Probably the foremost biomechanics researcher in the country, Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University’s McPhail Equine Performance Center, discussed recent lower limb research during the 16th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium. Some of the studies she described were performed in collaboration with researchers at

INFECTIOUS DISEASE FORUM

With West Nile virus (WNV) marching across the United States and affecting both horses and humans, infectious disease prevention has been a hot topic in barns, the media, veterinary clinics, and elsewhere. During the Infectious Disease Forum, moderated by Josie Traub-Dargatz, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of equine medicine

We used to call it the “creeping crud”–a colorful, youthful label applicable to any gross-out skin disease the horse happened to have (and not to be confused with the cold-and-flu-like symptoms in humans that earned the same appellation). Besides the crud, there were also those weird little bumps that could show up now and then on the horse–not quite as disgusting, but unpleasant

Mares in performance careers are sometimes a frustration to their trainers and riders because during estrus, they can have difficulty concentrating on their work or have “behavioral problems.” Many horse owners resort to hormone therapy to keep mares from coming into heat while training or showing. The most commonly used drug is a synthetic progestin (altrenogest, marketed as Regumate) given

A lot has happened in the field of equine nutrition research in the last five years.

Granulosa-theca cell tumors (GTCTs) are usually tentatively diagnosed by rectal palpation and ultrasound examination after an owner complains of poor performance or aggressive, sexual, stallion-like behaviors. However, the diagnosis can’t be confirmed unless an exploratory laparotomy is performed and the tumor is biopsied (or removed and sectioned for histopathology). These tumors tend to mak

Botulism in foals less than six months of age is readily treated, with a survival rate of more than 95% in appropriately treated foals. Treatment can include nursing care, intravenous fluid support, nasogastric or nasoesophageal tube feeding, broad-spectrum antimicrobials, oxygen therapy, and the administration of botulism antitoxin.

Pain. The Merriam-Webster electronic dictionary defines pain as 1: punishment; 2: usually localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury); also, a basic bodily sensation induced by a noxious stimulus, received by naked nerve endings, characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leading to

Skin masses in horses have historically been removed by surgical excision (cutting them out). Regardless of the type of mass, the surgeon’s goal is to remove all of the tissue, limit hemorrhage, and prevent infection while achieving the best possible cosmetic outcome. Equine surgeons at Purdue University have been using a carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser in place of a scalpel blade to

Peripheral Cushing’s syndrome (PCS) is a recently named problem seen in middle-aged horses and ponies with obesity-associated laminitis. These horses tend to accumulate fat in the crest of the neck, over the rump, and in the sheath of males. It was first proposed that classic Cushing’s disease–a pituitary gland disorder that leads to excessive cortisol levels in the blood–was causing the

The following responses to questions are from Rob Keene, DVM, a field technical consulting equine veterinarian with Fort Dodge Animal Health (FDAH), manufacturers of the West Nile virus vaccine.

 The West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine is probably one of the best-known vaccines on the market right now. How did you get it ready so quickly after WNV was found in the United States?

There is an uncommon type of shoulder lameness in horses that produces a dropped elbow and flexing of the carpus (knee) and pastern at rest. At work, affected horses are typically severely lame with a significantly decreased forward phase of the stride. Radiographs of the shoulder in these cases usually reveal a combination of biceps tendonitis, bursitis, and inflammation of the bone

The reproduction session was something of an A to Z seminar. It started with discussions on endometrial echotexture (ultrasound results) and using computer analysis to determine when a mare will ovulate, or has ovulated, and along the way included a French researcher describing how to turn an unbred mare which has previously given birth into a nurse mare capable of producing enough milk to

I read in a magazine that you can have braces put on a horse to correct an overbite. How can I learn about this? I have a super nice filly that is show quality except for the overbite. If I can get this corrected on my filly, I will show her.

Equine muscle injuries are often elusive, leading to frustration for the rider and a challenging diagnosis for the veterinarian. Since muscle injury can accompany and/or mimic skeletal problems, tendon or ligament injury, or neurological disease,