Sport Horse Medicine
Sport Horse Medicine
Sport Horse Medicine addresses the needs of competitive horses with the goal of maximizing their athletic performance and prolonging their competitive careers. Although lameness is typically the number one problem associated with equine athletes, many other medical conditions can impair their performance and quality of life.
Respiratory Conditions
Metabolic Conditions
Health Services
Gastric Ulcers
Lameness
We offer a comprehensive array of services to diagnose and treat a wide range of lamenesses.
Respiratory Conditions
Many respiratory conditions will prevent comfortable breathing and oxygen exchange. These include:
Infections
Mechanical dysfunction
Allergies
For each of the conditions above, we offer diagnostic and treatment services:
Infections
We offer a range of vaccinations tailored to your horses's environment and travel schedule to prevent infection. Digital radiographs of the skull can show sinus tumors and infections, as well as tooth root disease.
Mechanical Dysfunction
Endoscopy of the palate, larynx and trachea can offer insight into problems with function of the throat, inflammation in the airway, and identify the origin of nasal discharges.
Allergies
Bronchoalveolar lavage (lung wash) enables us to retrieve cells and bacteria from the lungs to identify the cause of allergy and heaves symptoms, and to guide us to the proper treatment. Serum allergy testing is also offered to identify environmental irritants that your horse is sensitive to.
Metabolic Conditions
While the signs of these conditions are sometimes quite obvious, they are often very subtle and the only evidence of them is reduced performance. Identification of these problems is the first step towards successful management of the athlete.
Blood Testing
Several metabolic conditions can be identified with various blood testing, such as:
Tying up
PSSM (polysaccharide storage muscle disease)
Low thyroid levels
Anemia
Cushings disease
Insulin resistance
Medications
If medications are prescribed, we also provide guidance for appropriate pre-competition withdrawal times and possible interactions with other drugs.
Health Services
In addition to the above, full coggins, health certificate, scratch slip and FEI/CEF passport completion services are also provided.
Gastric Ulcers
Gastric ulcers are a frequent cause of poor performance, reduced appetite, and recurrent colic. We can diagnose these with gastroscopy and prescribe appropriate therapy and management changes for your horse.