horse health
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Owner helps Jack get back on track
It was early June 2013 and high school student Morgan Ashdown was looking forward to summer vacation. She planned to spend it out at the barn with her quarter horse, Under the Lethalimit, known as Jack. Her parents, Leanne and Keith of Pilot Butte, Sask., had bought the 2004 gelding a year earlier, and Jack and Morgan were starting to …
August 03rd, 2015 Full story »
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Understanding horse insurance
Although many horses in Western Canada have high performance, breeding and emotional value in the eyes of their owners, few of the animals are covered under an equine insurance policy. Horse insurance can help owners with the cost of treating these horses. “We are often dealing with horses that are injured or sick, and owners are facing the choice of …
May 01st, 2015 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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Team explores radical therapy for Cushing’s
This summer, Juliane Deubner gave her horse Tina a major “hair cut” so that the 21-year-old fjord mare could beat the heat. Tina’s coat clip isn’t just for looks — it’s out of necessity. The senior horse grows an excessive coat that is a prominent sign of the disease with which she has been diagnosed: equine Cushing’s disease. Abnormal hair growth, …
September 16th, 2014 Full story »
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WCVM grad wins equine scholarship
Dr. Becky Gilday, a 2014 graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), is one of nine equine-focused veterinarians in North America to receive $4,000 scholarships from Zoetis and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation. The scholarships were announced during the AAEP’s Focus on Sport Horses and Focus on Students summer meetings in Louisville, Ky., July 19-22. …
July 21st, 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 »
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CPR and preparation can save foal’s life
Everyone hopes for happy, healthy foals, but what happens when things don’t go according to plan and you’re faced with a weak foal fighting for its life? “The important thing is to act right away,” says Dr. Carolina Palacios, a veterinary anesthesiologist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Centre. “If a foal is born and not breathing …
June 09th, 2014 Full story »
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WCVM profs help win third at tech challenge
Two Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) faculty members are part of a new company that received third place for its horse lift system at the University of Saskatchewan’s annual Tech Venture Challenge on May 22. Dr. James Montgomery and his wife, Dr. Julia Montgomery, paired up with Jim Boire and Harley Olsen of RMD Engineering Inc. earlier this year to form …
May 26th, 2014 Full story »
