Coverage from the 2018 AAEP Convention in San Francisco, California
Both cold and heat therapy can help improve injury healing, but they can be difficult to apply to horses. So, researchers recently tested a pneumatic sleeve designed specifically for administering contrast therapy to horses’ lower limbs. Here’s what they found.
With an estimated 88% of horses over 20 years of age diagnosed with dental disease, veterinarians must be sure to maintain these patients differently than their younger counterparts.
Bisphosphonates are FDA-approved for controlling clinical signs associated with navicular syndrome in horses ages 4 and older. Some veterinarians use them off-label to treat other equine bone issues. But could this off-label use be detrimental? One equine veterinarian recently gave a rundown on what research says.
Researchers found that firocoxib and flunixin meglumine provided similar levels of pain control after colic surgery, but firocoxib resulted in reduced evidence of endotoxemia at 48 hours post-surgery.
Researchers confirmed that ultrasound is a useful and economical screening tool to identify humeral stress fractures and can be used with radiography to monitor healing.
Multiple hoof-related factors can affect a horse’s performance—including balance, trim, shoes, pads, support materials, and more. Here’s how farriers can help a horse reach his potential.
Measuring the biomarker creatine kinase in abdominal fluid can help distinguish horses with ischemic (lacking blood flow) intestine due to a strangulating lesion—and, thus, require surgery—from those without.
While physicians have used capsule endoscopy in humans for more than a decade, it’s only recently become commercially available on the veterinary market for dogs and shows promise for use in horses.
From infectious disease to microbial imbalance in the gut, causes of chronic diarrhea in horses run the gamut. And, veterinarians agree, finding a solution should be a methodical trial-and-error process.
The earlier a veterinarian can intervene and begin treatment in a laminitic case, the greater chances of success, which could mean saving the horse’s life.
Recognizing and treating club feet in young horses can help them succeed in their intended discipline and, ultimately, prevent lifelong hoof complications.
Anecdotally, we know that hoof anatomy influences horse soundness and movement, but researchers are working to put science behind that relationship. Here’s what they’ve learned so far.
A systematic approach to examining the equine foot can help veterinarians identify causes of lameness more quickly and accurately.
Untrained horses—which can vary from feral horses to unhandled youngsters—can be challenging to sedate, so a veterinary anesthesiologist offered tips for other practitioners.
Researchers found that both trained and untrained individuals can use a ridden horse ethogram to identify behaviors likely indicative of musculoskeletal pain, but being educated about the ethogram produces the best results.
An analgesic buffered with sodium bicarbonate alleviated lameness quicker and for a longer duration than an unbuffered one, researchers found.
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