Winter Care Tips for Horses
#aaep
#horsevet
This week has already been busy and it's only Tuesday😝.
Grace, our WSU vet student, went with Dr. Cathy yesterday in the morning to watch several dentals, then went with Dr. Garrett in the afternoon to work on skills such as tubing a horse.
Dr. Cathy then jetted down to Raleigh to participate in the Large Animal and Equine networking event hosted by NCSU for students, interns and residents.
As everyone probably knows, the supply of equine veterinarians is dwindling. With our veterinarians having a combined 60+ years of experience, we are trying very hard to mentor the next generation.
This handsome dude was feeling pretty good during his acupuncture and chiropractic session with Dr. Lombardi this morning.
Both chiropractic and acupuncture help release endorphins (the body's natural painkillers) so it is very common for horses to show signs of relaxation during a session. They may lick and chew, yawn, get a droopy lower lip and/or close their eyes.
These integrative treatments have been very helpful, in conjunction with traditional western medicine, for managing his stiffness due to a previous chronic Lyme infection.
Call the office at 757-365-4887 to find out more about our integrative medical services.
Dr. Shanna Edwards spends a lot of time staring into a microscope this time of year. What is she looking at?
As the temperature drops and snow starts falling don't forget to encourage your horses to keep drinking.
During these cold snaps we often see colics caused by a combination of dehydration, dry feed (hay) and lack of activity.
See our slide show below to get some ideas to help get water into your horse.
What do YOU do to make sure your horses are well hydrated during the cold weather? Please share your tricks in the comments.
Here is a video of the cryotherapy proceedure we used to help treat a squamous cell carcinoma. See our recent trivia question on our page for more info on the case.
Did you know we offer microchipping? Microchips are a great form of permanent ID in case your horse is stolen or lost.
Beginning in competition year 2018 (December 1, 2017), all horses competing in USEF-licensed and/or USHJA-sanctioned competitions with Hunter, Hunter Breeding, Jumper and Hunter/Jumping Seat Equitation classes not restricted by breed will be required to be microchipped to receive points.
In addition, beginning in competition year 2019 (December 1, 2018), ALL horses competing in USEF-licensed and/or USHJA- sanctioned competitions with Hunter, Hunter Breeding, Jumper and Hunter/Jumping Seat Equitation classes not restricted by breed will be required to be microchipped.
Please call to schedule an appointment for your horse to be microchipped.
Thanks to our friends at Rideaway Farm in Virginia Beach for allowing us to video and thanks to our beautiful equine model, Lola.
Carrot Stretches
Carrot stretches are a good way to increase flexibility in your horse. Here Dr. Cathy Lombardi demonstrates them with "Harmony".
We have had a large number of foot abscess cases lately, likely due to the wet weather.
This guy came up very lame yesterday. On today's exam he was very lame at a walk on the left front. He had an increased digital pulse to the foot. Heart rate and temperature were normal.
On hoof tester exam he was extremely sensitive on the inside (medial) part of his sole. We pulled the shoe and found an abscess draining out of the heel nail hole.
He will get his foot soaked in Epsom salts and water daily and his foot will be wrapped with an Epsom salt poultice or animalitex poultice pad between soaks. He's on anti-inflammatory meds and if all goes well the farrier should be able to replace the shoe in the next week or two.
Sheath cleaning is one of the services we offer. Geldings can get very dirty and accumulate smegma that turns into a "bean". Here is a video of the bean removal process. Enjoy!
Interesting ophthalmology case!
Dr. Cathy was called out to see a horse with a painful, runny eye. The client had reported the eye was completely normal the day before. A large, superficial corneal ulcer was found. It's shown in the first picture after being stained with fluorescene dye.
We had the owners start treatment with topical antibiotics, anti-fungals, atropine and systemic anti-inflammatories.
At the recheck exam the mare's eye was much more comfortable but the ulcer was still present and there was a loose flap of dead cornea present. At this point we diagnosed it as a non-healing or idolent ulcer. This is when the cornea tries to heal over the ulcerated area and for some reason the new cornea doesn't adhere to the existing cornea. This is shown in the second photo.
To make sure there wasn't any other reason for the ulcer not to be healing (such as an infection) a scraping of the ulcer was taken to look for bacteria or fungus under a microscope. Thankfully none were seen.
We sedated her and numbed her cornea and the loose cornea was debrided (removed) back to healthy cornea. Meds were continued and we added serum to be applied to the eye. The serum was prepared by taking blood from the mare and spinning it down. The liquid portion of the blood (serum) was then placed in the eye multiple times a day. Serum helps healing by preventing melting of the cornea.
At our recheck just a few days later the ulcer was completely healed! (Third picture)
This case is a great example of why recheck exams are so important before stopping medications on eye ulcers.
Thanks to the mare's owner for letting us share photos and case details.
A DAY IN THE LIFE...
Dr. Cathy and vet assistant Heather having some laughs while trying to round up some very cute and very LARGE goats for their shots and deworming. The rascals were eventually caught and taken care of.
