Sheepdog
Chillin' with the herd
When I lived in Australia we lost a number of foals one year due to Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS) due to the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. This caterpillar has also caused mares to abort in Kentucky.
It has become quite a concern in Australia for a lot of the eastern sea board and these caterpillars are very difficult to irradicate... some racing Thoroughbred studs have purchased more land without trees in order to continue their broodmare operation....
"Well why don't you just cut down the trees that the caterpillars live in" I hear you say... Not so simple in Australia where we must justify our every move to the government.. well not quite that bad, but for the most part, you often cannot just go cutting down trees on your own property without specific permission from the government... and considering most Thoroughbred studs are situated reasonably close to town and not out in the boonies, most towns have rules and regulations about clearing trees etc from your property. This is not true for all areas, but for many, yes.
I understand that the tent caterpillar is also over here in the USA in the Eastern and midwestern states. I have seen the same type of caterpillar throughout Oklahoma as we had in Australia which were the culprit for all of the devastation, not to mention what they do to the trees, stripping them often almost completely of all leaves. They may be worse in Australia because most of the trees are not deciduous as they are here in the USA.
So my question is, has anyone had any experiences, etc, with abortion in mares which has been caused by these hairy little grubs!!! I was wondering if Oklahoma has had any incidences of MRLS due to caterpillar.
I have researched it on the internet but I can only obtain information about the horses in Kentucky a number of years ago that were victims of MRLS.
I am wondering if the caterpillar that I am seeing throughout Oklahoma is indeed the same caterpillar that is in Kentucky and caused the devastation in the TB industry.
I have asked a number of vets but nobody seems to know a whole lot about it.
For those of you who have never heard of it.....
Eastern tent caterpillars are beginning to hatch. These early spring caterpillars feed mostly on foliage of cherry and apple trees. In the home landscape, their silk tents can be unsightly, but the caterpillars generally don't do enough damage to kill their host trees.
Where horses are present, however, eastern tent caterpillars are a serious concern. The caterpillars have been linked to outbreaks of Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome, a condition that causes spontaneous abortions in mares. In some instances, the foal survives but is weak at birth.
Grazing horses may ingest eastern tent caterpillars in their pastures. Hairs from the caterpillars become embedded in the horse's alimentary canal lining. Researchers believe this allows bacteria from the alimentary canal to colonize other areas of the body, such as the placenta or fetus.
Horse owners should take steps to control eastern tent caterpillars in their pastures, and to remove Malacosoma americanum hosts such as black cherry trees.
I would be interested to know what other's experiences with this problem have been, if any, from anywhere in the US or Canada.
It has become quite a concern in Australia for a lot of the eastern sea board and these caterpillars are very difficult to irradicate... some racing Thoroughbred studs have purchased more land without trees in order to continue their broodmare operation....
"Well why don't you just cut down the trees that the caterpillars live in" I hear you say... Not so simple in Australia where we must justify our every move to the government.. well not quite that bad, but for the most part, you often cannot just go cutting down trees on your own property without specific permission from the government... and considering most Thoroughbred studs are situated reasonably close to town and not out in the boonies, most towns have rules and regulations about clearing trees etc from your property. This is not true for all areas, but for many, yes.
I understand that the tent caterpillar is also over here in the USA in the Eastern and midwestern states. I have seen the same type of caterpillar throughout Oklahoma as we had in Australia which were the culprit for all of the devastation, not to mention what they do to the trees, stripping them often almost completely of all leaves. They may be worse in Australia because most of the trees are not deciduous as they are here in the USA.
So my question is, has anyone had any experiences, etc, with abortion in mares which has been caused by these hairy little grubs!!! I was wondering if Oklahoma has had any incidences of MRLS due to caterpillar.
I have researched it on the internet but I can only obtain information about the horses in Kentucky a number of years ago that were victims of MRLS.
I am wondering if the caterpillar that I am seeing throughout Oklahoma is indeed the same caterpillar that is in Kentucky and caused the devastation in the TB industry.
I have asked a number of vets but nobody seems to know a whole lot about it.
For those of you who have never heard of it.....
Eastern tent caterpillars are beginning to hatch. These early spring caterpillars feed mostly on foliage of cherry and apple trees. In the home landscape, their silk tents can be unsightly, but the caterpillars generally don't do enough damage to kill their host trees.
Where horses are present, however, eastern tent caterpillars are a serious concern. The caterpillars have been linked to outbreaks of Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome, a condition that causes spontaneous abortions in mares. In some instances, the foal survives but is weak at birth.
Grazing horses may ingest eastern tent caterpillars in their pastures. Hairs from the caterpillars become embedded in the horse's alimentary canal lining. Researchers believe this allows bacteria from the alimentary canal to colonize other areas of the body, such as the placenta or fetus.
Horse owners should take steps to control eastern tent caterpillars in their pastures, and to remove Malacosoma americanum hosts such as black cherry trees.
I would be interested to know what other's experiences with this problem have been, if any, from anywhere in the US or Canada.
