Learning about Acupuncture

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.