As many of you are aware, one of Dr. Butters’ special interests is equine dentistry. Knowing this, one of our fantastic clients generously provided us with a wonderful and very interesting skull specimen that we wanted to share.
This skull is from a stallion that lived in a wild/feral state west of Cochrane. Our client knew the stallion, and relayed that he died during the very cold, deep snow winter we experienced several years ago.
Dr. Butters believes she knows what may have contributed to this early death.
Euthanasia is a term that comes from the Greek language and translated into English means “good death.” The most common method of euthanasia is via a lethal injection of a barbituate drug, but other methods may also produce a “good death.” There are many reasons for an owner to choose euthanasia and the decision to euthanize a horse is often a difficult and deeply personal for the owner.
What is in a “3-Way” vaccine? A “4-Way?” “5-Way?” “6-Way?”
We get a lot of questions about these confusing terms! The “3-Way” vaccine has long been used to describe the combination vaccine containing Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE), Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE), and Tetanus. For a “4-Way,” add influenza to those three vaccines just listed. A five way provides protection against EEE, WEE, Tetanus, Influenza and Equine Herpesvirus (“rhinopneumonitis”), and a “6-way” contains all 5 components of a 5-Way, plus West Nile. Although there is a combination vaccine that includes EEE, WEE, tetanus, and West Nile, the combination of EEE,WEE, tetanus, and influenza was on the market for years prior to the introduction of the combination with West Nile, so the “4-Way” term is usually reserved for the vaccine containing influenza and not West Nile. Clear as mud?
Contact the clinic and we can help you determine what vaccinations are appropriate for your horse. Stay tuned in the coming days for more information on these diseases and why we vaccinate against them, as well as more answers to your frequently asked vaccination questions.
Whether this is your first adventure into the world of mares and foals, or you have been down this road before, you may be wondering what happens between the time you say your farewells at the clinic and the time you get that wonderful news. Well, wonder no more! In this article I will explain all of the techniques, technologies, and tricks we have at our disposal to make the process as reliable and smooth as possible.
Wireless inertial sensor-based technology is at the forefront of lameness evaluation research today, and we are excited to now be incorporating this cutting edge diagnostic tool into our lameness examinations! The Equinosis Lameness Locator is the result of over twenty years of gait analysis research, and it allows objective quantification of lameness during a routine clinical exam.
Equine Influenza Virus (EIV) is often cited as the most commonly diagnosed and economically important causes of viral respiratory disease in horses. Therefore, the AAEP states that “all horses should be vaccinated against EIV unless they live in a closed and isolated facility.” Like many other respiratory viruses, it produces fever, nasal discharge, and coughing. So what sets this virus apart from other equine respiratory viruses?
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE) are both neurological diseases spread to horses and humans from infected wild birds and rodents via blood sucking mosquitos. The disease typically culminates in a profound depression that characterizes these diseases in the late stages, and gives them the common name of “sleeping sickness.” The American Association of Equine Practitioners considers vaccines against EEE and WEE to be "core" vaccines, recommended for all adult horses.
We can start freezing a stallion’s semen as soon as he is sexually mature. For most horses this is any time after 4 years old, but some horses mature earlier or later than others. If your horse is not mature at the time of collection we will be able to see signs of immaturity when examining the sample under the microscope.
It is important to know that every stallion freezes differently, and freezes better in different agents. There are a variety to choose from, and so before performing a commercial freeze, a collection will be “test frozen” with a variety of different agents in order to determine the best agent for your stallion.
Parasite control needs to be tailored to your horse’s specific needs, taking into consideration age, immune status/individual susceptibility, time of year, and management practices. The following are basic recommendations that can be further tailored to suit your horse’s specific needs.
MATURE HORSES (>3 years old)
Small strongyles (cyathostomins) are the main parasite of mature horses, and these parasites are developing resistance to commonly used dewormers.
Horses vary in their susceptibility to small strongyles, and can be classified as Low, Medium, or High shedders based on fecal egg counts (FECs).
