Educational Information

VS, CEM, EP, FAD
By now you have probably heard these acronyms floating around and reports of these diseases affecting horses and other livestock and rumors of farm quarantines and interstate movement restrictions. The United States has for many years been free of certain diseases, such as Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) and Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) that are common in other countries, thus are classified as Foreign Animal Diseases (FADs). [read full article]

Laminitis (founder)
Laminitis (founder) is a painful condition characterized by inflammation of the blood vessel-filled laminae holding the coffin bone to the inside of the hoof. The term laminitis is used more to describe the sudden onset of laminar inflammation, while the term founder is more commonly applied to long-standing laminitis. Laminitis is not usually seen in foals under 6 months of age. The more severe the laminitis is at onset, greater the chance of chronic problems and recurrence.[read full article]

Navicular Disease
Navicular disease, also called navicular syndrome or podotrochleosis, describes a number of problems affecting the distal sesamoid or nivicular bone in the foot. Navicular disease is a complex of problems. Some of these problems are completely reversible, some can be improved with appropriate long-term management, and some are irreversible.
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Mouth Wounds
Mouth wounds can look quite dramatic when they result in exposure of underlying tissue and possibly bone, loosening or loss of teeth, and bleeding. However, these wounds generally heal very well despite the initial severe appearance and number of bacteria in the mouth. For hygienic reasons, it is a good idea to wear rubber gloves when working in and around your horse’s mouth. [read full article]

Acute Diarrhea
Acute (of sudden onset) diarrhea can be minimal, occurring as loose stools on only 1 or 2 occasions, with no other abnormalities, or diarrhea may be severe, with marked changes in the bowel lining and life-threatening fluid and electrolyte losses. Before severe diarrhea becomes evident, the horse may be depressed and off feed, and may have a fever and increased heart rate. Before developing acute diarrhea, some horses may show moderate colic and pass little manure. Dehydration may be evident as reduced skin elasticity when the skin on the side of the neck is pinched up into a tent. Laminitis may be an unfortunate complication of acute diarrhea. [read full article]

Colic
Colic, or abdominal pain, is a sign of serious medical problems in horses. Abdominal problems causing colic are the most common reason for doing surgery and the most common cause of natural death in horses. Colic pain can have many causes. Often it is difficult to determine the specific cause. Veterinarians treat horses with colic according to their medical needs, based on initial and followup examinations. [read full article]

Chronic Diarrhea
Chronic diarrhea is diarrhea that recurs intermittently or persists for longer than 2 weeks. The manure has a “cow pie” to watery consistency. Some normal horses occasionally pass a few ounces of liquid after a normal bowel movement; this can dirty the tail but should not be confused with chronic diarrhea. [read full article]

Gastrointestinal Ulcers in Adult Horses
Ulcers of the stomach and/or intestine can occur in adult horses, as they do in people. Two of the more common causes are, as in people, stress and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs). In adult horses (yearlings and older), the source of stress may be difficult to determine and may be inapparent and long standing. Use of NSAIDs, such as phenylbutazone, is more likely to cause gastrointestinal ulceration when the horse is under stress. The following situations warrant careful observation for development of gastrointestinal ulcers... [read full article]

Gastrointestinal Ulcers in Foals
Ulcers of the stomach and/or intestine can occur in foals, as they do in people. Two of the more common causes are, as in people, stress and use of nonsteriodal antiinflamatory drugs(NSAIDs). Stress can be obvious or inapparent. Stress can cause ulceration in a foal more quickly than an adult horse. [read full article]

Esophageal Impaction (choke)
Choke is an impaction or obstruction of the esophagus, usually caused by a bolus or lump of food. It is not a tracheal (windpipe) obstruction, which impairs breathing. Your horse cannot swallow but can breath normally. A common sign of choke is food-stained saliva exiting the mouth and both nostrils. [read full article]

Large Intestinal Impaction
An impaction is an immovable collection of compressed food matter in the intestine. Impactions often form at the point where the large colon narrows to become the small colon. The onset of large and small colon impactions can be subtle and may be occurring even if your horse is still eating and acting normally. In the first 12 hours of impaction your horse may pass manure less often than normal and the fecal balls may be smaller and slightly more firm than usual. [read full article]

Dental Care For Horses
Dental care is an important part of horse management. Dental problems are best prevented by dental examination once or twice a year.
The teeth of horses continually grow throughout the animal’s life. The teeth can be used to estimate a horse’s age. However, certain dental problems, such as malocclusion (upper and lower teeth do not meet), broken teeth and abnormal wear (as from cribbing), can make it difficult to estimate a horse’s age. [read full article]

Complications After Abdominal (colic) Surgery
Colic surgery has been performed on horses by surgical teams for over 25 years. Success rates have improved markedly over the last decade; however, colic surgery is still considered serious surgery. The likelihood of recovery depends on the severity of the problem, the duration of colic before treatment was started, and lack of complications during surgery and anesthetic recovery. [read full article]

Hepatitis
The liver is a large organ located in the most forward portion of the abdomen, resting against the diaphragm, which separates the chest and abdominal cavities. The liver performs many life-sustaining function. It makes plasma proteins and other blood constituents, detoxifies chemicals, drugs and body waste, stores carbohydrates and metabolizes fats. [read full article]