s exposure to
tapeworm.
Figure 1. Tapeworms in the hindgut