Merritt & Associates Equine Hospital

Learning about Acupuncture

2009-11-30T15:41:00.002-06:00

I have been studying the practice of acupuncture for horses and it has proven a very rewarding and interesting field, albeit much more difficult than I initially imagined. It is truly amazing to see how a tiny needle when placed just right can relieve stagnation and pain through the horse’s entire back region when moments before the horse would drop with light pressure. Or to take a horse that has profound COPD and is suffering from respiratory difficulty and distress, suddenly begin breathing normally with needles placed in a few well selected areas. The amount of knowledge available in the Chinese medical field is astonishing and I am excited to have this this new tool available to me so that I can help my patients improve on their performance and make them more comfortable in their everyday life.

Washington International Horse Show

2009-11-07T21:22:00.002-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. for the Washington International Horse Show. One of my clients generously flew me out so I could be a part of her dream to compete at Indoors.

From the stories of friends and clients, I knew that the horses were shipped-in the night before their classes, stabled in the middle of downtown in compounds on blocked-off city streets, and warmed up in the bowels of the Verizon Center.

Seeing this carefully orchestrated and somewhat shocking situation is something I will never forget. Imagine some off the most talented horses and riders making their way through the streets of Chinatown , down the loading bay, to the arena floor. The looks from the city dwellers and tourists were priceless.

The most rewarding aspect of the entire show was watching my friend and client’s ecstatic face as she attained her goal of competing in her hunter class that she worked so hard all season to qualify for. While she didn’t win, she had a beautiful ride and is already looking forward to next year!

7-11 and the Internet

2009-09-20T19:29:00.002-05:00

Many of us are used to going to the Vet and bringing home any medications or supplies we need. Well, times are changing. Now, folks are using the internet to get products and supplies. You can now can go on-line, order a product and receive it wherever you want. This is vastly different than going to a place of business and walking out with the product in hand. The requirement to have something now, can create a “7-11” type of need.

Our concern with any product is that the customer receives the same quality that we have at our hospital. The products available at our new on-line pharmacy are shipped directly from the same sources we receive our products from.

The on-line ordering allows us to ship products wherever you are and automatic reminders are sent to you prior to refilling any prescription. Sarah in our pharmacy can also answer any questions, assist you in setting up your account or help getting an order placed. We have been concerned with making the on-line experience easy, convenient and cost competitive with the other “BIG” on-line pharmacy providers. In doing this, we have started out with around 200 product offerings. We hope to include other products with feedback from our customers.

Now we have both a Seven-Eleven and an On-line Pharmacy for our customers…..just don’t call Sarah and tell her you want some medications from the Seven-Eleven……

Adaption

2009-07-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me how well animals can deal with difficult situations, particularly those involving their own health and bodies. Recently my dog was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in a hind limb. In the course of 5 days, she had gone through diagnostic testing, biopsies, radiographs, and amputation of the affected leg for what we had originally thought at the beginning of the week was a traumatic injury (not cancer). She came out of her surgery with flying colors. Myself, I was a complete wreck and had spent the night crying myself to sleep. She learned in 12 hours how to maneuver herself on three legs, including urinating/defecating, and getting up and down from resting. In the course of 3 days, she had learned how to tackle carpeted stairs on 3 legs. At this point, I was still shrugging off sad thoughts that we couldn’t take walks together or she couldn’t run like she used to.

Today, she went for a 20 minute walk around the park and it was as though nothing has changed. She can maneuver a 3 story stairwell as though nothing has changed. She has learned to adapt as though a fourth leg was never even there. The animal kingdom has an astonishing ability to deal with situations that we as people would find exceedingly traumatic. I will always have a great deal of respect for our animal’s ability to overcome odds and look at us as though they don’t have a care in the world, they are just happy for our companionship.

Wellington Show Season

2009-06-07T09:51:00.001-05:00

This year I was given the opportunity to spend six weeks in Florida. Many of our hunter/jumper clients ship their horses to Florida from December through March to show. Due to the large number of patients that are in Florida from our practice, Dr. Merritt and one of the interns will travel south to care for them through the show season.
Now it was a sacrifice to leave Chicago where it was below 30 and dumping buckets of snow every day for the balmy 70, sunny Florida climate; but I managed. Driving into Wellington was a drastic change compared to home. The grass was brilliant green, palm trees brimming with coconuts, and a bright blue cloudless sky.
The weather was not the only difference. Here, most of the barns are centered just outside the show grounds. Instead of driving 30 minutes one direction to see appointments and then 45 minutes another direction, in Wellington all of our clients are within a few minutes of each other. Also during shows it seems the whole town operates around the horses. The police had men at the major intersections to see horses safely across, the shops cater to ‘horsey’ interests, and restaurants will stay open later if there are evening events running. Even celebrities travel to Wellington to participate in the events. But despite our best detective skills (aka stalking) a colleague and I were never able to find Madonna.
Travelling to Florida was about caring for our patients during a time that would technically be considered off season. We have the ability to travel with them so all our clients have to worry about is showing to the best of their ability, not who will care of their horses in a different state. It was also a great opportunity to meet and work with veterinarians from different hospitals; whether it be other vets traveling with their clients or the vets permanently in Florida.

Spring Vaccinations

2009-04-16T18:25:00.002-05:00

Well, it’s supposed to be spring. Some days it doesn’t feel like it with the lovely Chicago tenacious winter clinging, but the calendar is now at the middle of April, and spring will eventually arrive in earnest. It’s one of the main times of year to vaccinate. When it comes to vaccinations it is often prudent to discuss your situation to determine the vaccination program that best fits your horse’s life and risk levels. Recommendations for vaccines do change from time to time and there are different needs for foals, pregnant mares, show horses, and older horses that don’t travel and don’t have other horses coming onto the property that they live.
The term core vaccine is one that is used to refer to a vaccine that is considered to be strongly recommended for nearly all horses. These vaccines have been proved to be efficacious and safe and demonstrate a high benefit to risk ratio. Reasons for a vaccine to be considered “core” include protection a “from a disease that is endemic to a region, potential public health significance, required by law, virulent/highly infectious and/or those posing a risk of severe disease.” Recently the AAEP (American Association of Equine Practicioners) has updated their vaccine recommendations. One of the changes that occurred with these recommendations was the addition of rabies to the set of core vaccines.
Currently the vaccines that are considered core are Tetanus toxoid, Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus, and Rabies. Rabies vaccines are ones that must be administered by a veterinarian. Some clients are surprised to hear that the rabies vaccine is one that is strongly recommended, as it is an infrequent disease. Cases are not common in horses, however, when they do occur, it is always with tragic results. We cannot control the wildlife that horses can become exposed to, even in the ideal barn setup. Bats, opossums, raccoons, and skunks are all potential carriers, that could bite a horse and infect them.
One of the reasons that the rabies vaccine is so important is the public health concern. If a horse is found to be infected with rabies, then all people who have handled the horse recently will need to undergo rabies prophylactic treatment – a series of painful injections. A rabid horse may not show signs that one associates with other rabid animals – horses can have the “dumb” form of rabies or less commonly the “furious” form. The dumb form shows signs of lethargy, depression and neurologic signs, compared to the stereotypical aggression associated with the furious form.
The bottom line is, it is best to discuss your own horses’ living situation and lifestyle with your veterinarian. Take your veterinarian’s recommendations seriously, even if you haven’t vaccinated for rabies in the pa

Teach your horse to load

2009-03-12T10:19:00.001-05:00

Recently a client called to make an appointment for her horse at the hospital.
When the day arrived and the appointment time came and went I grew worried and gave her a call. It seems that in attempting to load the horse a real emergency had developed and she needed me to come to her barn because the horse had become so agitated when he was being loaded that he reared and split his head open. I arrived at the farm cleaned up the blood and stitched up his head. The horse was going to be fine-I wasn’t sure about the owner. She was very upset. It turns out that she had never trailer the horse before and had assumed because when he arrived at the barn and unloaded so calmly that he would be an easy loader. That couldn’t have been further from the truth! The client decided that she needed to teach all of her horses how to load and that is just what she did.
It is extremely important to work with your horse so that loading and unloading becomes a normal event. Get help from someone who has experience loading and unloading horses and teach your horse that the trailer isn’t a horrible monster. It may take a few hours to achieve this, but it is worth it in the end. You don’t want a routine event to turn into a battle that can endanger you or your horse.

Bleeding Heart

2009-01-20T17:11:00.000-06:00

Most people have probably realized that veterinarians as a group are infamous for always taken in the abused, orphaned, or disabled animals. We adopt those that nobody wants, can’t take care of, or have left behind. I have long since realized that if it were not for my DVM status I would probably be considered an animal collector. Recently I took in a new addition, a young kitten at the barn where my horses are boarded, that has a deformity of the right front leg. Her right front paw is vestigial with only a few toe bones, no nails, a full paw pad, and the leg is only half as long as it should be. She has an obvious gimp in her gait in front, but she still works hard to get around. When I first saw her at the barn my concern was for her safety. She was small and slow to get around. She would try and cuddle up with the horses; however for her, that meant rubbing around their front legs. I expressed my concerns with the managers of the property who replied that no one wanted her with her “gimp” and they already had their own cats in the main house. It was then when she tried to weave around the front legs of my none too tolerant mare that I bent down to pick her up. She turned around in my arms to purr and rub her head on my and I felt my insides melt. Needless to say, I’m a sucker for a cute face. Chloe has adapted well in my new home and she helps to serve as a daily reminder of why I love my job!

Eastwood Beats the Odds

2008-11-22T11:19:00.000-06:00

If he’d had two kidneys, he wouldn’t have been for sale, so my wife Laura and I considered ourselves lucky when she became Eastwood’s new owner. He was 12 then, and over the past ten years, this magnificent chestnut Dutch warmblood has become a full-fledged member of our family.
Those familiar with dressage may have heard of Eastwood. Formerly owned by dressage competitor, coach, speaker and author Jane Savoie, Eastwood appeared in many of her books, magazine articles and videos. But when Eastwood was 7, veterinarians at the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania had to remove one of his kidneys to stop an uncontrollable and life-threatening kidney infection.
Overcoming the odds, Eastwood’s dressage career continued. He and Jane worked towards qualifying for the Olympic games in 2000. However, when she moved him from her home in Vermont to train in Wellington, Fla., Eastwood developed a fever. Veterinarians administered Banamine, but his creatinine level rose to above-normal levels of 2.0. Because he was not dehydrated, it was assumed that the anti-inflammatory medication caused the rise in creatinine.
Creatinine levels measure kidney function, with higher levels indicating potential problems with Eastwood’s one remaining kidney. Jane worried she wouldn’t be able to have Eastwood successfully treated if he became sick while moving from competition to competition.
So, reluctantly, she decided to sell Eastwood, and Laura and I added him to our stables. Laura is an airline pilot who calls dressage riding a hobby. She’s trained with Ryan Yap for the past 5 years.
Before buying Eastwood, I conducted an extensive three-week pre-purchase exam. I found that Eastwood’s one kidney was working quite well, and that while he had some arthritis, it wasn’t holding him back — at least not then.
Because I was concerned with what to feed a one-kidney horse, I contacted Dr. Tom Divers at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for his recommendations. He told me to feed Eastwood grass hay because it’s lower in CA++, and he told me to avoid feeding alfalfa because of its high CA++ content. I also called equine nutritionist Don Kapper, who recommended feeding Buckeye Feeds Gro’N Win, a concentrated source of mineral, vitamins and protein, plus grass hay. After starting Eastwood on this feed program, all his kidney function tests were within normal limits.
Eventually, as Eastwood grew older, health problems cropped up. Eastwood developed laminitis due to a pituitary adenoma disorder, so I administered ketoprofen intravenously. But this nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) caused Eastwood’s creatinine and BUN levels to rise. He also had an allergic reaction to the IV ketoprofen and almost died. The only thing I could use on him was IV Domoso in a 5% solution of saline.
On another occasion, Eastwood developed mild gas colic. When I administered Banamine, he again experienced an adverse reaction. From then on, I stayed away from giving him any NSAID for any condition. It seemed that every time that I gave him an NSAID, his kidney function test would go out of whack.
I stayed with this strategy even after Eastwood’s arthritis worsened. He has moderate degenerative joint disease in his lower hocks, and his middle hock has fused. It’s easy to detect when he’s in pain. When the arthritis in his hocks is bad, he doesn’t come through with his hind legs. Instead, he drops all his weight on his forelegs, and is heavy in the hand.
That’s the state Eastwood was in last summer. Because I had already ruled out using any NSAID, I tried injecting cortisone into Eastwood’s tarsal-metatarsal joints because I was told it wouldn’t adversely affect his kidney. But 10 days after the injection, his creatinine level was up again. That left me with the option of injecting hyaluronic acid into the joints or doing shockwave therapy. I opted for both.
Hyaluronic acid improves the viscosity of the affected joint’s lubricating synovial fluid. This injection into Eastwood’s hocks did produce some pain relief. Shockwave therapy is a fairly new non-invasive treatment that uses high-energy soundwaves on target areas. It has been reported to help improve lameness scores in 40% to 50% of degenerative joint disease (DJD) cases in the tarsal-metatarsal joints. Again, Eastwood got some temporary relief.
But while the hyaluronic acid and shockwave therapies did some good, they couldn’t restore Eastwood to the condition he enjoyed last summer. That was when I decided to try a new product called Surpass. The manufacturer recommends twice-daily applications of this topical cream NSAID to the horse's affected joint. In Eastwood's case, this means applications to his hocks and ankle. The medication goes right to the site of inflammation, rather than into the horse's system.
We also give Eastwood Adequan IM and Legend IV, which he has been on since arriving on our farm, alternating these two joint-health drugs weekly. Along with Surpass, this combination proved to be a winner for Eastwood. Laura was able to put him through his dressage moves as though he were competing again. Eastwood was back, doing all the movements that he did when he was 12. Had he been in competition, he would have been hard to beat.
Currently, Eastwood is recovering from ailments unrelated to his arthritis, including a chronic sinus infection. He has had 2 teeth extracted and 2 sinus surgeries. I am sure this is causing him discomfort, but you would never know it. He still gets his Adequan IM and his Legend IV alternating weekly, and he still gets his Surpass on his hocks and LH ankle every night. And his pituitary adenoma is under control with the use of pergolide.
I would like to thank each veterinarian who has helped me treat this wonderful horse. I’d especially like to thank Dr. Scott McClure for all his efforts in treating Eastwood’s sinus problem.
Eastwood is as sound today as I have ever seen him. In fact, he recently has been causing such a ruckus on mornings when Laura goes out to ride her other horse, Hatsen, that she has put him back to work. He looks great, and in spite of his health challenges, he remains a very special member of our family. He follows Laura around our ranch like a puppy, and is gentle enough for even the youngest children to ride.
I tell people that in my household, my wife and daughters come first. Then Eastwood, then me. I don’t mind, though. This one-kidney, arthritic, 22-year-old ex-champion is beating the odds, and we aim to keep him going strong for years to come.

A Night to Remember

2008-10-10T12:42:00.000-05:00

As a young girl, I and several of my friends were what many would have considered ‘barn brats’. We lived and breathed to be at the barn. We didn’t have to be riding. Mucking stalls, cleaning tack, bathing and grooming horses, whatever it was that needed doing we were happy to do it. Eventually, we were fortunate enough to catch rides on our trainers show horses, a welcome change from the somewhat bored school horses!
Another aspect of our lives was to groom at the horse shows. This was back in the day of
The Big Barrington Horse Show. It was at this event that we had one of the most terrifying experiences of our young lives. We were sleeping at the show grounds in the hay stall to save time in the morning and to be on hand if any of the horses needed anything during the night. Security, such as it was, consisted of the tent aisles having padlocked gates. Late one night we were awakened by someone fooling around with the lock at the gate. Being all of 13 years old, we took off for the barn where we knew there were people who could help us. We came upon a young couple sitting on a tack trunk. The young man was on the trunk, his girlfriend was on his lap facing him-you get the picture! Well, my friend and I came flying up the aisle looking like the Devil himself was after us! After some pleading by us- and his girlfriend- the young man agreed to come along with his pitch fork to check it out. Fortunately, whoever had been there was gone-maybe we scared him as badly as he scared us!
This story brings to mind several questions for me. Are there any ‘barn brats’ out there anymore? It seems that more and more kids get dropped off at the barn, they ride the tacked horse waiting for them and they get off and leave, never really developing a true relationship with their horses.
Who was trying to get in there-and why? There were some ugly things going on at horse shows in those days. How much has the world changed that a 13 year old girl and her friend were allowed to sleep, un chaperoned, in a strange barn. (Enough said)
And finally, just what do you think that young man thought of those two young girls interrupting his evening of romance?! As an adult I look back and have to chuckle at his reluctance to help us…

Technology Today

2008-09-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

Technology is both a blessing and a curse. Here at Merritt & Associates, we are fortunate to have a wealth of technology at our fingertips. We utilize computers to keep track of appointments, billing and medical records. We enjoy the ability to have nearly instantaneous results with radiographs thanks to digital radiography, and can image soft tissue structures like tendons, ligaments, or a mare's reproductive organs in multiple planes utilizing ultrasound. Other such equipment includes endoscopes, some with video capability to capture real time images of the function of a horse's upper airway, and machines that deliver shockwaves to increase the rate of healing of certain injuries.

These technological advances make our ability to diagnose and treat horses superior to what it would be without this equipment, but it doesn't come without a caveat. Frustration abounds when a machine doesn't work properly or when electricity is not available. Usually we are able to solve the problem in a reasonable amount of time and move on with the day, but there are times when it isn't that simple.

Unfortunately, power outages are not an uncommon occurrence in the area, mostly occurring, as you would expect during stormy weather. While we have a generator, it can only provide a limited amount of power, not enough to run everything that we normally use. It is times like these that we are reminded how dependent our work is on technology. However, on a day to day basis, technology increases our communication abilities, diagnostic opportunities and overall quality of care available for our equine patients. This makes the occasional frustrations well worth it.

Does your horse have a current coggins?

2008-09-06T17:01:00.000-05:00

When was your horse’s coggins last drawn? A current coggins means that the coggins has been pulled within the last year. And sometimes it is required that a coggins be pulled every 6 months. A current coggins is needed for the veterinarians to write a health certificate for you. When having a pre-purchase done on a horse it is important to try and have a name for the horse picked out so that name can go on the coggins. A health certificate is required to be written exactly the same as the coggins is as far as the owner information, and horse information.

A coggins takes 7-10 business days to be processed and returned, this is the most cost effective way to purchase a coggins. A rush coggins is also available with in 2 - 3 days, but it is more expensive. Please keep this in mind for the next time your horse needs to be hauled out of state. Information MAEH needs from you when you call for a health certificate is the destination, horse or horses to be on trailer (up to 10 horses can be on one health certificate), reason for traveling (show, training, sale…), and the coggins if it has been done by another clinic.

Remember a current coggins is required for the veterinarian to sign a health certificate. A health certificate is valid for 30 days. Illinois equine traveling out – of – state on an IL health certificate are not required to obtain a certificate to return home, unless they are out of the state longer than 30 days. A health certificate must be issued by the state where horse has been residing if it is there longer than 30 days.*

*Information obtained on the Illinois Department of Agriculture website.

Own my own horse.....

2008-09-06T16:59:00.000-05:00

Most women who become equine veterinarians started out as young horse-obsessed girls. I, of course, am no exception. The irony of being an equine veterinarian is you have very little time to actually enjoy horses in the riding aspect.

While there is no shortage of horses that need to be worked, long days and general exhaustion tend to prohibit any regularly scheduled riding.

One of the most common questions I field is whether I have my own horse. I would love to have my own horse. However, it would be impossible to actually find the time to ride, let alone show a horse at this point in my career.

I also say other veterinarians in our practice are the best horse “birth control”. Equine veterinarians that are lucky/unlucky to have horses of their own are famous for having accident prone animals. For some reason, horses that have veterinarian owners tend to come down with the most bizarre afflictions and soundness issues. None of with are easily diagnosed nor easily managed. I swear they read textbooks on interesting and rare conditions to “try”.

I know, eventually, I will again own my own horse. When that time comes you know I will have lost my mind!

My Life as an Intern

2008-08-19T09:14:00.001-05:00

During the last year and a half of veterinary school, I was on
clinical rotations through different services in the hospital at two week
intervals. That was just enough time to settle in and start my own routine
before having to move on and start a new service.

On the large animal rotations I would see roughly one or two
horses per day. We take a case in, work it up (which involved getting a
detailed history, physical exam, and perform diagnostic tests), make a
diagnosis, treat the animal as needed, and then I would finish the mountain
of paperwork that is required by the University's teaching hospital.

The unfortunate side of being just a student (and those darn
licensing standards for doctors) is not being able to perform the more
involved diagnostic or treatment procedures (i.e. practicing without a
license). Another major downside is rotating off the service so quickly
that often times I was unable to see the end result of a case or interact
with the owners beyond initial consults.

As a licensed veterinarian working at Merritt & Associates, we often see
up to 20 horses a day. Since this is a
performance horse practice, we perform a lameness exam, conduct any
necessary diagnostic tests (including radiographs, ultrasound, joint and
nerve blocks, etc), determine the working diagnosis, treat accordingly, and
then complete the necessary paperwork.

As a newly licensed veterinarian and intern, I work alongside one doctor each day assisting him/her with appointments. I perform many of the diagnostic and treatment procedures on each horse.
One of the many highlights is being
able to easily follow up on each case and work closely with our clients. I
recheck appointments and can see the results of our work. It is very rewarding to work a case from start to finish
(even if that means getting kicked,
stepped on, bitten, snotted on, or attacked by a vicious barn cat).

Transitions

2008-08-19T08:51:00.001-05:00

My recent transition from veterinary school to equine private practice is one of ups and downs, as just about any major change will have, but overall, I see my career choice as the right one for me. One of my favorite things about Merritt & Associates is the wide variety of horses that we see and treat. The cornucopia of equine talent present in the area is impressive and makes each day fun. From the reiners, to the jumpers, hunters, dressage horses and Saddlebreds, watching a talented horse and working to keep them at their best is a rewarding occupation.
I must admit that one of my favorites is watching the Hackney ponies under harness. The amount of energy and motion from such a small package is impressive. It doesn’t hurt that they are some of the smaller patients that we work on, and holding up their limbs for flexion tests is much less work than a 1400 lb Warmblood who likes to see how much weight you really can hold up. However, one still must be cognizant of dangers, as the ponies can be very light with their limbs, and no one wants to get kicked. One of my co-workers refers to them as “ninjas”, a correlation I find amusing but quite accurate.
Another part of my job that I particularly enjoy is seeing horses improve under our care. Recently we saw a horse for a re-evaluation after initial treatment, whose improvement was outstanding. Had I just seen a short clip of his gait before and after his treatment, I would have thought he was a different horse. The suspension and energy in his gait compared to the very flat, lackluster movement initially present, made my day. It’s extraordinarily rewarding to see such a noticeable difference in a patient due to treatment. I look forward to continued learning and more rewarding moments throughout my journey here.

All is Well That Ends Well

2008-06-27T13:10:00.001-05:00

You have all heard that every story deserves a happy ending. Previously I had written of my adventurous mare that managed to be on the losing end of a horse “fist-fit”. Well I thought it would only be appropriate that I conclude her story with my next entry.

The surgery and recovery was not without drama. (It is of course my horse!). I learned that it is possible for a 900# horse to receive 4cc Xylazine, a 2000# dose of Ketamine/Valium, 250mL triple drip bolus, and still be awake enough to have to be gassed down with Iso before being able to be hoisted onto the surgery table. The surgery itself was relatively uneventful and the fractured splint bone fragments were successfully removed without complication. Recovery was a nail-biting experience, and her mad bolt from the recovery room into her stall netted her an additional banged up hip and a few cuts and scrapes on her legs. But the end result was she was alive, the left hind leg was still stitched up, and she only had a few bruises to her pride.

The stress of the event resulted in her breaking with diarrhea the morning after surgery. After 2 days of her receiving any and every anti-diarrheal medication available that could be shoved down her throat, her feces were normal, her attitude mildly resentful, and her body deemed ready for discharge from the hospital.

It has now been 6 weeks since surgery. She has healed up quite nicely after countless days of handwalking, bandage changes, and a few choice words here and there. She is enjoying her last week in small paddock turnout before I “brave the treacherous waters” and begin her back in a light work program.

Those who know me know that I say my horses are like a free continuous education workshop! I am happy to say the last “session” had the quintessential happy ending. So, until the next time…….class is dismissed.

Another countries perspective on horses

2008-06-18T19:03:00.001-05:00

I recently traveled to the central mountainous region of Mexico for a family trip. In addition to the fantastic food, bucolic vistas and inspiring architecture, I was impressed with the hardiness of the equine population.

Horses and donkeys that live in the Guanajuato region of Mexico appear to be a scrappy bunch. Unlike horses here that are contained in nicely fenced pastures or paddocks, most (but not all) of the equines outside San Miguel de Allende are tethered to stakes and “leashes” to keep them on property. As we were exploring the countryside on ATVs, I was amazed at the complete lack of interest these animals had in the loud, fast, dust cloud-producing, vehicles. I couldn’t help wondering how horses back in Illinois would react to a similar stimulus.

While most of the animals appeared reasonably well cared for, it was obvious that these horses and donkeys have to have a stronger constitution that most to survive. It is easy to forget that most people in the world do not see horses, donkeys and mules as pleasure animals or pets, but rather a means to survive and work the land.

Vaccinations-Risk or Reward?

2008-06-04T19:33:00.002-05:00

Equine vaccinations and other preventive medicine present a classic risk-reward scenario. Post vaccination reactions vary from nothing to soreness and swelling at the vaccination site accompanied by a fever and in a few cases, a severe allergic or anaphylactic reaction. Obviously the post vaccination reactions are undesirable and often dangerous. So why vaccinate? First the incidence of severe reactions is rare; 90+% of vaccinates show little if any after effects. A few horses have some transient swelling and a light fever; this is the most common adverse reaction. Severe anaphylactic allergic reactions are very rare. Second the diseases that one vaccinates for are much worse than any adverse reaction to a vaccine. Anyone who has witnessed a non-vaccinate with tetanus, WNV, EEE, WEE, rabies, or severe influenza or rhinopneumonitis has no doubt as to the benefits of vaccinating against these diseases. The vaccines have become a victim of their own success. They have reduced the incidence of some of these dread diseases to the point where many younger people have never seen them and often they associate vaccinations only with the rare side effects of the vaccine rather than the prevention of the targeted diseases. It’s a classic risk-reward; vaccinate and risk a small chance of adverse reaction (a minor risk); don’t vaccinate and risk contracting a deadly disease (a huge risk). Obviously the risk of vaccination is very small while the risk of not vaccinating can be extreme. The reward for vaccinating is immunity from the disease (a powerful reward). The reward for not vaccinating is freedom from rare side effects (a small reward).

The Definition of Insanity.....

2008-05-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

We have all heard the theory that equine veterinarians should not own horses being as how they always tend to be lame, sick, injured, or etc. One of my associates fondly comments that my own ownership of two horses is the best form of “ownership birth control” against her getting her own horse. My horses always tend to get themselves into trouble one way or another, and always in my absence at the barn. My latest escapade involved my older Lipizzaner mare who decided to break up a fight between a 25+ year old pony and a 22 year old gelding. I’ll never forget that phone call from the barn manager stating that I needed to get to the barn ASAP as my mare was kicked in the hind cannon bone, the leg immediately swelled up, and she was not bearing any weight on it. My immediate fear was that she had a shattered cannon bone. There are many things I have found myself capable of handling; however, performing the euthanasia on one of my own horses was not one of them. One of my associates volunteered to come with in case of tragedy and we headed out to the barn. On arrival, I felt somewhat relieved as in the past 30-45 minutes my mare had progressed to being fully weight bearing on the affected hind leg. The outside of the leg was significantly swollen, as well as the opposite hock (which had a relatively large skin abrasion present over it). My immediate suspicion was a fractured splint bone on the swollen leg. On radiographic examination, my suspicions were confirmed. She had a displaced fracture of the lateral splint bone that involved 3 separate small bone fragments, as well as the distal 1/3 of the splint bone. She would require surgical removal of the bone fragments and approximately 2 months recovery. The two instigators that started the fight were, of course, unharmed. On diagnosis, one of the barn hands commented to me it was lucky that I was a veterinarian, as I could take care of my own horse (as opposed to having to pay someone else). My only response to that was I think I should stick to owning goldfish!

Rehab

2008-05-01T19:10:00.000-05:00

I recently received and e-mail from a client with a horse that had been treated for a minor orthopedic injury that required some time off work and turnout to rehab the injury. The horse was put back to light work with a few minor setbacks. After a few days work the horse was turned out in an indoor arena and proceeded to buck and play with reckless abandon; not unusual for a fresh horse. Fearing re-injury due to the horse’s behavior in turnout, the client asked my advice. There are 3 ways to approach the problem: 1) avoid turnout 2) tranquilize the horse prior to turnout 3) turn the horse out in a small round pen (30 feet in diameter). Of the options, number three is by far the best. It is important to have a small round pen available for horse being rehabbed. It gives them a space for leisure outside the stall while limiting the risk of injury or re-injury due to their normal horse behavior. Pens like this are easily constructed either as a permanent structure or as a temporary one made from corral panels.

You Can Lead A Horse to Water…

2008-03-26T15:49:00.000-05:00

One of my more memorable experiences as a fourth year veterinary student involved a 400lb stud pony and a mission. The pony was admitted to the clinic for a suspected pathologic condition involving the urinary system (i.e. condition involving the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, or other associated structures). The pony had no historical report of failure to urinate; but was reported to seem as though he was straining to urinated on occasion and had a dark urine that was suspect for myoglobinuria (myoglobin in urine) or hemoglobinuria (hemoglobin in urine). The pony had blood work performed, a transabdominal ultrasound to attempt to look at the bladder, and a urinary catheter was passed in attempts to collect urine. Blood work was not supportive of a myoglobinuria at the time of admission. Also, no urine was able to be collected via the catheter. At the time it was unsure if this was because the catheter was unable to be passed to the point where it was in the bladder or if the bladder was empty or did not have enough urine to collect. The decision was made to try and collect a free-catch urine for basic urinalysis and go from there. However, as the saying goes “You can stand and watch a horse all day but you can’t make him urinate” (that’s my variation on the phrase for the purposes of this blog). That stud was determined to not be subjected to urinating in front of an audience. You could stand outside his stall for hours (or inside his stall, or around the corner), but no urine would be voided. The second you left to go to the bathroom or do rounds you would hear the sound of your sample hitting the floor. He was always done in the time it took you to run back and open the door, cup in hand. Long story short, this patient’s scenario led to the development of a new invention. The use of a rectal sleeve, a smooth round, thick wire (i.e. wire coat hanger) bent into a circle with no sharp edges, and brown gauze allowed us to successfully collect or sample in no time flat (envision a bucking strap with the open end of the rectal sleeve taped around the wire circle and placed over the prepuce so the horse urinates into the sleeve). So take home message, you may not be able to make the horse urinate, but if you have a horse that doesn’t mind a makeshift diaper around the prepuce (as I have found, most of them don’t) you can have your sample in the blink of an eye (without the horse being concerned with the audience).

On the road again

2008-03-26T12:23:00.001-05:00

As an avid reader of those books about traversing across the country with no real agenda I have always enjoyed the freedom of being on the road. I love to get in the big diesel truck packed with all the meds and equipment and leave for the day – never knowing exactly what I will encounter. Often, usually when the very shy Chicago sun is out, I think to myself ‘What a great day to be an Equine Veterinarian!”.

I did not always feel this way. When I left my ambulatory job in the early 90’s, I swore that I would never ever, ever, ever practice ambulatory medicine again. I would only work at the racetrack or in a hospital. Ambulatory work can be exceedingly frustrating and difficult if you happen to find yourself in the wrong circumstances. One particular case always comes to mind – I had been working at the racetrack and on the farm and also covering the small animal clinic that my boss owned – he was out of town and left me in the middle of springtime colic season to cover everything. A client that we rarely saw kept calling me to tell me that their horse was colicking and wanted me to come out. I told them I could not get there and luckily it did not sound too urgent – they called two days in row and finally my boss got back and I told them I would go see the horse on my day off – they assured me this was necessary. When I got to the farm there were two horses eating grass in a field. Being out of school only a year I assumed I must be too stupid to figure out which horse was colicking. Somewhat embarrassed, I asked the client and she pointed to one of the horses that was calmly grazing about an acre away – OK I said figuring maybe this horse had not pooped – has the horse made any manure I asked – well the client did not know as they had been in the field. So I decided that this horse would get treated and we walked out and caught it. We brought it to a pen as there was no stall just a sort of pen with a roof – we decided to oil the horse and had it sort of backed into a corner and proceeded to do so – well about halfway through the oiling procedure the horse who had been struggling broke his ancient leather halter and proceeded to race into the field with a tube full of oil up his nose and no halter on. Now we were having some fun!

I think that was about the time when I made the commitment to never do this again.

I am happy to say that not all ambulatory experiences are so frustrating. I am glad I got a chance to revisit this part of my career as being ‘on the road’ is one of the things I enjoy the most.

Long Lateral Collateral

2008-03-21T08:31:00.000-05:00

Spring is here; geese flying north, horses shedding, a few sunny days. Winter can be a long season in Chicago. It’s great working in the clinic in the winter but I always look forward to ‘going on the road’ in the spring and summer. There are some things we can only do in the hospital but farm calls in the spring are refreshing. The sense of renewal associated with the green grass and sunshine is always something I look forward to.

We did have a memorable case in clinic this winter. A young horse injured his long lateral collateral ligament of the hock. I had never seen this particular injury before and like most medical problems it will probably heal with time. The alliteration of the ligament’s is what stuck me; the long lateral collateral. It sounds like the lyric of a rap song. Like: “If you’re a believer in cabin fever, the lateral collateral is compatible…etc.”
Ah, the things we do on long winter night to amuse ourselves.

Trial by fire

2008-03-18T19:49:00.001-05:00

During college, I took a class called Equine Management Practicum, a requirement for Equestrian Studies and equine Administration students. We were responsible for all daily care of the horses and even most of their vet care, due to the fact that our nearest vet was almost 30 minutes away. Toward the end of my senior year, we had a situation that no one could ever think would happen.

In the beginning of February of my senior year the Equestrian Department was getting ready for our spring horse show, but we never got a chance to hold our show that year. The night before the horse show, two of our dressage horses started to show signs of laminitis. Our dressage instructor thought that she recognized a faint smell coming from the shavings. She also thought the situation was strange because dressage horses don’t receive the same concussion that jumping horses do, so she thought the shavings might be the problem, and started stripping stalls. By the next day with 110 horses on campus over half were showing signs of laminitis. The culprit was black walnut shavings.

With over half of the 110 horses on the facility in danger, all equestrian students quickly became vet techs. We ran fluids, DMSO, iced feet, administered medications and wrapped feet. Our little campus became a hospital for more than two months. Luckily, by the end of March and the start of spring break, all horses were starting their slow recovery. Our little campus slowly began to return to normal, except for the faint smell of DMSO.

I was one of a hundred students that helped nurse 110 horses through months of medications and rehabilitation. I learned a lot about veterinary medicine in those few months and was able to add that to my equine education. Now that I am a vet tech, it also makes me appreciate those few months of education even more and the veterinarians and vet techs that helped us through a very difficult situation.

Pigs?

2008-03-13T21:25:00.001-05:00

One of the most unique and rewarding clinical rotations at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine is TDCJ. The TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) has the second largest cattle herd in the state of Texas, 2,000 head of horses, guard dogs and tracking hounds, 25,000 swine and 300,000 poultry.

4th year veterinary students, along with a veterinary clinician, work closely with “non-violent” offenders on numerous prison unit farms throughout the State of Texas. There is never a shortage of cattle to work, colts to castrate, pigs to bleed or mares to palpate.

During one of my visits, two other 4th year students and I were asked to look at a yearling pig that was non-weight bearing lame on the left hind. His stifle was very swollen, hot and painful. He did not appear to have any orthopedic injuries. His stifle was about the size of a basketball, leading to a diagnosis of an abscess. Scalpel in hand, I carefully made a small 2 cm incision and a small amount of caseous (think cottage cheese) material oozed from the incision. One of my good friends James, who is a true Texas Good Ole Boy, drawled, “Katie, I don’t think that is gonna do” and proceeded to lengthen the incision with an accurate and nonchalant swipe of the blade. Within seconds all of the prisoners scattered to escape the deluge of cascading pus and the putrid odor that infiltrated the immediate 10 foot radius. While the prisoners were dry heaving outside the pen, we milked the last ounce of pus out of the abscess. I don’t think I will ever see such a rewarding abscess again. It was at that moment that I realized it takes a very special (and strong stomached!) person to see the beauty in a 5 pound mound of pus. Such a sense of accomplishment! While I probably will never work on swine again, this was the pivotal moment that I realized how much I love to work on animals.