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Sunrise Equine Veterinary Services Spring 2011 Newsletter Issue 17, Volume 1 |
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SEVS News Dr. Jeske Noordergraaf Welcome to the spring newsletter from Sunrise Equine Veterinary Services. We have had a long and cold winter but we saw fewer cases of colic than other years due to the weather being more consistent and just cold. Spring is coming soon and we are gearing up for our Coggins clinics and spring work. We would like to invite you to a client education seminar on Monday, March 14th from 6:15 to 8 pm at the North Branch Library. Dr. Kenton Morgan from Pfizer Animal Health will be speaking on tick borne diseases such as Anaplasma and Lyme disease in horses. We will be serving Subway sandwiches and drinks. We will also offer fecal exams for $10.00 each. Please RSVP to 651-583-2162 or sevs@frontiernet.net. Feel free to bring a friend. We are once again holding two Coggins and vaccination clinics, along with reduced priced fecals.. The first one will be held at the grounds of NorthWest Saddle Club in North Branch on Saturday, April 9 from 10 am - 2 pm in conjunction with their tack swap. The second will be held here on Saturday, April 23 from 1 pm – 3 pm. We are continuing with digital Coggins as most of you like this fairly new technology. More information and directions are available on our website. Rabies is on the increase in the state of Minnesota with 4 animals dying from it this year. There was a case of rabies in an indoor cat in Chisago county and there have been three cows diagnosed with rabies also. We are recommending this vaccine as a rabid animal may bite a healthy horse without the owner knowing. This winter, Dr Kirsten Frederickson and I have continued our learning. I was recently in Madison for an ultrasound seminar and last fall I attended the Purina seminar on nutrition. Kirsten participated in a lecture/wet lab on equine backs at the Univ of MN. We are always eager to use what we have learned. Plan early for your spring appointment. We expect payment at time of service. We were able to keep the same prices as last year for most items including vaccinations and Coggins. Our spring appointments usually includes: a wellness exam, the appropriate vaccinations for your horse, Coggins, dental work, sheath cleaning and fecal exams or any combination of these. We are happy to split a farm call between neighbors or you can bring your horse here to our barn. Thank you for your continued support and for recommending us to your friends. I hope to see you on the trails this summer.
Client Education Seminar Ticks are a big problem in Minnesota. Come on Monday, March 14th to the North Branch Library from 6:15 to 8:00pm to learn the difference between Anaplasmosis and Lyme Disease in horses. Dr. Kenton Morgan, a 1983 graduate of the University of Missouri, will be speaking. He is currently working for Pfizer Animal Health in their equine division, after being both in an equine ambulatory practice and working as a resident veterinarian at a breeding farm. Bring vaccination questions also.
Owner’s Corner Here are a couple of websites that you, as a horse owner, may find useful: www.sunriseequine.com www.americashealthyhorse.com www.aaep.org www.kppusa.com (nutrition information)
A Pain in the Neck? Or a Pain in the Back? Dr. Kirsten Frederickson Back and neck pain are prominent areas of concern in human medicine. Most people either have had pain in these areas themselves or know someone who has. Physical therapy and chiropractic work are used regularly for treatment in humans and are being seen more and more in the horse industry as well. Currently, more investigation is being given to these areas in the horse, which is warranted since we ask them to carry our weight on their back and perform unnatural tasks. Veterinarians, physical therapists and chiropractors who work primarily on performance and sport horses feel that the cause of some of the lameness that we see in the lower limbs may originally have started as neck, back or pelvic pain. Persistent pain can result in chronic tight muscles. If something hurts to bend then certain muscles stay tense to hold that area straight. There may also be times when an area is held bent to avoid the pain of straightening. Either case can causes the horse to misuse their body and therefore stress other areas that were not part of the original problem. These newly stressed areas often develop problems due to the misuse. These problems are referred to as secondary or compensatory. The longer the original problem persists, the more chance there is of developing compensatory issues. It then becomes difficult to sort out which issues are primary and which are secondary. It is important to determine this for proper treatment. If only the secondary issues are treated, the persisting primary issue will cause the secondary to reoccur again and again. If only the primary issue is treated, the secondary issue may or may not resolve on its own. The neck, back and pelvis of the horse can pose a diagnostic challenge due to the mass of the muscles and depth of the underlying bones and joints. Unlike a bowed tendon in the lower leg, injury in this region is rarely easily visualized because many of the functional parts are internal. In addition most of the spine and the pelvis cannot be x-rayed. X-rays can only penetrate through a certain amount of tissue and the adult horses back and hindquarters are just too thick. So how can this area be addressed in lieu of these obstacles? At the end of January I attended a seminar at the University of Minnesota. It was given by the physical therapist who treats the humans and horses on the Australian Equestrian Team. The focus was on the anatomy and function of the equine neck, back and pelvis. The key is to have a detailed knowledge of the anatomy. A lot of focus is placed on the muscling since most of what we can see and feel in these regions are the muscles. Looking at the muscle development and symmetry along with palpating for tone and possible pain will point to problem areas. The motion of each part in the horse, and as a whole, is a reflection of how the muscles function. Therefore knowing which muscles are responsible for which movements, including normal direction of movement and range of motion can reveal if there is a problem. This is done with a combination of manual manipulation and a moving exam to watch how the horse carries himself. A wide range of treatments are currently available for the horse. What is needed will depend on the problem, the severity, and the end goal. Anything from injections to adjustments, acupuncture to rest and anti-inflammatories, deep tissue massage to muscle releasing osteopathy, and muscle relaxing medication can be used. Special flexibility and strengthening exercises that encourage the horse to use himself properly and retrains the muscles have become an integral part of returning the horse to full function and preventing problems from returning. Just like in humans, neck, back and pelvic pain can be debilitating for our horses. Problems can present as anything from reluctance to take one lead at the canter to an ever-present lameness. The more we investigate these regions the more answers we will uncover and the better off our horses will be.
2011 Vaccination Recommendations
Deworming Recommendations: Strategic Deworming We used to want horses to be parasite free. In order to prevent resistant worms, the new goal is to maintain a low level of parasites. Recommendation: Fecal: to know your horse’s parasite load. If low and the horse is healthy, 2 fecals per year and deworm in the fall. If fecals are high, deworm in spring and run another fecal 2-3 weeks after deworming to check effectiveness of dewormer. There are a few horses who will need to be dewormed every 8 weeks but this is the minority. Fall- all horses should be dewormed with an ivermectin/praziquantal product after the first hard frost to kill bots and tapeworms along with other intestinal parasites. We will be happy to discuss your horse’s specific needs. Coggins and Vaccination Clinics
When: Saturday, April 9, 2011 Where: Northwest Saddle Club 26950 Lyons St North Branch, MN 55056 Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm **In conjunction with the Saddle Club’s Tack Swap from 10:00am - 3:00pm** & When: Saturday, April 23, 2011 Where: Sunrise Equine Veterinary Services 39318 Poor Farm Road North Branch, MN 55056 Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Please visit our website or call for more info and directions.
Have your horses Coggins tested, vaccinated and fecal exams done at a reduced price!!
In order to speed up our process and get you through the line faster, please bring your horses’ last EIA certificate! Digital pictures do not need to be retaken!
Rain or Shine!
A special thanks to Morton Buildings for sponsoring our newsletter!
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