Category: Soundness

Ultrasound-based scoring system predicts horses’ recovery from tendon injury

A new technique that uses ultrasound findings to predict a racehorse’s likelihood of returning to racing after a tendon injury has been described by researchers. The study team say the new system will significantly improve racehorse welfare in both the short and long term. It will enable vets and racehorse trainers to make early and informed decisions on a horse’s future – whether to prescribe rest and recovery before racing again, rehabilitation for another career, or immediate retirement. The ultrasound technique was developed by researchers at the University of Nottingham and Oakham Equine Hospital, both in England,

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Equine Intra-Articular Osteoarthritis Treatment Options

Epidemiologic data collected from more than 100,000 horses revealed that articular lesions are the most frequent reason owners seek veterinary care for

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How MRI Helps Manage Hock, Suspensory Ligament Injuries

These tools allow the practitioner to see under your horse’s skin to help diagnose injuries, select appropriate treatments, monitor healing progress, and determine prognosis

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Tips for Returning Horses to Work After Soft-Tissue Injury

This process generally comprises 25% treatment and 75% rehabilitation

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Soft Tissue Injuries of the Western Performance Horse’s Foot

Vern Dryden, DVM, CJF, of Bur Oak Veterinary and Podiatry Services, in Lexington, Kentucky, and Brian Beasley, DVM, CJF, from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, in Athens, led the conversation.

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Can Subchondral Bone Thickness Predict Catastrophic Injury?

British researchers have determined that MRI images of bone thickness could provide critical information about fracture risk in the lateral condyle of the third metacarpal bone …

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A Review and Update on Tendon and Ligament Injuries

In this article we’ll discuss three common types of tendon and ligament injuries and how veterinarians treat them

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The Frustrations of White Line Disease

The term white line disease is actually a misnomer; the white line (the soft, fibrous inner layer of the hoof wall) itself is not affected. Rather, the infection takes hold in the area just in front of the epidermal laminae (the sensitive tissues that attach to the hoof wall and help suspend the coffin bone within the hoof capsule).

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The Importance of Limb Conformation

Conformation standards provide the closest thing to such a blueprint; conventional wisdom holds that conformation faults—deviations from the ideal proportions of the horse’s limbs and body and relationship of these parts to one another—can increase risk of injury and decrease performance ability. 

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Veterinarians: Manage Feet for Function

Because 90% of front-end lameness in horses occurs in the foot, hoof-related issues continue to be a hot topic in veterinary medicine

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Researchers Study Carpal Sheath Effusion Exam Techniques

Diagnosing the cause of carpal sheath effusion and predicting how well it will heal are notoriously frustrating endeavors for veterinarians.

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Pelvic Fractures in Horses: Not Always Career-Ending

They’ve also recently become easier to diagnose thanks to improved imaging technology.

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Veterinarians Discuss Limb Deformities

“As the foal ages, that outward rotation tends to correct,” he said. “The chest broadens, and the elbows move out more than the shoulders.”

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Corticosteroid Clearance Following Joint Injections

The current ARCI (Association of Racing Commissioners International) recommended withdrawal times for intra-articular (IA) administration of corticosteroids as seven days for triamcinolone acetonide (TA), betamethasone and isoflupredone, and 21 days for methylprednisolone acetate.

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Is Early Detection of Arthritis in Horses Finally a Reality?

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive deterioration of joint health with no known cure.

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