Equine Newsletters

Equine Veterinary Services

• Vaccination programs
• Parasite control programs
• Laboratory diagnostics
• Nutritional counseling
• Mare reproductive/ pregnancy examination
• Sick animal examination/ diagnostic testing
• Emergency care

Equine Ambulatory Services

Ambulatory care is the focus of our practice. Our doctor's provides routine preventative care, lameness exams, minor surgeries, and numerous diagnostic procedures for your horse in your environment. Our veterinarians bring the benefit of their knowledge and abilities along with the newest diagnostic and therapeutic modalities directly to your horse with one phone call to our scheduling desk.

Lameness Evaluation and Treatment:

Joint injection can be performed on the farm. Commonly injected joints of the hind limbs include hocks and stifles and the SI joint of the back. Joints of the front limbs that are commonly injected include knees, ankles, and coffin joints.

Lameness is one of the most common reasons for poor performance in the equine athlete.  Diagnosing lameness requires extensive hands-on experience and knowledge of current therapies and treatments.  Thorough physical exams, lameness exams, and a combination of diagnostic joint and nerve blocks are often used to help determine the injured or abnormal area in a horse exhibiting lameness or decreased performance.  Other diagnostic modalities used in lameness evaluations are radiography and ultrasonography.  Treatments can include therapeutic joint and tendon sheath injections, acupuncture, and many other options.

Acupuncture is useful for a wide variety of back and lameness issues.

Power Floating Horses Teeth 
Our power float is very unique because it uses water to cool the teeth, much as a dentist does when he or she works on your teeth. Not all power floats have a coolant system.  Without the water coolant system, teeth can become too hot and suffer from thermal injury. Before any power float is started, Dr. Yardley will perform a physical exam to make sure it is safe to sedate your horse; a full mouth exam with mirrors and picks will be performed first.  A veterinarian can perform a full mouth exam, whereas non-veterinarians who float teeth cannot.  All horses will be sedated for the power float, as it is important for their safety.  

Chondroprotective Programs:

We offer programs for treating arthritis in horses. These included Adequan, Legend, and Map-5 programs. These drugs protect joint cartilage that may delay the onset of arthritis and decrease the amount of arthritis present. Ask your vet which program is best for your horse.

Platelet Rich Plasma, PRP (Stem Cell):

PRP is a regenerative therapy that uses a horse’s own healing factors to increase the speed of recovery.  It has been shown to contain numerous growth factors which act as a physical scaffold that aids in tissue healing.  A little blood is collected from your horse and injected into a high tech filtrate system, which concentrates the amount of platelets.  The platelets release their healing factors when injected into the tendon that was injured. Horses that have PRP are less likely to re-injure the same tendon, as compared to horses that have had stall rest. Our new ultrasound will let us follow the healing process in the tendon. Tiger Woods used PRP to help his knee heal after surgery, and he went on to win the 2008 US Open that year.  Why shouldn’t your horse have the same options as star athletes?

Radiographs:

Radiographs use x-ray to visualize bone for abnormalities including arthritic changes and fractures. Feeder Creek has one portable radiograph machines capable of imaging feet, stifles, limbs, and hocks.

Ultrasound:

Ultrasound uses sound waves to evaluate soft tissues like tendons and ligaments, reproductive organs, lumps, and tumors. It is a valuable imaging tool for examining soft tissue structures that do not image well on radiographs.  Even though ultrasound waves do not penetrate bone, they provide good images of the surface of the bone and therefore, it is an exceptionally useful tool for the evaluation and diagnosis of many areas of the musculoskeletal system, such as flexor tendons, suspensory ligaments, and joints and their associated supporting structures.

Ultrasound also helps in the diagnosis of pneumonia and any swelling or mass and is an excellent tool for monitoring healing.  In addition, it is non-painful and non-invasive to the patient.

Mesotherapy:
Mesotherapy was first described in 1952 in France, and has been used by Federation Equestre International team veterinarians since then.  Dr. Yardley has been performing Mesotherapy on his patients since he took courses with Dr. Jean Marie Denoix, who is a well-respected French FEI vet.  During Mesotherapy, bioactive substances are injected through tiny needles into the mesoderm, the middle layer of skin. Mesotherapy relieves a wide variety of conditions resulting from pain and tightness, such as lumbar back pain or cervical neck pain. Two to three treatments might be needed for full results to be seen.

Surgery:

Standing surgery of the horse is performed for castration, biopsy, laceration repair, and lewellyn surgery.

Pre-purchase Examinations:

Very few horses are 100 percent sound. Obtaining a prepurchase exam alerts the buyer to a horse's defects and allows the buyer to make an informed decision on whether to buy the horse. We offer different levels of prepurchase exams based on your needs. A simple exam may include a thorough physical, with flexion tests or palpation of a pregnant mare. An extensive exam may include blood tests, ultrasound, and radiographs.

Lewellyn Procedure:

This procedure is available for racehorse clients. It corrects the dorsal displacement “flipping” of the soft palate.

Vaccinations:

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) recommend 5 core vaccinations for every horse. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) defines core vaccinations as those "that protect from diseases that are endemic to a region, those with potential public health significance, required by law, virulent/highly infectious, and/or those posing a risk of severe disease. Core vaccines have clearly demonstrated efficacy and safety, and thus exhibit a high enough level of patient benefit and low enough level of risk to justify their use in the majority of patients." These 5 vaccines include: Eastern and Western Encephalitis, Tetanus, West Nile Virus, and Rabies. Other available vaccines that are considered optional depending on the region you live include: Rhinopneumonitis (herpes virus), Influenza, Potomac Horse Fever, and Strangles. If you are not sure, consult your veterinarian as to which vaccines would be best for your horse(s).

Parasite Control:

Parasite resistance is growing to dewormers. Utilizing a rotational deworming program at specific times combined with fecal egg counts is the most effective control method for battling parasite resistance. Fecal egg counts allow us to be able to determine how effective deworming protocols really are. Did you know that some horses are genetically more resistant to parasites than others and may not need to be dewormed as often? Pasture management is also vital to combating parasites. Our veterinarians can discuss proper deworming protocols for your horse as well as results to your horses' fecal egg count and pasture management.

Laboratory Diagnostics:

Diagnostics available include CBC, profile, Coggins test, thyroid testing, ACTH stimulation, insulin levels, culture and sensitivity, and nasal swabs for viral isolation.. A complete blood count (CBC) checks for anemia, any infectious disease processes, or cell line disorders. A profile looks at various enzymes to determine organ function (liver, kidney, pancreas, muscle), various electrolytes (sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium) and blood glucose. A profile is essential in a geriatric patient. A Coggins test checks for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), which is a virus that there is no vaccine and no cure. It is transmitted horse to horse by horseflies. Coggins is not required by law but most show grounds and horse shows/equine events require a current Coggins test. Coggins tests typically take 2-3 weeks for results.

Nutritional counseling:

Just like humans, each horse is different and may require a different diet depending on their activity level, age, and health status. Our veterinarians can discuss special diets and recommend feeding options for your horse(s).

Mare Reproduction/Pregnancy:

Our veterinarians can do a complete checkup on your broodmares or stallion,. This includes pregnancy palpation with ultrasound or drawing blood to determine pregnancy.  At foaling, our veterinarians can assist in delivery if your mare has problems. Concerned your foal may not have gotten an adequate amount of colostrum? We have foal IgG snap tests to determine if passive transfer from the dam was successful or not.

Biannual Examination:

Regular examinations by a veterinarian can detect many ailments, which when recognized and treated early, can prevent more serious problems from developing and prevent further expenses. Physical examinations are recommended biannually so problems can be detected early on. Your horse's annual examination includes an assessment of overall body condition and health, eyes, teeth, auscultation of the heart, lungs, abdomen, skin and other areas as deemed necessary. This is also an excellent time to discuss deworming protocols and nutrition.

Diagnostic Assessment:

Problems do occur which can be detrimental to your horse's health and function. Our veterinarians can provide a thorough diagnostic assessment to determine the problem so your horse can be properly treated and return to regular function.

Introducing the Feeder Creek Equine Wellness Program!

Our goal at Feeder Creek is to provide the highest quality health care for your horse. We are pleased to offer a wellness program personalized to provide your horse with excellent disease prevention and health maintenance! We offer you a comprehensive program that covers routine health care at an affordable price. We offer different levels of our wellness program that best suits your horses lifestyle.

Spring Equine Newsletters