E-Vet Clinic - Horse Health Care

Chiropractic for your barn

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:13:52 +0000

Hey all, I have been doing chiropractic on horses for over 12 years now. For the past few years I have been just doing chiropractic and some equine dentistry, however since March I have started back in small animal veterinary medicine with an opportunity to expand the small animal portion of my business. Since that time I had decreased the amount of barns I have been working, well now I have settled down into a good routine and I am looking at my schedule and see some vacant spots which could be filled.

If you, or you know someone that, wish to have chiropractic services done at their barn, please contact me via my contact page (www.evetclinic.com/contact.htm) or call my office and leave a message at 219-663-7515.

To give you an idea of what I am looking for - a regular client or clients, no more than 1 1/2 hours from Crown Point, IN to fill the vacant spots I have in my routine schedule. The schedule will be on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday during the day on a regularly monthly day, for example, I go to Arabian Knights Farm on the first Wednesday of the month every month. If you would like regularly scheduled chiropractic services please contact me.

International Rehab Symposium with Hilary Clayton

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:49:08 +0000

I am here at the 5th International Rehab and Physical Therapy Symposium in Minneapolis, MN and this morning went to a breakfast lecture. Hilary Clayton was speaking and for all my clients watch out now because I plan on pulling out the video camera!

She went into detail on how to practically use video to diagnose lameness and movement in horses, using simple equipment and software for the computer. I plan on bringing my laptop and my camera and video taping poor movement on any of my clients horses that have been having questionable movement.

I also learned a little about back pain from Dr,Dr,Dr Kevin Haussler. I call him him that because he is a veterinarian, a chiropractor and a PhD. He has been to so much school that he has three doctors degrees! Anyway there are a couple of techniques I can use to help with some of my most stubborn back cases oh and I also learned of a study that showed that using Bute for back pain is about as useful as injecting sterile water!

Tomorrow I plan on attending more dog topics than horse topics but there is another talk from Dr. Haussler that I will attend and if there is more information I will give it out here.

Dr. Dan is Alive

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:26:59 +0000

Yes I know I have not been posting much lately, but I am alive. I have been working on a different project in an entirely different field. However I am finished with it and plan on returning to posting horse health articles on a regular basis. For those of you on my newsletter list I will be returning to writing soon as well.

If you are curious about what I have been up to check out my website at http://www.conservative-options.com but I warn you it has nothing to do with horse health.

Big plans in the future for this site as well, a book is coming, as well as a complete overhaul of the looks on this site. Stay tuned!

EIA found in Indiana

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:00:19 +0000

Well the Indiana board has issued an Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) alert. Here is the alert –>

Indiana board issues EIA alert to horse owners

Although Equine Infectious Anemia is a deadly disease, approximately 40% die within one month of contracting this disease, most become carriers of this incurable disease. The law mandates permanent quarantine or euthanasia of these “carriers”. Now I have a problem with this law.

The biggest problem I have with this law is that it has not been proven that a carrier of this disease can actually transmit the disease to other horses! That’s right we do not know after all these years if a horse that has survived EIA actually can cause disease in another horse. According to some research done by a group in Florida there is a 1 in 6 million chance that one infected horse could infect another horse.

Horse Neglect still on the rise

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:34:53 +0000

Horse neglect has been on the rise for the last few years. The majority of neglect cases are actually ignorance rather than true neglect. Many experts in the Horse Welfare community are of the opinion that it is not the closing of the slaughter plants that have increased the number of neglect cases. Rather the financial status of horse owners and the economy’s effect on their status are causing the problems with the ability to feed, shelter and care for the horses in their care.

So now what do you do if you believe a horse or group of horses are being neglected? Experts say do NOT do 2 things - 1 do not confront the owner and 2 do not feed the horses. I know this may seem contradictory to what is actually best for the horses, but when you read the reasons you will see that you will need to curtail your natural tendencies for the health of the horse.

Check out the reasons here at The Horse - Horse Neglect: What to Do?

Laminitis (Founder) Article

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:21:11 +0000

Laminitis is very painful so much so that a horse with it will barely be able to walk, and sometimes they will not be able to walk at all! For clarification, founder is a laminitis turned chronic. Laminitis is acute inflammation of the lamina which is the structures that holds the hoof to the coffin bone. One of the most famous recent cases is that of Barbaro, in which he had laminitis in his left hind foot due to breaking his ankle on the right hind leg. The pressure of having to stay standing on the left hind all the time caused the laminitis.

Today I found an extremely good very detailed article on laminitis -

Laminitis Attack: The First Line of Defense

My favorite statement in the article is the comment about having to work together as a team. This is so true the farrier and the veterinarian as well as the caretaker/owner need to be in communication with one another to work out the best treatment for the horse. It is essential so that the horse has a chance at recovery. I am such a strong believer in this team approach that I feel that not only should this be done for laminitis but for any disease or management process in regards to the horse’s health.

Back to the article I want to point out the three most important topics covered in the treatment of laminitis and these are -

Get Expert Help
Use of Pain Medication
Find the Cause

Check out the article, if you ever have to deal with this horrible disease you will be glad you did… Laminitis Attack: The First Line of Defense

Other laminitis information found on the web…

Laminitis : The Hidden Danger Of Pasture
New Bolton Center Fund for Laminitis Research Fund raiser
Laminitis & Founder
Laminitis Product Receives Award from Queen of England

Glue on Shoes - Big Brown has them

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:19:59 +0000

Big Brown the Kentucky Derby Winner has a type of shoe that is glued on to the bottom of the hoof. Now you may ask yourself why glue instead of nails?

There are several reasons that glue on shoes are preferred for some horses even big horses like Big Brown.

Horses that have damaged hoof walls
Hoof walls that are thin
White line disease or hoof wall separation
Laminitis (Founder)
Coffin bone fractures
Even hooves that have been trimmed too short and are now sore

In Big Brown’s case he had hoof wall separation and an infection (abscess) in the foot. The glue on shoes helped him recover and recover quickly. So quickly, in fact that from January when he was laid off because of the problem, he was able to come back and win the Kentucky Derby. Now he has his eyes set on the Preakness. Let see if the glue on shoes help him win that one as well.

For more information about Big Brown’s glue on shoes check out -

Big Brown’s Feet Not So Bad, Farriers Say

Chiropractic on a horse

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:12:16 +0000

Today, I was asked to do a chiropractic exam on a small horse, actually it was a P.O.A. I am asked to do chiropractic evaluations and treatments for a variety of reasons, usually it is the horse is not taking a lead correctly or unwillingness to flex or difficulty to collect or slower times in whatever event the horse does. Today was a little different, the horse does not back straight. In fact when asked to back it always turns its hindquarters to the right, every time. I tried it out from the ground and found that the horse indeed did turn its hind quarters to the right when backed. When covering the horse’s eyes I found I could make the horse go straight.
Upon examination, I found that the sacrum was not moving balanced and that the neck was “stiff”. However I felt that this may not be the only problem, the symptoms from the neck and the sacrum were minimal, meaning that the muscles were not very tight, no soreness, no other major subluxations were observed. So I asked the owner what exactly happens when you ask the horse to back. She said when she asks the horse to go back he arches his neck avoiding any contact with the bit and flexes to the right. So again I thought the neck has to be the answer, however why did the horse go straight when I covered its eyes?

The answer happened to be where I was pushing the horse when asking to go backwards while covering the eyes. The head was up not flexed down like I did when I pushed on the horses muzzle to back him up initially. I knew the answer!

I reached in to the horses mouth and found two things - a wolf tooth and the actual problem a loose deciduous tooth on the lower right premolar! A cap! The horse was avoiding any pressure on that side trying to get the bit away from the uncomfortable tooth. When putting pressure on the muzzle the neck subluxations which were caused by the stress of avoiding the uncomfortable tooth were causing the symptomology.

I adjusted the horse, pulled the cap, and the wolf tooth. Within a week, I expect that the horse will back up straight. SO anytime you are having a problem with a horse moving correctly be sure to check the horses mouth. Also be sure to have a dental examination done a minimum of twice a year and sometimes more often for the younger horse that is loosing teeth.

More Opinions on Horse Racing

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:13:54 +0000

The discussion continues on the problems with horse racing and what should be fixed in order to make it safer and healthier for the horse.

Monty roberts advocates for the horse in horse racing - A major step in the right direction would be to take whips out of racing. Roberts has been advocating this change for years and believes that now is the time for horse the industry to show their support for this change. …

Time for racing to rethink rules? - Eight Belles and trainer Larry Jones walk around the paddock before the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday Opinion: Eight Belles’ death in Derby should serve as wake-up call for sport.

Horse Racing in the media spotlight

Daniel Beatty, DVM — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:02:40 +0000

With the death of Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby following on the heels of Barbaros death last year and here locally about the deaths happening at Arlington Park two years ago, horse racing is in the media spotlight and not in a favorable light. Three years of bad publicity may just force some changes in the industry.

There are many reasons for horses not to be racing at 2 years of age. The main one is that the skeletal structure of the horse is still growing and is incapable, in the majority of cases, to handle the stresses that racing places on the it. As for why horses race at 2 years of age, I have yet to hear a good reason that they have to race at that age. Obviously the industry has big money and investments are made. Having a horse wait another year or two before it possibly starts making a return increases the risk of the investment and slows the business of racing dramatically. Also traditionally horses have been raced at this age for many many years. So are these good enough reasons to continue racing at 2 years of age? Personally I do not think so.

As for is horse racing inhumane? I do not believe so and heres my reason..horse love to run, it comes naturally to them. If you have ever ridden a horse, especially one such as a thouroughbred, they love to go and they love to go fast. Interestingly, many of them actually love to race, they are not forced into it, they really want to do it. Ask any jockey or horseman that has been around the racing industry for even a short amount of time, they know when a horse just is not into it. They know if the horse really does not like it, that horse is not going to win and will be removed from racing very quickly. Now this does not mean that all of racing is humane. I believe some things need to be changed such as the age at which they are allowed to race needs to be raised. More turnout should be allowed, more rest and recovery needs to occur, and less pharmaceutical enhancements.

What do you think? Leave a comment let us know your opinion.

Heres a couple of other opinions from the web…

Talk Back: Racing Breakdown - The death of Eight Belles at last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby has spurred a national debate over horse racing and the safety and welfare of the animals (NPR’s Tom Ashbrook led a discussion of the contrasting perspectives on Wednesday’s …

The dark side of horse racing, redux - In yet another puff piece over the weekend celebrating Presque Isle Downs racetrack -a salutary run-down on the abbreviated 25-day first season of horse-racing - the Erie Times-News trumpeted the track’s financial and related successes …