Riviera Equine Internal Medicine & Consulting

04/10/2025

If your horse is 15 or older with confirmed Cushings (PPID/pars pituitary intermedia dysfunction), you can help advance the science of this condition’s genetics, adverse effects and poor response to medication (pergolide). Email [email protected], visit the website Z.umn.edu/pergolidestudy or scan the QR code to participate

11/09/2025

Dr. Phoebe Smith loves solving the ‘mystery’ cases that make up much of her equine practice, and she often uses SAA testing.

03/09/2025

PSA: Trust science on this one - vaccinate for West Nile Virus. Recent case in Santa Barbara County (in an unvaccinated horse) is a reminder that this virus is still circulating in our mosquito populations. Having managed several WNV cases in the ICU before the vaccine was widely available, I can assure you vaccination is the right choice. The current case is thankfully recovering, older horses do not typically fare as well.

West Nile virus information for California horse owners.

21/08/2025

Tune in for a casual roundtable of industry experts, including Dr. Phoebe - the latest on diagnosis, treatment and prevention of both squamous and glandular gastric ulcers in horses

Five veterinary experts discuss the latest in diagnosing, treating, and preventing equine gastric ulcers in this roundtable. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.

09/08/2025

Does Cushings positive = no sugar ? Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. It really depends on the degree of insulin regulation. Metabolic disease, Cushings, and the two combined exist in our horse population. It's VERY important to know the specifics in order to feed your horse appropriately. Bloodwork to test for both conditions is step 1. Even this requires specific circumstances and interpretation-nothing with horses is easy!

28/07/2025

Gastric ulcers at the lesser curvature often cause pain on landing of jumps. Check out the anatomy to understand why - normal gastric acid splashes/sloshes forward with the hind limbs elevated, right onto the ulcerated tissue. Ouch! Every horse manifests this pain differently - some buck off the landing, some lose quality of the jump, and some refuse the jump altogether.

18/07/2025

This article is simply inaccurate. Other than the notion that a stumble may be nothing or it may a sign of neurological disease. In fact, a stumble may also be caused by musculoskeletal or shoeing issues.
Crossing the limbs and observing for correction is the least valuable element of the neurological examination, and many internists forgo this component entirely. A thorough neurological evaluation engages conscious and unconscious proprioception tests, brain, cranial nerve, spinal cord, and spinal nerve root function tests. It is the summation of these that allow the veterinarian to determine which segment of the neurological system (if any) is affected.

Try these two simple tests to tell if your horse's simple stumble is a sign of something much worse. In horses, the first signs of central nervous system trouble are more likely to be weakness or gait asymmetry. A neurologically impaired horse will drift sideways, with his hindquarters out of alignm...

28/05/2025

It's always a pleasure working with nutritionist Dr. Clair Thunes of Clarity Equine Nutrition. In a recent podcast episode, we discuss F***l Water Syndrome-

May 26, 2025 | Dr. Clair Thunes, Dr. Phoebe Smith DVM, DACVIM, Equine Nutrition, Free F***l Water Syndrome (FFWS), Podcast

23/04/2025

Great consulting on cases for the good doctor of !