CARE622.01 Veterinary Horse Care
The intent of this standard operating procedure (SOP) is to describe veterinary horse
care as a standard reference for personnel providing routine care for horses. This
SOP is approved by the Cornell Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
(IACUC) and the Cornell Center for Animal Resources and Education (CARE). Any
exemption must be approved by the IACUC prior to its application.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Materials
3. Procedures
4. Safety
5. Contingencies
6. References
1. Introduction
a. The purpose of this SOP is to assure all horses used by, or owned by, Cornell
receive care in a manner acceptable with current veterinary practices.
b. Animal care staff is defined as anyone responsible for the daily care of any
animal within Cornell’s animal facilities.
2. Materials
a. Individual medical history record for each horse.
b. Vaccines as defined in section 3,a,i.
3. Procedures
a. Preventive Medicine
i. Physical Health Status
1. Perform a veterinary physical examination annually; record
observations and assessments in each horse’s individual health
record.
2. Perform and record corrective general maintenance (e.g. hoof
trimming) as determined by personnel trained in proper equine care
and management.
3. Perform and record corrective veterinary care (e.g. dental
maintenance) as determined by the facility veterinarian.
ii. Vaccination
1. Vaccinate all horses in a herd on the same schedule when
appropriate for the vaccine being used, to optimize herd immunity.
2. Use only federally licensed vaccines according to manufacturer’s
recommendations for storage, handling and routes of administration.
3. Administer vaccines by or under direct supervision of a veterinarian.
4. Vaccinate all horses against rabies, eastern equine encephalitis,
westeren equine encephalitis, equine herpes virus 4, influenza, and
tetanus. Other vaccinations will be at the discretion of the attending
veterinarian and the PI.
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