When I applied to the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine in the mid-70s, there were roughly 9 applicants for every spot. There were only 72 students accepted every year. Some students that were not able to gain entrance to a veterinary program turned their efforts towards medical school instead. This article, written in 1978, discusses …
Many types of living creatures can suffer from stomach ulcers. Alan and I both suffered from severe GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease. Among the many, many characteristics we share, we have both had fundoplications to treat our reflux. I recently started treating my dog for gastric ulcers. And I have treated Kadeen in the past for …
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 …
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 …
