Teddy, a horse, receives honorary veterinary degree from UC DavisMay 26, 2016This past Saturday, 137 UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine students received their Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degrees. In a barn a few hours away, a 19-year-old Thoroughbred horse unknowingly became a doctor also.
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LSU seeks horses with gastric ulcersMay 23, 2016The Louisiana State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital is seeking horses with gastric ulcers to take part in a study evaluating a new investigational drug. The study is expected to last four to six weeks.
Australian study questions use of crank nosebandsMay 18, 2016University of Sydney veterinary researchers have found that an extremely tight noseband on horses raises the animals’ stress levels, calling into question whether its use should continue in equestrian competitions.
What to consider after an equine field fractureMay 10, 2016The size, strength and unpredictable nature of the horse makes accidents almost inevitable. While many horses escape from harrowing situations with relatively minor injuries, sometimes the damage is life- or career-threatening.
The value of genetic testing for equine practitionersMay 9, 2016These days, genetic testing poses few challenges for horse owners. They simply pluck a few hairs, place them in an envelope, mail the sample to the laboratory or registering body for testing, and koo koo kachoo, the results appear in their hot little hands in no time.
What You Need to Know About Alternative Medicine for EquinesApril 22, 2016It seems like everyone in the horse world, from rescues to Grand Prix riders to amateurs, are turning to alternative therapies to treat their horses. And, if done correctly, they’re onto something. Alternative therapies can be an excellent way to keep horses of all kinds in top form. If you’re looking to add alternative therapies to your conventional veterinary practice or have clients interested in finding an alternative practitioner, there are a few important things to know. Alternative Medicines are Safe Dr. Giulia Gamberg, a Portland, Ore.-based vet working on her equine acupuncture certification, explains that the risks associated with alternative medicines vary depending on the specific treatment, but generally they are quite low. For example, herbal therapies will cause diarrhea in the worst case, which is easy to solve by simply stopping treatment. Acupuncture is considered relatively benign. This relative safety makes alternative treatments great for owners wanting to offer tune-ups to their horses. They are also great for cases that were previously well-managed with conventional therapies or cases that don’t have a clear diagnosis. The biggest risk associated with alternative medicines, …
Is a “Healthy” Horse Really Healthy?April 22, 2016How do you broach the topic of the elephant in the barn? When I was in college, my best friend and I went to a hockey game and bumped into some old frenemies who looked us up and down and finally decided to greet us with, “Well, you look healthy!” Insert unamused emoji here. That phrase (and unfortunate memory) comes to my mind all too frequently these days when examining patients. Despite several studies suggesting that only 30 to 50 percent of domesticated horses are either overweight or obese (i.e., a body condition score of 6 or greater on the Henneke Scale), that number is way too high for many equine experts’ liking. The Equine Pudge Problem At the 2015 American Association of Equine Practitioners annual convention, one of the sunrise sessions focused on feeding the senior horse. During her presentation, Mary Beth Gordon, PhD, director of Equine Research and New Product Development at Purina Animal Nutrition said, “There is no such thing as a fat healthy horse.” Some of the many known detriments of extra weight in horses include the following: Overweight adult …
Miniature Horse Gets Artificial Hoof, New Chance at Life Thanks to CSU VetsApril 21, 2016 brightcove.createExperiences(); After a dog attack, Shine the miniature horse was left with a mangled hoof and infection. If he had any chance of survival, he needed surgical amputation. As Shine’s owners wrote on their crowdfunding page: “On December 29, 2015 Shine was viciously attacked by a dog/dogs while standing in his paddock. I went to feed that morning before 6:00 am and found him mauled and standing in a pool of blood. I called my husband then my vet. Shine had punctures to his face, his bottom lip was torn, his front knee gashed open and his rear fetlock covered in blood. There was no visible white on him only blood. It was freezing cold and the blood stuck to him like icicles. It was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. I rushed to call the vet and to get him cleaned up. Shine has been under veterinary care ever since. Shine healed up everywhere except his rear leg. It progressively got worse. So on March 8 I …
What’s Good to Put on a Horse’s Wound?April 18, 2016Horses sometimes seem almost single-mindedly bent on hurting themselves, so proper wound care is an important part of any equine practitioner’s responsibilities. To help with those responsibilities, a seemingly endless number of products are said to help promote wound healing. Unfortunately, many of them lack evidence of safety or effectiveness, and some can even cause harm. At the American Association of Equine Practitioners conference in December, Colorado State University’s Dean Hendrickson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, gave a presentation on “What You Should and Should Not Put on Wounds,” from which most of this article is drawn. It’s always a good idea for any practitioner to know what effect a wound care product will have on a wound prior to using it. Proper wound care includes removal of any necrotic tissue and debris while, at the same, time reducing bacterial contamination on the surface. While undoubtedly important, cleaning a wound causes additional mechanical trauma, and the cleaning process may introduce potentially cytotoxic agents to the wound surface. Thus, the risks, benefits and costs of various techniques must be considered prior to using any approach. In human medicine, it’s been …
New Robotic Lifting Device Works to Help Injured HorsesApril 12, 2016To help horses recover from limb fractures and other traumatic injuries, researchers and engineers from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, have created a robotic lift system for injured horses. According to a news release from the university, written by Alison Williams, a third-year veterinary student, “A team of researchers has partnered with RMD Engineering, a local Saskatoon engineering and manufacturing company, to design and build a one-of-a-kind robotic lift system. The lift will help rehabilitate horses suffering from acute injuries and other musculoskeletal problems by providing mobility, weight distribution and support.” Normally, a horse’s recovery from surgery is complicated: They have a strong flight response, and they’re heavy weight can cause issues too. And, as Williams points out: “Veterinarians regularly use slings to help support injured horses, but current designs significantly limit the animals’ normal activity and support all of their weight on the thorax and abdomen. This leads to further problems because of compression on the lungs and development of pressure sores. With the lift system … clinicians can reduce and redistribute the weight the horse is carrying dynamically. The system allows the animal to be mobile with …
