This is a large bore indwelling chest tube placed in a mare that had severe pleuropneumonia that developed subsequent to shipping fever. She had over 26 liters of fluid in her chest at initial presentation! She was hospitalized for several weeks and her chest tubes where kept in place by suturing them to her sides and fitting them with one-way valves to allow continuous drainage.
This is a short video in real time.
Hoof Abscesses - Explained.
One of my favorite equine professors in vet school at UGA loved to ask trick questions. One I remember was:
“What are the three most common causes of acute, non-weight bearing lameness?”
All the students would eagerly respond with the many differential diagnoses we’d learned about… fracture… septic joint… a soft tissue injury (e.g., rupture of a tendon or ligament)… nerve damage. All of which are correct and can be causes of acute, non-weight bearing lameness, but this professor would grin, shake his head, and while holding up his fingers say:
“Number 1 – abscess. Number 2 – abscess. Number 3… abscess.”
The emphasis of his question was “the three MOST COMMON causes”. And now that I’ve spent several years in practice, I see how right he was. A very common call/appointment that we get is a horse with an acute, non-weight bearing lameness and most of the time we find a subsolar hoof abscess. When we find it, there is usually a big sigh of relief from the owner as we have not found a more serious injury as the cause of the horse’s pain. So, let’s take a moment to learn a little more about this common problem.
Hoof abscesses occur when bacteria become entrapped between the sensitive laminae (the living tissue that binds the hoof to the coffin bone) and the insensitive laminae (the tissue that creates the hoof wall and the sole. The bacteria can create fluid and gas causing a painful buildup of pressure. These abscesses usually take several days to develop but most horses will not show signs until the pressure is severe, with lameness developing seemingly overnight.
Diagnosis of a hoof abscess is typically done with discussing the horse’s history and performing a physical exam. Examination will include observing the lameness, an increase in the digital pulse, heat in the hoof, and at times swelling that progresses up the lower limb. The veterinarian will often use hoof testers to localiz
Dr. Ruffin discussing the importance of being able to place a nasogastric tube to relieve gastric distension due to accumulation of reflux in colic management.
🎇🎆HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 🎆🎇
I think we can all agree that 2023 flewwww by!! So it seems like the perfect time to share this video taken by one of our clients while she was recently flying over Madison!
We look forward to continuing to provide comprehensive equine care for our awesome client community in 2024!!
A reminder that we are emergencies only today but will be back to regular business hours January 2!
Watch closely and you’ll spot one of our patients, Pow, show off his acting skills!! The camera loves you, Pow!
An eight doctor, equine-only hospital offering in-house and ambulatory services. Welcome to Piedmont Equine Associates located in historic Madison, Georgia.
