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TheHorse.com THE HORSE October 2015
Fortunately, boarded veterinary inter-
nists are trained to help get even the most
critical horses on the road to recovery.
These specialists recently gathered at
the 2015 American College of Veterinary
Internal Medicine Forum, held June 4-6
in Indianapolis, Indiana, to review new
research and perpetually important mate-
rial. This year, equine-specific presenta-
tion topics included gastric ulcers, equine
Cushing's disease, nutrition and toxicities,
medications, and more.
Here's just a sampling of the re-
search shared at the forum. Find ad-
ditional study recaps at TheHorse.com/
ACVIM2015.
Do Blankets Block Vitamin D?
Many horses today have wardrobes
that rival those of their owners—winter
rugs, turnout sheets, rain covers, fly gear,
and more. We know these can help keep
horses warm, dry, and fly-free, but how
they impact some aspects of horse health
remains unclear. Take vitamin D, for ex-
ample: It's thought that horses need sun-
light to synthesize this crucial vitamin. So
does blanket wear affect their ability to
produce it? That's what Sara Azarpeykan,
DVM, PGDip, a PhD candidate at Massey
University, in Palmerston North, New
Zealand, and colleagues recently tried to
find out.
Vitamin D is key to keeping a horse's
body functioning properly. It helps main-
tain plasma calcium concentrations and
promotes calcium and phosphorus ab-
sorption from the intestine. It also helps
mobilize stored calcium, with an indirect
impact on bone mineralization.
Horses get vitamin D by consum-
ing good-quality sun-cured forages and
spending time outside. Still, "equine
vitamin D metabolism and factors
STEPHANIE L. CHURCH & ERICA LARSON
Equine internal medicine specialists reveal their most recent discoveries
IN SIDE
Y
our horse's body systems are constantly at work. From digest-
ing feed and maintaining fluid balances to excreting hormones
and fighting bacteria, there's always something happening
inside his fuzzy exterior. That also means a lot can go wrong.
ACVIMForum
A Look