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As all devotees of the many equestrian disciplines know, the horse is a versatile and gifted athlete. Athletes often encounter performance limiting problems during their training and career, and horses are no exception. Lameness (musculoskeletal pain) is the most common cause of poor performance, but it is not the only one.
Problems of the foot in addition to injuries of the joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons are common causes of pain. Other causes of poor performance include, but are not limited to, respiratory problems, cardiovascular problems, Gastric ulcers and neurologic abnormalities.
The diagnosis of lameness and poor performance is complicated in horses by their large size and inability to communicate the source of pain. The process of finding the problem starts with a thorough physical examination followed by a lameness examination (observation of the horse at work followed by flexion tests).
It is common for these evaluations to require perineural (nerve block) and intra-articular (joint block) diagnostic anesthesia to determine the source of pain in a specific limb. Once the pain has been localized to an area, then diagnostic imaging is used to characterize the injury and determine the most appropriate treatment.
The Veterinarians at Meddleton Equine are highly trained in lameness diagnosis and the Meddleton Equine hospital is equipped with the latest in diagnostic imaging technology. Once a lesion has been localized, the area is generally investigated with Digital radiography and Digital ultrasound. If these do not yield a diagnosis, an MRI of the area can be performed on site to provide the best possible images of the injured structures.
The Meddleton Equine hospital is equipped with a state of the art surgical suite allowing us to treat the majority of orthopedic surgical conditions (bone chips, OCD lesions, angular limb deformities, flexural limb deformities, etc.). The hospital is equipped with Focused Shockwave Therapy. On site IRAP processing and treatment, conventional corticosteroid/hyaluronic acid intra-articular therapy, Stem cell and A-Cell therapy are also available.
Thoracic ultrasound, bronchoalveolar lavage, neurologic diagnostic workups, cardiac ultrasound, and Gastric endoscopy area available to diagnose the majority of causes of poor performance that are not related to the musculoskeletal system. Most of the causes of poor performance can be resolved or managed. Prompt diagnosis and treatment usually offer the best outcome for most of these conditions.
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