equine health
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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 »
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Stall-side research
Mateo Castano Ospina, a veterinary student at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), spent four months working as the Townsend Equine Health Research Fund (TEHRF) undergraduate summer research student. Each year, the equine research fund provides financial support for a veterinary student to work on a horse-health focused research project. “I think the program gives veterinary students a great …
November 09th, 2021 Full story »
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TEHRF research grants: 2021-22
The Townsend Equine Health Research Fund (TEHRF) has allocated over $82,000 to support three equine health research projects at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). Read the summaries below for more details on each study. How can we use ACE inhibitors to better manage heart failure in horses? Drs. Tiago Afonso and Nicole van der Vossen, WCVM Congestive heart …
May 11th, 2021 Full story »
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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 »
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Lucky Treasure
Bright-eyed and well developed, Treasure appeared to be a perfectly healthy foal except for one critical flaw: the black and white Gypsy Vanner filly had a steady dribble of urine running down her hind legs. That telltale trickle, along with significant urine scalding of the skin below her vagina, definitely put a stain on the filly’s future. Incontinence is expected …
March 31st, 2021 Full story »
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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 »
