Marcia King

Marcia King is an award-winning freelance writer based in Ohio who specializes in equine, canine, and feline veterinary topics. She's schooled in hunt seat, dressage, and Western pleasure.

Articles by: Marcia King

Early Arrivals

Premature deliveries don’t occur frequently, but when they do, difficult decisions must often be made.

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Stallion Subfertility and Infertility Conditions

Is your stud a dud? About one in 10 breeding stallions can’t perform up to expectations due to subfertility or infertility. Causes for reduced breeding performance are many: Age, injury, genetics, management, or disease.

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Bad to the Bone

While bone infections don’t automatically end with euthanasia, they can be difficult to treat.

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The Straight Dope

Is post-event drug testing becoming too sensitive, netting too many innocent violators? Are drug withdrawal guidelines for therapeutic medications too unreliable to be useful? Or are policies and tests being fine-tuned in a sensible manner in order

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Latest on the Omegas

The question: If omega-3 fatty acids benefit human health, can they provide similar benefits for horses? Although there have been only a handful of omega-3 studies for the horse, here’s what we do know, and what researchers are hoping to find out.

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The Latest on the Omegas (Fats)

Glance through nearly any newspaper or magazine, and you’re bound to see ads proclaiming the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in the human diet. Interest in the topic is keen: Studies in humans and other species have found omega-3 fatty acids

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Stem Cell Therapy

“After harvesting and concentrating the stem cells in a laboratory, the stem cells and bone marrow are transferred into the damaged ligament or tendon,” Herthel says. “They reproduce into normal, healthy tissue, thus improving healing and providing

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Acupuncture: A Stick in Time

Today, acupuncture is a widely used modality in equine sports medicine. Whether used as a stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with other treatment options, acupuncture is gaining in popularity as an integral part of the total health care approach

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Nine Steps to a Better Feed Room

The best, most convenient feed rooms are organized, accessible, and easy to keep clean. That’s important enough if you only have one or two horses, but once the numbers start increasing, these elements become imperative. Here are nine

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Whole Lotta Shakin Going On

Your horse is doing it again: Inexplicably tossing his head and sometimes charging off. Your trainer has tried everything–fly spray, changing tack, new bits, negative reinforcement–and while your horse goes through periods where he never flips

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Cushing’s Disease in Horses

It’s spring, yet your aging equine has failed to shed his long, shaggy, winter coat. Furthermore, he’s developed a saggy belly coupled with loss of muscle over his croup and rump. He’s gulping down far more water than he used to, and his stall i

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New Treatment for Tracheal Collapse

Two years later, Magnificent, a miniature horse, continues to do well with his intratracheal stent–the first ever implanted in a horse.


Magnificent suffered from tracheal collapse, an uncommon–and probably underreported–condition in

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Dealing with Dummy Foals

At first, everything seems fine: Your foal was born without incident and started nursing as he should. But two days later, the baby quit suckling and began acting strangely–wandering around and pressing his head against the stall wall. Your

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EPM Check-Up

Although progress has been made studying equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in the last 10 years, some aspects of the disease remain elusive. One researcher, half-jokingly, notes that EPM is considered the most diagnosed neurologic disorde

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The Scoop On Feed

Sweet feeds, pelleted feeds, textured feeds, concentrate mixes, processed mixes … many novice (and seasoned) horse owners are confused over what these feeds are, the purposes they serve, and which horses benefit from them. Read on to learn how you

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