Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center

11/02/2024

As we enter the weekend we wanted to share this beautiful photo of the sunrise this morning above the clinic.

11/01/2024

Santa Ynez Valley Friends and Clients. The Santa Ynez High School is a very important part of our community. Many of our Alamo Pintado staff members and their children have attended our local public high school over the years including our Doctors Tyler Stevenson and Troy Herthel. Our local client Chris Johnson is running for re-election to the school board. If you are not familiar with Chris or his work as school board President at the High School over the past couple of years please take a look at the videos he has recently posted on his social media pages where he answers commonly asked questions. Chris is leading a major turnaround at the high school and his leadership needs to continue.

10/31/2024

Swipe through for some festive photos of our staff enjoying the Halloween spirit! Remember to keep those horses safe with no tricks, just treats today. Happy Halloween from all of us at Alamo Pintado! 🧡🐎

09/26/2024

This weekend we were happy to host 27 equine veterinary technicians from around the country at Alamo Pintado for an American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians & Assistants (AAEVT) anesthesia society meeting. In this photo Alamo team members Dr. Mark Rick (Emeritus), Jaime Lopez, and our veterinary intern Dr. Martina Vecchi are performing a training run and demonstration of our Alamo Pintado water recovery pool system. This was an innovation developed by our founder the late Dr. Doug Herthel in the early 1990s as part of his period of innovation in orthopedic fracture repair. Veterinary technicians play an essential role in equine veterinary medicine and horse health and their continuing education is very important work.

09/21/2024

Congratulations goes out to our very own Dr. Tyler Stevenson and his horse Reyl Tuff (Katfish) on their success at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity! Your dedication and care for horses shine through, and the victory is well deserved! Wishing you many more successes ahead, both in the clinic and in the ring!

09/20/2024

QUEENOFTHESANDBOX…from NICU to Sliding Stops

Congratulations to clients Rory and Heather Livingston of Atascadero, CA whose filly QUEENOFTHESANDBOX tied for 3rd in the rein work at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity last weekend with trainer Jake Gorrell. “Servi” (Bet Hesa Boon x Soula Jule Girl) is a three year old American Quarter Horse filly who almost didn’t make it.

Only 24 hours after birth, the little roan filly was struggling to survive. She was extremely dehydrated, lethargic and exhibiting digestive issues. One of our internal medicine specialists, Dr. Carolina Lopez DVM DACVIM had to move quickly. Over the course of a few days, Dr. Lopez and her team were able to stabilize the foal with intravenous fluid therapy, plasma, antibiotics and oral medications. Gradually, she started improving and gaining strength.

We are thankful to have been part of her journey and to her owners for entrusting us with her care to see the amazing things she is meant to do.

09/16/2024

It's often said that a picture is with a thousand words. Today we are sharing a few pictures that we recently captured with our high-definition video endoscope. This patient presented to us with colic symptoms. After performing an endoscopic exam, our doctors discovered a gastric impaction and Gasterophilus spp infection on this patient.

Gastric impactions are a well‐recognized but poorly understood cause of colic in horses. They have been defined as persistent, progressive accumulations of dehydrated ingesta that remain within the stomach after prolonged fasting.

Botflies (Gasterophilus spp) are parasitic flies that affect the horse’s digestive tract and can cause negative health consequences. Prevention and treatment of bot invasion are essential to keeping your horse healthy.

This is a great reminder of the importance of keeping your horses up to date with their veterinary directed preventive medicine program.

08/30/2024

At Alamo our two internal medicine specialists Dr. Erin Byrne and Dr. Carolina Lopez along with their team of technicians and veterinary interns provide twenty-four-hour care to our sickest and most critical patients every day of the year. While saving lives and returning horses back to their homes safe and sound is very rewarding it can also be stressful. Recently Dr. Lopez adopted a former patient who has become a fixture with our internal medicine team. It fills us with joy to see these amazing veterinarians riding Dillion around the Alamo Pintado campus at the end of a long workday. We hope that you will enjoy seeing these pictures as much as we do.

08/23/2024

Do you have a horse with Synovitis or Osteoarthritis that is in need of treatment? Alamo Pintado has recently initiated a pilot study to evaluate an investigational intra-articular injection of an Equine Platelet Derived Exosome Product for treating joint disease. This investigational therapy, developed by world-class physician-scientists at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is not yet approved by the FDA. Since 2021, Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center has been collaborating on this project and has conducted pilot safety and exploratory efficacy studies in our own horses. These studies have provided us with the confidence to proceed with evaluating this investigational therapy in client-owned horses as part of this FDA pilot study. If you have a horse with joint disease that you believe may be a candidate for this study, please call us at (805) 688-6510 and ask to speak with our clinical trial coordinator, Susie Kahn, PhD, to determine if your horse may be eligible for this study.

08/22/2024

At Alamo Pintado for over 52 years our purpose has been to heal horses. Just across the picturesque Santa Ynez Valley that we call home there is a special place that’s purpose is to heal people with the power and energy of horses. The Santa Ynez Valley Therapeutic Riding Program, its horses, and staff provide a tremendous service to over 300 children, adults, and veterans each year. We wanted to share the mission of this wonderful program with you and invite you to attend their annual Cowboy Ball Fundraiser this September 21st in Los Olivos, Ca. To order tickets to the event please visit www.syvtherapeuticriding.org/events

Photo 1: Student, Joshua, sitting on their horse, Mari. The wonderful heart design was done by Christina Barnes.

Photo 2: Student, Adam Billington, with their horse, Ernie, while he takes a break from playing the bongos. Adam is part of the Hidden Wings group that supports adults with autism.

Photo 3: One of the senior students, Marvin, petting their horse, Anika. Marvin is part of the horsemanship program.

08/08/2024

Breeding season has been extended at Alamo Pintado!
With the latest reproductive techniques of intracytoplasmic s***m injection (ICSI) we can produce embryos year-round and setup for success in the spring!

Oocytes (unfertilized eggs) are collected from ovarian follicles using the transvaginal aspiration technique (TVA).

The oocytes are then sent in a temperature-controlled incubator to an advanced reproductive laboratory, where they are placed in maturation media and monitored for development.

Oocytes that have matured, are injected with a single s***m cell. This process is called Intracytoplasmic s***m injection (ICSI).

If the oocyte is successfully fertilized, the resulting embryo can be vitrified (frozen). The frozen embryos can be stored until the next breeding season or indefinitely as genetic insurance.
Pictured is Dr. Tyler Stevenson, Zach Kahn and Mikayla Rowlett

08/03/2024

Spotlight: Alamo Athletes

Congratulations to two of our very own ICU veterinary technicians on their recent horse show success! Lexie Thacker and Jamie Bizzini came home from The Event at Rebecca Farms (Kalispell, Montana) with full hearts and bragging rights.

Lexie (whose parents are both local veterinarians) piloted Debussy, a 10 year old Oldenburg mare owned by Jo Cho, to the winner’s circle in the Senior Open Novice division. In what was only the mare’s fourth time showing, the pair led by 2 points at the conclusion of the dressage phase and held the lead throughout the long weekend, dominating their class with clear cross country and show jumping rounds.

Although this is a newer horse to Lexie, the talented tech is no stranger to upper level competition. She has produced several horses up through Preliminary/ 2* level and has been traveling internationally as a groom for 4* and 5* eventers for almost a decade.

Jamie Bizzini garnered a respectable 8th place ribbon out of a 21 horse field in the classic format Novice Three Day on her own 10 year old mare Aldabra, an off-the-track Thoroughbred. This was the pair’s first time at The Event and their first time competing in the long format, which includes a more difficult dressage test and requires that a horse have a massive amount of endurance and preparation for not only the challenging cross country phase, but for the additional steeplechase fences, roads and tracks.

The hot-blooded chestnut was up to the task. “I was very pleased because she proved more than fit. At the end of cross country, she felt like she could do it all over again” says Jamie, who in addition to her technician work, is an assistant trainer at Hartenburg Equestrian, a local eventing and jumper barn.

To bring a horse home from such a big event healthy, sound and happy is no small feat, especially since it included four long days of travel. No doubt, the veterinary-based skill set these horsewomen have honed from all their long hours at Alamo have put them a cutting edge above the rest. Lexie and Jamie, we are proud of you and all you have achieved!

These two compassionate women, along with all of our ICU technicians, are an integral part of the medicine/ intensive care unit at Alamo. Often working nights, weekends and holidays, they assist our doctors and provide around-the-clock care to the most critical of cases. Their attention to detail is crucial, as is their reliability, knowledge, intuition and all-around grit. These qualities are what fuel their success in whatever endeavors they choose to pursue and make them highly valued team members here at the clinic. All of them are winners!

08/02/2024

For over 50 years Alamo Pintado has been focused on advancing equine veterinary medicine for the benefit of the horse. The latest innovative procedure that our surgeons Dr. Carter Judy, Dr. Wade Walker and Dr. Troy Herthel have been trained in and are performing is called Foraminotomy.

Foraminotomy treats the condition called, cervical foraminal stenosis. This condition is a narrowing of the opening of the spinal canal where the nerve root exits to innervate the limb. Horses can have behavioral issues, neck stiffness and undiagnosed causes of forelimb lameness. The procedure is adapted from human spinal surgery for the same condition. The procedure is performed through a 1 cm incision using an endoscope and endoscopic instruments. Recovery from the procedure is rapid and results can be dramatic in horses who have this condition.

Previous treatment options for this condition include ultrasound guided injection of the nerve roots and/or articular facet joints, systemic anti-inflammatories, shock wave and in extreme cases retirement. However, the previous treatments are not a complete fix to the problem whereas the foraminotomy can fix the problem for the longevity of the horse.

We are excited to be offering this procedure to help horses suffering from this condition feel relief!

07/29/2024

It’s that time of year for us to introduce our 2024/2025 Alamo Pintado Veterinary Interns. For 41 years Alamo Pintado has welcomed a new class of first year veterinarians to spend a year with us working as part of our team. These veterinary interns are an integral part of the fabric and heritage of Alamo Pintado. Since the inception of our program over 140 veterinarians from around the world have spent their first year in practice with us gaining invaluable experience and mentorship from our clinicians and our diverse caseload. In fact, today half of our Alamo staff veterinarians came to us through this esteemed program as far back as 1988.

We would like to introduce our 2024/2025 intern class

Natalia Uson, DVM (Spain)
Martina Vecchi, DVM (Italy)
Mimi Zizewitz, DVM (Germany)
Sarah Gabriel, DVM (California)
Salome Jagoury, DVM (France)

07/22/2024

Alamo Veterinarian Spotlight: Wade Walker, DVM, Dip. ACVS-LA

Wade is a 3rd generation veterinarian from La Cañada Flintridge, California. He achieved both his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University where he was employed at their Equine Orthopedic Research Center.

Dr. Walker completed an Internship at Arizona Equine Medical and Surgical Centre followed by a Large Animal Surgery Residency at Cornell University. Wade gained further experience as a staff surgeon at both San Luis Rey Equine Hospital in Bonsall, California and Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center in Cave Creek, AZ prior to joining the team at Alamo Pintado in 2019.

Wade’s talents are broad, but his focus is on pre-purchase and lameness exams, sports medicine, orthopedic surgery, oncology/ electro-chemotherapy and specialized dentistry. His days are split between seeing patients at the clinic and making routine or emergency farm calls.

Fun facts about Dr. Walker:

Wade is kind of a clothes horse. He has an eclectic collection of western shirts he likes to pair with bolo ties on special occasions. His favorites include vintage pearl-snap shirts with Aztec designs or horses on them.

His interest in music includes classic rock, country, bluegrass, and 80’s hits. He is a self-proclaimed “Swiftie”, and her songs are often heard playing in the background during minor procedures.

He was a drummer in a vet school rock band and is a heck of a country swing dancer.

His lifelong dream is for he and his family to one day own a team of mules to drive, camp with and trail ride.

He is a pleasure to work with!

What clients are saying:

“Dr. Walker is fantastic - he explains things well, without patronizing, giving you all the pros and cons of the options. He is gentle with the horses, professional, positive, and friendly.”

“Dr. Walker was extremely kind and willing to communicate daily on my horse's progress, along with communicating with my regular vet regarding my horse's diagnosis, treatment and progress. We were all kept in the loop and it made the experience so much easier to handle.”

“Dr. Walker was very kind, patient and reassuring to me and helpful also with post surgery concerns. I would highly recommend.”

“Dr. Walker takes the time to explain and show me what is going on with my horses lameness issues. I feel he is very passionate about his career and the horses.”

07/10/2024

During this time with active fires affecting different areas throughout California, it’s important to follow the air quality index (AQI) in your area, which can be found at the following link: https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Los%20Olivos&state=CA&country=USA

There is currently no available scientific data specifically regarding the impacts of various AQI levels on equine respiratory health. The American Lung Association provides guidelines and color-coding for AQI ranges, with green being the lowest (0-50) and maroon (301-500) the highest.

The effect of smoke inhalation in horses can be similar to the effect we see in humans. These can include eye irritation and mild to severe airway inflammation.

These guidelines have generally been extrapolated for horses as well. Caution should be taken if the value exceeds 150. However, if your horse has an already pre-existent lower airway disease such as equine asthma consider limiting pleasure riding activities when values are over 100. Even horses without previous airway inflammation can develop persistent cough, nasal discharge, wheezing and difficulty breathing at this AQI range. Airway damage resulting from wildlife smoke can take up to 4 - 6 week to fully resolve. Respiratory rate at rest for horses should be 12-24 breaths/minute. If you have any questions or concerns about your horses suffering from smoke inhalation don’t hesitate to call us.

07/09/2024

As efforts to contain the Lake Fire in the Los Padres National Forest and rural areas of the Santa Ynez Valley continue, the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center continues to operate normally, and we do not expect that to change.

For Santa Ynez Valley horse owners whom are in the evacuation zones and in need of evacuation help and those with resources to assist are encouraged to connect via Lake Fire Large Animal Mutual Aid hosted by Santa Barbara County Animal Services at the following link: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/4d21ba300bae4bd98e858ad2e6d4d4d8 or call 805-698-0212.

For horse owners whom are self evacuating their horses from their farms, the enclosed list includes some local farms that may have space for your horses. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iCMrpzPFf1sl9ztQcS_hMrK6cxLO8Du36EGWIjiylaA/edit?usp=sharing

If you have a farm out of the evacuation zone and would like to be added to our list please email us at [email protected]

07/04/2024