Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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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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Horse health care through the ages
Horses are living long lives on acreages, farms and ranches across North America. That reality is reflected in statistics: it’s estimated that geriatric horses (animals more than 20 years old) account for somewhere between seven and 20 per cent of the entire equine population. Owners and veterinarians are growing more aware that proper management and medical care can expand the …
January 08th, 2015 Full story »
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Horse health day ideal for young riders
More than 200 young horse enthusiasts will learn all about horse health from Western Canada’s future veterinarians during the annual Equine Education Day on Saturday, Feb. 28. The day-long event, which takes place at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), is an annual favourite for members of Saskatchewan’s 4-H and Pony Clubs. The Equine Education Day is organized by members …
January 08th, 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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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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Where the wild horses are
As a horse lover, Sarah Medill has found the perfect PhD research job. For the past three summers, she has been part of a University of Saskatchewan research team studying the more than 500 wild horses of Sable Island, a beautiful but remote Nova Scotian island declared a National Park Reserve last year. The unique herd, legally protected since the …
September 23rd, 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 »
