Strategic use of the VetTrue System – Health & Safety – Hendra Virus

By Dr. Michael Hurley | Posted on June 3, 2021

There are times when equine diseases are so hazardous to humans that it’s not safe to be near the horse. Hendra virus infection is one such disease. In Queensland and NSW over 80 cases of Hendra virus have been reported in horses since 1994 and the disease has claimed several lives.
The virus is spread to horses from fruit bats and can cause a wide variety of clinical signs. These may include sudden death or a rapid onset of illness, fever, increased heart rate, respiratory signs and neurological signs. Veterinarians investigating potential Hendra virus cases must use full PPE when examining horses and taking samples for diagnosis. Until Hendra virus infection has been excluded, all contact with the sick horse, even to administer treatment, must be in full PPE for health and safety reasons. The period between sample collection and confirmation or exclusion of a Hendra virus diagnosis can be a worrying time as the disease is often fatal for both horse and human.
The VetTrue System™ from Epona Biotec is a useful tool in such situations. Equine veterinarians can attach a TailTab during the initial examination while in full PPE. The horse can then be monitored remotely until laboratory results are returned. As a fever is present in nearly every case of Hendra virus infection, having this information available can assist in aiding a diagnosis. Health and safety protocols are maintained by monitoring the horse remotely. Contact Epona Biotec now for further information on the VetTrue™ System.

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Epona Biotec: A Brand History

Posted on October 1, 2020

In 2015 a chance meeting in Hong Kong between tech entrepreneur Adrian Poon and equine veterinary surgeon Dr Michael Hurley established the basis for what would eventually become Epona Biotec. Adrian believed there was value in the remote monitoring of horses and that the equine industry was ready to become a part of the growing world of Internet of Things (IoT). With Michael’s extensive industry experience, it was clear that the concept of remotely monitoring simple clinical parameters such as temperature, pulse and respiration would provide incredibly valuable information on a horse’s health, if the data were available in real-time. Based on a scientific paper about Shipping Fever that Michael had published in The Veterinary Journal, the first use case scenario for such real-time data was identified. Shipping Fever is a potentially serious lung infection that horses are at risk of developing during long-distance transportation. As the name suggests, the first clinical sign to develop is a fever. It was theorised that if the fever could be identified early in the course of the disease, the horse could be treated immediately, resulting in a better clinical outcome. In 2016, with assistance from the Cyberport Creative Microfund, proof-of-concept was rapidly established and Epona Biotec was founded. The company is aptly named after the Celtic Goddess Epona, the protector of horses. Further research and development were completed in 2017 through the Cyberport Incubation Programme, and a first round of private investment was accepted in 2018. The capital investment allowed the company to fast track product development, and in 2020 Epona Biotec launched their flagship product the VetTrue™ System for monitoring the core body temperature of horses in real-time. This system is a world-first in the equine veterinary market and has applications in equine transport, veterinary hospitals, veterinary research, equine quarantine units, and during infectious disease outbreaks in horse populations. With the USA, Hong Kong and Australian patents recently secured, EU patents pending, and tremendous interest from industry bodies, Epona Biotec’s objective is to continue developing their innovative range of point-of-care biosensors. The company is proud of its achievements and particularly in its role of promoting equine welfare through the applied use of technology.

Should I Call the Vet?

Posted on October 22, 2020

As an owner, do you remember a time when you suspected something about your horse was not quite right? It could have been the small amount of feed left one evening, or the minor change in behaviour only you would detect. To anyone else, your horse appears perfectly fine, but you know it’s not. Chances are if you call the vet for a consultation, the first question will be “Does the horse have a temperature?" An elevated temperature is often the very first indicator of illness or disease. In fact, a fever can develop even before changes are detectable in your horse’s blood profile. Monitoring their temperature is therefore, the simplest and most useful way of assessing the health status of your horse. The VetTrue System™ from Epona Biotec is a world-first. This state-of-the-art technology allows you to accurately monitor the temperature of your horse in real-time. Never before has such detailed information on a horse’s core body temperature been available outside of research environments. The VetTrue System’s™ disposable, easy to use TailTab sensors attach beneath the tail and send accurate temperature data directly to your mobile device via Bluetooth. The VetTrue System™ is undoubtedly set to become a standard component of equine first aid kits. The next time you need more detailed information about your horse’s health status, simply attach a TailTab. You know your horse. Now you know its temperature and when to call the vet.  To find out more about the VetTrue system, and to order your first TailTab at half price, visit eponabiotec.com/pricing. 

VetTrue System UK Field Test

Posted on December 16, 2020

Five years of intensive R&D by the Epona Biotec Team has paid dividends, and the new VetTrue System App is now available on the App Store. Designing a system for detecting fevers in horses created some initial issues when it came to field testing. During testing, it was simple enough to place a TailTab sensor on a horse in an equine hospital that already had a fever, but how could we showcase the sensors by demonstrating the development and detection of a fever in a normal horse?  This problem was solved with the simplest of ideas from equine veterinarian Dr Matthew O’Donnell, Director of the Cheshire Equine Clinic. It’s well known that following an Equine Influenza vaccination, some horses will develop a fever. Matthew’s idea was to simply place sensors on all the horses in a racing stable that were to be vaccinated, and then monitor what happened, comparing this to routine twice daily rectal temperature readings. The results were very interesting! As planned, a stable of horses had TailTab sensors attached one morning and then were vaccinated for equine influenza. After two days, the rectal temperature readings along with the TailTab sensor data was sent to Epidemiologist Dr Sarah Rosanowski for a statistical comparison. Using traditional rectal temperature readings, the stable staff identified one horse on the first afternoon with a fever, and an additional four horses the following morning. In total, the stable staff found 30% of the vaccinated horses had developed fevers.  When the temperature data from the TailTab sensors was assessed, it was found that 9 horses had developed fevers. The VetTrue System had identified that 56% of the vaccinated horses had developed fevers rather than only 30% as identified using rectal thermometers. The trial demonstrated that the VetTrue System was practical to use and worked seamlessly when simultaneously monitoring the temperatures of a large group of horses. It also demonstrated that real-time 24-hour temperature monitoring is a more sensitive way of detecting fevers in horses than the traditional twice-daily rectal temperature method. In addition, the study was also of interest, as the percentage of horses developing fevers following vaccinations was a higher than expected. Such information is not only of importance to trainers and horse owners, but is also of  relevance to equine researchers who now have an accurate temperature monitoring system available to them for future studies and research. The results from this trial were considered of such value that they were accepted as a poster presentation for the World Veterinary Association Congress, in Auckland, New Zealand in 2020. Learn more about the VetTrue System here.

World’s Highest Rated Racehorse Uses the VetTrue™ System

Posted on April 24, 2021

"He's a monster": Addeybb proves he's best in the world The Sydney Morning Herald 17th April  2021Epona Biotec congratulates Newmarket Trainer William Haggis on the outstanding victory of Addeybb in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick in Sydney. It’s a significant feat to transport a Thoroughbred racehorse halfway around the world, and have it compete, and win, at the very highest level. Everything must go exactly to plan to ensure the horse arrives in peak health and condition. For the UK to Australia flight, Addeybb travelled under the watchful eye of Dr. Des Leadon, a European Veterinary Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine. Dr. Leadon, well experienced in travelling with Thoroughbred racehorses, had an additional weapon in his arsenal for this journey.The VetTrue™ System from Epona Biotec was used to monitor Addeybb’s body temperature throughout the flight. The VetTrue™ System displaying a normal temperature chart for Addeybb during his long-haul flight from the UK to AustraliaA TailTab sensor placed under the tail, transmitted temperature data via BlueTooth to the VetTrue™ System App on Dr Leadon’s iPhone. Dr Leadon was able to safely and remotely monitor the horse’s temperature continuously for any fluctuations that might have indicated a developing illness such as shipping fever.During the flight the VetTrue™ System provided Dr Leadon with assurance that Addeybb was travelling well. No temperature fluctuations were seen, and the horse remained in good health throughout the flight.The subsequent victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a wonderful performance by Addeybb. The horse had won the race the previous year, so to return, and successfully defend his crown was quite an accomplishment.The VetTrue™ System has proven itself a vital tool for monitoring the health and wellbeing of horse during long-distance transportation. The technology is cost effective, intuitive to use, and allows for the simultaneous monitoring of multiple horses. For further information, please visit www.eponabiotec.com #Addeybb #QueenElizabethStakes #eponabiotec #VetTrue #TailTab #shippingfever #itsallaboutthehorse

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