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If you look in a field of older horses, chances are you'll see some skinny ones, some fat ones, and some that look just right. Every horse ages differently and, thus, their nutritional needs vary.
Thursday, June 07, 2012Editor's note: This article is part of TheHorse.com's ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 Kentucky Equine Research Conference, held May 17-18 in Lexington, Ky.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012We know that keeping horses' hindguts healthy helps the digestive tract function properly. But some researchers now believe the microflora residing in the hindgut could contribute to equine obesity.
Monday, June 04, 2012Editor's note: This article is part of TheHorse.com's ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 Alltech Symposium, held May 21-23 in Lexington, Ky.
Sunday, June 03, 2012Happy Mouth bit manufacturer English Riding Supply has recalled approximately 3,400 Happy Mouth Wire Mouth bits, according to an alert from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Friday, June 01, 2012Editor's note: This article is part of TheHorse.com's ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 Alltech Symposium, held May 21-23 in Lexington, Ky.
Thursday, May 31, 2012Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) recently completed a study aimed at better characterizing equine post-anesthetic myelopathy, a rare by deadly neurologic complication of general anesthesia.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012Editor's note: This article is part of TheHorse.com's ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 Alltech Symposium, held May 21-23 in Lexington, Ky.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012Veterinarians have known for many years that analog radiography is an efficient means of diagnosing enteroliths in adult horses, but computed, or digital, radiography has since replaced many analog machines. Researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) recently put the newer technology to the test and found it outperformed its predecessor...
Friday, May 25, 2012Growing foals can suffer a range of potentially life-threatening illnesses and conditions, such as pneumonia, colic, and ulcers. At a recent veterinary convention, one practitioner stressed the importance of recognizing these conditions and their clinical signs, as prompt veterinary attention often gives the patient the best chance for survival.
Monday, May 21, 2012Editor's note: This article is part of TheHorse.com's ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference held in February.
Thursday, May 17, 2012A team of British researchers recently completed a study examining the prevalence of post-general anesthesia cardiac arrhythmias and found that irregularities are common in horses' hearts during the post-surgical recovery period.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012Editor's note: This article is part of TheHorse.com's ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference held in February.
Monday, May 14, 2012Certain exercise regimens and intensities could increase insulin sensitivity in horses, thereby reducing insulin resistance, according to the results of a recently completed study.
Sunday, May 13, 2012Research shows a new treatment modality for tendon injuries could improve healing time in horses and help prevent reinjury. Tom Hedman, PhD, a research associate professor at the University of Kentucky's Center for Biomedical Engineering Coldstream Research Campus' Soft-Tissue Matrix Modification Research Laboratory, introduced to the audience an ...
Saturday, May 12, 2012An accurate diagnosis is imperative to pinpointing and treating lameness in horses. Fortunately, veterinarians today have more sound and accurate options for identifying specific issues than they did just 10 years ago, said Kent Allen, DVM, owner of Virginia Equine Imaging, a specialty sports imaging practice in The Plains, who presented April 26 at a Uni...
Friday, May 11, 2012Editor's note: This article is part of TheHorse.com's ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference held in February.
Thursday, May 10, 2012Editor's note: This article is part of TheHorse.com's ongoing coverage of topics presented at the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference held in February.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012Some gait abnormalities are obvious, while others are hardly noticeable. Either way, they can indicate a variety of equine disorders. At the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19-23 in Las Vegas, Nev., one veterinarian discussed how some gait abnormalities can point to specific health problems.
Thursday, May 03, 2012Managing a subfertile mare is a challenging and frustrating problem for breeders, especially when the exact problem remains unknown. But rest assured--researchers are working to improve equine fertility and develop new uterine therapy options. At the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19-23 in Las Vegas, Nev., one veterinarian reviewed current ...
Wednesday, May 02, 2012Managing horses goes hand in hand with managing ailments. While some horse health problems are relatively quick and simple to treat, others are more difficult and tedious. Often, foot problems fall into the latter category. At the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19-23 in Las Vegas, Nev., one veterinarian gave some helpful tips on how to best...
Tuesday, May 01, 2012Neonatal foals are small in stature, but they can develop big problems needing immediate veterinary attention. Several of these issues center on the bladder, urachus, and umbilicus, and some are possibly life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Robert L. Linford, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, a professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at th...
Sunday, April 29, 2012If an owner finds his or her horse in the field, a foreleg covered in blood from the knee down, the animal's tendons might not be the first concern. But as Robert L. Linford, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, a professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, explained at a recent veterinary conf...
Thursday, April 26, 2012Before breeding a stallion, there's one crucial step that should be performed: the breeding soundness examination. According to one veterinarian, this relatively simple evaluation can give stallion managers a good look at an animal's breeding potential before he even hits the breeding shed. Unfortunately, he added, this step is often overlooked.&n...
Monday, April 23, 2012Despite the numerous treatment choices available for equine sarcoids, no modality is 100% effective in producing a cure. So which of the numerous treatment options should veterinarians use to treat this common equine tumor? The answer depends on a number of factors, and at the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19-23 in Las Vegas, Nev., one res...
Thursday, April 19, 2012Making an informed decision to breed a mare is an exciting time in an owner's life. There are so many things to do: pick a stallion, prepare a foaling location, and dream big about the foal's potential, to name a few. But the first thing on the list should be to have a veterinarian perform a breeding soundness examination on the mare.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012Allergic dermatitis--simply, inflammation of the skin caused by an irritating stimulus--is a common yet often treatable and manageable problem in horses. Ann Rashmir-Raven, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, gave an overview of the disorder at a rece...
Friday, April 13, 2012Many equine athlete owners worry about bone and joint problems as their four-legged partners age. But these issues are just as important in young developing horses as they are in mature horses. One of the most common and potentially damaging developmental orthopedic disorders is osteochondrosis. Earl M. Gaughan, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, clinical professor of larg...
Wednesday, April 11, 2012Although one of Vincent van Gogh's most famous paintings, Starry Night, might have a peaceful and familiar air to it, the starry sky pattern seen on some equine hepatic (liver) ultrasounds is everything but van Gogh. It's more obscure and less preferred because it often points to a horse health problem.
Thursday, April 05, 2012Today's culture fuels busy lifestyles with dwindling opportunities to sleep, so it should come as no surprise that a 2011 Center for Disease Control study estimated more than one third of American adults suffer from sleep deprivation. But did you know horses can suffer sleep deprivation as well? At the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19-...
Wednesday, April 04, 2012The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will no longer support the production of compounded pergolide for use in horses, according to a recent statement from the agency. The change comes several months after the FDA approved a pergolide mesylate tablet (marketed as Prascend) for the treatment of clinical signs associated with pituitary pars inter...
Wednesday, March 28, 2012A horse in respiratory distress or displaying other signs of airway ailments warrants a prompt call to the veterinarian; he or she has tools and experience to attempt to resolve the problem. At the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Nov. 18-22 in San Antonio, Texas, Brett Woodie, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, a surgeon and own...
Monday, March 26, 2012Breeding season can mean a growth in acupuncture needle inventory for many horse reproduction specialists. Such veterinarians combine strategic insertion of tiny needles with Western veterinary techniques to address subfertility issues in mares--and even stallions. During a presentation at the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, ...
Sunday, March 25, 2012"Why does he do that?" "What is she so scared of … there's nothing there!" Most—if not all—horse owners have been there and asked those questions. Even though we don't always understand equine behavior, there's got to be a reason behind it, right? Absolutely. Horses’ behaviors date back to equine ev...
Saturday, March 24, 2012"The practice of equine dermatology is usually straightforward with clinical examination and diagnostic testing; it is a rare occasion for an equine skin condition to be considered an actual emergency," began Ann Rashmir-Raven, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor in the department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State Universi...
Friday, March 23, 2012Many equine caretakers have given or received these suggestions time and time again: "Just give him some Bute," or "a little Banamine should do the trick." While the use of these medications—both non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs—are indicated in some cases, it's not uncommon for the substances to be over...
Wednesday, March 21, 2012Certain things just don't mix: oil and water, or wearing metal during X rays, for instance. But what about diagnostic anesthesia (nerve blocks) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a combination that sometimes occurs because a horse undergoes an MRI study soon after nerve blocks in a lameness exam? A team of researchers recently examined whether diag...
Saturday, March 17, 2012Of the many ailments that can limit an athletic horse’s performance, lower airway inflammation is a top cause, affecting as many as 50% of young equine athletes. The good news about inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is the condition is treatable, and most affected horses can make a full recovery. During a presentation at the 2011 American Assoc...
Friday, March 16, 2012There's something not right with your horse. He's sweating, his muscles are twitching, and he can't seem to stand still. He just looks uncomfortable. You call your veterinarian and suggest it could be colic, but at the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 19-23 in Las Vegas, Nev., one researcher suggested another ailment to consider: ...
Monday, March 12, 2012In most cases--if not all--a clearer picture is better. One would be hard-pressed to find a person who would walk into a store and ask for a television with a fuzzy picture. So when it comes to disease diagnosis, such as that for cervical stenotic myelopathy (CSM, also known as cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy), wouldn't a clearer picture that r...
Monday, March 12, 2012As winter ends and spring begins, most horse owners start thinking about vaccinations. Which ones should my horse receive? How often should he be vaccinated? Does he need any risk-based vaccines? Confused? Don't worry. One equine veterinarian and researcher distilled the broad topic of vaccinations down at the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, held ...
Friday, March 09, 2012Your performance horse is lame, and while your veterinarian has narrowed the problem down to the animal's fetlock, no abnormalities are visible on radiographs (X rays). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has long been used as a diagnostic tool for lameness and performance issues in horses, and your vet says that's an option. Could that modality help...
Thursday, March 08, 2012The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, both based in Lexington, Ky., are collecting donations for horses and horse owners affected by the severe storms and tornadoes that ripped through several states last week.
Thursday, March 08, 2012Performance horses can develop a host of upper respiratory problems that can cause exercise intolerance, abnormal respiratory sounds, and poor performance. Fortunately, veterinarians have fine-tuned numerous methods for evaluating the upper respiratory tract for abnormalities. An equine surgeon recently reviewed these in a presentation to veterinarians at...
Tuesday, March 06, 2012Using acupuncture to manage severe pain in horses and other animals is not a novel concept, but veterinarians have been hard at work lately combing research studies to better understand this complementary therapy's usefulness, efficacy, and safety. During a presentation at the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Nov. 18-...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012According to a recent poll on TheHorse.com, nearly 49% of respondents named colic as their most feared horse health emergency, and for a good reason. While some cases resolve without incident, others prove deadly. Colic surgery is an option for owners in some severe colic cases, but what if referral isn't possible?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012Each year, researchers publish hundreds of studies in the field of equine medicine. Steve Reed, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, an associate at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., had the unique (and behemoth) task of deciding which to feature to a veterinarian audience during the Kester News Hour at the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioner...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012Thousands of horses enter the United States each year for a variety of reasons, and those arriving via air or ocean must go through a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) quarantine center to reduce the risk of spreading infectious diseases.
Friday, February 10, 2012Consider how pneumonia appears in the horse, and you might picture a foal in intensive care, but in reality the condition can affect horses of all ages. While some pneumonia cases are very challenging to treat, veterinarians can rehabilitate many of these patients successfully with the proper approaches.
Tuesday, February 07, 2012If someone had said "equine proliferative enteropathy" 10 years ago, chances are most horse breeders would have shrugged their shoulders and paid little mind. Today, however, many breeders are mindful of this still-emerging young horse disease caused by the Lawsonia intracellularis bacteria. Researchers have made great strides in comprehending m...
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