The Facts Around Broken Legs – Part III Potential Complications with surgical repair of fractures Post-fracture complications impacting a horse’s chance of survival can happen preoperatively during transport of the horse to the hospital, intra-operatively (during surgery) and post-surgery during recovery and healing. Infection is the most important complication of orthopedic surgery in horses. Infection…
Mare Breeding Season Information – Veterinary Perspective Dr Alan Bechard of Almiray Farm provides a brief summary of the vast subject of what goes into breeding a mare, and to produce a viable foal. The aim of this communication is to provide mare owners with some information as to what happens to the mares in…
The Facts Around Broken Legs – Part II Whether a fracture can be repaired or not depends largely on the type of fracture, the horse’s performance type, size, temperament, the bone involved, the location, configuration, and how well the fracture is repaired. A veterinarian has to weigh up all these factors when making his/her decision…
The Facts Around Broken Legs We were all equally shocked and saddened by the news of the death of a good horse like Big City Life at the Vodacom Durban July, and of course, Rabiya’s death a few years ago, and the subsequent emotional outburst following the of the consequences of a horse breaking its…
Lameness Evaluation And Diagnostics 26 April, 2012 – Dr John Hodsdon General lameness evaluation hasn’t changed over the last 100 years, it still requires a thorough and methodical approach with careful palpation and observation being the essence. Modern improvement has come through diagnostic analgesia and imaging which has expanded treatment options. This has allowed us…
Equine Dentistry 6 August, 2012 – Dr Helen Tiffin Equine Dentistry was the very origin of the veterinary profession more than a century ago, now recently in the last 20 years there has been a major resurgence of interest in dentistry with a large amount of research being done. Dental disease in horses is a…
Epistaxis 3 July, 2012 – Dr John Hodsdon Perhaps the most widely recognized of all disorders affecting racehorses is “bleeding/epistaxis” or Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH). We now know that most racehorses bleed at some time during their careers. In fact some horses might bleed every time they undertake strenuous exercise. It also occurs in…
Raising And Care Of Orphan Foals 24 October, 2011 – Dr Sarah Seitz The birth of a long-awaited foal is an exciting occasion. But what if something goes wrong – the mare gets sick, or doesn’t produce any milk, or perhaps she dies. This article will discuss some of the options/considerations for caring and feeding…
Quick & Clean Guide To Equine Abortion 19 September, 2011 – Dr Sarah Seitz There are many reasons for equine abortion. The more common causes that I will discuss include placentitis, viral abortion, and non-infectious causes of abortion such as twin foetuses and umbilical torsion. Some Key Points: – Placentitis(inflammation of the placenta) is a…
Contracted Tendons & “Tippy Toed” Foals 13 December, 2011 – Dr Sarah Seitz If you see your mare’s newborn foal prancing around the stall like it is wearing invisible high heels, you might be a little concerned that your foal is dreaming of being a ballerina instead of a racehorse. Don’t worry; one of the…