Christy M. West

Christy West has a BS in Equine Science from the University of Kentucky, and an MS in Agricultural Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Articles by: Christy M. West

Insulin Resistance: Hold the Grain, Please

Management of insulin resistance might lower the risk of laminitis, and one of the cornerstones of management is diet. ?Think of these horses as being in a prediabetic state,? said Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of

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Superovulation and Embryo Transfer

It’s no secret that embryo transfer is expensive, and that its success rates are lower than those of some other methods of equine reproduction. “Commercially, single embryo recovery attempts have a 50% recovery rate, and there is a 50-65%

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Reinforcing Reinforcement Breeding

It’s common practice at some breeding farms–collecting the drippings from a stallion’s penis after he breeds and dismounts a mare, evaluating the sample to confirm that ejaculation did occur, then placing the sample in the mare. Reinforcement

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Glucocorticoids and Obesity


Glucocorticoids have been implicated as a cause of both laminitis and IR. “Our team has been interested in the role that glucocorticoids (corticosteroid drugs or hormones that are involved in carbohydrate metabolism and the body’s response

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Obesity and Laminitis

In obese horses insulin resistance might also contribute to widespread inflammation and, thus, vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels), which is the case in human metabolic syndrome.

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Hormones to Treat Cryptorchids


While giving hormones to colts might seem like a method of self-destruction, there really is a reason for it in some cases–such as for cryptorchids. These colts have at least one testicle that hasn’t descended into the scrotum; normally

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Equine Cloning: Where Are We Today?

“Five years ago, presenting ‘A Review of Cloning’ in the horse was almost unimaginable,” began Katrin Hinrichs, DVM, PhD, professor of veterinary physiology and pharmacology and Patsy Link Chair in reproductive studies at Texas A&M

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Surviving Uterine Torsion

All types of horses can get colic, but in the pregnant mare, the painful signs of colic might be caused by something other than a gastrointestinal problem. The mass of the foal and placenta causes a lot of crowding in the mare’s body, and uterine

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Challenges of Cushing’s Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

We know Cushing’s disease (or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction?PPID?as it’s more scientifically called), simply put, is an “old-horse disease” that results in metabolism disturbances and an abnormally heavy hair coat. But when it comes to

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Foot X Rays: A Crystal Ball?

When you look at a radiograph (X ray) of a horse’s foot, do you visualize soft tissues, or do you only see bones? If there’s one thing Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky., consistently teaches,

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Pain Management for the Laminitic Horse

Laminitis is an incredibly painful hoof disease in the horse. We should all be very aware of this since despite top-notch care, 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was humanely euthanatized due to unresolvable pain from laminitis.

Laminitis

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The Quest to Conquer Laminitis

“Owners and trainers worldwide have the feeling that every veterinarian and every farrier have years of experience and vast knowledge about laminitis and podiatry (foot care). Unfortunately, this is not the case,” said Ric Redden, DVM, founder of

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Learning to Read Radiographs (X Rays)

When you’re talking about evaluating a horse’s foot, a radiograph or X ray can tell you a whole lot more than just whether there’s a fracture or not. When the radiograph is taken to show soft tissue detail as well as bone, it can provide tons of info

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