Diseases

Blood Tests for Life

We humans think nothing of having our blood drawn once a year to have a “screen” of tests run in order to give us an accurate account of where some of our important baseline “numbers” stand. In fact, we often look forward with anticipation (or maybe dread) to knowing what our cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, or other levels are at that time, and seeing how they have changed for better or worse since our last tests. Did you know the same type of testing is available for your horse?

equine eye cancer research milestone, equine eye loss, horse eye loss, squamous cell carcinoma, equine eye, Dr. Rebecca Bellone, University of California Davis equine eye cancer research , Haflingers, DDB2 binds DNA damaged by ultraviolet light,  equine DNA, equine eye tumour, horse eye tumour, methionine, threonine

For a prey animal that instinctively depends on sight for survival, a horse’s loss of vision or even the loss of an eye is devastating. Yet, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common cancer found in equine eyes and the second most common tumour in horses.

equine immune system, Equine infectious anemia, equine organ-damaging inflammation, blood-borne equine disease, equine eia, testing horse blood, Equine infectious anemia-infected horse, horse care, horse health

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), also known as Swamp Fever, is an infectious disease of horses, donkeys, and mules caused by a virus. Horses infected with the EIA virus carry it for life. Most infected horses show no symptoms, but they remain infectious, endangering the health of other horses.

Jackie Bellamy-Zions, equine gut microflora EMS warning, horse care, laminitis, fecal microbial, equine metabolic syndromes, Dr. Scott Weese

Early diagnosis of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is an important area of study, especially considering one of the first signs can be laminitis, a serious and sometimes life-ending condition. Catching EMS in its initial stages can facilitate early intervention with an appropriate exercise and diet plan to reduce the chances of laminitis developing.

 Colic Surgery horses, equine colic surgery, horse care, margaret evans, Dr. Isa Immonen

Colic is a condition many horse owners worry about, hoping it can be treated quickly and simply should it occur. But some conditions call for surgery and owners are then faced with challenging decisions about surgical outcomes, complications, post-operative care, cost, and future performance.

horse Laminitis Vaccine preventing equine laminitis Dr. David Wilson equine musculoskeletal western college of veterinary medicine lynne gunville

After nearly four decades of watching the devastating impact of laminitis on horses, equine surgeon Dr. David Wilson has developed a vaccine that has the potential to save the performance careers — and lives — of horses around the world.. Laminitis (or founder) is one of the leading causes of loss in horses, right alongside colic and musculoskeletal problems.

insulin resistant horse, horse diabetes, equine laminitis, horse laminitis, herbs for horses, dr wendy pearson, herbs laminitis

Laminitis and insulin-resistance (IR) are troublesome conditions in and of themselves, so it is all the more frustrating that they tend to travel together. So while fresh, rich springtime grass beckons winter-weary horses, the insulin-resistant ones must stand resigned and glum on the wrong side of the fence as their well-intentioned owners toss them last year’s browning hay.

Equine Insulin Sensitivity, Juliet M. Getty, obese horse, fat horse, equine obesity, equine insulin resistance, horse lose weight, equine nutrition horse

Do you have an overweight horse? Chances are he is insulin resistant. Excess body fat leads to elevated insulin. Elevated insulin leads to more body fat storage, which leads to greater insulin resistance, and the vicious cycle continues. Even horses of normal weight can be insulin resistant, exhibited by regional fat deposits along the neck, shoulders, tailhead, and back.

 Dr. Crystal Lee, Equine Joint Inflammation, equine Osteoarthritis, healthy equine cartilage, healthy equine cartilage, Polysulfated glycosaminoglycan, equine articular cartilage

A healthy joint in the limb of a horse provides a frictionless system and facilitates movement with ease. Each joint depends on the function of each of its components to serve this purpose in an equine athlete. Bone, articular cartilage, synovial fluid, synovial membrane, fibrous joint capsule, and ligamentous structures make up these components.

University Saskatchewan, U of S, equine imaging technology, Dr. Julia Montgomery, equine small intestine, equine capsule endoscopy, horse capsule endoscopy, equine camera pill, equine research, horse care

Veterinary and engineering researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) have teamed up to harness imaging technology to fill in a blank area in animal health — what goes on in a horse’s gut? “Whenever I talk to students about the horse abdomen, I put up a picture of a horse and put a big question mark in the middle,” said veterinary researcher Dr. Julia Montgomery in the U of S Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

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