What this Chesapeake horseman can teach you - Virginia Horse ...

Fall 2009 7 ON THE COVER
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Virginia Tech vet-professor to study round bales
By Rex Bowman
Giant round bales of hay make for beautiful scenery on
farmland slopes and pastures but horse lovers, worried
about dust and mold in the round bales, are often reluctant
to feed them to their animals, choosing instead to serve up
more expensive square bales.
But as horse owners know, the cost of hay has been
harrowingly high over the past few years, so Dr. Virginia
Buechner-Maxwell, a professor and veterinarian at the
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, is
hoping to determine if the cheaper round bales do or do not
increase horses’ risk of developing respiratory problems. If
they don’t, horse owners could save a bundle.
The Virginia Horse Industry Board, also keen to know
the answer, has funded Buechner-Maxwell’s research with
a grant of more than $14,500. Buechner-Maxwell hopes to
begin her study this fall.
“As a veterinarian practicing in southwest Virginia, I
hear about a number of horse owners struggling to feed
their animals,” said Buechner-Maxwell, who has been riding
since she was 3 and owns 10 horses. “In some cases,
people have been forced to get rid of many or all of the
horses that they have had for years. Feeding round bales
could save horse owners in the state of Virginia a great
deal of money, but most owners want to ensure that they
are not putting their horse’s health at risk by choosing to
use round bales.”
Buechner-Maxwell, who lives in Fairlawn, admits she
herself is reluctant to feed her horses round bales of hay.
It’s not uncommon, she said, to see horses with their noses
completely buried in round bales, potentially exposing
their airways to hay dust and mold; meanwhile, horses that
feed on square bale hay off the ground “seem to experience
much less exposure.”
Buechner-Maxwell said she recently began searching
for studies that examined any link between round bale
feeding and respiratory problems in horses but found no
published research. She said she found only studies aimed
partly at reducing mold in round bale hay.
“It was especially surprising to me to learn that when
round bales are packaged and stored properly, there is little
risk of mold and the hay retains its nutritional value as well
as square bale hay,” she said. “However, I could not find
studies which directly examine the relationship between
feeding round bale hay and risk of respiratory disease in
horses.”
So, to find the answer herself, Buechner-Maxwell and
a team of other researchers at the college plan to feed hay
from the same pasture to two groups of 20 horses this fall.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Virginia Buechner-Maxwell
Best part of the job: “The best part of my job is the
diversity — no two days are the same. The other best
part of my job is that I can spend part of every day
with animals, and the other best part of my job is
problem solving — whenever I can diagnose a problem
or cure a sick horse, that’s a truly good day.”
Worst part of the job: “Any time I lose a patient, I
spend a lot of time wondering what I could have done
better. So losing the patient is hard, and thinking
about the loss is harder. I also hate that I can’t treat
every animal without having to consider money. I’m
not saying that I think people who can’t pay for their
animal’s care are bad, I am just saying it is hard ending
the life of an animal that I might have been able to
help, especially when the animal is young.”
Half the horses will be fed hay in round bales; the other
half will receive hay in square bales. The hay and the horses
will both be evaluated before feeding begins and at the
end of the study, two months later.
The hay will be studied to determine its mold and bacterial
content, while the horses will be looked at for evidence
of airway disease, such as coughing and nasal discharge.
On any given day during the two-month study, at least 10
of the horses will be examined for respiratory problems.
“The goal of this study is to determine if there is a risk
associated with feeding round bales,” Buechner-Maxwell
said. “If such a risk exists, then we hope to better define
it so that horse owners will have information available to
assist them in deciding if round bale hay is a good source
of nutrition for their horses.”
Dr. Iveta Becvarova, a nutrition specialist at the veterinary
college, will oversee the analysis of the hay for its
nutritional content, while Dr. David Schmale, a specialist
in environmental molds and fungi at Virginia Tech, will
also take part in the study. Three veterinarians from Tech
will also assist.
Buechner-Maxwell said she hopes to have the project
finished and the results published by next summer.
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more on Dr. vIrgInIa buecHner-maxwell
born: Greenville, S.C.
residence: Fairlawn.
Family: Husband Robert Wayne Maxwell;
stepson Nathan Maxwell, 29.
Pets: Nine cats (Oscar, Annie, Baby, Lucky,
Tiger, Smokey, Gordon, Honey and Halie),
two dogs (Jack and Russ), 10 horses
(Pebbles, Dillon, Moe, Lady, Panda, Rudy,
The Baroness, Saran, Autumn and Jangles).
occupation: Professor and specialist in
large animal internal medicine at the
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine.
education: Masters of Science in Veterinary
Clinical Medicine, Virginia-Maryland
Regional College of Veterinary Medicine,
1991; Doctor of Veterinary Medicine,
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine, 1987; Masters of
Science in cell and molecular biology,
University of Pennsylvania, 1987; Bachelor
of Arts in biology and secondary education,
Goucher College, 1976.
Hobbies: Horse-related activities like trail
riding, swimming, photography, hiking.
Philosophy of life: “I am not sure of the source
of this quote but ‘Leap and the net will appear’
pretty much summarizes the way I look at life.”
www.horsenation.us