The basic strategies for general anesthesia in horses–gas (inhalant) vs. injectable (intravenous) medication–might soon be sharing and/or trading places on the popularity scale, according to Ann Wagner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVA, ACVP, professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Colorado State University. She discussed balancing general and intravenous anesthetics in horses at the 2009 American

When a horse has a severe case of laminitis with marked instability of the coffin bone, cutting the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) is a treatment that veterinarians often recommend. This surgical procedure is commonly done halfway down the back of the cannon with the horse standing and sedated, but researchers recently described a modified technique that is performed behind the pastern.

Several recent studies have focused on whether these nerve blocks really block the areas we think they do. In some cases, that anesthetic might migrate and numb more structures than expected.

When we only had one vaccine for West Nile virus (WNV) in horses, vaccination was quite simple. Then when different types of vaccines came along, the waters got a little muddier, especially for pregnant mares in which breeders feared risking not one, but two equine lives with new vaccine technologies.

At the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 5

If you’ve ever given the common oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone (Bute) to a horse, you’ve probably been warned that it can cause stomach (gastric) ulcers if you give too much or give it for too long. Thus, there’s always interest in pain-relieving medications for horses that work while causing less gastric irritation or none at all.

Suxibuzone

The equine lower limb can be a notoriously difficult part of the horse to treat with systemic antibiotics, mainly because the limited blood supply in this area makes it tough to deliver enough antibiotic to be effective. One option for getting a lot of antibiotic into lower limb and hoof tissues is regional limb perfusion (RLP), in which a veternarian places a tourniquet on the limb and inje

The typical veterinarian’s arsenal against equine herpesvirus includes vaccination to prevent the disease and supportive care/antiviral medication when the disease strikes. However, small interfering RNA, or siRNA for short, is a Nobel Prize-winning technology that Cornell University researchers have been studying for equine use.

Cortisol, which is often termed the “stress hormone” because its levels rise in response to stress in horses and other species, might offer veterinarians another tool for assessing and developing prognoses for horses with colic. One study examined cortisol levels in 29 colicking horses referred to a United Kingdom clinic for exploratory surgery.

Peritonitis, defined as inflammation of the peritoneum (membrane lining the abdomen), can result from many problems, from disease to infection following injury or colic/colic surgery. Regardless of the cause, a common treatment is lavage (flushing) of the abdomen after the primary cause of the peritonitis is handled. Many liters of fluid are used to lavage a horse’s abdomen, and of course you have

The advantages of using painkillers in horses are that they help an injured or ill horse feel better, eat more, lose less weight, stay in the hospital for a shorter time, and often avoid chronic pain, she explained. The potential disadvantages include the possibility that the horse makes the injury worse by being too active because he doesn’t hurt as much, the fact that painkillers can slow down t

On occasion, certain dental problems in horses might call for removal of one or more permanent incisor teeth. A veterinarian experienced in equine dentistry can perform the necessary dental surgery to remove the tooth with the horse standing and sedated. Radiographs (X rays) taken before and after the procedure document tooth condition and position, and they help verify complete tooth removal.

Endotoxemia causes delayed gastric (stomach) emptying, which can cause the stomach to retain acidic contents and cause or worsen gastric ulcers. At worst, delayed gastric emptying can lead to accumulation of reflux material and gastric rupture. Researchers investigated the effects of DMSO on delayed gastric emptying caused by experimentally induced endotoxemia, and they unfortunately found that it

Persimmons are tropical, bright orange fruits that are claimed to have many health benefits in humans, from helping prevent cancer to arresting the hiccups. However, they have a dark side–they can form hard “concretions,” or fiber masses, in the gastrointestinal tracts of horses and humans that can require surgery to remove.

Such masses, termed bezoars, are even harder