We are a mobile veterinary practice devoted to quality veterinary care for horses and other farm animals in northeast MA and southeast NH.
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I was so honored to return to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for the annual white coat ceremony. Some of you may recognize Blaise, our former summer intern. He is now entering his 4th year of vet school and is starting his clinical rotations. The white coat ceremony welcomes 4th year vet students into clinics, and they each ask a veterinarian to “coat” them during the ceremony.
Here is an update on a horse diagnosed with severe non-glandular stomach ulcers several weeks ago. The patient was treated with a prolonged course of omeprazole (GastroGuard) and has been doing well. A repeat gastroscopy was performed, showing that the ulcers have resolved completely. Here are some nice images from before and after treatment.
Dr. Sara and Dr. Derek recently collaborated with representatives from Boehringer Ingelheim and our friends at Great Bay Equine to offer a free gastroscopy clinic at the NHSPCA and MSPCA where we scoped rescue horses for stomach ulcers. BI was generous enough to donate GastroGuard to treat the affected horses. I also posted photos of some fairly severe ulcers that we recently found on another horse at a different barn that is feeling much better with treatment.
Wondering if your horse would like to be blanketed or not? What if you could just ask?
https://equusmagazine.com/horse-world/training-technique-helps-horses-talk-54852/?fbclid=IwAR1vXM3t7nTbgUcwzH0ScZYNRG7xoDt6CGYRe2fWbEeXF-OdVhJzAJBoUM8_aem_AbGzAhKcbI_2rWvuB240QyppEIfgie1Z0wjantrvcFcNc02o0xp0WT5plHyIqkbi6RI
Norwegian researchers have been able to teach horses to indicate their preference when it comes to blanketing.
This music (as well as massage therapy) has been shown to reduce stress and improve performance in horses. Try it in your barn and let us know what you think!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Z1cGh3qi0
Study link here:https://international-animalhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Massage-or-Music-Meant-to-Be-Relaxing-Result-in-Lowering-Salivary-Cortisol-Concentration-in-Race-Horses.pdf
This is a music track, but not just any music track. It’s specially designed to help relieve stress in your horse. Download the Relax Trax audio at https://e...
As many of you may have heard, Dr. Sara and Dr. Derek recently diagnosed a horse with Potomac Horse Fever (PHF) in West Newbury. This disease is caused by a bacterial infection (Neorickettsia risticii) and can result in high fever, diarrhea, and laminitis. PHF is not very common in our area, but the extra rain this summer may temporarily increase the risk of infection. PHF is not contagious from horse to horse. The life cycle is complicated (see diagram), but the important part is that horses get infected by drinking water that contains larvae of aquatic insects such as the caddisfly, mayfly, and dragonfly.
What can you do to protect your horse?
1. Ensure access to fresh, clean water. Change water troughs daily and turn barn lights off at night, as this can attract insects.
2. Avoid pastures that are adjacent to bodies of water such as ponds, swamps, or streams. This is especially important in mid to late summer.
3. There is a vaccine available for PHF in horses. It is important to note that the efficacy of this vaccine is somewhat limited because there are large strain variations of the N. risticii bacteria and the vaccine does not protect against all strains. Nevertheless, we do recommend vaccinating horses at high risk of infection, such as horses in areas with recent cases or on farms near bodies of water.
Here is a good resource with further information for any that are interested:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/digestive-system/infectious-diarrheal-diseases-in-horses/potomac-horse-fever
Please feel free to contact our office by phone or email if you have further questions or would like to schedule an appointment. Thank you, -Dr. Derek and Dr. Sara
Figure citation: Adv Parasitol. 2012;79:253-97
https://thelocalnews.news/2023/04/17/pine-grove-kids-get-hands-on-with-hairless-cats-and-hairy-horses/
Had a great time teaching Pine Grove Elementary students about horses with Mary Martin at NEER North.
The supply of equine veterinarians is diminishing rapidly. How can horse owners help?
Dr. Derek had a great time this past week attending a conference in Connecticut to learn about neck and back issues of the horse. This meeting was organized by the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology.
New momma Charlotte produced this beautiful Shire filly, just in time for Mother’s Day! Check out the grey hairs around her eye- this girl will most likely end up grey, like her dad. We always check IgG antibody levels on new foals; these important antibodies come from mom’s colostrum, and adequate levels ensure a healthy start for the foal. We love to see that nice dark blue spot on the SNAP test kit!!
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Congratulations to rescued Belgian mare Lola (and her humans) who produced a gorgeous healthy filly this morning after many weeks of anxious waiting. What a relief, and Happy Spring!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!☘️
Irish trivia: do you know what the three breeds pictured below (the Connemara pony, the Irish Draught horse and the Thoroughbred horse) have in common?
They’re all genetic descendants of the Irish Hobby, a breed now extinct that was developed in Ireland prior to the 13th century and was prized for his lightness and swiftness. This quick and agile horse was popular for skirmishing and often ridden by light cavalry; Hobbies were used by both sides during the Wars of Scottish Independence (notably, Robert the Bruce employed these horses for his guerrilla warfare, covering 60-70 miles a day) and even King Henry VIII took an interest to the breed and bought Hobbies for his personal racing stable. The term “hobby” became then synonymous with any “activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure.”
While Hobby horses may be extinct, the horse remains a proud symbol of the Irish heritage and today Ireland is at the center of the Thoroughbred industry, despite being a small country with a population of fewer than five million people.
Slainte!
This interesting study examined the effect of a small amount of weight gain on the health and performance of Icelandic horses. I love the cross-over study design. Each horse served as its own control -- they were each fed a restricted diet and a high energy diet at different phases of the experiment.
https://thehorse.com/1104425/study-heavier-horses-are-less-symmetrical-less-fit/?utm_medium=aaep+touchpoints+enews&utm_source=Newsletter
Researchers found extra body fat causes movement asymmetries and affects horses’ performance on a chemical level.
I was recently interviewed for this article about the current state of equine veterinary medicine. https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/health-archive/tips-to-get-more-out-of-your-veterinary-partnership?fbclid=IwAR0Kau1zDb84_HNspR7zhjTEus_m9cGlrk034zEAspkbmbZrBoTF06BvO_I
Horse owners need to take an active part in helping their veterinarians stay safe and happy in equine practice.
This article has some good information on EPM diagnosis and treatment. Take-home points: 1. Don’t rely on serology (blood test results) in a neurologically normal horse to diagnose EPM. 2. EPM is likely overdiagnosed and overtreated.
https://thehorse.com/1105236/5-points-to-help-veterinarians-diagnose-epm/?utm_medium=aaep+touchpoints+enews&utm_source=Newsletter
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis remains challenging to definitively diagnose. Here, a practitioner offers an update about the disease.
This is pretty amazing.
https://thehorse.com/1105576/first-successful-balloon-valvuloplasty-performed-in-a-foal/
A 10-day-old foal in Switzerland became the world’s first horse to undergo successful balloon valvuloplasty to correct a faulty pulmonary artery valve.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/a-new-treatment-for-lyme-disease
New research has found a narrow-spectrum antibiotic that is effective against Lyme disease. The antibiotic is based on a compound found in soil.
We’ve had several different coffin bone fractures this year. Some horses were very lame, some not very lame. The good news is that a fracture like this that doesn’t communicate with the coffin joint has a good prognosis for soundness when identified and treated appropriately with rest and therapeutic shoeing.
Donkeys can thrive off straw and other low-quality forage, unlike most horses and ponies, and now we have a better idea why.
Study: To prevent exertional heat illness, handlers should reapply cool water to hot horses every minute without scraping it off.
https://thehorse.com/166108/ibh-horses-could-be-at-risk-for-equine-asthma/
Researchers found that IBH horses are more likely to develop allergic reactions elsewhere—specifically, in the breathing passages.
MA
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