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

Laminitis in Central Kentucky

These findings suggest that the causes of laminitis or conditions associated with laminitis still remains elusive in many of the cases, which prevents us from developing a preventive strategy for this disease.

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AAEP Convention 2001: The Pruritic (Itchy) Horse

We’ve probably all had, or at least seen, a horse with an itching problem no one could quite figure out. In the roundtable discussion on pruritic (itchy) horses, veterinarians discussed just how to diagnose and manage these horses to keep them

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Foot/Lower Leg Wounds and Treatment

When you find your horse with a severe wound of the hoof or lower leg, you likely want to clean it up, remove any foreign matter such as fence wire, and apply antibiotics, right? However, this could make evaluation by your veterinarian more

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Navicular Syndrome Diagnosis

“Navicular disease is very difficult to study, because you can’t reproduce it in a normal horse,” said Earl Gaughan, DVM, of Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “You can’t then work backward from the disease to find a cure.

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Value of Digital Venograms

A recent 10-horse study by Bruce Lyle, DVM, a primary care equine practitioner in Aubrey, Texas, looked at using digital venography (injecting radio-opaque dye into a blood vessel to measure blood flow in the foot) to enhance a practitioner’s ability to reasonably predict the course of laminitis early on, stimulate thought for new treatments, and to evaluate a horse’s response to treatment.

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Septic Osteitis–One Laminitis Complication

Septic osteitis (SO, inflammation of bone beginning in the periosteum, or membrane surrounding bone) of the third phalanx or coffin bone can be a problematic complication of laminitis. SO has historically been regarded as a problem that called

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Radiographic and Venogram Technique

“Pulling a handful of films from the processor hoping a few of them are good enough and knowing full well that most will not be diagnostic is not only frustrating, but a tremendous financial black hole for all concerned,” said Ric Redden, DVM, i

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Investigating Foal Respiratory Disease

“While many outbreaks of respiratory disease in foals are infectious in nature, this is not always the case,” she began. “Environmental factors can have a profound effect.”

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White Line Disease/Canker: AAEP Convention Table Topic

White line disease (hoof wall separation) and canker (chronic overgrowth of the horn-producing tissues of the foot) are hoof concerns often linked to poor hygiene. Many veterinarians and farriers think that white line disease is much more common

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Sunrise Session: The Pruritic (Itchy) Horse

We’ve probably all had, or at least seen, a horse with a scratching problem no one could quite figure out. In Monday’s roundtable discussion on itchy horses, veterinarians discussed just how to diagnose and manage these horse

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Learning About Laminitis

One of the biggest revelations of the symposium was Pollitt’s presentation on his laminitis work at the Australian Laminitis Research Unit, in which he discussed carbohydrate overload-induced laminitis.

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Opening the Airways

Only racehorses get exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), right? Aren’t they the only ones working hard enough to rupture blood vessels in their lungs? The answer to this question is not so simple. Research has shown that EIPH occurs in

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Stepping Ahead: Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium 2001

Laminitis is one of the most serious and difficult-to-treat diseases horses can get, and only by learning everything about this problem can we prevent and treat it successfully. Enter the 14th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium held Jan. 25-27

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