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frostbite

Preventing frostbite in horses

Frostbite isn’t a common medical issue in horses, but under extreme temperatures, a horse’s body decreases the blood supply to its extremities – such as ears, genitals and feet. As a result, fluid in the cells of these body parts forms ice crystals that break or harm cell membranes and cause permanent damage. What environmental conditions are most hazardous for …

January 07th, 2022 Full story »

toni-anne-saworski

Next phase in the war against worms

Road apples, manure, poop, fecal balls — whatever you call it, horses’ feces have been the mainstay of equine deworming programs for years. “For a long time, parasitology has been really reliant on seeing eggs in poop,” says Dr. Emily Jenkins, a researcher at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). The current method of detecting intestinal parasites in a …

December 05th, 2021 Full story »

torin-water-jump

How well do you know your horse’s heart?

This spring, Dr. Nicole van der Vossen gave a presentation on equine cardiology as part of the WCVM’s EquineED Talks — an online series of equine health sessions for horse owners organized by the regional veterinary college. Van der Vossen is a large animal internal medicine resident in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) Department of Large Animal Clinical …

November 25th, 2021 Full story »

Primed up for a down horse

When the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC) received a call about a down horse last fall, the hospital’s large animal clinical team jumped into action. Hickory, a 12-year-old quarter horse mare, had competed in a rodeo in Regina, Sask., on a warm September day. Unfortunately, after Hickory and her rider completed running a pole pattern, the …

April 15th, 2021 Full story »

hormone levels

Hormone baseline for horses in West

How do levels of insulin and other hormones in western Canadian horses compare to hormone levels measured in horses living in other parts of Canada and around the world? It’s a question that Dr. Julia Montgomery aims to answer through a collaborative study with Prairie Diagnostic Services (PDS), Saskatchewan’s provincial veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Once published, the study’s results will help …

March 21st, 2021 Full story »

robert-bowker-lecture

Equine foot expert visits WCVM

This fall, members of the local horse community and students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) will have the chance to learn about a novel approach to equine foot health straight from the man who developed the theory. Dr. Robert Bowker, director of the Equine Foot Laboratory at Michigan State University (MSU), and an internationally-acclaimed authority on equine …

March 01st, 2019 Full story »

Dr. Maia Aspé

Equine veterinarian’s life comes full circle

For 15 years of her life, Dr. Maia Aspé has ridden horses. Six of those years were spent chasing a career as a professional hunter-jumper before she found her calling in equine veterinary medicine. Those days of competition might be behind Aspé, but the skills, camaraderie and knowledge she picked up along the way continue to enrich her life even …

August 17th, 2018 Full story »

First aid, equine style

Anyone who’s been around horses knows they’re accident prone and susceptible to problems such as colic and choke. If you’re a horse owner, knowing first aid can help you to prepare yourself and your animal for the veterinarian’s arrival. How can horse owners prepare themselves for emergencies? Practise examining your horse so you become familiar with the process and can …

May 30th, 2018 Full story »

Isolated horses offer insight into virus

A horse stands on top of a sandy dune, his coat matted and eyelids lowered against the fierce wind. Ocean waves crash against the shoreline to his right, outlining the crescent-shaped wedge that is Sable Island, home to one of the last wild horse populations in Canada. The conditions surrounding Sable Island horses have long interested scientists, offering them a …

October 30th, 2017 Full story »

horses-muzzle

Reining in equine obesity

Imagine you’re a draft horse. The year is 1927 and you spend most of your time hooked up to a plow in the field, burning calories and muscle. You dine primarily on grain. It’s important to keep your energy up because you work hard every day and your family depends on you. When the tractor comes along, your role on …

October 23rd, 2017 Full story »