Farm Call: Your Questions Answered
Bute for Old Bones
December 25, 2012
Q. I have a 38-year-old grade gelding with huge, arthritic knees. He fell three weeks ago. X rays show nothing broken or fractured. My veterinarian wants him on bute forever. Is there anything else that could help him with no side effects?
Managing Navicular Syndrome
December 18, 2012
Q. I have a 5-year-old old Irish Sport Horse mare, recently diagnosed with navicular syndrome. I was wondering what is the best way to take care of her and try to prevent things from getting worse?
Bacteria in Semen
December 11, 2012
Q. I'm wondering if there is a bacterial component that can be present in stallion semen. We have a stallion that will settle mares easily one year and then not be able to settle mares the next.
EPM and Pregnancy
December 04, 2012
Q. I know there are many treatments available for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), but are there any that are safe for use in pregnant mares? Would sulfadiazine/pyrimethamine (Rebalance) be a safer option over either of these?
Body Heat and Thermal-Neutral Temperature
November 27, 2012
Q. What is a thermal-neutral temperature?
Cold-Weather Equine Ear Protection?
November 20, 2012
Q. Do horses living outside need their ears protected during cold weather?
Age for Onset of Osteoarthritis
November 13, 2012
Q. At what age is osteoarthritis likely to start in a horse?
Osteoarthritis Versus Arthritis: What's the Difference?
November 06, 2012
Q. What's the difference between osteoarthritis and other types of arthritis?
What Causes Equine Cushing's Disease?
October 30, 2012
Q. What causes Cushing's disease, and why does it seem like it's so prevalent in our horses?
Crestfallen
October 01, 2012
Q. My 13-year-old pony stallion was quite well-muscled and stocky with a pronounced crest when he was younger. After a leasing period, he returned seriously underweight with significant muscle atrophy and a soft, almost floppy crest. Can we remedy this?
Dry Feet
October 01, 2012
Q. My horse, who is kept in a barn at night but out in a pasture during the day, had very dry, cracked, and brittle hooves this spring--it's hard to keep shoes on him. This never happened when he was kept in a barn at all times. Why the change?
Inguinal Hernia in Horses
October 01, 2012
Q. My gelding has been diagnosed with a hernia between the omentum and the inguinal ring. He hasn't had signs of discomfort, his bowel movements have been the same, and he doesn't have any problems with urination. What should I know prior to surgery?
Fusion for Bone Spavin
September 01, 2012
Q. My horse has bone spavin. A study on alcohol joint fusion's effect on this disease says once the joint fuses the horse is no longer in pain. But my vet says he doesn't like to destroy joints. Isn't that what's happening now? Is fusion a good choice?
Speedy Splint Recovery
September 01, 2012
Q. Do you have any suggestions for speeding the time it takes for proximal splints (in the forelimbs) to resolve?
Grazing on Lawn Grass
September 01, 2012
Q. We intend to bring our mare home where most of the pasture was our lawn. We've never used chemicals but I am not sure what the grass may do to her. What should I do to help prevent founder and colic on the grass? Is it safe to put her on the grass?
Preventing Pigeon Fever
August 01, 2012
Q. We have 20 horses that live in various pastures on our property. Last fall we had five cases of pigeon fever. How long is the incubation period of this bacterial disease?
Bread for My Horses?
July 01, 2012
Q. Do you have any information about what would happen if you were to feed a horse bread? I understand that bread is starch, which horses don't digest very fast, and that it could be toxic if fed in excess. What are your thoughts?
Vaccine Reactions
July 01, 2012
Q. My horses have been vaccinated every year. The last couple years they have reacted to their three-way vaccination with fevers and symptoms of lethargy, depression, and being off feed. Is this harmful for their immune systems if it occurs every year?
Mare and Foal Nutrition
July 01, 2012
Q. When feeding my mare and her 7-month-old foal, should I add and/or substitute alfalfa pellets or beet pulp to meet their calcium requirements?
Premature Partuition
June 01, 2012
Q. We have a 19-year-old broodmare that bagged up and developed edema (fluid swelling) on her belly starting nearly six weeks before her due date. Her prospective due date is June 1. She bagged up on April 9. What could this be a sign of?
Post-Body Clipping Hives
June 01, 2012
Q. My horse was body clipped this winter so he could dry more quickly after being bathed. He developed a case of hives within a few weeks after clipping. Can clipping horses' body hair off for the winter cause hives? And are there any remedies?
Possible Granuloma
June 01, 2012
Q. My 20-year-old Arabian gelding has a hard, bony, fingerlike growth deep in a pectoral (chest) muscle. It doesn't seem to bother him. Could it be an old puncture that encapsulated?
Quality of Life with a Cleft Palate?
June 01, 2012
Q. We have a 2-year-old filly with a cleft palate. It is affecting her soft palate and a bit of her hard palate. The owners want to put her down, but I'm looking for a "stand around companion" for my own horse. Would she be comfortable enough?
Cisplatin and Vaccination
April 01, 2012
Q. My gelding was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his third eyelid. He'll be starting cisplatin injections this month. Should I wait to give him his spring vaccinations until he's finished with the chemotherapy treatments, or vaccinate now?
Hoof Cracks and Lameness
April 01, 2012
Q. Can a horse go lame because of extreme hoof cracks and not being trimmed regularly? If so, is there was anything you can do to reverse hoof cracks?
