Quodomine Veterinary Services, Inc.

01/06/2024

The thought of orthopedic surgery on my hands and knees in a barn, not a sterile surgery room with lights, technicians and gas anesthesia, scared the daylights out of me. My dentist even brought me a pack of instruments for working with bone (rongeurs, files, etc.) We procrastinated changing the bandage at 3 days, waiting instead for 5 days, hoping another option would arise. In the meantime, Loopy continued to be “all boy”! He had been growing up confined to a stall for a month now.

01/05/2024

During these cold winter days you may be thinking about offering bran mashes to your horse as a warm, comforting treat and also as a way to help prevent colic due to the higher fiber content of bran. This, however, is an outdated concept and nutritionists point out several potential problems associated with feeding bran mash too often—namely, an imbalance of the dietary calcium-phosphorus ratio that could lead to bone disorders, and a disruption of the healthy fermentation patterns in the horse’s intestinal tract.

The best way to help your horse stay warm this winter is by increasing forage 🌾 and providing shelter 🏠 during a cold snap. And as far as the risk of colic, your first line of defense is to provide plenty of water to keep your horse hydrated. 💦

As always, your equine veterinarian remains your best source of information; contact them to learn more about feeding mashes (they are typically not an issue if fed as the occasional treat) and colic prevention this winter.
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Brough to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

01/03/2024

With his splint on, Loopy seemed unfazed that his leg had a huge chunk of dead bone in it, and he played like any other c**t. Estimates for sequestrum removal varied from $1500-$3500, but two surgeons told me to just take it out myself…not what I wanted to hear!!

01/01/2024

Wishing all my clients and their horses a safe and healthy New Year in 2024. A time for new beginnings!

12/29/2023

The new bandage technique was helping Loopy learn to walk more normally, but at the next bandage change it became clear why tissue wouldn’t cover the bone. It moved when touched, which meant it was dead bone, called a sequestrum, and would need removed. The owner and I began calling 5 different surgical facilities within a 3 hour drive to line up Loopy’s next step in the healing process.

12/26/2023

Best tip for winter.

Water remains as important for your horse in cold weather as it is in the summer. As a matter of fact, decreased water consumption in the winter is thought to be the primary inducing factor for impaction colic — although there are other predisposing factors such as poor hay quality, lack of exercise, internal parasites and dental problems.

Impaction colic is essentially constipation and most often includes the accumulation of hard, dry f***l material in the colon. The usual signs of impending impaction colic are depression, a decreased appetite, and decreased production and dryness of manure.

Studies demonstrate that you can increase your horse's winter water consumption if you provide access to heated water, but ONLY if that is the only source of water available. As always, if you have any questions about preventing colic in your horse, your local veterinarian remains your best source of information!

12/25/2023

Wishing all my friends and clients a very merry Christmas! Give an extra carrot or two to your loved ones.

12/25/2023

Oops, made Loopy’s last entry a regular post instead of getting it into his album. Problem fixed.

12/25/2023

Follow Loopy’s progress by clicking on his album above this post. This is a case from last year.
We were now 3 weeks out from the injury. The wound seemed to be healing but foal skin is very fragile and now the bandage was rubbing his coronary band just above the front of the hoof, and his flexor tendons were contracting due to being immobilized for 3 weeks and his rapid growth at this age (6 weeks). Both of these problems necessitated the changing of the bandaging technique so that his toe was pulled forward before the final wrap. Now the flexors would stretch and his foot would land flat. If the skin had sloughed at the toe the coffin joint would be opened and all would be lost.

12/21/2023

I want one!

12/17/2023

Loopy’s 3rd ‘suicide’ attempt (after 2 near misses on his birthday) was on his 3rd day back in the clinic. When I went to feed his dam that morning, I didn’t see Loopy anywhere! Turned out he had wiggled under the divider gate in the overhang area outside his stall, only 10” spacing, with that huge bandage and splint intact. He was happily strolling around on the other side, and was reunited with mom, Gracie, for a warm milk breakfast!

12/16/2023

All true

Things I do in my spare time...

12/14/2023

Loopy’s next bandage change confirmed his leg was trying to heal, but in spite of using special calcium alginate patches to encourage tissue to cover the bone, it wasn’t working. This was 14 days after the accident.

12/10/2023

This case is from last year. You can follow the adventure by clicking on the album above this post.
Three days after the last bandage change, the owner was present to help make a fateful decision for Loopy. He tolerated his injections for anesthesia, as always, and I removed the splint and heavy bandage from his leg. We stared for a moment, and then I said “I think it looks better” The owner agreed. It seems the damaged tissue from the fence tourniquet had sloughed its last, and now healthy granulation tissue was taking its place. With renewed hope we decided to continue his treatments, but there would be a long road to recovery. 

12/08/2023

For all you long ear lovers

Baby it’s cold outside! ❄️⛄️

Many people think of donkeys as hardy, low-maintenance “small horses.” However, while they have similarities, donkeys are a completely different species and as such have a different physical, mental, and emotional make-up.

As the weather gets colder, it’s important to remember that donkeys are more sensitive to changes in temperature than their equine friends. They don’t grow a winter coat like horses and their hair is less waterproof, so they require shelter from the elements (like a run-in shed or a waterproof blanket). Being stoic animals, they also won’t show signs of discomfort and hypothermia until they are very sick.

Remember that every animal is different depending on age, breed, and other health conditions, so be sure with your primary veterinarian to address any concerns or questions!
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Brough to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

12/07/2023

Any wonder my body is rebelling after 35 years of stitching up horses? This case from Tues night also needed a nose job!

12/06/2023

For those who attended the neurology talks, here is a classic ‘sidewinder’ I saw this past weekend.

12/04/2023

I realize many may have not seen the beginning of Loopy’s adventure,(Yes, it is available in his album, click on the script above his posts to see the whole chronological story)but this is a case from last year, so not looking for suggestions on how to treat him. There are a plethora of products available to treat wounds, some work better than others, and all of them work on some cases, but not all cases respond alike. I can’t imagine giving suggestions to my human doctor as to what to do, please show the same respect here.

12/03/2023

Loopy’s 4th bandage change, 8 days after his accident. My jaw dropped when the bandage was removed, more tissue dying, more bone exposed. I felt I was wasting the owner’s money and told her to come and we’d make the decision at the next bandage change as we’d likely put him down before he woke from anesthesia. Rebandaged and splinted the limb with a heavy heart (and more than a few tears.)

12/03/2023

Only one right answer to the question on the video of the tail shivering. You all should have come to my neuro talks. That is a classic sign of tetanus starting! Way to go Sheila. 

12/01/2023

For those who couldn’t make the neurology talk, what disease is this a symptom of?

12/01/2023

It’s hard to imagine this tiny organ (cat uterus) can easily produce 30 or more cats in just a couple of years!! Get your cats spayed!

11/29/2023

LOL, I just rechecked the neuro talk coming up this Friday and somehow it says it is a 5 hour event!! Rest assured, we won't take more than TWO hours! Please make sure you are marked as 'coming' so I can prepare the room. See you then!

11/29/2023

11/28/2023

Loopy loved to explore the aisle and any open stalls on his daily exercise jaunts.

11/25/2023

Loopy’s third bandage change, a week after his injury, was showing extensive damage. More necrosis, retraction of the severed extensor tendon, and exposed bone. In spite of the damage, he had a great attitude and love for life, tooling around happily on his splinted limb every day.

11/23/2023

Whoo hoo! Best Thanksgiving afternoon; got to ride Boo for the first time since breaking my ribs, happy, happy, happy!

11/23/2023

Very thankful for all my clients and friends this Thanksgiving day. May you and yours enjoy it and have a happy one!

11/19/2023

Loopy was put under general anesthesia every other day for almost a month to change his bandage. It took about 15-20 minutes to cut the splint and heavy bandage off, clean the wound, rebandage the leg and reapply the splint. Early on it took 1 1/2 combine bandages, 2 rolls of vet wrap and over a roll of elastikon, all while working on hands and knees with an assistant at his head in case he woke up early. Loopy always recovered well.

11/19/2023

Cool picture

The blood vascular system of the hoof... I just can’t get over how intricate it is ♥️

11/16/2023

We all know there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. But some things on the outside of your horse are good also for the inside of the horse himself!

Your horse’s whiskers, for example, are tactile hairs that play an important part in your equine friend’s sensory awareness system. Just to mention one thing, they help your horse gather information about their surroundings in the blind spot existing from their eye level to ground below the nose and out to about six feet—so the animal can sense things like the grass he grazes on and the hand that strokes his muzzle.

If you’d like to read more about how your horse sees the world, visit Equus Magazine’s website at https://equusmagazine.com/behavior/eye-eye-31022/

11/12/2023

Asking people once again NOT to message me on this social media site. It is for ME to post things for YOU. Feel free to comment on my posts but if you need to contact me, please use the office phone. Thank you.

11/12/2023

At Loopy’s first bandage change (two days after the injury) it became evident how much ischemic damage his leg had sustained from the fence being wrapped tightly around it. The wound edges were retracting quickly. Notice also the sores on the sides of his fetlock from his ankle buckling under the first bandage (when the splint was on the front).

11/11/2023

Great turn out for the neurology talk last night! Thanks to all who made the trip, Hope it was fun and educational.

11/07/2023

Yesterday was a beautiful day to pick up rocks out of the pasture we are renovating at the clinic. Amazing how many of these things grow in Pennsylvania!

11/06/2023

The small 2 inch pipe is all I had on hand to stabilize him for the trip home. Had to quickly get to Home Depot for larger PVC pipe to stabilize him on the caudal aspect of the limb. 

11/04/2023

Reposting Loopy’s original injury since Facebook hid the first one. The fence cut his leg completely through the extensor tendon so he couldn’t pull his hoof forward to walk on it.

11/03/2023

We headed to the farm to get Loopy’s leg bandaged and splinted for the trip back to the clinic.

11/03/2023

Loopy’s early life was fraught with near death experiences. His maiden dam almost dropped him in the deep mud as I was trying to get her to a foaling stall. Had to go catch him as she gave the final push just short of the stall door, after which she headed back to the far end of the paddock (Presumably to finish the job she had already done! She laid down and kept pushing!) Got the c**t indoors and retrieved “Gracie” who licked him off but also stepped on him a couple times (just nicking the hind legs, no breaks.) Check Loopy’s album for the next picture.