UF studies anesthetic with potential for misuse in racehorsesApril 16, 2019A 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 and the grant's principal investigator. "We don't use it a lot, as most of the time we're doing very short procedures and for those, we tend to use drugs that are shorter-acting. This is true also when we're using them in a lameness examination. We only need the drugs to last a few hours in most cases." "In this new formulation, tiny droplets of bupivacaine are wrapped in a membrane, which is the liposomal component. After injection, the liposomes start to break down, and gradually release these small pockets of drug over a long time." The research team will start by determining the minimal effective dose to block pain in a horse's foot and to assess how long the anesthetic effect lasts. They will then …
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California clinic embraces hydrotherapy with third water treadmillJanuary 10, 2019A Southern California-based clinic has now installed a third water treadmill and a full-sized pool to its recovery resources.
Acute neurologic injuries in the horseDecember 27, 2018Acute, traumatic injury to the horse’s central nervous system is an occasional, and often devastating situation facing equine veterinarians, most often caused by a collision or fall. Injuries to the spinal cord and/or brain may result in a variety of different clinical presentations, however, the damage incurred by the tissues and cells of the nervous system are similar.
Safety measures vets should take around horsesSeptember 29, 2016If you are reading this story, you’re probably deeply embedded in the equine industry and already know that horses and humans go together like peas and carrots. Although the relationship between the two species has changed dramatically over the past century, shifting from a working relationship to one based primarily on companionship in many parts of the world, the bond between the two remains strong.
