Your Guide to Equine Health Care

Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM

Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, is a professor of the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of California, Davis. Her areas of interest include Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection (also known as pigeon fever or dryland distemper), hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, and genetic diseases of horses.

Articles by: Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM

Preventing Pigeon Fever

Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM November 11, 2022

Is my horse at risk of catching pigeon fever from another horse at my trainer’s barn?

How to Tell If Your Horse Has Ingested Too Much Sand

Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM February 7, 2018

Dr. Sharon Spier demonstrates a simple test you can do to measure the amount of sand your horse is excreting.

How Your Horse Sees

Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM November 13, 2014

Dr. Sharon Spier, U.C. Davis, Calif., explains horses’ vision; what a horse sees in a collected frame, equine night vision, how blind spots affect the approach to jumps, and much more!

Pigeon Fever: It has Nothing to do with Birds

Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM August 26, 2013

What causes pigeon fever in horses?

Pigeon Fever: Learn How to Protect Your Horse

Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM August 8, 2013

A disease once considered a West Coast problem, veterinarians say pigeon fever is now on the move east. Learn how to protect your horses in this hour-long podcast.

Three Forms of Pigeon Fever in Horses

Sharon Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM July 1, 2010

Infection caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (commonly known as pigeon fever or dryland distemper) assumes three forms: external abscesses, internal infection, and ulcerative lymphangitis (limb infection). This article covers the history of this disease as well as therapy and prevention methods.