Intravenous (IV) lidocaine is one systemic way to manage pain and inflammation, and it also has been used to improve intestinal motility in colic cases. Its use has been a fairly hot topic of late, so Margaret Mudge, VMD, Dipl. ACVS, ACVECC,
Stem cell therapy has received a good deal of attention in both human and veterinary medicine in recent years. It holds theoretical promise for treating conditions ranging from traumatic tendon and cartilage injury to liver failure, Parkinson’s
These days, in many species incisions are often closed with staples rather than stitches–and they’re not just for external use any more. At the 2007 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 1-5 in Orlando, Fla.,
When a horse’s leg is fractured, the primary treatment goal is to stabilize the fracture site so the broken bone ends don’t further separate and do more damage. The outcomes of these cases often have a great deal to do with how well the broken
Acidosis (abnormally high acidity) in the hindgut (the large intestine and colon) can cause a number of problems in horses, including anorexia, colic, laminitis, and stereotypic (continuous, repetitive, and serving no purpose) behaviors such as
“Head trauma is common in horses, and a number of these cases will present with neurologic signs consistent with brain injury,” began Darien Feary, BVSc, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, a lecturer in equine medicine with the University of Sydney,
Managing pain in horses is important for a lot of reasons: There are humane benefits in addition to medical ones, such as maintenance of weight, shorter hospital stays, and lower total patient bills. At the 2007 American Association of Equine
Left dorsal displacement of the large colon isn’t the most common cause of colic–only about 6-8% of colics are caused by this. However, up to 21% of affected horses tend to displace again, even after surgical correction. These horses often have
Although it’s not a common injury, fracture of the scapula or shoulder blade does occur in horses and causes notable lameness. At the 2007 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 1-5 in Orlando, Fla., Stuart Vallance, BVS
The principle behind using a buffer solution to stave off laminitis is based on acidity of the equine gut and its effects on enzyme activity. When a horse gets an overload of carbohydrate, the acidity in his gut increases dramatically due to ferment
From many horse owners’ point of view, the farrier’s profession throws out a lot of confusing terms and directives when it comes to balancing a foot. Fit the shoe full? Trim to the widest point of the frog? Use a four-point trim? These nebulous
What happens within the foot of a laminitic horse? We know that the coffin bone can sink or rotate within the foot of a horse with severe laminitis, but that’s fairly late in the game. Researchers are very interested in what happens earlier than
Many of the top minds in laminitis research gathered Nov. 2-4 in West Palm Beach, Fla., to disseminate their findings on this devastating disease and other problems. About 370 veterinarians, farriers, and horse owners attended the Fourth
When your horse is lame, a diagnosis of suspensory trouble can be discouraging, particularly if it’s termed proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD). Inflammation of the upper suspensory ligament in this area can be tough and expensive to treat
VIDEO | About a month ago, The Horse brought you the story of Lucky, a five-month-old Quarter Horse foal who was rendered paraplegic by a spinal cord abscess at two
VIDEO | What do you do when a healthy foal suddenly becomes paraplegic? For many, the answer would be simple–euthanasia, especially if he had an uncertain prognosis.
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