equine health
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Navigating the pre-purchase exam
Anyone who has bought a car knows that there are many factors that influence your decision — and the entire experience can put you through an emotional rollercoaster. For the most part, buying a horse isn’t any different. But a key tool that can help owners make a more informed decision about a potential horse is the pre-purchase examination that’s usually …
February 19th, 2015 Full story »
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Studying the airway microbiome in horses
Veterinary researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) are investigating whether certain bacterial populations in a horse’s windpipe can contribute to a respiratory disease called recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). More commonly known as heaves, RAO can be triggered by something as simple as feeding poor quality hay to a horse. Exposure to dust, mouldy hay, ammonia fumes and fungal …
February 04th, 2015 Full story »
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Horse survives after stick impales chest
On a dark October night, Les and Darlene Leer pulled into the parking lot at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Centre in Saskatoon with their horse trailer in tow. It was late, and they were worried. They had made the three-hour drive from St. Walburg, Sask., to bring in their injured 18-year-old Appaloosa gelding, Tuffy, for emergency …
January 10th, 2015 Full story »
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Bailee Stanton receives AAEP-Markel award
University of Saskatchewan student Bailee Stanton of Kananaskis, Alta., is a 2014 recipient of an American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation-Markel award. Eight students from across North America received the annual awards on December 7 during the annual AAEP convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. The $2,500 scholarships support veterinary students whose future career plans focus on equine medicine. Stanton, who …
December 16th, 2014 Full story »
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Park “field of dreams” for horse enthusiasts
Three years ago local horse enthusiasts Charlene Dalen-Brown and Colleen Kellett found they were quickly running out of safe places to ride in their community of Grasswood, south of Saskatoon, Sask. “It is in an area that is getting heavily developed, but there were a lot of horse owners out there before that [expansion],” say Kellett. “With all this development, …
December 12th, 2014 Full story »
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WCVM team researches septic arthritis
Dr. Andres Sanchez of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) hopes to prove that a protein called serum amyloid A is a valuable tool for monitoring the healing progress while treating septic arthritis in horses. Besides the skills he has gained as a large animal surgical resident and researcher over the past few years, Sanchez has learned a thing or …
November 26th, 2014 Full story »
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Study may offer therapy for heavey horses
Sucking air through a straw. Those are the words that many people with asthma use to describe their frightening struggle to breathe during an asthma attack. Now imagine a 1,000-pound animal experiencing the same panic-stricken feeling. For a horse, that’s what it’s like during an acute episode of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) or heaves. This asthma-like condition is a chronic, …
November 12th, 2014 Full story »
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Single screw may treat acute laminitis
It’s 2 a.m. and I’m in search of an ice machine in the physiology lab at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). No, it’s not for refreshments after a long day’s work or even in celebration: ice is one of the standard treatments for laminitis in horses, more commonly known as founder. Veterinarians use the ice to fill recycled …
October 14th, 2014 Full story »
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CAHF and EHRF support local research
Two research funds at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) have awarded over $146,000 to University of Saskatchewan researchers who are investigating critical health issues in horses and pets. The Companion Animal Health Fund (CAHF), which supports pet health research, granted nearly $76,800 to six research teams that include 22 researchers. The Equine Health Research Fund (EHRF) awarded nearly $69,700 toward 19 scientists …
July 11th, 2014 Full story »
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EHRF Research Grants: 2014-2015
Is SAA a reliable marker for septic arthritis therapies? Drs. Joe Bracamonte, Andres Sanchez-Teran and Hilary Burgess, WCVM; Dr. Luis Rubio-Martinez, University of Liverpool; and Brent Hoff, University of Guelph Septic arthritis, which is caused by an infection within a joint, is a common condition that can end a horse’s career — or even its life. The disease results in …
July 02nd, 2014 Full story »
