Equine Health Maintenance

08/28/2025

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08/27/2025

So here’s our lameness case from the other day. This was a hard one! Sometimes even I learn something new after all of these years 🧐 I did side by side comparisons with the normal imaging on top and our patient views on the bottom. If you look at the navicular bone closely you can see the fractures present. This is not a common place to have a fracture and this horse is only 4 years old. He is ridden in the pasture and does not have shoes on, but after a little research it appears he most likely has a tripartite navicular bone.

A bipartite or tripartite navicular bone in a horse is a congenital condition where the bone fails to fully fuse during fetal development, appearing in radiographs as two or more separate pieces with smooth, symmetrical edges. Unlike a fracture, this anomaly is typically present from birth and can occur on one or both forelimbs. While some horses remain sound, others experience chronic heel pain, stumbles, and a toe-first landing, mimicking the signs of navicular disease.

Causes and Appearance

Congenital Origin: The condition arises from the two halves of the navicular bone ossifying (forming bone) separately and failing to join during development.

Radiographic Characteristics: Radiographs will show one or two lucent lines or wide radiolucent regions between the bone pieces, with smooth and symmetrical edges.
Bilateral Nature: It is often seen in both forelimbs.

Symptoms

Chronic Heel Pain: Horses may exhibit pain in their heels.
Lameness: A mild, progressive lameness is common.
Gait Abnormalities: Symptoms can include a shortened stride, head bobbing, and landing the hoof "toe-first".
Stumbling: The horse may be more prone to stumbling.

Diagnosis and Management
A veterinarian will identify a bipartite navicular bone through radiographs.

Distinguishing from Fracture:
It is crucial to differentiate a bipartite navicular bone from a navicular bone fracture, as they have different prognoses and treatments.

Addressing Lameness:
If the horse is lame, the approach to managing the symptoms will be similar to that for other causes of navicular disease, potentially including corrective shoeing and medications to reduce inflammation.

In this case, since we got the information we were looking for in these films we did not radiograph the opposite limb. . While often asymptomatic, the stress on the partition site can lead to chronic heel pain and degenerative changes over time, resulting in lameness. Because this was not an incidental finding and was accompanied by lameness the prognosis for return to function is poor.

08/26/2025

As we remember the devastating losses that came with Hurricane Katrina, let’s also remember all the good people that came together to help one another. I was working at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine at the time and was on one of the many rescue teams. If you zoom in you can see my name on the command center board. The lessons we learned during Katrina about disaster preparedness have been instrumental in developing the current protocols.

08/22/2025

Here’s an interesting case. This is a 4 year old QH stallion that presented for a left front limb lameness of 6 weeks duration. He was initially found in his pasture noticeably lame on the left front. There was no swelling or heat in his leg. No evidence of injury or trauma. Owners administered anti inflammatories and rested him for a week. Lameness exam revealed a consistent left forelimb lameness, mild digital pulses and sensitivity to hoof testers around heel region. We decided to give it additional time in case it was a heel bulb abscess. The horse was turned out. Mild improvement was seen so there was no additional treatment performed. After a month the lameness was still present.
A thorough lameness exam was performed and revealed a Grade 3/4 left front lameness. A palmar digital nerve block was performed. Lameness was improved but not completely resolved. An abaxial sesamoid block was then performed and was successful. Subsequent radiographs of the fetlock and pastern were surprisingly unremarkable. The image of the foot is above. Can anyone see the problem? Veterinarians please chime in. Video of the horse jogging in the comments.

08/20/2025

It’s football 🏈 season 👏🏻 but it’s also hurricane 🌀 season 👎 Here are some great tips from the AAEP. Make sure your Coggins papers are up to date and you have all your equine records in a safe place. If you have any questions about preparations or you need to get up to date on vaccinations and Coggins testing please call to set up an appointment.

08/13/2025

Another busy day for EHM and Dr Hannah Landry. In addition to several dentals, we did a little Pro Stride in the field. What is Pro Stride you ask?

Pro-Stride® Autologous Protein Solution (APS) is a device that helps manage equine lameness and osteoarthritis in horses by concentrating the cells, platelets, growth factors and anti-inflammatory cytokines from a horse’s own blood.
With 60% of equine lameness related to osteoarthritis, having an effective, safe tool for managing it is important. The less-than 20-minute two-step process of Pro-Stride APS uses the horse’s own blood to create a concentrated solution that amplifies the healing process when injected into the joint.

If you are interested in this technique to treat your horse’s osteoarthritis, please contact myself or Dr Landry to learn more about this process.

08/12/2025

Did you know that PLATINUM PERFORMANCE is NOW OFFERING $15,000 FOR COLIC SURGERY REIMBURSEMENT? I know many of you are currently supplementing with PLATINUM products but you need to sign up for their Colic Coverage program and also their Rewards Program.

If you are currently a Platinum user or you would like to start using these great products please sign up for Direct Dispense and have it delivered right to your door. If you need help enrolling in the Colic Coverage program please call and I’ll get you set up.

⭐️ Any client that signs up for Direct Dispense with my code will get $10 off any service or product or a FREE gift. ⭐️

Online Direct Dispense info:

Prescribing Veterinarian: Dina Duplantis, DVM
Direct Dispense ID: DUP

The complimentary Platinum Colic Coverage program reimburses you for the cost of colic surgery up to $10,000 and combines wellness services with supplementation for a healthier horse.

08/08/2025

🥁 🥁 and the answer is:

A SHOE BOIL (also called a capped elbow or olecranon bursitis ) is a soft, fluid-filled swelling that develops over the point of a horse’s elbow, usually caused by trauma or repeated pressure. It’s most often the result of the horse’s heel or shoe hitting the elbow when lying down, especially in horses that lie with their legs tucked under or curl tightly.

CAUSES:

* Repeated trauma from the horse’s hoof or shoe striking the elbow
* Poorly fitting shoes or long heels
* Hard or abrasive bedding surfaces
* Excessive time lying down

SIGNS:

^ A soft swelling at the elbow (point of the forelimb)
^ Typically not painful unless infected
^ May fluctuate in size
^ Rarely causes lameness

TREATMENT:

* Remove the cause (e.g., change shoeing, use protective gear)
* Use a donut or elbow pad to cushion and prevent further trauma
* Drainage (only if necessary and under veterinary guidance)
* Antibiotics if infection develops

PREVENTION:

* Use elbow boots or shoe boil rings to prevent contact
* Maintain proper shoeing and hoof care
* Provide soft bedding
* Monitor how the horse lies down

It's usually more of a cosmetic or nuisance issue than a serious health concern unless it becomes infected.

08/07/2025

Doc, what’s this swelling on my horse’s leg? Anyone recognize this condition? What are some treatments that you tried and were they successful or did you just leave them?

07/30/2025

In case you missed it, Equine Health Maintenance will be partnering with Dr. Hannah Landry of Abbott Veterinary Services to bring their Sports Medicine Services to my practice area.(East and West Baton Rouge and surrounding areas).

Today was our first appointment day and boy were we busy! Several lameness evaluations, ultrasound evaluations and a pre purchase exam were on today’s agenda.

Services to be offered:
Lameness/performance evaluations
Radiology and ultrasonography
Joint injections
Shockwave Therapy
Phovia Therapy
Inhalation treatment for heaves with Alpha 2 EQ
Dentistry

Haul-ins to the clinic are encouraged but we will do farm calls if necessary. Next appointment day is Wednesday, August 6th. There are only a couple of spots left for next week so please call if you would like to schedule an appointment.

To schedule an appointment please contact me or Dr. Hannah Landry at Abbot Veterinary Services.

And as always, I’m available for your routine work on an appointment basis.

07/28/2025

If you are going to the LQHBA sale this weekend, don’t forget to go check out these two fillies! They are consigned with Robicheaux Ranch, so stop by Thursday night for the yearling preview at 6:00 PM.

https://online.flipbuilder.com/dbsb/udia/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwL0f9RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHjnvcg0L-nevWBgvgq1RqX1mV4vWiHBQy75QiT6kWpFIkPUf1EzrYOZY2qa__aem_FMyxFieifxCeDJO3d7CZGw

05/13/2025

Our feel good story for the day🙂
Remember the feral horse with the halter embedded in her face? She was the one that we had to capture in the woods with animal control back in September. Well I received an update and apparently she has healed and is doing well in her new home👏🏻😊
In case you missed it you can scroll back to September for the full story. Here are her before and after pictures. I’m so happy she found a good home!