Michael Ball, DVM
Michael A. Ball, DVM, completed an internship in medicine and surgery and an internship in anesthesia at the University of Georgia in 1994, a residency in internal medicine, and graduate work in pharmacology at Cornell University in 1997, and was on staff at Cornell before starting Early Winter Equine Medicine & Surgery located in Ithaca, N.Y. He is also an FEI veterinarian and works internationally with the United States Equestrian Team.
Ball authored Understanding The Equine Eye, Understanding Basic Horse Care, and Understanding Equine First Aid, published by Eclipse Press and available at www.exclusivelyequine.com or by calling 800/582-5604.
Articles by Michael Ball
Emergency Transportation
March 23, 2005
You should be prepared to ship a horse if it is in need of emergency care at a veterinary hospital. If you have your own trailer, make sure that it is in working order at all times (the truck, too) and always have a back-up plan. Be prepared to make Read More
Ocular Emergencies
March 16, 2005
Observe the eye with the aid of a penlight or other light source. Evidence of pain is a clear symptom of most ocular diseases. However, sometimes it is not the first sign, so paying some attention to the eye and becoming familiar with what looks norm Read More
Complications from Vaccinations
March 09, 2005
Sometimes a horse has a reaction following a vaccination. The local and whole body reaction to a number of the equine immunization products is a well-known side effect of these necessary shots. Some horses demonstrate signs of systemic illness, such Read More
Wounds and Lacerations
March 02, 2005
One of the most important facts regarding severe wounds is that the sooner they are noticed and repaired the better the patient's prognosis, both functionally and cosmetically. Another aspect of wounds is that they bleed, some significantly more than Read More
Severe Dehydration
February 22, 2005
Dehydration can be a significant problem for the performance horse as well as for horses suffering from other disease processes. If you suspect dehydration, you can check easily your horse's hydration status if you have used one or more of the follow Read More
Vital Signs
February 16, 2005
To establish a baseline set of measurements when the horse is healthy, do your "hands-off" observations first. Then after watching the horse, measure its heart and respiratory rates. Read More
Bleeding from the Rectum
February 09, 2005
Blood coming from the rectum can represent an extremely serious veterinary medical emergency. If a relatively healthy horse is observed to be bleeding from the rectum, the most likely cause is some type of trauma. I have seen this result from malicio Read More
Facts About Blood
February 02, 2005
Blood is an essential component of the mechanism whereby oxygen is transferred from the lungs to all of the body's organs and tissues. So just how much blood does a horse have anyway? Read More
The Essential First Aid Kit
January 26, 2005
The preparation of a horse first aid kit for your stable is easy to make and--in an emergency--can be of great importance. Once you have assembled such a kit, make sure everyone knows this golden rule: its contents are for emergency use only. Read More
The Right Stuff
November 01, 2004
David O'Connor and Leon Harrel come from two totally separate equine worlds and compete in disciplines that have very little in common. They also are far removed from each other geographically. O'Connor, winner of the individual Olympic gold Read More
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
November 01, 2004
When it comes to winter coats, most of us think of the long hairs that end up down our shirts, up our noses, in our mouths and eyes, and all over the floor during springtime shedding. However, there's more to a winter coat than shedding Read More
Basic Concepts in Nutrition
September 01, 2004
The options and opinions on what to feed your horse are numerous. My goal in this article is to review the differences between the "simple-stomached" creatures (such as ourselves, dogs, cats, etc.) and the horse. In addition, we will take a look Read More
Dealing With Warts
August 01, 2004
A wart is an epidermal (skin) tumor caused by a variety of different viral infections. Remember that the word tumor simply means lump or mass and does not always infer cancer. In medical terms, warts are typically referred to as papillomas Read More
Shot Spots
May 01, 2004
All in all, vaccine reactions are very rare, and the process of vaccination against a disease process is one of the best ways you can safeguard your horse's health. Vaccination is one of the most impressive discoveries of modern medicine; the Read More
Analyze This! (Blood Tests Part 2)
October 01, 2003
Blood tests are a part of veterinary care known as laboratory medicine (for more information, see "What Blood Can Tell You" in the August 2003 issue of The Horse, article #4514 online). Laboratory medicine is used by your Read More
A Shot in the Dark
June 01, 2003
Author's note: This article is intended to improve your understanding of drugs commonly used in equine veterinary care; it is not a "treatment guide" for the lay person. No medication or combination thereof should be given without veterinary Read More
Thrush: Phew! Stinky Feet!
May 01, 2003
Thrush is very common, and it typically is a mild disease that can be easily treated. More importantly, it can be prevented with adequate hoof/foot management and good stable husbandry. Read More
Venereal Disease in Horses
October 10, 2001
Venereal diseases are those that can be sexually transmitted. "Vener" is the Latin term for sexual intercourse and, hence, the origin of the term "venereal." The outcome of sexually transmitted diseases in horses can vary Read More
Ovariectomy
September 17, 2001
Ovariectomy is a procedure that generally is performed to remove an abnormal ovary. Occasionally, an ovariectomy is performed in fillies or mares which have particularly bad behavior during their heat cycle in an effort to make them more Read More
Tendon Injuries in Horses
September 13, 2001
Tendon injuries can be extremely frustrating. The best way to deal with them is to make every effort to prevent them, or if possible, limit the degree of damage that occurs. Certainly some tendon injuries occur acutely without any warning, but Read More
Hoof Repair
September 13, 2001
When your farrier and/or your veterinarian discuss how to solve the hoof problems you are encountering with your horse--be it from injury or disease--you will be better able to understand your options, and get your horse back on his feet in the short Read More
Minimizing Wound Complications
July 01, 2001
Wound care is one of those many horse issues where there are as many opinions as there are horse owners. There are hundreds of agents (both commercial and homemade) available to paint, spray, smear, gob on, and Read More
Bandaging: Wrapping It Up
June 01, 2001
A general theme that applies to all bandaging--from the simplest of shipping wraps to the most elaborate full-leg medical bandages--is that bandages can be dangerous if not applied correctly. Read More
Navicular Problems: Symptoms and Treatment
June 01, 2001
So many times, a horse gets labeled as suffering from "navicular," and people shy away from him as if he were Typhoid Mary, not knowing how to treat or even visualize the problem. In recent decades, however, much has been learned about the area Read More
Choke (Esophageal Obstruction)
April 01, 2001
The word choke for me conjures up images of someone hovering over a table, unable to talk or breathe because a piece of food has lodged in their trachea or windpipe--fortunately, the Heimlich maneuver usually rectifies the situation. Choke is Read More
