Horses, like kids on a playground, seem to have a continuous array of lumps and bumps on them at various times, and in various places.  It’s a rare horse that you don’t find some sort of lump when running your hand over them.  Quite often, these lumps are benign, or have been there for years without change and are really nothing to be concerned about.  That said there are times that a horse can develop a mass that can have severe consequences for the health of the animal. 

Most horse owners know that historically, a veterinary examination and a health certificate is required within 30 days of interstate travel.  Likewise, many horse owners have experienced the inconvenience of forgetting to acquire the health certificate until the night before impending travel.  This usually makes for an interesting discussion with your veterinarian as to why you “must have” an emergency examination at 10pm!

Wounds are a common injury in horses and often appearances can be deceiving.  You may be surprised to know that some of the smallest wounds can be life-threatening.  With lacerations, like in real estate, location is everything.  A small wound over a joint or tendon sheath can have catastrophic consequences.... So how do you know when to call the veterinarian?

.... “Reduction of adverse biomechanical forces” is the key to a successful outcome. This is where teamwork between the veterinarian and the farrier is crucial, and can significantly affect the outcome of the case. Open communication is critical and knowledge of the potential negative and positive effects of certain types of shoes or trimming techniques is necessary. The goal is to reduce any adverse forces that might contribute to stressing or overloading the injured structure by altering the ground reaction forces on that structure, and is accomplished through therapeutic shoeing.

EHV-1 is an acronym for Equine Herpes Virus type 1. Horses that are affected by EHV-1 can have respiratory disease, abortion or neurologic disease. Horses can also become infected with Equine Herpes Virus type 4, which also causes respiratory disease and occasionally abortion. The most common signs of respiratory disease due to EHV are an elevated rectal temperature, coughing, and nasal discharge.  

This article is intended as a brief review of drug and medication guidelines put forth by both the United States Equine Federation (USEF) and Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). These guidelines were created to promote a fair competitive playing field and

Fungal infection of the cornea in horses is an unfortunately common occurrence. It typically occurs following corneal trauma, for which horses are predisposed to due to the large size of their eyes, their environments and behavior. The trauma causes a break in the outer layer of the cornea (i.e. epithelium), which

For millennia, the horse has depended on its visual abilities for it’s survival.   In the current world, survival has become less of an issue but the visual function of the horse is still critically adapted to a “flight” response from threats or predators.  Therefore, understanding horses normal vision is critical to understand normal behavior and the effects of disease on vision.

...water deprivation and salt toxicosis is a serious health condition that potentially can occur in the horse. The disease occurs following over-consumption of sodium chloride in rations or supplements, and can be complicated by limited availability of drinking water, resulting in severe dehydration.

Anhidrosis in the horse, more commonly known as a dry horse or a non-sweater, is a medical condition typically seen in horses residing in hot and humid environments. The inability of affected horses to properly regulate their body temperatures through sweating can have dire consequences and

A wellness exam is very important to make sure your horse is on the right schedule for his or her demands and exposure.  The following items need to be considered to keep your horse healthy and offer the best protection against diseases and parasites: nutrition and body condition score, dentistry, vaccination guidelines, internal parasites, and management.  

The key to surviving a natural disaster is to be prepared, especially if you own horses, pets and livestock. Advanced planning before a hurricane bears down on the state will increase the probability that the casualties are kept to a minimum.

The ‘horse management team’ should include the owner, +/- trainer, veterinarian and importantly, the farrier. To achieve the desired outcome, and to function as a unit, there needs to be open and free communication between the team members.

Equine Dentistry is an integral part of the overall well being of every horse.  Dental care needs to be considered as part of the complete health picture of your horse and contributes to healthy digestion, body condition and performance.  It is very important to have a thorough oral exam on your horse yearly because horses have hypsodont teeth.  Hypsodont teeth continue to erupt

Most castrations are left open to heal because the procedure is typically performed in a field situation, in which there is inevitably some degree of contamination to the surgical site.  Leaving the incisions open promotes drainage and helps prevent infection.  On the other hand,

Arthroscopic surgery (arthroscopy) is minimally invasive surgery in which a rigid endoscope attached to a camera is inserted into the joint via a small incision. The surgeon can then view the inside of the joint on a video monitor. Arthroscopy has many advantages over traditional joint surgery (arthrotomy) primarily in that the joint does not have to be opened fully.

When it comes to deworming many horses owners believe more is better. For many years, horse owners have used the standard 4-6 weeks deworming protocol with an anthelmintic (dewormer) of choice. Most horse owners rotate anthelmintics while others find what seems to work and stick with it. Equine scientists have recently been cautioned that these current deworming strategies may cause parasite resistance for our horses.

Gastric ulceration is the most common disorder of the equine stomach. It is influenced by the management and use of the horse. The occurrence of ulcers has been reported as high as 60% in show horses and as high as 90% in racehorses. Horses turned out onto pasture and exercised lightly typically have normal stomachs or only very mild erosions. In contrast, horses kept in box stalls and trained intensively have a high occurrence of significant gastric lesions.

Sand colic is a potential problem for any horse that is turned out, no matter what time of year. Whether the horse is in a grass pasture or on a sand lot, sand ingestion is inevitable. The sand is ingested when the horse grazes or picks its hay/feed off of the ground.