Equine Archives - Page 3 of 14 - Veterinary Practice News

Is chemotherapy a viable treatment for lymphoma in horses?

June 25, 2019

Lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymphatic system, is a rare medical condition of horses. However, it also is the most common malignant neoplastic condition of the horse system. Horses of any age can be affected, although it more commonly appears earlier in life (from four to 10 years of age).

Lymphoma has several manifestations: multicentric, in the gastrointestinal tract, in the skin, and even in discrete settings. This disease can be difficult to …

Proposed race horse bill draws criticism, debate

June 18, 2019

A proposed legislation that would establish a uniform national standard for drug restrictions, testing, and enforcement at horse racing venues is receiving pushback from veterinarians and national equine associations.

Joint inflammation: Corticosteroids and other management strategies

May 23, 2019

Working horses are commonly diagnosed with, and are treated for, acute or chronic joint inflammation. For many decades, intra-articular (IA) injections of corticosteroids have been used to treat these conditions. However, considering how popular these injections are and the fact other treatment options exist, there is little consensus on questions regarding the “best” corticosteroid, how often such injections can be used, and how ultimately deleterious they are to joint cartilage.

Treatment rationale

Corticosteroid injections …

Cornell team develops horse anatomy app for students

May 9, 2019

An app created by a team from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is helping students learn and understand the anatomy of a horse.

According to the Cornell Chronicle, the Equine X-Ray Positioning Simulator is an augmented reality app that overlays a digital image of a horse limb onto surroundings seen through an iPad. The app was first used in the spring during CVM’s eight-week Anatomy of the Horse course.

Allison Miller, DVM, lecturer …

Obesity: A threat that can be prevented easily

May 7, 2019

It would be interesting to see what a survey of equine horse owners and caregivers might think is the biggest threat to equine health. Colic might be high on the list, so would respiratory disease and arthritis. However, perhaps overlooked—at least in horse owner circles—is a very important and sometimes-even-thought-to-be desirable condition: obesity.

Over the years, numerous studies on obesity in horses have been conducted in the U.S. and elsewhere. The problem, like the …

Equine asthma treatment study underway

April 22, 2019

Having already invented a means of diagnosing equine asthma, a professor at Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine is focusing his attention on treating horses with the condition.

Laurent Couëtil, DVM, PhD, professor of large animal internal medicine, director of Purdue University’s Equine Sports Medicine Center, has spent majority of his career treating and researching equine asthma.

“Milder equine asthma has been difficult to detect because horses don’t necessarily show many signs besides the fact they’re …

Understanding equine infectious anemia

April 17, 2019

In January, four horses in Rutherford County, Tenn., were euthanized after contracting equine infectious anemia (EIA). Six other horses were quarantined after an initial negative test, pending a second test.

Such incidents highlight the reasons equine veterinarians should be vigilant in their surveillance for this incurable viral disease. In fact, in 2017, 80 EIA-positive horses were identified in the U.S., with 38 premises testing positive for the disease (Figure 1).

What is equine infectious …

UF studies anesthetic with potential for misuse in racehorses

April 16, 2019

A local anesthetic with the potential for misuse in racehorses is being studied by veterinarians at the University of Florida (UF) College of Veterinary Medicine in collaboration with UF Racing Laboratory.

The study will observe bupivacaine as there are concerns the extended release form of the drug could be used unethically to mask pain or an injury in a racehorse.

“Bupivacaine has been around for a while,” says Taralyn McCarrel, DVM, an equine surgeon …

Diagnosing and preventing West Nile virus

March 26, 2019

Although it does not dominate the equine health headlines in the same manner it did nearly two decades ago, West Nile virus (WNV) is an ever-present threat, and one about which veterinarians should remind horse owners to be vigilant. For example, last year, health officials confirmed 31 cases of WNV in Ohio, which was more than twice as many cases than in 2017. Even in California, with its arid climate, approximately 20 cases per …

Vitamin E: Necessary to horses, but there’s a lot to learn

February 5, 2019

Vitamin E seems to be at the forefront of many discussions about horse nutrition these days. Contrary to appearances, vitamin E is not a vitamin in and of itself. Rather, it’s a group of eight compounds—four tocopherols and four tocotrienols—that are fat soluble. This vitamin is important for myriad functions in the horse’s body, including but not limited to, and in no particular order, the eyes, the reproductive tract, and the neuromuscular system. The …