Taxonomy term

Progress in Equine Pain Recognition

Updated:

December 29, 2015

Equine Pain, horse pain, grimaces score, equineguelph, grimace pain scale

Hiding pain is one of the top survival skills of the horse. An important part of horse ownership is learning to recognize the signs a horse may be in discomfort rather than dismissing certain subtle cues as just bad behaviour. Earlier this year, Dr. Brianne Henderson gave a well-received lecture to a room full of horse owners in Hillsburgh, ON. The attendees were interested in ensuring the welfare of their equine companions by honing their skills for detecting pain.

Senior Horse Challenge Sharpens Skills

Updated:

December 23, 2015

equine guelph, Senior Horse Challenge, Equine Metabolic Syndrome, EMS, Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction, PPID, Cushing’s Disease, Laminitis

What differentiates Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) from Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) or “Cushing’s Disease”? A) Laminitis, B) Obesity or regional adiposity ("fat pads"), C) Delayed shedding

New Treatment for Headshaking in Horses

Updated:

October 23, 2015

headshaking horse, equine headshaking, horse shaking head, headshaking syndrome, percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, pens neuromodulation

All horses will shake their heads to rid themselves of flies, dust, or a minor discomfort. It is a simple reflex action. But when it is persistent, intense, almost dangerous, and the horse is jerking his head up, rubbing, blowing, or constantly shaking as though a fly flew up his nose, it’s time to take a much closer look.

A Primer on Navicular Syndrome for Horse Owners

Updated:

October 16, 2015

equine navicular, horse navicular, navicular syndrome horse, horse hooves, navicular disease horses, horse lameness

If you have ever experienced the relief that comes after exchanging ill-fitting shoes for a more comfortable pair, you can understand what a horse suffering from navicular disease feels like when it gets a set of corrective shoes.

The Impact of Impact on Equine Bone Health

Updated:

August 14, 2015

equine bone health, Equine Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College, equine injuries, horse injuries, equine arthritis, horse arthritis

Ontario Veterinary College, graduate student, Cristin McCarty is no stranger to joint health issues after having to work through her own athletic injuries from rowing. As an avid rider since age five, McCarty bought an ex-racehorse in her early teens for repurposing as a hunter/jumper and immediately began an education in joint problems and maintenance options aimed at keeping her newly purchased horse sound.

The Challenges of Chronic Weight Loss

Updated:

April 10, 2015

equine Chronic Weight Loss, horse Chronic Weight Loss, Poor Quality horse feed, Limited horse Feed, monitoring horse weight loss, horse weight gain strategies, equine Social Interaction, horse Social Interaction, equine weight loss, weight loss in horse, poor quality horse feed, low quality horse feed, equine parasite

Equine weight loss is simply a result of more calories being used by the body than are being consumed. There are several potential causes of chronic weight loss in horses. These causes include poor quality or limited feed supply, health and disease problems, as well as social interaction and competition among horses. Chronic equine weight loss can also be the result of starvation. Equine starvation can be caused by intentional neglect, ignorance, economic hardship of owner, disease, dentition, pecking order, parasites, or seasonal variation in availability of pasture. Remarkably, horses can survive chronic weight loss.

Newborn Foals and Childhood Autism

Updated:

March 6, 2015

foals maladjustment syndrome, autism and horses, hypoxia horse, dummy foal syndrome, lack of oxygen foal, isaac pessah, madigan foal squeeze procedure

Is there a common denominator between equine neonatal maladjustment syndrome in newborn foals and children born with autism?

Your Horse's Heart

Updated:

November 14, 2014

equine heart, horse heart, equine arrhythmia, equine death, horse death, horse arrhythmia, equine systemic, equine myocardial

Skipped Beats, Sudden Death… and Why We Shouldn’t Worry Too Much - When you first start examining patients as a veterinary student, you’re very keen to (gently) poke and prod every animal you come across. Realizing you can assess cardiovascular function by palpating peripheral pulses is very empowering!

Horses Benefit from Stem Cell Research

Updated:

November 7, 2014

horse stem cell, equine stem cell, university of edinburgh, roslin institute

According to stem cell scientists at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, horses suffering from neurological conditions similar to those affecting people can be helped from horse stem cell advances.

Understanding Tying Up Syndrome

Updated:

September 24, 2014

tying up horses, rhabdomyolysis, overexercise horse, horse ailment, Sporadic Exertional Rhabdomylosis, Chronic Recurrent Rhabdomyolysis, Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis

Tying-up syndrome, or rhabdomyolysis, is a myopathy (a disorder affecting the body’s muscle system) that causes muscle-cell destruction and decreases an affected horse’s performance. Common systems include painful muscle cramping and hardening as well as severe increases in muscle enzymes that can be detected through laboratory testing.