Arlington Equine

07/29/2026

Summer is peak season for ticks. A daily grooming session is a good time to inspect horses - don't forget to check their legs and bellies!

07/16/2026

🔥 Wildfire Smoke & Horse Health 🐴💨
Poor air quality can be harmful not only to us but our horses too. Smoke from wildfires can irritate a horse's respiratory system and cause fatigue, coughing, difficulty breathing, etc.
You can monitor local air quality at www.airnow.gov. During periods of poor air quality, you can protect your horse's health by:
🐎 Limiting or avoiding exercise.
💧 Providing free access to fresh water.
💦 Controlling dust such as watering dry lots and soaking or feeding dust-free hay.
🕰 Allowing time for recovery: airway damage from wildfire smoke takes 4 to 6 weeks to heal after air quality returns to normal.
☎️ Consult your vet if you notice signs of smoke irritation.
For more information visit: http://ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/.../wildfire-smoke-and-horses See less

06/23/2026

Equine asthma is a breathing problem caused by inflammation in the airways. It can range from mild to severe, but across all forms, one thing matters most: reducing dust and irritants in the horse's environment.

What many owners think of as "dust" is more than just visible dirt. It can include bacteria, mold and fungal spores, mites, endotoxins, and other tiny particles that trigger inflammation in the lungs. Some of the worst particles are actually too small to see.

The key is the horse's breathing zone - the air right around the nose. Dust in that area matters much more than dust elsewhere in the barn. Even a stable that looks clean can still have harmful tiny particles in the air.

Common dust and irritant sources can include:
• Hay
• Bedding
• Sweeping or mucking stalls
• Barn blowers
• Round bale feeding
• Very dry, windy conditions
• Pollens or other allergens
• Unusual triggers like nearby manure piles, chemical sprays, chickens, or certain bedding materials

Management often focuses on lowering dust exposure:
• Reconsidering hay and bedding
• Using wood shavings
• Feeding a pelleted diet or hay cubes
• Soaking hay
• Steaming hay correctly
• Considering haylage
• Avoiding round bale feeding in horses prone to severe asthma

Note that medication may help control inflammation or open the airways, but there is no replacement to environmental management. Long-term improvement depends on reducing dust in the horse's environment, especially in the breathing zone.

If you have questions or concerns about your specific equine, contact your veterinarian.

06/08/2026

Taking your horse's temperature is a key health check. New research suggests repeating digital thermometer readings can improve fever detection.

06/05/2026

06/03/2026

An equine dermatology expert explains how you can manage and prevent insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in riding horses during prime competition (and IBH) season.

05/21/2026

Is your horse suddenly a little too "drooly"? It could be slobbers. This infographic breaks down slaframine toxicity.

05/20/2026

WHAT IS CELLULITIS? 🔎

Cellulitis is a common condition in horses where there is infection/inflammation in the tissues of the limb, most often the distal limb.

WHAT MIGHT YOU NOTICE?
Owners often first notice a leg that suddenly looks and feels “not right.” While the exact signs can vary case to case, rapid-onset limb swelling is a classic sign. Fever is also a sign to watch for with cellulitis. If your horse's temperature is elevated, contact your vet.

DIAGNOSIS:
Because a swollen, painful leg can have different causes, your veterinarian may use a combination of:
• Physical exam and patient history
• Imaging, including ultrasound, to help assess what’s happening in the tissues and whether there are complicating factors.

HOW IS IT TREATED?
There is limited scientific evidence that definitively tells us the single “best” treatment plan for every horse, and more research is needed (especially to support responsible antibiotic use). Your vet may tailor the plan to your horse’s severity, comfort, and response to therapy.

QUICK ACTION MATTERS:
• Cellulitis can be more than “just swelling.” It can become serious, and in rare severe scenarios, cellulitis/lymphangitis has been reported to progress to distal limb ischemia (loss of blood supply) with catastrophic tissue damage.
• Cellulitis can also lead to a condition called lymphangitis where the lymphatic system is affected, so resolution becomes more difficult. Multiple episodes of cellulitis/lymphangitis in the same leg can cause scarring, which makes recurrence more likely and recovery more difficult.

⚠️Cellulitis needs individualized diagnosis and treatment:
• Call your veterinarian promptly if your horse develops sudden, significant lower-leg swelling, heat, pain, or lameness.
• Don’t self-treat with leftover antibiotics. The evidence base is limited, and appropriate antibiotic choices/duration matter for both patient outcomes and antimicrobial stewardship.

03/26/2026

HORSE OWNER WEBINAR ALERT! 📢

Join us for our upcoming Horse Owner Education Committee webinar! Our topic will be "Oh Sugar! My Horse is Foundering!"

Join AAEP-member veterinarians Drs. Allie Catalino and Chelsea Folmar for an in-depth discussion about the two most common metabolic disturbances in horses: Cushing's Disease and Insulin Dysregulation. They will take you on a deep dive into diagnosis, treatment and management of these diseases, followed by discussion about laminitis, a common sequela.

Registration is FREE but required. A recording of the webinar will be available if you miss the live event. Register at https://events.zoom.us/ev/Aqk4QqZ8CSEZVzoTjoed1OchP7YIDfrDxmN7sn3bmdtN0eMBkO1X~AhLXYhuX8F4hYAwaFVb5RYYV903KHqLrJKTrAP-zT2spI-fUNInOwEr12A

This informative session is brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

02/10/2026

It's been a frigid winter!! Bring on spring!!

Anything else, Your Highness?

©️ Emily Cole Illustrations