Veterinary Conditions.
by Dr. Jen Stewart
Featured
Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) is one of the most significant risks for foals and weanlings. It encompasses any orthopaedic issue involving tendons, joints, or bone tissue in growing horses. The diseases included under this definition are osteochondrosis (OCD), physitis and epiphysitis, angular limb deformities (ALD), flexural deformities (including contracted tendons), and wobbler disease.
Insulin resistance is associated with a range of diseases in both horses and humans. In horses, it is linked to conditions such as laminitis, hyperlipaemia, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), Cushing's disease (PPID - Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction), osteochondrosis, colic, and grass founder. In humans, insulin resistance is connected to type II diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome, and colorectal cancer.
Laminitis is an acutely painful and disabling condition that occurs where the lamellae (the delicate folds of tissue that attach the pedal bone to the inside of the hoof wall) become inflamed and may eventually tear apart. The result is partial or total destruction of the strong bond that supports the horses body weight by anchoring the inner wall of the hoof to the pedal bone (the furthest extent of the leg).
The trouble with mud fever, also known as greasy heel, is that by the time you notice it, it’s usually already well-established. Immediate action is crucial to prevent it from progressing into a painful condition characterised by swelling, pain, lameness, scabs, discharge, and cracks in the skin. Multiple infections, including bacteria, fungi, yeasts, ringworm, and mites, can complicate treatment and prolong recovery.
The condition known as 'bighead' was first identified in Australian horses grazing on subtropical pastures in 1974. Since then, it has become widely recognised in horses grazing on buffel, pangola, setaria, kikuyu, green panic, guinea, and signal grasses. These tropical grasses, commonly planted along Australia's seaboards, contain oxalate - a chemical that significantly interferes with mineral utilisation by horses.