Pets we meet Along the Way
On this rainy day let’s look at other animal! Pets of clients that aren’t horses!
Recognize anyone?
Post your non-equine pets here!
Around the clock care is not 8am-5pm. Sometimes it takes a team in the middle of a night. ❤️Love this team❤️. Drs Adria and Miranda on wound repair and Dr Nadine on anesthesia and videographer.
Friends Scratch Friends!
Sharing our love Friday! Share a video or picture of you horse today! 🐴🏇🏼
Little Horse Healers in action!
🌞 Happy First Day of Summer! 🌞
The days are longer and the weather is warmer, and we believe the best place to spend summer is in the saddle!
What are your summer goals or plans with your horses?
~The Importance of Diagnostic Nerve Blocking~
by Dr. Adria
Oh no, your horse is lame! Now what??
Call your veterinarian to schedule a lameness examination!
After performing a thorough physical examination with no describable abnormalities, your veterinarian may suggest regional anesthesia or "nerve blocking" as a diagnostic aid. Regional anesthesia/nerve blocking helps to localize the source of lameness by numbing an area or region of the limb then re-watching the horse move. Significant improvement in the lameness suggests the area blocked is the reason for the lameness, after which, additional imaging (i.e. radiography, ultrasonography, MRI, CT, scintigraphy) may be required to definitively diagnose the problem.
There are several different types of nerve blocks, but it is always important to start lowest on the limb and work your way up. Watch the horse in the video before and after a palmer digital nerve (PDN) block was performed, a common nerve block of the forelimb that anesthetizes the heel. This horse ended up having changes to his navicular bone, a bone that lives in the heel of the horse's foot. Had we not performed a nerve block, we may still be scratching our heads trying to figure out why this horse was lame!
Complications of regional anesthesia are rare and the numbness is transient. Most horses tolerate blocking well, and the results are quite helpful when the source of the lameness is unknown.
*Videos posted with owner permission.*
💉 NEEDLE KNOW-HOW 🩸
by Dr. Raechelle
Do you know your landmarks for giving an intramuscular injection in the neck? It is important to know some basic anatomy of the area prior. The 3 borders of your injection site consist of the nuchal ligament, scapula or shoulder blade, and the cervical vertebrae or spine.
How to administer an intramuscular injection: (If advised by a veterinarian)
Ensure you are in the correct area (within those 3 borders)
Needle should be inserted perpendicular to the neck and entirely (all the way to needle hub)
Plunger should be pulled back to ensure you are not in a blood vessel
If no blood is observed when pulling back on the plunger, administer contents of syringe.
If blood is observed when pulling the plunger back (no need to panic!), just simply pull the needle out partially (not all the way), redirect to a slightly different location, check again, then administer contents.
Tip and tricks** I tend to give lots of scratches and a light pinch (depending on the horse) to prepare and let your horse know an injection is coming. If your horse is very anxious for needles, it can be helpful to practice by lightly pinching and poking them with a blunt (non-painful) object, such as a capped pen and give them a few treats (positive reinforcement for good behavior). A lot of horses are more upset about the buildup anxiety prior to receiving the injection versus the injection itself.
And as a friendly reminder, banamine (flunixin meglumine) should absolutely under no circumstances ever be injected in the muscle!! If you have any questions on IM injections or medications, your veterinarian should be contacted prior to administration.
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