Horse Side Vet Guide®

[...] a hospital setting.  Of all horses that show colic signs, only a small percentage will require colic surgery.  It is these horses that are the subject of this article. Your vet’s role is to do the [...]

[...] understand that there is a multitude of CCC’s. You should understand the basic facts regarding colic surgery (including cost) and whether or not you would consider colic surgery for each of your [...]

[...] , it will not resolve with conservative treatment or time. Instead it may require colic surgery or intensive medical veterinary care. It is impossible for an observer of horse in colic [...]

[...] vet for severe colic. It had been unresponsive to treatment and the owner was interested in colic surgery, if needed. The horse arrived dead in the trailer. I performed a post-mortem exam and found a [...]

[...] industry change their ways with respect to managing parasites in horses. It is critical that horse owners and equine professionals understand the problem and help solve it. It is natural for healthy [...]

[...] others.  Diarrhea is the most common and “classic” sign of sand accumulation in the horse. Horse owners should recognize diarrhea in the adult horse as a medical emergency. DIAGNOSIS Your vet [...]

[...] and expensive services in private practice is driven to a great extent by better-informed horse owners that demand the best health care for their horses. However, as in human healthcare, there is a [...]

[...] of equine veterinary medicine for over 20 years, I believe that it is very important for horse owners to understand the difference between a symptom, an observation, diagnostics, a clinical sign [...]

[...] swelling and fever. They have value in treating a wide range of conditions in horses, from abdominal pain (colic) to joint injury and laminitis. NSAIDS reduce inflammation by blocking prostaglandin [...]

[...] Horse in Abdominal Pain – Rolling It always surprises me when an experienced horse person asks me how I treat “colic.” [...]

[...] , I discussed how colic is not a disease but a group of signs shown by a horse experiencing abdominal pain. The signs can range in severity from a subtle reduction in appetite to violent rolling or [...]

[...] organs as well.  Signs of abdominal pain (colic) in the horse include: loss of appetite, lying down, pawing, rolling, kicking at the [...]

[...] disinfectant soap following contact with affected animals. By Douglas O. Thal DVM Dipl. ABVP Board Certified in Equine Practice Thal Equine LLC [...]

[...] of your practice.  Now and then I actually see this happen. By Douglas O. Thal DVM Dipl. ABVP Board Certified in Equine Practice Owner of Thal Equine LLC Creator of Horse Side Vet Guide® Originally [...]

[...] still have to be made when you are faced with the crisis. By Douglas O. Thal DVM Dipl. ABVP Board Certified in Equine Practice LAST UPDATED APRIL 2014 [...]

[...] can take to reduce the likelihood of colic in your horses. By Douglas O. Thal DVM Dipl. ABVP Board Certified in Equine Practice Thal Equine LLC Last Updated April 2013 Reprinted in Horse Around New [...]

[...] veterinary intervention and possible intensive care or surgery. So when you see a horse in colic pain, you are faced with a situation that could go either way. For this reason, to reduce risk, it [...]

[...] proper diagnosis and treatment, and this could cost the horse its life. Once a horse is in colic pain (from any condition) there is a sequence of events that tends to worsen the problem. In a [...]

[...] was corrected and many other factors.  Complications during this period include return to colic pain, abdominal infection, laminitis, colic recurrence, incision problems, and others.  For [...]

[...] a disease but is the horse’s way of demonstrating abdominal pain. If the cause of colic pain is simply gas or a spasm, a “simple shot of Banamine®” may be all it takes to break [...]

[...] candidate.  Perhaps the most important part of making that determination is asking you, the horse owner, about whether colic surgery is even an option.  In many cases, the only other option is [...]

[...] or bacterial infections. These are just a few of many examples of problems causing colic. As a horse owner watching a horse showing signs of colic, you truly have no idea of the condition that is [...]

[...] inability to chew for weeks to months, in the name of “balancing their mouth.” As a horse owner or caretaker, you should be highly suspicious of any treatment (performed by a vet or [...]

[...] generation being comprised of even more resistant parasites. The process is invisible to the horse owner. The greater the percentage of the worm population that is exposed to a compound, the greater [...]

[...] first and foremost in educating yourself and in maintaining good communication with your equine veterinarian.  As discussed below, these points go hand in hand. WHY IS EQUINE VETERINARY MEDICINE SO [...]

[...] Equine parasites are becoming resistant to our deworming compounds. Outdated worming practices are making the [...]

[...] the horse’s system to complete their life cycles. Key Point: Small numbers of intestinal parasites usually don’t cause obvious visible illness in horses.  The parasites operate “ [...]

 Most horses live long and healthy lives with small amounts of sand and dirt in their intestine. As they eat, horses naturally pick up small amounts [...]