For both you as a horse owner and trainer and myself as a veterinarian evaluating pre-purchase exam x-ray findings is a challenge. You will get a great deal of information and it can be hard to determine which findings are significant enough to avoid making a purchase and which findings you can accept as part of purchasing a horse, especially one who is engaged in an athletic life.
USEF has adopted a 12-hour rule. The overall dose limit for Dexamethasone has also been reduced. California horse show drug rules are also likely to change shortly.
Each year frustrated horse owners come to me for advice on dealing with a horse that chronically kicks the walls in its stalls, kicks in the trailer, kicks when it is fed. The barns are damaged. Nerves are frayed. Periodically kicking becomes so profound that horses create self-inflicted lameness and injury. There are several strategies to deal with stall kickers and protect themselves and your barn from harm.
Cold therapy has been used for a long time. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and is used on sore tendons, joints, and hooves. The question always arises as to what method is best used to apply cold therapy.
There is a big emotional, time, and monetary commitment when purchasing a young horse as a prospect for higher performance. With that in mind, I was intrigued to read the research conducted in Sweden extending from 1982 to 2005 on over 8000 horses. * Researcher Lina Jönsson, PhD of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences did the hard work of digitizing young horse inspection reports on 4 and 5-year-old Swedish warmbloods presented for inspection as prospect dressage and show jumpers during that period.
In April of this year, I had the pleasure of seeing the World Cup of Show Jumping and Dressage in Las Vegas. The world championship not only brings some of the best competitors from around the world but also brings vendors to demonstrate their products at the shopping area adjoining the competition.
Cranky behavior can be associated with mares. Pinning of ears, bucking, and kicking at stall walls can be a source of frustration and can interfere with the performance and enjoyment of your horse.
Veterinarians and horse owners often wonder if a horse has an ulcer when they see a horse with chronic low-grade colics, a horse that becomes girthy, develops a poor appetite, has a poor attitude towards training, a dull hair coat, decreased performance, or becomes a stall kicker, among other issues. Now a stall side test that can give you results in about 10 minutes costing only $54 is available (price may vary through the years).
For a little over a decade, Tildren has been used to treat Navicular Disease along with a number of other conditions such as back pain associated with "kissing spines" of the vertebrae, and bone spavin.
As of 2018, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has introduced several key rule changes that will impact horse owners and competitors alike. These updates include new requirements related to the use of Medroxyprogesterone and expanded microchipping requirements for identification. Understanding these regulations is critical for ensuring compliance, protecting your horse’s health, and staying competitive in the sport.
With summer upon us, competitions and horse adventures are in full swing. As many of you experienced it can get hot. VERY HOT during these outings and at home. One way to maximize your horse's performance and attitude is to help them keep cool by setting up a fan and misting systems. Such a system can help cool your horse's stall environment and make them much more comfortable during the days that often approach or exceed triple digits here in California.
Many of my patients are getting older. It is not unusual for me to be treating horses in their 20s and now more and more horses over 30. These have frequently been equine friends to their owners for a long time and they want to maximize their quality of life. There are a variety of both diagnostics and treatments that I use to help these patients and you should consider it as your horse reaches his or her later years.
As horse people, we all want to do what is best for our equine partners. My job is to provide you the best options possible. At this time, I am one of the few equine veterinarians in the Bay Area that can offer one of the newest and most effective joint treatments, A2M or Alpha 2 Macroglobulin.
While no vaccine is approved to protect against the neurological form of EHV (Rhinopneumonitis) there is evidence vaccination for Rhinopneumonitis can aid in protecting your horse.
Summer Sores are sores often red or red and yellow that look like open sores that won't heal. They are often quite itchy to the horse. As the name implies summer time is the time they are most commonly seen but lately I have been seeing them more often and much longer into the fall until we get a good freeze.
Many horses either because of competition demands or the inevitable results of aging require joint medications to keep them in prime performance. The best approach if a specific joint is involved is to do direct joint injections. In addition to direct injections, systemic intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) joint medication can help maximize the response and extend the time between when direct joint injections are needed.
Enteroliths are large, hard as a rock, concretions of minerals which develop in the large intestine of a horse. They form when minerals come out of solution. The principal mineral is magnesium ammonium phosphate. The minerals congregate around some hard objet called the nidus. The nidus can be a nail, a pin, or a coin, but most commonly is a small stone.
The primary site of soft tissue injuries in the horse is the back of the cannon bone. The structures starting from the skin going forward to the cannon bone are the Superficial Flexor Tendon, the Deep Flexor Tendon, the Check Ligament and the Suspensory Ligament.
Joint disease from inflammation (synovitis) to degradative change (Osteoarthritis) is perhaps the most common lameness issue affecting performance and pleasure horses.
Joint disease is a common issue among competitive and active horses. The joints most affected in hunter/jumper, dressage and reining horses are the hocks, and the coffin joints in the front legs, followed by the stifle joints.
A snotty nose, a cough, a fever and poor appetite all signs that your horse is developing a respiratory infection. It can derail your pleasure riding, training and competition, or travel plans with your horse.
Vaccination recommendations include Encephalitis, Tetanus, Strangles, Rabies, Botulism, Equine Viral Arteritis, Potomac Horse Fever, Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis and West Nile Virus.
he leading cause of premature death in horses is colic. The leading cause of colic is parasites. All horses are regularly infected with parasites. Colic is a broad term for abdominal pain that can range from a little gas to full blown twisted intestine.
Frequently, I am asked to examine a horse for back pain. Although the pain along the back is real, the problem often lies further down on the horse. Usually it stems from a chronic hind leg lameness.
With wet weather, horses are standing in mud. This softens the sole of the hoof causing tiny cracks, especially at the white line (the junction of the sole and the hoof wall). Dirt then works its way up under the sole where bacteria flourish.
Frequently, I am asked to examine a horse for back pain. Although the pain along the back is real, the problem often lies further down on the horse. Usually it stems from a chronic hind leg lameness.
Lameness in horses is one of the primary reasons for calling out your veterinarian. It causes wastage of young athletes and forces the ultimate retirement of older horses. Most horse owner know when their horse is lame. However, few are sure which leg is the lame leg.
