Hard-to-Heal Equine Wounds Push VetsJanuary 10, 2012 By definition, a hard-to-heal wound hasn’t healed despite several treatment attempts and multiple approaches. Equine practitioners say they’re always open to trying something new, especially when a lingering wound can mean euthanasia for a patient or months of ineffective or slow healing. “If you take 10 people, you’ll get 10 opinions on how to treat wounds,” says David Levine, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, clinical associate at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa. “Just about any treatment has a 60 to 70 percent chance of working, but the best option is closing the skin, if possible. Even if the skin doesn’t survive, the biological Band-Aid provides good results.” Dr. Levine says proud flesh or excessive granulation is a common problem presenting with equine patients, a condition other species don’t get. “There are theories as to why proud flesh occurs, but none help in resolving the problem,” Levine says. “We have to remove or trim this tissue, use topical products to get rid of it and apply a skin graft.” Lower leg wounds tend to be the most frustrating to heal, says Dean Hendrickson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, director and professor at the …
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Laser Therapy In Equine PracticeJanuary 9, 2012 I have witnessed therapeutic lasers being used on the equine athlete since the 1970s. The lasers that were used throughout the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s were all Class III lasers, and I always found them to be long on promises but very short on clinical results. There was some anecdotal evidence of benefit to wound healing, but almost no scientific studies supporting any other clinical applications. I believe that failure of these early therapeutic lasers was primarily due to a lack of power (wattage), improper wavelengths and the insufficient application of a therapeutic dosage (joules/cm2). The lack of successful treatment using photobiomodulation changed with the innovative technology developing within the industry. Class IV therapeutic lasers have now become an essential tool in modern equine practice. What does the application of a deep-penetrating therapeutic laser actually accomplish? Through a stimulated photobiochemical cascade of events at the cellular level, we achieve relief of pain, a reduction in inflammation and an increase in microcirculation. These result in an accelerated restoration of function or healing within the tissues. A localized and systemic analgesic effect is accomplished through simultaneous biochemical pathways. These are: Increased nitric oxide production Increase …
Exploring Embryo TransplantsJanuary 6, 2012 When transferring embryos was first tested on rabbits in the late 1800s, veterinarians couldn’t have known the impact this experiment would someday have on the equine industry. Today, equine veterinarians transfer embryos between mares on a regular basis, providing horse owners a wide range of benefits. Many decades after the first successful embryo transfers, the cattle industry embraced the process in livestock reproduction. The first live calf from a frozen embryo transplant was born in 1973. Today, the cattle industry uses embryo transfer regularly. The Horse Industry After successful embryo transfer in cattle, the equine industry was quick to follow. The first foal produced by embryo transfer between mares was born in Japan in 1974. Ten years later, Colorado State University began experimenting with equine embryo transplants and produced twin foals from a bisected embryo transplant. Older and younger 7-day-old embryos. Today, state-of-the-art of equine embryo transfer is being performed regularly using the techniques of superovulation, transfer of fresh or cooled-transported embryos and vitrification (ultrarapid freezing) of embryos. Some specialized research laboratories and private reproduction centers are also producing embryos by oocyte transfer, sperm injection and nuclear transfer. The emphasis today …
If Money Were No ObjectNovember 3, 2011 If someone dropped an unlimited pile of money on your equine practice, what would you buy? Ed Boldt Jr., DVM, of Fort Collins, Colo., specializes in complementary medicine, offering chiropractic and acupuncture, and treating lameness in performance horses. He would make an aqua treadmill his No. 1 purchase. Treadmills are powerful tools for rehabilitation, training and exercise, Dr. Boldt says. Horses remain in contact with a solid surface, yet can benefit from water’s buoyancy that displaces almost 50 percent of their body wieght. The thrust of working against the water still provides adequate concussion to promote bone density and encourage muscle development while minimizing injury. Horses use muscles similar to those they use on the ground, contrasted with swimming, which uses different muscle groups. Working out in water also helps to cool muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints, Boldt says. Prices for aqua treadmills start from about $80,000, set-up costs not included. With many models from which to choose, Boldt hasn’t decided on a specific model. “I’ve looked at the literature on a couple of units,” he says. “If I ever won the lottery, I’d need to check out the units before I made …
Treatments Advance For Corneal Disease, InjuriesOctober 19, 2011 Cutting-edge treatments and new methods to treat equine corneal diseases and injuries, equine recurrent uveitis and fungal keratitis are on the horizon. Some are even available now or will be available in the future for general practitioner use. New Ways to Heal Corneal disease and injury are common in horses, and injuries can be complicated and difficult to heal. Researchers are working on utilizing different biomaterials to help the eye heal itself. The equine amnion, which has been used successfully in other parts of the body, has been proven to help heal corneal injuries and diseases. The amnion is obtained during Cesarean sections and normal deliveries, then cleaned and processed with antibiotics. Ophthalmologists cover the cornea with the amnion, which acts as a self-sacrificing dressing. “The amnion has different antibiotic and anti-scarring compounds—although research is ongoing to discover what those are in horses,” says Dennis E. Brooks, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVO, professor of ophthalmology at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s adjunctive therapy; you still need the eye drops,” Brooks continues. “But the amnion reduces enzyme activity and scarring, which is the major problem with horses. We’ve applied amnion after corneal …
Equine Lay Dentists Making InroadsAugust 8, 2011 The question of who should practice equine dental care remains a hot button issue. Many veterinarians are expressing alarm over the lack of oversight among non-veterinary equine dentists and the apathy within their own profession about whether dental care remains a medical procedure. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners agree that both large- and small-animal dentistry are medical procedures, and that veterinary dental assistants or technicians can be utilized by veterinarians in their offices and under their direct professional supervision. But Gregory Beroza, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ABVP, of The Long Island Equine Medical Center in Huntington Station, N.Y., a practice that focuses on equine dental care, says although veterinarians are required to have both state and nationally recognized training and professional credentials, not all equine dentists who practice have even proper state licenses. “And now there’s a battle in who really owns the turf of dentistry between non-trained self-proclaimed lay-dentists and well-trained veterinarians doing dentistry,” he says. “I personally believe that equine dentistry belongs to veterinarians, just as the human dental work belongs to human dentists. There are some within my profession who don’t agree, and another …
New Developments In GI Issues In HorsesJuly 13, 2011 Equine gastrointestinal problems remain ongoing issues for horse owners, and researchers are working to find new ways to allay these problems. Helping owners treat horses kept in 21st century conditions are at the top of the list. New tests can now find causative agents for diarrhea in both young and adult horses. Gastric, Colonic Ulcers Researchers are trying to solve the ongoing problem of management for the modern horse. Pastures are rarer than ever before, horses are stalled a good deal of the time, and equine athletes require more energy than hay alone can give. It’s long been understood that these management methods have created problems in the horse, in particular in gastric and colonic ulcers. Since it would be difficult if not impossible for many horsemen to change, researchers are trying to find ways to work around these issues. Cherry Ulcer Omeprazole has been recognized for many years as an important medication in healing gastric ulcers. GastroGard is the FDA-approved prescription version for treatment while UlcerGard is the FDA-approved preventive medication to use during times of stress and increased gastric ulcer risk, such as when competing. Both are products of Merial Ltd. …
Supplements For Chronic ConditionsJune 9, 2011 Many people believe that supplements can help manage health issues and chronic conditions in their horses, leading to a more productive and better quality of life. Clinical and field experience has demonstrated that many health problems and disease conditions can be either prevented or effectively treated with proper nutrition and the use of specialty health products and supplements, says Roger V. Kendall, Ph.D., vice president of research and development at Vetri-Science Laboratories in Essex Junction, Vt. “[For example,] the use of antioxidants to reduce the damaging effects of free radicals in equines has found applications to deal with many metabolic issues,” he says. Though nutrients and other natural ingredients such as glucosamine and perna canaliculus (New Zealand green shell mussel) may work more slowly than selected drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Kendall says, in the long run they may enhance metabolic processes and help restore function and balance to the body. “Selected supplements and animal health products can contribute important metabolites for cellular regeneration, improve the flow of energy, enhance immune function, detoxify cellular toxins and improve enzyme activity,” he says. “Such supplements can contribute to the animal during times of stress and aid …
UC Davis Offers Umbilical Cord Banking ServiceJune 9, 2011 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine reported in early March that horse owners can now collect umbilical cord tissue immediately after a foal is born and save it as a future source of therapeutic stem cells through the school’s Regenerative Medicine Laboratory. The laboratory provides kits that allow the horse’s owner or veterinarian to collect the umbilical cord tissue and send it to the UC Davis laboratory, where it will be minimally processed. One dose of stem cells will be sent back to the horse owner’s veterinarian and another sample will be frozen and stored for as long as four years, according to the school. If the horse should later need stem cell therapy to treat an injury or the effects of disease, the tissue sample can be retrieved from the frozen archive and treated to encourage growth of the stem cells. The method is modeled after procedures currently used in human medicine to collect and bank babies’ cord blood for potential use in cell-based therapies, the school noted. “The advantage is that, unlike collecting stem cells derived from bone …
Update On Extracorporeal Shockwave TherapyJune 9, 2011 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. When extracorporeal shockwave therapy appeared on the equine scene in 1998, it was found only in specialty clinics. Today, the device's use has become more widespread, and funding has been poured into studies proving ESWT has merit. But in 1998 practitioners had none of this knowledge and results were largely anecdotal. "As with most things new, ESWT originally claimed to fix everything from the hoof to the head," said Dr. Scott McClure, assistant professor of surgery at Iowa State University. "Of course, this isn't true. However, we know now that there are a number of things that it truly works for." On the other side of the coin, many practitioners and owners were suspicious of the product's efficacy. "A number of people thought it didn't stimulate any healing, rather it just numbed the pain, McClure said. "This isn't so. There are a few days of analgesia, but studies are showing true positive effects on healing." McClure started using the device in 1998 on a recommendation by David McCarroll, DVM, of Interstate Equine Services in Oklahoma, one of the first veterinarians to take …
