Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
Stacey Oke, DVM, MSC, is a freelance medical writer based out of Canada. Her areas of interest are nutrition, supplements and osteoarthritis, and she contributes to scientific journals, magazines, and tabloid publications. When not writing, Stacey whiles away her days with her husband and two children.
Articles by Stacey Oke
Equid Emotions and Laterality: Is there a Connection?
September 01, 2008
Does your horse give "dirty" looks? Rather than trying to read his expression, you might be able get some clues about how your horse really feels about objects by paying attention to which eye he uses to observe them. French Read More
Joint Injections: Pros and Cons
September 01, 2008
Joint injections can safely localize lameness or medicate a joint, but they might cause complications. Read More
Shedding Light on Night Blindness in Appaloosas
August 31, 2008
Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) in Appaloosas has been linked to the leopard complex spotting in these horses. But how are these two apparently independent genetic Read More
Aligning Training with Horse Behavior
August 27, 2008
Along with researching drugs, treatments, and techniques to keep your horse healthy, equine researchers are discovering how handling and training methods can be brought more in line with horses' natural behaviors and instincts for a more harmonious Read More
Valacyclovir Dosage Recommendations for EHV Released
August 24, 2008
Oklahoma researchers interested in limiting equine herpesvirus (EHV) disease outbreaks have established specific dosing recommendations for the antiviral agent valacyclovir. The drug appears to be effective in preventing or minimizing clinical Read More
Aging Horses by their…Telomeres?
August 09, 2008
To guess a horse's age you can look at his teeth ... or the length of his telomeres and his immune system function, according to researchers with the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center.
Scientists studying the Read More
Focus on Equine Genetics: the Ol' Gray Mare
August 08, 2008
For more than 100 years, equine researchers have been examining why gray horses that are losing hair pigmentation are often concurrently affected by melanomas—tumors characterized by a massive production of the pigment melanin.
According Read More
Splitting Hairs: New Drug Test Uses Hair, Not Urine
August 05, 2008
German researcher Patricia Anielski is raising the bar when it comes to drug testing in horses. Anabolic steroids such as testosterone propionate can be detected in hair samples to identify current and even previous abuse of the substance. Read More
Adipose-Derived Stem Cells for Tendon Injuries: The Fat is Phat
August 01, 2008
Stem cell research has shown that adult stem cells can be safely and easily harvested from fat deposits in a horse and used to treat a variety of musculoskeletal diseases. These cells are capable of becoming bone, muscle, cartilage, or tendon cells. Read More
Learning <i>Lawsonia</i>'s Habits: High Exposure Rates, Low Morbidity
July 28, 2008
It appears most young foals born on farms with endemic Lawsonia intracellularis could be protected from equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE), a spreading intestinal disease caused by the bacterium, provided they ingest colostrum containing Read More
Sarcoid-Causing Virus Harbored by Circulating Blood Cells
July 26, 2008
Aggressive research efforts to discover how the sarcoid-causing bovine papillomaviruses (BPV) are spread either within or between horses have resulted in the identification of BPV genetic material (DNA) in circulating blood cells. Read More
Experimental Drug Research Provides Promising Results
July 24, 2008
Endotoxemia. Septic shock. Intestinal ischemia. What do all these ailments have in common? Based on recent studies, some researchers think an investigational drug called pirfenidone might be a treatment option for all three.
"Pirfenidone, Read More
Insulin Resistance and Sensitivity, Causes and Management
July 23, 2008
Insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance in horses have become increasingly important areas of research in equine medicine over the past several years, as evidenced by the timely and popular presentations at this year's American College of Read More
Study: Positive Reinforcement Aids Equine Training
July 21, 2008
In a preliminary study on equine training, Michigan State researchers found that while adding positive reinforcement did not make horses learn a frightening task faster than horses that were handled using only traditional negative Read More
Laminitis, PPID: The Science of Seasons Behind Them
July 20, 2008
Research groups reported their findings of the impact of seasonal variations for pituitary glad dysfunction. Read More
ACVIM Forum: 10 Years of Infection Control
July 19, 2008
After 10 years as Director of Biosecurity at Colorado State's large animal hospital, Paul Morley, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, recently relayed some of the key lessons he and his colleagues have learned while developing the school's biosecurity Read More
Sarcoids Beware: Electrochemotherapy in Horses 'Highly Effective'
July 17, 2008
In an effort to find a cure for sarcoids, common skin tumors in horses, a group of researchers have spent the past 15 years developing electrochemotherapy (ECT)--a treatment modality that uses a combination of chemotherapeutic drug administratio Read More
Mysteries of Equine Herpesvirus-1 Shedding
July 15, 2008
While it's widely hypothesized that horses shed equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) during times of stress and illness, researchers on a new study say that critically ill horses with acute gastrointestinal disease (colic or colitis) in a veterinary hospital Read More
Rapid and Reliable Test for Diarrhea-Causing Toxin Identified
July 13, 2008
Toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium difficile can cause diarrhea in adult horses and foals. The high economic impact associated with treatment costs, considerable animal losses to disease associated with mortality and Read More
Radiation Therapy for Equine Cancer Patients
July 08, 2008
While radiation therapy might seem like an unrealistic option for managing horses with cancer, Janean Fidel, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVR, Dipl. ACVIM, from Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine suggests the opposite. She attests Read More
Rattlesnake Bite Management Recommendations
July 06, 2008
The United States is home to 26 species of rattlesnakes, making rattlesnake bites relatively common events in equine medicine. Horse owners definitely need to resist the urge to begin sucking the venom from their horse's rattlesnake bite Read More
CDC Study: Equine Practitioner Hygiene Could Use Improvement
July 02, 2008
In a multi-institutional study coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers found that many veterinarians do not consistently engage in behaviors or practices that are widely deemed protective against the Read More
Understanding and Preventing Catastrophic Injuries
July 01, 2008
Following the euthanasia of filly Eight Belles, who suffered catastrophic injuries to both front legs a quarter mile after finishing second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, members of every sector of the Thoroughbred industry have banded together to Read More
Researcher Cautions Against High Doses of Vitamin E
June 29, 2008
Vitamin E is the most commonly supplemented antioxidant in horses. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that is also currently employed in the routine treatment of horses with neurological diseases (affecting the brain and spinal cord).
In response Read More
Link Between Facial Hair Whorls and Horse 'Handedness' Reported
June 23, 2008
Irish researchers identified a unique link between equine motor laterality, or "handedness," and specific characteristics of facial hair whorls (trichoglyphs): right-handed horses had significantly more clockwise whorls whereas whorls were more Read More
