Texas has more horses than any other state in the nation, according to Texas Farm Bureau. They say Texas 4 times as many horses as Kentucky. Summer is close. Many horse related activities are beginning in our area. Now is a good time to update your horse vaccinations if you haven’t already done so. Vaccinations are a vital part of health maintenance for your horse. They provide an active immunity to protect the horse against diseases they are intended for. Giving vaccinations does not keep your horse from getting a disease, but it gives your horse’s immune system a head starts in fighting off the disease which usually results in less symptoms, if any at all. It is recommended to vaccinate your horse before you are showing/rodeoing or co-mingling with other outside horses.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) recommends that all horses be vaccinated for a core set of vaccines. They include Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE and WEE respectively), Rabies, Tetanus, and West Nile Virus. Other vaccines are available and considered to be risked-based depending on the activities of the horse and/or location. According to the Texas A&M Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, TVMDL, 98% of west nile cases in horses last year were in non-vaccinated horses.

Each vaccination has specific guidelines although most require an annual booster. Typically, those booster vaccinations are administered in the spring before the onset of vector season. Certain horse diseases are spread by vectors such as mosquitos and flies. Vaccinations for diseases that are spread from horse to horse should be timed according to highest exposure or travel and might require more frequent boosting than annually. Specific AAEP guidelines for each vaccination are available at http:// www.aaep.org/custdocs/AdultVaccinationChart.pdf.

Most horse owners opt to get their vaccinations from their veterinarian, although some of the core vaccines are also available at feed stores/animal supply stores.

In general, you want to purchase vaccinations from a reputable source. Poor handling can lead to ineffective vaccines. Correct administration of vaccines is also paramount and should only be performed by an experienced individual like your veterinarian. Vaccines have become very convenient and are often offered in single doses that include multiple vaccines. A 5-way typically contains EEE, WEE, Tetanus, Flu, and Rhino. A 6-way has the 5-way plus West Nile Virus. Always check the label or ask questions to ensure you are vaccinating for what is recommended. Rabies is not available over the counter and must be administered by a veterinarian in a solitary dose. Start planning your horse’s vaccinations now. Some veterinary practices offer low-cost vaccine clinics in the spring to provide convenience and savings for the horse owner. You’ll want to vaccinate at least four weeks in advance of vector season to give your horse optimal protection. Foals and young horses usually have a slightly different vaccination protocol than mature using/pleasure horses. Brood mares also have a different vaccination protocol. There is also an equine rattlesnake vaccination available now.

Check with your veterinarian, it is now possible to get a certificate of veterinary inspection (health papers) that is now valid for 6 months instead of the standard 30 days.

Again, it is best to consult your veterinarian before administering equine vaccinations. More information about health management, disease control and vaccinations is available at http://animalscience.tamu.edu/ livestock-species/equine/publications/ under “Best Management

Practices for Equine Disease Prevention.”

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Prevent the spread of oak wilt in Texas this spring; All oak trees are susceptible to oak wilt

Texans can do their part to protect oak trees from oak wilt this spring.

Oak wilt is one of the deadliest tree diseases in the U.S., killing millions of oaks in 76 counties of Central, North and West Texas, but its impact can be mitigated.

Prevention is key to stopping the spread of oak wilt, said Demian Gomez. Any new wound, including from pruning, construction activities, livestock, land or cedar clearing, lawnmowers, string trimmers and storms, can be an entry point for the pathogen that infects trees.

“With wounds being the best entry point for the disease, landowners should avoid pruning or wounding trees from. And no matter the time of year, to decrease the attractiveness of fresh wounds to insects, always paint oak tree wounds.

How it spreads

Oak wilt is caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum. The fungus invades the xylem – the water-conducting vessels of the trees – and the tree responds by plugging the tissues, resulting in a lack of water to the leaves, slowly killing the infected tree.

Oak wilt can spread two ways – above ground or underground. The disease is spread above ground more rapidly this time of year, in late winter and spring, because of high fungal mat production and high insect populations.

During this time, oak trees that died may produce spore mats under the bark. The fruity smell from these mats attracts small, sap-feeding beetles that can later fly to a fresh wound of another oak tree and infect it, starting a new oak wilt center.

The second way oak wilt can spread is underground by traveling through interconnected root systems from tree to tree. Oak wilt spreads an average of 75 feet per year by the root system.

All oaks are susceptible to oak wilt. Red oaks are the most susceptible and can die in as little as one month after being infected.

Live oaks show intermediate susceptibility but can spread the disease easily due to their interconnected root systems. The interconnected root systems in live oaks are responsible for most tree deaths and spread of oak wilt in Central Texas. White oaks are the least susceptible, but they are not immune to infection.

Oak wilt is often recognized in live oaks by yellow and brown veins showing in leaves of infected trees, known as venial necrosis. Currently, it may be difficult to diagnose due to seasonal transitioning of oak leaves in the spring – when evergreen oak trees shed their old leaves while simultaneously growing new leaves.

The signs can be seen on a majority of leaves when a tree is fully infected.

“For red oaks particularly, one of the first symptoms of oak wilt is leaves turning red or brown during the summer,” said Gomez. “While red oaks play a key role in the establishment of new disease centers, live oaks and white oaks move oak wilt through root grafts.”

How to fight

To stop the spread of oak wilt through the root system, trenches can be placed around a group of trees, at least 100 feet away from the dripline of infected trees and at least 4 feet deep, or deeper, to sever all root connections.

Another common management method is fungicide injection. The injections are only a preventative measure to protect individual trees. The best candidates for this treatment are healthy, non-symptomatic oaks up to 100 feet away from symptomatic trees.

Other ways to help prevent oak wilt are to plant other tree species to create tree diversity in the area; avoid moving oak firewood before it is seasoned. Infected red oaks that died should be cut down and burned, buried or chipped soon after discovery to prevent fungal mats that may form the following spring.

Not only is saving oak trees important for our ecosystem and health, but oak wilt can also reduce property values by 15-20%.