Research News
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Safety vital around portable X-rays
A recent study by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers highlights the importance of regularly reviewing radiation safety practices for the use of portable X-ray machines in equine practice. The study, which was published in the April 2021 issue of Canadian Veterinary Journal, surveyed three separate veterinary practices that use portable X-ray equipment and observed the clinics’ radiation safety practices. Dr. …
November 09th, 2021 Full story »
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Dual-degree vet receives equine award
At first, Dr. Jane Westendorf didn’t want to be a veterinarian. As the daughter of two practitioners — both 1991 graduates of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) — Westendorf witnessed first-hand some of her parents’ daily frustrations when they came home from their veterinary clinic in Mission, B.C. Westendorf eventually recognized that despite the occasional struggles or difficult …
July 22nd, 2021 Full story »
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Helping horses breathe easier
Canadians have access to the first licensed and approved inhalation therapy specifically developed to help horses with severe equine asthma without causing unwanted side effects. Developed by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health (BI), the Aservo® EquiHaler® is an inhalation therapy available through veterinarians. It’s used to treat equine asthma, formerly known as recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) or heaves. Like humans, environmental triggers such …
April 15th, 2021 Full story »
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The point of no infection
A team of University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and the College of Medicine are striving to find a reliable method for verifying when a horse with septic arthritis no longer has a joint infection — and no longer needs treatment. Who is on the team? WCVM researchers Dr. Joe Bracamonte and Dr. …
April 15th, 2021 Full story »
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Cardiac cases linked to caterpillars
A report recently published in Canadian Veterinary Journal tells the story of how a team of veterinarians at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) linked cases of an uncommon cardiac disease in horses with a caterpillar infestation in Saskatchewan. Between June and September 2017, clinicians at the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre examined four horses of varying ages and from …
March 21st, 2021 Full story »
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Horse Health Lines (Summer 2020) online
The Summer 2020 issue of Horse Health Lines, news publication for the WCVM’s Townsend Equine Health Research Fund, is now online. You can also view the publication as part of the Summer 2020 issue of Canadian Horse Journal or click here to download the PDF. Here’s a sneak peek at the stories inside this issue: Horse care amid pandemic: Other than physical distancing …
July 12th, 2020 Full story »
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Mare-embryo signal still a mystery
Even before birth, a lot of communication occurs between an infant mammal and its mother — not through speech or body language, but through chemical interaction inside the uterus. The maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP), one of the earliest communications that occurs during pregnancy between the embryo and the mother, is the signal produced by the embryo alerting the mother’s …
May 09th, 2020 Full story »
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What makes horses tick?
In mid-February, western Canadian horse owners will have the chance to meet Dr. Sue McDonnell and learn more about equine behavior during the 2020 Saskatchewan Equine Expo in Saskatoon, Sask. The Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) has invited McDonnell to visit Saskatoon for several educational events — including a public seminar from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. …
January 23rd, 2020 Full story »
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Funds propel research for pets and horses
Have you ever wondered how veterinarians prepare tiny exotic pets for surgery or thought about how equine clinicians can help horses recover from a tendon injury? Researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) are exploring these kinds of questions — thanks to the support of two research funds dedicated to the health of pets and horses. The Companion Animal …
May 27th, 2019 Full story »
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Equine air flow in 3D
A Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) research team is going back to the drawing board to find a better way of treating recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN), also known as roaring, in horses. Last year surgical specialists Drs. James Carmalt and David Wilson, along with surgical resident Dr. Michelle Tucker, were working on a new procedure that could replace a …
November 01st, 2018 Full story »
