Peak Performance Equine Vets

07/18/2026

07/08/2026

ESWT (shockwave therapy) is available with us this week around the Sheridan WYO Rodeo.
A colleague helped generate this digital flyer—curious what y’all think? How did the “robot” do? 😜


06/10/2026

In light of rodeo travel season, here is some overview info of New World Screwworm. My best recommendation right now is to focus on fly prevention and wound care and management--Keep all flies out of any scratches or wounds.

New World screwworm (NWS) is a parasitic fly known for its larvae (maggots), which feed on living tissues of warm-blooded animals.

05/28/2026

Gastrobim has arrived! This is an FDA approved generic for Gastrogard. We are currently able to offer a special price of $38/tube to our current clients! 📲

05/25/2026

Congratulation Rickie!!! We are SO proud of you!!!! You’re a class act and a joy to watch over the last few years.

05/21/2026

Ultrasound imaging of a soft tissue swelling that occurred about 2 weeks ago revealed there is no significant fluid pocket that would benefit from surgical drainage. Years ago, I would have been tempted to lance it with a scalpel based on clinical presentation. Now I prefer to image lesions first. Oftentimes, less is more with horses.

05/18/2026

Controversial statement:

The most important part of sports medicine isn’t the therapy — it’s the diagnosis.

As equine medicine grows and evolves, we have access to more treatment options than ever before in history:

• Rehabilitation and conditioning programs
• Biologics and regenerative therapies
• Therapeutic shoeing
• Shockwave
• Modalities and devices and supplements, ad nauseam

But none of those matter if the diagnosis is incomplete or inaccurate.

For example:

A horse with a significant suspensory injury may initially seem like a straightforward candidate for a therapeutic suspensory shoe.

But if that same horse also has a mild concurrent DDFT lesion, that exact shoeing approach may be contraindicated and could place additional strain on the tendon.

That’s why equine sports medicine never follows a “recipe book.” There is no cookie-cutter protocol.

Good rehabilitation depends on understanding:

• The primary lesion
• Secondary compensatory injuries
• Biomechanics of the whole horse not just the lesion
• Discipline-specific demands
• Stage of healing
• The conformation and disposition of the horse in front of you

One of my favorite quotes is from Dr. A. Kent Allen:

“Absent a correct diagnosis, medicine is poison, surgery is trauma, and alternative therapy is witchcraft.”

That idea becomes more relevant every year as the market for injectables, devices, therapeutics, supplements, and performance enhancement continues to expand.

I argue that the goal should never be to simply apply treatments.

The goal is to understand when, why, and for which horse they are appropriate.

Without an expert foundation in biomechanics, pathophysiology, and accurate diagnosis, even advanced therapies can quickly become very expensive guesswork.

ANY treatment is only as good as the diagnosis guiding it.

05/12/2026

Thank you ISELP for another fantastic weekend of “gettin’ smarter”, complete with an opening day ice cream truck!

To Spy Coast Farm, thank you for providing the facility. It is perfect for our modules.

04/30/2026

No one has ever won from post #17.

04/30/2026

It works pretty well on calves also.

Have you heard of the Madigan Squeeze?

The Madigan foal squeeze is a veterinarian-performed technique that uses a soft rope arranged in a specific way to apply steady, snug pressure around a newborn foal’s chest/ribcage. Many foals respond to this firm pressure by lying down (“flopping”) and entering a quiet, sleep-like state (slow-wave sleep).

It’s used as an aid for foals with neonatal maladjustment syndrome (“dummy foal”), and it’s also used in healthy foals (typically < 3 days old) to make procedures like plasma administration, ultrasound exams, or other minor procedures easier and less stressful. The squeeze is usually maintained for about 20 minutes (generally limited to 20–30 minutes) while the foal’s breathing, heart rate, and mucous membrane color are monitored.

After the squeeze, the rope is released, and the foal is allowed to stay down or get up on its own. For maladjusted foals, the team then observes alertness and nursing behavior; in some cases, the squeeze may be repeated every 2–4 hours if needed.

Important safety note: this is not anesthesia, and a foal can arouse and kick, so it should only be done by skilled clinicians. It’s not recommended with suspected rib fractures, respiratory distress, septic shock, severe prematurity with floppy chests, severe neuromuscular disease affecting breathing, or congenital anomalies.

If you have questions or concerns about your own foal, contact your veterinarian.

📸 Photo courtesy of Pine Ridge Equine Hospital