(IN) HEALTH

Which vaccines are necessary

Which vaccines are necessary

A question I get asked a lot is what, if any, vaccines are necessary for horses that stay at home and don’t go anywhere. You know, for the pasture pal who lives out in the field whose idea of exercise is walking up to the barn for dinner each night. Does he really need vaccines […]

Is it a training issue or a physical issue

Is it a training issue or a physical issue

You saddle up for a normal day of riding or showing and find that your horse doesn’t feel like himself.  He’s not moving or acting like he usually does. Is it a training issue or a physical issue? An equine sports medicine specialist is trained to diagnose the source of performance problems by evaluating one […]

What to know before you inject

What to know before you inject

With the ever-increasing advancements in equine sports medicine, injecting joints has become a kind of normalcy across the disciplines in the equine world. While injecting joints has many positive effects in maintaining your show horse, complications can occur. Therefore, it is critical to be educated on how to reduce the likelihood of a joint infection. […]

Colic: Strikes fear into the heart

Colic: Strikes fear into the heart

The word colic simply means “belly pain.” There are many different causes of colic in horses, ranging from simple GI upset, to sand accumulations, to intestinal stone formation, to more serious causes such as displacements and twists of the intestines themselves. First, I always recommend giving your vet a call even if you think you […]

EHV-1 Outbreaks Across US

EHV-1 Outbreaks Across US

From KCRG.com, April 2, 2014 — The Iowa Department of Agriculture confirmed that a single case of equine herpesvirus type-1 was recently discovered in Marion, Iowa, at Crystal Creek Equine Center. A department spokesperson said Monday that the investigation is ongoing, reportedKRCG.com. The Iowa Equestrian Center at Kirkwood Community College has already taken steps to avoid the virus. […]

Understanding Joint Injections

Understanding Joint Injections

We hear a lot about it. We have had them performed on our own horses. But do you actually understand the process of joint injection, and the risks and benefits of performing joint injections? The technical term for injecting a joint space in a horse is arthrocentesis. Arthrocentesis means introducing a needle into a joint […]

Genetic Panel for PSSM1 & HERDA

Genetic Panel for PSSM1 & HERDA

Last month we talked about the new AQHA Genetic Disease Panel test that is available, and two of the diseases that are included in that test. This month we will talk about two of the others included in that test panel – Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Type 1 (PSSM1) and  hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA). […]

Helpful Cold Weather Tips

Helpful Cold Weather Tips

With temperatures dropping to single digits this week, Michelle D. Harris, VMD, DACVIM, lecturer in the Section of Emergency and Critical Care at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center, offers the following tips to keep horses healthy and safe during the cold days of winter.   1.     More Calories: People joke about “bulking up for winter,” but for […]

Genetic Evaluations for breeders

Genetic Evaluations for breeders

Over the last decade, several hereditary diseases have been found to be prevalent in horses descending from certain American Quarter Horse Association bloodlines. Perhaps the most well-known of these is hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) which has had a genetic test available for some time.  The other four which have just come to light in recent […]

Honest evaluation of yearlings

Honest evaluation of yearlings

It is that time of year… Congress has come and gone, and the World Shows are upon us. It is the culmination of months and years of hard work for many horses, their owners and trainers. However, it is also that time of year when owners and trainers begin to evaluate and make plans for […]

Beating The Heat During The Summer

Beating The Heat During The Summer

Summer is the season for horse shows… and also for extremely hot and humid weather. Making sure your equine partner is comfortable during summer hauling and horse showing will make for a more successful show season. Your number one priority should be to make sure that your horse has access to clean, fresh water on […]

Discussion on Equine Anesthesia

Discussion on Equine Anesthesia

Dr. Mariana Crumley to Discuss Equine General Anesthesia During Free First Tuesday Lecture Presented by Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center On Tuesday, June 4 at 6:30pm, Mariana Crumley, DVM, will present a special lecture, Down for the Count: The Science and Art of General Anesthesia in Horses, as part of the First Tuesday Lecture Series at Penn Vet’s […]