Gulf Coast Equine Veterinary Services, Inc.

03/05/2025

Six horses in Texas, located in Burleson, Johnson, Atascosa, and Ector counties, have tested positive for EIA.

02/23/2025

A look at recent research on autologous blood-based products and their effects on equine joints and metabolic parameters.

02/22/2025

Time for the answer to our question…sorry for the delay. The abnormality you see in this horse’s eye is a cataract.

A cataract is an opacity in the lens of the eye. The lens serves to focus light onto the cornea. Cataracts can be congenital (born with it) or acquired (develop during life).

Certain breeds are predisposed to congenital cataracts including Arabians, Morgans, Belgians and Thoroughbreds. The congenital cataracts in these breeds are inherited but in other breeds will occur spontaneously due to improper formation of the lens during gestation.

Acquired cataracts typically develop due to inflammation, usually equine recurrent uveitis (ERU or Moonblindness), but can also develop from trauma or simple aging and deterioration of the lens.

Many owners will not know their horses have cataracts until the horse is examined by a vet. Often no symptoms will be present, but you may notice head shaking, spookiness, or even your horse bumping into things.

As of now, the only treatment for cataracts is surgical removal of the affected lens.

If you think your horse may have a cataract, talk to your veterinarian about the best course of action to take for your horse’s situation.

02/19/2025

What’s going on with this horse’s eye? What do you see? 🐴 👀 Let us know what you think and we’ll be back tomorrow with the answer.

02/16/2025

Find out what causes watery f***s in horses and whether you should be concerned.

02/15/2025

An equine nutritionist offers advice for determining Miniature Horses' forage requirements.

02/14/2025

We hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! ❤️ Did you kiss your horse today? 😘 💋

02/09/2025

Are you rooting for a particular team today? Chiefs or Eagles? Or are you just watching for the Clydesdales? 🏈

02/04/2025

To pick or not to pick, that is the question! The recent article published on this topic adamantly argued to never but never pick your horse’s scabs. But is that the right course of action? Well, never say never! This answer is really dependent on the situation.

If your horse has a healing wound that happens to have a scab, and that scab is at or below the level of the skin, by all means leave it alone. Scabs are the body’s own bandaid and they protect the tissue underneath from infection and damage. BUT…there are some conditions where we absolutely want you to pick (remove gently) your horse’s scabs. The most notable of these conditions is rain rot. Rain rot is a superficial skin infection caused by the bacteria, Dematophilus congolensis, which causes wide spread scabs over the horse’s topline but can also affect the face and limbs. The scabs should be removed to treat the skin underneath. Oftentimes topical treatment is all that’s required but don’t be surprised if your vet recommends systemic antibiotics.

In the end, before you pick a scab, ask your vet! We may tell you to remove it or leave it.

02/03/2025

There was a recent article in a well respected equine magazine that suggested to never pic your horse’s scabs. This was recommended for lacerations, wounds, scratches, rain rot etc. Basically NEVER pick scabs. So do you think this is true? Let us know your thoughts and we’ll be back with the answer tomorrow.

02/02/2025

Phil says 6 more weeks! But we aren’t worrying about that down here in Florida right now…next week in the 80s. With these temperature swings, make sure your horses are drinking well to avoid a visit from us.

01/30/2025

Everyone was partially correct about our concerns of future complications with this horse that has exposed bone. We are always worried about infection, especially with the gross contamination and dirt that was in the wound. But, with the exposed bone, infection and damage to the periosteum (covering over the bone) we are worried about sequestrum formation.

A sequestrum is a piece of necrotic (dead) bone that is no longer attached to the parent bone. It forms because of loss of blood supply due to trauma or infection. The blood supply can also be compromised if the overlying periosteum is damaged. You will have a clue that your horse has a sequestrum because they will develop a draining tract at the site of the skin wound, which was previously healing normally. This draining tract may develop anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks after the initial injury. Presence of a sequestrum can be confirmed with radiographs and should your horse have one, the necrotic bone needs to be removed and the wound should be debrided.

If you suspect your horse might have a sequestrum because a previously healed or healing wound develops a draining tract or if healing has stopped progressing, call your veterinarian for an exam.

01/29/2025

Ah, horses 😳 they always keep us on our toes. This sweet, old gal was found like this on Sunday morning. Obviously there is bone exposure and after the wound was cleaned up a fracture was visible as well. This fracture was minimally depressed and should heal well. But, given the bone exposure, what possible future complication are we concerned about?

Let us know your thoughts and we will be back tomorrow with the answer.

01/28/2025

A podiatrist gives his tips for keeping a horse with chronic laminitis and equine metabolic syndrome comfortable.

01/28/2025

Time for the answer to Mythbuster Monday!

Do horses grow thicker manes in the winter and shed them in the summer? No, not really. While horses can and do grow very thick coats in the winter, they do not grow thicker manes and tails. Check out the picture of the same horse in the winter and summer. You may think your horse’s mane is fluffier in the winter, but any sort of perceived increase in volume is likely due to piloerection. This is the process by which the horse’s hair “stands up” to increase the insulation properties of the coat. You have all experienced this when you get “goose bumps”.

There is however one breed of horse that will shed its coat, along with its mane and tail, in the summer - the American Bashkir Curly (Dr. Mathias Muller - 2017).

01/27/2025

It’s been a while since we had a Mythbuster Monday…this was actually a question asked of me this weekend and is quite appropriate for the recent cold snap. Here is the myth - along with growing a thicker coat, horses also grow a thicker mane and tail in the winter which becomes thinner in the spring/summer. Let us know if you think this myth is true and we will be back tomorrow to let you know if it’s debunked.

01/26/2025

Foaling season is upon us...get ready for those babies!

When will your mare foal? Learn the signs of impending foaling and what prognostic tools can help.