American Association of Equine Practitioners

08/21/2026

We asked our board members....what's your least favorite smell in vet med?

Thank you to the Early Career Committee for showcasing the lighter side of equine practice 😅

08/20/2026

🚫 MYTH: All horses need their wolf teeth pulled 🦷

Wolf teeth are small, vestigial premolars that sit just in front of the first cheek tooth, and not every horse needs them removed.
Extraction is usually recommended case-by-case, often when there's evidence of bit interference or discomfort during work. Some horses go their whole lives with wolf teeth causing zero issues.

📞 Notice your horse fussing with the bit, tossing their head, or resisting contact? Call your vet!

💙Thank you to the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee for helping us all do our best for our horses!

Have a myth you want us to bust next? Drop it in the comments! 👇

08/18/2026

A friendly request for emoji designers to include more options for equine vets 🐴✨

08/14/2026

Congratulations to our own titan of veterinary medicine, Dr. Robert Copelan, who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on Aug. 7 as a Pillar of the Turf.

Dr. Copelan, who will soon celebrate his 100th birthday, was one of the 11 founding members of the AAEP in 1954. His legacy in Thoroughbred racing touches not only the veterinary care of countless equine athletes but the training of many equine veterinarians who went on to follow his path.

Revered by many, loved by all. Thank you, Dr. Copelan.

🏇 Video courtesy of the National Racing Museum

📹 Watch the whole video here: https://youtu.be/67HR7f8Pw0c

08/13/2026

🩺 Wound Care 101: When Should You Call the Vet? 🐴

Horses find new ways to hurt themselves daily. A bump here, scrape there...you can't call your vet for every ding. But some wounds absolutely warrant that call. Here's when:

🚩 Full thickness skin wounds: often need sutures, especially if the injury just happened.
🚩 Anything over a joint or tendon: serious and potentially life-threatening, so call right away.
🚩 Significant blood loss: tough to judge on the ground since even a small amount can. look dramatic. Snap a photo and send it to your vet if you're not sure how urgent it is.
🚩 Small wound, big lameness: size isn't everything. Lameness can signal joint, bone, or soft tissue damage hiding beneath the surface.



💡 When in doubt, call. Most vets are happy to look at a photo and help you decide if they need to come out. Trust your gut — you know your horse best.

📚 Info courtesy of Dr. Scherrer, from her webinar "Soothe & Solve: The Equine Topical Ointment Guide"

08/11/2026

🚨 Is Your Horse's Emergency Kit Ready? 🐴

When something happens, you don't want to be searching for supplies — you want to be reaching for them. Here's what your vet wants you to have on hand:


✅ Meds & Prescriptions: Check expiration dates regularly, and talk to your vet about which prescription medications (and how much) they recommend keeping on hand.
✅ Bandage Materials: Be ready for both leg and hoof issues: cotton rolls, vet wrap, Elasticon, white tape, and duct tape (for a hardier hoof wrap).
✅ Topicals: Betadine or chlorhexidine, liquid bandage spray, petroleum jelly, silver sulfadiazine, fly-deterrent wound ointments, and triple antibiotic eye ointment.

🚛 Pro tip: Keep a kit at the barn and on your trailer — you don't want to be caught without supplies away from home.

🔁 Restock after every use. Nothing worse than reaching for something mid-emergency and remembering you used the last of it.
Talk to your veterinarian about building a kit that fits your horse's specific needs. 🩺

📚 Info courtesy of Dr. Nicole Scherrer, from the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee webinar "Soothe & Solve: The Equine Topical Ointment Guide." For the full list, check out her presentation!

08/10/2026

Are you weighing a practice transition or exploring options that best fit your career path? Our guests Drs. Meghan Delp and Rachael Levine share the realities of private versus corporate veterinary practice through candid stories which highlight the tradeoffs around ownership, culture, leadership, and career fulfillment.

Thank you as always to our Practice Life hosts Drs. Jessica Dunbar and Travis Boston and long-time sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim!

Listen now: https://podcast.aaep.org/e/corporate-mergers-in-equine-practice-risks-rewards-and-real-stories/

08/07/2026

Mosquito season means West Nile virus season. Here's what every horse owner needs to know:

WNV is transmitted by mosquitoes (and other biting insects) that pick up the virus from infected birds and pass it on to horses. Horses are considered "dead-end hosts" — meaning if your horse contracts WNV, they are not contagious to other horses, humans, or even mosquitoes that bite them.

Once infected, the virus can cause serious neurologic symptoms: ataxia (stumbling or incoordination), muscle tremors, weakness, and in severe cases, recumbency or death. In fact, roughly 1 in 3 horses that develop clinical signs don't survive. The good news? It's preventable.

✅ Vaccinate annually (spring is ideal, but it's not too late). The WNV vaccine is considered a core vaccine that all horses should receive unless indicated otherwise.
✅ Reduce standing water to control mosquito populations
✅ Use fly sheets/masks and equine-safe repellents during peak mosquito hours
✅ Watch for signs: stumbling, weakness, muscle twitching, or behavior changes — call your vet immediately

Talk to your veterinarian about your horse's vaccination status, and if a booster may be necessary. 🐴💉

📍 Track real-time outbreaks near you: equinediseasecc.org

08/05/2026

Speak to your veterinarian if you have any questions about the two lots affected by this recall.

RECALL ALERT: American Regent, Inc. Animal Health is conducting a nationwide recall of two lots (25011 and 3369) of Adequan® Canine Injection (for dogs), 100 mg/mL 5mL multi-dose vials and two lots (24416 and 25265P) of Adequan® i.m. Injection (for horses), 500mg/5 mL single-dose 5mL vials to the consumer level. The products are being recalled due to the presence of glass fibers found during testing of internally retained samples. MORE: https://bit.ly/454WV92

07/30/2026

US Equestrian has announced two medication rule changes:
➡️Effective immediately, cetirizine (commonly known by the brand name of the human product Zyrtec) will become a permitted substance and may be used in competition.
➡️Guidance on methocarbamol has been revised and there are now two recommended withdrawal timeframes for the drug in competition; the recommended dose for methocarbamol will remain the same.

More information including the two withdrawal timeframes for methodcarbamol can be found on the USEF website: https://www.usef.org/media/press-releases/us-equestrian-releases-new-guidance-for