Lameness and Performance
Lameness Evaluation Exam
Whether your horse is at the prime of their competition years or you want to keep your retired companion or trail buddy comfortable in the pasture, we have the equipment and expertise to help you make the best decision for your horse. Our lameness evaluations start with getting a history from you and finding out what your goals are for your horse. From there our veterinarians will observe your horse move through a series of patterns and gaits. After acquiring a baseline, flexion tests are completed where indicated to see how the flexions change your horse’s movement. The rest of the exam will vary significantly from horse to horse. Regional blocks can be used to isolate lameness, or other diagnostics such as digital radiology or ultrasound may be indicated. The reasons and what we hope to achieve with each diagnostic option will be discussed with you so that you can make an informed decision about how you wish to proceed with the diagnostics and treatment for your horse.
Digital Radiology
Our State-of-the-Art, portable, battery-operated, digital radiology equipment allows our veterinarians to make stall side decisions with you while evaluating your horse. The highly sensitive equipment provides an enormous amount of information and provides better image quality than previous models. Our veterinarians’ in-depth understanding of the physics behind how this equipment functions further improves image quality and interpretation. Our in-house software allows for image mark-ups, subsequent evaluation, and progress assessment. These marked images can be shared with you and your farrier upon request, reducing the time to treatment and thereby time to return to work for your horse.
Ultrasound
Our State-of-the-Art ultrasound equipment is the ideal way to evaluate for soft tissue injuries in lameness. A robust amount of information about the soft tissues and the integrity of the bony surfaces, that can not be attained with radiology, can be attained with ultrasonography. Special software features allow for side-by-side comparison of bilateral structures, blood flow in the region of interest, and stored digital records for progress assessment and much more.
Joint Injections
Joint injections are a way to relieve joint pain and/or treat joint disease at its source. If you think your horse is experiencing joint pain, call for an appointment to evaluate your horse’s pain level and joint health. After evaluation, our veterinarians can help you decide if joint injections are the right treatment for your horse and what joint product is the best choice for your horse.