Equine Medicine

The term "quarter crack" was heard much more frequently this year after Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown was treated for the hoof condition prior to the Belmont Stakes, but equine veterinarians, podiatrists and farriers know that quarter cracks affect all types of racing and performance horses and sometimes work horses.

The digestive system of the horse is of crucial importance to the equine practitioner. Health and optimum function of this system are necessary for almost every aspect of a horse's life. Complaints of diarrhea, weight loss, poor weight gain, lack of performance and colic, among others, often accompany equine digestive disease.

It's a big year for mosquitoes in Florida, and one result is a much higher incidence of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).

A system that will provide the Thoroughbred racing industry with its first national database of racetrack injuries is off and running.

Missouri - A number of Potomac Horse Fever (PHF) cases, normally not seen in Missouri, have been reported along the Mississippi River.

Bradenton, Fla. -- State officials quarantined a Manatee County property where five cases of equine piroplasmosis (EP), a disease not reported in the United States since 1988, were confirmed.

Lexington, Ky. -- As Tennessee Walking Horse owners and trainers prepare for their biggest show of the year, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) is calling for the elimination of the "culture of abuse" of soring the animals.

Equine herpes virus-1 (EHV-1) is, for multiple reasons, a problematic infectious disease in the horse.

What is pain? "An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage" (International Association for the Study of Pain)

The newborn young of predatory species are usually altricial. That is, they are quite helpless, neurologically immature, and have limited learning ability.

During the eighth decade of the twentieth century a change in horsemanship began in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America

The potential value of haematology in equine practice is well documented by numerous case series reports and experimental studies.

Definition: Lateral or medial deviation to the long axis of the bone in the frontal plane

Biochemical testing is imperative in the diagnosis of both liver disease and liver failure.

Each species acquires, by means of natural selection, genetically fixed physical and behavioral characteristic which help to ensure its survival in its natural environment.

Breeding associated emergencies and peri-parturient emergencies

Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) is the most common cause of equine blindness and it has an estimated yearly cost to the equine community of 100 to 250 million dollars.

In the field of equine neurology, there has been the discovery of a few new disorders, in addition to some newer diagnostics, and/or therapeutics.

For decades after the discipline of psychiatry had been established as an accepted specialty, many medical schools continued to fail to train their students in the fundamentals of this discipline.

What are we managing? Hydration, dehydration, ongoing losses, ingesta, inflammation, pain, distention, motility and ileus, endotoxemia.

Borrelia burgdorferi is a common infection in horses in parts of the U.S and Europe.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most widely used analgesic agents in equine medicine.

Those structures that can be associated with lameness: hoof, synovial structures, bone, tendons, ligaments.

Once a determination has been made that an animal has been exposed to a toxicant or is intoxicated, a general approach to case management should adhere to the following principles.

Common sources of poor performance: lameness, upper airway, lower airway, cardiac, myopathy, or any combination of the above.

Leptospirosis is caused by a highly invasive, spiral bacteria in the genus Leptospira.

The equine ocular exam is a routine ophthalmic exam with special consideration given to the size, temperament and use of the animal being examined.

Sources of respiratory noise: laryngeal hemiplegia, dorsal displacement of the soft palate, pharyngeal collapse, alar fold flutter, epiglottic entrapment, axial deviation of aryepiglottic folds, lower airway inflammatory disease.

Types of musculoskeletal trauma: wounds and lacerations, skin, deep structures (tendon, ligament, joint, bone), vascular injury, nerve injury, fracture.

Thorough and timely assessment play a significant role in successful treatment of the critical colic.