Equine Health Update EHU Vol 21 Issue 01 | Page 28

EQUINE | Equine Disease Quarterly CONTACT: Jennifer Janes, DVM, PhD [email protected] (859) 257-8283 University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Labora- tory Lexington, KY Figure 1. Known U.S. distribution of Haemaphysalis longicornis (as of Au- gust 30, 2018). Figure 2. The female Asian longhorned tick (ALT) (Haemaphy- salis longicornis) is able to reproduce without male fertiliza- tion to rapidly grow local populations after establishment. ALT are able to deposit about 2,000 eggs, all female. Male ALT in the United States are rare. Source: James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention January 2019 COMMENTARY Late-term abortion is one of the most devastating issues horse breeders face. Every pregnancy represents a labor of love, with a substantial amount of time, energy 28 and money put into achieving the perfect foal. Every pregnancy loss raises questions concerning our ability to have prevented that loss and whether we could have done more. • Equine Health Update •