Brigitte Gravitt DVM

10/12/2024

AAEP Conference

It’s been a great conference, and I have learned a lot. I got to catch up with Rachel who is now in her THIRD YEAR of vet school at UF. (How does time fly so quickly!?)

I also got to meet the legend, Sue Dyson, whose year-long lameness program I just finished. Check out some of her work if you haven’t yet- https://www.24horsebehaviors.org/

I reunited with old professors and classmates, and spent time with my best horse vet friends.

I’m thankful for the time and the knowledge I’ve gained, but I’m also very excited to get back home!

08/12/2024

I finally made it back to the AAEP Convention for the first time since vet school. It’s the largest equine veterinary convention of the year with some of the most highly regarded vets from around the world. 🐴🐎🎉😄

I’ll be here until the end of the week, so just let the office know if you need anything until then 😉

30/10/2024

We see this disease a lot!

As silly as it sounds, the "carrot test" can be used to help diagnose tooth aches in our equine companions.

Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EORTH) is a dental condition that affects the incisors of middle-aged horses and older. As the name suggests, it acts by both resorbing the teeth and then producing large amounts of cementum (a hard substance that anchors the teeth into place).

Clinical signs such as difficulty chewing, teeth discoloration and painful gums are highly suspicious for this disease, but you can also offer your horse a carrot to assess how comfortable they are biting down. If it seems painful for them while biting the carrot, they could have EORTH!

Your veterinarian can do an oral examination and take dental radiographs to confirm the diagnosis. This is a progressive disease so there is no cure, but there are management strategies that can improve their comfort.

If you are concerned that your horse may have EORTH or is experiencing oral pain, contact your veterinarian so that they may further evaluate and suggest treatment options.

Thank you to the Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information.

19/10/2024

It’s the end of Tech Week and I want to give a shout out to the techs that keep me going every day. I couldn’t do this job without them, and I am very thankful for their hard work and dedication. 😍🐴🩺👩‍⚕️

06/10/2024

I hope everyone does well through this storm.

If you have horses on Pine Island, it would be advisable to evacuate them as soon as possible. I know WEC opens stalls for evacuation.

Do we have any local barns with availability to shelter horses?

29/08/2024

I love this heat index chart.

I think most people know about this, but it’s helpful reminder. We were at about 170 yesterday!

"HOT" TIPS FOR SAFE SUMMER RIDING

As you enjoy some fun in the sun with your favorite equine, make sure you understand how the combination of heat and humidity can take the fun part out the equation — and potentially even turn into a dangerous situation for your horse.

When riding in hot weather, remember to take precautions and use your common sense. Remain vigilant for dehydration and for signs of heat exhaustion, as the situation can quickly escalate into heat stroke. If your horse looks hot and tired, it's time for a drink, a cold bath and a break in the shade.

Consult your veterinarian for more information, or learn more about the signs of heat stroke on our website at https://aaep.org/issue/heat-stroke
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24/08/2024

Supplements

Laminitis season has been rough this year, and I’ve had a loooooooot of conversations on nutrition. Supplements are always a hot topic. I get it, it feels good when you are mixing together different colors, textures, and lovely-smelling ingredients that you spent a small fortune on. You want to do everything you can to ensure your horse is getting everything he needs. Additionally, you know multiple people who have used “Supplement 100XYZ” and it is in every horse magazine. So it must be good, right?

This is a great article from an equine nutritionist that will offer another perspective on supplements. See an excerpt below:

“A study conducted in 2021 by Washington State University found that, out of 11 commercially available probiotic supplements analyzed, none of them met the label claim of viability (the number of live microorganisms in each serving), and many did not even contain the probiotic species listed on the label.”

More posts on this subject to come!

https://paulickreport.com/horse-care-category/janicki-i-walked-away-from-a-career-in-the-horse-feed-industry-heres-why #:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Food%20and,animal%20food%20or%20animal%20drugs.

Kristen Janicki writes the horse feed industry has been overtaken by a broadly unregulated supplement industry

23/08/2024

After a hard week, and finally getting home, my horse said, “hold my beer”. Who can relate?

15/07/2024

Since the recent case of Eastern Equine Encepahlitis (EEE) in Florida, there have been some questions regarding the frequency by which we vaccinate for EEE. While it is understandable that we do not want to over- vaccinate our horses, this disease is devastating and usually quickly fatal. It is recommended by the vaccine manufacturer, the University of Florida, and Dr. Maureen Long who is an arbovirus expert, as well as the veterinarians at Van Roekel and Associates to vaccinate at least twice a year for EEE. Some veterinarians also recommend vaccinating 3 times yearly for horses less than 5 years of age.

Similar to EEE are two other viruses transmitted by mosquitos- Western Equine Encephalitis and West Nile Virus. We also recommend twice yearly vaccination down here in Southwest Florida.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about our recommendations. Thank you, sincerely, for letting us partner with you in the care of your horse.

Here is a great article by the University of Florida.

Information provided by Dr. Robert MacKay, Veterinarian of UF Large Animal Internal Medicine, Professor, DACVIM, PhD, BVSc (Dist). What is Eastern Equine Encephalitis? Eastern Equine Encephalitis is a viral disease caused by infected mosquitoes. When an EEE-infected mosquito bites a non-immune horse...

15/05/2024

This is great information. I often ask what a horse is being fed, and the response is often “a 14%.”

Did you know? The percent of a nutrient is relative to how much you feed.

Let’s say we have a 14% protein feed. One handful, one 3 qt scoop, and one 50lb bag each provide 14% protein.

But does the horse actually consume the same amount of protein in all three?

(Insert a collective chorus of “no” 🙃)

If the horse ate the handful, they would eat significantly less total protein in grams than if they ate the scoop.

However, 1lb of a 30% protein and 2lbs of a 15% protein actually do provide the same grams of protein!

I’m unsure why the feed industry only talks about percentages; ask any fitness person what their daily protein intake is, or read the label on any protein shake, bar, etc, and you’ll find out the protein in GRAMS. An 1100lb horse in light work requires a minimum of 700 grams of protein per day.

Moral of the story, percentages are meaningless without knowing how much is being consumed.

26/03/2024

Every little bit helps, right? Here is a discount on Adequan!
https://www.adequan.com/rebate

02/02/2024

This is a frequent discussion with clients…

Did you know?

Although protein is normally listed as a nutrient, horses actually have a requirement for amino acids, the building blocks of protein, rather than for protein itself. Protein is the least efficient energy source for your horse, so high protein does not automatically equal high energy. Carbohydrates, fats, and fiber are more readily digestible energy sources, so chances are a horse with too much energy is being fed more calories than the animal truly needs.

As always, remember that all horses have different nutritional needs based age, stage of development, metabolism and workload. Be sure to work with your veterinarian to determine the correct protein and energy requirements for your equine friend based on your horse’s individual situation!
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

09/01/2024

This is from my friend and Vet School classmate. Great picture, Dr. Phillips! 

You may wonder why we pull back into the syringe when giving injections in the vein. This picture explains why. We don't pull back to make sure we're in the vessel, we do it to make sure we're in the RIGHT vessel. Today I went to give an injection and pulled back and saw blood brighter than I wanted. I decided to go and get a new dose of sedation and once again pulled back and then gave my dose of sedation. The syringe on the left was my first injection and the syringe on the right was my second injection. Does anyone know why I shouldn't have injected that first syringe? And had I injected that first injection, what would have happened?

13/12/2023