Doug Byars, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM
Doug Byars, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, is Director of the medicine clinic at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee equine practice in Lexington, Ky.
Articles by Doug Byars
Checking the Vitals: Is My Horse Sick? How Sick?
August 24, 2010
Being familiar with your horse's normal resting temperature, pulse, and respiration rates (TPR) help you recognize when things are abnormal. The TPR vitals help you determine "how abnormal." Remember, vitals taken after the horse has been worked Read More
Checking the Vitals: The Lungs
August 07, 2010
Because can't tell a horse to "take a deep breath," listening to his lungs requires the following techniques. Read More
Checking the Vitals: Heart Function and Sound
July 29, 2010
The function of the heart is purely as a magnificent pump. It fills and empties thousands of times a day. There are four chambers, when divided into two sides, ad the left and right side each performs its functions to transport blood to the cells of Read More
Checking the Vitals: Abdominal Sounds
July 23, 2010
Unlike heart and respiratory rates, abdominal sounds do not punch a specific time clock for generating "gut sounds." The rhythmic peristaltic churning of food mixed with fluids within the gut varies in slower waves depending on meal time, the meal it Read More
Rabies Danger, Exposure Cost Reinforce Equine Vaccination Need
June 07, 2009
Rabies is a rhabdovirus that has been a human threat since antiquity. The virus is capable of infecting all warm-blooded animals with some variation in susceptibility. Rabies is considered 100% fatal to the infected host. However, in order for Read More
"Sticky" Third Eyelid
April 01, 2009
Q: Twice, my 12-year-old Paint gelding has gotten his third eyelid "stuck" over the top of his eyeball for 10 or 20 seconds. The first time was when water splashed in his eye during a bath. He tossed his head, rolled his eye upward Read More
Insulin Resistance and Layup Time
April 01, 2009
Q: My 18-year-old Percheron/ Morgan gelding was diagnosed with insulin resistance. Just prior to being confined to stall rest for a connective tissue injury, his insulin was 67 microIU/mL. The vet did a dexamethasone suppression Read More
Comparing Humans and Horses
October 08, 2008
Comparisons of humans to horses logically can start with the anatomy. We stand upright; horses stand prone on their four limbs. What we call our knees are the stifles of horses, and our heels or ankles are horses' hocks. Our foot is their cannon Read More
Taking the Heart Rate
January 01, 2008
Horse owners should know how to evaluate the basic health parameters of their animals, including temperature, pulse (heart rate), and respiration, better known by the acronym TPR. They also should know how to evaluate capillary refill time to judge Read More
Research... Missing Dollars
July 01, 2007
Leaders in veterinary research and the equine industry should develop policy initiatives that recognize needed changes in the research landscape. Equine medicine remains grossly underfunded. As companion animals, horses receive few government Read More
