Knowledge Is Power.

21st November.

During this unprecedented outbreak of Equine Influenza, the Department of Primary Industries nation wide has received some bad press. What are they doing for us we ask? Well, if you happen to live in Victoria and have been fortunate and interested enough to attend one of the 57 statewide EI Information nights, you will know that the Victorian DPI are working diligently at keeping EI from the state. “EI is not here despite the great conspiracy theory that it would all emerge after the Cup”, commented DPI Field Veterinary Officer, Lauren Conachie.

Horse Deals attended a recent Information Night and before anyone started talking we were impressed with the Horse Flu Community Information Pack, subtitled, “Keep Victoria Horse Flu Free”. The Information Pack consisted of a folder containing twelve sections covering,

Message from Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer.
What is EI?
The current risk to Victoria.
The National scene.
Bio-security basics.
Where are you?
AHIC registration form.
Article. Equine Influenza, control and vaccination, striking a balance.
Article. Influenza and vaccination.
How to take a horse’s temperature and temperature chart.
Questions and answers.

The information session was introduced by DPI Officer, Fiona Dean and given by DPI Field Veterinary Officer, Lauren Conachie. The ensuing power point and video presentation was comprehensive and enlightening. One video, taken at Warwick, clearly demonstrated EI symptoms. This video is on the DPI website, but not everyone has access to the internet, a fact which makes these community evenings so important in disseminating the real facts about the virus.

“Hands up who knows how to take a horse’s temperature and what is the normal temperature”? Fortunately there were quite a few hands in the air at this meeting, but when was the last time you took your horses’s temperature? There would have been a large percentage of the horse owning public, who prior to EI were neither familiar with taking a temperature or knowing what was a normal temperature range. (38°-38.8°)
As Dr Conachie pointed out taking a horses temperature “is a great diagnostic tool in determining illness”.

The Australian Horse Industry Council have established a Horse Emergency Contact Database, as one of the major problems with containment was actually knowing how many horses there are and where they are. The DPI recommends that all horse owners register their horses. As was pointed out, it is not only a matter of EI, but also a useful record for other emergencies like floods and bushfires. For further information contact the AHIC at www.horsecouncil.org.au

The question and answer pages were comprehensive and the Information Pack should be in every horse owning household in Australia, not just Victoria. To obtain your Pack call the Equine Influenza Helpline on 1800 678 779 or go to www.dpi.vic.gov.au.

Lauren Conachie and Fiona Dean were professional, informative and above all approachable. There are only a couple of information nights to go. It’s a show not to miss, so catch the performance in a community hall near you, while tickets last.