In the past three weeks, I have been writing about two of the most often diagnosed metabolic disorders of equines… Equine Cushings Disease or PPID (symptoms and treatment), and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. Getting a diagnosis is the first step. What are the rules of the road for the nutritional management of horses or ponies with …
Nutritional Management of Horses With Metabolic Disorders Read More »
Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and Equine Cushing’s Disease (PPID) are the two most common metabolic disturbances in horses. I recently wrote a two-part blog about PPID (Part One and Part Two.) This post will be about EMS, and next week I will discuss dietary recommendations for horses with various metabolic challenges. Typically, EMS occurs in …
In Part One on this topic, I discussed the symptoms and diagnosis of Equine Cushing’s Disease, or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). In this second part, I’ll discuss treatment and management options. The two horses in the feature photo from Part One are both being treated for PPID. As you can see from the photo, …
According to this article by the Kentucky Equine Research Staff, it is believed that 20-33% of horses will develop Equine Cushing’s Disease in their lifetime. That is an incredibly high percentage! Most horses are over the age of 15 at diagnosis. Although Cushing’s Disease is the most commonly recognized name for this endocrine dysfunction, a …
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote A Hole in Her Head, a blog about how our gelding kicked our new mare in the head. We sutured up the skin, but obviously, it was up to Mother Nature to deal with the rest. For the most part, Mother Nature did a great job. However, for …
Vesicular Stomatitis, or VS, is a viral disease that primarily affects horses and cattle. It may occasionally affect other hooved animals, such as pigs, goats, sheep, llamas, and alpacas. Rarely, humans handling affected animals can experience flu-like symptoms. Although rarely fatal, VS can have a personal and economic impact on livestock owners. I decided to …
As I posted last week, my Arabian buddy Kadeen has been suffering from a seriously inflamed eye. I have been extremely diligent about treating him. At his ophthalmology recheck appointment last week, his eye showed significant improvement. When I heard that news, I had a bit of an emotional meltdown. Apparently, I was very tightly …
Have you ever had pinkeye? Do you remember how it itched and watered and looked awful? Pinkeye is inflammation of the lining of your eye, and the “white” of your eye. As painful and itchy as it is, it is not as severe as inflammation of the cornea. Keratitis is inflammation of the cornea. The …
This is the final installment of a blog series on neurological diseases in horses. Most of the posts have been about Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis, or EPM. To summarize one of the main points of the previous four blogs, EPM is actually much rarer than most people believe. In fact, there are several rare neurological conditions …
This is the fourth installment of a blog series discussing neurological disorders in horses. Part One discussed Sarcosystosis, which is an infection with the protozoa Sarcocystis neurona. The protozoa most often associated with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis or EPM is S. neurona. In Part Two, I shared the expertise of Siobhan P. Ellison, DVM PhD. Dr. Ellison believes inflammation …
