Larry Bramlage, DVM: Veterinarian - Rood and Riddle
Thursday, Dec 13, 2007
Dr. Larry Bramlage was an overwhelmingly popular guest. We here at Talkin' Horses know that many of you had questions go unanswered, and as a favor to Bloodhorse.com, Dr. Bramlage has graciously agreed to answer the remaining questions as a special Part 2 installment of his session. Please check back on Thursday, December 20 at noon to read the second part of his transcript.
Dr. Bramlage is a familiar face to racing fans. His 14 years as a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioner's (AAEP) 'On-Call' program for television viewers of the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup World Championships has brought him into millions of homes. On-Call, which provides expert veterinary commentary during major, televised races, was the brainchild of a group of elite members of the AAEP that included Bramlage.
Bramlage is a world-renowned surgeon who has honed his skills over more than 30 years of practice. As a partner in the prestigious Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Bramlage has perfected a surgical technique to repair fractured fetlocks, a procedure called arthrodesis that he teaches twice a year to veterinarians who attend his course.
Dr. Bramlage Graduated from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1975. He did an Internship at Colorado State University, and a residency at Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He received a masters degree in veterinary surgery from Ohio State in 1978. He became a member of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons as a diplomate in 1983. He was a member of the faculty of the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Ohio State University Graduate School. He was the head of Equine Medicine and Surgery at the Ohio State University while there, and had a consulting practice in Lexington, Kentucky.
In 1989 he moved to Lexington full time and joined The Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. He is a past president of the AAEP, and is president of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Dr. Bramlage is a 'Distinguished Alumnus' of the Ohio State University, a member of 'The Jockey Club' of America, and received the Jockey Club Gold Medal for contributions to Thoroughbred Racing in 1994, and the 'Joe Palmer Award' from the Turf Writers of America in 2007. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, and chairs the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation.
Lexington, KY:
What are the most popular types of corrective surgeries being done on sales horses?
Bramlage:
There are two basic categories of surgical procedures. Growth acceleration, via periosteal transection, and growth retardation via transphyseal bridging. Both are used to correct conformation faults, but both require an actively growing physis, growth plate, to work.
Columbus, OH:
Hi Dr. Bramlage, I have followed your career since you were with Ohio State for so many years. I always hear how if Ruffian had been injured today she could have been saved. Do you think this and why.
Bramlage:
It is dangerous to try and relive history, and one never knows all the circumstances, but if Ruffian were injured today we would have many tools that were not available the day she was injured. Anesthesia, medical care, antibiotics all have improved. And of course the development of the surgical procedure for fetlock arthrodesis has now given us a routine tool for use with injuries in the fetlock that was not available until 1978, when we did the first one at Ohio State.
To read the complete transcript of this chat, along with many others, check out Best of Talkin’ Horses.
Best of Talkin’ Horses features provocative “chats” with some of Thoroughbred racing’s most prominent names. Adapted from “Talkin’ Horses,” the popular weekly online chat series hosted by Bloodhorse.com, this edited collection provides additional insights by Ron Mitchell, editor and moderator of “Talkin’ Horses."
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