A too often neglected area of good veterinary care is teaching owners how to better prevent injuries and medical problems. Dr. Page and Dr. Rice and the staff at CEC are doing a wonderful job providing this service through their seminars and wet labs."
--Donna Farris
Colic cases on rise!
August 22, 2012
The number of colics treated by our clinic in the past month has risen by almost double. The hot weather and hay shortages causing change in hay is suspected as causative. What can you do?
- Be sure your horse has water available at all times
- Feed three times a day instead of two
- Ride or exercise your horse daily. Fifteen minutes will make a big difference
- Do a fecal exam to check for parasites
AND, if your horse does colic, please call us right away. When we hear of what signs your horse is showing, we can help prevent additional expenses by giving you advice over the phone or, if indicated treat the colic before it becomes so severe that veterinary expenses increase and the colic becomes life threatening. Remember prevention!
For more information, read this article from The Horse.com - Equine Colic Management and Long-Term Survival
Colorado Equine Clinic Now Owns Highest Resolution Radiographic Equipment In Colorado
The only Empower Wireless high-resolution portable radiographic unit in Colorado is now available at Colorado Equine Clinic in Littleton, CO. This high-power technology produces image detail and differences in tissue densities that give the veterinarian ability to detect subtle lesions previously not visible - and in much greater contrast.
Now the clinic has the capacity to take very difficult images such as standing shoulders, chest and lungs, and complete back images. In the past such images could only be obtained by larger, high energy ceiling mounted x-ray generators.
As a wireless portable detector panel and X-ray generator, there are no cables to tangle or worry the horse, making a safer diagnostic situation for animal and human. It also uses less radiation than other systems, protecting both patient and veterinary staff. The unit can also be used remotely from a DR station for use in surgery or emergency environments. It produces images in 5 seconds from exposure time, burns CDs, and can send and receive images instantly.
Dr. Barbara T. Page, DVM, ICVA, owner of Colorado Equine Clinic (CEC), says “We are excited to have this new technology to assist our clients and their horses. The additional resolution of the images (bit depth of 65,536 shades of grey) help our clients to see and thus to understand more readily their horse’s problem. The unit also gives our doctors the ability to diagnose injuries in many additional parts of the body, and evaluate lameness issues with significantly more accuracy. CEC prides itself on helping both horse and human to heal. Through this technology, we not only have a more accurate diagnosis, we can also educate the owner in understanding the care and process toward wellness.”
Videos
Link to: "How to Check Your Horse's Heart Rate and Pulse"
"How to Apply a Wound Bandage"
"How to Apply a Sweat Wrap Bandage"
Watch the website for our next seminar, or email us to receive early notification of upcoming seminars and events!
Equine Rabies: Should You Be Concerned?
Rabies, an uncommon disease in Colorado, began a steep rise starting in 2008. The first case in a horse was confirmed in Douglas County in 2009 and a sharp increase in the number of cases in skunks has been noted in 2010. Just this month, there were reported cases in skunks in Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties. It is this sudden increase in the disease that is causing health officials and veterinarians to recommend vaccination of horses.
If you look at a U.S. map of the distribution of skunk rabies, it seems to stop right at the eastern Colorado state border. That is not the case anymore. Positive skunk rabies cases have been documented in several eastern Colorado counties. The concern is that the virus is moving westward towards the Front Range of Colorado. Counties along the Front Range are more populous in people and horses and so there is a potential risk to humans, dogs, cats, livestock, and horses.
- In 2005, there were 44 positive cases of rabies; all of these positives were bats.
- In 2006, there were 70 cases of rabies in Colorado - all bats, no skunk cases.
- From January 2007 through August 2008, there have been 18 positive cases of skunk rabies.
- Skunks are the most common species involved in the transmission of rabies virus to horses.
So what’s the deal with rabies?
Is there a need for concern? Maybe not concern as much as proactive prevention. Why?
- The disease is fatal to mammals. In people, the disease is fatal unless treated.
- If your horse gets rabies, and has NOT been vaccinated, it is fatal.
- You must be treated if your horse gets rabies.
- If a horse gets the disease from a skunk or bat, the horse can contaminate you while the horse is acting normal, before showing signs of the disease.
- The incidence of rabies has increased considerably in Colorado over the past two years.
- Two cases were confirmed in horses in 2009, 2010, none for 30 years prior.
- This disease is moving into the West.
- Although previously it was the bat most likely positive for rabies, in 2009 and 2010, it is the skunk, meaning it is much more likely the horse can get the disease.
Colorado Equine Newsletters
Click to read past issues of our newsletter.
December 2008 - Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome, The Nerve Center of the Horse - the Foot, Kid's Corner, Blanket or No Blanket, A Magical Connection with Horses, December Case of the Month: NSAID Toxicity, Seeking to Understand the Mind of the Horse, Parents Looking For a Horse For a Child Make a List and Check it Twice
February 2009 - Special Feature Article:Laminitis, Colorado Equine Clinic Wellness Program 2009, Winter Care for Horses, Winter Care for Horses, February Case Study - Cutaneous Lymphoma (Lymphosarcoma), Understanding The Horse's Mind - The Instinct to Flee, Parasite Control Updated: It's All About the Eggs
