PERFORMANCE HORSE CARE AND LAMENESS EXAMS
Our facility is equipped with the latest technology in diagnostics including digital X-ray, ultrasound, wireless endoscopy, and wireless inertial sensor-based technology (the Equinosis Lameness Locator) for more accurate and complete diagnoses during the work-up of poor performance or soundness issues in sport horses.
Once a diagnosis has been made, treatment using the most researched and up-to-date modalities can be performed from traditional therapies such as corticosteroids to regenerative medications such as PRP, stem cells, Pro-Stride, and IRAP. Burwash Equine Services Ltd. is also proud to offer both regenerative laser therapy for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries including back pain or tendinitis amongst many others.
You can expect that following your work-up you will be provided with a thorough follow-up plan for the best ongoing management plan unique to your horse and dedicated ongoing care as required. No matter if your goals are for trail riding in the mountains on the weekend or for high-level competition, the Burwash Equine team is here to help keep you and your horse moving forward.
We are proud to offer exceptional diagnostic tools at our veterinary clinic that allow us to create personalized treatment plans to suit your horse’s condition, and is in line with your values and goals as a horse owner.
LAMENESS EXAMS
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Sometimes a lameness is obvious, and sometimes it’s not!
Basic lameness exams include: Walking and trotting the horse to evaluate gait, palpating the limbs, and performing flexion tests.
This initial assessment performed by our veterinary team is an essential part of diagnosis. Based on the information gathered, the veterinarian can make informed recommendations for next steps in your horse’s health care plan. This could include additional diagnostics, or it could simply be a treatment plan.
Regardless, the goal of our veterinary team is to ensure exceptional diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan.
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Advanced lameness exams: for when it’s just not so obvious.
Compared to a basic lameness exam, which relies on a visual and physical examination of the horse, an advanced lameness exam allows our veterinary team to take a closer look at the skeletal and musculoskeletal systems of the horse. This may be necessary when there’s an acute lameness with no obvious cause, or a chronic lameness in which diagnosis is not possible from a basic lameness exam alone.
Advanced lameness exams may include: Nerve blocking, x-rays, ultrasound, and/or the lameness locator.
Before proceeding with any diagnostics, the veterinarian will discuss benefits of performing the diagnostic along with the associated cost so that you can make and informed decision about how you would like to proceed.
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Radiographs allow us to capture images of your horse’s bones. In regards to lameness diagnosis, the veterinarian would be looking for any abnormalities in your horse’s skeletal or synovial (joint) systems that could be contributing to lameness.
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Ultrasounds allow our veterinary team to visualize and assess the soft-tissue structures of your horse including muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
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The Equinosis Lameness Locator is a diagnostic tool used to detect subtle lameness. Three sensors are placed onto the horse first, the horse is then walked and jogged in different patterns and on different surfaces. The sensors capture can detect asymmetries in a horse’s movement with 10 times greater sensitivity than a human eye.
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE & ORTHOBIOLOGICS
Regenerative medicine is defined as medicine that replaces or regenerates human or animal cells, tissues, or organs, to restore or establish normal function. Orthobiologics are a particular form of regenerative medicine that aims at treating musculoskeletal injuries including osteoarthritis and tendon/ligament injuries.
At Burwash Equine Services, we have multiple types of regenerative medications available for treatment of our patients, each with its unique benefits and potential applications.
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Primary use in joint disease and is administered as a series of 4 injections each 1 week apart.
Benefits Include:
Improved lameness and range of motion
Improved parameters of joint health
Short term duration within the joint fluid but a long-term benefit to the joint.
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Use in tendon and ligament injuries along with joint disease and osteoarthritis.
Benefits include:
Improved quality of healed tissue on a cellular level
Earlier reduction in lesion size
Improved elasticity of healed tendons
Improved lameness and range of motion by 2 weeks
Improved parameters of joint health
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Primary use is for tendon or ligament injury.
Benefits include:
Improved strength, elasticity, and blood supply to repaired tissue
Decreased rates of re-injury
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Primary use is with tendon or ligament injuries.
Benefits Include:
Improved blood supply and strength of tissue
Earlier reduction of lameness
Shorter rehabilitation times
Decreased rates of re-injury.
ENDOSCOPY
Poor performance doesn’t necessarily mean a lameness issue. Endoscopy allows us to capture images of internal structures of the horse such as the stomach and lungs.
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Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) describes the presence of ulceration or inflammatory disease that can affect the horse stomach.
To diagnose gastric ulcers, your horse can have a gastroscopy performed under standing sedation (similar to a dental) either at the clinic or on farm.
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In instances of lower respiratory tract conditions, such as equine asthma or exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH or Bleeders), there may be no significant clinical signs other than decreased horse performance. In cases of moderate disease, we may notice coughing during/after exercise, delayed recovery time or heavy breathing during/after exercise, occasional nasal discharge, or nose bleeds.
Diagnosis of these conditions may also include an upper respiratory tract endoscopy but also will likely include a bronchoalveolar lavage or BAL procedure. This procedure is done under standing sedation and a tube is introduced into the airway to wash a small amount of cells from the lungs that are then submitted to a laboratory to diagnose the type of inflammation present and identify any evidence of past bleeding or hemorrhage. Once the report is received, we can then provide a unique and targeted treatment plan for that horse to help address the noted inflammation and facilitate any medication or management changes needed to help get that horse back to their top respiratory function and performance!
REGENERATIVE LASER THERAPY
Regenerative Laser Therapy (RLT) is a safe, non-invasive treatment method that involves administration of short, high-energy light pulses that penetrate deep into tissues creating a photo-acoustic wave that propagates into deeper tissues. These waves interact with the cells in soft tissues and stimulate the release of growth factors that would have not been released naturally. This has been shown to regenerate tissue, re-align fibers, reduce scar tissue and provide comfort to horses.
Case Study: Steve With No Sole by Dr. Kirby Penttila
Regenerative Medicine and Orthobiologics by Dr. Katy White
Osteoarthritis by Dr. Katy White
Recognizing and Managing the Club Foot in Horses by Dr. Kirby Penttila
Defying Age by Dr. Kirby Penttila
Update on the Lameness Locator
Focus on Lameness/X-rays
Focus on Lameness- Lameness Locator Demonstration
Focus on Lameness- General Lameness Exam
