equine health
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Horse Health Lines (Spring 2022) now online
The Spring 2022 issue of Horse Health Lines, news publication for the WCVM’s Townsend Equine Health Research Fund, is now online. You can also download the PDF or view the publication as part of the Spring 2022 issue of Canadian Horse Journal. Here’s a quick look at the stories inside this issue: Unravelling the umbilical cord Does the equine umbilical cord’s …
March 06th, 2022 Full story »
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WCVM hosts research discussion
Click here to view recording of the Feb. 8 panel discussion on equine health research. Horse health research is the focus of an upcoming virtual panel discussion that’s asking for input from horse owners about current and future research studies at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). The online discussion, which will take place at 7 p.m. CST on …
February 03rd, 2022 Full story »
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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 »
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WCVM alumna new AAEP president
Dr. Emma Read, a 1998 graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), is the new president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) for a one-year term. Read, who is associate dean for professional programs at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, was installed as AAEP president on Dec. 7 during the organization’s annual convention …
December 08th, 2021 Full story »
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Putting laminitis on ice
A Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) research team is gathering information for the development of a new device for cryotherapy (extreme cold therapy) — one of the few treatments available for the painful equine disease known as laminitis. Also described as digital hypothermia, cryotherapy involves submerging an affected horse’s limb and foot in ice and cooling them to four …
December 07th, 2021 Full story »
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Cardiac drugs in comparison test
The list of current treatment options for horses with heart disease isn’t very long, and the cost of certain heart medications is out of reach for many Canadian horse owners. [Heart failure in horses is] just not very common, but when they get it, it’s severe … a lot of times [they] die a terrible death of pulmonary edema, and …
December 03rd, 2021 Full story »
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Vet’s career heads straight to the heart
Growing up in Portugal, Dr. Tiago Afonso always knew he wanted to be an equine veterinarian. “My uncle had a farm with horses, and he’s a mixed veterinarian in the back country of Portugal,” says Afonso, an assistant professor in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. “I used to spend all my weekends …
December 01st, 2021 Full story »
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Cresty necks flag metabolic issues in horses
While University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers are still hunting for a diagnostic biomarker that predicts equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), results of their study substantiated the cresty neck score (CNS) as a reliable visual marker of abnormal insulin metabolism in horses. The study, which was recently published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, was conducted by a team of USask scientists from …
November 25th, 2021 Full story »
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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 »
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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 »
