Ann E. Dwyer, DVM, says that the most basic point-and-shoot digital camera is an “invaluable tool for documenting and following a variety of ophthalmic problems such as those affecting the orbit, eyelids, cornea, iris, and lens of the equine eye.” Such conditions include corneal ulcers or trauma, cataracts and lens-position abnormalities, and tumors such as squamous cell carcinomas or sarcoids of

Customarily, veterinarians close the intestinal wall following colic surgery in horses using either sutures or staples. But which is best? According to Julie Rosser, DVM, it’s a tie: Staples are just as effective as the traditional method of hand-sewing the intestine closed with suture material in one common colic surgery procedure.

Letting ‘sleeping horses lie’ may not be the best thing when they’re anesthetized, according to John A. E. Hubbell, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVA (anesthesiology), professor of veterinary anesthesiology in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. In fact, the horse might not get enough oxygen, so some kind of ventilation is preferred,

A new sustained release formulation of the antibiotic ceftiofur, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in horses with pneumonia, makes treating affected foals easier.”The bacterium Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus is a common cause of pneumonia in horses,” said Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, Dipl. AVCS, an assistant professor at Iowa State University. “The antibiotic

Instead of operating on a foal with guttural pouch tympany, veterinarians should consider placing a flexible tube through the opening of his guttural pouch(es) via the nasal passage, according to a veterinarian from Auburn University.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a fast, accurate, quick, and easy testing method to diagnose pathogens associated with equine upper respiratory tract infections, and researchers on a recent study recommended that veterinarians pursue PCR in cases of infectious upper respiratory disease. Not only does it allow the veterinarian to pinpoint the causative pathogen, it also can help control the

“Donkeys are becoming more common patients for equine veterinarians, and although it is tempting to treat a donkey like a horse, there are important differences regarding patient handling and drug dosages,” cautioned Lori Bidwell, DVM, of Lexington Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine in Kentucky. Bidwell spoke on the key differences between anesthetizing donkeys and horses at the 2010 American

After years of intensive research, a product called SucroMate has achieved the coveted status of FDA-approved for reproductive health in mares. This is no easy feat as only two veterinary drugs obtained FDA approval in 2010. SucroMate is licensed to induce ovulation in mares being bred with fresh, cooled, or frozen semen.

The navicular bone, a small, boat-shaped bone nestled deep in the protective womb of the hoof, only measures approximately 6 cm wide and 2 cm deep (top to bottom) in an average 1,200-pound horse, so how can such a small bone be such a nuisance? Part of the problem is that, despite its cushy abode and small stature, the navicular bone has a big job.

Veterinary researchers have taken a leap forward in explaining XY sex reversal, the most common equine sex chromosome abnormality. A team of scientists from the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center and the College of Veterinary Science at Texas A&M University have been examining the Y chromosome to determine what prompts a genetic mutation that causes seemingly healthy mares

Researchers recently discovered a new genetic mutation in a Thoroughbred foal that was born with large portions of nonpigmented skin. Whether another horse with the the same rare mutation will be born is unknown, but the discovery has fueled researchers’ pursuit of knowledge about coat color-related genetics and its potential relationship to serious health problems or death.

Researchers suspect tying-up in horses is a heritable condition; however, they have yet to determine the gene–or genes–responsible. But a team of Japanese researchers recently moved the investigation forward with a groundbreaking study of affected Thoroughbred racehorses’ DNA. Muscle disorders such as polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM, recognized mainly in Quarter Horses) and recurrent

Angular limb deformities (ALDs) of the carpus (knee) are a common problem in foals and yearlings, and researchers have narrowed the surgical treatment options down to the two that present the best results. Eric R. Carlson, DVM, an equine surgery resident at the University of Illinois’ Veterinary Teaching Hospital, gave a presentation on these options at the 56th Annual Convention of the American

A team of German researchers might have pinpointed the genes responsible in part for the development of navicular syndrome as the result of a study of Hanoverian Warmbloods.

The gene responsible for causing the swaybacked appearance of many American Saddlebred horses might be playing an advanced game of “hide and go seek,” but genetic researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center are one step closer to uncovering this gene and, thus, helping breeders one day avoid perpetuating the trait. Swayback, also referred to as lordosis, lowback, or