Our Services

Merritt & Associates Equine Hospital provides both primary care for local clients and referral services to veterinarians in Illinois and the surrounding states. We work closely with referring veterinarians to ensure that the pertinent diagnostic tests are completed and that aftercare is appropriate. We provide extensive discharge instructions and referral letters for each patient. Effective communication between owners, referring veterinarians, and trainers is very important to us, ensuring that the patient receives the very best care.

Nuclear Medicine

This modality allows the visualization of changes in metabolic activity of soft tissue or bone. Bone scans provide additional diagnostic information on active bone remodeling when radiographs are non-diagnostic and when it is too early for changes to show up on radiographs. Bone scans can also show soft tissue inflammation. It looks at metabolic activity, not anatomy which can be helpful in diagnosing horses with multiple areas of soreness and is indicated when lameness is unable to be localized with other diagnostics or when the horse is lame in multiple legs

Once the remodeling sites are identified, other diagnostics can be used to image the precise area. It is beneficial to evaluate bone remodeling prior to the racing season or before beginning heavy training.

Digital Radiography

The image quality of digital radiographs is superior to conventional radiographs, which allows diagnosis of subtle tissue abnormalities and better interpretation of results. Digital radiographs allow computerized alterations in technique depending on the tissue of interest (bone vs. soft tissue) without taking multiple films. Images taken using computed radiology (CR) are viewed on a work station and can be magnified, rotated and adjusted for brightness and contrast for added detail

Our stationary machine can handle deep tissue penetration and is used primarily for imaging the chest, abdomen, skull, and upper extremities (shoulder, stifle, neck, back, hip and pelvis).

Digital Ultrasound

Ultrasound exams of the chest and abdomen are routinely performed to diagnose and monitor treatment of diseases including pleuritis, thoracic neoplasia, colic, and chronic weight loss. The ultrasound is also used for guided biopsies of the liver, kidneys, spleen, lung and other tissues, as well as joint, tendon and ligament injuries. A GE Digital ultrasound system is used in the hospital providing state-of-the-art digital imaging. This unit is also equipped to perform echocardiography, used to evaluate the significance of heart murmurs, exercise intolerance and arrhythmias.

Endoscopy & Gastroscopy

Endoscopy uses a video camera to image the horse’s airways allowing us to identify problems, take diagnostic samples and bacterial cultures, and perform specialty therapeutic procedures (antibiotic infusions and other technical interventions). This procedure is essential in diagnosing the cause of chronic respiratory diseases and infections.

Gastroscopy, or video camera imaging of the stomach, is the only way to truly diagnose gastric ulcers and monitor therapy. The 3.0 meter gastroscope is essential for diagnosing other types of stomach disease (tumors, infections, obstructions, etc) as well as esophageal diseases (recurrent choke, swallowing problems, tumors, ulcers, etc).

Endoscopy and diagnostic sampling avoid unnecessary and ineffective treatments which can delay appropriate care and negatively impact the horse’s recovery. All forms of endoscopy are minimally invasive, so generally, only light sedation is needed for comfort during the procedure. The information gleaned leads to directed therapy and definitive diagnosis of the horse’s ailment, producing the optimal medical or surgical outcome.

Surgery

Merritt & Associates is fully equipped to perform elective surgeries including arthroscopic and other joint procedures for both diagnosis and treatment. We also perform throat/sinus and abdominal surgery, hernia repair, removal of retained testicles (cryptorchid), fracture repair, repair of soft tissue and joint injuries, tumor removal, reproductive surgery, neurectomies, surgery for club feet and other flexural and angular limb deformities.

Surgery Consultants

Joseph Foerner, DVM, DACVS is a graduate of the University of Illinois (B.S. 1963, DVM 1965) and the University of Pennsylvania, where he served his internship in equine surgery. Dr. Foerner also serves as a consultant to the Brookfield and Lincoln Park Zoos, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Foerner is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He has served as President, Chairman of the Board and Regent of that Association. He holds memberships in the AVMA and AAEP, as well as the Illinois State VMA where he has served on several committees to share his expertise at over seventy national and international conferences and seminars. Dr. Foerner has been published numerous times in various journals on equine and wildlife medicine and is an internationally recognized authority on horses.



Scott McClure, DVM, DACVS received his veterinary degree from Iowa State University in 1990 then completing an internship and surgery residency at Texas A&M. Dr. McClure became certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1995 and received his PhD from Texas A&M in 1996. Dr. McClure was in private practice in Oklahoma and on faculty at Purdue University before returning to Iowa State University where he is currently an Assistant Professor in Veterinary Clinical Sciences on equine surgery and lameness.

Shockwave Therapy

Shockwave therapy is used for tendon and ligament injuries and to stimulate bone remodeling. Focused high frequency shockwave therapy consists of a single acoustic pulse of extremely short rise time and a very high pressure maximum, which expends enormous amounts of acoustic energy focused on a small area. The surrounding tissue is treated as gently as possible. Shockwave therapy increases new bone formation and cuts down on healing time. It is a non-invasive procedure with an average treatment time of 30 minutes.

The indications for use include, but are not limited to:

Tendonopathies with or without calcification

Calcification of the nuchal ligaments

Splint bone fractures

Sesamoiditis

Sacroiliac disease

Sore Back

Insertion desmopathies

Anthropathies

Deforming arthritis of the limb joints

Navicular disease

Stricture of the annular ligament

Exostosis

IRAP

IRAP stands for Interleukin-1-Receptor Antagonist Protein. IRAP blocks the IL-1 receptors, thereby protecting cartilage surfaces and decreasing inflammation. Studies so far have shown significant decreases in lameness. Merritt & Associates was one of the first to use this therapy and it is one of the best treatment regimes for degenerative joint disease in the horse.

Vet-Stem

Vet-Stem Cell can be used for degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis),  fractures, tendon, suspensory, and ligament injuries, osteochondrosis (OCD) and sub-chondral bone cysts. The process involves a simple fat collection, followed two days later by an injection of the recovered stem cells into the injury site. Recovery generally consists of a few weeks of stall rest with hand walking.

Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy is a treatment that stimulates the mesoderm, the middle layer of the skin, which will, in turn relieve a wide variety of symptoms and ailments. The technique involves the injection of substances to stimulate the mesoderm for various biological purposes. The mesotherapy injections involve extremely small needles that penetrate the interdermal layer of the skin only a very small depth, which is typically four to six millimeters.

The number of treatments needed depends on many variables including the condition, the abnormal physiology causing the condition, as well as the chronicity of the problem. A minimum of one to two sessions of mesotherapy are performed to assess the horse’s response. Mesotherapy is effective for a multitude of conditions because it helps reverse the physiology of that condition, and stop the pain spasm cycle.

Internal Medicine

We are equipped to fully diagnose and treat
horses with pleuropneumonia, liver disease,
kidney disease, chronic weight loss, chronic
colic, neurologic disease, myopathy, ophthalmic
or dermatologic disorders, neonatal and
pediatric diseases.

Pharmacy

Our staff are kept apprised of the newest advances in pharmaceuticals because of our close relationships with industry representatives In addition to supplying our in-house and ambulatory service, the pharmacy provides clients with medications, provided there is a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship.

Our pharmacy maintains a complete inventory of prescription equine medications and many hard-to-find items, including:

Antibiotics and hormone therapy

EPM medications

Anti-ulcer medications

Dermatologicals and ophthalmics

A partial list of our products includes:

Skin and wound care

Leg protection and bandages

Vaccines, dewormers and fly control

Vitamin and electrolyte supplements

Liniments, poultices, leg paints

Buckeye Feed

Farrier

On-site farrier services are available every Monday and Thursday.

Donald Tritz attended North Texas Horseshoeing Institute in 1969. He was licensed by the state of Illinois in 1970 and is a Certified Farrier with the American Farrier Association.

Don regularly attends clinics and seminars to stay up-to-date with the latest materials and techniques and is the inventor of the Hoof Doc hoof dryer for horses. Don specializes in treating lameness in any horse.

Laboratory

Our lab is capable of performing complete blood counts, blood chemistries, electrolytes, blood gases, fecal egg counts, fluid analysis and cytology. The results are generally available within 3 hours. Results can be faxed to the referring veterinarian upon request.

Peak Pulse Perform Machine

Merritt & Associates has added a Peak Pulse Performance machine to its list of new therapies

This machine has shown remarkable results for horses with back, sacroiliac, and gluteal muscle problems. It is also effective on cases with chronic and acute laminitis and cases that previously were resistant to other forms of treatment. Generally, it is administered a minimum of 3 times for up to 20 minutes per treatment. Although the exact science behind the results is unknown, we believe that it produces an analgesic effect and increases blood flow to the affected area. In one case, a horse that did not respond to any other treatment and was unsound on all 4 legs is now completely sound after several treatments. Many professional sports teams have used it on their human athletes and it has shown to be safe with no adverse side effects reported.

Nutrition

We are pleased to offer a specialized feed program to our clients based on the type of work, hay quality and special needs of your horse. We work with Buckeye Nutrition to analyze your horse’s requirements and design a program specifically for them. We believe that Buckeye Nutrition has superior quality feeds, and as such, to better serve our clients, we have become an authorized Buckeye Nutrition dealer.

Emergency Medicine

We offer 24 hour emergency service, 365 days a year.

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