Equine Articles

Minimally Invasive Abdominal Surgery: LAPAROSCOPY

LAPAROSCOPY GENERAL: Surgical techniques easier on horses

Most commonly performed laparoscopic surgeries include ovariectomy, cryptorchid castration, nephrosplenic space closure, castration without testicule removal and biopsies. A laparoscope is a specialized camera that allows the veterinary surgeons to examine the inside of the abdomen (belly). The laparoscope is attached to a video camera, which displays the image on a monitor. Unlike traditional abdominal surgery techniques, which require large openings to allow the surgeon’s hands to enter the abdomen, laparoscopic surgery is performed through very small incisions.
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The “Dummy Foal”

“Dummy” foals are a potential problem faced by breeders during foaling season. Numerous terms have been used to describe this syndrome including barkers, wanderers, or convulsants. Veterinary terminology includes neonatal maladjustment syndrome, perinatal asphyxia syndrome, and most commonly hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). These terms are used to describe newborn foals that have behavioral or neurologic abnormalities that do not have an infectious, toxic, congenital or metabolic cause. The condition results from decreased blood and oxygen supply to the brain.
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Your Foal’s First Challenge: Passive Transfer of Immunity

When a foal is born, they have very little circulating antibodies in their blood. Immunity from diseases is obtained from antibodies which are transferred from the mare to the foal through the mare’s milk. The milk that is rich in antibodies and other nutrients is called colostrum.
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Preventing Injuries to Your Horse During Training

The most common musculoskeletal injuries of horses in work include tendon and ligament injuries, stress fractures, chip fractures, joint sprain/strain and foot soreness. The severity of the injury a horse may have depends on the type of training it is undergoing. Harness racing horses rarely develop bucked shins, while most flat racing horses often have some shin soreness during their early training period. A horse in dressage training is unlikely to develop a chip fracture, but may develop back soreness as it strengthens its top line and neck muscles. Some injuries, such as joint swelling due to osteochondrosis (OCD), occur because of an abnormality in joint development.
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Platelet-Rich Plasma:
A New Treatment for Tendon and Ligament Injuries in Horses

Tendon and ligament injuries are a common cause of lameness in horses. Over 30% of racehorse lameness is due to tendon or ligament injury. Traditional treatment of these injuries often requires 6 to 12 months for rehabilitation. Healing may be incomplete, resulting in a weaker healed tendon. Also, traditional treatments have a 30-50% failure rate.

Because of these factors continued research for new treatment techniques for tendon and ligament injuries is an active area of equine research. In this vein, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy for equine tendon and ligament injuries has been investigated at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and is being used in clinical cases at New England Equine Medical and Surgical Center.
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Developmental Orthopedic Disease:
joint and bone abnormalities of the growing horse

Developmental orthopedic disease (DOD) can be a significant problem for growing horses. By being aware of the manifestations of DOD, the possible treatments and methods of prevention, the horse owner is posed to limit the adverse effects of these disorders. DOD may result in angular limb deformities such as “knock knees”, osteochondrosis (OCD) and juvenile arthritis. Any of these problems may cause future unsoundness if not treated appropriately.
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Open Your Eyes to Equine Uveitis

One of the most common eye diseases and the most common cause of blindness in horses is equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), also called moon blindness or periodic ophthalmia. Uveitis is defined as inflammation of the uveal tract of the eye, which consists of the iris and ciliary body (anterior uvea) and the choroid (posterior uvea). The clinical disease, however, involves all aspects of the equine eye.
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Spring Shots in the Dark?

As the snow begins to subside and the crocuses begin to rise from the earth, a knot is forming in your stomach. It’s almost that time. Spring vaccines. A sea of acronyms swirl around your mind like the robins returning from their equatorial holiday. WNV, EHV, PHF, EVA, EEE, WEE, VEE. It is enough to make a VIP at MIT go ZZZ. Deciding which vaccines your horse needs, or doesn’t need, this Spring can be a daunting task. The following is a brief explanation of vaccines available and rationale for use.
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Could My Horse Have Gastric Ulcers?

Sometimes our horses are just not doing right and we just do not know why. We start thinking of all the possible reasons, and one of them just might click… What about gastric ulcers? You have heard of gastric ulcers and the multitude of clinical signs that accompanies the disease including colic, decreased appetite, irritability or attitude changes, diarrhea, weight loss, decreased performance, and “girthiness” to name a few, but you are not sure if your horse has been affected by this disease, what causes it, how it can be diagnosed, and how it can be prevented and/or treated. This brief summary will attempt to answer some of those questions.
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Red Maple Leaves: A Toxic Treat To Your Horse

OVERVIEW: Red maple (Acer rubrum) trees are common in the eastern United States. Intoxication of red maple leaves to horses is a seasonal problem that occurs most commonly in the summer and fall. Wilted and dried leaves are toxic to horses, as well as the bark.
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Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD)

If your horse coughs several times at the beginning of exercise he may have upper airway irritation, tracheal irritation, allergies or a respiratory condition called inflammatory airway disease (IAD). 
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Headshaking

Headshaking in horses is characterized by spontaneous flipping of the nose, head tossing, rubbing of the nose on objects, snorting, and sometimes striking at the muzzle.
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Hives

Hives are variable-sized patches of edema (swelling) that can occur anywhere on the body, especially on the neck, sides of the body, and upper areas of the limbs.
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Lice

Lice are highly host specific parasites that spend their complete life cycle on the host meaning that lice that infect horses do not infect people. There are 2 main types of lice, the sucking lice and the biting lice.
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