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!
This Week in Horse Health News …
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has developed a CT scanner that can be used on standing sedated horses. The machine can be used to scan a horse’s leg while standing, unlike a conventional CT machine which requires a horse to be under general anesthesia and recumbent. This makes the scan, which can be more advantageous than x-rays, a much more accessible and feasible option for horse owners and veterinarians alike. This scanner can also be set in a horizontal position and be used to scan a sedated horse’s head and neck as well. [BloodHorse]
You get your horse’s teeth regularly floated, but do you really understand why? When it comes to understanding why those hooks have to get filed down, it helps to understand the anatomy of the horse’s teeth and how they chew. Dr. James Brown, Clinical Associate Professor of Equine Surgery at Virginia Tech, explains why horses’ teeth grow like they do, what dental issues can arise, and how taking care of them will improve their welfare. [USEA]
Chia seeds: you put them in your smoothie, but what about in your horse’s feeds? Dr. Juliet Getty believes they can be a helpful supplement to a horse’s diet. Chia seeds are best known for being high in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and they are present in a similar ratios as in pasture grasses. There are a host of potential benefits that mainly stem from promoting a healthy immune response and lessening inflammation (which MediVet ACS can help with too!) in the body. [HorseTalk]
