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
Problems with Cataracts?
January 01, 2001
Q: I am thinking of buying a 6-year-old mare that has cataracts in both of her eyes. What kind of problems would I be in for if I decide to buy this sweetheart?
via e-mail
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Common Problems and Their Signs: Part Two
June 01, 2000
In the April issue, the cover story began our study of common problems that can affect your horse. Those included the oral cavity, eyes, GI system, and respiratory system. The abilit Read More
Off-Label Drug Use for Horses
April 01, 2000
Off-label drug use, which technically was illegal until recently, might be one of the most beneficial things we as veterinarians do in the treatment of disease in animals. The technically illegal part was a result of the way a drug was licensed Read More
Common Problems and Their Signs
April 01, 2000
The ability to recognize abnormalities depends greatly on a person's knowledge of what is normal. The greater someone's knowledge of normal anatomy, physiology, behavior, and environment of a given animal, the more likely that person is to Read More
Total Parenteral Nutrition
February 01, 2000
Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) frequently is used to provide adequate nutrition intravenously in small animals and humans, and it is becoming more commonly used in horses and foals when feeding via the gastrointestinal tract is impractical, Read More
Problems With Hooves
January 01, 2000
It takes nearly a year for the hoof to grow down from the coronary band to the ground. Therefore, anything that happens to the horse -- whether specific trauma to the foot or a systemic problem -- can affect the health of the hoof for a long time. Read More
COPD
November 01, 1999
Please take a deep breath. Excuse me, I said could you take a deep breath please? No, stop nuzzling at my backside. Could you please just take a deep breath?
This might be a typical one-sided conversation a veterinarian would want Read More
Wound Care
August 01, 1999
Wound care is one of those many horse issues where there are as many opinions regarding treatment as there are horse owners and veterinarians. There are hundreds of agents (both commercial and home-brew) available to paint, spray, smear, gob, an Read More
Steroids
July 01, 1999
Q: My horse had a soft tissue injury and my veterinarian gave him steroids. Some of the people in my barn say I need to be careful that he doesn’t get too aggressive or get foundered. I’m confused. How can steroids do Read More
Inflammation
April 01, 1999
Within every living cell (muscle, tendon, lung, bone, etc.), there is a biochemical and cellular time bomb waiting to go off—inflammation. However, it is to be noted that inflammation is a double-edged sword. More animals (and probably people) Read More
Foal IgG (Antibody)
February 01, 1999
The foal is born with a functional immune system (if all is normal), but has a general absence of immunoglobulins to aid in the defense against infection. The foal acquires his initial immunoglobulin protection from the mare's first milk, which Read More
The Down Horse
January 11, 1999
The "down horse" refers to a horse which has become recumbent and cannot rise. The term is a clinical sign and is a non-specific development of a number of disease conditions; the causes can be many. Read More
Communicating With Your Vet
January 01, 1999
The ability to communicate well is probably one of the most important skills for success you can develop no matter what you do for a living. It seems, at least in my life, that when something goes wrong (or not as well as I had planned), it Read More
Heart Murmurs in Horses
October 01, 1998
Is a heart murmur in horses the same as a heart murmur in people? What signs will a horse with a heart murmur exhibit? How can a heart murmur be diagnosed? Read More
Euthanasia for Horses
October 01, 1998
After three days of colic, the horse's pain finally is subdued by various drugs and the anesthetic gas. The ventilator now is breathing for the horse, which has been placed on his back and a large incision made in his abdomen to allow for Read More
Allergic Reactions in Horses
September 01, 1998
Allergic reactions are complicated and somewhat unpredictable events that are triggered by various environment Read More
Restraint Techniques
September 01, 1998
The first premise regarding restraint techniques for horses is the art of knowing when and when not to use them. The individual personalities of horses sometimes can make the decision to use restraint (and the particular type) more Read More
Equine Respiratory Disease Part 2: The Lower Airway
August 01, 1998
The lower airway consists of the lungs and the air tubing (bronchi) that supplies them. The lungs have some very interesting and unique protective mechanisms that put forth a great effort to prevent infection. Obviously, the air Read More
Common Respiratory Problems
July 01, 1998
The main goal of the respiratory system is to transfer oxygen from the air we breathe to the red blood cells, where the oxygen will be transported throughout the body and be available for all organs and tissues. In addition, carbon dioxide, a waste Read More
Periodic Ophthalmia (Moon Blindness)
July 01, 1998
Periodic ophthalmia, otherwise known as recurrent uveitis, uveitis, or moon blindness, can be a devastating disease of the equine eye. It also, unfortunately, is a disease that we really don't know much about. The hypothetical Read More
Administering Medications
June 01, 1998
Author's Note: The purpose of this article is to act as a reference to aid the veterinarian in educating clients in the techniques of medication administration. This article is not intended to act as an encouragement to owner-prescribed Read More
Umbilical Hernia
May 01, 1998
I have been told that my horse has an umbilical hernia. What exactly is an umbilical hernia and what can be done to correct it?
A hernia is defined as a "protrusion of an organ or tissue through an abnormal opening." The Read More
Transporting Horses
April 01, 1998
Moving horses from place to place is recorded to occur as far back in history as 3,500 years. At that time, horses were transported by sea and either were confined in boxes to the bowels of the boat or placed in slings on the deck of the boat. Read More
Bone Cysts
November 01, 1997
The first thing to address in this story is that most "bone cysts" are not typically "cysts," by strict definition. The medical dictionary definition of a "cyst" is, "a structure lined with epithelium (a special cell type) and Read More
Common Complaints: Diseases Horses and Humans Share
October 01, 1997
The titles of numerous news stories in Florida papers during a few weeks in October shared some common words--Eastern equine encephalomyelitis. The disease has been responsible for several human deaths recently in Florida, and while in Orlando Read More
