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

Online Horse Health Care

The Internet has permeated nearly every aspect of our lives; we use it for music, movie tickets, tools, clothing, research, a social life, sport picks, and who knows what else. Information is so easy to find, but there is, as always, a

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EPM: Not So Common?

“Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a common cause of neurological disease of horses in North and South America, and results from a protozoal infection with Sarcocystis neurona or Neospora hughesi (less commonly),” said

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Conformation of Racehorses

In her study, nearly all racing-bred Thoroughbred foals were carpus valgus (knock-kneed) at birth, many toed out, and a few had offset knees. But at about 18 months of age, nearly two-thirds had offset knees and the incidence of knock knees

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Ophthalmology for Ambulatory Practitioners

“I have a special interest in eyes, but they’re only about 5% of my work,” began Ann Dwyer, DVM, of Genesee Valley Equine Clinic in Scottsville, N.Y., at the Western Veterinary Conference Feb. 20-24 in Las Vegas, Nev. “Some problems will always

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Vaccine Care and Handling

“A lot of very smart people are not aware of how to properly handle vaccines,” said Rocky Bigbie, DVM, MS, director of field veterinary services with Fort Dodge Animal Health, at the 2005 Western Veterinary Conference held Feb. 20-24 in Las

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Conformation of the Juvenile Equine Athlete

Limb conformation has bearing on the type of procedure used to alter a particular defect, including periosteal elevation, transphyseal bridging, hoof augmentation, and changes in management. Conformation also affects selection of sale and breeding

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Breeding Mares on Foal Heat

Breeding on foal heat (the first heat period after parturition) has long been a practice that some horse owners love and others hate. Foal heat breeding begins five to 12 days postpartum, with most ovulations less than 20 days postpartum.

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Forelimb Conformation and the Thoroughbred Racehorse

“What is the relationship between conformation and performance, and what can we do to impact it?” These questions have been asked by those focused on performance in many species, and they were the focus of one presentation by Liz Santschi, DVM,

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Ophthalmology for Equine Road Warriors

Owners calling about horses with painful eyes or eye trauma should be told to have a dark examination area available, and to have four bales of shavings or hay ready to use as a head rest for standing surgery/diagnostics.

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West Nile Virus and Other Hot Topics

“Our perennial topic this morning is West Nile virus (WNV),” began Rocky Bigbie, DVM, MS, director of field veterinary services with Fort Dodge Animal Health, at the 2005 Western Veterinary Conference held Feb. 20-24 in Las Vegas, Nev. He also focused on myriad hot topics in equine veterinary medicine, discussing WNV vaccination guidelines, influenza vaccination challenge, vaccine care and

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Equine Colic (AAEP Convention 2004)

As one might expect in a gathering of equine veterinarians discussing colic, much of the Sunrise Session dedicated to the topic covered evaluation of the colicky horse to determine severity and decide on medical vs. surgical management.

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AAEP Convention 2004: Therapeutic Options Forum

While it might seem like any method of treating a horse would be termed a therapeutic option, equine veterinarians use this term to describe treatments that are generally considered alternative options to more heavily studied Western modalities. As such, the Therapeutic Options forum held during the Denver American Association of Equine Practitioners convention on Dec. 4-8, 2004, focused

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AAEP Convention 2004: Lameness Diagnosis via Head and Pelvis Movement

“I used to think I knew how to evaluate a horse’s movement for lameness, until I started to look more carefully. Two different highly experienced practitioners can evaluate a lame horse, and come up with different [lame] legs,” said Kevin Keegan, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of veterinary medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri, in his presentation on lameness

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Hock Injections (AAEP 2004)

The hock, or tarsus, is a complex collection of joints in the horse. Identifying lameness in one or more of those joints, and treating the problem, can be challenging. However, Alberto Serena, DMV, MRCVS, of Auburn University, and colleagues have found that injecting medication into one joint can treat an adjacent joint as well.

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Silicone to Lube Joints? (AAEP Convention 2004)

“We had heard several anecdotal reports of intra-articular administration of liquid silicone being used as a lubricant in equine joints (to treat osteoarthritis),” began Daniel Burba, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, professor of equine surgery at Louisiana State University, at the 50th annual American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Convention in Denver, Colo., Dec. 4-8, 2004. “It sounded kind of

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