Dec 29, 2015 | Medication
December 29, 2015
Let’s talk about drugs! Drugs for your horse, that is. Many of the drugs we use on horses are only available as prescriptions from the Docs here. Seems a little strange since you humans can get Advil off the shelf, but there are reasons. Most of it revolves around livestock which enters the food chain like pigs, cattle, and goats. Bute can be very toxic to humans in even low doses, so the FDA decided that it must be controlled by veterinarians. Many antibiotics are under veterinary control for similar reasons. It is the FDA and USDA trying to maintain our safe food supply.
Veterinarians, as the keepers of these drugs, are under strict guidelines regarding when and how they can use and prescribe them. The FDA takes this so seriously that a violation of these guidelines could cause our Docs to lose their license. Now cats aren’t much for rules, but I think even I would have to follow these rules. The biggest part of this rule is what’s known as the Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship. This means that even as the real power behind the throne here at the office, I can’t give drugs out without permission of our Docs, and they have to have seen the critter in the last year. This rule doesn’t mean that once our Docs have seen you, you have free access to any and all drugs whenever you want, of course. The second part of this rule states that the Doc has to feel the drug is the right one for the animal at this time. So much for me supporting my catnip habit selling drugs out the back door….
Our Docs are more than happy to write prescriptions for medications. In fact, we love Publix for their free antibiotics, and cookies, they have awesome cookies, and pretty much the entire bakery section, and subs. OK, we just love Publix. That being said, all companies are not created equal. There is a thriving black market industry in prescription drugs for humans and that has slipped over to animals. It is very important that medications are approved for sale in the United States. Why does the United States label matter? Drugs approved for sale here are required to meet very stringent quality control measures. Drugs approved for sale in some countries can have as little as 60% of the labeled amount of the main ingredient in them and still be considered OK! It is also important that the company keep the medications happy. Wait, happy? Yep, like me requiring two ear scratches and a treat each morning, some medications like to be warm, or cold, or only cool but not room temperature. Some don’t like air, some don’t like water. Medications make us cats look as carefree as, I hate to say this, a dog.
Real world here: Pergolide. Originally made for humans with Parkinson’s. Unfortunately caused really bad heart problems in people who were on it for years and years. FDA pulled it from the human market and left us with nothing to treat Cushing’s. Any of you with an older horse know Pergolide is as important to them as a good meal is to me. For a few years our Docs had to have the drug made through a special process called compounding. This means a pharmacist mixed everything in small batches and then shipped it to our Docs. Only problem was Pergolide is overly sensitive (Teannie has this problem too when I try to steal her cat treats). The medications we were getting often didn’t contain nearly as much as we thought they did! Luckily a company called Boehringer Ingelheim developed Prascend, which means easy, consistent access to therapy for the senior crowd.
Why did I go in to all that? Because it’s important that you know what all goes in to the drug choices around here. Sure, I can make fun of them all day long for playing with drugs, but at the end of the day these two Docs work awfully hard to make sure the medications you get are the right ones. That means finding pharmacies that provide good pricing, good service, and ethical products. That means knowing all the things happening in the research world. That means knowing what works on what horses when. And that means a whole lot of behind the scenes work to make sure your horse has the very best care!
Dec 22, 2015 | Uncategorized
Seriously, the things they ask me to supervise around here. Today I had to supervise Dr. Lacher and Charly while they pulled a Coggins on Scout from Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses. The humans seem to think Scout is tiny and cute and adorable. Meh, he’s a tiny horse. I will take a tiny mouse instead any day. What I can say is adorable is how Scout helps the humans. We animals, being superior in every way to the humans, must look for opportunities to give back to those less fortunate than us whenever possible. And let’s face it: pretty much any human is less fortunate than I am.
Scout is a (very small) part of Gentle Carousel. This group of very dedicated humans and horses go into hospitals, nursing homes, rehab facilities, and pretty much anywhere children in need exist. They use the horses to help people heal emotionally and physically. Those humans will do all kinds of stuff to pet us cute cats, pat a dog on the head, or be near a horse. This means someone who has been reluctant to stretch that arm, crack a smile, or take a step will make tremendous progress when animals are around.
I have my own selfish motivations for loving Christmas, mostly involving the decorations. I get told I should be more generous with the poor homeless kittens that show up around here. I don’t see that happening, but I will tell you about local programs you can help.
Your local animal shelter, Gainesville Pet Rescue, Alachua Humane Society, and Operation Catnip (just to name a few) are always looking for volunteer help. From fostering animals, to helping in the office, there is a place for you to help no matter what.
The Retirement Home for Horses. This beautiful farm in Alachua is dedicated to retired horses. Their residents include many retired police, military, and forest service horses, along with some that have been confiscated for mistreatment. Saturdays are open to all who bring the required carrot admission fee. While there you can find out about all the volunteer opportunities available. From grooming horses to mowing fields, there is always something to do on this enormous farm. While I love a good crowd, I know some of you may be looking for opportunities to get out of the house and have some fresh air between you and crazy Uncle Joe. Go visit the Retirement Home for Horses. This enormous farm will give you plenty of opportunity to turn left when everyone else turns right. Only problem is the entire place is fenced in so Uncle Joe won’t get lost.
HOPE-Horses Helping People. This group in Archer use horses for a wide variety of therapies. People with mobility disorders find riding gives them increased movement, balance, and endurance. Hippotherapy uses the horses as a tool to work on all kinds of stuff from movement to communication (as a cat I should probably be there working on my communication). They have programs for Veterans and directed psychotherapy programs.
I think Operation Catnip is pretty awesome myself (hard to support the nip part, but I support the goal of helping cats) and they are seriously in to helping cats. Moral of this Tuesdays with Tony: When the giving mood strikes you, there are great local options! And if none of these floats your boat, come give me treats and ear scratches.
Dec 19, 2015 | Castration
Castration Clinic 2015
Dear intact, neutered, and spayed followers,
This past Saturday I supervised our annual castration clinic, and it was a huge success! 12 former stallions left here as happy geldings (well, the happy part is subjective, but I know their owners will thank us later). The vet students did an awesome job, and hopefully gained a lot of useful experience for their future careers.
I’m not clear on all the scienc-ey details, but here’s the Springhill Equine castration protocol as I could tell from my distant vantage point:
Step 1- catheter placement: Wary vet student attempts to hold untrained weanling still, while other vet student stabs a 2-inch needle in weanling’s neck with trembling hands.
Step 2- inducing anesthesia: 90lb vet student attempts to guide 800lb horse to the ground gracefully. It usually isn’t all that pretty. Students tie lots of knots around horse’s legs because they don’t remember exactly how to do that neat rope trick that Dr. Lacher or Dr. Vurgason taught them.
Step 3- surgical prep: senior vet student suddenly forgets how to don sterile gloves, and how to put a scalpel blade on a handle. Junior vet student scrubs surgical site way more thoroughly than necessary. Meanwhile, half of anesthesia time has passed, and horse already needs another dose.
Step 4- castration: All I heard was Dr. Vurgason and Dr. Lacher saying over and over, “cut deeper, push harder, make your incision longer…” Bless their hearts, they are just learning. I tried chanting “Be aggressive! B-E-aggressive!” to help them along.
Step 5- power tools: Tomcats, you may not want to read this part. Basically they attach a scary-looking clamp, it makes a sickening crunching noise, and an excited vet student runs a DRILL which more or less twists the testicle off. Job done!
After watching one or two of these, I thought it best to take a nap in Dr. Vurgason’s truck for the rest of the day. Of course the best part was all the pets and treats I received from 30 eager vet students! Made all the blood and gore worthwhile.
If you have a stallion who yearns to become a gelding, be sure to keep an eye out for next year’s castration clinic! It’s always a good time (don’t ask the horses).
-Tony
Dec 8, 2015 | Ailments, FES, Leg issues
Tuesdays With Tony and FES Awareness
The weather outside is perfect. I love nothing more than to lie in the middle of the driveway, soaking up the sun, and watching the humans drive around me. Good times. I have noticed that my favorite weather coincides with more work for the horses we see here. It seems the humans like being outside more when it doesn’t feel like some horrible gym sauna that got the worst Yelp reviews ever. This means it’s time to get those equine athletes fit and ready to go. Best way to get your horse feeling great: FES
Want even more information? Read this article about an Olympic Event Horse
FES. What the heck is that you ask? This cat says it’s pure amazingness. FES stands for Functional Electrical Stimulation. This magic machine sends electrical pulses into your muscle causing it to contract and relax. But the feeling!! FES feels like one of those massaging chairs turned on inside your muscle. As the power goes up, the feeling goes deeper and the muscles contract harder. When the session is done I am left purring, making biscuits, and maybe, just maybe, drooling a bit on my pillow. Any muscle soreness I had, is gone. That pesky left hip pain is a thing of the past. The best part is the next day: I can leap from the counter to the top of the dryer and on to my favorite spot on the cabinet with ease.
What does all that mean for horses? Well like me, most horses have done something less than smart in their lifetime. I said something mean to Teannie once and she broke my leg. This left me weaker on my left side. I was supposed to do special exercises to strengthen the leg, but I didn’t and it left me a little uneven behind. We all know our horses can do the same thing. Ok maybe not break a leg, but get a small injury or strain and end up a little crooked. This FES thing fixes all of that.
Does your horse regularly put their hip or back or ribs or neck or poll out? You can fix the bones repeatedly but until the muscles will hold them there they won’t stay. The FES retrains the muscles on a cellular level. It tells them they need to stop spasming and go back to normal. Once the muscles are back to pulling evenly on the bones: VOILA!! They stay where they are supposed to.
I have been listening to Dr. Lacher talk about lameness a lot recently. Veterinarians, human doctors, and researchers are shifting their ideas about how injuries work. There has long been a focus on finding the arthritis and treating it. But there’s a better way. Arthritis is the end of the process not the beginning. The problem starts when there is a small injury causing the horse to travel crooked which loads the joints unevenly which strains the supporting structures causing them to lay down extra bone to shore up the connections. That extra bone is arthritis. Injecting the joint treats the final stages but doesn’t address the problem that got it there. FES is one powerful tool Dr. Lacher uses to treat the crookedness that eventually leads to arthritis.
Get rid of sore muscles, get more sit, more power, and more straightness. Sign up for FES sessions today!
Dec 1, 2015 | Allergies, Feed, Leg issues, Pests, Skin Funk
Being the jolly cat I am, it is my favorite time of year. Bright, shiny stuff called Christmas decorations to play with, the Castration Clinic at the Hospital, paper and boxes from presents delivered to the Hospital, and general good cheer among all. In keeping with the season, I have spoken with many of our patients, and our Docs and technicians and compiled Springhill Equine’s Top 5 list of things your horse wants from Santa.
1. Fly Sheets: Mosquito Mesh Flyshield Sheet
Why this one? It is super light for our hot summer but the mesh is fine enough to keep those dangs gnats away. For added airflow, trim out the lining at the shoulders and mane. Removing the lining hasn’t created any rubbing issues and has kept the horse cooler. This sheet also held up well to horseplay and fit a wide variety of horses. Beware of the similar non-Flyshield version. It fit no horse well.
2. Grazing Muzzles: Tough 1 Grazing Muzzle or Harmany Grazing Muzzle
OK, so a grazing muzzle may not be on your horse’s wish list, but it is at the top of your veterinarian’s wish list. Our poor Docs see lots of horses with a weight problem. I can sympathize. My large stature caused me to have diabetes until a diet and exercise program helped me reverse it. While horses don’t get diabetes, they do get laminitis, or founder, when overweight. Obese horses are also pretty much guaranteed to develop Cushings later in life. These two grazing muzzles provide the best combination of comfort, breathability, and portion control.
3. Socks for your horse: Equiflexsleeve or Silver Whinnys
Tired of wrapping legs? Worried about all that heat under quilts and wraps in the summer? Need to decrease swelling or cover a wound, but you still want to turn your horse out? Seriously, the greatest things since sliced tuna (humans say bread, but I really don’t like bread very much). Equiflexsleeves reduce swelling in the lower legs, your horse can wear them inside or out, they breath, and they are stupid easy to put on and take off. Oh, and they make a lot less laundry than all those quilts and wraps! Sox for horses is the name of the silver impregnated bandages Coby is wearing. These work similar to Equiflexsleeves but, go higher and lower on the leg and have the added advantage of being antibacterial. If you need to cover a wound, or if your horse is prone to scratches, dew poisoning, greasy heel, or whatever you want to call it, then you need a pair of these!
4. Fly Mask: Nag Horse Ranch fly masks. Dr. Lacher owns the Queen of Fly Mask destruction. And while these don’t last forever with her, they certainly hold up pretty darn well. In addition, when they do lose a right ear (and they do, it just takes 3 months instead of 3 minutes), back they go for repair. They block more UV light than any other mask on the market and can be custom made for your horse pretty easily.
5. Small hole hay nets: HayChix or Big Bale Buddy
Save yourself a ton of money, reduce waste, and help control your horse’s weight. Small hole hay nets for your big bales are AAHHMAZING. Added bonus: your horse won’t have their entire head stuck in the hay bale breathing in all that dust and mold.
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