As horse owners and competitors, we want to give our equine athletes every opportunity to feel and perform their best. Keeping up to date with the latest news in horse health and medicine is an important part of that, and it’s why Medivet Equine is bringing you the latest in horse health news each week.
Following the medical model of “do no harm”, MediVet Equine develops scientifically based therapeutics enabling the horse to call on its own healing ability, thus achieving its full performance potential. MediVet Equine provides effective, all natural, drug free products and lab services designed to optimize the overall health of performance horses. They specialize in regenerative treatments that help the body heal itself to get stronger naturally. Boyd Martin has several of his top competitive mounts on MediVet ACS, and has had terrific results!
How can we better recognize horses with mild or moderate asthma? The increased respiratory rate and cough of a severely asthmatic horse is fairly easy to spot, but mild and moderate cases may only present as poor performance. Veterinarians maybe have been underestimating the number of horses that suffer from asthma for that reason. Currently, equine asthma is diagnosed by a physical exam plus a bronchoalveolar lavage (commonly called a “lung wash”). Asthma is caused by inflammation (something MediVet CAS can help with!) in the airways and veterinarians are now looking for biomarkers in the blood that are indicative of lung inflammation. Future research could create a simple blood test for asthma diagnosis. [The Horse]
Future veterinarians will soon have two new options for schools to attend. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education recently issued “Letters of Reasonable Assurance” of accreditation to new veterinary medicine programs at Long Island University and the University of Arizona. Both programs will welcome their inaugural class in 2020 and will issue Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degrees. Long Island University’s program will be a traditional four-year program, while the University of Arizona will offer an accelerated three-year program. [Today’s Veterinary Business]
What can a horse owner do about thin soles? Horses with thin soles can be tough to keep sound, as they tend to develop sole bruises more easily. While breed and hoof conformation can play an inherent role in sole thickness — hot-blooded horses like Thoroughbreds and horses that have less of a “cup” shape to the underside of their hoof tend to have thinner soles — but there are a few things horse owners can do to help their horses grow thicker soles. Most ways have to do with methods of trimming and shoeing, but supplements and topical products can help too. [Paulick Report]
