Christy M. West
Christy West has a BS in Equine Science from the University of Kentucky, and an MS in Agricultural Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Articles by Christy West
Researcher Recommends MRI for Proximal Suspensory Desmitis Diagnosis
November 07, 2007
When your horse is lame, a diagnosis of suspensory trouble can be discouraging, particularly if it's termed proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD). Inflammation of the upper suspensory ligament in this area can be tough and expensive to treat Read More
Paraplegic Foal Update: Lucky at Home
September 30, 2007
VIDEO | About a month ago, The Horse brought you the story of Lucky, a five-month-old Quarter Horse foal who was rendered paraplegic by a spinal cord abscess at two Read More
Saving a Paraplegic Foal
September 04, 2007
VIDEO | What do you do when a healthy foal suddenly becomes paraplegic? For many, the answer would be simple--euthanasia, especially if he had an uncertain prognosis. Read More
Where Does It Hurt?
August 27, 2007
One of the most frustrating aspects of diagnosing and treating lameness in horses is that they can't tell you where it hurts. But a relatively new technology to the equine world is helping some veterinarians pinpoint lameness problems. Bruce Read More
The Role of Obesity in Insulin Resistance
August 04, 2007
"Not all obese individuals are insulin-resistant, and not all IR-affected horses are obese. But IR-associated medical problems are more likely to develop in concert with obesity in individuals born with IR," said Nat Messer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, an Read More
Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Laminitis
July 31, 2007
Insulin resistance is a part of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). There are three criteria for identifying the horse with EMS: Insulin resistance, prior (founder lines) or current laminitis, and general obesity or regional adiposity (areas of abnormal Read More
Inducing Ovulation With Recombinant Equine Luteinizing Hormone
July 29, 2007
Manipulating the estrous cycle in mares is a big part of many breeding operations, and medications play various roles in the process. There are several options for inducing ovulation, including human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), Read More
Colic in Horses: An Overview for Owners
July 28, 2007
What's the one word that strikes fear into the hearts of all horse owners? Colic. It can strike any horse at any age for a myriad of reasons--there's impaction colic, gas/spasmodic colic, strangulating colic, and many other versions. At the Read More
Barefoot versus Shod Discussed
July 25, 2007
If hoof structures are poorly developed, then they will be less capable of going barefoot and, even when shod, not as ready for withstanding continuous training. To avoid sore feet, the quality of the trimming and shoeing and interval between shoeing Read More
Joint Disease and Lameness
July 23, 2007
More than half of all equine lameness is due to noninfectious joint disease and injury. It can happen from one bad step, but it's most likely due to cyclic (repeated) trauma. Read More
What Causes Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction?
July 23, 2007
The lack of dopamine is critical, as the activity of the pars intermedia is normally inhibited (controlled) by dopamine. Without dopamine, the pars intermedia produces much more hormone than it should, causing the clinical signs of PPID. Read More
Equine Emergency Care Tips
July 22, 2007
The first thing most guides on handling emergency situations will tell you to do is be prepared for that emergency. Know what can happen, what you'll do in that situation, who you'll call, what supplies you'll need, etc. For an equine health Read More
Training Your Horse for Procedures--And Everything Else
July 21, 2007
"It is our responsibility to have the horse so well trained that we can do whatever we need to do without a problem," he stated. "Our horse does not have the right to hurt anyone. It's not because the vet smells funny that a horse hurts him Read More
Treating Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (or Cushing's Disease)
July 19, 2007
Medication options for PPID include pergolide, cyproheptadine, trilostane, and chasteberry extract. One disadvantage is that no treatment is currently FDA-approved for PPID in horses. Read More
Understanding Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (a.k.a. Cushing's Disease)
July 18, 2007
Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction--PPID, or Cushing's disease--is the most common disease of horses and ponies 15 years of age or older. Although it's not fully understood yet, researchers are learning more about how to treat and prevent it. Read More
Diagnosing Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction
July 17, 2007
Unfortunately, no perfect PPID test (one that is 100% accurate with a single-sample test) yet exists. At the 2006 AAEP Convention, Harold Schott, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of large animal clinical sciences at Michigan State University, Read More
Uterine Inflammatory Response: A Review
July 16, 2007
One of the biggest challenges in successful equine reproduction is uterine inflammation. Increased inflammation can destroy spermatozoa before they have a chance to fertilize the egg, and it can create a hostile environment that kills an embryo. Read More
Keep Old Horses Healthy
July 15, 2007
"Old age need not be a burden," said Loving. "Considering all the premium health care we can offer our horses today, there is no reason they shouldn't be living into a ripe old age in the greatest of comfort." Read More
Breeding and Reproduction Tips
July 13, 2007
People are always looking for tips on how to do things better--particularly horse breeders looking for ways to get healthier foals. Benjamin Espy, DVM, Dipl. ACT, a practitioner from San Antonio, offered insight on many areas of equine reproduction Read More
Insulin Resistance: Hold the Grain, Please
July 12, 2007
Management of insulin resistance might lower the risk of laminitis, and one of the cornerstones of management is diet. “Think of these horses as being in a prediabetic state,” said Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of Read More
Superovulation and Embryo Transfer
July 11, 2007
It's no secret that embryo transfer is expensive, and that its success rates are lower than those of some other methods of equine reproduction. "Commercially, single embryo recovery attempts have a 50% recovery rate, and there is a 50-65% Read More
Reinforcing Reinforcement Breeding
July 11, 2007
It's common practice at some breeding farms--collecting the drippings from a stallion's penis after he breeds and dismounts a mare, evaluating the sample to confirm that ejaculation did occur, then placing the sample in the mare. Reinforcement Read More
Glucocorticoids and Obesity
July 11, 2007
Glucocorticoids have been implicated as a cause of both laminitis and IR. "Our team has been interested in the role that glucocorticoids (corticosteroid drugs or hormones that are involved in carbohydrate metabolism and the body's response Read More
Treating Obesity and Adiposity Research
July 11, 2007
Owners need to control obesity now by properly managing horses' diets and increasing exercise levels. Read More
Obesity and Laminitis
July 09, 2007
In obese horses insulin resistance might also contribute to widespread inflammation and, thus, vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels), which is the case in human metabolic syndrome. Read More
